Award Winners (10/09)

Dr. Janice Greene received the Outstanding Lifetime Service Award to an Individual in Recognition of promoting environmental education in Missouri.  The award was presented by the Missouri Environmental Education Association at their annual conference in October.

Dr. Chris Barnhart received the Conservation Champion Appreciation Award from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, in recognition of leadership in conserving endangered species.  The award was given at the Regional Endangered Species Coordinators Meeting in October.

Professor John Havel is on sabbatical leave this year, researching biological invasions at the Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin (http://limnology.wisc.edu/).  During August, he sampled invasive snails in lakes and streams in the northern highland district, in order to examine co-occurrence patterns and to establish cultures for later experiments.  John is now at the main campus in Madison, running experiments on snails in flow chambers, to determine the conditions that snails can tolerate before being swept downstream.  John is in Madison at a good time to study biological invasions.  The recent invasion of Lake Mendota by the spiny water flea presents both a potential problem to the lake food web and also a new research opportunity.

NSF funds confocal microscopy system (8-27-09)

Students and faculty will soon be able to use a state-of-the-art confocal microscopy system, thanks to a $248,350 grant from the National Science Foundation.  The grant was awarded to Kyoungtae Kim, along with Brian Weaver, Laszlo Kovacs, Jack Steiert, and Lifeng Dong. This advanced microscopic system will facilitate faculty and student research in cell biology, as well as strengthening the quality of undergraduate and graduate education. Dr. Kim and his students in the Biology Department, are investigating the molecular mechanisms of cellular motility and intra-cellular vesicle trafficking.

Congratulations to Jeremy Risley (MS, 2006 with Dan Beckman) who was promoted to the position of Fisheries Supervisor, District 3, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 

Biology graduate student Shelly Dey netted this spectacular bat recently at the Missouri Bat Blitz organized by the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network.  The species is well-named as Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii).  This capture marks only the third record for this species in the state.