Biological Sciences Blog

Author: Sunny Charpentier

Kemmy Taylor Chosen for US Army Educator Tour

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Kemmy Taylor (BioSci/KIP), was selected as one of only 25 educators from across the United States to participate in the 2024 U.S. Army Educator Tour at Fort Stewart in Savannah, Georgia.

Taylor was nominated by the Milwaukee Army Healthcare Team for her willingness to go above and beyond sharing the programs and scholarships in health-related professions offered by the Army. She was chosen by the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in recognition of her demonstrated dedication and openness in ensuring current and future pre-med and pre-health students are aware of the Army’s health-related opportunities.

Kemmy Taylor
Kemmy Taylor

Fort Stewart is the home of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, 75th Ranger Regiment, and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). The medical professionals at the Winn Army Community Hospital and Hunter Army Airfield Clinic on base support all 4,000+ soldiers and their families.

During the tour, Kemmy will skydive with the Army’s premier parachute demonstration team, the Golden Knights, as well as attend various exhibits hosted by each of the units on base and tour both the community hospital and clinic. Most importantly, Taylor will get to work with and witness firsthand the soldiers and families supported by Army Medicine.

By sharing information about the Army’s programs and scholarships, Taylor is directly developing future medical professionals who will be providing care for soldiers. The tour will also provide opportunities to network with other university representatives and showcase Michigan Technological University’s dedication to supporting the health and welfare of our troops.

About the Biological Sciences Department

Biological scientists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues: improving healthcare, conserving biodiversity, advancing agriculture, and unlocking the secrets of evolution and genetics. The Biological Sciences Department offers seven undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees. Supercharge your biology skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at biology@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest happenings.

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Casey Huckins Rises as the Chair of Biological Sciences

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Dr. Casey Huckins is the new chair of the Biological Sciences Department. He served as interim chair since July 1, taking over from long-time chair and now professor emeritus Chandrashekhar Joshi.

Casey Huckins
Casey Huckins

“I am excited to continue leading such an outstanding department with its excellence in research, teaching, and service,” said Huckins. “Four of our faculty have been Distinguished Teaching Award winners in recent years and others have been nominated. Our faculty and staff are recognized and awarded for their service, and our students are inspiring. The department is at the forefront of basic and applied research, with over $2.27 million of research expenditures last year. This funding covers the broad array of faculty expertise in biology including biochemistry and molecular biology, ecology and evolution, environmental science, and health sciences. This research seeks better ways to treat cancer and improve health, understand, and restore populations and ecosystems, decipher genetic influences, and reduce plastic waste, among others.”

As a professor of biological sciences, Huckins’s main research interests include ecology and restoration of aquatic populations and ecosystems including lakes, streams, and the riparian ecosystems that connect them. He tends to focus on ecological patterns and processes in systems influenced by human actions and he applies the learned scientific understanding to inform their restoration and conservation. Projects examine the ecology and restoration of migratory coaster brook trout, and the reciprocal interplay and exchange between restoration and the advancement of scientific understanding. The goal is to increase understanding of the biology, ecology, and natural history of the organisms and systems of interest for their continued sustainability.

Congratulations Dr. Huckins! We are pleased to have you leading the Biological Sciences Department.

About the Biological Sciences Department

Biological scientists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues: improving healthcare, conserving biodiversity, advancing agriculture, and unlocking the secrets of evolution and genetics. The Biological Sciences Department offers seven undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees. Supercharge your biology skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at biology@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest happenings.

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Biological Science’s Influential Leader – Brigitte Morin

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Biological Science’s Brigitte Morin was recognized as one of Michigan Tech’s most influential leaders during Women’s History Month. Morin was featured in Tech Today’s story on Michigan Tech’s most influential women, who are making strides to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion across campus. A Husky Nation post titled, “Women’s History Month and Beyond: Six Michigan Tech Leaders Reflect on Their Work and Inspiration” features Brigitte’s personal and professional perspectives on the subject, with insight and quotes from Morin herself.

Brigitte Morin
Brigitte Morin

As the daughter of two K-12 educators, she experienced first-hand what it took to have a significant positive impact on young students. Now, as she teaches her own sizeable college courses at MTU, she takes steps to make sure her classroom is a space for learning, inclusivity, and positivity.

