Laura McMillan (Post Doctoral Fellow)

My academic adventure began at the University of Western Ontario in London, where I received my B.Sc. with honours specialization in Animal Physiology and a minor in Classical Studies. During these years, I worked with Dr. Brock Fenton to examine different morphologies of bat larynges using microcomputed tomography (MicroCT) technology. Being a part of Dr. Fenton's lab for a number of years is what really got me interested in research.

I then moved to Ottawa where I studied under Dr. Jayne Yack at Carleton University. I completed my M.Sc. in biology studying hearing in butterflies (yes, butterflies have ears!). I had a lot of fun in this lab as I acquired skills collecting extracellular nerve recordings, building a portable physiology rig, performing microdissections, and imaging with SEM and light microscopes.

Presently, I find myself in this wonderful lab studying the effects of illness induced anorexia on invertebrates. My studies here centre around looking at possible trade-offs between the immune system and the detoxification system of the caterpillar Manduca sexta. While investigating this particularly interesting phenomenon I incorporate the use of behaviour, biochemical assays, as well as molecular genetic techniques. Using this variety of methods allows me to address my question of interest from a number of different angles.  

Laura McMillan:  laura.mcmillan@dal.ca

Collin Horn (Post Doctoral Fellow)

Collin is a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow interested in how insects avoid hazards (infection, predation, toxins, etc.). In particular the costs associated with avoiding or resisting hazards and their implications for organism growth, survival, and reproduction. His research often synthesizes behavioural and physiological methods to answer questions about insect ecology.