Current Lab Members
John Berini (Postdoc)
John is a landscape ecologist interested in how environmental variability influences the interactions that organisms have with other members of their ecological community, and how these interactions influence organismal behavior and demographics. His current work involves looking at how landscape heterogeneity influences spatially explicit host-parasite interactions in threespine stickleback and common loons and how feeding and movement behavior in moose during summer influences probability of overwinter survival.
John is a landscape ecologist interested in how environmental variability influences the interactions that organisms have with other members of their ecological community, and how these interactions influence organismal behavior and demographics. His current work involves looking at how landscape heterogeneity influences spatially explicit host-parasite interactions in threespine stickleback and common loons and how feeding and movement behavior in moose during summer influences probability of overwinter survival.
Amy Chen
Amy is a biology major and neuroscience minor in the class of 2024. She has been a part of the lab at Carleton since 2022, staying busy by performing stickleback head kidney and S. Solidus RNA extractions for the NSF-EEID funded host-parasite transmission project. Additionally, she was a member of the 2023 field crew to help with catching and dissecting stickleback, as well as collecting limnological and acoustic data. Beyond the lab, Amy is the captain of the softball team at Carleton, works at the Northfield Hospital, and is an EMT, hoping to attend medical school. She also serves as the social media manager for the Hund Lab Instagram account!
Amy is a biology major and neuroscience minor in the class of 2024. She has been a part of the lab at Carleton since 2022, staying busy by performing stickleback head kidney and S. Solidus RNA extractions for the NSF-EEID funded host-parasite transmission project. Additionally, she was a member of the 2023 field crew to help with catching and dissecting stickleback, as well as collecting limnological and acoustic data. Beyond the lab, Amy is the captain of the softball team at Carleton, works at the Northfield Hospital, and is an EMT, hoping to attend medical school. She also serves as the social media manager for the Hund Lab Instagram account!
Cate Patterson
Cate is a biology major from Carleton College who will be finishing up her undergraduate degree in the fall of ‘23. She has been in the lab since the fall of ‘22, when the lab first started at Carleton. Cate helped out with existing projects throughout the year and joined the field team for the summer where she assisted on the NSF-EEID grant, collecting data related to the S. Solidus-Stickleback system from lakes on Vancouver Island. Cate’s favorite part of the lab is how collaborative it is and working with people with such a genuine curiosity for biology and disease ecology! Outside of the lab, Cate is part of the women’s soccer team at Carleton and loves to read and watch rom-coms. She hopes to go to medical school after finishing up at Carleton. Go knights!
Cate is a biology major from Carleton College who will be finishing up her undergraduate degree in the fall of ‘23. She has been in the lab since the fall of ‘22, when the lab first started at Carleton. Cate helped out with existing projects throughout the year and joined the field team for the summer where she assisted on the NSF-EEID grant, collecting data related to the S. Solidus-Stickleback system from lakes on Vancouver Island. Cate’s favorite part of the lab is how collaborative it is and working with people with such a genuine curiosity for biology and disease ecology! Outside of the lab, Cate is part of the women’s soccer team at Carleton and loves to read and watch rom-coms. She hopes to go to medical school after finishing up at Carleton. Go knights!
Gwen Casey
Gwen is a biology major at Carleton and has been part of the lab since spring 2023. She's currently working on the NSF-EEID project and was excited to join the field team on Vancouver Island for the first summer of research. In the field, Gwen primarily worked with the dissection team, identifying parasites such as S. solidus in stickleback fish. Outside of the lab, Gwen is a program director with Carleton's Food Recovery Network and can be found swing dancing every Monday night!
Gwen is a biology major at Carleton and has been part of the lab since spring 2023. She's currently working on the NSF-EEID project and was excited to join the field team on Vancouver Island for the first summer of research. In the field, Gwen primarily worked with the dissection team, identifying parasites such as S. solidus in stickleback fish. Outside of the lab, Gwen is a program director with Carleton's Food Recovery Network and can be found swing dancing every Monday night!
