Teresa Schofield
Teresa Schofield (Environmental Science) worked with Dr. Hart from the biology department on her research in the intertidal examining the sea star wasting disease (SSWD) that spanned the Pacific coast and wiped out many populations of ochre sea stars, a keystone predator in the intertidal. She surveyed the biodiversity of four sites to assess the impact of the absence of sea stars from intertidal habitats in central California. Using historical data from before the outbreak alongside this new data collected after the outbreak they found that the impact of SSWD varies between sites. Her summer experience culminated this past weekend when she attended the Western Society of Naturalists conference in Tacoma WA with Dr. Hart. There she presented their findings with a poster.