Previous Comp Students
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