"As an incoming student at Messiah College I never expected to gain what I have from the Biology Program. Early in my Messiah experience I was offered the opportunity to do amphibian conservation research under the direction of Dr. Lindquist and Dr Shin. I jumped at the chance as frogs, toads, and salamanders have fascinated me since I was a child. Much of my research was conducted during a summer research fellowship through the Steinbrecher program; however, I did research during the traditional semesters as well. I not only learned techniques of molecular research and developed relationships with my mentors, but contributed to the field of conservation research through co-authoring a publication detailing our findings. We are taking that research in a new direction this spring which has the potential to result in a second publication. Truly, I never expected to be published as an undergraduate! It has been a wonderful experience and preparation for furthering my education in graduate study!"
Molly Bletz has been recently featured by National Geographic (link) and other media outlets regarding her recent publication in Science Reports, a sister journal to Nature. Her article, "Widespread presence of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in wild amphibian communities in Madagascar” can be read here.