July 2008

Scott Crosbie, former MS student, now PhD student at UC Davis, had a paper published entitled "Early impact of West Nile virus on the Yellow-Billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli)". Part of the paper is based on Scott's MS thesis research at Sac State. The full citation is:

Crosbie, S.P., W.D. Koenig, W.K. Reisen, V.L. Kramer, L. Marcus, R. Carney, E. Pandolfino, G.M. Bolen, L.R. Crosbie, D.A. Bell and H.B. Ernest. (2008) Early impact of West Nile virus on the Yellow-Billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli). Auk 125:542-550.

June 2008

Ron Coleman, Biological Sciences, was co-organizer of the "George Barlow Commemorative Symposium: Fish Reproductive Behavior, Mating and Parental Care Strategies" at the 2008 Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes conference (June 29, Boston, MA). He also presented a paper entitled "Surviving the storms: Egg size and reproductive strategies in riverine tropical cichlids", coauthored with Samantha Hilber (U. Florida) and Allison Berke (MIT).

At the same conference, James Phillips and Ron Coleman had a poster "Parental ecology of the plainfin midshipman, Porichthys notatus" and Anthony Barley and Ron Coleman had a poster "Habitat structure directly affects aggression in the convict cichlid, Archocentrus nigrofasciatus".

May 2008

Larry Cabral, former graduate student in Biological Sciences, was in the news about a really interesting piece of research he conducted with collaborators Brad Foley and Sergey Nuzhdin. The article Does Sex Trade with Violence among Genotypes in Drosophila melanogaster? appeared in the PLoS ONE , Volume 3(4): 1-6. www.plosone.org Two other media outlets picked up on the story: http://www.aol.in/news/story/2008041603399026000002/index.html and http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415210626.htm

April 2008

Robyn Bilski , Masters student in Biological Sciences, gave a presentation on her thesis work on salmon spawning habitat at the California-Nevada sectional meeting of the American Fisheries Society (April 5, Lake Tahoe) and was awarded Second Place for Best Student Presentation.

Jim Baxter, Biological Sciences, gave a lecture along with Jeffrey White of Humboldt State in the STEM lecture series, entitled "What will be California's legacy?" The lecture presented their work on the California Environmental Legacy Project, a statewide collaborative effort among scientists, educators and media professionals that use storytelling and digital media to reconnect the public with California's environment and environmental issues.

March 2008

Ron Coleman, Biological Sciences, was profiled in a story about the "Dinner with a Scientist" events he attends in Stockton and Merced. These events bring together scientists and students from 5th to 10th grades. The story was published in the Mar 22 issue of the Merced Star-Sun.

Portia Naomi Cox and Rachel Illagen (undergrads) and Sarah Estrella and James Phillips (graduate students) competed in the Twenty-Second Annual Student Research Competition on March 15. In addition, James and Sarah were selected as part of the ten-person Sac State team to go on to the statewide competition being held at CSU East Bay in May.

Nick Ewing and Winston Lancaster were quoted in the article "New bill to halt campus hunts" which appeared in the March 12, 2008 issue of The State Hornet.

December 2007

Christina Webb, Biological Sciences alumni, was profiled in SET (Studying Science Engineering & Technology Worldwide) magazine (www.science-engineering.net) in Vol 4, Issue 5. Christina graduated from Sac State in 2005 with a BS in Biological Sciences and is now a veterinary student at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, entering her forth year.

November 2007

Suzanne Lindgren, Biological Sciences, was quoted in reference to MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), i.e., the "SuperBug" in an article "An infectious media tale" which appeared in the November 24, 2007 issue of the State Hornet. Three articles on Ruth Ballard, Biological Sciences, and her work on Forensics have appeared in recent days. The first two appeared in the November 7, 2007 issue of the State Hornet. The first "Solving Puzzles Abroad" describes Dr. Ballards work in Tanzania building a DNA database to help the people of Tanzania deal with issues such as crime, paternity and social justice. The second article, "CSUS is scene of new CSI program" talks about the CSU-TRU undergraduate program for training in Forensic Science. The third, entitled "Safari 'souvenirs' bond CSUS professor to Africa: Geneticist sets up DNA database for Tanzania; Kenya is next." appeared in the Sacramento Bee (November 11, 2007).

