Rachel Ritchie

Welcome! I am a graduate student studying Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University. As part of Karen McBee's lab, I am developing a Master's Thesis project about bats in eastern Oklahoma and the spread of white-nose syndrome.

 

I am originally from West-Central Texas. I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Abilene Christian University in 2015. While studying at ACU, I had the opportunity to travel to the Andes mountains of northern Ecuador to help conduct a small mammal survey with Dr. Tom Lee. My other experiences included serving as teaching assistant for a Marine Biology course, and using cpDNA to study the biogeography of Mentzelia thompsonii, a small scrub plant from the badlands of North America.

 

Alongside my research, I have the opportunity to instruct undergraduate labs as a graduate teaching assistant. Currently, I am enjoying interacting with freshman through instruction of Introductory Biology (BIOL1114) lab.

 

My research interests lie in the interactions of mammals with their communities, including environmental biology and disease ecology. I am also interested in natural history, and the importance of protecting specimens preserved in museum collections.