Hi, my name is Samantha Johnson! I am finishing up my second year of veterinary school and am one of the coordinators for Turtle Team 2017. My interests in veterinary medicine include zoological, wildlife, and conservation medicine.
Turtle Team 2016
One of the most fulfilling experiences was having the opportunity to participate in Turtle Team in the summer of 2016. During the two weeks I participated, we captured over a hundred eastern box turtles using a canine search team. We then took samples and data from each turtle for health assessments and returned the turtles to the exact location they were found. The samples and data we collect from Turtle Team are ultimately used to assess the overall health of the population and survey for disease. Being a part of such a large ongoing conservation effort was truly amazing and I am very excited to be a part of it again this year! After being a part of turtle team last summer, I was hooked and started working in the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab this past fall.
Blanding’s Turtle
Hello! My name is Marta Rzadkowska. I’m a few days away from being done with my first year of veterinary medicine. I have been doing research with the Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory since 2014 starting with an undergraduate research project on disinfecting agents effective against Snake Fungal Disease and with the help of Dr. Allender published my first paper! Since then I have helped with various other projects including many species of turtles and snakes.
My interests in veterinary medicine include conservation and one health but I am not yet sure what I want to do when I graduate. I look forward to being back out in the field and contributing to conservation work!
