With Brenner Perryman, (Senior, Environmental Policy Major).

Brenner and I received a Student-Faculty Collaborative Grant from SNC to work on the morphology and systematics of species of a fish parasitic nematode genus, Spinitectus. In the process, we are describing a new species of Spinitectus, parasitic in the gut of channel catfishes (Ictalurus punctatus), and making morphological comparisons with other species of North American Spinitectus. The new species was discovered in southern Manitoba (Canada) in 1996, while I was still a PhD student and working on side projects involving fish parasites from the Red and Assinniboine Rivers. Brenner took measurements and did summary morphometrics on the species and we compared these data and our observations to those of other sympatric species, Spinitectus gracilis and S. carolini. The paper has been submitted to the Journal of Parasitology for publication in June, 2002. Brenner Perryman graduated in May 2002 and has been accepted to the Masters program in Environmental Policy at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.
 
 

                                                                   Undergraduates doing their Indpendent Studies Projects in my Lab

Craig Schaning, (Senior, Biology Major).
Craig is studying the benthic invertebrate diversity in the East Twin River, a typical northern Wisconsin stream. He has sampled 3 different locations, chosen for their different habitat characteristics, using various sampling gear along transects at each location (Surber sampler, Ponar grab and D-frame kick net). Field work was done in September and October, 2001. Craig finished the project in December 2001, and submitted his final revised report in April 2002. Preliminary results suggest some interesting patterns of habitat use by benthic invertebrates, which test some of the predictions of invertebrate distributions in these northern streams. Craig Schaning graduated in May 2002, and is now working with Covance Inc. in Madison, Wisconsin.