Niki Lin
Research Mentor: Joseph Caldwell
Mentor Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, LSA
Author(s): Niki Lin, Katie Van De Winkle, Thee Kittivorapat, Joseph Caldwell
Session: Session 7 (4:00 PM – 4:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 47
Abstract
Wasps are surprisingly intelligent creatures! They live in complex social groups, forage for miles from their nests, and overcome numerous environmental challenges. Although we know wasps do incredible things in the wild, we do not have standardized methods to measure their cognition in controlled environments. Cognition is the processes by which animals acquire, process, and store information. For example, learning, memory, and problem solving. These processes guide behavior and are therefore of major interest to biologists. A common way to test cognitive abilities in animals is to use choice chambers. Specifically, T-mazes have been successfully used to test learning and memory in wasps in the laboratory. Such devices allow us to measure cognitive abilities in a controlled and repeatable way, across individuals and species. However, the current T-maze design used for measuring wasp cognition requires extensive experimenter handling, which can introduce unwanted variability between trials. The goal of my project was to develop an automated T-maze for wasps that is precise, user friendly, and can produce repeatable results. I first prototyped the physical structure of the T-maze to accommodate the size and natural behavior of wasps. The prototype design was modeled in Lego building software and then constructed using the Lego bricks. This prototype was then used to create a functional 3D printed version of the maze. The T-maze also includes remotely controlled automated doors, removing the experimenter handling of the maze. By reducing physical handling of the wasps and the maze, this design minimes experimenter error and improves the repeatability of cognitive test trials. Ultimately, I developed a standardized tool to be used in future studies of wasp cognition in the laboratory.
