Biological Sciences Blog

Category: Awards

25th annual Bioathlon a huge sucess

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May 7, 2014

 

The twenty-fifth annual Department of Biological Sciences Bioathlon for high school biology students was held on Wednesday, May 7, at Michigan Technological University.  Simultaneously, a workshop was held for the accompanying biology teachers.

The Bioathlon serves as a means to stimulate interest and problem-solving in biology among our area youth.  Teams from 16 Upper Peninsula Michigan high schools participated.  The three top scores go to these schools.

The team winning FIRST PLACE was Hancock High School from Hancock, MI.

Team members:  Shannon Nulf, Ruth Venegus, Mary Jarvis, Alexis Aho

Instructor:  Brian Rajdl

The team winning SECOND PLACE was L.L.Wright High School from Ironwood, MI.

Team members: Margaret Meyer, Kathleen Mieloszyk, Corissa Mattson, Leah Braucher

Instructor: Paul Mattson

The team winning the THIRD PLACE was West Iron County High School from Iron River, MI.

Team members: Madiline McNamara, Emmy Kinner, Michelle Wiegand, Izaya Bengry

Instructor: Joel VanLanen

Each team was composed of four students who have not had formal class work in biology beyond the traditional sophomore high school general biology course.  All teams tackled the same four problems:

The four problems for the competition include:

Dissection: designed by Biological Sciences Graduate student Robert Larson and assisted by Travis Wakeham and Jenna Edwards with input from Dr. John Durocher.

Molecular Biology: designed by Biological Sciences graduate student Emily Geiger, assisted by Jennifer Connors.

Field Identification: designed by Biological Sciences graduate student Ashley Coble assisted by Tony Matthys and Troy Long.

Medical Laboratory  Science: designed and proctored by Medical Laboratory Science undergraduate students, Alyssa Elegeert, Rebecca Kurt, Roger Ellis, Sarah Westdorp, Danielle Dawson and Misty Brouilette with input from Professor of Practice Karyn Fay[j1] .

Through these exercises, students needed to demonstrate organizational skills, knowledge of facts and concepts, laboratory skills and creativity.

Each member of the first, second and third team will receive a small cash award along with a plaque.  Each student participating in the competition will also receive a certificate of participation and a Bioathlon T-shirt.

The teacher activity was: The Fungus among Us

In this workshop teachers explored some of the different roles of the fungi and conducted several simple, inexpensive activities to help students overcome their mycophobia.  The workshop was designed and taught by Stacy Cotey, Academic Advisor of Biological Sciences. Lynette Potvin, Ecologist for the US Forest Service Northern Research Station also provided a view of below-ground fungal processes with a tour of the Rhizotron and Mesocosm facilities.

 

Funding was provided by MTU Admissions, the Department of Biological Sciences, the Michigan Tech Fund, MTU Alumni Mark Cowan, M.D., Robert C. and Kathryn DellAngelo, M.D., Olive Kimball, D.Ed., Ph.D., Nancy Auer, Ph.D. and Janice Glime, Ph.D.,

http://www.mtu.edu/biological/department/outreach/bioathlon/

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Students funded with SURF awards working in Biological Sciences

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Reprinted from Tech Today

This summer, the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program will fund 23 students from across the University with funds from the Vice President for Research and the Honors Institute. The total funding for the program this year is $80,500.

Congratulations to:

Jessica Karwosk working with Dr. Rupali Datta

Mark Keranen working with Dr. Thomas Werner

Jade Ortiz working with Dr. Amy Marcarelli

Additional SURF recipients,their project titles, and their advisors are listed online.
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Biological Sciences Announces Medical Laboratory Science Scholarship winners

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Karyn Fay, Director, Medical Laboratory Science Program in the Department of Biological Sciences, is pleased to announce the 2014 Medical Laboratory Sciences Scholarships.

This year’s scholarship winners are:


Jack Holland Endowed Scholarship: Larissa Kramer


Medical Technology “Tech Is” Award Scholarship: Luke Dalton


Soldan 4+1 Annual Scholarship: Brook Bedore


Congratulations to the recipients and many thanks to all who applied.


A brief description of the scholarships is as follows:


The Jack Holland Endowed Scholarship, established in honor of Dr. Jack Holland, Professor of Medical Technology (1966–1988), is awarded to an outstanding first-year medical technology/medical lab sciences student, based on professional attitude, communication skills, and academic grade point. Former students, upon Dr. Holland’s retirement, originally set up the endowment.


The Medical Technology “Tech Is” Award Scholarship was originally funded by three monetary awards received by the Society of Medical Technologists for first-place awards in the “Tech Is” student competition (1981, 1983, and 1986). The “Tech Is” program no longer exists, however the endowment provides a small scholarship to a junior-class student based on participation in the Society of Medical Laboratory Scientists (formerly Society of Medical Technologists), extracurricular activities, grade point, and faculty interviews.


The Soldan 4+1 Annual Scholarship will be awarded to a qualified senior Medical Laboratory Science student who is beginning their last semester at Michigan Tech.  They must be able to document acceptance into an accredited “+1” practicum and be enrolled in one of the following concentrations.


4+1 Medical Laboratory Science

4+1 Cytotechnology

4+1 Histotechnology


More information on these and other Departmental scholarships are available on our Department’s giving page

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Tenth Annual ESC/BRC Research Forum Awards Announced

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The Ecosystem Science Center and the Biotechnology Research Center announce award recipients of the Tenth Annual ESC/BRC Student Research Forum held March 19.  60 posters presented

Graduate Research

$100 Merit Awards

Biotechnology Research Center
Yiping Mao (Bio Sci) for “Overexpression of microRNA-30d increases insulin biosynthesis and protects against high-fat diet induced glucose intolerances,” Advisor Xiaoqing Tang.