Kiara Johnson
Kiara is a junior at Carleton College majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Music Performance. She began working in the lab in September 2022 on the Monarch Aging project, on data analysis and RNA extraction. She spent the spring learning bioinformatics to analyze monarch gene expression data and this fall she is planning to dig into spatial lake data for the NSF-EEID project. After graduation, she hopes to go on to graduate school and get a PhD!
Kiara is a junior at Carleton College majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Music Performance. She began working in the lab in September 2022 on the Monarch Aging project, on data analysis and RNA extraction. She spent the spring learning bioinformatics to analyze monarch gene expression data and this fall she is planning to dig into spatial lake data for the NSF-EEID project. After graduation, she hopes to go on to graduate school and get a PhD!
Shira Dubin
Shira is a Biology major and philosophy minor in the class of 2025 at Carleton College. Shira joined the lab in the spring of 2023 and was part of the field team this summer that traveled to Vancouver Island and worked on collecting data for the NSF-EEID project. Shira participated in all types of research this summer, but especially loved being in the canoe and collecting sonde data. Outside of the lab, Shira plays on Carleton’s top ultimate frisbee team, cross country skis, and works in Carleton’s admissions office.
Shira is a Biology major and philosophy minor in the class of 2025 at Carleton College. Shira joined the lab in the spring of 2023 and was part of the field team this summer that traveled to Vancouver Island and worked on collecting data for the NSF-EEID project. Shira participated in all types of research this summer, but especially loved being in the canoe and collecting sonde data. Outside of the lab, Shira plays on Carleton’s top ultimate frisbee team, cross country skis, and works in Carleton’s admissions office.
MJ Strike
MJ is a senior biology major at Carleton studying the immune response of cnidarians to thermal and light stress. MJ spent the summer doing eco-immunology research with collaborator Lauren Fuess at Texas State University. They plan to study marine invertebrate ecology in graduate school and they are particularly passionate about cephalopods. MJ also plays the violin and enjoys Nordic skiing.
MJ is a senior biology major at Carleton studying the immune response of cnidarians to thermal and light stress. MJ spent the summer doing eco-immunology research with collaborator Lauren Fuess at Texas State University. They plan to study marine invertebrate ecology in graduate school and they are particularly passionate about cephalopods. MJ also plays the violin and enjoys Nordic skiing.
Raquel Santamaria Germani
Raquel is an international student from Spain and a junior Biology and Studio Art double Major planning to go into scientific illustration. She has been working on the art-science side of the NSF-EEID project, creating illustrations to be used for the project and researching First Nations artists on Vancouver Island for the broader impacts side of the grant. She as enjoyed the opportunity to integrate both of her majors and create scientific illustrations. Raquel also does research in Mike Nishizaki's lab at Carleton studying how marine invertebrates interact with their physical environment. She loves anything that has to do with animals, and will be found petting every dog or cat on campus. She also rides for the Carleton equestrian team!
Raquel is an international student from Spain and a junior Biology and Studio Art double Major planning to go into scientific illustration. She has been working on the art-science side of the NSF-EEID project, creating illustrations to be used for the project and researching First Nations artists on Vancouver Island for the broader impacts side of the grant. She as enjoyed the opportunity to integrate both of her majors and create scientific illustrations. Raquel also does research in Mike Nishizaki's lab at Carleton studying how marine invertebrates interact with their physical environment. She loves anything that has to do with animals, and will be found petting every dog or cat on campus. She also rides for the Carleton equestrian team!
Past Research Students
Olivia Stoa
Olivia majored in Human Physiology and minoring in Sociology at the University of Minnesota. She first joined the lab in September of 2021 when she became interested in getting research experience. She worked on the Monarch Aging and Immunity Project where she spent her time looking through microscopes and dissecting butterflies. When people ask what she does for fun, she usually mentions the lab and tells them more than they expected to learn about butterflies!
Olivia majored in Human Physiology and minoring in Sociology at the University of Minnesota. She first joined the lab in September of 2021 when she became interested in getting research experience. She worked on the Monarch Aging and Immunity Project where she spent her time looking through microscopes and dissecting butterflies. When people ask what she does for fun, she usually mentions the lab and tells them more than they expected to learn about butterflies!
