Kelley Winship is a recent graduate from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, with majors in Marine Science and Biology and a minor in Psychology. She is currently working with her advisor from UM, Dr. Jill Richardson, on an ongoing undergraduate thesis exploring color vision in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using a two-dimensional match to sample approach. Color vision has not been explored in depth in cetaceans, and most studies of vision have focused on distance vision and acuity. Thus, this project may contribute to an improved understanding of color vision and conceptual training in bottlenose dolphins. Her thesis committee includes Ted Turner from Ocean Embassy and Dr. Holli Byerly from Dolphins Plus, who have been instrumental to the success of her project. Her study subjects, Bella and Lotus, have been trained in match to sample discrimination techniques and are prepared to begin color discrimination trials in a few weeks. Kelley will be joining Dr. Stan Kuczaj in the Experimental Psychology Program at the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall in pursuit of a Ph.D. in dolphin cognition.

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