THE CLOTFELTER LAB @ AMHERST COLLEGE
LAB NEWS
May 2023
Congratulations, Jess Butler!
A huge congrats to Jessica Butler '23, who recently completed her senior thesis in the lab. Jess investigated the potential interactive effects of diet and ectoparasitism on nestling tree swallows. She did this while also co-captaining the Amherst College women's softball team. Jess recently received the highly competitive NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Graduate Scholarship to support her graduate work in Exercise and Sports Studies at Smith College, where she will also be an assistant softball coach.
April 2023
OTS site visit
Ethan was recently invited by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) to participate in a site visit of their Skukuza Research Station inside Kruger National Park, South Africa. In addition to Amherst College, the group included faculty and staff from Colby College, Cornell University, Indiana University, St. Edward's University, and the University of Connecticut. One of the goals of the site visit is to promote research and study abroad collaborations with OTS in the future. (Photo credit: Brooks Bonner)
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March 2023
New lab paper in Ecology & Evolution
Ethan Clotfelter and Sam Zhang '21 are co-authors, along with lead author Sarah Wolf, on a new paper entitled "Experimental ectoparasite removal has a sex-specific effect on nestling telomere length" published in Ecology & Evolution. The paper, which is based on Zhang's senior thesis, shows how ectoparasites can accelerate shortening of the telomeres in the red blood cells of tree swallows. (Photo credit: Sam Zhang)
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March 2023
Clotfelter lab contributes to large-scale insect study
A paper recently published in Ecology, on which Ethan Clotfelter is a co-author and included samples collected by lab alumni Isabel Davis '24, Callie Hundley '24, and Kailey Tobin, showed evidence of regional and taxonomic variation in the effect of temperature on aerial insect abundance. We plan to continue sampling insects at our site and collaborate with regional and national partners to better understand insect responses to climate change.
August 2020
Hunyadi thesis work published in Journal of Experimental Biology
Jocelyn Hunyadi '19 and Ethan Clotfelter, along with co-authors from the University of Massachusetts and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, recently published a paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology. The paper investigated the relationship between morphology and swimming performance in rusty crayfish, focusing on the tail-flip escape response. We also demonstrated the fluid dynamics underlying the escape response. Our work was also highlighted in the “Inside JEB” section of the journal.
April 2020
Louise Stevenson '09 leads toxicology lab
Lab alum Louise Stevenson '09 has been tapped to lead the Toxicology Lab and Mercury Biomonitoring Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in TN. This is a huge responsibility and a great promotion for an amazing scientist. Learn more about the lab's work here. Congrats Louise!