 

May 2007

An interview with Bob Metcalf, Biological Sciences, talking about Solar Cookers entitled "Solar Power to the People" appeared in the Sacramento News & Review (SN&R). The article was written by Jennifer Davidson, a former CSUS student. May 3, 2007

April 2007

Winston Lancaster was quoted in the State Hornet talking about bats in northern California. (April 18, 2007) www.statehornet.com Lee Kavaljian had a show of his art works entitled "House of Spirits" on display in the Witt Gallery of Kadema Hall from April 9 through April 20.

An article by Bailey Mannisto-Iches in the Sacramento State Hornet talked about the Science Club Showcase and featured two of our biology clubs, the Field Biology Group (FBG) and the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). The event was organized by the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Joint Council.

March 2007

A story about Jamie Kneitel, Biological Sciences, titled "Life in the Snack Lane" appeared in the Spring 2007 issue of Sac State Magazine. The story describes Jamie's work on the intricate and ever-changing communities of invertebrates that life in the leaves of carnivorous plants, such as the local cobra lily. A biography of Marty Brittan, Professor Emeritus, was published in the February 28, 2007 issue of Copeia. (Volume 2007, issue no. 1). Ruth Ballard, Associate Professor, was selected as the 2006-2007 recipient of the Outstanding Community Service Award for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.Mary Ann Reihman, Professor, was selected as the 2006-2007 recipient of the Outstanding University Service Award for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.Susanne Lindgren, Associate Professor, was selected as the 2006-2007 recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Pang Moua, undergraduate in Biological Sciences Honors program, won first place in the CSUS Student Research Competition held on March 3, 2007. Three other Biology students participated, namely Beth Glidewell, Kim Nelson and Erika Holland. All four were selected for the CSUS team to represent our campus at the systemwide competition to be held May 5-6 at CSU Dominguez Hills.

January 2007

Jamie Kneitel, Biological Sciences, co-authored (with Daniel Perrault, Washington University in St. Louis) a recently published article, “Disturbance-induced compositional changes increase species invasion success” in the journal Community Ecology. This study experimentally showed how disturbances can eliminate certain species (good competitors) from communities, thereby by making them more vulnerable to invasion. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 13, number 18, January 29, 2007].

December 2006

Ron Coleman, Biological Sciences, was quoted in Denise Caruso's recent book Intervention: Confronting the Real Risks of Genetic Engineering and Life on a Biotech Planet (2006, Hybrid Vigor Institute, San Francisco) about the unexpected consequences of genetic engineering. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 13, number 16, December 18, 2006].

Richard Aguirre and Carlos Montanez, undergraduates in Biological Sciences, presented posters at the 2006 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students on November 8-11, in Anaheim, CA. Their posters were entitled "Investigating Offspring production of Pelvicachromis pulcher" and "Cichlids and their choices to breed" respectively. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 13, number 14, December 4, 2006].

November 2006

Chris Sullivan had a letter published in the Sacramento Bee about the current budget situation at Sac State (November 15).

Jamie Kneitel (Assistant Professor) presented the talk "Spatial ecology of vernal pool ecosystems: New insights and implications" held at the Sacramento-Shasta Chapter of the Wildlife Society Natural Resources Symposium, held at the University Union on October 25. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 13, number 11, November 6, 2006].

October 2006

Bob Metcalf was quoted in the State Hornet (October 25, 2006) about recent budget cuts.

September 2006

The SEE (Science Education Equity) Student Research Symposium was held on Friday, September 22, in Sequoia Hall. Posters were presented by Richard Aguirre, Carlos Davidson, .... A story on Shannon Datwyler (Assistant Professor) entitled "Why good plants go bad" appeared in Sac State Magazine (Fall 2006 issue). The story talks about her laboratory research on the DNA of hemp and marijuana, under very carefully controlled conditions. A story on Brittney Gandy (Biological Sciences major) appeared in the Fall 2006 issue of Sac State Magazine in the series "On the Quad: Getting to know today's students".

Ron Coleman was interviewed by KNX NewsRadio 1070 in Los Angeles about stingrays and the tragic death of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin on September 4.

August 2006

A story on Bob Metcalf and his involvement with Solar Cookers International appeared in the Sacramento Bee on August 23, 2006. Bob co-founded Solar Cookers International in 1987 and the group has distributed more than 90,000 solar cookers in Africa. The group is receiving an international award from the World Renewable Energy Congress to be presented August 25 in Florence, Italy. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 13, number 10, October 30, 2006].

