Campbell Lab
Undergraduate Research
With my research, I am investigating the mechanisms that limit gene flow between closely related species living in sympatry, with overlapping geographic ranges. Particularly, I'm intrigued by sympatric species which can produce viable hybrids in a laboratory setting, suggesting hybridization is possible, yet do not interbreed in the wild.
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In the lab of Dr. Polly Campbell at Oklahoma State University, I'm studying mating behavior between the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) and the Algerian mouse (Mus spretus) as a possible isolating mechanism. These two species of mice co-occur in Western Europe and North Africa, but hybrids of the two are not found in nature. I'm also investigating if a hybrid offspring of the two species exhibits intermediate mating behaviors of its parental species.
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Interested in the Campbell Lab? Check out its website!
A love of all animals in combination with not specifically knowing which field of biology I wanted to study led to me participating in several studies during my undergraduate career.
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Under the supervision of Dr. Chad Montgomery, my lab mates and I injected varying concentrations of growth hormone, triiodothyronine (T3), into bullfrog tadpoles. We calculated growth rates of tail length, snout-vent length, and mass during metamorphosis to observe the effects of T3.
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Under the supervision of Dr. Peter Goldman, we observed flower preference in various pollinators in Northeast Missouri.
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In the lab of Dr. Jason Luscier, I assisted in data collection on a study investigating the effect of urbanization on avian mortality. As a freshman, I collected bird carcasses that fell victim to window strikes.
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To be a well-rounded scientist, I also pursued my interest in astronomy. To earn a minor in astronomy, my peers and I utilized the Truman State Observatory to conduct a study to map eclipses of inter-revolving stars trapped in each others gravity. We identified the type of binary systems these stars are by calculating the brightness, magnitude, duration, and frequency of their eclipses.
House Mouse Algerian Mouse
Litter of hybrids