Alexandra Struble
Lexi graduated in the spring of 2023 majoring Genetics, Cell Biology and Development and minoring in Spanish Studies. Lexi began working in the lab in August 2020 on the Cabbage White heavy metal project helping care for butterflies and analyze filaments to measure immunity and has been helping Amanda stay organized ever since! In the summer of 2021, Lexi successfully applied for a UROP grant working on immune differences and aging in Monarch butterflies. She focused on the impact of early immune challenges and migratory phenotype in males for her Honors thesis, which she successfully defended in the spring of 2023. She hopes to go on to medical school and become a Physician.
Lexi graduated in the spring of 2023 majoring Genetics, Cell Biology and Development and minoring in Spanish Studies. Lexi began working in the lab in August 2020 on the Cabbage White heavy metal project helping care for butterflies and analyze filaments to measure immunity and has been helping Amanda stay organized ever since! In the summer of 2021, Lexi successfully applied for a UROP grant working on immune differences and aging in Monarch butterflies. She focused on the impact of early immune challenges and migratory phenotype in males for her Honors thesis, which she successfully defended in the spring of 2023. She hopes to go on to medical school and become a Physician.
Jeanna Edlund
Jeanna is currently a senior at the University of Minnesota majoring in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. She first started working in the lab during January 2020 when she jumped in to help us measure monarch immunity and wing color. She quickly became a pro with image analysis. Jeanna successfully applied to a UROP grant for a project looking at the impacts of heavy metal exposure on cabbage white butterfly immunity. In the summer of 2020 she helped with a literature review project on parasites during the Covid lockdown and then was part of the masked dream team that helped pull off a last minute cabbage white experiment. Jeanna is planning to attend graduate school.
Jeanna is currently a senior at the University of Minnesota majoring in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. She first started working in the lab during January 2020 when she jumped in to help us measure monarch immunity and wing color. She quickly became a pro with image analysis. Jeanna successfully applied to a UROP grant for a project looking at the impacts of heavy metal exposure on cabbage white butterfly immunity. In the summer of 2020 she helped with a literature review project on parasites during the Covid lockdown and then was part of the masked dream team that helped pull off a last minute cabbage white experiment. Jeanna is planning to attend graduate school.
Karilyn Porter
Karilyn started working with me fall of 2019 studying butterfly immune tradeoffs at the University of Minnesota. Karilyn was involved in several different projects including road salt, coloration and immunity in migrating monarchs, heavy metal exposure and immunity in cabbage whites, and a literature review about parasites and sexual selection (during our covid lockdown!). After graduation Karilyn started a position at a biotech company and is now earning her masters degree in molecular biology.
Check out this talk Karilyn gave about our research.
Karilyn's project on monarch coloration was included in paper which we just submitted!
Karilyn started working with me fall of 2019 studying butterfly immune tradeoffs at the University of Minnesota. Karilyn was involved in several different projects including road salt, coloration and immunity in migrating monarchs, heavy metal exposure and immunity in cabbage whites, and a literature review about parasites and sexual selection (during our covid lockdown!). After graduation Karilyn started a position at a biotech company and is now earning her masters degree in molecular biology.
Check out this talk Karilyn gave about our research.
Karilyn's project on monarch coloration was included in paper which we just submitted!
Mara Hernandez
I first met Mara in the fall of 2015 when she joined our lab to get some research experience. Her experience began with countless hours of counting red blood cells. Still excited about science, she stuck with it and soon got the opportunity to get her hands on some real birds. Mara joined my field crew in the summer of 2016 and was able to secure her own funding for the summer by winning not just one grant, but three. Mara found her true calling as a field biologist and is now working on an independent projects looking at egg level predictors of hatching success. She still likes science, even after cutting open dozens of stinky eggs, and is now in her first year of graduate school earning her masters in Global Wildlife Health and Conservation at the University of Bristol.
Update: Mara is finishing her masters degree and is now working on her PhD! Check out a paper that I published with Mara!