Jamie Kneitel (Assistant Professor) co-authored two recently published articles:
Ostman, O., J. M. Kneitel, and J. M. Chase. 2006. Disturbance alters the effects of habitat isolation on biodiversity in aquatic microcosms. Oikos 114: 360-366 and  
Mouquet, N., T. E. Miller, T. Daufresne, and J. M. Kneitel. 2006. Consequences of varying regional heterogeneity in source-sink metacommunities. Oikos 113: 481-488.

June 2006

Samantha Hilber (recent graduate from biological sciences, now in PhD program at University of Florida) presented her Honors thesis research "Egg Size Through Consecutive Spawnings in the Convict Cichlid" at the Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes 2006 conference at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, CA on June 5. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 13, number 1, August 28, 2006].

Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) presented an oral paper "Brood Developmental Stage Affects Parental Defense by Female Convict Cichlids" at the Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes 2006 conference at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, CA on June 5. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 13, number 1, August 28, 2006].

May 2006

Sac State sent a team of two students to the recent 20th Annual CSU Student Research Competition, held May 5 and 6th, at CSU Channel Islands. Our two competitors were Elaine Manzanilla and Andro Rios.  Andro won first place in the Undergraduate Biological and Agricultural Sciences Session with his talk "The Power of the Bergman Cyclization: Design and Synthesis of Light-Activated Pro-Drugs".  This is the second time in three years that Sac State has won the Biological Sciences Undergraduate session.  The team was coached by Terry Manns (Director of Research and Sponsored Projects) and Ron Coleman, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences.  [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 33, May 15, 2006].

Ruth Ballard (Associate Professor) was quoted in USA TODAY.com on April 11 about the lack of DNA evidence in the Duke University lacrosse case. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 33, May 15, 2006].

April 2006

Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) was invited to participate in the "Dinner with a Scientist" event held in Modesto on March 21. This event allows local middle school students to meet and have dinner with scientists to encourage the students to pursue careers in science and engineering. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 28, April 10, 2006].

March 2006

Jeri Langham, Professor, has been selected as the 2005-2006 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service.Hao Nguyen, Assistant Professor, co-presented a Round Table Discussion on "Faculty and Peer Mentoring in Higher Education" at the 19th Annual International Mentoring Association conference in Chicago, March 15-18. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 26, March 27, 2006]. Shannon Datwyler, Assistant Professor, had her co-authored paper entitled "Genetic Variation in Hemp and Marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) According to Amplified Frangment Length Polymorphisms" published in the Journal of Forensic Science. It surveyed genetic differences between drug and fiber plants, and points to the potential uses of DNA-based markers for identifying and tracking marijuana seizures by drug enforcement agencies. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 25, March 20, 2006].

Breanna Wallace (supervisor Tom Peavy) and Elaine Manzanilla (supevisor Nick Ewing) competed in the CSUS Student Research conference. Both were selected for the CSUS team to represent our campus at the systemwide competition to be held May 5-6 at CSU Channel Islands.

December 2005

Samantha Hilber (undergraduate in biological sciences) was awarded the Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence from the Carmichael Water District for her outstanding record as an undergraduate and for her passion for water-related research. This was written up in the Association of California Water Agencies Newsletter, vol 33, No. 24. Scott Crosbie, former graduate student, was part of a 4-member expert panel during a Yellow-billed Magpie Workshop hosted by UC Davis. Attendees included USFWS, CDFG, Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Partners in Flight, WNV experts and magpie experts.  Aside from being part of the panel, Scott also presented a brief presentation on his thesis findings as well as some recent research he has done at magpie roosts in Sacramento.  Scott was also interviewed by the Davis Enterprise (December 18, 2005) for an article on the decimation of local magpie populations due to West Nile Virus. Scott’s work on his masteral thesis is instrumental in providing information on the severe effects of this disease on local bird populations. This is a link to the story: http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2005/12/18/news/013new1.txt

 

