Faculty and Staff Chairman's Corner
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
UCO-Biology Department Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 2, Spring 1999
Faculty and Staff Chairman's Corner
Dr. Peggy Guthrie, Research productivity remains strong. Ten faculty members
Chairperson have worked throughout the year on UCO Research grants
Dr. Riaz Ahmad totaling $50,703.00. Dr. Donna Zanowiak continues to
Dr. Troy Baird work with the Dupont/Conoco Corporate Aid to Education
Grant. Dr. Bill Caire is coordinating activities for the
Dr. John Barthell
Selman Living Lab in Western Oklahoma. He and a
Dr. David Bass committee of biology faculty are in the process of designing
Dr. James Bidlack protocol for use of the outdoor living lab/field station. Recent research
Dr. Gloria Caddell announcements include Dr. Dennis Frisby, who received a three year
Dr. William Caire $135,000 OCAST grant to continue work on regulatory and transport genes
Ms. Geneen Lannom in Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda) and Dr. Jim Bidlack, who has been
Dr. David Elmendorf awarded USDA and matching funds of $15,908 to provide farmers and
Dr. Dennis Frisby ecologists with alternatives that encourage environmentally-friendly and
Dr. Terry Harrison, sustainable agricultural systems for Oklahoma and surrounding areas.
Assistant Dean
Dr. Jenna Hellack, Jay Hua* has been awarded a Graduate Assistantship for the summer term.
Assistant Chair He will be assisting in the 1214 General Biology Labs. Several students
Dr. John Hranitz received honors and awards this semester (see related article, "Student
Grants and Awards").
Dr. Clark Ovrebo
Dr. William Radke
The National ACAT test was administered to Fall 1998 and Spring 1999
Dr. Paul Stone graduating seniors and to students entering professional schools. The
Dr. Donna Zanowiak ACAT exam is one of the instruments used to assess our biology programs.
Ms. Elaine Holt, The Department continues to utilize more of the shelled unfinished LAB
Associate area. Some classes are still being taught using folding chairs and tables. The
Ms. Glenda Lietzke, good news is that the departmental offices and common office areas have
Secretary new carpet and paint and we did not have to move the contents of a lab this
semester.
Please keep in touch (pguthrie@uco.edu)What's happening
The eight computers and server that were purchased with last years’ student technology fees are now up
and running. Dr. Bidlack and Dr. Radke spent countless hours setting up the server, computers and
software. They did an excellent job. They will continue to maintain the computers. The student and the
rest of the faculty are very grateful for their efforts.
The student technology fees for this college year are going to be used to equip LAB 200 (the new
Anatomy and Physiology lab) with multimedia capability. Four 27" color monitors will be mounted in the
room. The instructor's desk will have a camera and scan converter.
Our web pages are now being maintained on a Biology Department server. Dr. John Hranitz is our web
master. He has been constructing and reconstructing the web page. Dr. Hranitz has greatly improved our
ability to update information.
Faculty News
—Meet the faculty—
In this section we are spotlighting two of our fulltime faculty. This spring we want you to meet Dr. David
Elmendorf who joined the UCO faculty in 1992, and Dr. Paul Stone who is a more recent faculty
member, having joined in the Fall of 1995.
Dr. David Elmendorf, Associate Professor of Biology
Dr David Elmendorf joined the Biology Department as an Assistant Professor in
1992 and has since been promoted to Associate Professor and tenured. Dr.
Elmendorf continues to conduct research in environmental microbiology and
teach courses in the field of microbiology. He has several graduates students,
Chase Dighton working on biodegradation of crude oil, Jay Hua studying the
removal of heavy metals from contaminated soils with naturally-produced
surfactants, and Julie Chambers doing a literature survey on estuarine wetlands
and factors that affect biodegradation of hydrocarbons. Dr. Elmendorf also has
several undergraduate students working on projects including screening bacterial
tolerance to heavy metals, corrosion of military aircraft skin (for Dr. F.
Albahadily in Chemistry), bioremediation of crude oil, and an SEM study of dog kidney. He continues to
encourage students to gain research experience by providing opportunities in his lab. Research is an
excellent way for students to understand how science is conducted, to apply theoretical
knowledge gained in the classroom, to learn skills not taught in the classroom, and become
proficient in research. He is a member of the American Society for Microbiology and the
Society for Industrial Microbiology, is a PKAL Faculty for the 21st Century, and serves on
the executive board of the UCO Chapter of the American Association of University
Professors. He has several recent publications in Scanning, is preparing a publication for the Journal of
Soil Contamination and recently participated in several Project Kaleidoscope workshops on teaching
science. Dr. Elmendorf would encourage students to attend UCO and major in Biology because he
believes students have the opportunity to obtain a high quality education.Dr. Paul Stone, Assistant Professor of Biology
I was born in Henderson, Kentucky, a couple of weeks after John F. Kennedy was
elected president. My family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida the summer before
I went to the third grade. The first kids I met in Florida liked to keep snakes as
pets. It took about 15 minutes to get me hooked on snake hunting. After a short
time, all the kids except me got bored with snake hunting. I just found new friends
who were more serious about snake hunting. To this day, I can’t think of many
things that I’d rather do, except maybe go turtle hunting.
