
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Disease Ecology, Conservation Medicine Ecological Immunology, Pathophysiology Emerging Infectious Disease, Evoluion of Virulence
In very general terms I am interested in
biological processes that impact species diversity and evolution. Disease is one example of an important, although sometimes
underestimated, driver in biological systems. Specifically, my
doctoral research centered on pathogenesis and differential virulence
in a fungal disease of amphibians called chytridiomycosis. I focus on
the mechanisms of mortality in this disease because it is implicated in worldwide amphibian declines. The
fungal pathogen that causes chytridiomycosis has the ability to spread
rapidly though frog populations and to infect numerous, phylogenetically distict species, causing high levels of mortality.
These disease characteristics not only render chytridiomycosis especially
difficult to respond to, but also present strong empirical evidence for
disease-induced extinctions. Although occasionally described as
"catastrophic" or "tragic", the loss of amphibian biodiversity due to
infectious disease also represents an opportunity to study the
underpinnings of biological systems. Research in disease dynamics demands scientific literacy on multiple levels, from microbial biology to organismal physiology to theoretical ecology. Additionally, it requires a command of varied techniques and technical knowledge, from histology to biotelemetry to tent pitching in the field. It is this nexus of scientific expertise, technical knowledge, and hands-on experience that continues to draw me to this exciting and valuable research. TEACHING AND PUBLIC OUTREACH Along with upper level undergraduate courses, I have also been fortunate to teach basic biological concepts to grammar students and the general public. My favorite presentation is titled, "Frogs are important in the food web" where I give kids the opportunity to meet a frog face to face. "I wanted to thank you again for your visit. Your first hand experience and discussion with the students made a big impact. They talked a lot about the frog noises and which one they liked best. Of course, seeing a real frog was fantastic." - Roxanne Steenburger, Claremont Primary School
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