Rachel Shoop

Hello! I am a current undergraduate student at Marietta College majoring in biology and minoring in studio art. I plan to pursue a graduate-level education in evolutionary biology after graduating in May 2015. I am happy to learn about all things biology, but I have a special interest in Lepidoptera. I first became intrigued as a volunteer for an annual mothing conference, Mothapalooza, in June 2013. Since then, I have dedicated my capstone research to investigating the phylogenetic relationship between two cryptic Arctiid moths, Halysidota tessellaris and Halysidota harrisii. I also spend much of my free time searching for moths and identifying specimens. I have been lucky to work in several research labs during my undergraduate career. Most recently, I assisted with laboratory work in Mary Gardiner's entomology lab with the OARDC. In the summer of 2012 I spent 10 weeks in Oshkosh, Wisconsin as an REU intern studying Arabidopsis lyrata. For a short time, I studied the effects of metal exposure and DNA oxidation in mice using fluorescent spectroscopy with the Marietta College biology department.