Student 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
Kaminsky, Margaret
STEM and Health
07/26/2021