FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2016, 8:00 a.m. CDT
Contact Jason Hogue, Peru State College Marketing and Communications, 402.872.2429


 Peru, Nebraska- The Peru State College Biology Department attended the 49th Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Association of Parasitologists at the University of Oklahoma Biological Station on Lake Texoma.  Students and faculty members presented at the conference.

Jay Bryant (Plattsmouth, NE) and Whitni Redman (Holyoke, CO), working with Dr. Gul Ahmad, presented a poster presentation on their research entitled, “Gastrointestinal Helminthes of Coyotes (Canis latrans) from Southeast Nebraska and Shenandoah Area of Iowa.”

Abbigail Hegge (Wausa, NE) presented an oral presentation on her research, mentored by Dr. Joanna Cielocha, entitled “Helminths of Cadaveric Cats Used in a Human Anatomy Laboratory.”

Cielocha co-authored a presentation with collaborators from the University of Kansas, University of Connecticut and the Natural History Museum in London. The talk was entitled “Phylogenetic Relationships and a Family-level Classification of the Lecanicephalidea (Cestoda): Proglottid Anatomy Versus Scolex Morphology.”

Dr. Mike Barger presented the results of his work in the Texas Big Thicket. This presentation was co-authored by two Peru State undergraduates working on the project, Gunnar Orcutt (Omaha, NE) and Kyle McAndrews (Omaha, NE). The title of this presentation was “Undiscovered Biodiversity of Parasitic Helminths in Fishes of Gulf Coast Drainages.”

Barger was named President-Elect for the Association and will serve as President in 2018.

Kianna Borengasser (Walanae, HI), Erin Kensel (Nebraska City, NE), Chelsea Reznicek (Omaha, NE), Dr. Richard Clopton and Debra Clopton also attended.

The Southwestern Association of Parasitologists works to advance the disciplines of parasitology; to promote parasitological research and teaching; to allow informal discussion of research and teaching in parasitology; and to provide fellowship among workers in parasitology and allied fields.

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For more information, visit www.peru.edu or call 1-800-742-4412.

About Peru State College: Nestled in the historic hills of the Missouri River, the “Campus of a Thousand Oaks" is Nebraska’s oldest college and will celebrate its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2017.  Peru State College’s constant commitment to academic excellence has resulted in a unique and innovative mix of online, traditional, undergraduate and graduate programs.  Similarly, the college's ongoing student engagement promotes inquiry, discovery and innovation on-campus and across the region.  Peru State College is committed to being a good steward of education, students, the region and Nebraska for another 150 years.