Biological Sciences Blog

Houghton High School takes first place in 27th annual bioathlon competition

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Houghton high school 1st placeAfter 21 years of competing, Houghton High School ended a drought and took first place in the Department of Biological Science’s 27th annual Bioathlon competition. Calumet High School took second and L.L. Wright High School (Ironwood, Michigan) rounded out third place. This year 15 western and central Upper Peninsula schools competed to display their biology knowledge. Team members did not have any biology beyond the sophomore level. The four problems the four-student teams tackled:

  • dissecting and identifying a list of muscles and other organs found in a pigeon, designed by graduate student Travis Wakeham.
  • identifying different fly genetic traits and explaining how to prepare and read an electrophoresis gel, designed by graduate student Raja Bollepugu.
  • visiting the ski trails to find and identify organisms involved in a food web and explaining how they interact with each other, designed by graduate student Tony Matthys.
  • using medical laboratory science (MLS) techniques to identify a pathogen described in a written scenario, designed by a team of MLS undergraduates Sam Doyle, Shae Thomson, Josh Bowman and Laura Kirwin.

First, second and third place teams were awarded a plaque to display at school and each student on the team was awarded $200 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third place. All bioathlon competitors received a certificate of participation and a t-shirt sporting this year’s competition logo.

While students were busy with challenges their teachers participated in a workshop “Ethnobotany: how people use plants” led by academic advisor and botany instructor, Stacy Cotey.  Feedback indicated that the teachers were excited to learn new activities to incorporate into lesson plans.

The Department is pleased to use this outreach activity to demonstrate the exciting disciplines available at Michigan Technological University and to support the university’s mission to emphasis Health, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (H-STEM) education.  We look forward to next year’s competition scheduled for early May 2017.

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

More details about the competition can be found on the Bioathlon web page.

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

Team members: Andra Campbell
                                Kieran Storer                  
                                Won Young Choi
                                Ann Desrochers
Instructor:  Lauri Davis

The team winning SECOND PLACE was Calumet High School from Calumet, MI.
Team members: Chelsea Pittsley
                                Gunnar Lindemann
                                Brandon Fraki
                                Joseph Roy
Instructor:  Jennifer Peters            

The team winning the THIRD PLACE was L.L.Wright High School from Ironwood, MI.
Team members: Zane Ozello
                               Ian Hughes
                                Kinley Lyons
                                Nick Niemi  
Instructor: Cheryl Jacisin          

 

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High school visit program a great success

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HS visit pictureIt’s the best turnout in recent history for our high school visit program. Biological Sciences is proud to announce seven schools—about 180 students and their teachers—came to our spring semester event to help connect students to Michigan Tech. This year two schools attended for the first time in our program’s 25-plus-year history: Copper Country Christian School and Nah Tah Wahsh PSA (Hannahville Indian School),  joining the returning Superior Central (Eben Junction), Dollar Bay, Hancock, and Ontonagon High Schools. Houghton High School was also here to participate in a cooperative joint program between Biological Sciences and Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology. Unfortunately, after several attempts to reschedule, Marquette High School was unable to make it due to winter weather.

In the morning, students were greeted by our chair, Dr. Shekhar Joshi. They heard the story of how Dr. Thomas Werner became a biologist and got career advice from Dr. Amy Marcarelli, Brigitte Morin and the advisor for Pre-health, Stacy Cotey. They also attended their first college-level lecture in anatomy and physiology.  At lunch break they were introduced to the wonderful selection of food at Wadsworth Hall’s cafeteria. In the afternoon, after a quick stop to pose by the Husky Statue, they reinforced that morning’s lecture using the human anatomy and physiology  laboratory equipment to measure various parameters of their respiratory, cardiac, muscle and urinary systems and then learned how to do blood typing in the Medical Laboratory Science lab.

We are excited to participate in Michigan Tech’s mission to attract motivated students, including high school-aged girls, into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. In a broader sense the day of activities and pep talks by a diverse team of faculty, staff, and college students motivated high schoolers to think more deeply about attending college. And it hopefully encouraged a specific focus on degrees in biological sciences, medical laboratory sciences, or one of our many other life-science-related majors on campus.

 

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VanAcker awarded National Student Honor Award from ASCP

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VanAckerBrent VanAcker, a senior in the Medical Laboratory Science Program, was recently awarded an American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) National Student Honor Award (NSHA). This award is based on academic achievement, leadership ability, community activities, professional goals, and endorsements from faculty and community leaders. Brent will be graduating at the end of this semester and then will be going to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to complete a Clinical Practicum in Medical Laboratory Science. Our congratulations to Brent for earning this prestigious award!

 

Submitted by:
Karyn Fay  MS MT(ASCP)SH
Director: Medical Lab Science Program
Michigan Tech University

 

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Biology and KIP host Houghton High School

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Houghton VisitFriday 15 April,

The Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology hosted a joint visit for Houghton High School’s Anatomy and Physiology classes.  The teacher, Alex Geborkoff, accompanied 35 students who spent a day on the Michigan Tech campus learning about health careers from Pre-med advisor Stacy Cotey and faculty member Steven Elmer, attending a college lecture in Anatomy and Physiology, experiencing lunch at Wadsworth Hall Dormitory and taking part in many hands-on lab activities.  Some of the lab activities in KIP included learning about the influence of stress on blood pressure in Dr. Jason Carter’s lab and conducting an experiment comparing concentric versus eccentric muscle groups in Dr. Steven Elmer’s lab.  In Biological Sciences students learned how to measure aortic blood pressure in Dr. John Durocher’s lab and being led through a dissection by Travis Wakeham in the anatomy and physiology teaching lab.

