Recent Biology Department News
Fall 2009
- The Annual Pre-Physical Therapy Open House was held Tuesday October 27, 2009. Dr. Peter Chung led the organization of this open house.
- The inauguration of Dr. Steve Scott as President of PSU was attended by many faculty, inlcuding this contingent from Biology. Our apologies for missing other faculty who also attended. From the left: Drs. Arruda, Dawson, Harries, Smith, Peak, Triplett, Zurek, Chung.
- The Fall 2009 Rumble in the Jungle is finished. Dr. Peter Chung spearheaded the effort and was joined by new faculty Dr. Phil Harries and Dr. Mandy Peak and Delia Lister with a friend from Nature Reach.
- We welcome two new faculty members. Dr. Phillip Harries joins us from the Samuel Nobel Foundation in Ardmore, Oklahoma where was a postdoctoral fellow. He obtained his Ph.D. in plant biology from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Mandy Peak received her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and joins us from the University of California at San Diego.
- Dr. Dixie Smith returns from her spring sabbatical leave.
Summer 2009
- The Pre-med Club was off to Peru again, volunteering in local medical clinics. The group (Megan Carlson, Zach Krumsick, Brian Holt, Matt Jacquinot, Emily Walters, & Daniel Zurek), along with Vicki Webber, Physician Assistant at the PSU Student Health Center, returned to the Valle Sagrado region of Peru for a second year of medical volunteer work. We visited the critically medically underserved communities of Meskay, Chamana, Ollantetambo, and Pancarhuallya, and with the help of Peruvian health care professionals rendered medical treatment to some 500 people over the course of two weeks. Utilizing supplies generously donated by many local Pittsburg health care providers we performed and assisted with regular and well-woman exams, dental exams and treatments, laboratory analysis, and general medical care. The slideshow below has pictures of the trip by Dr. Dan Zurek. (note: The "mouseover" shows Dr. Arruda's name but that's just because I am the department webmaster and set up the slideshow on my google account.)
- PSU Biology, in collaboration with the PSU College of Education, hosted two summer classes funded by No Child Left Behind and the Kansas Board of Regents. Students in these courses are currently teaching Middle School in Southeast Kansas, but their licensure is in content areas other than Middle School Science. Last summer, they began a sequence of four classes (Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Science Methods [Dr. Dixie Smith], and Life Science [Dr. Steve Timme]) developed to assist in their preparations to pass the Kansas Middle School Science Content Exam. The grant has paid among other things, tuition, travel costs, and materials for the fourteen teachers currently in this cohort. The grant has been renewed, and the second cohort begins in July of this summer with their Physical Science course. Dr. Smith is a CO-PI on the grant, along with Dr. Andy Tompkins and Dr. Rozanne Sparks.
- Dr. Dan Zurek attended the 26th Annual Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG) Symposium: Root Biology May 27-29, 2009, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri USA. Two undergraduates in his lab, Emma Hayes and Rhonda Egidy, presented their work. Rhonda has graduated and is working at the Oak Ridge National Labs in Tennessee. Emma was a K-INBRE summer scholar this summer and will be returning this fall. (Image: from lower left - Rhonda Egidy, Dr. Zurek, Emma Hays)
Spring 2009
- Biology Bowl and Science Day were held April 23, 2009. See the Biology results at the Biology Bowl web page.
Fall 2008
- The Free Clinic, managed by the Pre-Med Club was featured in an article in the Joplin (MO) Globe.
- The annual Pre-Physical Therapy Open House held Tuesday October 28 included a brief opening session with guest speaker followed by visits with representatives of several DPT programs. Over 45 students attended.
- We have two faculty positions open. The first is a new position in molecular biology (read position description) and the second is a replacement for the genetics (read position description) slot vacated by Dr. Brooker's departure (see below).
- The official opening of the PSU Natural History Reserve Laboratory was held October 1, 2008 at at the university's 80-acre Natural History Reserve. More than 100 construction engineering students worked on the new building supported by their faculty. The lab is the first "green" building constructed on campus property. It uses ECO-BLOCK, an environmentally friendly foundation and wall insulator, recycled siding, and an energy-saving heat pump. The project was funded by the university and by a donation from the Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society.
- We welcome to new staff members: Dr. Hermann Nonnenmacher and Mr. Clint Dunkle. They will be joining us in teaching the biology core courses.
Summer 2008
- Dr. Virginia Rider is the first winner of the Sidney A. McNairy, Jr. Mentoring Award given through the National Institutes of Health. The award, which will be given to one professor in the nation every two years, honors faculty for their dedication and focus mentoring students. For more, read the PSU blog.
- Dr. Nancy Brooker has left us after 15 years of excellence in teaching, research, and service. She has accepted a position as Manager of Quality Assurance position with Bayer Crop Science, Bioscience Division, in Gent, Belgium. Bayer Crop Science is one of the top three crop protection companies in the world and the BioScience division is a leading international player in research, development and marketing of seeds. Their innovation is focused on three market areas: vegetable seeds, agricultural crops and novel plant-based products for health, nutrition and biomaterial applications.
- Dr. Dave Gordon is returning from sabbatical leave and it is good to have him back.
- Several of our pre-med students, with Dr. Dan Zurek, made a fantastic trip to Cuzco, Peru at the end of the spring semester. They volunteered in a variety of medical clinics. The trip was organized by junior biology major Emily Walters. A small slide show can be seen below.
- Congratulations to our own Dr. James Dawson who has been promoted to Chair of the department. Jim has been in the department for 30 years - that wealth of experience in the department and the university will serve him well. Best of luck, Jim!
- Dr. James Triplett has officially stepped down as Chair of the Biology Department. Jim was interim Chair in 1984-1985 and became Chair in 1985. He was the 5th person to serve as Chair. The first Chair of the department - O.P. Dellinger - is the only person to have served longer, from 1909 to 1939. We thank Jim for his years of service. See the Department History web pages for more historical information about the department.
Spring 2008
- Dr. Dan Zurek was one of three PSU "Outstanding Faculty Award" winners for 2008 announced at the March 6 Apple Day convocation. The winners are nominated and selected by students.
- Our Pre-vet Club ventured to an open house at Kansas State in April 2008 (image below).
