Student 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
Kaminsky, Margaret
STEM and Health
04/13/2022