2012 - Shippensburg University

Fall 2012
Volume 3, Issue 1
Editors: Dr. Maret and
Dr. Stewart
Inside this issue:
Biota of Florida
2
SU Biology Student 5
Presentations
Greetings from the Department Chair
I’m sure you’ve all heard the old cliché “better late than never”. This is our third annual
newsletter, and although our best intentions were to have it completed last summer before classes started (like the previous two), we never quite got it finished until now. Last year we lost one
of our editors, which left the newsletter in the hands of two of the most unorganized people in the
department (me and JR Stewart). Alyssa Bumbaugh, a valuable colleague and the organizing
force behind the last two newsletters, left us last year. Among other things, Alyssa taught Genetics and Principles of Biology: Cell Structure and Function. She now lives and works in State College, and we miss her and wish her the best of luck. JR and I finally put the newsletter together
over winter break and recruited Natasha Wingerter, one of our graduate students, to make it presentable.
So here it is a year and a half since our last newsletter. Spring classes will be starting up in a little
over a week. The faculty is busy planning courses and writing syllabi. Some of the students returning next weekend will be moving into the brand new residence halls (you can see what they look
like at http://www.ship.edu/Housing/Suites/). I always look forward to a new semester with a mix
of excitement and anxiety - excitement over the chance to once again interact with students and
colleagues, anxiety over the fact that much on my winter break “to do” list remains undone. I
hope that all of you had a fulfilling and relaxing holiday season, and I wish you the best for 2013.
Tim Maret, Professor and Chair
SU Biology Awards 9
Alumni Profile
11
Alumni Spotlight
12
The Man in the Basement
Many graduates of the Biology Department never realize that we are fortunate to own a
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Due to the nature of light, the resolving power of light microscopes degrades at magnifications above 1000X. In contrast, a SEM can capture images of
specimens at magnifications in excess of 100,000X while still retaining usable resolution because it
uses a beam of electrons to examine the specimen instead of light. Dr. Greg Paulson can often be
found down in the bowels of FSC working on the SEM. He uses the SEM to collect images that he
can use for his classes and also as part of his research on adaptations of ant nest symbionts. He
also offers a class in alternate years that teaches students to use the SEM and bioimaging devices.
Dr. Paulson has won several awards for his work and his images have appeared in numerous magazines, textbooks and museum displays. This past summer some of his images were featured in a
spider display at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. To Dr. Paulson the most interesting aspects of using the SEM are seeing the microscopic detail in the structures he studies and
understanding that he is often the first person that has ever seen a particular structure in such detail. He says, “I often feel like a micro Daniel Boone when I’m wending my way through a grove of
setae on a fly’s leg. At high magnifications, what appears to be a simple hair can actually be highly
sculptured and detailed.” Dr. Paulson has picked a few of his favorite SEM images to share with
you in this newsletter see if you can guess what they are before you peek at the answers on page 8.
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 2
Biota of Florida
In March 2012 Dr. Pablo Delis, Dr. Larry Klotz and I journeyed to
Florida over spring break with 12 students in the Biota of Florida class. We
spent 10 days driving over 1200 miles throughout Florida, camping at six
different campgrounds. We saw many different Florida ecosystems and
left knowing more about Florida’s biota than most Floridians. This was
my first time teaching the course, and really my first time botanizing in
Florida, so luckily for all involved Dr. Klotz agreed to join us on the trip and
impart his knowledge of the Florida flora. All 15 of us flew on a direct
flight from Harrisburg to Orlando and arrived at our first campsite in Wekiwa Springs State park late in the evening. This was to be the norm for
our trip, as we only set up our tents during the day once throughout the entire trip. Luckily, the students had practiced setting up the tents before we left so they could easily set them up in the dark and had it down to under 5
minutes by the end of the trip!
