Biology Department Research Opportunities
Below is a list of past student research projects arranged by faculty mentor, however, all Biology Faculty are interested in providing both undergraduate and graduate level opportunities for student research. Check each faculty member's information page to see what they have listed as research interests and feel free to visit with or contact them if you see a project with a research topic that interests you.Faculty Advisor: Loren Ammerman
Amanda Matthews: Trophic ecology of the free-tailed bats, Nyctinomops femorosaccus and Tadarida brasiliensis (Chiroptera: Molossidae), from Big Bend National Park, Texas (graduate thesis research)
Rogelio Rodriguez: Phylogenetic relationships and phylogeography of Myotis californicus and Myotis ciliolabrum (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in the southwestern United States (graduate thesis research)
Jennifer Apodaca: Molecular systematics of free-tailed bats using DNA sequence from beta-fibrinogen intron-7 (undergraduate research project).
Anica Debelica: Dietary study of big free-tailed bats (Nyctinomops macrotis) in Big Bend National Park, Texas (undergraduate research project)
Melanie Book: Isolation and amplification of the cytochrome b gene from African shrew species (undergraduate research project)
Sandy Bradstreet: Isolation and amplification of the cytochrome b gene from African shrew species (undergraduate research project)
Suzanne Tomlinson: Molecular characterization of the enterotoxin A gene in two Staphylococcus isolates (graduate research project, Crosby Jones co-advisor)
Faculty Advisor: Robert Dowler
Jeffrey Doty: Effects of prickly-pear cactus density on mammalian den abundance and use patterns in West-Central Texas (M.S. thesis research and Carr Graduate Research project)
Carla Ebeling: Survey of mammals of Brown County, TX (undergraduate research project)
Derek Weaver: Karyotypes of skunks in West-Central TX (undergraduate research project)
Faculty Advisor: Crosby Jones
Kimberly Dybdahl: The influence of growth parameters upon the production of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A (SEA) by Staphylococcus aureus as monitored by immunodiffusion tests. (M.S. thesis research).
Frank Simpson: Detecting different strains of Escherichia coli as a means to trace the animal source of water contamination. (graduate student research project)
Phillip Balfanz: Characterization of a compound with broad antimicrobial properties isolated from a soil bacterium. (undergraduate research project)
Reagan Mackey and Doug Larsen: Staphylococcal isolation from a bridge population of Mexican free-tailed bats ( Tadarida brasiliensis). (undergraduate research project)
Alyn Hatter: Isolation of novobiocin resistant species of Staphylococcus from human urine. (undergraduate research project)
Faculty Advisor: David Marsh
Shannon Coad: Electrical responses of the retina in the Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) to photic stimulation. (M.S. thesis research)
Faculty Advisor: Kelly McCoy
James Holm: Microhabitat use, thermal profile, and activity patterns of the ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata) in the Monahans sandhills of west Texas. (M.S. thesis research)
Faculty Advisor: Russell Wilke
Shelly Novotny: Nesting site preference of the cave swallow (Petrochelidon fulva) in west-central Texas (M.S. thesis research)