Athens, Ga. – The Odum School of Ecology is well represented at the 2020 Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Symposium with 22 student presenters, among them Culzean Kennedy, winner of the award for Best Student Paper in the Life Sciences. In addition, 12 Odum School faculty members served as CURO mentors to students in ecology, fisheries and wildlife and genetics.
“I am so excited that we have our largest group presenting this year with a wide diversity of projects,” said Odum School undergraduate coordinator Amanda Rugenski.
Rugenski said that the benefits of doing research and working closely with faculty and graduate students are numerous and allow students to experience hands on involvement on with developing their own mentored research projects while gaining a deeper understanding of the scientific process.
“We are all so proud of what they have accomplished, especially given the challenges they experienced finishing their projects remotely and transitioning to a new presentation format. I hope that everyone takes a little time to learn from our students and I know they would greatly appreciate having faculty and students “visit” their talks and posters.”
This year’s symposium will take place on the eLearningCommons platform from 2 p.m. April 21 to 5 p.m. April 24. To view the digital posters and videos of oral presentations, register for an account via this Qualtrics form. Participants are encouraged to provide feedback to the presenters via eLC discussion boards. Instructions for accessing the symposium are here.
The CURO Symposium is sponsored by the Office of the President, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the Office of Instruction, the Office of Research, the UGA Libraries and the Honors Program. For more information, visit curo.uga.edu
Presentations by Ecology students or students mentored by Ecology faculty
Evan Barnard
A.B. Ecology
Global Climate Change, Global Security, and Human Society: A Half-Century of Progress
Mentor: Dr. James Porter
Cameron Blevins
B.S. Plant Biology
A Meta-Analytical View on the Implications of Climate Change in Plant-Herbivore Interactions
Mentor: Dr. Jill Anderson
Zoe Boyles
B.S.Fisheries and Wildlife
Affiliative and Aggressive Interactions Between Tourists and Rock Squirrels (Otospermophilus variegatus) in Zion National Park
Mentor: Dr. Sonia Altizer
Anna Burkhart
B.S. Ecology
Forest Change Effects on Litter Decay and Macrofauna Communities in the Southern Appalachian Mountains
Mentor: Dr. Nina Wurzburger
Seth Carey
A.B. Ecology
The Effects of Yeast and Nectar Robbing on Hummingbird Feeding and Competition Behavior
Mentor: Dr. Amanda Rugenski
Avina Castro
B.S. Genetics
Host-Dependent Effects of Helminth Infection on the Gut Microbiota
Mentor Dr. Vanessa Ezenwa
Emma Dickinson
B.S. Ecology
Local and Landscape Determinants of Non-Breeding Bird Use of Powerline Rights-Of-Way
Mentor Dr. Richard Hall
Jennifer Duncan
B.S. Ecology
Monitoring Biologically Relevant Temperature Profiles of Three Salt Marsh Invertebrates Using Biomimetic Sensors
Mentor Dr. Craig Osenberg
Juliet Eden
A.B. Ecology
Abundance of Mosquito Populations over Space and Time Across CIEE Monteverde Campus, Costa Rica
Mentor Dr. Amanda Rugenski
William Ellis
B.S. Ecology
Spatial and Temporal Trends in the Body Size of an Intertidal Snail
Mentor Dr. Craig Osenberg
William Farrell
B.S. Ecology
Nutrient Use Efficiency Along a Salinity Gradient on the Georgia Coast
Mentor: Dr. Amanda Spivak (Dept. of Marine Sciences)
Grant Foster
B.S. Ecology
Cestode Parasites Become More Specialist as They Ascend Host Food Webs
Mentor Dr. Andrew Park
Ivy Francis
B.S. Ecology
The Genetic Diversity of the Ribbed Mussel Geukensia demissa in Coastal Salt Marshes
Mentor: Dr. John Wares
Niki Gajjar
B.S. Ecology
Root Traits Across Savanna Trees and Grasses
Mentor Dr. Ricardo Holdo
Nathanial Haulk
B.S. Ecology
Modeling Seasonal Infection Dynamics in Food-Subsidized Wildlife Populations
Mentor Dr. Richard Hall
Culzean Kennedy
B.S. Ecology
Using VacSIM Platform to Stabilize Malaria Vaccines
Mentor Dr. Douglas Harn (College of Veterinary Medicine Dept. of Infectious Diseases)
Reagan Mahaley
B.S. Ecology
The Effects of Temperature and Diet Quality on the Stream Detritivore Tallaperla
Mentor Dr. Amy Rosemond
Hannah Mone
B.S. Ecology
Effects of Tropical Storm Nate on the Recovery of Macorinvertebrate Community Composition in Two Neotropical Streams in Costa Rica
Mentor: Dr. Amanda Rugenski
Maddie Monroe
B.S. Ecology
Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Microplastic Concentrations in ACC Wastewater Treatment Systems
Mentor Dr. Krista Capps
John Mark Simmons
B.S. Ecology
Mammalian Hair as an Indicator of Species Identity and Diet Quality in Human-Modified Habitats
Mentor Dr. Sonia Altizer
Farran Smith
B.S. Ecology
Does Participation in Citizen Science Influence Volunteers’ Perspective on Science and Conservation?
Mentor Dr. Sonia Altizer
Kayla Wagner
B.S. Ecology
Canopy Cover Influences Arthropod Communities in Tank-Bromeliads in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica
Mentor Dr. Amanda Rugenski
Ariana Walker
B.S. Genetics
Response to Herbivory in Boechera stricta
Mentor Dr. Jill Anderson
Isabel Wargowsky
B.S. Ecology
Phylogenetic Signal of Root Histology in Savanna Trees and Grasses
Mentor Dr. Ricardo Holdo
Irene Wright
A.B. Ecology
The Role of Open Areas in the Spread of Coffee Rust in San Luis de Monteverde, Costa Rica
Mentor: Dr. Amanda Rugenski
Sydney Wright
A.B. Ecology
Abundance of Mosquito Populations over Space and Time Across CIEE Monteverde Campus, Costa Rica
Mentor Dr. Amanda Rugenski