Nest Pest
Ohio Wesleyan Student Explores Mites in Northern House Wren Nests, Disease Spread
Name: Chase Ellis '26
Hometown: Hilliard, Ohio
High School: Hilliard Darby High School
Major: Pre-Professional Zoology
OWU Connection Experience: Participating in Ohio Wesleyan's 10-week Summer Scholarship and Research Program (SSRP) and in ongoing mentored research
For his project, Ellis is working with Dustin Reichard, Ph.D., associate professor of Biological Sciences, to study the distribution of mites within the nests of Northern House Wrens.
In his research abstract, Ellis explains: "My study investigates where parasitic mites are located in the nests of Northern House Wrens. These mites draw blood from nestlings, so by learning about the mite's behavior, we can gain insight into how some diseases spread between nests."
OWU Assistance
"Throughout this process, Dr. Reichard has been my research advisor and has helped guide me with making sure my hypothesis and methods are feasible, as well as helping structure the writing process.
"I have also been working with Dr. Ramon Carreno to try to use DNA to identify the mites in the project." (Carreno, Ph.D., a professor of Biological Sciences, uses light and electron microscopy, as well as cloning and DNA sequencing, in his wildlife parasitology/diseases research.)
Ellis also worked with OWU students Josiah Gross '26 and Ava Swanson '26 and with recent graduate Gabe Chlebowski '23 to help collect data during the summer.
Why This Experience?
"It was a chance to continue to build my research conducting skills in a field study scenario. I also got to combine my interest in invertebrate zoology with Dr. Reichard's expertise in ornithology, which resulted in a very interesting and fun project. This project has provided me with the opportunity to advance my career and interests in an exciting way."
Favorite Moments
"My favorite moment was finding a snake in a bird house we were checking one morning. It was a total surprise peering into the opening, expecting to count some eggs, and instead seeing a black snake looking back at me! While it was sad to know the snake had eaten some potential nestlings, it was really cool to see how the snake was adapting to use a structure meant for another species."
I built invaluable skills with generating a hypothesis and building/adapting methods to effectively and efficiently test that hypothesis.
Lessons Learned
"Throughout this experience, I built invaluable skills with generating a hypothesis and building/adapting methods to effectively and efficiently test that hypothesis. I got to practice working with invertebrates, which is something I hope to continue doing in the future. I am also currently writing a manuscript on my research, which is also a vital learning experience for my career field."
Campus Involvements
Ellis is a member of the university's Model United Nations team.
Why Ohio Wesleyan?
"I chose Ohio Wesleyan because of the ample opportunities available to students. I have been able to work on multiple research experiences and study abroad for a semester. Also, with the smaller class size, I have been able to interact with my professors more and gain a more personalized learning experience to help me succeed."
Plans After Graduation
"After graduating, I hope to continue on to graduate school to earn my Ph.D. in entomology. With my Ph.D., I hope to return to academia and work as a professor to inspire and educate future generations of scholars. OWU has helped me prepare to reach these goals by assisting in the graduate school application process and helping me find opportunities to build my resume."