News coverage of the visit included TV6 news.

 

 

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Rupsa Basu takes awards in 3 minute thesis competition

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BasuFrom Tech Today

by Graduate Student Government

The Graduate Student Government and the Grad School would like to congratulate the following winners of the 2016 Three Minute Thesis Competition held last Thursday:

Masters Divison:
First Place, $500- Ekramul Ehite (ME-EM)
Runner Up, $250- Abhilash Kantamneni (CS)
People’s Choice, $100- Abhilash Kantamneni (CS)

PhD Division:
First Place, $500- Rupsa Basu (Biology)
Runner Up, $250- Zichen Qian (Bio Med)
People’s Choice, $100- Rupsa Basu (Biology)

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Fay winner of distinguished teaching award

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FayOriginally published in Tech Today

Choi, Fay Receive Distinguished Teaching Awards

by Mark Wilcox

Chang Kyong Choi (ME-EM) and Karyn Fay (Bio Sci), have been named winners of the 2016 Distinguished Teaching Awards.

Choi, affectionately known as “CK”, won in the Associate Professor/Professor category, while Fay, a professor of practice, received the award in the Assistant Professor/Lecturer/Professor of Practice category.

Choi received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Chung-ang University in Seoul, Korea and earned a PhD from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

He emphasizes a personalized learning connection with each of his students, achieved through active individual meetings while valuing what he calls the “unique ideas, experiences, strengths and attitudes” each student brings to the classroom. Read Choi’s full story.

Fay, a native of Manistique, received a BS in Medical Technology from Lake Superior State College (now Lake Superior State University). She worked in medical labs throughout the country, returning to the Upper Peninsula to earn a Master’s in Biological Sciences.

After serving as hematology superior at a local hospital, she came to Michigan Tech initially as an adjunct faculty member in 2002, eventually turning to teaching full time. Read Fay’s full story.

Fay and Choi will each receive a $2,500 monetary award and a plaque at an awards dinner sponsored by University President Glenn Mroz in the fall.

 

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Students participate in simulated advanced suture lab exercise

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army suture labSergeant Marone and Sergeant Stewart with the US Army returned to campus last night to teach an Advanced Suture lab to ten pre-med/pre-vet students. Students learn suturing techniques using pig legs.  The class was a follow-up to the suture lab held in November with Sergeant Marone and Sergeant Cunningham. They also talked about Army career and scholarship opportunities for premed students.

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Alumnus Johnathon Aho awarded Outstanding Young Alumni Award

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Jonathon AhoFrom Tech Today:

Alumni Association Announces 2016 Awards

by Jenn Donovan

Michigan Tech’s Alumni Association has named its 2016 award winners. Each year, members of the Michigan Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors review dozens of nominations of outstanding alumni and friends to determine award recipients.

The 2016 recipients include:

Outstanding Young Alumni Awards — Benjamin Almquist ’04 Materials Science and Engineering, London and Johnathon Aho ’08 Mathematical Sciences/Biological Sciences, Rochester, Minnesota.

This award is presented to alumni under the age of 35 who have distinguished themselves in their careers. The award recognizes the achievement of a position or some distinction noteworthy for one so recently graduated.

 This award recognizes alumni who have made outstanding contributions both in their careers and to Michigan Tech over a number of years.

Previously Jonathon was awarded the President’s Award for Leadership in 2008

Other alumni award recipients were:

Humanitarian Award — James Tanis ’56, ’58 Geological Engineering/Geophysics and Janet Tanis, Sedona, Arizona.

This award is presented to those alumni and friends who, through their outstanding involvement and dedication, have made a significant contribution of volunteer leadership or service which has improved or enriched the lives of others and the welfare of humanity and whose accomplishments reflect admirably on or bring honor to their Alma Mater.

Mr. and Mrs. Tanis are founders of the Bwindi Community Program, helping the children of rural Uganda get an education.

Honorary Alumni Award — John Patton, former professor of Chemical Engineering, ’68-’77, El Paso, Texas.

This award honors individuals who have provided service and support of the university characteristic of dedicated alumni. The Association reserves this award to recognize the strongest non-alumni supporters of Michigan Tech.

Outstanding Service Award — Joshua ’03 and Jana Fogarty ’05 Materials Science and Engineering, Plymouth, Wisconsin.

This award is presented to alumni and friends making significant contributions to the success of the Association and/or the University.

Distinguished Alumni Award — William Bernard, Jr. ’69 Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Perrysburg, Ohio.

This award recognizes alumni who have made outstanding contributions both in their careers and to Michigan Tech over a number of years.

Many of these awards will be presented at the Alumni Reunion Awards Dinner on August 5. For additional information, contact Alumni Relations.

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Alumnus Jacob Jaszczak receives the Cell and Molecular Biology Outstanding Graduate Student Award

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Jacob-Jaszczak-150x150Alumnus  Jacob Jaszczak received the Cell and Molecular Biology Outstanding Graduate Student Award at the University of Virginia.  He will soon be taking a  postdoctoral position at UCSF in Yuh Nung Jan’s laboratory.  You can read the full details at the University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Department of Cell Biology blog. 

(picture courtesy  of University of Virgina)

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