November 2005

Winston Lancaster (Assistant Professor) was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award from the Sacramento Valley Conservancy at a ceremony on October 6. Winston received the award for sharing his knowledge and passion about bats and leading hikes as a volunteer docent.G. Vernon Williams, a senior in the Department of Biological Sciences, was one of the Poster Award Winners for his research and poster presentation at the national Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) held in Atlanta, GA, Nov. 2-5, 2005.  His poster was entitled "The Effect of Sambucus mexicana  (Elderberry) Juice on the Growth of Common Bacterial Organisms." Dr. Susanne Lindgren, Vernon's research mentor and collaborator on the project was co-author of the poster. The initial project idea came out of a summer research experience with Dr. Lindgren through the Alliance for Minority Participation program which is funded and administrated through the Science Educational Equity program in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.  [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 15, December 5, 2005].Samantha Hilber (undergraduate in biological sciences) presented her Honors thesis research in the student competition at the annual meeting of Sigma Xi, in Seattle, Washington, November 4. Her poster paper was entitled "Egg Size Through Consecutive Spawnings in the Convict Cichlid"

Lynn Drennan (graduate student in biological sciences) has been awarded the Mark Tomasello Grant from the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association for her work on mate selection in a cichlid fish. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 15, December 5, 2005].

October 2005

A story on Jana Shober (Lab Technician) appeared in the CSUS Bulletin [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 11, October 31, 2005]. The story talks about her extensive involvement in the live-animal collection in the Department as well as her duties preparing many of the undergraduate laboratory courses.Dr. Jim Baxter (Assistant Professor) co-authored two recently published articles: Baxter, J. W. and J. Dighton. 2005. Diversity-functioning relationships in ectomycorrhizal fungal communities. J. Dighton, P. Oudemans, and J. White (eds.), The fungal community: its organization and role in the ecosystem (3rd ed.). Marcel-Dekker, New York, NY; and Baxter, J. W. and J. Dighton. 2005. Phosphorus source alters host plant response to ectomycorrhizal diversity. Mycorrhiza 15:513-523. Winston Lancaster (Assistant Professor) hosted the 2005 North American Symposium on Bat Research held at the Holiday Inn, Capitol Plaza, October 21-23 .[Sacramento Bee, October 21, 2005]. Bianka Bommarito (undergraduate in Biological Sciences, now a graduate student in Biological Sciences) presented her Honors thesis research in the student competition at the annual meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, in Tampa, Florida, July 6. Her oral paper was entitled "Choice of Spawning Temperature by Neotropical Cichlid Fishes".[CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 8, October 10, 2005]. Samantha Hilber (undergraduate in biological sciences) presented her Honors thesis research in the student competition at the annual meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, in Tampa, Florida, July 6. Her oral paper was entitled "Egg Size Through Consecutive Spawnings in the Convict Cichlid".[CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 8, October 10, 2005].

Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) presented an oral paper "Storms, Growth and Egg Size in Riverine Neotropical Cichlids" at the annual meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, in Tampa, Florida, July 6. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 8, October 10, 2005].

August 2005

A story on Jennifer Lundmark, (Associate Professor), and her Outstanding Teacher award appeared in the CSUS Bulletin [CSUS Bulletin, vol 12, number 1, August 22, 2005]. The story talks about her innovative teaching style and her passion for teaching at Sac State.

May 2005

Melissa Johnson, Biological sciences undergraduate student and McNair Scholar, was awarded the new Dean's Award for outstanding achievement in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.[CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 31, May 16, 2005]. Ameer Thompson, Biological scienes undergraduate student and McNair Scholar, was one of two NSM undergraduates selected to give speeches at convocation -- Ameer's speech was fabulous! Elaine Olinger, Biological sciences undergraduate student, presented a poster entitled "Transcriptional Regulation of Smooth Muscle Cell Differentiation by Serum Response Factor and Myocyte-specific Enhancer Factor 2b" at the West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference in Santa Clara on April 30. She was assisted throughout the project by students Alejandra Cezares and Jon-Wilburt Chuakay and faculty advisor Thomas E. Landerholm (Assistant Professor). [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 31, May 16, 2005]. DJ Eichenberger (Biological Sciences graduate student), Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) and Linda Roberts (Chemistry, Associate Professor) were awarded a $10,000 grant from the Water Forum to work on the biochemistry of salmon eggs. The project is being funded as part of the CREST, Center for Regional Environmental Science and Technology) initiative. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 31, May 16, 2005].

A story on CREST (CSUS Center for Regional Environmental Science and Technology) appeared in the CSUS Bulletin [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 28, May 2, 2005].