As we were greeted by the dawn chorus of birds on our first
morning in Florida we all got out of our tents and were amazed at the
sight—right across from our tents was an area that had recently been
burned in a prescribed fire. It was a pretty amazing landscape to wake up
to. Right away we spotted woodpeckers galore, including pileated, redbellied, and red-headed woodpeckers, we learned our first plants of the
trip, and the students found a gopher tortoise burrow with a gopher tortoise inside! This was all just steps from our tents and it was hard to tear
the students away from the plants and animals they were finding to head
to breakfast. We knew then that we had an amazing group of students
and that this would be a great trip.
Our daily routine consisted of waking up, usually packing up
camp, heading to Publix, the local supermarket chain for breakfast and
lunch supplies, and then packing in the vans for our next destination.
Publix often conveniently had comfortable plastic lawn chairs for sale
outside of their stores which made for a good place to sit and enjoy our
breakfasts. Down time was spent writing in journals all that we did and
every plant and animal species we encountered in each habitat.
During the first few days of the trip we hit the water, snorkeling
in Wekiwa Springs and Alexander Springs. The students caught an
amazing number of different turtle species snorkeling in Alexander Springs. I must admit,
I was absolutely no help with the turtle catching. Good thing we had many quick swimmers with good eyes on the trip! We also headed to Blue Springs State Park where we saw
about 35 manatees, bald eagles, longnose gars, anoles, and our first of many alligators.
And of course, plants--it’s difficult to take two steps in Florida
without encountering a new plant species. Everyone quickly
filled up their journals with long lists of all the plant species we
were seeing and descriptions to help keep them all straight.
By the 4th day everyone pretty much had the plant species
down…and of course that’s when we headed further south and
hit an entirely new flora of mostly tropical species.
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 3
Biota of Florida
Mid-way through our trip we visited Archbold Biological Station.
When we first arrived Dr. Delis stopped a woman walking by to ask her some
questions and she turned out to be an extremely friendly post-doctoral research who was studying the Florida Scrub Jay—one of the more charismatic
fauna there at the station. Using the peanuts we had bought on our way there,
she called them in for us so we were able to get a great view. After hiking
through the unique Florida scrub habitat, we were surprised by a visit from Dr.
Delis’s former Shippensburg Master’s student, Zach Forsburg, who was living
there and studying the federally threatened Eastern Indigo Snake. We were in
luck because he had a snake with him that he was about to release so we were able to see this special species
and hear more about their biology and the work that Zach is doing with the Orianne society to better understand the habits of this rather elusive snake.
The next stop on our trip was Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, a haven for wildlife and plants galore. Here
we were able to get great views of wood storks in the ditches as we drove in. We spent much more time here
than we had planned, but were treated to so many great sights. The boardwalk takes you through really striking
transitions between several distinct habitats from pine flatwoods to wet prairie to pond cypress forest and then to bald cypress forest. While there we befriended one of the volunteers
who made sure we didn’t miss the coiled water moccasin, banded water snake, and two barred owls that were hidden in the forest. He also took several of us off the beaten path to see a flowering cowhorn orchid, which is an epiphyte that was growing on
the upper branches of a tall cypress. It was a pretty special sight.
Some others in the group were treated to close-up views of a
river otter. This was an amazing stop and we ended up eating
our lunch around 5pm at the picnic tables outside of the sanctuary---slightly behind schedule but well worth it. Our next stop
was our first swim in the ocean since arriving in Florida.
After heading further south along Florida’s west coast we hit tropical hardwood forests and commenced
learning a new flora. We canoed through mangrove forests, learned to distinguish red, white and black mangroves from one another, and were amused by the many mangrove crabs skittering about. We then headed
south to our campground in Everglades National Park. We started our day in the Everglades by first stopping for
breakfast at a great fruit market called ‘Robert is Here.’ This place was fabulous and most of us had tropical fruit
milkshakes in a huge variety of flavors. What better breakfast could you ask for? After getting our tropical fruit
fix and having our picture taken with Robert himself we headed back into the park where we spent one extremely full and wonderful day hiking six trails and seeing wide array of bird, plant,
amphibian, and reptile species. Anhingas and Cormorants were everywhere,
and here we also were able to compare tricolored, green, great blue, and little
blue herons side-by-side. Driving along and missing our intended trail turned
out to be one of our best mistakes as we turned around at a pond that was
filled with wading birds. It was the pink roseate spoonbills that first caught our
attention. However, after getting out and scanning the pond we also discovered Northern shovelers, moorhens, lesser yellowlegs, green winged teal,
black-necked stilts and more! Finally, the many u-turns that were so characteristic of our trip paid off!
