b'BiologyThe Spatial Co-Distribution of Armadillo and Gopher Tortoise Burrows in a Burn-Managed Pine Stand at the Lake Louise Field Station in Lowndes CountyMarcus W. Diaz, Department of BiologyFaculty Sponsor: Dr. Corey Devin Anderson, Department of BiologyThe gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) now cohabit pine forests in the southeastern United States, but it is not clear whether burrowing processes are dependent or independent. We sampled a 10.4 ha pine stand at the Lake Louise Field Station (LLFS) in Lowndes County, Georgia and used univariate and bivariate versions of Besags L-function to examine dependency between burrows within a 7.1 ha rectangular subregion. A total of 51 gopher tortoise burrows and 30 armadillo burrows were located within the test region. The null hypothesis of complete spatial randomness could not be rejected for the point pattern of either species separately, and the null hypothesis of independence of components (based on random toroidal shifting of the point patterns) could not be rejected for the bivariate pattern. Our results suggest that burrowing processes are independent for the gopher tortoise and the nine-banded armadillo at the LLFS.Histology in the Classroom: Teaching Tissues in a K-12 SettingLindsey B. Robinson, Department of BiologyFaculty Sponsor: Dr. Theodore A. Uyeno, Department of BiologyDue to chronic funding shortages of K-12 science programs in southern Georgia, public schools often lack histological materials that allow students hands-on, microscopical experiences when learning about biological cells and tissues. I have developed an economical protocol using basic histological equipment to produce sets of high-quality microscopic slides for use of students enrolled at Valdosta Middle School. These eight slide sets include a range of epithelial, connective, muscular, nervous, and plant tissues. Because fresh tissues are required to produce these slides, I approached local pest control specialists and civic-minded deer hunters in order to harvest material at no cost. In September 2018, VMS science teachers integrated these slides into their curriculum to teach cells and microscopy in their 25 student lab settings. Instructor and student feedback indicated that the ability to actually see biological tissues and compare them to what was found in their textbook was the most valuable outcome.16'