Jaea Ledgerwood- Post 1

 Hi everyone! I just got access to post so this will be a bit of a longer introduction and update on the past weeks' adventures. 

I am currently an undergraduate at Oregon State University studying public health with a minor in statistics and a certificate in GIS. I was originally connected to Colorado State University and RaHP Vec last summer when I supported field work a PhD student in the Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Disease (CVID) was completing. This summer I am working at Teton County Weed & Pest, focusing on tick and mosquito surveillance and lab work. 

So far I have had the opportunity to complete tick survey's in the area and I must say there is no better feeling then returning from field work with a jar of ticks. 

Part of my time at TCWP will be working on using R Shiny to build a tick surveillance dashboard for the county. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to make the data accessible to the public and hopefully help educate on common tick misinformation. 

On the mosquito side, I've learned more about TCWP's mosquito trapping which currently involves CDC CO2 baited traps. However, I am helping with an experiment to see how a different trap, Ammo CO2 baited traps, compares to the current standard. If the results are comparable for surveillance methods than Ammo traps would allow the county to move away from dry ice and having to rely on outside sources for supplies. Also, the early morning mosquito trap set up is made even better by the views!

I have also had the opportunity to learn mosquito ID and work on pooling the Culex tarsalis from traps. The pooled mosquitos are run through PCR to check for West Nile Virus which is the main pathogen concern in the area. Last week I was able to work through the PCR process with the biologist on control mosquitoes which was a very cool experience. As a weekly task, I help in the insectary, caring for the colony mosquitoes TCWP has. I must say I don't think I will ever get used to the smell of the liver powder used for the mosquito larvae's food. 

That's all I have for this post!