Alumni
Dr. Lakeisha Chism
Dr. Chism was graduated from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN in May 2013
with an M.D. degree. She will begin her career in Family Medicine at North Mississippi
Medical Center in Tupelo, MS. Dr. Chism writes "I thank you so much for the education
that I received from the UofM. I look forward to starting my new career and being
able to give back to my alma mater, which has given so much to me. God Bless."
Amy Combs, Class of 2009
Ms. Combs, a participant in the Student Research Form, having presented at The National
Conference of Undergraduate Research and Ecological Society of America, Tennessee
Academy of Science and having completed an internship with the U. S. Environmental
Protection Agency was graduated in 2009. She plans to begin Optometry school in 2010.
Her mentor was Dr. Matthew Parris.
Rachel Savoy, Class of 2009
Ms. Savoy was graduated in 2009 and is now pursuing an advanced degree from The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. (view her LinkedIN Profile for updated information)
Aimee Dunlap 2000
Amiee Dunlap, Class of 2000
A triple major at The University of Memphis, Dr. Dunlap was graduated in 2000 with
degrees in Biology, History and English. During her time at the University she worked
closely with Dr. Jerry Wolff researching mate choice and sexual behavior of prairie
voles. Her research focuses on the evolution of learning, memory and decision making
and how this interacts with patterns of change in the environment. After earning her
Masters degree from Northern Arizona University where her research focused on social
learning, spatial memory for food caches and aspects of social foraging she completed
her Ph.D at the University of Minnesota. Her work there was a combination of mathematical
modeling, operant learning experiments with blue jays and experimental evolution studies
with fruit flies. She is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at The University of Arizona where she is working with bumblebees and modeling to answer questions about the value
and use of information.
Dr. Dunlap has recently presented at the Animal Behavior Society meeting in Pirenopolis,
Brazil and has published several papers, including others currently in review. Summer
2013 she will begin her new position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology
at the University of Missouri- St. Louis.
Keith Pecore, Ph.D.
Keith Pecor, Class of 2000
During his undergraduate degree program he worked with Dr. William H. N. Gutzke on
several projects, all of which considered the ecology of aquatic animals. Continuing
his post-graduate education at The University of Michigan he studied the chemical
ecology in crayfish and was awarded a Masters of Science and Doctorate of Philosophy.
His dissertation research focused on the use of chemical signals (e.g., sex pheromones)
by crayfish native to the Great Lakes region and crayfish that were introduced to
that region by humans. Of particular interest were the impacts of introduced crayfish
on native species. After completing a two-year faculty position at Rhodes College, Dr.
Pecor is now an Assistant Professor of Biology at The College of New Jersey, where
he teaches Ecology and Aquatic Ecology. His current research efforts are divided among studies of crayfish chemical ecology,
the ecology of introduced crayfish, and crayfish natural history.