Previous Comp Students

2023-2024 Senior Comp Group

Zach Altenbaugh: The Effect of Weather Conditions on the Distribution of Plethodon cinereus in Nature

Genna Feltmeyer: Effects of a Fungal Pathogen on the Skin Bacteria Abundance of the Eastern Newt

Anastazia Herbst: Assessing immune response in Plethodon cinereus using Phytohemagglutinin injections and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Sofia Maass: Effects of Secondary Metabolites and Coevolution on Insect Herbivory in the Plant Families Asteraceae and Fabaceae

Chris Rubino: Can a deadly fungal disease affect the metabolic rate of Plethodon cinereus?

Lia Teufel: Effects of Downward Shifting vs. Constant Temperatures on the Host-Pathogen Interaction Between the Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) and the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)

Sheyli Wetzel: The Variations of Tick Density Patterns Throughout the Seasons

2022-2023 Senior Comp Group

Sara Adams: Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection Burden

Hadi Al Khafaji: Impact of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) on Intraspecific Competition in Plethodon cinereus (Red-backed Salamander)

Shane Cafardi: The Relationship Between Disease and Competition for Cover Objects Among Desmognathus fuscus and Plethodon cinereus

Tristen Donovan: Rana Tadpole Survival Rate and Infection Load After Exposure to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Combination With Various Salt Concentrations

Ella Lunney: Interactions between Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Exposure and Behavior in Plethodon cinereus

Katie Mowry: A Test of the River Continuum Concept in Stream Orders of Varying Human Impact

Rachel Walters: Impact of Agriculture on Echinostoma Infection in Ramshorn Snails (Planorbella corneus) of Crawford County

Emma Yesko: Exploring the factors associated with an amphibian die-off at Bousson Environmental Research Reserve: analysis for the presence of Ranavirus

2021-2022 Senior Comp Group

Christian Calle: The Effects of Temperature and Acclimation Periods on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection Burden in the Terrestrial Salamander, Plethodon cinereus

Maddy Kapfhammer: Going VIRALL: A Tool for Advancing Student Implementation of Computational SIR and SEIR Disease Transmission Models in Biology Education 

Alex Paluselli: Developing a Reliable Method of DNA Extraction for Ixodes scapularis and Assessing Lyme Disease Prevalence Across Life Stages 

Elyce Reyes: How does varying dosages of Bd affect Red-backed Salamanders ability to participate in Competition? 

David Salazar: Temperature and Acclimation Period, and its Effects on Oxygen Consumption in Mus musculus

2020-2021 Senior Comp Group [non-experimental comps due to COVID-19]

Justin Brucker: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Prevalence Affected by Elevation, Temperature, and Life Stage in Anurans and Caudata 

Rylee Donovan: The Relationship between Stress and Disease and their Inconsistencies in Literature

Kelli Gaus: The Effects of Winter Temperature and Vegetation Density on Lyme Disease Cases Across Pennsylvania 

Tyler Hettich: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Prevalence Differences in Anurans and Caudates 

Leah Nye: Teaching Microorganism Interactions: The Effects of Varying Concentrations of Janthinobacterium lividum on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Culture 

Catherine Schlenker: Examining Phytoplankton Community Shifts in Response to Pesticide Exposure 

Shane Stadtfeld: Review of Vertebrate Olfactory Systems with Respect to Parasite Detection and Avoidance

2019-2020 Senior Comp Group

Riley Aul: Temperature shift post-exposure effects on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection burden in the terrestrial salamander, Plethodon cinereus 

Bobby Bower: Feeding Response of Red-Backed Salamanders Infected with Varying Levels of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis 

Ali Hobson: The Effect of Vitamin Supplementation on Red Backed Salamander’s Ability to Clear Bd Infection 

Maia Joiner: is the most chill student in my lab... and she is investigating aggression. Maia is curious to see if salamanders fighting off Bd are more or less aggressive than non-infected salamanders.

Sara Koussa: The Effects of Microbiome Augmentation and Varied Doses of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on the Infection Burden of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) 

Coreky Laskey: Does Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis affect the production of an immune response in salamanders? 

