Student Highlights: Rachel Fanelli
Class: Graduate
Major: Ecology
Rachel Fanelli grew up in southeast Wyoming where she developed a passion for science and ecology early in life. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Wyoming (UW) in 2016 and a master’s degree in biology in 2021 from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
Rachel is now a second year PhD student in the Bedford Lab and is pursuing her doctorate through the Program in Ecology and Evolution at UW. For her PhD research, Rachel is interested in understanding how ambient temperature and food availability influence torpor-arousal cycles, and how torpor influences cognition and neuroanatomy in least chipmunks, a common hibernating rodent found throughout Wyoming.
When not working with chipmunks, Rachel enjoys spending her time reading books, baking, hiking, and hanging out with her family and spoiled dogs.
ABOUT STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS
Every year, we award fellowships to graduate and undergraduate students attending the University of Wyoming or Wyoming’s community colleges in order to provide them with funding to engage in real-world research opportunities. Occasionally, we feature one of these students and their research on this blog. For more information about our student fellowships, visit our College Programs page.