Hopkins-personnel

B. S. Biology – Davidson College 2001

I am interested in investigating the potential causes of amphibian population declines, a growing, world-wide conservation problem. In particular, my research focuses on the sublethal effects of a short exposure to an organophosphorous pesticide. Many modern pesticides break down quickly in the environment, but even a short exposure at a critical time in development may affect an organism long after the presence of the chemical can be detected in the water. Specifically, I am investigating the interactions between pesticide exposure and survival, growth, and susceptibility to parasitic infection in Ranid tadpoles. I hope to make my studies more ecologically relevant by utilizing outdoor mesocosms to study these potential latent effects of pesticides. From a conservation standpoint, it is important to understand if populations may be affected by a short-lived contaminant, even if that contaminant is not detected during an annual water quality survey.

At Davidson College, I studied the effects of seed age on growth and viability in white campion, Silene latfolia , to better understand the role of seed banks in metapopulation dynamics with Dr. Patricia Peroni as an NSF-REU Fellow and for my senior research project. I received a second NSF-REU grant to investigate the phosphorylation of a horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, visual signaling protein at the University of Florida's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience under Dr. Barbara-Anne Battelle. Additionally, I was involved with the long-term box turtle study conducted by Dr. Mike Dorcas and the herpetology laboratory at Davidson College. My analysis of the first six years of this ongoing study has recently been published in Southeastern Naturalist.

I like to stay active in my spare time by swimming, running, biking, and hiking. I swam for Davidson for 2 years then started up and ran a club swim team there for my remaining 2 years. I have recently begun competing in triathlons with the Virginia Tech Triathlon Team.



	B. S. Biology – Davidson College 2001 I am interested in investigating the potential causes of amphibian population declines, a growing, world-wide conservation problem. In particular, my research focuses on the sublethal effects of a short exposure to an organophosphorous pesticide. Many modern pesticides break down quickly in the environment, but even a short exposure at a critical time in development may affect an organism long after the presence of the chemical can be detected in the water. Specifically, I am investigating the interactions between pesticide exposure and survival, growth, and susceptibility to parasitic infection in Ranid tadpoles. I hope to make my studies more ecologically relevant by utilizing outdoor mesocosms to study these potential latent effects of pesticides. From a conservation standpoint, it is important to understand if populations may be affected by a short-lived contaminant, even if that contaminant is not detected during an annual water quality survey. At Davidson College, I studied the effects of seed age on growth and viability in white campion, Silene latfolia , to better understand the role of seed banks in metapopulation dynamics with Dr. Patricia Peroni as an NSF-REU Fellow and for my senior research project. I received a second NSF-REU grant to investigate the phosphorylation of a horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, visual signaling protein at the University of Florida's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience under Dr. Barbara-Anne Battelle. Additionally, I was involved with the long-term box turtle study conducted by Dr. Mike Dorcas and the herpetology laboratory at Davidson College. My analysis of the first six years of this ongoing study has recently been published in Southeastern Naturalist. I like to stay active in my spare time by swimming, running, biking, and hiking. I swam for Davidson for 2 years then started up and ran a club swim team there for my remaining 2 years. I have recently begun competing in triathlons with the Virginia Tech Triathlon Team.	Pictures Budischack CV Email: sabudi@vt.edu























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