Xavier Glaudas goes out of his way to chase rattlesnakes. The life sciences doctoral student is exploring how available food, predators, and temperature changes affect the habitat choices of speckled rattlesnakes in the Mojave Desert. Knowing the habits of these venomous reptiles will help Southern Nevadans avoid them during the prime hiking season in late spring and early fall. The research also may help make conservation efforts more effective.

Glaudas captures the snakes in the desert near Nelson, Nev., takes them back to his campus lab for a minor procedure to insert a tracking device, and then reintroduces the snake to its habitat. He spends hours monitoring the living patterns of the more than 60 snakes in a mile-square area.

"Xavier's project demands a considerable time investment -- during the snake's active season he spends four to five days in the field relocating the snakes that he is monitoring," said Javier Rodriquez, professor of life sciences. "Because radio-tracking all these (snakes) can take up to nine hours of intensive field work, Xavier has the most physically demanding dissertation project of any student currently enrolled in our graduate program."

Funding from Gifts

Receiving the prestigious President's Graduate Fellowship has allowed Glaudas to work continuously on the project, which enhances the quality of his research. This in turn will improve his career opportunities after he graduates from UNLV.

The President's Graduate Fellowships are funded by gifts to the UNLV Foundation by the Frank Koch Living Trust for research support of doctoral students. It provides Glaudas a $20,000 stipend, as well as coverage of his full tuition and fees.

"These fellowships benefit not only the graduate students who receive them, but they also enable the students to conduct valuable research that can impact the quality of life in the community and advance the reputation of the university," said Kate Hausbeck, Graduate College senior associate dean.