Erica Westcott  Laboratory Manager, Fish Histopatholgy B.S. in Biology, Clark Atlanta University M.S. in Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science rakasha@vims.edu (804) 684-7882 Chesapeake Bay Hall, N105

Duties/specialties: 

• Conduct innovative research on diseases of estuarine organisms, including investigation of the role of Mycobacterium spp.in the etiology of skin ulceration in Chesapeake Bay striped bass. 
• Process biological samples from field and laboratory studies for paraffin histology for the Pathobiology Program, and other VIMS programs.
• Train students and other technical staff in histological and histochemical methods.

Subject of thesis research: A Descriptive Study of the Veined Rapa Whelk (Rapana venosa) in the Chesapeake Bay; R. venosa is a large predatory gastropod (snail) native to Asian waters, and it has recently invaded the Chesapeake Bay. Check out the Rapa webpage for more info.

Supervisor: Dr. Wolfgang Vogelbein

Hobbies/interests: Knitting and origami