Mark Fuka (he/him)
Credentials: PhD Student - Orrock Lab
Email: fuka@wisc.edu
Address:
My research focuses on the effects that invasive plants can have on the activity of small mammals, leading to increased vegetative cover resulting in elevated levels of seed removal. I seek to understand how the seasonal leaf phenology of the invasive shrub common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) can impact rodent seed removal across all four seasons.
Lab: https://orrocklab.zoology.wisc.edu/
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree in iBio?
After being given the opportunity to turn an undergraduate ecological fieldwork experience into a research project, I realized how much I enjoyed all aspects of research and pursuing a graduate degree at UW-Madison in iBio was the prefect next step.
Why or what do you love about the program?
I love the close-knit community of graduate students and collaborators. Being able to discuss not only my research, but hear about all of the other interesting and novel research that is being conducted in the program allows me to appreciate that we’re all here to contribute to the scientific community.
Fun Fact: I love to bike and coincidentally, I chose one of the best cities in the country to move to for cycling!
Educational Background:
I graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences.
Lab: https://orrocklab.zoology.wisc.edu/