Grad Students From India Here for Semester of Research

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Steve Stephenson (center), with Shoolini University graduate students Lavanya Tewari (left) and Shraddha Tewari (right).

For the second consecutive semester, two graduate students from India are carrying out research under the supervision of Steve Stephenson, a research professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.

Lavanya Tewari and Shraddha Tewari, both students at Shoolini University in Solan, India, are studying myxomycetes (also called slime molds), a group of fungus-like organisms. They are working on two projects. The more important of these involves examining the ecological distribution of the myxomycetes associated with four different microhabitats (red spruce twigs, hardwood twigs, forest floor litter and red spruce bark) in an old-growth red spruce/northern hardwood forest in the mountains of West Virginia. The major question being addressed is whether or not each of these microhabitats supports a distinct assemblage of species. Preliminary data suggests that this is indeed the case.

 Stephenson, one of the world's leading experts on myxomycetes, visited Shoolini University in the spring of 2017 as a result of a Fulbright Specialist Award. The university has signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Arkansas to further cooperative research and student exchanges.