Student Spotlight: Richard Viveiros
Richard Viveiros discovered a love of research back in high school. “I enjoyed working in labs for class, and I wanted to contribute to knowledge in my field.” Shortly after arriving at UMaine, he viewed a lab presentation from Dr. Victor Ortega-Jimenez and reached out for more information. During a tour of the lab, Ortega-Jimenez showed him a tank of springtails they were working with at the time. “I briefly mentioned to him that I had a couple years of experience rearing semi-aquatic springtails for a bioactive reptile tank I had at home. He turned to me and shook my hand, and said, ‘welcome to the lab.’”
Viveiros’ research is focused on Snow Springtails, animals “known to live in sub-zero conditions on top of ice and snow, or frozen soils.However, during the spring, the melting ice creates a challenge to these tiny animals because their jumping organ (furcula) seems to be unable to exert enough force on the liquid water to successfully jump. […] When they launch themselves, they inflate a sticky gland that is located at the tip of their abdomen, which is used to stick their landing and soften the impact.” Results from the study “can help to design jumping robots with the capacity to move effectively on both solid and melting ice surfaces.”
Having Dr. Ortega-Jimenez as his advisor has been invaluable to Viveiros’ research experience at UMaine. “Ever since joining him in his insect research, I have done everything from flipping over rocks looking for bugs, to sitting behind an electron microscope imaging them. There is never a dull day in the lab, which is furnished with all sorts of lasers and gadgets. Overall I have been exposed to many experiences I never would have thought possible without my faculty mentor. I am extremely grateful for his support over the past year.”
“I would highly recommend anyone to reach out to professors and ask about their research. From my experience, there are many labs here at UMaine looking for undergraduate researchers, and working in science is a blast. If you have interest in a lab, sometimes it’s just as simple as sending a quick email to get in on a fun project that will contribute to the body of knowledge in your field. Being a part of the research that informs the subject that you’re here at school for oftentimes can bring you closer to your studies. I feel like I am no longer just an observer of the discoveries that I learn about, but I am actively furthering them as well. I would absolutely recommend working in a lab on campus to enrich your own experience at college.”