Biological Sciences Blog

Biology graduate student merit winners in 12th ESC Student Research Forum

Published March 24, 2016

The Ecosystem Science Center congratulates all 36 students who submitted posters to the competition held last week. The posters will continue to be on display in the atrium of the Noblet building through April 8.

Of the eight undergraduate poster submissions, Graceanna Schilz (Advisor: Molly Cavaleri SFRES) won the grand prize with the poster entitled “Effects of Seedling Warming in Tropical Forests.” Gina Testa (Advisors: Jessie Knowlton and David Flaspohler, SFRES) won a merit award with the poster “Avian Community Responses to Stand Age in Northern Aspen Forests.”

For the 28 graduate poster entries, Kelsey Carter won the grand prize for the poster “Plant Physiological Thermal Thresholds of Saplings in a Puerto Rican Tropical Rainforest,” (Advisor: Molly Cavaleri, SFRES). Three merit winners were: Cameron Goble (Advisor: Nancy Auer, Bio. Sci.) with the poster “Fish-Habitat Associations in Tributaries to the Manistee River, Michigan: Implications for Arctic Grayling Restoration,” Colin Phifer (Advisors: David Flaspohler and Chris Webster, SFRES) for the poster “Bird Community Responses to Afforested Eucalyptus Plantations in Argentina,” and Ryan van Goethem (Advisor: Amy Marcarelli, Bio. Sci.) for the poster “Legacy Disturbance Effects in a Lake Littoral Zone: Effects of Stamp Sands on the Structure of Macrophyte Communities in the Keweenaw Waterway of Michigan.”

Congratulations to the winners and thank you again to the many judges involved.

Biology Week March 28-April 1

Published March 22, 2016

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Sponsored by Phi Sigma Biological Honors Society

Biology Week March 28-April 1

Monday – MEDLIFE presents MEDTALK 2016 – Come hear from health professionals and students of MEDLIFE from their mobile clinic to Riobamba, Ecuador over spring break. 7pm in Fisher 101

Tuesday – Research presentations – If you’re interested in biology related research, come hear about what others students have been working on! You could be next! 6pm in Fisher 131

Wednesday – Jeopardy Night – Join us in a fun-filled night of biology related questions with fellow students to test your knowledge and your competitive nature. 7pm in Dow 642

Thursday – Move Night: Concussion – During an autopsy of a NFL player Mike Webster, a finding similar to Alzheimer’s disease is discovered, published and made aware to others. 6pm in Fisher 101.

Friday – Book/Plant/Bake Sale – Biology books, plant seeds and fresh baked treats! Need we say more? 10am – 3 pm in Fisher Hall

Marti and Ingram place 2nd, 3rd in Undergraduate Student Expo

Published March 21, 2016

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UPDATED: Link to the official news release in Tech Today.

Excerpted from an email from Lorelle Meadows, Dean Pavlis Honors College congratulating the winners of the Undergraduate Research Expo:

“During the Expo, all of the posters were judged by a minimum of 2 faculty judges. The researchers receiving the highest average scores are:

1^st Place Gina Testa, Wildlife Ecology and Management

“Avian Community Responses to Stand Age in Northern Aspen Forests”

2^nd Place Hannah Marti, Biomedical Engineering (who worked in Dr. John Durocher‘s laboratory)

“The Effects of Changes in Fitness and Fatness on Aortic Pulsatility”

3^rd Place Olivia Ingram, Biological Sciences ( who worked in Dr. Kevin Trewartha‘s lab in Cognitive Learning Sciences)

“The Role of Implicit Memory Processes in Age-Related Declines in Motor Learning”

Congratulations! These students will all receive a small token, a $20 gift card to dining services, lunch with the Vice President for Research and an invitation to receive their certificate at the Annual Student Leadership Awards Reception.

