A&M-Commerce Researcher Joins East Texas Conservation Project

Bjorn Schmidt, Ph.D.

A&M-Commerce assistant professor of biology Dr. Bjorn Schmidt secured a grant for $20,240.52 to participate in a collaborative research project between Texas Parks & Wildlife and Stephen F. Austin University.

The joint venture will investigate the distribution of several rare fish species with the greatest conservation needs in East Texas. A&M-Commerce researchers will collect water samples from Cypress, Neches and Sabine River drainages. They will then test the samples for species-specific molecular markers to determine whether any of the rare species were present in the water at the time.

The results will help researchers better understand how specific species' distributions are changing and help guide future conservation efforts.

Explore research opportunities available through the Department of Biological and Environmental Science at A&M-Commerce.