Piskor Family University Fellows Endowment

Tell Leilan is an extensively researched Bronze Age Mesopotamian archaeological site, located in the northern region of present-day Syria. Skeletal remains curated at St. Lawrence University range in date from 3300 BCE to 1500 BCE and were excavated by the Tell Leilan Archaeology Project based at Yale University. We sought to extract bacterial DNA from the dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) of select individuals to reconstruct a taxonomic profile of their respective oral microbiomes.

Bogs are often geographically isolated and environmentally stressful habitats that inhibit the colonization of fish. In most lakes, fish serve as the top predator and control the size and abundance of the crustacean zooplankton (CZ) they prey on. This research aimed to determine which species (if any), in the absence of fish would adopt the role of top predator. To test predator-prey relationships in bog lakes, samples were taken from two bog lakes in the Adirondack region of New York. Lab feeding experiments were then conducted with CZ and insect predators.

This study analyzed North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) camera trap data from northern New York using Program R. After classifying the camera trap photos with an online public platform, I created occupancy models that tested different covariates. These models revealed what environmental factors affected the detection and occupancy (usage) of porcupines. I found that the specific forest type and the mean tree density affected the detection of porcupines. None of the covariates tested affected porcupine occupancy.