An uncommon turtle discovery has sparked detective work between a University of Mary Washington professor and student and will help shed light on the species in the Fredericksburg region. A little more than a year ago, Professor of Biology Werner Wieland asked students in one of his classes to bring in a local animal. Much to Wieland’s surprise, one student brought in a species of turtle – a yellow-bellied slider – that is not usually found in the Fredericksburg area. The find brought up questions for Wieland— was this turtle an isolated case or is there a bigger population established? With the help of junior Yoshi Takeda, Wieland is taking this summer to find out. Wieland’s project is one of dozens funded through UMW’s Summer Science Institute, a 10-week undergraduate research program started in 1999. The students and professors will present their work at an all-day symposium on Wednesday, July 25. Wieland and Takeda started their field work at the end of … [Read more...]