A few weeks ago Donald McAlpine, a curator at the New Brunswick Museum, and myself visited Princess Elizabeth School to participate in their Science Night program. The program was well attended and many of the students were eager to learn about bats!
[PHOTO CREDIT: DF McALPINE/NB MUSEUM]
We had several museum specimens of bats and also some of the molds I’ve cultured off of hibernating bats in caves. One girl described the mold Cephalotrichum stemonitis, pictured below, as looking like flowers! The structures are the spores the mold produces on the top of small stalks. The picture was taken using a dissecting microscope.
[PHOTO CREDIT: KAREN VANDERWOLF/NB MUSEUM]
Karen Vanderwolf
Karen has been interested in the natural world for as long as she can remember, and she always knew her career would take her into the field of biology. Karen received her Masters of Science at the University of New Brunswick, where she studied bats and the pre-white-nose syndrome fungal flora that occurs on them. She completed her Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in biology at the University of Western Ontario. Karen has previously worked with Ontario Parks, performing plant and salamander field work; assisted in preparations for a Karner Blue Butterfly reintroduction; and worked with Swift Foxes, Wood Turtles and waterfowl.
