IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom at the Vineyard Church
This class will begin with a survey of the amphibian and reptile species found in our state, highlighting identification characteristics, ecology, and conservation efforts. Dr. Greenwald will then delve into her research on perhaps the most fascinating of these creatures, the unisexual (all female) Ambystoma salamanders. These salamanders breed using a unique mode of reproduction in which they "steal" DNA from other species of salamanders. They are the only animals in the world known to reproduce in this way. Katy Greenwald received her B.S. in biology from Brown University and her Ph.D. from the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University. She is a professor of biology at Eastern Michigan University, where research in her lab focuses on molecular ecology and conservation genetics of amphibians and reptiles.
