Application Deadline: Jan 31, 2021

Start Date: July 1, 2021

“South Dakota State University, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, and Washington State University are recruiting a motivated M.S. student to explore the role of chronic shedders of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in respiratory disease persistence and transmission, and annual lamb recruitment in bighorn sheep. The objectives include: 1) Assess the efficacy of obtaining serial samples for classing free-ranging bighorn sheep as chronic shedders, indeterminate shedders, or negatives (non-shedders) in the Deadwood herd, and 2) Determine if removal of individuals that exhibit pathogen shedding patterns improve survival of free-ranging bighorn sheep lambs within the Deadwood herd using a before/after design. This project will develop skills for field, lab, and quantitative components. The field component will include bighorn sheep trapping, radiomarking, and telemetry work. The lab component will include PCR analysis and other techniques at Washington State University. The student will develop skills in statistics, mathematical modeling, and writing reports and peer-reviewed journal articles.”