Recently, Hari Mukundarajan and Felix Hol from the Prakash Lab visited our lab to work on mosquito experiments. It was such a pleasure having them here and learning about their cutting edge research. We eagerly await their next visit and look forward to continuing collaborations!
Congratulations!
Second year vet student, Victoria Crabtree, won the award for Best Oral Presentation at the Phi Zeta Research Day Symposium! Her presentation, titled What Makes Tenrecs Tick, was a synthesis of her summer research in Madagascar, where she investigated the drivers of tick parasitism in tenrecs and other small mammals in the rainforests of Andasibe. We are very proud of her!
Mosquito research
Undergrads, Kirsten Rice and Llandess Owens have been working hard designing and building a mosquito-testing apparatus to find out if parasite infected organisms are more likely to be bitten than uninfected ones. Great work!
Mad Dog Initiative
Dr. Zohdy recently joined the Mad Dog Initiative as the Director of Ecohealth! We are so excited to be working with this incredible team of scientists to promote wildlife conservation, animal health, and human health!
Click the image to learn more about the program
“Like” our facebook page to support this cause! https://www.facebook.com/MadDogInitiative
New lab members
We have several new faces in the lab this fall. Stay tuned to meet them and hear about the projects they are working on!
Summer research at CDC
This week, veterinary student, Allison Siu wraps up her Merial Scholarship research on malaria and host feeding preferences in mosquitoes from Madagascar. Allison has spent the summer working in collaboration with the Entomology branch at CDC in Atlanta.
First streaked tenrec of the year!
Victoria with the first streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) capture this field season! A female, which the team named Poke-a-hontas, was captured in the forests of Torotorofotsy. These fascinating creatures communicate by vibrating the quills on their spines! Just one of the many incredible creatures found in the jungles of Madagascar.
Exploration with Foldscopes
On this trip, we have also had an opportunity to use the incredible Foldscope technology, developed by Manu Prakash (https://www.ted.com/talks/manu_prakash_a_50_cent_microscope_that_folds_like_origami?language=en) in collaboration with Association Mitsinjo. We had the opportunity to work with over 100 children from Menalamba, Andasibe, Torotorofotsy in eastern Madagascar. We used Foldscopes to teach about basic biology, then we provided them with the opportunity to make their own slides and explore their surroundings. The children were very creative and so incredibly excited! After the activity, they went to school to draw what they saw in the Foldscopes and the children with the best illustrations won Foldscopes to take home!
Lab members awarded funding
Three lab members were awarded scholarships to conduct research this summer. Allison Siu and Victoria Crabtree received Merial Veterinary Scholarships and are working on zoonotic vector-borne disease projects in Atlanta and Madagascar, respectively. Jordan Broadhead was awarded an Undergraduate Research Fellowship from Auburn University to work in Madagascar this summer. Congrats to all!
Exploring Torotorofotsy
The team is seeking out new One Health research sites in the wetlands of Torotorofotsy, Madagascar.