My name is Michelle and in the summer of '06 I worked with Dr. Tom Langen (and a great crew of teammates) on a study concerned with reptile and amphibian mortality on roads.

Dr. Langen oversees a wide range of projects on the topic of reptile and amphibian road mortality, with an emphasis on turtles. My portion of the study involved investigating various types of wildlife barriers that are built along roads to prevent the turtles from getting hit by vehicles.

To do this, 'corrals' of different materials were built to test turtles, frogs and snakes. Watching the animals escape/attempt to escape from the corrals was a great tool for understanding what aspects of the barriers were successful in deterring the animals from roadsides, as well as for identifying areas that might benefit from alterations.

Click on my links to learn more about the project, the REU program and life in Potsdam!