MCC Daily Tribune

Rich Stevens and MCC Chosen for SNAPS, The Student Network for Amphibian Pathogen Surveillance

Rich Stevens' fascination with amphibians is long-standing, as is his practice of taking MCC students into the field to study these creatures in the wild.  Rich and MCC have been chosen to participate in a National Science Foundation-funded program run by the National Wildlife Health Center (USGS) as part of an international task force on the chytrid fungi that are deadly to amphibians.  MCC is the ONLY community college in North America that was chosen to participate in the Student Network for Amphibian Pathogen Surveillance (SNAPS).  Through SNAPS, Rich has met virtually with leaders in the world of amphibian conservation. 

Students from the MCC Biology Club and Rich's SCI 132 and BIO 120 classes are participating in SNAPS by swabbing salamanders and newts at Mendon Ponds Park to test for the possible presence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, Bsal for short.  Bsal  has not been found in North America yet, and efforts like SNAPS will insure that scientists stay on top of the status of this deadly fungus. 

For more information about SNAPS, see https://snaps.amphibiandisease.org/

To see some wonderful MCC students working in the field, please see the photos in the attachments. (All photos taken by Rich)

For more information about SNAPS, see https://snaps.amphibiandisease.org/

To see some wonderful MCC students working in the field, please see the photos in the attachments. (All photos taken by Rich)

Attached Files:
students with salamander.jpg
students swabbing a salamander.jpg
students examining salamander.jpg

Margaret Kaminsky
STEM and Health
04/13/2022