By UW-Eau Claire News Bureau
People typically avoid pesky deer ticks at all costs, spraying repellent in their yards, on themselves, and even arming their pets against the tiny insects.
So why were a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire biology professor and a team of student researchers determined to collect as many deer ticks as they could from 2010 to 2013? To inform the public about their risk of contracting Lyme disease.
In a research project recently published in the Journal of Vector Ecology, biology professor Lloyd Turtinen and student researchers Alyssa Kruger, a 2013 graduate in biochemistry/molecular biology, and Madeleine Hacker, a 2013 graduate in microbiology, studied the percentage of deer ticks that carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease.
“Conducting research with Dr. Turtinen as an undergraduate student was very important and enabled me to continue on in research,” said Kruger, who is working toward a Ph.D. in human genetics at the University of Michigan. “Being able to discuss the logic and reasoning behind my undergraduate research was critical in my graduate school interviews. I think it is crucial for anyone interested in post-graduation research to pursue the research opportunities at UW-Eau Claire.”
Working on faculty-student collaborative research projects was the most enjoyable and rewarding part of being a professor, said Turtinen, who retired from the UW-Eau Claire biology department in May.
“Scientifically, it was important to get this data out to a larger audience, but personally it was important for me to have my student co-authors recognized for all of their hard work,” he said.
The important research Turtinen began on the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in area deer ticks will continue at UW-Eau Claire by Evan Weiher, a biology professor, and his students.
“People need to be aware of the danger of contracting Lyme disease in certain areas,” Turtinen said. “But don’t let the fear of ticks ruin your summers. Just be careful.”