Caroline Groves

Author: Caroline Groves | Major: Biology | Semester: Fall 2022

Hello, my name is Caroline Groves, and I am a junior at the University of Arkansas. I am an honors biology student in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. I feel fortunate to call Dr. Peter Ungar, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, my research mentor. I reached out to Dr. Ungar the spring of my sophomore year and actively began researching under him in fall 2022. I am a pre-dental student with aspirations to attend dental school after attaining my undergraduate degree.

My research project is rooted in climate change and human invasion, two topics prevalent in much of the world today. One region heavily feeling the consequences is the Arctic. My project focuses specifically on how reindeer have been impacted. Diminishing food supply has led to an alteration in reindeers’ diets. This adaptation can be further understood through the analysis of their teeth. Dr. Ungar introduced this project to me at our first meeting. He explained that he had already acquired molds of teeth from twenty different reindeer districts in Northern Finland. My job, then, would be to cast and acquire scans of the teeth’s microscopic scratches and pits, also known as dental microwear. This analysis allows for connections to be drawn between habitat and diet. This research project excited me, and I jumped at the chance to be a part of it.

My prior knowledge about reindeer teeth, believe it or not, was very limited. Dr. Ungar provided research articles about similar studies to allow me to familiarize myself with the topic. Reading these taught me crucial background knowledge such as reindeers’ traditional food sources. I continued to study up on it and realized how interested I was in the subject.

Acquiring and rendering valuable scans of the teeth requires time and patience. Learning how to create these scans with unfamiliar software has been my biggest challenge to date. Ph.D. student Leah Myerholtz has been a huge help in overcoming this learning curve. She walked me through the process step-by-step, and I can confidently say that my scans have seen vast improvement. To properly analyze the teeth, it is imperative to recognize what kind of tooth the cast is. Different teeth are scanned at different areas, making it essential to be able to differentiate them.

I am working on this project with Harrison Lowe, an honors anthropology student. Getting to work alongside him has been extremely helpful. Harrison has shown me that two minds are truly greater than one. Additionally, Dr. Ungar has been nothing but supportive throughout the entire process. After assigning this project to Harrison and I, he gave us the reins – no pun intended – but is always readily available to answer any questions or concerns. He holds monthly meetings for his undergraduate research team to check-in and assess progress.

I have not yet traveled for this research, but it is on the horizon. My team and I received a Research Team Grant and a Short-Term Travel Grant from the Honors College to travel to Inari, Finland to clean and mold preserved teeth to expand our sample size. I am thrilled about this opportunity and look forward to writing about it!