Adventures in academia

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Olaveson_Catherine.jpg” caption=”Catherine Olaveson is completing a degree in linguistics and cognitive sciences. Photo courtesy of Catherine Olaveson.”]Catherine Olaveson's academic journey has taken her from the glamorous world of the cosmetics industry to the jungles of Panama where she found herself waist-deep in mud.

Several years ago, Olaveson was working as a cosmetician when she found out the Gorilla Foundation, a non-profit organization that protects gorillas and their habitats, was looking for a research assistant.

She didn't have the necessary qualifications, so she quit her job and decided to go back to school as a mature student. She sold all of her belongings and cashed in her RRSPs to study anthropology at McMaster.

After graduating with an honours bachelor's degree in anthropology last June, she decided to continue her studies by pursing a degree in linguistics and cognitive sciences, which she plans to complete next summer.

“I am doing 54 units from May '07 to June '08,” she said. “Sleep has become a hobby.”

Olaveson became interested in teaching sign language to primates while working in the cosmetics industry, which has been known to test products on animals.

“By using sign language, you can show how primates have the same emotional qualities as humans,” Olaveson explained, adding that teaching these animals how to communicate could help them express feelings of pain.

She is studying American Sign Language (ASL) as a second language through the Department of Linguistics & Languages and hopes to pursue a PhD in primatology.

Jane Goodall has been one of Olaveson's biggest influences.

“I think it's incredible that she went into the field [of primatology] and overcame gender and age barriers,” said Olaveson.

She followed in Goodall's footsteps and was awarded a student project grant by Social Sciences Experiential Education last year to study the communication patterns of howler monkeys and capuchins in the tropical rainforest of Bocas del Toro, Panama.

Olaveson is currently working on a project based on research done by Magda Stroinska and Vikki Cecchetto in the Department of Linguistics & Languages that examined how elderly immigrants lost their ability to speak English as a second language.

“I am building a comparative model with great apes that have acquired ASL and would like to investigate that loss or retention in an aging population,” said Olaveson.

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[img_inline align="right" src="http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Olaveson_Catherine.jpg" caption="Catherine Olaveson is completing a degree in linguistics and cognitive sciences. Photo courtesy of Catherine Olaveson."]Catherine Olaveson&#039;s academic journey has taken her from the glamorous world of the cosmetics industry to the jungles of Panama where she found herself waist-deep in mud.<br />
<br />
<p>Several years ago, Olaveson was working as a cosmetician when she found out the Gorilla Foundation, a non-profit organization that protects gorillas and their habitats, was looking for a research assistant. <br />
<br />
<p>She didn&#039;t have the necessary qualifications, so she quit her job and decided to go back to school as a mature student. She sold all of her belongings and cashed in her RRSPs to study anthropology at McMaster. <br />
<br />
<p>After graduating with an honours bachelor&#039;s degree in anthropology last June, she decided to continue her studies by pursing a degree in linguistics and cognitive sciences, which she plans to complete next summer.<br />
<br />
<p>"I am doing 54 units from May &#039;07 to June &#039;08," she said. "Sleep has become a hobby."<br />
<br />
<p>Olaveson became interested in teaching sign language to primates while working in the cosmetics industry, which has been known to test products on animals. <br />
<br />
<p>"By using sign language, you can show how primates have the same emotional qualities as humans," Olaveson explained, adding that teaching these animals how to communicate could help them express feelings of pain. <br />
<br />
<p>She is studying American Sign Language (ASL) as a second language through the Department of Linguistics & Languages and hopes to pursue a PhD in primatology.<br />
<br />
<p>Jane Goodall has been one of Olaveson&#039;s biggest influences.<br />
<br />
<p>"I think it&#039;s incredible that she went into the field [of primatology] and overcame gender and age barriers," said Olaveson.<br />
<br />
<p>She followed in Goodall&#039;s footsteps and was awarded a student project grant by Social Sciences Experiential Education last year to study the communication patterns of howler monkeys and capuchins in the tropical rainforest of Bocas del Toro, Panama.<br />
<br />
<p>Olaveson is currently working on a project based on research done by Magda Stroinska and Vikki Cecchetto in the Department of Linguistics & Languages that examined how elderly immigrants lost their ability to speak English as a second language.<br />
<br />
<p>"I am building a comparative model with great apes that have acquired ASL and would like to investigate that loss or retention in an aging population," said Olaveson.<br />

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