Angela Alicea
I'm originally from Puerto Rico, where I got a degree in Integrative Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras. I moved to Akron to pursue a Master's degree, and now a Ph.D.
My work in the Blackledge lab examines the diversification of silks' properties within the orb-weaving spiders. My interests are really broad as I'm curious about many aspects of silks, but the adhesion of viscid silk is my main focus. My work uses capture silk to understand the mechanics of silk adhesion on more realistic substrates that represent the huge diversity of insects and how to translate these into whole webs to understand coevolution of properties of silk and web architectures.
Alix Coonfield
Alix earned their BSc in Biology at Villanova University just outside of Philadelphia. While there, they explored their interest in entomology, getting their footing in research studying insect behavior with Dr. Vik Iyengar. There they also developed an interest in biomechanics and structure-function relationships while working under Dr. Alyssa Stark.
As a PhD student in the Blackledge lab, Alix researches vibration transmission in spider silk and its implications for prey capture behavior. Many web-building spiders rely on their webs to intercept and temporarily retain prey, but they also rely on the web’s ability to transmit the vibrational signals produced by those prey so they can effectively locate and subdue said prey. Alix is exploring how variation in the spider’s behavior and web architecture can influence the efficacy of signal transmission in webs. They are hoping to understand how different webs across spider clades balance mechanical and sensory functions in prey capture.
Their broader research interests include animal behavior, bioacoustics, biomaterials, and animal architecture.
Katherine Karkosiak
Kate started in the Integrated Bioscience PhD program at UA in Fall 2019. She grew up locally in Broadview Heights, Ohio and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Findlay, in Findlay, Ohio, with a major in Animal Science/Pre-Veterinary Medicine tract and a minor in Chemistry. There, she performed undergraduate research under Dr. Michael Edelbrock, PhD. investigating anti-cancer properties of fungal extracts. After graduating, she continued in the field of veterinary medicine as a veterinary assistant at North Royalton Animal Hospital before deciding to further explore her passion for biology and interdisciplinary research.
In the Blackledge lab, she is studying spider egg sac properties and the defenses that they provide for developing embryos and spiderlings. Spiders build egg sacs made of spider silk to protect their young from environmental threats, parasitoids, and predators during the egg and spiderlings stages of development. Egg sacs are made up of irregularly wrapped spider silk fibers of different types and the egg sacs vary in their thickness, shape, and texture. Kate’s research focuses on understanding the relationship between fiber structure of egg sacs and their function, such as in preventing extreme water loss of the eggs and spiderlings and preventing mechanical damage and predator/parasitoid entry.