\nYear: <\/strong>Rising Senior
\nMajor:<\/strong> Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
\nSummer research project:<\/strong> Baker is researching the impact of distance from a stream on the color distribution of Plethodon cinereus<\/em>, commonly known as the eastern red-backed salamander. This research is happening right in Mansfield at such areas as UConn\u2019s Fenton Tract, Moss Tract, and Spring Hill Tract, as well as on town land, such as Dunhamtown Forest and Schoolhouse Brook Park. Her faculty mentor is Elizabeth Jockusch, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n
![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Baker190624a077.jpg\")
<\/a>Baker, a native of Northfield, Connecticut, and a graduate of Litchfield High School, hopes to earn her master\u2019s degree and doctorate in the future, and become a college professor in this field.<\/p>\n
What made you decide to attend UConn and how did you pick your major? What kind of research are you doing with the salamanders this summer? I thought it was really interesting if maybe it has something to do with how far away they are from water, and so streams are a good way to look at it — that was the observation that was brought forward. I am trying to see whether the closer a stream is, the more there is of one of those color morphs than the other, and if the stream impacts that in some way.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>A lot of my teachers in high school attended UConn and they loved it, so that got me real interested to begin with. Every time I visited campus, it was so beautiful and everyone was just so nice and kind. When I got here, there were people to direct me where I wanted to go academically based on the ideas that I had. Originally, I was in engineering, but more and more I realized I wanted to do research and that\u2019s how I wound up with this major. My advisors were really helpful, especially when I went to orientation, and helped me realize I actually wanted to be in biology. They assisted me in picking classes that would be helpful down the road.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The two common types we see here in Connecticut are the one with the red stripe on its back and the one that is just completely charcoal black. What\u2019s really interesting about them is people have been studying them for a long time and they are not entirely sure why they haven\u2019t converged into just one of these phenotypes.<\/p>\n