Feb. 24, 2011
Ssssss ...
For the sake of science, it's a good thing not everyone gets the heebie-jeebies from snakes. Tonia Schwartz, a doctoral candidate in genetics, has no qualms about handling this Western terrestrial garter snake. Schwartz uses this snake and others to study genes that are involved in stress response. Specifically, she is trying to understand how genes involved with stress also affect reproduction and longevity. In addition to snakes, she also studies lizards, turtles and birds.
Schwartz conducts her research in the Bessey Hall lab of Anne Bronikowski, associate professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology. Photo by Bob Elbert.