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 4
Biota of Florida
We squeezed as much as we could into this one day in the Everglades, ending our day botanizing by flashlight through pine flatwoods.
After finally bidding farewell to the Everglades we commenced our long
drive to the Keys, finally setting up camp around midnight. That evening
several in our group got their first glimpse of the diminutive endangered
Key deer as they walked to the bathroom, which we found out were to be
a regular sight in the evenings at our campground. These deer are a subspecies of the white-tailed deer and are only about waist high.
Our first hours of relaxation on the trip took place at Bahia Honda
State Park on the afternoon of day seven of the trip. Of course, we could
not spend very long without learning something new, so we did some snorkeling in a sea grass bed where we
learned a variety of algae and aquatic plant species as well as
many sponges. Many in our group also mastered the art of the
sunburn that day. Needless to say, we had to make a stop at the
grocery store that evening to load up on aloe. Our next day in the
keys we headed out on a
boat to do some snorkeling
on a coral reef. As soon as
we jumped in we were met
with a huge variety of marine
species and this was truly a
gem. Unfortunately, the
very choppy waves caused a few of us (myself included) to succumb to seasickness. We helped the rest of the group out by providing ‘chum’ to draw
the fish in.
Our final day was spent botanizing and looking for lizards at Jonathan Dickinson State Park where Dr.
Klotz and I fell far behind everyone else looking at many plant species not yet encountered on our trip. The rest
of the group found numerous amphibians and reptiles including a scrub lizard. We spent our final hours in Florida
swimming at a beach on Ft.
Lauderdale before heading back
to the airport to return to life in
Pennsylvania. We returned to
Shippensburg tired, salty, slightly
sunburnt, our heads filled with
the names of a staggering number of new plant and animal species, and with a species, and with
a newfound appreciation and understanding of Florida ecology.
newfound appreciation and understanding of Florida ecology.
Dr. Heather Sahli
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
SU Biology Student Presentations 2012
Ahlswede, B.* and T.J. Maret. 2012. Interspecific interactions between adult Ambystoma maculatum and Ambystoma jeffersonianum, two syntopic salamander species of south central Pennsylvania. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University
Biologists Annual Meeting, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.
Adams, Jaclyn*, P. Delis, and B. Armen. 2012. Phenology of the anuran community in
four wetlands in south-central Pennsylvania using automated acoustic systems. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University,
Shippensburg, PA.
Anderson, James**, Pablo R. Delis, and Walter E. Meshaka Jr. 2012. A Riverfront Population of the Eastern Garter Snake, Thamnophis s. sirtalis, in South-Central
Pennsylvania. Poster Presentation to the Pennsylvania Academy of Science
Annual Meeting, in Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Baldwin, K.**, A. Luce-Fedrow, A. Kostik, A. Odhiambo, R. Stewart,, and M. Lehman.
2012. Incidence of Bacterial Pathogens in Common Tick Populations (Ixodes
and Dermacentor). Presented at the Allegheny Branch of the American Society for Microbiology at Penn State University, State College, PA.
Baldwin, Katherine*, Katie Wiechelt*, M. Lehman, A. Bumbaugh, and R. L. Stewart.
2012. Incidence of Tick-borne Diseases in Common Animal Populations. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Bartle, Sarah*, Pablo R. Delis, and Walter E. Meshaka Jr. 2012. Comparison of reproductive characteristics between two mole salamanders from South Central
Pennsylvania: implications for conservation. Poster Presentation to the Pennsylvania Academy of Science Annual Meeting, in Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Bellis, Tyler **, N. Thomas. Habitat availability, growth rate and survival of reintroduced northern bobwhite in south-central Pennsylvania. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Breski, Megan*, Angel Sharma*, Sativa Volcy*, Veronica Zewdu*, and S. Bergsten.