It took a long time for me to realize that I could get paid for snake (or turtle)
hunting. After high school, it took five years for me to enroll in college. I spent the
time working, mostly in restaurants but also a little bit of several other things. I had
a child (Megan), and hung around with her most days. I learned to play the guitar and thought I was a
rock star.
Finally, in 1981 I enrolled in Broward Community College. The first semester I took Zoology and was so
swept away that I knew I wanted to be a professor. After three and one half years of working and taking
classes I transferred to the University of Florida. I spent the next two and one half years majoring in
Wildlife Ecology. During my last year at UF, I met my future wife, Mimi Wolok. In 1987, I received a
Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Ecology. I immediately enrolled in Auburn University’s Zoology and
Wildlife Science program. I spent the next three years studying physiology and herpetology. My thesis
involved bimodal breathing in freshwater turtles. It was at Auburn that I switched affinities, from snakes
to turtles. In May of 1990, I moved with Mimi to Albuquerque, New Mexico. There I enrolled in the
Ph.D. program of the Department of Biology, University of New Mexico. I spent the next five years
travelling back and forth between Albuquerque and the Galõpagos Islands, the site of my field research
for my dissertation. My dissertation involved sexual selection in lava lizards. After returning from my
first four-month field season in Galõpagos, Mimi and I eloped in Las Vegas at the Chapel of Love. After
returning from my last four-month field season in Galõpagos, Mimi and I had a baby (Spider), who we
are still following around today.
In July of 1995 I received my Ph.D. In August of 1995, Mimi, Spider, and I moved to Edmond, and I
began working at my current position, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology. At UCO, I teach
Human Physiology, Cell Biology, General Biology, Advanced Mammalian Physiology, and Physiological
Ecology. My research interests are diverse, but mostly centered around turtles and lizards. Besides
continuing to wade through four years of field data from the Galõpagos, I have initiated three major
projects involving turtles. The oldest of these projects (began in 1994) involves the ecology and
physiology of Sonoran mud turtles in extreme southwestern New Mexico. This year we have a UCO
student, Paige Hill, and an OSU graduate student, Day Ligon, camping for the summer at this study site,
studying beetles and turtles, respectively. Another project involves the community ecology
of freshwater turtles in farm ponds in central Oklahoma. Though we have trapped turtles in
a number of ponds in the Edmond area, our work has focused on a pond on the property of
two former UCO graduate students, Gloria and Ron Hoggard. Since 1996, we have made
several thousand captures of nearly 1000 individual turtles in this pond. Finally, since
August 1995, I have been collecting box turtles that I pick up from roads in the Edmond Area. Living
turtles are marked, measured, and released at the site of capture; to date, about 300 turtles have been so
processed. Dead turtles are skeletonized and used for research as well.Faculty publications
• Barthell, John F., Daniel M. Bromberger, Howell V. Daly, and Robbin W. Thorp.
1999. Nesting biology of the solitary digger bee Habropoda depressa (Hymenoptera:
Anthophoridae) in urban and island environments. Journal of the Kansas
Entomological Society 71: 116-136.
• Rand, J.B., J.S. Duerr, and D.L. Frisby. 1998. Using Caenorhabditis elegans to study vesicular
transport. Methods in Enzymology 296: 529-547.
• Duerr, J.S., D.L. Frisby, J. Gaskin, A. Duke, K. Asermely, D. Huddleston, L. Eiden, and J.B.
Rand. 1999. The cat-1 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans encodes a
vesicular monoamine transporter required for specific monoamine-
dependent behavior. The Journal of Neuro-science 19: 72-84.
Faculty presentations
• Barthell, J.F. R. W. Thorp, A. M. Wenner, and J. M. Randall. Yellow star-thistle, gumplant, and
feral honey bees on Santa Cruz Island: A case of invaders assisting invaders. Presented at the
Fifth California Islands Symposium, March 1999.
• Frisby, D.L., K.M. Lickteig, J. Duerr, J. McManus, D.M. Miller, and J. B. Rand. 1998.
Regulation of cholinergic expression in specific motor neurons of C. elegans through an OLF-
1/EBF type binding site. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 24: 1338.
• Thorp, R.W., A.M. Wenner, and J.F. Barthell. Pollen and nectar resource overlap among bees on
Santa Cruz Island. Presented at the Fifth California Islands Symposium, March 1999.
