Dr. Katherine Smith of Brown University is in Nerd Corner this week!

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CB: Please explain your research interests in a nutshell (think filbert rather than Brazil!)

KS: I’m interested in the ways humans change the environment and how those changes often lead to the emergence of new infectious diseases. Much of my research focuses on the role invasive species play in spreading disease to new locations. For example, how the U.S. importation of African rodents for the pet trade caused the 2003 outbreak of Monkeypox virus – a disease carried by species like the Giant Gambian rat.

CB:  You are involved in the newly emerging field of ‘Conservation Medicine’.  What exactly is conservation medicine, and how is your research helping to shape this field?

KS: The unifying theme of my research is the study of Conservation Medicine – an emerging field that studies the … Read More »

Dr. David Skelly is a Professor at the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences.  He was nice enough to share some time with me this week to talk about lab life and some other fun things!
CB: Describe your research interests in a nutshell.
DS: My research is aimed at understanding large scale, long-term dynamics of animal populations, particularly as they relate to environments that have been modified by people.  This work is being done primarily on amphibian populations in Michigan and Connecticut at both local and landscape scales.  We are also looking at the ecological dynamics of diseases mediated by things that humans add to the freshwater environment.  Currently we are examining the cause of reproductive deformities in several amphibian populations.
CB: Why are amphibians such a good model system for your research?
DS: I actually went to graduate school looking … Read More »

They come in all shapes and sizes, some capture prey, some even sneeze…

Dr. Leys is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, and is one of the world’s foremost experts on one of the world’s most ancient Phyla: the Poriferans.

CB: Describe your research interests in a nutshell (think filbert rather than brazil).

SL: I’m interested in how animals sense and respond to the environment (in air or in water) and how the mechanisms to do this came about (in evolution). I assume that the ability to do this efficiently would have enhanced the success of the first animals, and therefore led to the evolution of more complex systems (sensory, neuronal, tissues, and body structures). This really boils down to the question of how sensory cells and nerves evolve. I study how animals coordinate behaviour without … Read More »