Dr. Pamela Puppo
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences
Curator, Marshall University Herbarium (MUHW)
pamela.puppo[at]marshall.edu
Ph.D. University of Porto and University of Lisbon, Portugal
M.Sc. University of Missouri-St. Louis and the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO
B.S. Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Peru
I am intrigued by the different factors that facilitate the rapid diversification of species. To try to understand this, I combine different approaches such as taxonomy, biogeography, phylogenetics, population genetics, and genomics. For several years I have been studying how the geological history of an island, inter-island colonization and hybridization affect the diversification process of insular taxa. I have been studying this in genus Micromeria (Lamiaceae) in the Canary Islands using morphometric analyses, single nuclear markers, microsatellites, and RADseq. My taxonomical research has been mostly focused on the Andean genus Calceolaria (Calceolariaceae), on its distribution and species limits. More recently, I am exploring the applications of metabarcoding to study plant-pollinators interactions.
Graduate Students:
Zachary Shamblin
Zach is from Charleston, West Virginia. His undergrad research was performed here, in the Marshall University Herbarium. He is a MS student in the lab, and his areas of research include herbarium informatics and plant ecology. He devotes his free time to his newly acquired hobby of woodworking, reading, and playing video games.
Zach is from Charleston, West Virginia. His undergrad research was performed here, in the Marshall University Herbarium. He is a MS student in the lab, and his areas of research include herbarium informatics and plant ecology. He devotes his free time to his newly acquired hobby of woodworking, reading, and playing video games.
Moses Shafer
Moses is from Parkersburg, West Virginia. He completed his Bachelors in Environmental Science from Marshall University in 2019. Since then he has been roaming through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, catching frogs in wetlands, and living out of a truck in the Northwest. He is a MS student in the lab, and his research interests are pollinator/plant ecology and the way fire interacts with ecosystems. In his spare time, he likes baking, carving spoons, birding, mushroom foraging, trail running, backpacking, and skiing.
Moses is from Parkersburg, West Virginia. He completed his Bachelors in Environmental Science from Marshall University in 2019. Since then he has been roaming through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, catching frogs in wetlands, and living out of a truck in the Northwest. He is a MS student in the lab, and his research interests are pollinator/plant ecology and the way fire interacts with ecosystems. In his spare time, he likes baking, carving spoons, birding, mushroom foraging, trail running, backpacking, and skiing.
Undergraduate students:
Abagail Parker
Abagail is from Fort Gay, West Virginia. She is a junior Clinical Exercise Physiology major with an emphasis on pre-med. Her plans for the future consist of getting into medical school and becoming an emergency medicine physician. In her free time she loves to enjoy the outdoors, volunteering at local hospitals, and listening to music.
Abagail joined the lab in Spring 2021; she is working with WV bees. She was awarded a Creative Discovery and Research Award to work with yellow-masked bees during the Fall 2021.
Abagail is from Fort Gay, West Virginia. She is a junior Clinical Exercise Physiology major with an emphasis on pre-med. Her plans for the future consist of getting into medical school and becoming an emergency medicine physician. In her free time she loves to enjoy the outdoors, volunteering at local hospitals, and listening to music.
Abagail joined the lab in Spring 2021; she is working with WV bees. She was awarded a Creative Discovery and Research Award to work with yellow-masked bees during the Fall 2021.
Rachael Caudill
Rachael is from Barboursville, West Virginia. She is a sophomore, biological science major with emphasis in pre-med. In the future, she plans to attend medical school. Her dream is to become a cardiothoracic surgeon. As a member of Delta Zeta, she serves as Vice President of Membership Development in the Marshall University Panhellenic counsel. In her free time, she enjoys reading, tutoring, and traveling.
Rachael joined the lab in Spring 2021; she is looking into the pollen preferences of two closely-related species of long-horned bees. She was awarded a Creative Discovery and Research Award to continue with this research during the Fall 2021.
Rachael is from Barboursville, West Virginia. She is a sophomore, biological science major with emphasis in pre-med. In the future, she plans to attend medical school. Her dream is to become a cardiothoracic surgeon. As a member of Delta Zeta, she serves as Vice President of Membership Development in the Marshall University Panhellenic counsel. In her free time, she enjoys reading, tutoring, and traveling.
Rachael joined the lab in Spring 2021; she is looking into the pollen preferences of two closely-related species of long-horned bees. She was awarded a Creative Discovery and Research Award to continue with this research during the Fall 2021.
Hamza Jafary
Hamza is from Beckley, West Virginia. He is a junior majoring in Biology and hopes to go to medical school and also become a professor at some point. In his free time, he enjoys going for hikes, playing sports, watching movies or tv shows, and playing video games.
Hamza joined the lab this Spring 2022 to learn more about molecular methods. He has been helping with DNA extraction of pollen loads.
Hamza is from Beckley, West Virginia. He is a junior majoring in Biology and hopes to go to medical school and also become a professor at some point. In his free time, he enjoys going for hikes, playing sports, watching movies or tv shows, and playing video games.
Hamza joined the lab this Spring 2022 to learn more about molecular methods. He has been helping with DNA extraction of pollen loads.
John Mamas
John Mamas is an undergraduate student studying Environmental Science and Botany at Chatham University. They are interested in pursuing a career in the field of botany or ecology, whether that be in a lab, an herbarium, or the field. In their free time, they enjoy reading, creative writing, and spending time outdoors.
John is joining the lab this Summer (2022) as part of the Consortium for Plant Invasion Genomics REU. John will be looking into the fungi infecting the invasive Japanese Stiltgrass to see which species might be causing leaf blight disease.
John Mamas is an undergraduate student studying Environmental Science and Botany at Chatham University. They are interested in pursuing a career in the field of botany or ecology, whether that be in a lab, an herbarium, or the field. In their free time, they enjoy reading, creative writing, and spending time outdoors.
John is joining the lab this Summer (2022) as part of the Consortium for Plant Invasion Genomics REU. John will be looking into the fungi infecting the invasive Japanese Stiltgrass to see which species might be causing leaf blight disease.
Jacob Webb
Jacob is from Fort Gay, West Virginia. He is a junior going into his senior year, and is a biology major with a wildlife focus. In the future he plans to work as a wildlife and field biologist. In his free time, Jacob likes to run, hike and spend time outside.
Jacob joined the lab as a technician this summer (2022). He will be doing field surveys on plant communities and bumble bees.
Jacob is from Fort Gay, West Virginia. He is a junior going into his senior year, and is a biology major with a wildlife focus. In the future he plans to work as a wildlife and field biologist. In his free time, Jacob likes to run, hike and spend time outside.
Jacob joined the lab as a technician this summer (2022). He will be doing field surveys on plant communities and bumble bees.
Lab Alumni:
- Madeline Thompson, MA in Biological Sciences 2022. Present: Certified Research Coordinator, Axis Clinicals, MN. Maddy was a grad student in the lab from Spring 2020 to Spring 2022.
- Rebecca Foy, BS in Biological Sciences 2022. Present: Biology Technician, Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Rebecca was an undergraduate in the lab from summer 2021 until her graduation in Spring 2022.
- Payton Stamper, Senior, Biological Sciences. She worked in the lab during Fall 2021 as a Creative Discovery Awardee.
