SOU students assist with faculty-led field research in Sunriver, Oregon
Pictured Above: Gabi Hansen (left) and Sienna Bauer (right) retrieving a trap with three-spined sticklebacks.
Dr. Ashley Robart studies the reproductive ecology of fish, specifically three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and received a Professional Development Grant from SOU to expand the field aspect of her research. Differences in water temperature between two ponds in Sunriver, Oregon have allowed Dr. Robart to examine how temperature influences the timing of reproduction of these fish between the sites. Two students, Gabi Hansen and Sienna Bauer, traveled with Dr. Robart to assist with sampling and learned a variety of field techniques. Gabi and Sienna set traps to capture fish, filtered water samples to assess food availability for each population, recorded data, labeled samples, and transported biological samples back to campus. Sienna said, “the experience I gained doing the stickleback study was monumental in getting the position I have right now as a BSA [biological science assistant] doing steelhead surveys for ODFW [Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife]!” Gabi is using the samples for her senior capstone project on how temperature influences the timing of breeding and helped develop a method for determining whether a fish was actively breeding. She will present her findings during the Spring 2025 Biology capstone presentations.
