Shannon Pittman '04
Amphibians and reptiles fascinate Shannon Pittman ’04. Her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Missouri focused on pond salamanders—creatures that begin life in the water, but then migrate to land, where they spend the rest of their days. To study the movement behavior of these elusive amphibians, Shannon would first sprinkle them with a fluorescent powder, then track their nocturnal journeys through the trails they’d leave, hich were suddenly visible with a headlamp and a black light.
Shannon’s sophomore biology professor at Davidson College helped direct her longtime interest in ecology toward a passion for amphibians. She studied gray tree frogs and bog turtles, analyzing their movement and population patterns in order to understand how they survived in threatened habitats. At Davidson, she also assisted a professor who was studying the surging population of Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades. The snakes, likely dumped by people who didn’t realize their pets would grow into 20 feet monsters, are destroying wildlife—a python can even consume an alligator—which could turn the Everglades food chain upside down. Although she is currently on hiatus from all things slithery, working at the University of Minnesota where she investigates invasive biofuel crops, she’ll soon be returning to her Everglades pythons through a postdoctoral fellowship.
Shannon loves the cumulative nature of research—the idea that others could build on the data she collects, even after she’s moved on to another project. “Research is never done,” she says. “My results help others design their research projects.” Her data on salamander movement may ultimately help scientists predict whether salamanders displaced by encroaching development will thrive in new habitats.
Even during her Groton days, Shannon was passionate about small things with tails. She had a pet fat-tailed gecko, which lived in science teacher David Black’s classroom long after she graduated. Please don’t confuse her former pet with a salamander. The biggest difference? A gecko is a reptile, while a salamander is an amphibian.
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Shannon’s sophomore biology professor at Davidson College helped direct her longtime interest in ecology toward a passion for amphibians. She studied gray tree frogs and bog turtles, analyzing their movement and population patterns in order to understand how they survived in threatened habitats. At Davidson, she also assisted a professor who was studying the surging population of Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades. The snakes, likely dumped by people who didn’t realize their pets would grow into 20 feet monsters, are destroying wildlife—a python can even consume an alligator—which could turn the Everglades food chain upside down. Although she is currently on hiatus from all things slithery, working at the University of Minnesota where she investigates invasive biofuel crops, she’ll soon be returning to her Everglades pythons through a postdoctoral fellowship.
Shannon loves the cumulative nature of research—the idea that others could build on the data she collects, even after she’s moved on to another project. “Research is never done,” she says. “My results help others design their research projects.” Her data on salamander movement may ultimately help scientists predict whether salamanders displaced by encroaching development will thrive in new habitats.
Even during her Groton days, Shannon was passionate about small things with tails. She had a pet fat-tailed gecko, which lived in science teacher David Black’s classroom long after she graduated. Please don’t confuse her former pet with a salamander. The biggest difference? A gecko is a reptile, while a salamander is an amphibian.
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