Expo visitors also voted on an audience choice award and we have a remarkable three-way tie. The winners of this award are: Olivia Ingram, Lewis Marshall and Abbey Senczyszyn. Winners of the audience choice award may stop our office beginning tomorrow to retrieve your audience choice prize.”

Leguizamon, Van Goethem win poster presentation awards

Published March 10, 2016

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Edited from Tech Today:

Two graduate students in the Department of Biological Sciences received poster presentation awards at the Midwest Aquatic Plant Management Society conference Tuesday, 8 March, in Grand Rapids.

Carmen Leguizamon (advised by Casey Huckins) received a second place award. Ryan Van Goethem (advised by Amy Marcarelli) received a third place award.

Ramkumar Mohan awarded Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship

Published March 1, 2016

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Ramkumar Mohan was awarded the 2016 Dean’s award for outstanding scholarship. Ramkumar is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Xiaoqing Tang’s laboratory working on MicroRNA and its relationship to Diabetes.

Travis Wakeham awarded numerous honors by Graduate Student Government

Published February 26, 2016

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Graduate student, Travis Wakeham was recently honored with numerous awards by the Graduate Student Government , including:

Outstanding Teaching Award for his involvement and development of our Anatomy and Physiology laboratories working closely with Dr. John Durocher and Brigitte Morin.

Best oral presentation at the recent Graduate Student Colloquium that includes an award of $300.

Best attended oral presentation at the Colloquium that includes an award of $50.

In addition, his picture was featured on the TV website reporting on the Colloquium.

Travis is a Masters student working in the lab of Dr. John Durocher and conducted much of the research for his presentation in the lab of collaborating colleague Dr. Stephen Elmer in the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology.

Alumnus Dr. Donofrio joins Neogen as director of microbiology

Published February 24, 2016

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News

From www.4-traders.com; picture courtesy of LinkedIn

LANSING, Mich., Feb. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Neogen Corporation (NASDAQ: NEOG) announced today that Dr. Robert Donofrio has joined the company as the director of microbiology, research and development in Neogen’s Lansing, Mich.-based food safety research and development group.

Dr. Donofrio completed his Ph.D. in 2009 under now Emerita Dr. Susan Bagley.

For the full article see:

This link

Dr. Werner awarded NIH grant

Published February 15, 2016

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Funding
News

From Tech Today:

Thomas Werner (Bio Sci/LSTI) is the principal investigator on a project that was awarded a $363,359 research and development grand from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Nation Institutes of Health. The project is “The Role of Toolkit Gene in Generating Complex Color Pattern in Drosophila.” This is a three-year project.

Dr. Kerfoot attends Torch Lake Watershed Project Public Meeting

Published February 11, 2016

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Dr. Kerfoot was one of many Michigan Technological University faculty and staff to present at the recent Torch Lake Watershed Project Public Meeting

An account of the meeting can be found in the 9 February 2016 blog post from Keweenaw Now

LAKE LINDEN —

What do you know about the Torch Lake Watershed, the Torch Lake Superfund and stamp sand, the Torch Lake Area of Concern, PCBs and fish advisories, ongoing research and remediation of contaminated sites in the area? The Torch Lake Watershed Project public meeting is one way to learn about these issues and to become involved in a community effort to plan the future of this area.

More at Keweenaw Now

http://keweenawnow.blogspot.com/2016/02/torch-lake-watershed-project-public.html

Dr. Durocher this weeks Props for Profs winner

Published February 8, 2016

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This week’s Jackson CTL Props for Profs Winner is John Durocher, (Bio SCI). John’s anonymous nominator said he “made it a personal goal to see everybody succeed.” The nominator especially liked the extra “study slides, review videos, and practice questions” that John provided, and appreciated the extra time these must have taken to develop. Finally, John was praised for his prompt response to e-mail and effective integration of real-life examples into the course.

Both Durocher and his nominator will receive a $5 gift certificate to purchase a snack or drink at the Library Café or several other locations on campus.

Edited from From Tech Today