April 2005

Rob Grasso (Biological Sciences graduate student) shared second place in the Biological Sciences Graduate Student session at the CSU systemwide Student Research Competition held on April 29-30, 2005 at CSU Sacramento. A story on Ruth Ballard (Associate Professor) and her research and service learning entitled "Service Learning Goes Global to Test DNA" appeared on the cover page of the CSUS Bulletin [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 27, April 25, 2005]. The story talks about Dr. Ballard's field work in east Africa developing a database of DNA information to assist in forensics, as well as Dr. Ballard's experiences involving genetics students in service learning in the local Sacramento community. Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) and his team of students -- Samantha Hilber, Shelly Amrhein, Brandon Amrhein, Elif Fehm-Sullivan and Luciana Ramirez -- were featured in the Jan 8 issue of El Dia, a national newspaper of Costa Rica. The story and photos described their field work on cichlid fishes in the rivers of northeastern Costa Rica. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 27, April 25, 2005]. The American River Watershed Conference, was hosted by Sac State April 21-23. The conference included two days of technical talks on diverse issues of the American River including fish, hydrology, dam operations, public trust, etc as well as a Saturday morning session devoted to the general public. The conference was partially sponsored by CREST (CSUS Center for Regional Environmental Science and Technology) More info. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 26, April 11, 2005].Jamie Kneitel (Assistant Professor) co-authored two recently published articles:
"A critical review of twenty years' use of the resource-ratio theory" American Naturalist 165: 439-448 and "Small-scale patterns in community structure of Sarracenia purpurea inquiline communities" Community Ecology 5: 181-188. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 26, April 11, 2005].Lynn Drennan (Biological Sciences graduate student) received a $900 grant from the American Cichlid Association to conduct research on sexual selection and mate choice by cichlid fishes. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 26, April 11, 2005].

Lesley Hamamoto (Biological Sciences graduate student) received a $500 grant from the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association to study the biology of water molds that affect fish eggs. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 26, April 11, 2005].

March 2005

A story on Jamie Kneitel (Assistant Professor) appeared in the "New Faces" section of the CSUS Bulletin [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 24, March 28, 2005].Rob Grasso (Biological Sciences graduate student) received a $1700 Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve grant to facilitate his studies of Yosemite toads at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory this coming summer. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 24, March 28, 2005]. Juanita Barrena (Professor) was awarded the "Outstanding University Service" award for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics for this year.[CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 27, April 18, 2005].Jennifer Lundmark (Associate Professor) was awarded the "Outstanding Teacher" award for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics for this year. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 27, April 18, 2005].Jana Shober (Staff) was named a Staff Employee Recognition Program recipient for this quarter [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 23, March 14, 2005].A story on Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) entitled "Coleman's community service helps humans, fish" appeared in the CSUS Bulletin [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 22, March 7, 2005].Rob Grasso (Biological Sciences graduate student) shared first place in the CSUS Student Research Competition held on March 5, 2005. The other first place went to Rebecca Money (a graduate student in Geotechnical Engineering). Two other Biology students participated, namely Samantha Hilber and Bianka Bommarito. Rob, Samantha and Bianka were all selected for the CSUS team to represent our campus at the systemwide competition to be held April 29-30. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 30, May 9, 2005]. Jana Shober was named a recipient of this quarter's Staff Employee Recognition Program.

Lee Kavaljian (Emeritus Professor) was mentioned in the Capital University Journal (Spring 2005) for his 50 years of teaching in the Department of Biological Sciences.

February 2005

Samantha Hilber (Biological Sciences major) was awarded one of the three campus-wide undergraduate Faculty Merit Scholarships. The award was presented at a ceremony on February 17, 2005.

November 2004

Jamie Kneitel (Assistant Professor) gave an invited symposium talk at the Entomological Society of America 2004 Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT entitled "The effects and responses of mosquito larvae as the top predator in container food webs." He has also been selected to attend the SEEK (Science Environment for Ecology Knowledge) Career Faculty and Post Doctoral Training in "Ecoinformatics Training for Ecologists" at the University of New Mexico in January [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 14, November 22, 2004]Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) was quoted in the CSUS Bulletin and the State Hornet for his comments at the first "Town Hall" meeting, held November 10, 2004. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 13, November 15, 2004; State Hornet, November 17, 2004].