2012. Identification of genes important in courtship behavior of Drosophila
melanogaster. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg
University, Shippensburg, PA.
Campbell, Laurel*, Pablo Delis, and Walter E. Meshaka Jr. 2012. Geographic Variation
in Morphometrics and Life History Traits in Two Spring Peeper (Pseudacris
crucifer) populations in South Central Pennsylvania. Poster Presentation to
the Pennsylvania Academy of Science Annual Meeting, in Cedar Crest College,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Page 5
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 6
SU Biology Student Presentations 2012
Carlucci, B.P.*, J. Wisgo, C. Kindlin, and R.L. Stewart. 2012. Evaluation of fawn health at Letterkenney Army Depot through Organ
Analysis. Presented at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologists
annual meeting at Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA.
Cole, T*, B. Grega*, J. Rauchut*, M. Elalaoui*, K. Grove** and L. H. Elliott. 2012. Engineering an Expression Vector to Visualize Autophagy in Cloned Cells. Poster, SU Celebration of Student Research, Shippensburg, PA.
Crosby, Whitney*, Karla Peterson*, Amanda Wise*, Kaitlyn Wallace*, A. Bumbaugh, M.
Lehman, and R. L. Stewart. 2012. Prevalence of Pathogenic Escherichia coli Isolates in Pennsylvania Deer Populations. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Delis, Alexander F.*, Pablo Delis, and Brad Armen. 2012. A New Apparatus for Measuring
Plastral Adduction Forces in the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene c. carolina L.). Poster Presentation to the Pennsylvania Academy of Science Annual Meeting, in Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Espenshade, J.L.* and R. Stewart. 2012. Prevalence of Strongyloides robustus in Tree Squirrels (Sciuridae) in South-Central Pennsylvania. Presented at the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania University Biologists annual meeting at Slippery Rock University,
Slippery Rock, PA.
Fink, Joshua*, D.R. Long, and M. Lehman. 2012. The identification and characterization of
antimicrobial resistant Xanthomonas and related species. Celebration of Student
Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Gau, Y*, W. Okwaare*, M. Myett*, A. Bumbaugh and L. H. Elliott. 2012. Elucidating the
Role of Atg5 and Autophagy in Clearance of Shigella flexneri from Infected Cells.
Oral Presentation, 88th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science,
Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA,
Gau, Y*., W. Okwaare*, C. Smith*, M. Myett*, A. Bumbaugh and L.H. Elliott. 2012. Subcloning of Stably Transfected EGFP-Atg5 SNB19 Cells to Obtain a Pure Clone of
Cells Expressing EGFP-Atg5 Fusion Protein. Poster, SU Celebration of Student
Research, Shippensburg,PA,
Hofmann, Eric*, M. Lehman, A. Bumbaugh, and R.L. Stewart. 2012. The Design and Evaluation of a Forensic Science Classroom Activity Using the Methodologies of ProjectBased, Cooperative, and Inquiry-Based Learning. Celebration of Student Research
Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Hood, Kaybrea*, A. Bumbaugh, and M. Lehman. 2012. Antimicrobial properties of raw honey and propolis on microbial growth. Celebration of Student Research Conference,
Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 7
SU Biology Student Presentations 2012
Humbert,William**, Pablo Delis, and Walter E. Meshaka Jr. 2012. Morphometrics and Ecology of the American Toad (Anaxyrus
americanus) at Letterkenny Army Depot, South Central Pennsylvania. Oral Presentation Presentation to the Pennsylvania Academy of Science Annual Meeting, in Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Kesslak, L. E.**, T. L. Smith**, and T. Light. 2012. Fish exposure to emerging contaminants in municipal wastewater: can
dietary sewage contribution predict severity of estrogenic effects? (Oral) Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Allentown, PA.
