Derek Bozzell

M.S. in Biological Sciences Candidate

Department of Biological Sciences

Marshall University Herpetology Laboratory

Contact Information:

E-mail: bozzell@marshall.edu

Links:

Herp Lab Home TWS CNAH NAAMP

PARC ASIH SSAR HL ARMI

Introduction:

As I suspect is the case with all budding herpetologists, my interest in herps started when I was very young. I was always out catching frogs, and as I grew older I kept many reptiles as pets. Ever since I was a child, I knew I wanted to work with herps, and my background reflects that interest.

I received my B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries (Wildlife Concentration) with minors in both General Biology and Forestry from Frostburg State University in western Maryland. At Frostburg, I was heavily involved with the student chapter of the Wildlife Society. As an undergraduate, I spent my summers working in herpetology-related field positions. During the summer of 2008, I worked for Frostburg State University as a Herpetology Collection Assistant, reorganizing the university’s herpetological collection, checking specimen identification and spending time in the field to add my own specimens. Over the summer of 2009, I worked with the USGS as a field technician for the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI). There I worked on a wide variety of amphibian-related projects, ranging from larvae surveys to studying stream salamander dispersal to mapping the range of, and determining interspecific competition involving, the Shenandoah Salamander (Plethodon Shenandoah).

I am now continuing my herpetology studies at Marshall University, pursuing a Master’s Degree in Biological Sciences, focusing on herpetology, under Dr. Thomas K. Pauley. I expect to graduate in December of 2011. In addition, I am also currently acting as the assistant state coordinator for West Virginia in the USGS North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP). For any additional information, or to request a copy of my resume or CV, please send me an email at the address listed above.

Interests:

In short, my research interests include: herpetology, amphibian natural history, ecology, conservation and management techniques. Interests not related to herps include: listening to and playing music, reading and philosophy.

Thesis Research:

I am attempting to develop a new methodology of anuran survey by combining aspects of traditional survey methods, specifically visual encounter surveys, with aspects of breeding call monitoring studies, particularly the use of call playbacks over speakers, while adding some novel aspects. My project revolves around determining whether using auditory callbacks during anuran visual encounter surveys increases survey efficiency, as well as the detectability, and possibly the catch probability, of anurans.