Morgan Mark (SEBS’22) collecting swab samples from a northern water snake to investigate the prevalence and seasonality of snake fungal disease.
The NJ Chapter of The Wildlife Society awarded Morgan Mark (SEBS’22) the Russell A. Cookingham scholarship from the New Jersey Chapter of The Wildlife Society, whose mission is to foster excellence in wildlife stewardship through science, outreach and education to ensure responsible conservation of wildlife resources. The $1,000 annual scholarship is made possible by an endowment from Russell A. Cookingham, former director of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
The award is intended to assist qualified students in the wildlife/fisheries or conservation education/communication field with college and related expenses, and will help Morgan in completing her undergraduate work in the field of wildlife ecology. The Division of Fish and Wildlife and the NJ Chapter of The Wildlife Society partner in the selection.
A engineering major at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Mark joined assistant professor Brooke Maslo’s lab in 2020, with a fervent desire to merge engineering and ecology.
“In just a few short months Morgan had completely immersed herself in ecology,” said Maslo. “She has played an integral part in some of our floodplain restoration designs to improve climate resiliency in Woodbridge. She rose to become the president of the Rutgers student chapter of The Wildlife Society. In addition to her schoolwork, Morgan has quickly gained field experience working with copperhead snakes, turtles, red foxes, and shorebirds.”
Mark is also is completing her George H. Cook Scholars Program research on snake fungal disease.
