MCC Daily Tribune

Salamander Study

Richard Stevens, Professor of Biology at the Downtown Campus, recently published an article "Further Identification of the Cutaneous Bacteria of Spotted Salamanders, Ambystoma maculatum, in Western New York, USA in Herpetological Review.  Rich will also present this paper at the upcoming Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.  His research combines field work at Mendon Ponds Park to capture slamanders and sample their skin bacteria with microbiology lab work to culture and isolate bacterial species, followed by genomic analysis to identify the bacterial species present.  Some bacteria produce antifungal compounds that could help fight diseases that are a contributing factor to the decline of amphibian populations worldwide.  Rich's work is supported by a grant from the MCC Foundation.  Biology TA Jill McPhee assisted with the lab work, and Rich's family and students have assisted in the field. 

In addition to teaching and research, Rich is the creator and sustainer of the "Critter Wall" at the Downtown Campus and has been caring for the critters at his home throughout the pandemic.

Attached Files:
Stevens_HR_June_2021 (002).pdf

Margaret Kaminsky
STEM and Health
07/26/2021