As an undergraduate, Ophir attended the University of Texas for a degree in psychology and anthropology. At Texas, Ophir worked in a psychology department research laboratory focused on the interaction of hormones and behaviors. He had a chance to conduct independent research on frog aggression and vocal behavior. The link between animals, science and psychology had Ophir hooked. “It just captivated me,” he says. “I knew I had to do this for the rest of my life.” Ophir next attended Canada’s McMaster University, noted for its programs in animal behavior and evolutionary psychology. “I started out interested, and then as I began to research and learn more, I became even more interested,” he says. “As I gained more of an education, it all sort of folded into one.” With Ophir’s father being a radiology professor, science has always been a big part of his life. “During his Ph.D. studies, my dad developed a significant amount of what makes ultrasound technology useful. As a part of his research he used my mom and myself to capture images that he later used in his publications before I was even born,” Ophir says. “So I’ve really had science all around me my whole life.” As he grew up in Houston, the kitchen table conversation was typically about the ins and outs of academic life. The conversations that stand out to Ophir are those with his father that groomed him for a life dedicated to science. “He’d implicitly teach me about the scientific method,” Ophir says. “He trained me to use it on anything.” As a young child, when Ophir asked his father what made marigolds grow, his father replied by asking what he thought made the flowers grow. Then the duo would carry out experiments to determine a possible answer. “We’d use fertilizer, and it was a huge breakthrough,” Ophir says laughing. Ophir, who joined the OSU faculty in 2009, hopes to make another breakthrough with his research on the giant African pouched rats. As he begins his research, he says he could not have asked for a more encouraging and helpful place. “I don’t think I would have any of these opportunities if I wasn’t at Oklahoma State.” 34 Hero Rat: A large rat trains to detect a landmine under the guidance of a trainer wi th APOPO, an organizat ion working in Tanzania wi th the rodents since the 1990s. Photo provided by APOPO OSU professor Alex Ophir will be building on research that has been ongoing for more than a decade. In 1998, the Belgian non-commercial company APOPO began researching the use of African giant pouched rats in bomb detection. For more on the organization’s work visit www.apopo.org.
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