Teresa Kirkpatrick (McNair Scholar, Biological Sciences major) presented a poster at the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Colloquium at the University of California, San Francisco, Nov 5-7. Her poster was entitled "Distinguishing Male from Female convict cichlids using morphometric analysis". Teresa was one of only 25 students selected to participate in this program. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 13, November 15, 2004].

October 2004

Bill Avery was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 9, October 18, 2004]. Nick Ewing was promoted from Associate Professor to Professor. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 9, October 18, 2004].

A story on Lee Kavaljian (Professor, Emeritus) entitled "Biology professor still on the job after 50 years " appeared in the CSUS Bulletin [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 8, October 11, 2004].

September 2004

Bob Metcalf (Professor) was quoted in a Sacramento Bee article on food safety. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 4, Sept 13, 2004]. Jamie Kneitel (Assistant Professor) had a paper published entitled "Disturbance, predator, and resource interactions alter container community composition" Ecology 85:2088-2093.Ruth Ballard (Associate Professor) prepared the paternity report that helped convict Deondre Terrell Hudson of first-degree murder. His girlfriend, Quinnisha Thomas, aged 18, was shot to death execution-style in Sacramento on January 13th, 2003. DNA tests showed that she was 8-months pregnant with Hudson's child. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 5, Sept 20, 2004]. Ruth Ballard (Associate Professor) has submitted a paper to the journal Epidemiology titled: "Saliva as an excellent source of DNA for population-based studies." The work includes CSUS students as co-authors. Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) had a Letter to the Editor published in The Independent newspaper (London, United Kingdom, Sept 21) entitled "Fish as parents". The letter pointed out that parenting of offspring is well represented among fishes, not just birds and mammals as an Independent article had stated. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 13, November 15, 2004].

Lynn Drennan (graduate student) was awarded a research grant from the Guy Jordan Fund of the American Cichlid Association for her thesis work on sexual selection in cichlid fishes. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 13, November 15, 2004].

August 2004

Gregory Gambetta (graduate student) recieved a Fulbright Fellowship to work in the Dr. Joseph Dubrovsky, Departamento de Biologia Molecular de Plantas Instituto de Biotecnologia, UNAM, Morelos, Mexico.Jennifer Lundmark (Associate Professor) will be on sabbatical this Fall (2004). Susanne Lindgren (Associate Professor) will be on sabbatical this coming Spring (2005)Jim Baxter (Assistant Professor) presented an oral paper titled "Response of Pinus rigida to an experimental ectomycorrhizal diversity gradient in unsterilized soils" at the 2004 Ecological Society of America Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

Jim Baxter (Assistant Professor) attended a day long workshop titled "Innovative Teaching and Active Learning in Ecology" at the 2004 Ecological Society of America Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

July 2004

Martha Volkoff (graduate student in biological sciences) presented an oral paper "Stock Identification of Central Valley Chinook Salmon Using Otolith Microstructure" at the Third International Symposium on Fish Otolith Research and Application held in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 13, November 15, 2004].

June 2004

Nancy Angell has been officially appointed Admistrative Support to the Chair. Jim Baxter (Assistant Professor) attended the Spring 2004 Faculty Service Learning Workshop, administered by the CSUS Office of Community Collaboration.

Ameer Thompson (undergraduate in biological sciences) presented an oral paper "A test of the Misdirection Hypothesis for False Eyespots Using Parental Convict Cichlids" at the Animal Behavior Society meeting in Oaxaca, Mexico. Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) also presented an oral paper "Tunnel Nesting and Nonadhesive Eggs in a Central American Cichlid, Hypsosphrys nicaraguense" at the same conference. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 11, number 13, November 15, 2004].

May 2004

DJ Eichenberger (undergraduate in biological sciences) presented her Honor's thesis work "The effect of food portion on Egg size in convict cichlids (Archocentrus nigrofasciatus)" at the West Coast Undergraduate Biological Sciences Conference at Point Loma University in San Diego.Ameer Thompson (biological sciences undergraduate) won first place in Session 18 (Biological and Agricultural Sciences -- Undergraduate) at the CSU Student Research Competition held at CSU Northridge with his talk "A test of the Misdirection Hypothesis for False Eyespots Using Parental Convict Cichlids". There were 19 different sessions covering a broad range of academic disciplines. The CSUS team of seven students walked away with 3 firsts and a second place. Next year, the competition is being held here at CSUS!

Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) was awarded the "Outstanding Community Service" award for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics for this year.

March 2004

Nick Ewing (Professor) was quoted in the Sacramento Bee and on KXJZ on Dec. 19 on problems with biotech tomatoes and on Dec 31 in the Sacramento Bee on the effect of those problems on his research. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 24, Mar 22, 2004]. Bob Metcalf (Professor) was quoted in a December Comstock's article on solar cooker use in developing countries. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 24, Mar 22, 2004]. There is an exhibit of Jana Shober's photography in the "Women" exhibit on display in the University Union Gallery. They will be there until March 19. She has additional photos on display in the Camera Art's Gallery's exhibit entitled "Travel Photography" at 712 57th Street. The exhibit will remain until the end of March [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 23, Mar 15, 2004]. Ruth Ballard (Associate Professor) was interviewed for an article on the Human Genetics Lab that she runs in the Department of Biological Sciences. The State Hornet. March 10, 2004. Issue 71, Volume 56, No. 211.

Ameer Thompson (biological sciences undergraduate) won the CSUS Student Research Competition with his talk "A test of the Misdirection Hypothesis for False Eyespots Using Parental Convict Cichlids" held at CSUS, March 6. Ameer and other finalists will be representing CSUS at the CSU-wide Student Research Competition to be held at CSU Northridge later this spring.

January 2004

Christine Kirvan (Assistant Professor) was awarded a CSUPERB grant from the CSU Faculty-Student Collaborative Research Seed Grant Program. The title of the grant was "Identification of human neuronal antigens in Sydenham’s chorea by novel use of phage display".

Ameer Thompson (biological sciences undergraduate) presented a poster at the National 2003 Sigma Xi Research Conference Novembe 14 (2003) in Los Angeles. It was titled "A test of the Misdirection Hypothesis for False Eyespots Using Parental Convict Cichlids" and was rated "superior" by the panel of judges [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 16, January 26, 2004].

December 2003

Ruth Ballard (Associate Professor) was interviewed for the Capital Public Radio program "Insight" about her efforts to collect DNA samples in Tanzania. It aired Nov 9. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 16, December 8, 2003]. Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) had the fieldwork of his fisheries biology class featured in Folsom Life newspaper in October. The story detailed class efforts to survey fish populations of this creek during its restoration. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 16, December 8, 2003].

Brett Holland (Assistant Professor) co-authored an article "Survival of the Fittest Molecule" in the November issue of American Scientist. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 16, December 8, 2003].

November 2003

An article entitled "The art and heart of teaching" talked about Jeri Langham (Professor) and Juanita Barrena (Professor) and their dedication to teaching. The article lists recipients of the Outstanding Teacher Award, which includes Biological Sciences professors Jeri Langham (96-97), Melanie Loo (98-99) and Robert Metcalf (00-01) [Fall 2003 edition of the Capital University Journal]. Bob Metcalf's (Professor) work on using solar power to pasteurize water was described in an article by Laurie Hall in the CSUS Bulletin. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 14, November 24, 2003] as well as an article in the Capital University Journal [Fall 2003 edition].Jim Baxter (Assistant Professor) was written up in the "New Faces" section of the CSUS Bulletin. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 14, November 24, 2003].

Brett Holland (Assistant Professor) was written up in the "New Faces" section of the CSUS Bulletin. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 13, November 17, 2003].

October 2003

Ruth Ballard (Associate Professor) spent the summer directing an international service-learning research project in Tanzania. The goal of the project was to bring human DNA identification testing technology and expertise to the country for use in solving crimes and establishing paternity. Four CSUS students served as research assistants, helping collect more than 600 oral DNA samples from members of the Masaai and Meru tribes. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 10, Oct 27, 2003].

September 2003

Mike Baad (Professor) was quoted in a story in the CSUS Bulletin on the history and development of the C.M. Goethe Arboretum on campus. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 4, Sept 15, 2003]. .

There is an exhibit of Jana Shober's photography in the Java City Coffee House in the University Union. It will be there until Sept. 30. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 2, Sept 2, 2003].

August 2003

Brett Holland (Assitant Professor) was quoted in a story in the Sacramento Bee newspaper entitled "New CSUS teachers pick up pointers" by Lesli A. Maxwell [August 27, 2003].

