Hello!

My name is Michael S. and I study turtles and tortoises. I am currently in high school and have had a passion for chelonian research and conservation since first grade. It started when I picked up a small, picture based book, written by Melvin and Gilda Berger. From there, my interest took off!

So far, it has taken me to nearly 30 states and three countries to help out with current projects or to attend symposia.

Some of my research projects/positions currently include;

-Producing educational content as a writer for theTurtleRoom ( find us at theturtleroom.org )

-Working with the North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG) on quantitative analysis of turtle populations within various Texas locales.

-Monitoring a population of South-western pond turtles located in California, and their response to urbanization.

-Conducting field surveys and parcel monitoring with the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee (DTPC) in the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area (DTRNA) within the Mojave Desert.

-Working on a records-based project to determine localities of true giant yellowfoot tortoises.

-Documenting California turtle diversity through photographs and my new project titled "Invasive Turtles of California."

My favorite things to do (when not studying, which makes up the majority of my time...) consist of perusing the library, reading turtle books, and outdoor activities.