Clarkson University Biology PhD candidate Nimanthi Abeyrathna, a member of the Biology Department’s Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Biotechnology (IBB) program, was recently awarded a research grant from the Conchologists of America to investigate the parasitic fauna associated with the invasive gastropod, Cipangoplaudina chinensis commonly known as the ‘Chinese mystery snail’.
Abeyrathna’s proposal titled ‘Genetic characterization of parasites in the invasive snail Cipangopaludina chinensis in the US’ also won funding earlier this year from the Malacological Society of London. Nimanthi’s project is a small part of her larger dissertation which aims to understand the invasion dynamics of exotic aquatic snails in the New York Great Lakes Basin.
The Conchologists of America is a malacological society that brings together shell-enthusiasts from all walks of life including collectors, scientists, and natural historians. Grants of up to $2,500 each are given to qualified parties undertaking field or laboratory research on recent or fossil mollusks and other molluscan related projects.
Nimanthi is a graduate student in Professor Davinack’s Lab and a Teaching Assistant for both Introductory Biology and Anatomy and Physiology labs in the Biology Department.
