Sarah Webster of Matthews, N.C., a senior in the University Honors program majoring in wildlife sciences, was named a 2010-11 ACC Undergraduate Research Scholar. She was one of five students selected among 40 applicants for this scholarship program, which recognizes highly talented undergraduate students who are pursuing ambitious and unique research projects.

Webster’s research project is entitled “The Impact of Sustainable Logging on Jaguars in Belize.” “My research, with help from Associate Professor Marcella Kelly, explored the effects of a Belizean logging operation on carnivore populations, specifically jaguars, within a privately owned, protected area over two months,” Webster reported. “Remote cameras captured photos of jaguars within the protected area. These pictures will identity individual jaguars, estimate the population, and draw conclusions about the effect logging is having on jaguars and other carnivore species in the area. The information will help the landowners effectively manage logging operations while maintaining the jaguar population.”

The scholarship included a $2,000 award, which Webster used to fund a four-week trip to Belize this past summer to set up camera traps and collect data.

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