SUNY Fredonia students to share research findings
SUNY Fredonia students will present their findings from research projects they conducted this past summer for the Department of Biology on Friday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. in 101 Jewett Hall.
"It's wonderful to see the summer research students become so engrossed in their projects," said Patricia Astry, chair of the Department of Biology and director and assistant professor of Medical Technology. "One of the students could hardly contain his excitement in his experiment."
Fellowships, awarded to undergraduate and graduate students serving under the supervision of SUNY Fredonia faculty, were generously endowed by the Holmberg Foundation and the Constantine Barker Fund, both of Jamestown, and the Biology Endowment Fund at SUNY Fredonia.
The student presenters and titles of their respective topics include the following:
Richard Boheen and Marie Thomas, "Microbial Source Tracking of Escherichia coli in Lake Erie." Their project, directed by Dr. Ted Lee, associate professor, identified the sources of bacteria that can contaminate water and result in closings of bathing beaches on Lake Erie.
Mr. Boheen, of Fredonia, is a graduate student working toward a master's in Biology. He earned his bachelor's in Molecular Genetics and Chemistry at SUNY Fredonia. Ms. Thomas, of Lakewood, is a senior with a major in Molecular Genetics.
Laura Lynn, "Little Brown Bats, Sonar Calls and Geographic Location: Is There a Sonar Call Dialect and Do Bats Pay Attention to It?" Her project, directed by Dr. Karry Kazial, associate professor, addressed the role that sonar call dialects have in enabling bats to return to the same roosting location and maintain social relations from one year to another.
Ms. Lynn, of Bernhard Bay, is a graduate student working toward a master's in Biology. She earned a bachelor's, also in Biology, from Paul Smith College
Timothy Greco, "Effects of Japanese Knotweed on Cover and Growth of Introduced Native Species Near Canadaway Creek." His project, directed by Dr. Jonathan Titus, associate professor, addressed the impact that alien plant species have on native plants.
Greco, of Amherst, is a senior with a major in Biology.
Cassidy Hahn and Nicholas Sard, "Genetic Divergence of Smallmouth Bass Populations in New York State Lakes and Tributaries" and "Fine Scale Genetic Divergence in Lake Erie's Potadromous Smallmouth Bass Population." Their project, directed by Dr. Timothy Strakosh, assistant professor, analyzed genetic information from smallmouth bass spawning in Lake Erie. That information will assist future conservation activities.
Ms. Hahn, of Webster, is a graduate student working toward a master's in Biology. Her bachelor's in Biology was earned at SUNY Oswego. Mr. Sard, of Springville, is a senior majoring in Biology.
Jessica Pawlowski and Erica Stephens, "Does the Little Brown Bat Use Chemical Cues to Discriminate Between Individuals from Near and Far Roosting Sites?" Their project, directed by Dr. Kazial, assessed the use of chemical cues or signals released by individual bats in Chautauqua County to determine whether bats have capabilities of distinguishing other bats from near and far roosting sites based on their chemical signals released by other bats.
Pawlowski, of Silver Creek, is a senior majoring in Biology with a minor in Public Health. Ms. Stephens, of Nichols, is a senior Biology major.
Patrick Paulot, "Insertion of Spearmint Gene into Active Bacteria." His project, directed by Dr. Wayne Yunghans, professor, used genetic engineering techniques to attempt to insert a spearmint gene into specific bacterial cells, and then utilized other techniques to determine whether the gene had been successfully inserted.
Paulot, of Lancaster, is a senior with a major in Medical Technology.
Matthew Schillinger, "Assessment of Paddlefish Restoration in the Allegheny River System." His project, supervised by Dr. Strakosh, measured the degree of success of paddlefish restoration efforts conducted by the Department of Environmental Conservation in the Kinzua area. Radio transmitters were surgically implanted in adult fish to monitor their seasonal movements. Assisting in the research were four undergraduate students: Jack Thayer, Vanessa Ricotta, Susan Pinkowski and Elora Esce.
Schillinger, of Dansville, is a graduate student working on a master's in Teaching. His undergraduate degree in Biology was earned at SUNY Fredonia.
"We hope that people from the campus community stop by to hear these wonderful presentations, and to catch some of the excitement the students have developed for their work," Ms. Astry said. "From bats to bass to bacteria, with lots of stops in-between, it's sure to be an interesting and informative afternoon."
Guests will have an opportunity to meet the scholarship recipients at an informal reception to follow the presentations at approximately 4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
