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About Sharon:
About Sharon:
My fundamental interest lies in investigating the interconnectedness of nature, I am particularly interested in vertebrate behavior, interactions and the applications of behavioral ecology in conservation. Following these interests, I have also found myself drawn to seeking and discovering non-invasive methodologies for data collection. On campus, I put these interests to work through research of the salt marsh harvest mouse, assisting with San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike projects, and by teaching a General Education Sciences laboratory. Off campus, I work as a scientific aid for Region 6 Inland Fisheries for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife where I assist with population monitoring and management for introduced reservoir fish species and native fish species. Please see the salt marsh harvest mouse research page for an overview and below for the details of my undergrad research.
Contact: oconn072@csusm.edu
Sharon's Undergraduate & Graduate Research
My undergraduate research was a culmination of how locomotion, biomechanics and morphology influence functional traits and behavioral flexibility of specialist and generalist species in turbulent environments. For my thesis, I am studying the plasticity of locomotor behavior in the salt marsh harvest mouse; an endangered species that is endemic to brackish marshes in the San Francisco Estuary. It is thought to be specialized to move around in these marshes because they tend to remain in their habitats during flooding and high tides. My project involves using DeepLabCut, a deep learning pose estimation software, to process high speed videos of mice swimming and climbing for tracking movements of individual body parts. From these movements we obtain quantitative, kinematic, measurements that we can compare among salt marsh harvest mice and co-occurring species.
Processing a mouse in the Suisun Marsh, CA
Processing a mouse in the Suisun Marsh, CA
Juvenile salt marsh harvest mouse
Juvenile salt marsh harvest mouse
reme5943_WalkAndSwim2.mp4Western harvest mouse walking and swimming
Western harvest mouse walking and swimming
Sharon in action...
Teaching kids about wolves at Nature Night at San Diego Children's Discovery Museum
Teaching kids about wolves at Nature Night at San Diego Children's Discovery Museum
Sampling fish at Tule Red marsh, Grizzly Island Wildlife Area during BIOL 486 wildlife ecology course
Sampling fish at Tule Red marsh, Grizzly Island Wildlife Area during BIOL 486 wildlife ecology course
Electroshock fish sampling a creek with the California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
Electroshock fish sampling a creek with the California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
Presenting research at the Southwestern Organismal Biologist's 2023 meeting at Claremont Colleges
Presenting research at the Southwestern Organismal Biologist's 2023 meeting at Claremont Colleges
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