Ecosystem Science Center
Cameron Goble (Bio Sci) for “Assessment of Fish Communities in Tributary Streams of the Big Manistee,” Advisor: Nancy Auer.

Other award  Department’s award winners are highlighted in “Tech Today.”

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Morton Harwood – 1st place winner in the oral presentations for the 2014 Graduate Research Colloquium

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Oral Presentation Award Winner: Morton Harwood from the Department of Biological Sciences was awarded the first place presentation award at the 2014 MTU Graduate Research Colloquium.

“The Acute Cardiovascular Responses to Marathon and Ultra-marathon Competition”

Morty is a Ph.D. student in Dr. John Durocher’s laboratory.

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Komal Raja, Biological Sciences, 2nd Place Posters, Graduate Research Colloquium 2014

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Komal Raja, Biological Sciences, 2nd Place Posters, Graduate Research Colloquium 2014

Komal Raja, Biological Sciences,

Title: The Role of Toolkit Genes in the Evolution of Complex Wing, Thorax and Abdominal Color Patterns of Drosophila Guttifera –

Graduate Research Colloquium 2014 at Michigan Technological University

Original picture (courtesy of Emil Groth) and more winners at the Graduate Research Colloquium 2014 page.

Komal works in Dr.Werner’s lab and more about their research can be found in Dr. Werner’s lab page.

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Graduate students awarded BRC travel grants

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The Biotechnology Research Center announces its Fall 2013 Travel Grants. Recipients from Biological Sciences include:

* Faten Dhawi Almuhanna (Bio Sci) International Plant and Animal Genome XXII Meeting (poster)

* Ramkumar Mohan (Bio Sci) The Midwest Islet Club Meeting (poster)

* Aparupa Sengupta (Bio Sci) Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (podium)

Awards for other departments are in Tech Today.

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Sengupta takes third place

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Aparupa Sengupta, a PhD student in biological sciences, took third place for her oral presentation “Using a Biological Remediation System to Address Antibiotic Contamination in Aquatic Sources” at the International Conference on Medical Geology Annual Meeting 2013, held Aug. 25-29 in Arlington, Va. She was selected from among 30-35 student presenters from around the world. Sengupta received a certificate, a book and $100 prize. Her coauthors were Adjunct Professor Dibyendu Sarkar and her advisors, Professor Emerita Susan Bagley and Associate Professor Rupali Datta (Bio Sci).

From 9 September Tech Today

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Student Spotlight: 4.0 GPA Athletes

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Excerpted from Michigant Technological Universty Student Affairs and
Advancement Connection Summer 2013

Melanie Hoffman and Brad Stebner are two of the nine
Michigan Tech student-athletes who hold 4.0 grade point
averages while participating in intercollegiate athletics. How
do they do it?

“Organization and communication,” said Hoffman, an
Academic All-American on the soccer team this past fall.
“Time management is important. I make sure I give myself
time to have fun, but when it’s time to work, I work hard.”

Hoffman, who owns the school record in the heptathlon,
helped the soccer team to its first conference title in 2012.
She is majoring in exercise science and biological sciences
and plans to attend dental school following graduation.

According to Stebner, the keys to success are “dedication
and balance. Being a student and an athlete are full-time
commitments on their own. Doing them together requires
a lot of effort, perseverance, and time management.”

Stebner, a hockey player, maintains his 4.0 GPA in
biological sciences with a minor in psychology.
He is a twotime winner of the WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award. With four
goals and 16 assists in 95 career games, the defenseman
hopes to pursue a professional career in hockey. He
ultimately plans to attend medical school back in his home
province of Alberta.

—Suzanne Sanregret
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Biology and Exercise Science athletes earn academic honors

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Picture of Michelle Gaedke, All Academic Excellence

Sophomore, Biological Sciences
by Ian Marks, assistant director of athletic communications

Michigan Tech had 18 student-athletes named to the 2012-13 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Winter All-Academic and All-Academic Excellence Teams recently.

All-Academic Teams are comprised of those student-athletes who meet the criteria and carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0-3.49. All-Academic Excellence Teams are comprised of student-athletes who have a cumulative GPA of 3.50-4.0.

Men’s Basketball

All-
Academic
* Anthony Katona, Senior, Exercise Science, Negaunee, Mich.
* Ali Haidar, Senior, Electrical Engineering, Windsor, Ont.

All-Academic Excellence
* Kyle Stankowski, First Year, Electrical Engineering, Mosinee, Wis.
* Alex Culy, Junior, Chemical Engineering, Rice Lake, Wis.
* Troy Hecht, Junior, Finance, Vassar, Mich.
* Ben Stelzer, Sophomore, Finance, Manitowoc, Wis.
* Austin Armga, Junior, Exercise Science, Waupun, Wis.

Women’s Basketball

All-Academic
* Paige Albi, Junior, Exercise Science, Sun Prairie, Wis.
* Kate Glodowski, Junior, Exercise Science, Amherst, Wis.
* Heather Kessler, Junior, Sports and Fitness Management, Antigo, Wis.
* Emily Harrison, Sophomore, Chemical Engineering, Elk Mound, Wis.
* Kelcey Traynoff, Junior, Civil Engineering, Wilmette, Ill.

All-Academic Excellence
* Taylor Stippel, Junior, Liberal Arts, Stillwater, Mich.
* Emma Veach, Senior, Psychology, Grand Haven, Mich.
* Samantha Hoyt, Senior, Mathematics, Durand, Wis.
* Kerry Gardner, First Year, Exercise Science, Middleton, Wis.
* Jillian Ritchie, Sophomore, Scientific and Technical Communication, De Pere, Wis.
* Michelle Gaedke, Sophomore, Biological Sciences, Dearborn, Mich.
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