Instructional Team

Dr. Jodie Wiggins

Dr. Wiggins completed her B.Sc. in Animal Science in 2003, afterwhich she wandered aimlessly for a few years (working at Hallmark during the Holidays was NOT the highlight). She was lucky enough to fall into a position teaching Jr. High science and realized she loved it. She subsequently earned her teaching certification and taught Jr. High and elementary sciences for several years. But... her brain got itchy. So, she went back to school and earned a masters in biology, during which time she taught labs, served as an invited lecturer and rewrote the anatomy and physiology laboratory curriculum. After completing her masters, she tackled her Ph.D. where she studied sexual selection in the Oklahoma state lizard, Crotaphytus collaris. She subsequently completed a post-doc with a dual focus on evolution education and phylogenetic tree access and dissemination. Now, she is a Teaching Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University. She loves genetics, gardening, yoga, and her family. She hates email.

Desi Joseph

Desi is currently working on her PhD and is interested in spatial ecology and genetic approaches to understand how species adapt to novel environmental conditions. She is specifically interested in using invasive species as model organisms for this process. While at OSU, Desi is focused on the invasion of the Mediterranean House Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) across the United States. Currently she is studying genetic, morphological, and physiological adaptations in these populations as they expand farther northward.

Claudia Goss

Claudia is a 2nd year PhD student working with Dr. Guin Wogan. Claudia became interested in genetics during her first year of undergrad and later fell in love with herpetology that following year. She worked with the Sam Noble Museum at OU as a field and lab technician, studying the spatial patterns of Texas horned lizards and conducting amphibian and reptile infectious disease screening across Oklahoma. Claudias research with Dr. Wogan is focused on examining hybridization & trait diversification in a species complex of North American toads. In her free time, Claudia loves to read all things sci-fi and hiking.

Katarina Mapes

Hi, my name is Katarina Mapes, I am a PhD student in Dr. Guin Wogans lab in the Integrative Biology department. I work on Oklahoma Buffalofish, the longest-living freshwater fish, studying their longevity and genetics and I spend most of my time working in the lab listening to true crime podcasts. My research aside, I have many hobbies with a special interest in all things Fiber Arts; Crochet, Knitting, Sewing, Cross Stitch, etc. I live here in Stillwater with my girlfriend and our pets, Biscuit, Gravy, and Theo.