I first met Mara in the fall of 2015 when she joined our lab to get some research experience. Her experience began with countless hours of counting red blood cells. Still excited about science, she stuck with it and soon got the opportunity to get her hands on some real birds. Mara joined my field crew in the summer of 2016 and was able to secure her own funding for the summer by winning not just one grant, but three. Mara found her true calling as a field biologist and is now working on an independent projects looking at egg level predictors of hatching success. She still likes science, even after cutting open dozens of stinky eggs, and is now in her first year of graduate school earning her masters in Global Wildlife Health and Conservation at the University of Bristol.
Update: Mara is finishing her masters degree and is now working on her PhD! Check out a paper that I published with Mara!
Kelley McCahill
Kelley joined the lab in the fall of 2015 and has been making us laugh ever sense. One of our best molecular biologists, I am fairly certain that she can extract DNA in her sleep! Kelley decided to see just exactly where all those blood samples come from by joining my field crew for the summer of 2016. This is where Kelley found her true calling as a bird nerd. Pursing her interest in animal behavior, Kelley pursued an independent project looking at the impacts of mites on female incubation behavior. With the help of Dr. Dan Ardia we put together some pretty fancy thermocouple eggs to measure embryo temperatures in the field. Kelley and I are now working on publishing her incubation project!
Update: Check out a paper that I published with Kelley!
Kelley joined the lab in the fall of 2015 and has been making us laugh ever sense. One of our best molecular biologists, I am fairly certain that she can extract DNA in her sleep! Kelley decided to see just exactly where all those blood samples come from by joining my field crew for the summer of 2016. This is where Kelley found her true calling as a bird nerd. Pursing her interest in animal behavior, Kelley pursued an independent project looking at the impacts of mites on female incubation behavior. With the help of Dr. Dan Ardia we put together some pretty fancy thermocouple eggs to measure embryo temperatures in the field. Kelley and I are now working on publishing her incubation project!
Update: Check out a paper that I published with Kelley!
Will Dube
I first met Will in the spring of 2013 when he started working in our lab as an undergraduate research assistant. A wiz with computers, he proved himself to be valuable from the start by helping to optimize our protocol for measuring immune data from blood slides. Will has tried his hand at many things in the lab, but in 2016 took the plunge into the field, where he also found time to also work on an independent Honors Thesis project looking at the abiotic and biotic factors that drive mite population growth. He found new technology to play with in the form of ibuttons. Check out Will's published paper! Microclimate and host body condition influence mite population growth in a wild bird-ectoparasite system.
Update: Will received his masters in epidemiology (clearly taking the parasite population growth questions to the next level!) at Emory University. He is now attending medical school.
I first met Will in the spring of 2013 when he started working in our lab as an undergraduate research assistant. A wiz with computers, he proved himself to be valuable from the start by helping to optimize our protocol for measuring immune data from blood slides. Will has tried his hand at many things in the lab, but in 2016 took the plunge into the field, where he also found time to also work on an independent Honors Thesis project looking at the abiotic and biotic factors that drive mite population growth. He found new technology to play with in the form of ibuttons. Check out Will's published paper! Microclimate and host body condition influence mite population growth in a wild bird-ectoparasite system.
Update: Will received his masters in epidemiology (clearly taking the parasite population growth questions to the next level!) at Emory University. He is now attending medical school.
Emily Sheridan
Emily first joined the lab in the fall of 2014 and became an integral part of my immune research. She is a pro with the microscope, and can identify a white blood cell from across the lab. Emily is helping to collect data on a large and very detailed immune project examining how mites influence nestling immune development.
Emily first joined the lab in the fall of 2014 and became an integral part of my immune research. She is a pro with the microscope, and can identify a white blood cell from across the lab. Emily is helping to collect data on a large and very detailed immune project examining how mites influence nestling immune development.
Caroline Glidden
Caroline started with the barn swallow parasite project in 2012 as a member of the field crew. She excelled and went on to pursue an honors thesis in 2013. Her thesis project looked at how nest mite infections influence the immune system of barn swallow nestlings. She spent many hours reading slides in the lab and produced a stellar thesis. She went on to help with field work for the barn swallow genomics project (see the barn swallow project) and is now a graduate student with Dr. Anna Jolles lab at Oregon State University where she studies disease and immune systems in African buffalo.
