Student Laboratory Techniques Workshop
Wednesday, June 4 - Thursday, June 5, 2008

ADInstruments Inc. is excited to sponsor this one-of-a-kind hands-on course development workshop. From absolute novice to resident expert, this intensive two-day educational forum condenses all the need- to-know skills and information into a sensible plan you can apply to any student laboratory setting.
•  Instructor-led sessions with special guest presenters.
•  Hands on experimentation with focus on proven human and animal student coursework.
•  Group size limited to 15 attendees to allow for plenty of one-on-one interaction.
•  Network with peers and discover what works and what doesn’t in the ever-changing discipline of science instruction.
Targeted training will help you unlock the full potential of your equipment and instruction. Maximize your technology investment by attending this two-day comprehensive training workshop.

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Scholarship available for WCU Graduate Students:

Graduate students are invited to apply for the 2008 Alumni Scholarship Award.  The application is on the graduate web page under announcements.

One requirement is the student has to complete 12 credits and be accepted to degree candidacy to be eligible.

The deadline is 4/1/08.
http://www.wcupa.edu/_admissions/sch_dgr/ 

Dr. Frank Fish, Biology, received a grant in the amount of $1.3 million from the Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative for the Biologically-Inspired Autonomous Sea Vehicle program for “Towards a Mission Configurable Stealth Underwater Batoid.”  The study is a collaboration with Dr. Hilary Bart-Smith, University of Virginia; and Dr. Alexander Smits of Princeton University.  Professor Fish was highlighted in the April 2008 issue of National Geographic for his work on the application of the geometry of the humpback whale flipper for wind turbine design in the article “Biomimetrics: design by nature.”

The following Biology undergraduate students were recognized during the Spring 2008 semester: Amanda Rowlands received an Honorable Mention at the 2008 CAS Outstanding Student Awards; Radhika Bhatt, Sara Farjo, and Erica Szonntag received awards for their presentations at The WCU Research Consortium Research Day.  

Dr. Maureen Knabb and Dr. Erin Gestl were each awarded a 2008 CASSDA Grant.  Dr. Knabb's project is entitled “Does quadraplex (G4) DNA exist in normal and cancerous cells?”. Dr. Gestl's project is entitled “Interaction of Proteins (DNA Polymerase) during DNA Replication”.  

Dr. Greg Turner, Biology, published the article, “Oak seedling growth and ectomycorrhizal colonization in adjacent oak stand and declining eastern hemlock stands infested with the hemlock woolly adelgid,” with J. Lewis, J. LiCitra, A. Tuininga, and A. Sirulnik, in Tree Physiology, 28: 629-636, 2008. 

Lori Timm, Biology graduate student, was co-author on a presentation with Dr. Frank Fish entitled 'Hydrodynamic flow through the nasal cavity of sharks.'

Biology students Amanda Rowlands, Kimberly Urban, Apurva Bidja, Danielle Roy, Ryan Feeney and Lilly Afshari and Dr. Oné Pagan published the article "Reversal of cocaine-induced planarian behavior by parthenolide and related sesquiterpene lactones" in Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 89: 160-170 (2008). The article was also coauthored by Dr. Mahrukh Azam (chemistry). 

Dr. Russell Vreeland, Biology, co-authored the paper “Virgibacillus salaries sp. nov., a novel halophilic bacterium isolated from a Saharan salt lake” with N. Hua, H. Amel, H. Isoda, T. Naganuma, in international Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. He presented “Going where no MAN has gone before: microbial space craft abound” at the Delaware Astronomical Society on March 18.  The Kansas Underground Salt Museum is housing an exhibit showcasing the work of Dr. Russell Vreeland.  “Take it with a Grain of Salt—Life inside a Permian Period Fluid Inclusion” will open on May 31st and is the centerpiece for an entire weekend of activities. 

Thinking about Ecology as a major? Learn about the current requirements and opportunities for students in the Department of Biology's Ecology Concentration from the following brochure:

Ecology Brochure 

The shape of humpback whale flippers could make wind energy more efficient; this intriguing possibility was recently revealed in an interview given by Dr. Frank Fish to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

To listen to the interview Click on the Read More... link listed below. 

Histologist/Microscopist.  Tenure track assistant professor position available August 2008.  Earned doctorate in Cell Biology, Anatomy or related discipline; research involving comparative microscopy or closely related field highly desirable. Successful applicant must be qualified to teach upper division Histology and Microscopy.  Candidate is expected to establish an active, externally funded research program involving graduate and/or undergraduate students.  Successful finalists must demonstrate effective communication and teaching by presenting a research seminar and a teaching demonstration during an on-campus interview.

Dr. Sharon Began and Nicole L. Jones, Biology graduate student, have published ”Juvenile gametophyte development in the Blasiales (Marchantiophyta; Metzeriidae). 2. Gemma/gemmaling ontogeny in Cavicularia densa” in The Bryologist, 110(3): 453-464. 

Professor Began and B.J. Crandall-Stotler published the introductory chapter on mosses entitled “Morphology of mosses (Phylum Bryophyta)” in Flora of North America North of Mexico, Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. Vol. 27, New York and Oxford, pp. 3-13.