Eight students majoring in biology at SUNY Fredonia have been awarded summer research grants through the Holmberg Foundation of Jamestown and four endowments of the Fredonia College Foundation. A total of $23,600 will be distributed to the students, all of whom competed for the awards by submitting research proposals. They will work in both laboratory and field settings this summer, Biology Chairperson Patricia Astry said.
Biology faculty members who will mentor the students are Dr. Jonathan Titus, Dr. Theodore Lee, Dr. Karry Kazial, and Dr. Wayne Yunghans.
The students and their projects are:
--Laura R. Alsheimer of Sauquit, NY, who will study the effects of artificial night lighting on the Little Brown Bat. She will be working under Dr. Kazial.
--Michael A. Cross of Cassadaga, NY, who will study the competitive abilities of reeds and cattails for the purpose of combatting invasive species. He will be working with Dr. Titus.
--Melissa C. First of Ripley, NY, who will be studying the Little Brown Bats of Chautauqua Institution and the campus to determine susceptibility to White-nose Syndrome, a current disease among bats. She is working with Dr. Kazial.
--Ashleigh Hanner of Fredonia, NY, who will be incorporating proteins embedded in cell membranes that regulate the flow of water (Aquaporins) into polymer nano-layer foam. She is working with Dr. Yunghans.
--Matthew P. Kraft of Eden, NY, who will be studying the effects of native and introduced invasive species on the plant species richness in riparian habitats in Western New York, Northwest Pennsylvania. Dr. Titus is his supervisor.
--Lauren O'Neill of East Aurora will be studying the effects of coal ash and road salt on vegetation. Dr. Titus is her supervisor.
--Nicholas M. Sard of Fredonia, NY, who will be looking for genetic evidence supporting male site fidelity in the Smallmouth Bass population in Lake Erie. He is working with Dr. Lee.
--Hans-Peter C. Toews of Buffalo, NY, who will be studying the effects of Japanese knotweed on riparian forest regeneration and the role of allelopathy (a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms). His supervisor is Dr. Titus.
