Gabriela Ribau will continue research on the American toad and present at a national conference
April 2026 – Drew University senior Gabriela Ribau C’26 has received a Roger Conant Grant to pursue her undergraduate research in herpetology.
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Ribau won the award for her senior thesis focusing on how microplastics affect morphological and behavioral aspects on American toads, tadpoles, and metamorphs.
“I appreciate the ecological professors here at Drew for always pushing me to do my best and entrusting me with their research during the Drew Summer Science Institute (DSSI),” said Ribau.
Ribau’s study uses mesocosms to simulate naturally-occurring ecological conditions during larval development with and without the material used in polypropylene, commonly used in packaging, automotive parts, and medical devices.
Ribau also received the Cucchi Research Grant through Drew’s Baldwin Honors program. She plans to use the grant money toward laboratory supplies creating treatment mesocosms and for dissection and behavioral assays, as well as travel to attend the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists 2026 in New Orleans to present her research.
For Ribau, this research and recognition is a culmination of the support and inspiration she’s received from Drew faculty.
“I took Biology 160, Field Ecology and Herpetology, with Dr. (Jessica) McQuigg and had always been interested in how the environment and animals work,” said Ribau, who subsequently worked in McQuigg’s DSSI lab, focused on how Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) impacts American toads.
“We focused on climate change, with the goal of seeing if drought or flood conditions impact toads with Bd. I fell in love with herpetological research, which encouraged me to focus on the American toad for my thesis. I appreciate Dr. McQuigg for allowing me to focus on microplastic this summer, since I’m interested in how human actions impact the environment.”
“Gabby has taken on a very ambitious thesis project,” said McQuigg. “Because of this grant, she will be able to work on her scientific communication skills and interact with the broader herpetological community. Both of these outcomes are valuable for her future goal to pursue a doctorate in herpetology.”
Ribau also gave a shoutout to Dr. Tammy Windfielder, whose Animal Behavior course sparked her interest in how animals interact with one another, and who led Ribau’s 2024 DSSI lab.
Ribau’s win of the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR) Roger Conant Grant in Herpetology in the undergraduate category will be officially announced in an upcoming issue of Herpetological Review and the SSAR Newsletter.
