Dr. Ethan J. Kessler – Michael J. Dreslik

Dr. Kessler then remained in the lab to begin as a postdoctoral researcher, where he began work on numerous projects. He has continued the Alligator Snapping Turtle reintroduction project for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. He has since expanded his research repertoire to include eDNA sampling methods. Currently, Dr. Kessler has ongoing eDNA projects covering the Alligator Snapping Turtle, Mudpuppy, and Salamander Mussel.

Dr. Kessler began work in the herpetology lab aiding with herpetofaunal surveys, a large-scale assessment of ephemeral wetlands quality for amphibians, and aided in the radio-telemetry of the Smooth Softshell Turtle. He began his research under my advisement in the spring of 2014 as a master’s student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. He later switched to the Ph.D. program and graduated in 2020. His project was part of a multi-state effort to recovery the Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii ). Specifically, he examined how wildlife health, habitat use, behavior, and thermal ecology affected survival rates in repatriated turtles raised under different conditions. His project aided in determining measures of success or failure for the repatriation efforts and hence help guide future recovery efforts of the species in Illinois.

Dissertation

News Gazette Article