Eric Bauer

Biography

I am interested in a variety of questions, all of which are addressed using the "model organisms" snails and zebrafish. My primary undergraduate research program is a neuroethological study of the vibrational sensitivies of snails. Neuroethology is the study of how the brains of animals function in the context of the behaviors that those animals perform. In particular my lab looks at how snails sense and respond to vibrations of the surface on which they are sitting. Though in the early stages of the project, we will be investigating the behaviors of the snails in response to vibrations as well as the responses of neurons within the brains of the snails to those behaviorally relevent vibrations.This project will involve behavioral assays, neuroanatomical examinations, and electrophysiological recordings of neuronal activity. My secondary undergraduate research program involves toxicological screening of chemicals for potential harm to animals. Most of the hundreds of thousands of chemicals manufactured by humans have not been tested for adverse effects on animals. My lab employs two screening protocols that are quick-and-dirty first passes to identify chemicals worthy of more-detailed investigation. One protocol looks at the behaviors of adult fish after being treated with chemicals, while the other protocol examines microscopic surface sensory structures on baby fish as indicators of overall fish health following chemical treatment.

Research Interest

euroethological study of the vibrational sensitivies of snails, behavioral assays, neuroanatomical examinations, and electrophysiological recordings of neuronal activity, toxicological screening of chemicals for potential harm to animals