User:LaurenCole

Biography
I am a 25 year old graduate student at the University of Chicago working on my doctorate in vertebrate paleontology. My Master's research at Florida Atlantic University involved the systematics of salamanders based on larval/neotenic structures, focusing on the Mexican branch of the Ambystoma tigrinum complex in the family Ambystomatidae (or Mole Salamanders). I am also an amateur Roman historian (primarily of the period from around 110 BC - 54 AD), besides having varying expertise in a large number of other, miscellaneous fields.

Featured Articles

 * Claudius - Rewrote the entire article in November, 2005 to fit the standards of a journal article with many ancient and modern sources. It became a featured article in late November. The coins pictured on the article are in my possession. It was Today's Featured Article on Tuesday, January 24, 2006, the 1965th anniversary of Claudius' accession. Incidently, January 24, 41 was also a Tuesday.

Major Contributions

 * Britannicus - Expanded the article from a sketch to include information from all the sources used in my Claudius article. Unfortunately, Britannicus' life was short, and mentions of him are confined to other people's biographies.
 * Mole Salamander - Added a lot of information on the genus Ambystoma, including information about typical lifestyles and characters, Neotenes, All-female species, hybridization, and taxonomic obstacles. This is the genus of the Axolotl and Tiger salamander.

Regular Contributions and Shorter Articles

 * Tiberius Claudius Narcissus - Expanded the article from a near stub.
 * Gaius Cassius Longinus - Expanded the article using short modern biographies. Now his good military reputation and life-long opposition to Caesar are illustrated.
 * Cassius Chaerea - included information about the conspiracy.
 * Nero Claudius Drusus - Added information from some Roman encyclopedias and histories in order to flesh out his life. He wasn't just a relation of the other Julio-Claudians.
 * Servilia Caepionis - Added information from Suetonius and others about Caesar's gifts to her and her ultimate fate.
 * Lucius Marcius Philippus - Added information about his offices and life.
 * I, Claudius - Added in a large comparison between the novels and actual history, as well as more background about Graves' influences.
 * Tiger Salamander - Added usable information, and updated taxonomy.
 * Axolotl - Detailed the history and use of axolotls in research. This was done before my registration.

Articles Created

 * Pallas (freedman) - Freedman and imperial secretary under Claudius and Nero.
 * Callistus (freedman) - Freedman and imperial secretary under Caligula and Claudius.
 * Polybius (freedman) - Freedman and imperial secretary under Claudius.
 * Livia Medullina - She was Claudius' second betrothed, but died on their wedding day.
 * Urgulania - She was a close confidant of Livia during the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius.
 * Junia Tertia - She was integral to the bond between Brutus and Cassius, and lived quite a long life.
 * Lyon Tablet - Bronze tablet containing Claudius' speech on the Gauls.
 * Taylor's Salamander - Ambystoma taylori
 * Anderson's Salamander - Ambystoma andersoni
 * Lake Patzcuaro Salamander - Ambystoma dumerilii
 * Puerto Hondo Stream Salamander - Ambystoma ordinarium
 * Blunt-Headed Salamander - Ambystoma amblycephalum
 * Yellow-Peppered Salamander - Ambystoma flavipiperatum
 * Hensen's node