Student research:

It's great to have enthusiastic, smart, and active students in the lab.  There are any number of potential student projects currently available for both undergraduate or graduate study.
If you are considering undergraduate of graduate work in animal behavior (especially insects) please feel free to contact me.

Students working with me do very well.  Several have published in scientific journals; most have continued their educational interests pursuing either graduate or further professional training.

I've been fortunate to work with the following students:

Undergraduates:

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Mary Beth Adams, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2005. Project: Calling song variation among populations of crickets from SE Arizona.
Lena Agdere, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2008. Project: Pristoceuthophilus camel crickets.
Gohar Arzumanyan, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2005. Project: Molecular population genetics of bobcats.
Christina Banuelos (Miramontez), Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003. Project: Molecular variation in parasitoid flies, Ormia ochracea.  Portions published in Animal Behaviour (see pubs).
Arturo Castellano, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2005. Project: Developmental temperature effects on male song and female song recognition in Gryllus n.sp. 'yucca' and Gryllus n.sp. 'AZ-stutter-trill'.
Adil Colawabala, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003. Project: mtDNA variation in Gryllus rubens and Gryllus texensis.
Brenda Conley, Independent Study, Brock University, 2000. Project: Morphological variation in Gryllus texensis and G. rubens.  Portions published in Florida Entomologist(see pubs).
Esteban Cota, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2008. Project: Systematics and phylogenetics of Gryllus field crickets the using 16s rRNA gene.
Kamran Dastouri, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2004 and 2005. Project: Developmental plasticity in cricket acoustic communication.
Gillian Eckhardt, B.Sc., Honours, Brock University, 2000. Thesis: Dietary effects on male condition and courtship song in Gryllus texensis.  Portions published in Animal Behaviour(see pubs).
Mark J. Fitzpatrick, B.Sc., Honours, Brock University, 1998. Thesis: Mate choice and sexual selection in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus at the level of courtship.
Jeanette Flores, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2005. Project: Field sampling of bobcat scat for population genetic analysis.
Tina Furness, B.Sc., Honours, Brock University, 1999. Thesis: Is allochronic speciation important in the evolution of cricket life cycles?
Jacqueline Ghaemmaghami, Lab Assistant, CSU Northridge, 2002. Project: Rearing and hybrid cross preparation.
Hector Godoy, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2004.

Project: Dietary lipids and thermal preferences in Gryllus assimilis from Florida.

Christopher Gonzales, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2013, 2014. Project: Gryllus field cricket genetics.
Jamille Heer, Independent Study, Univ. of Lethbridge, 2001. Project: Female mate choice and courtship song comparisons of the house cricket Acheta domesticus.
Francine Hoffman, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003. Project: Phonotaxis of parasitoid flies under laboratory conditions.
Keyara Kaiser, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2005. Project: Field sampling of bobcat scat for population genetic analysis.
Angel Klock, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2002. Project: Assessing the potential for hybridization between Gryllus texensis and G. lineaticeps.
Nomiki Kolettis, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003. Project: Dietary lipids and thermal preferences in crickets.
Marissa Korody, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2002. Project: Courtship song variation in trilling field crickets.
Jerilyn Joel, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2006. Project: Systematics and phylogenetics of Gryllus field crickets the using 16s rRNA gene.
Andrew Lam, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2008. Project: Field collection and laboratory rearing of Ormia ochracea.
Leanne Lapaz, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003. Project: Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of Gryllus rubens and Gryllus texensis.
Peter Lee, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003 and 2004. Projects: (1) mtDNA variation in Gryllus rubens and Gryllus texensis. (2) Systematics and phylogenetics of Gryllus field crickets using the mtDNA gene cytochrome oxidase I.
Donna Manglona, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003. Project: mtDNA variation in Gryllus rubens and Gryllus texensis.
Alan Marsh, Independent Study, Univ. of Lethbridge, 2001. Project: Female field cricket (Gryllus texensis) response to conspecific vs. heterospecific courtship song.
Shannon Martin, B.Sc., Honours, Brock University, 1999. Thesis: The effects of temperature on the calling song in the field cricket, Gryllus integer.  Portions published in Canadian Journal of Zoology (see pubs).
Estenia Mendoza-Haley, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003. Project: Field and laboratory phonotaxis of the parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea.
Daniel Nelson, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003 and 2004. Project: mtDNA variation and utility of microsatellites in crickets.
Seamus Ohara, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2008. Project: Field ecology of Ormia ochracea.
Nikki Osborn, CSU Northridge, 2002. Project: mtDNA variation in Gryllus rubens and Gryllus texensis.
Jenevieve Polin, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2005 Project: Molecular genetic variation among populations of SE Arizona field crickets.
Heidi A. Poltl, B.Sc., Honours, Brock University, 1998. Thesis: Female response to male courtship song in Gryllus bimaculatus.
Michelle Rausch, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2003. Project: Dissection of field caught crickets to determine parasitism status and host range of Ormia ochracea.
Kiley Rodriguez, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2006. Project: Systematics and phylogenetics of Gryllus field crickets the using 16s rRNA gene.
Jonelle Saidy, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2001. Project: Acoustic behavior of Hoplosphyrum crickets. Portions published in Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences (see pubs).
Karine Shagoyan, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2006. Project: Molecular population genetics of Ormia ochracea.
Graeme Shennan, B.Sc., Honours, Brock University, 1999. Thesis: Female influences on the primary sex ratio in the field cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus.
Mandeep Sidhu, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2002. Project: mtDNA variation in Gryllus rubens and Gryllus texensis.
Nancy Silva, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2008. Project: Field collection and laboratory rearing of Ormia ochracea.
Juliana Simon, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2009. Project: Cytochrome b variation in western USA Gryllus crickets.
Amandeep Singh, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2004 and 2005. Project: Systematics and phylogenetics of Gryllus field crickets using the mtDNA gene cytochrome oxidase I.
Jagdeep Singh, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2004 and 2005. Project: Systematics and phylogenetics of Gryllus field crickets using the mtDNA gene cytochrome oxidase I.
Kabir Singh, B.Sc., Honours, Brock University, 2000. Thesis: Heritability of components of the courtship song of Gryllus texensis.
Melony Walsh, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2004. Project: Scanning Electron Microscopy of putative scent glands in the camel cricket Pristoceuthophilus marmoratus.
Dawn Weinstein, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2001. Project: Intraspecific variation in cricket calling song.
Kuaybe Yucebilgili, Independent Study, CSU Northridge, 2008. Project: Systematics and phylogenetics of Gryllus field crickets the using 16s rRNA gene.