Caroline started with the barn swallow parasite project in 2012 as a member of the field crew. She excelled and went on to pursue an honors thesis in 2013. Her thesis project looked at how nest mite infections influence the immune system of barn swallow nestlings. She spent many hours reading slides in the lab and produced a stellar thesis. She went on to help with field work for the barn swallow genomics project (see the barn swallow project) and is now a graduate student with Dr. Anna Jolles lab at Oregon State University where she studies disease and immune systems in African buffalo.
Matt Aberle
Matt joined my field crew in the summer of 2012 wanted to give research a try and decided to come back for more. He worked in the lab during the year and joined the field crew again in 2013. That summer he also did the work for his honors thesis project looking at how parents change provisioning behavior in response to nest ectoparasite infections. He defended his thesis the spring of 2014 and together we published this work in the journal of Animal Behavior. Matt graduated in the spring 2014 and then returned to the lab for the summer of 2014 to help Dr. Iris Levin with her project on barn swallow social networks.
Update: Matt received his masters studying disease networks in house finches with Dr. Dana Hawley at Virgina Tech.
Matt joined my field crew in the summer of 2012 wanted to give research a try and decided to come back for more. He worked in the lab during the year and joined the field crew again in 2013. That summer he also did the work for his honors thesis project looking at how parents change provisioning behavior in response to nest ectoparasite infections. He defended his thesis the spring of 2014 and together we published this work in the journal of Animal Behavior. Matt graduated in the spring 2014 and then returned to the lab for the summer of 2014 to help Dr. Iris Levin with her project on barn swallow social networks.
Update: Matt received his masters studying disease networks in house finches with Dr. Dana Hawley at Virgina Tech.
Jessica Blair
Jessica joined the lab in 2013 and was part of my field crew that summer. She decided to pursue an independent research project with me in the summer of 2014. Together we tested the effectiveness of a new field method I had developed to disinfect nests in the field. Jessica is an expert at counting parasites under a dissecting scope. We wrote a paper about our new method and it was published in the journal of Field Ornithology.
Jessica joined the lab in 2013 and was part of my field crew that summer. She decided to pursue an independent research project with me in the summer of 2014. Together we tested the effectiveness of a new field method I had developed to disinfect nests in the field. Jessica is an expert at counting parasites under a dissecting scope. We wrote a paper about our new method and it was published in the journal of Field Ornithology.
Megan Miller
Megan joined my field crew in the summer of 2013 to gain some research experience and decided that the lab was the place for her. After trying her hand at many things in the lab, she decided to pursue and independent project with me in the summer of 2014. Her project was focused on understanding how nest ectoparasite infections influence the development of the nestling immune system.
Update: Megan received her masters degree in Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Megan joined my field crew in the summer of 2013 to gain some research experience and decided that the lab was the place for her. After trying her hand at many things in the lab, she decided to pursue and independent project with me in the summer of 2014. Her project was focused on understanding how nest ectoparasite infections influence the development of the nestling immune system.
Update: Megan received her masters degree in Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
|
Over the years I have had many other incredible undergraduates and assistants help with my research as part of lab or field crews.The work would not have been possible without their help. These include:
Emily Orr Marian Mohamud Kenzie Nord Zahra Fajri Olivia Pace Vanessa Loe Jenny Birdwell Rose Newell Brent Clanfield Franky Navarrette Geoff Meyerhoff Alexandra Haskell Grant Bonesteele Nick Richter Genevieve Gaffigan Ciara Green Kristen Vaccarello Whitney Edgington Rohit Rao Kyle Donahue Genevieve Kunis Emma Vogel Hailey Brown Andrew Garcia Ryan Higgins David Barud Michael Byers Holly D'Oench Ben Kim Patrick Yoon Michelle Foreman Lauren Brooks Tal Farjun Inbal A Bipasha Ray Claire Mastrangelo Anna Eyssimont Max Plichta Ben Crawford Jessica Butler Rajani Ghale Sean Race Rebecca Gross Aidan Goldie Genevieve Gaffigan Whitney Gabbert Nick Richter John Ternest Kristen Vaccarello Andrew Hahn Jack Baker I was lucky to be able to work with three 7th grade science teachers as part of my field crew in 2016. Kim Greene Dan Tomlin Heiei Reeg |