Piskor Family University Fellows Endowment

If rivers had eyes, what would they see? 

I’d imagine flickering reflections of reeds against the water, glimpses of shiny fish tails disappearing into the dark abyss, and underwater forests of feathery leaves and stems shaded by a canopy of lily pads. Minks curiously peaking out behind rocks, and loons diving down to catch the unsuspecting fish. A father teaching his son how to cast a fishing rod, or two naive research students fighting the rapids in a sinking canoe, caught in a torrential rainstorm . 

In the summer of 2026, Ashlyn examined how environmental conditions influence sediment composition in windward and leeward lagoonal environments of Ambergris Caye, Belize. Carbonate sediments are highly sensitive to environmental energy, water depth, and circulation patterns. This research examined the spatial distribution of carbonate sediments to provide insight into lagoonal processes and how these environments respond to environmental change over time.

My research this summer, which investigated the effects of thyroid hormone and stress hormone on the development of the thymus gland in Xenopus laevis tadpoles, provided me with an experience unlike any other.

This summer, I worked with a classmate to deploy cameras and audio recording devices along the riparian zones of the Raquette, Grasse, and Oswegatchie rivers in St. Lawrence County. The overarching goal this summer was to collect photo and audio data of the species that occupy these zones, their activity, and the overall biodiversity of the area. Passive acoustic monitoring using photo and audio devices is a growing area of study, and a non-invasive way to glean data on our local ecosystems and animal communities. 

During my research fellowship experience I worked with faculty, in the Biology department, on tying the relationship between stress/growth hormones on program cell death and resorption in xenopus leavis tadpoles. The experience, although educational and fun, proved to be challenging as the process of conducting the investigation stressed on developing skills such as patience, precision, and problem solving. We haven't concluded our investigations so we will continue with the research during the school year.

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.