Lee, S*., L. Perry*, L. Elliott and W. Patrie. 2012. Identification of Bacterial Isolates Using rRNA Gene Sequence Analysis. Poster, Celebration of Student Research, Shippensburg, PA.
Loomis, Jennifer**, and W. Patrie. 2012. Regulation of PPARγ agonists in transcriptional activation of PRDM16 to induce myoblast to brown adipose tissue differentiation. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University,
Shippensburg, PA.
McCanuel, Stacy*, and T. Hurd. 2012. Stable isotope determination of whitetail deer diet in adjacent agricultural and forested
habitats of Pennsylvania. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Moore, Megan*, Laura Nelson*, Patricia Bianchino*, A. Bumbaugh, M. Lehman, and R. L. Stewart. 2012. The Prevalence of
Arcanobacterium pyogenes in the White-Tailed Deer Population at Letterkenny Army Depot. Celebration of Student
Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Motter, Kelly**, R. L. Stewart, M. Lehman, and A. Bumbaugh. 2012. Evaluating White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, as a
Sentinel for the Incidence and Spread of Dog Heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Nagle, Marissa*, Karen Mahney*, J. Wisgo, and R. L. Stewart. 2012. Winter Ecotoparasties of Coyotes (Canis latrans) from
Pennsylvania. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
O’Brian, Benjamin* and R. L. Stewart. 2012. Evaluating a Track Capture Technique for Use in Assessing Small Mammal Abundance and Diversity. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Redington, Lauren*, C. Duckwall*, and A. Bumbaugh. 2012. Inhibition and promotion of Streptococcus mutans biofilms using
mouthwash and sugars. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA
Richardson, H., A. Helfrick*, and T. Light. 2012. Diet and behavior of Appalachian brook crayfish in acidic and neutral pH mountain streams (poster) Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Allentown, PA.
Rios, Susana* and R. L. Stewart. 2012. Prevalence of Baylisascaris Procyonis in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 8
SU Biology Student Presentations 2012
Ritz, A** H.F. Sahli, D. Biddinger, J. Schupp, E. Winzler, E. Rajotte, and N. Joshi. 2012. Quantifying the efficacy of native bees
for orchard pollination in Pennsylvania to offset the increased cost and decreased reliability of honeybees. Pennsylvania
Academy of Science Annual Meeting, Allentown, PA.
Sergent, Joseph*, Sarah Brown*, and A. Bumbaugh. 2012. Virulence gene expression and tracking of GFP labeled Shigella in the
house fly (Musca domestica). Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Simko, Eric*, Michael Ricci*, Matthew Good*, Arthur Eick*, James Reddington*, B. Patrie, and G. Paulson. 2012. Investigation
of the causative agent of rose rosette disease. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University,
Shippensburg, PA.
Simons,Pamela*, Pablo R. Delis, and Heather Sahli. 2012. Seed dispersal by the eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene c. carolina). Poster
Presentation to the Pennsylvania Academy of Science Annual Meeting, in Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Snyder, Nathan*, and W. Patrie. 2012. Characterization of epidermal growth factor receptor gene in glioblastoma cells. Celebration of Student Research Conference, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA.
Social Network with the Biology Department
The Biology Department has two Facebook pages. “Biology – Shippensburg University” is the
official FB page of the department. Anyone can be a member. The Discussions page is open to
everyone but only the Administrators can post content on the Wall. Everyone can comment on
the posts, however. Our intent is to use the Biology page as a means of keeping members informed of activities in the department; seminars, club meetings, important dates, etc.
The department’s other page is under the pseudonym “Addy Bio”. “Friend” Addy and you will
be given full privileges to post content. We envision this page as a true social connection for our
alumni, current students, and faculty. Through Addy Bio’s page you will be able to connect and
interact with friends and colleagues from your time as a student at SU and Biology Department
Alumni.
Please join us on both FB pages.