Four new full-time faculty members joined the Department: They are Jim Baxter (plant ecology/botany), Brett Holland (population genetics), Christine Kirvan (immunology/microbiology), and Adam Rechs (neurophysiology).

July 2003

Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) presented an oral paper entitled “Tunnel Nesting and Nonadhesive Eggs in a Central American Cichlid, Hypsosphrys nicaraguense” at the 2003 Joint Meeting of
Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Manaus, Brazil [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 2, Sept 2, 2003].

Undergraduate Ameer Thompson presented a poster entitled "A Test of the Misdirection Hypothesis for False Eyespots, using Convict Cichlids" at the 2003 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Manaus, Brazil, [CSUS Bulletin, vol 10, number 2, Sept 2, 2003].

May 2003

Natural Sciences and Mathematics Commencement

Click here for photos.

Faculty update:

Several of our senior faculty have opted to join the FERP (Faculty Early Retirement Program). In the program, a faculty member continues to teach on a part time basis. Mike Baad and Jeri Langham will be full-time in the spring only. Dennis Huff is teaching a reduced load in the Fall only. Gordon Leidahl will be teaching half-time each semester. Bill Shepard is retiring at the end of the spring semester. Matina Kalcounis will be leaving CSUS for a position at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Mary Ann Reihman will be stepping down as Chair in August 2003 and Nick Ewing will become Chair as of then.

Robert Metcalf (Professor) was quoted in a story in the East Sacramento News on solar cooking [CSUS Bulletin, vol 9, number 32, May 12, 2003]. Laurel Heffernan (Professor) was awarded with the Outstanding Service Award in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics [CSUS Bulletin, vol 9, number 31, May 5, 2003].

"Deadbeats with a fishy excuse", a story on Ron Coleman's research on fish parenting appeared in the Spring 2003 edition of the Capital University Journal.

April 2003

Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) was quoted in a story in the CSU Hornet newspaper entitled "Hawks swoop down on chickens" by Christina Birdsall [April 2, 2003].

March 2003

Winston Lancaster and Ron Coleman (Assistant Professors) were quoted in a story in the CSU Hornet newspaper entitled "We ain't nothin' but mammals: Is monogamy humane?" by Hilton Collins [March 26, 2003].

February 2003

Ron Coleman (Assistant Professor) coauthored a paper titled "The maintenance of sex in parasites" in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B Biological Sciences. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 9, number 22, February 24, 2003].

December 2002

"Fish parenting", a story on Ron Coleman's cichlid research by Dierdre Fitzpatrick, appeared on KCRA (Channel 3) 5pm News, December 3.

November 2002

"Prof finds even in fish, one parent does more", a story on Ron Coleman's cichlid research, appeared in the November 25, CSUS Bulletin [CSUS Bulletin, vol 9, number 14, November 25, 2002]Ron Coleman was quoted in a November 20 article in the Folsom Telegraph about the aquatic habitat of Willow Creek. Nicholas Ewing was quoted in a July 31 Long Beach Press Telegram article about his research in genetically altered tomatoes. An article about his research also appeared in the July 31 Las Vegas Sun. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 9, number 13, November 18, 2002]

Several past and present faculty members of Biological Sciences were named Who's Who Among America's Teachers 2002. They include Paul Thomas Kantz, Jeri M. Langham and Charles R. Moser [CSUS Bulletin, vol 9, number 11, November 4, 2002]

October 2002

Susanne Lindgren and Jennifer Lundmark were both promoted to Associate Professor. [CSUS Bulletin, vol 9, number 8, October 14, 2002]

September 2002

Doug Bell (Assistant Professor) was quoted in a June 15 San Ramon Valley Times article about the progress of the once-endangered peregrine falcon [CSUS Bulletin, vol 9, number 6, September 30, 2002]

Robert Metcalf (Professor) was featured in a June 2 Sacramento Bee article about his idea to help Third World countries live healthier through solar cooking [CSUS Bulletin, vol 9, number 6, September 30, 2002]

Updated: September 22, 2008

Department of Biological Sciences, 202 Sequoia Hall, California State University, Sacramento, 6000 J. Street, Sacramento, CA 95819-6077; Tel: 916-278-6535; FAX 916-278-6993; Email: nangell@csus.edu