• Wenner, A.M., R.W. Thorp, and J.F. Barthell. Removal of European honey bees from the Santa
Cruz Island ecosystem. Presented at the Fifth California Islands Symposium, March 1999.
• Hranitz, J. M. The breeding biology of American toads, Bufo americanus, in Oklahoma.
Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in
Denver CO, January 1999.
•
Professional society activity:
• Dr. James Bidlack is the President-Elect of AAUP. Congratulations. He will be the President for
the 1999-2000 academic year.
• Dr. Peggy Guthrie is President-Elect of OSCLE (Oklahoma Society of Clinical Lab Educators).• Dr. John Hranitz became a member of the Education Council of SICB (Society for Integrative
and Comparative Biology) in January and attended a workshop on inquiry-based methods of
teaching.
Other faculty activities
Summer Science Things.
College of Mathematics and Science faculty have volunteered to teach several summer enrichment
courses.
Biology faculty participating were:
Dr. Gloria Caddell and Dr. Terry Harrison who taught "roadside Wildflowers" June
10 and June 15 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Dr William Radke a morning course "Beginning Bird Watching" which met Monday
and Tuesday morning June 14 and 15, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
The Physics Department taught "Yo-Yo Mania", "Astronomy Observation" and "The Oklahoma Weather
Adventure". Funeral Service "Coping Skills in Dealing with Loss", Nursing Department "Advances in
Treatment of Heart Disease" while the Chemistry Department taught "Simple Black and White Photo
Developing and Printing" and "DNA Technology—Changing Our World". We hope to increase the
number of these fun summer courses next year.
Retired and former faculty activities
Dr. Virginia Harden, a former student ( BA in Ed 1941) and faculty member (1947-49, 1957-65, and
1968-1974) sent us, with some arm twisting by Dr. Guthrie, a summary of her activities since leaving
UCO in 1997. Dr. Harden resigned in 1974 to go to Thailand as a Baha’i pioneer. She worked two years
as a ‘Biological Specialist" for Srinakarinwirot Univ., Bangsaen, Thailand. The University is now Burapa
(eastern University). She then taught English at Silpakorn University (Artist’s University) branch in
Nakon Pathom for six years. Then Dr. Harden returned to the USA and taught Chemistry at McGuinness
High School, OKC from 1983 until 1990. Then it was back to Thailand where she taught English part
time and edited English articles for Professor Khanjanapat Lewmonamont, Fisheries Faculty, Kasetsart
University in Bangkok. She is also co-author with Professor Lewmanomont and Hisao Ogawa (of Japan)
on a book entitled Common Seaweeds and Seagrasses of Thailand (1995). Dr. Harden has now returned
to the United States and lives in Saint Paul, Kansas. She is no longer teaching, but is doing
various volunteer activities such as extend hours at local library, help tutor students after
school, work as a volunteer at the local museum and serves as a volunteer instructor for
AARP’s 55-Alive Mature Driving Course.
Student ActivitiesPre-med / Health Profession Club
The Pre-med./ Health profession club had a successful year. Led by President Laura (Clark)
Thompson*, Vice President Julie Kitchen*, Secretary Terry Moslander*, and Treasure Amy
Gray* the club had regularly scheduled meeting on the first and third Tuesday of each month. There were
a variety of speakers representing such areas as Optometry, Endocrinology, and Podiatric medicine.
Representatives from OU’s Medical School, Dental School, and PA School well as did OSU’s
Osteopathic Medical School made presentations to the club. Dr. Donald Capra, President and Director of
the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation also visited the club and presented information on research
opportunities at OMRF. Club members Wes Dickson* and Terry Moslander* offered a CPR course. This
certified students and helped raise some funds for the year. Eight students were certified in CPR. The club
honored Dr. Guthrie and Glenda Lietzke at UCO’s Hanging of the Greens Event. We also sponsored
three children at the Presidents Club Christmas Party for underprivileged children. As the club has done
in the past, we hosted a Health Careers Opportunity Fair. Representatives from various medical
institutions set up exhibits and visited with UCO students. Julie Kitchen* (Vice President) is commended
for an extremely successful Fair this year. The Club also participated in UCO’s Earth Day Celebration by
having a bake sale. Club members volunteered both at Christmas and in April at the Open Arms
Deaconess Clinic of OKC. The club had a total of 85 members this year. The new officers for school year
1999-2000 are: Julie Kitchen* (President), Terry Moslander* (Vice-President), Brent Hinkle*
(Treasurer), and Jeremy Gray*(Secretary).
Students Accepted into professional programs for the summer and/or fall semester 1999
Oklahoma State University College University of Oklahoma College of Medicine- OKC
of Osteopathic Medicine, Tulsa
Oklahoma. Kelli Luton, Robert Todd, James Mitchell, Erika Ward,
Randy Herrin, Jennifer Norman, