NMU alumni Becca Fitch and Grace Krajenka have published their research projects in peer-reviewed international scientific journals. The students each worked for more than two years in the Cumberlidge Crustacean Systematics Laboratory and Museum in NMU's Biology Department under the supervision of Professor Neil Cumberlidge.
Fitch completed a bachelor's degree in May 2022. Her research on the description of a new species of freshwater crab from Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa is published in the latest issue of the journal Zootaxa (volume 5278, pages 119–130). The publication also included a checklist of species found in that country, as well as an identification key to the species.
“My contribution had a lot to do with digital imaging of crabs and preparing the photos for publication," she added. "We often joke that working on crab research both inside and outside the lab is 'crab therapy.' Dr. Cumberlidge was a hands-on mentor invested in my education within the lab. He would take time to walk me through processes and make sure I understood. It was a really unique and fun opportunity that let me expand as both a student and a person. Upon graduation, I had more experience than many other students in my position, which is a real leg up when job hunting."
The title of Fitch's article is “A checklist and key to the Ivorian freshwater crabs, with the description of a new species of Liberonautes Bott, 1955 (Brachyura: Potamoidea: Potamonautidae).” It is coauthored by lead author Cumberlidge and Paul F. Clark of the Natural History Museum in London.
Krajenka completed her bachelor's degree in May 2023. Her publication, coauthored with Cumberlidge, is titled “Description of two new species of Central African freshwater crabs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda (Brachyura: Potamoidea: Potamonautidae)." It appears in the journal Zootaxa (volume 5293, pages 379–391).
"I mostly worked with our Keyence 5000 digital microscope to take images of our species and then worked with Photoshop to get them up to publication quality," Krejenka said. "It was an amazing experience and I'm incredibly grateful. Dr Cumberlidge is a great mentor. Many of the opportunities that opened for me here, such as our research at the Smithsonian Museum--a once in a lifetime experience--are already helping me in my current endeavors as I prepare to begin my new job at the Cranbrook Museum in July.”
The former students were grateful to work with Cumberlidge, an internationally recognized expert on freshwater crabs. He recently received The Crustacean Society Excellence in Research Award (TCSERA), a prestigious honor given to colleagues who have significantly advanced the field of carcinology, or crab biology.
