An unassuming elevator ride to the basement of the Gilbert Biology Building Tuesday transported a group of undergraduates to an unfamiliar and tropical unknown: a lab housing over 500 frogs. 

The Laboratory of Organismal Biology, also known as the O’Connell Lab, studies “fundamental questions in neuroscience and physiology through the lens of ecology and evolution,” cares for over 500 frogs. Though some of these species would be poisonous in the wild, changes to the frogs’ diet in the lab prevent them from becoming poisonous.  

Roughly 10 students toured the O’Connell Lab, for an event co-hosted by Stanford People for Animal Welfare (PAW) and Stanford Animal Service Project (ASP). 

According to Katelyn Santa Maria ’26, the co-president of PAW and president and founder of ASP, and Sofia Ceva ’25, the co-president of PAW, the tour was meant to allow a community of animal lovers at Stanford to interact with a variety of organisms — like frogs. 

“Caring for lab animals is vital, and we hope the students on the tour were inspired to get involved in this sector of research,” said Ceva. “The O’Connell lab is wonderful — their work has significant implications for both human and animal welfare.”  

The tour was led by Santa Maria, who has worked as an animal caretaker at the lab for the past three years. The group looked at the fly culture room, the temperature and humidity controlled frog terrariums and the tadpole farm. 

“I thought the tour was really interesting,” said Edith Chamberlain ’27, one of the attendees. “I had no idea this was under the biology building, and I’d never seen a lot of these frog species before.” 

Though the lab has done tours for Stanford students and visitors alike, this was the first one organized by Santa Maria. 

Santa Maria, grateful for the turnout, said being one of the co-presidents of PAW taught her just how many animal lovers there are on campus. 

Santa Maria’s position includes conducting health assessments, feeding the frogs and creating “an environment where the frogs and organisms will thrive,” said Santa Maria.  

“I knew people would want to see that Stanford has frogs,” said Santa Maria.