Helen Bond Plylar

College of Science

Biology Department

Helen Bond Plylar is a doctoral candidate in the USU Biology Department in the lab of Dr. Alan H. Savitzky. Her dissertation research focuses on the development and morphology of the infrared-imaging system of boas and pythons. Helen is also actively engaged in many other projects addressing several unresolved questions in snake anatomy, including two international collaborations with colleagues at Kyoto University and University of the Ryukyus, respectively. In 2023, she received USU’s Graduate Research and Creative Opportunities award to support travel to Okinawa, where she collected and prepared sea snakes for anatomical studies. In addition to her own research, Helen is lab manager of USU’s MicroCT Facility, where she leverages her knowledge of this technology to assist researchers of different disciplines (biology, geology, aerospace engineering) in data collection and analysis. Helen is active in student government at USU, serving leadership roles at the department and college level, and through USUSA as the Graduate Director (2020-2021). She is also active in her professional society, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, and is currently serving a 6-year term on the ASIH Board of Governors. Outside of lab, Helen spends her time traveling, reading fantasy novels, and hanging out with her pets.