Brigitte earned her Bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) from Michigan Technological University, as well as a certificate in Secondary Education and minors in both General Science and Spanish. After graduating from Michigan Tech, Brigitte taught high school Biology for six years, then earned her MS degree in Biology from Northern Illinois University. Brigitte has returned to Michigan Tech as a lecturer, primarily in the MLS program. Her teaching interests include Clinical Lab Techniques, Clinical Immunology and Serology, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Human Nutrition, and Parasitology.

About the Biological Sciences Department

Biological scientists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues: improving healthcare, conserving biodiversity, advancing agriculture, and unlocking the secrets of evolution and genetics. The Biological Sciences Department offers seven undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees. Supercharge your biology skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at biology@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest happenings.

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In the News: Vick-Majors on Winter, Ecosystems, and Agriculture

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Trista Vick-Majors (BioSci/GLRC) was interviewed in a WLUC TV6 segment about how a continuing lack of winter ice cover could change ecosystems, the Great Lakes, and the future of agriculture. It also touches on how these changes could impact small businesses and outdoor winter activities–such as ice fishing and snowmobiling. The WLUC TV6 story mentioned the project launched by Trista Vick-Majors to gather winter-specific lake samples for comparison to summer data, with researchers around the Great Lakes participating in sampling this month. The story was picked up by more than 300 news outlets nationwide, including the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle and Seattle Times.

Trista Vick-Majors
Trista Vick-Majors

Dr. Trista Vick-Majors is a microbial ecologist who studies biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems and microbial communities. She is interested in how microbial communities and their diversity are impacted by physical and chemical characteristics. In addition, her work focuses on how seasonal change or ecosystem change, such as the formation of ice-cover, has an effect on these microbial communities. The interface of microbial ecology and biogeochemistry is where her research takes place.

About the Biological Sciences Department

Biological scientists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues: improving healthcare, conserving biodiversity, advancing agriculture, and unlocking the secrets of evolution and genetics. The Biological Sciences Department offers seven undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees. Supercharge your biology skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at biology@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest happenings.

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In the News: Trista Vick-Majors and the Associated Press

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Trista Vick-Majors (BioSci/GLRC) was quoted by the Associated Press, Canada’s National Observer, ABC News, MLive, Daily Mining Gazette, and Yahoo! News U.K. in a story exploring how an ongoing lack of winter ice cover could change the Great Lakes. The story mentioned a project launched by Vick-Majors to gather winter-specific lake samples for comparison to summer data, with researchers around the Great Lakes participating in sampling this month. The story was picked up by more than 300 news outlets nationwide, including the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle and Seattle Times. Vick-Majors was also interviewed in a WLUC TV6 segment about the impact low snow totals and ice cover have on ecosystems and agriculture.

Trista Vick-Majors
Trista Vick-Majors

Dr. Trista Vick-Majors is a microbial ecologist who studies microbial communities and biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems. She is interested in how physical and chemical characteristics interact with microbial communities and their diversity. In addition, her work focuses on how seasonal change or ecosystem change, such as the formation of ice-cover, impacts these microbial communities. The interface of microbial ecology and biogeochemistry is where her research takes place.

About the Biological Sciences Department

Biological scientists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues: improving healthcare, conserving biodiversity, advancing agriculture, and unlocking the secrets of evolution and genetics. The Biological Sciences Department offers seven undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees. Supercharge your biology skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at biology@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest happenings.

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New Funding: Stephen Techtmann’s Ice Control Co-Op

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Stephen Techtmann is the principal investigator (PI) on a project which has received a $798,426 research and development co-op joint agreement from the U.S. Department of Defense, DARPA. The title of the project is “Ice Control Compounds from Bacterial Isolates and Functional Metagenomics.”

Stephen Techtmann
Stephen Techtmann

Trista Vick-Majors is the co-PI on this potential two and a half year project.

Dr. Stephen Techtmann is an environmental microbiologist who studies microbial communities in diverse ecosystems. In addition to ice control compounds, he studies how complex microbial communities can perform functions of industrial interest. He seeks to use culture-based and culture-independent methods to understand how microbial communities respond to anthropogenic activity and environmental change, in addition to how we can leverage these microbes for a biotechnological application. 

Techtmann has experience in teaching Environmental Microbiology, Microbial Physiology, Applied Genomics, Modern BMB Laboratory, and Principles of Computational Biology.

About the Biological Sciences Department

Biological scientists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues: improving healthcare, conserving biodiversity, advancing agriculture, and unlocking the secrets of evolution and genetics. The Biological Sciences Department offers seven undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees. Supercharge your biology skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at biology@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or read the Biological Sciences Newsblog for the latest happenings.

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