Biology Student Research
Summer Research:
For the past ten years, Biology department students have been the beneficiaries of fellowship money used to sponsor summer research projects. Under the supervision of a Biology faculty member, students develop a research proposal which is then evaluated by a committee. Students selected for fellowships receive funds to cover living expenses and the costs of the research project. The fellowship funds come from the Holmberg Foundation, the Constantine Barker Endowment, the Leslie Wettingfeld Fund, and the Merlin Fund. The students and faculty are most grateful for the generosity of these benefactors.
Seven undergraduate and graduate students were awarded fellowships in April 2010, performed their research during the summer of 2010, and gave research presentations to the campus community on Oct. 22, 2011.
Ms. Melissa First: White-nose Syndrome: Transmission and persistence of the fungus in a summer population of little brown bats.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Scott Ferguson
Mr. Nicholas Sard: Genetic Evidence Supporting Male Site Fidelity in Small mouth Bass Populations in Lake Erie.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Theodore Lee
Mr. Matthew Kraft: The Effects of Native and Introduced Invasive Species on Plant Species Richness in Western New York Wetlands and Riparian Habitats.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Jonathan Titus
Ms. Lauren O’Neill: Effects of Coal Bottom Ash on Common Roadside Vegetation.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Jonathan Titus
Mr. Michael Cross: Typha latifolia Versus Phragmites australis: The Competitive Abilities of Typha against Phragmites to test whether Typha would be a good reintroduction species in areas of Phragmites invasion.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Jonathan Titus
Ms. Ashleigh Hanner: Incorporating Aquaporin into Polymer Nano-Layer Foam.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Wayne Yunghans
Ms. Laura Alsheimer: The Effects of Artificial Night Lighting on the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus).
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Karry Kazial
Mr. Hans-Peter Toews: The Reintroduction of Native Tree Species in Fallopia japonica Invaded Habitat through the Reduction of Competition by Mechanical Control Measures.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Jonathan Titus
Academic Year Research Projects:
Undergraduate and graduate students performed research during the academic year as well as during the summer. These students presented their findings at the Fredonia Student Research and Creativity Expo, statewide, national and international conferences.
Alsheimer, Laura, Fredonia Student Research and Creative Activity Exposition, "The Effect of Artificial Night Lighting on the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)," Fredonia, Fredonia, NY. (April 2011). Dr. Karry Kazial, Faculty Supervisor
Blundon, Malachi, Student Research and Creativity Expo, “The identification and characterization of the mutant gene, CA231, in Drosophila melanogaster,” Fredonia, Fredonia, NY (April 2011). Dr. Scott Ferguson, Faculty Supervisor
Covey, Andréa, Fredonia Student Research and Creativity Expo, "Evolution of multiple acoustic signals in the house cricket, Acheta domesticus," Fredonia, Fredonia, NY. (April 2011). Dr. Bill Brown, Faculty Supervisor
Covey, Andréa, Ontario Ecology, Ethology and Evolution Conference, "Evolution of multiple acoustic signals in the house cricket, Acheta domesticus," Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. (May 2011). Dr. Bill Brown, Faculty Supervisor
Cross, Michael, Regional Science Consortium Research Symposium, “Phragmites australis versus Typha latifolia: is Typha a good reintroduction species in areas of Phragmites invasion?” Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Presque Isle, Erie, PA (November 2010). Dr. Jon Titus, Faculty Supervisor.
Gabriel, Janelle, Student Research and Creativity Expo, “Testing for IRES Translation of the gurken RNA,” Fredonia, Fredonia, NY (April 2011). Dr. Scott Ferguson, Faculty Supervisor
Hanner, Ashleigh, Student Research and Creativity Expo, "Preparation of Polymer Foam that Contains Membrane Protein," Fredonia, Fredonia, NY (April 2011). Dr. Wayne Yunghans, Faculty Supervisor.
Kolenda, Steven; Hautala, Lisa; Porrey, Zach; Sudyn, Michelle, Fredonia Research and Creativity Expo, "Multiple components of process of using green algae for biofuels," OSCAR, Williams Center, Fredonia, Fredonia, NY. (April 2011). Dr. Fred Harrington, Faculty Supervisor
Sard, Nicholas; Pszonak, Will, Student Research and Creativity Expo, "Analysis of Site Fidelity and Movement Patterns in Potamodromous and Lake-Resident Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in Lake Erie," Fredonia, Fredonia, NY. (April 2011). Drs. Bill Brown and Ted Lee, Faculty Supervisors
Svirid, Yegor; O‘Hara, Michael, Student Research and Creativity Expo, "Isolation and identification of airborne bacteria in hospitals to determine the effectiveness of air sanitization filters," Fredonia, Fredonia, NY. (April 2011). Dr. Ted Lee, Faculty Supervisor
Wales, Jessica, Student Research and Creativity Expo, "Molecular Characterization of Microbial Species Located in Barium Rich Regions of Canadaway Creek," Fredonia, Fredonia, NY. (April 2011). Dr. Ted Lee, Faculty Supervisor
Watson, Alicia, Student Research and Creativity Expo, “In Situ Real-time Visualization of protein-mRNA Interaction-Execution of a novel approach for the visualization of grk mRNA and Sqd protein interaction within a developing living Drosophila oocyte,” Fredonia, Fredonia, NY (April 2011). Dr. Scott Ferguson, Faculty Supervisor
Wittmeyer, Lindsey, Student Research and Creativity Expo, “The missing link found in translation of Gurken,” Fredonia, Fredonia, NY (April 2011). Dr. Scott Ferguson, Faculty Supervisor