Graduates:

Enrique Aniceto, CSU Northridge M.Sc. student Thesis: Fighting and the evolution of claw allometry in crayfish.  Biology laboratory technician, Los Angeles Valley  College
Tom Chen, CSU Northridge M.Sc. student Thesis: TBD.  current MS student
Lauren Conroy, CSU Northridge M.Sc. student Thesis: Conditional expression and cross-species comparisons of mating behavior in Pristoceuthophilus MS Spring 2014
Mark J. Fitzpatrick, M.Sc., Brock University, 2000. Thesis: Attractive silences in cricket courtship song: mate choice using a short-range signal.
Sideproject: Courtship song divergence. Portions published in Ethology(see pubs).
PhD, University of Toronto; Assistant Professor University of Toronto, Scarborough
Nicholas Gutierrez, CSU Northridge M.Sc. student Thesis: Condition dependence and speciation in crickets.  current MS student
Amanda Izzo,  CSU Northridge M.Sc. student Thesis: Reproductive behavior as a potential reproductive isolating mechanism in the field crickets Gryllus rubens and Gryllus texensis (Orthoptera, Gryllidae)
Portions published in Animal Behaviour and in Annals of the Entomological Society of America(see pubs).
PhD, University of Michigan. Post-doc UC Davis
Mark Oliva, CSU Northridge M.Sc. student Thesis: Call recognition and female preference in an Ecuadorian treefrog. MS spring 2014
Nikki Osborn, CSU Northridge M.Sc. student jointly sponsored by the National Park Service Thesis: Habitat fragmentation and barriers to dispersal of mid-sized carnivores in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains. Now a Community College instructor.
Lisette Haley, CSU Northridge M.Sc. student

Thesis: Reproductive behavior in the camel cricket Pristoceuthophilus marmoratus.

Portions published in Journal of Insect Behavior and in Ethology (see pubs).

Now a Community College instructor.
Jen Paur, CSU Northridge M.Sc. student

Thesis: Ormia ochracea behavioral plasticity and ecology.

Portion published in Animal Behaviour and in Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews (see pubs).

 
Kelly Sakaguchi, CSU Northridge M.Sc. student

Thesis: Natural and sexual selection within a complex of Arizona field crickets.

Portions published in Animal Behaviour

Currently US Customs & Border Patrol
Gabrielle R. Tachon, M.Sc., Brock University, 1997. Anne-Marie Murray primary co-supervisor. Thesis: The effects of social condition and diet on the frequency of male-male agonistic displays in the field cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus.  Portions published in Journal of Insect Behavior (see pubs).