Desiree Van Horn: The effect of corticosterone on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection between male and female Red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) 

Logan Welch: The Effects of Chronic Elevated Corticosterone on Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) Infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis 

2018-2019 Senior Comp Group

Cristin Archer: Susceptibility of Larval Ambystoma mexicanum to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis 

Arden Delphey: Varying acclimation to temperature shifts may impact chytrid infection in the eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) 

Ryan Hammer: The Effect of Temperature on Aggression Behaviors Exhibited by Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in Response to a Competitor

Madison Hartner: The Effect of Dietary Intake on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection Intensity in the Red-backed Salamander

Brittany Lutheran: Indirect Transmission of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Rana clamitans 

Louis McUmber: Effects of Exogenous Testosterone on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection of Male Red-backed Salamanders, Plethodon cinereus  

Morgan Ritchie: The Effects of Pond Permanency on the Snail (Planorbella) Abundance in Northwestern Pennsylvania 

Taylor Vigneri: Influence of Agriculture on Planorbella Abundance 

2017-2018 Senior Comp Group

Aaron Altmeyer: Tick prevalence on the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, in Bousson Environmental Research Reserve 

Sean Collins: How Previous Stressors Affect Disease Resistance in Red-Backed Salamanders 

Laura Craft: Can Female Red-Backed Salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, use Olfactory Signaling to Determine the Presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Potential Mates?

Zoe Husnick: Different doses of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Affect Secretion of Corticosterone in Plethodon cinereus 

Felicia Krasa: The detection of the amphibian fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobaditis in a population of Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, the Eastern Hellbender, in a Pennsylvania Creek 

Carissa Lange: Diurnal temperature variation hinders an amphibian host’s ability to clear the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis 

Michelle Woods: Effects of diesease pathology on nutrient cycling in aquatic systems

Chris Yesukevich: spatiotemporal tick prevalence in the environment

2016-2017 Senior Comp Group

Logan Billet: Temporal and interspecific variation of the amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in northwest Pennsylvania 

Kaelin Clogan: The effect of aquatic surface area on frog resistance to a fungal pathogen

Morgan Dillon: Effect of testosterone on male Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander resistance to the amphibian chytrid fungus 

Kyle Emerson: The effects of temperature variations and cutaneous bacterial layer removal on fungal pathogen resistance in Plethodon cinereus

Rhet Happel: Short-term versus long-term effect of thermal acclimation on Desmognathus fuscus resistance to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection 

Jim Nagel: The influence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on the metabolic function of Plethodon cinereus and Notophthalmus viridescens

Keva Pariyar: Energetic trade-offs between reproduction and infection intensity in female Plethodon cinereus

Tori Rollin: Effect of temperature on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis growth in culture

Brittani Vescio: Determining tolerance to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Notophthalmus viridescens newts through leukocyte analysis

Kenton Ward: applying electrolytes to infected amphibians to extend their survival

2015-2016 Senior Comp Group

Joe DeMarchi: The Effect of Non-Host Species on the Abundance of a Pathogenic Fungus: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Ian Dempsey: Seasonal Variation in Resistance of Red Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) to the Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)

Caitlin Hawthorn: Refining the Technique of Fungal Environmental DNA Collection Using Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Freshwater Ponds in Northwestern Pennsylvania

Alexandra Hess: Forget Immunity: Plethodon cinereus Clears a Fungal Pathogen Without a Leukocyte-mediated Response

Rachel Marbach: The Interaction of Parasite Infection and Sex Differences in Plethodon cinereus Aggressive Signals

Julie Murone: The Effects of Exogenous Corticosterone on Stress Hormone Release in Water in Plethodon cinereus

Victoria Mustovic: Relationship between heterozygosity and disease resistance in a terrestrial salamander, Plethodon cinereus

Caroline Stasiowski: Vitamin Supplementation Effects on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in Plethodon cinereus

2014-2015 Senior Comp Group

Jennifer Deithelm: Net effects of fungicides and a pathogenic fungus on amphibian health

Stephanie Karavlan: Relationship between Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and metabolic rate in frogs

Alexandria Lundell: How do changes in a tadpoles physical environment affect disease outcomes?

Alejandro Weil: Seasonal prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in NW PA