February 2012 Volume 10 Issue 5
Editor – Natalie Hofmeister ’13
Upcoming Seminars and Events
Monday, March 5
Chris Richards
Population Geneticist, National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, USDA-ARS
Affiliate faculty, Biology Department and Soil & Crop Sciences, Colorado State University
Genebanks and their emerging role in conservation, genomics and evolutionary biology
4:00 p.m. | RNS 310
Monday, March 12
Sabrice Guerrier
HHMI/CFD Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, Carleton College
Understanding the physiological functions of BAR domain proteins
4:00 p.m. | RNS 310
Monday, March 26
Robin Kimmerer
Professor, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Topic: Plant ecology
4:00 p.m. | RNS 310
Thursday, March 29
Louis J. Gross
National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS), Departments of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Space and Control in Natural Systems
Math/Biology Speaker
7:00 p.m. | RNS 150
Announcements
Get paired with an upperclassman
First year and sophomore biology majors – Tri Beta will be hosting an event at the beginning of March to pair upperclassman with underclassman bio majors. The goal of this event is for upperclassmen to provide advice and guidance for like-minded underclassmen over a meal in the caf. We are hoping that this opportunity will be particularly helpful with the onset of registration for next year! You will be matched with an upperclassman according to your particular interests in the field of biology and any tentative career plans so you can gain some insight from an Ole who is on a similar track.
If you’re interested in having a meal with an upperclassman, send an email to cassling@stolaf.edu with the following information by Friday, March 2: name, class year, your particular field of interest in biology, future career plans (e.g. medicine, research, teaching). Keep in mind that because this is a Tri Beta sponsored event, you can count your participation toward your Tri Beta application!
Biology Senior Banquet
Seniors – mark your calendars! The biology senior banquet will be on Monday, May 14, in the 4th floor central atrium of Regents. We hope all 124 of you can come. Food will be awesome. Fun will be had.
Minnesota Academy of Science Annual Meeting
The Minnesota Academy of Science Annual Meeting will be held right here at St. Olaf this year. We encourage all of you who have done research to participate by attending the day long meeting and presenting your research. The biology department has some funding to help with registration. If you are interested, let Tory Borovsky know by March 14.
Phenology
The Student Naturalists, Jon Henn ’12, Christina Herron-Sweet ’12, and Rachel Wieme ’12, explain what “phenology” actually means and encourage you to join them on weekly spring Phenology Walks through our own Natural Lands! More
How to Apply for Distinction
Juniors, are you thinking about applying for distinction in biology? Here’s a brief description of the process by Natalie Hofmeister ’13. More
The Environment Coalition: A club for Change
If you’re interested in sustainability and environmental awareness, Andrew Kaul ’13 recommends that you join the Environmental Coalition. More
Learning the Ropes of Electron Microscopy
Anna Ballard ’13 and Natasha Seliski ’12 describe their interim course, “Research in Electron Microscopy”, which traveled to Boulder to use transmission electron microscopy to study T. thermophila mating. More
Comments, questions or corrections? Interested in contributing? Please contact Tory Borovsky, academic administrative assistant in biology.