C.W. Post Graduate Student Wins Grant from
American Museum of Natural History for Bat Wing Research

Dr. Bill Schutt, Maria Armour

Brookville, N.Y. – Why does the anatomy of bats’ wings vary from species to species? And are the differences in their wings due to evolution or function? What about bats like vampire bats, which can move about and hunt for blood on the ground? Do they fold their wings differently than bats that feed on flying insects?

A graduate biology student at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University has won a prestigious grant from the American Museum of Natural History to answer these questions and more.

Maria Armour, 24, the winner of a Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant from the museum, is studying the evolutionary and ecological significance of the anatomy of bats’ wings, recording over twenty characteristics that differ from species to species. She is the first C.W. Post student to win the Roosevelt grant, which provides funding for researchers studying North American wildlife and draws applicants from across the United States.

Armour, of Bridgewater, Mass., said the venerable museum on Central Park West in Manhattan offers a stimulating environment for a young scientist. “It has been a fascinating experience conducting research at AMNH. There is a wealth of information being offered to me by the outstanding Mammalogy Department as well as from the resource of thousands of bat specimens that have been made available to me. I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a renowned institute and hope to be working there for a long time.” she said.

In the C.W. Post biology lab, Maria Armour inspects a bat’s wings to determine the species

Armour earned her undergraduate degree in marine vertebrate biology from Southampton College of Long Island University in 2004. She was a teaching assistant to one of her professors, Bill Schutt, Ph.D., who today is an Associate Professor of biology at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History. Armour is working toward a master’s degree in biology at C.W. Post.

“Armour’s research will yield valuable information on several topics,” Schutt said. “Are the wings similar because the bats are close evolutionary relatives, or are they similar because they are doing the same things? Additionally, Maria’s work will help us to better understand how bats evolved and how they fly. She’s also figured out some neat characteristics that will aid in identifying bats in the field. It’s very cool stuff.”

Armour and Schutt are also planning to study animal locomotion using a special high-speed video camera and a custom-built animal treadmill, and are planning along with other C.W. Post students and professors to visit Brazil over the winter to observe Amazon rainforest wildlife.

Posted: June 29, 2006