Answers to SEM Photographs
Left: Antennae of an agromyzid fly
Middle: Hairs on the back of a fly, notice that the long hairs have a spiral pattern on them
Right: Gemma cups, reproductive structures, of a liverwort
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 9
2011-2012 SU Biology Awards
Biology Support Fund—Biology Department Award for Excellence
Secondary Education—Joe Theis
Joe is teaching at a Multi-Cultural Academy Charter School near Philadelphia.
Biotechnology—Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown is in a M.S. program at Penn State in Food Science (Nutrition)
Health Professions—Jennifer Loomis
Jennifer Loomis was accepted at PCOM (Pennsylvania College of Osteopathic Medicine)
Ecology & Environmental Biology—Ben Ahlswede
Ben is applying to Teach for America and spent his summer through hiking the Appalachian Trail from
Georgia to Maine.
Biology—Susana Rios
Susana is an M.S. student at the University of North Dakota working in Dr. Tkach’s parasitology laboratory.
CPUB Outstanding Biology Student Award
Eric Simko
Eric Simko just finished another summer research fellowship in the lab of Dr. Robert
Ulrich at USAMRIID at Ft. Detrick and is starting a Ph.D. program in the Dept of Biochemistry at Johns Hopkins
http://www.ship.edu/
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 10
2011-2012 SU Biology Awards
Class of 1920 Awards in the Sciences
Biology— Jennifer Loomis
Jennifer Loomis was accepted at PCOM (Pennsylvania College of Osteopathic Medicine)
Medical Technology—Ashley Wilson
Ashley Wilson is completing her clinical laboratory science/medical technology education at Robert
Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA.
APSCUF Biology Department Awards
Senior Service Award – Laurel Campbell
Laurel Campbell is doing a MS in Environmental Policy in American University
(Washington DC)
http://www.ship.edu/
Outstanding Graduate Student Award – William Humbert
Bill Humbert is piling up publications to apply eventually to a PhD program, meanwhile, he is teaching in a High School in Baltimore School District.
http://sumag.ship.edu/f10val
or.html
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 11
Alumni Profile: Hayley Crowell
Herpetology has always been my favorite subject in biology and while I loved my
undergraduate time in Pennsylvania, I was definitely tired of the cold winters and had
decided that I wanted to move somewhere with warmer weather and a greater diversity
of reptiles and amphibians. After spending half a year or so saving up some money postgraduation, I moved to Homestead (a suburb of Miami), with the hope of gaining more
field experience and to better prepare myself for grad school career focused on herpetology.
Since I moved to South Florida, I have worked for the National Park Service, the
US Geological Survey, University of Florida and Everglades Outpost Wildlife Rescue on
an incredible variety of herp-related projects in and around Everglades National Park.
With invasive/exotic species ecology being the focal point of most herp research done in
Everglades, I have had opportunities to work with animals (such as large constrictors,
chameleons, and crocodiles) that I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d get the chance
to study in the U.S.
At first, I worked as a ranger in the interpretation division of Everglades National Park. My
main duties consisted of giving tours and presentations focusing on natural history of
Everglades. The job wasn’t exactly heavy on research but it did give me the opportunity
to explore the park and meet a ton of different folks who were involved all different legs
of the ongoing battle against invasive herps in South Florida. It also greatly enhanced my
public speaking abilities and eliminated any fears I had of talking in front of large groups.
When the official ranger position ended, I was lucky enough to be offered a paid internship in the Park Service and was able to continue my work in the interpretation division
for another season.
During this time, I was also volunteering for Auburn University’s Python-Dog Detection Program. The purpose of the program was to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of using former military drug/bomb dogs to sniff out invasive Burmese
pythons. When the program concluded, one of the professors I had been working with recommended me to work with University of Florida’s Everglades Invasive Reptile and Amphibian Monitoring Program. This is one of my favorite projects that I have
worked on mostly because I have seen the greatest variety of herps while conducting
road surveys for this program. It has also presented me with the opportunity to hone my
radio-telemetry skills while tracking Burmese pythons for the “Judas Snake” project.
