Joshua Sassi is a senior biology major at Norwich University whose thesis work explores how the malaria parasite affects the Western Fence Lizard. His findings could shed light on how the parasite spreads in humans, which earned him a spot at Posters on the Hill, a Washington, D.C. event where the nation's top undergraduate researchers share their findings with Congress.
Sassi traveled to the inland region of Northern California to conduct his research on the Western Fence Lizard, found only on the West Coast.
In order to study parasites in the lizards, Sassi had to catch the six-to-eight inch creatures and extract blood samples; not an easy feat, he tells Vermont Edition, while also explaining his research and how he managed to capture the lizards he needed.
Broadcast on Tuesday, April 17, 2017 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