One of the biggest problems with trying to remove/manage pythons in the Everglades
was that nobody had really done much research on them in their home range of Southeast Asia so there was very little known about how these snakes moved or behaved in the
wild. The main question everybody had been asking was, “What is the best way to find a
python?” The “Judas Snake” project was a USGS creation designed to help lead researchers to large groups of mating constrictors which would then be collected and dissected.
Large male and female pythons were captured and outfitted with radio-tags, then rereleased into the wild during mating season. When Burmese pythons mate, they gather in
large groups called “mating bowls” which is exactly where our tagged pythons would lead
us to, essentially “betraying” their fellow pythons hence the name “Judas Snake.”
Fortunately, University of Florida and USGS share a lab here in South Florida so I
have the opportunity to work on many herp projects conducted by both organizations.
After my NPS position ended this past April, I was invited to travel with USGS to Alabama and Dry Tortugas to assist with several sea turtle tracking and nesting projects being conducted throughout the Gulf. I traveled with them for a little over a month then
returned to Everglades to continue working on invasive as well as native herp surveys.
This spring I will be starting grad school at University of Florida where I have been working closely with USGS to craft a project specifically designed to further investigate invasive herp ecology in Everglades. My overall goal is to contribute to the research that will
assist in the implementation of more effective and efficient invasive species management policies to better protect the park that I have come to know and love so dearly.
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 12
Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Alison Luce-Fedrow, M.S., Ph.D.
Alison Luce-Fedrow completed her M.S. degree in Biology at Shippensburg University in May, 2004. Her master’s thesis, conducted under Dr. Lucinda
Elliott (SU), involved studying the prevalence of two tick-borne pathogens, Borrelia and Anaplasma (the causative agents of Lyme Disease and Human Anaplasmosis, respectively). Upon completion of her master’s degree, she was accepted into
a doctoral program at Kansas State University, in the Division of Biology, working
under the direction of Dr. Stephen Chapes and Dr. Tonia von Ohlen. Her interest
in tick-borne pathogens continued and she chose to focus her
research on Ehrlichia chaffeenis,
a tick-transmitted bacterium,
that causes human monocytic
ehrlichiosis, a disease that must
be reported to the Centers for
Disease Control. Patients with
this disease often must be hospitalized and can have significant neurological damage, some infections are fatal.
Alison developed a model system for the study of this disease in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and used this
non-mammalian laboratory system to identify genes in the fruit flies that participate in
infection by the bacterium. Results of this
work contributed to the development of therapies, vaccines and diagnostic protocols to
combat this disease. In addition to her research activities, Alison was widely recognized for her excellence in teaching, winning
both the Michael C. Watkins Teaching Assistant Award from the Division of Biology and
the University-wide Blue Key Graduate Research Assistant of the year award in 2009.
Alison completed her doctoral program at
KSU in 2010 publishing two articles in highimpact microbiology journals. One of the articles was selected by the journal editors as the
"Spotlight" article of the month due to its importance in the field. Prior to beginning her graduate work, Alison received a B.S. (2001) from the University of Pittburgh.
Currently, Alison is a post- postdoctoral researcher at the U. S. Naval Medical Center under the guidance of Dr. Allen Richards where she works on the bacterium that causes epidemic typhus. Recently, she initiated a research collaboration with two SU Biology professors, Dr. Marcie Lehman and Dr. Richard Stewart.
This project involves determining the prevalence of tick-vectored diseases in south-central PA.
Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 13
WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU…
The SU Biology Department would like to thank you for your support through
the years. Your contributions to the Shippensburg University Foundation have
provided valuable support for our students. If you would like to provide support specifically to the Biology Department and/or the sciences, you can designate that your gift be directed to the Biology Department Fund. The Biology Department Fund is used primarily to defray the costs to our students to
attend and present their findings at scientific meetings. It is also used to support student research, travel, and awards. You can make a gift to either the
Biology Department Fund through the SU Foundation’s website or by specifying these funds during the Foundation’s annual appeal. Once again, we thank
you for your support.
Shippensburg University
Department of Biology
1871 Old Main Drive
Shippensburg, PA 17257
717.477.1401
bionews@ship.edu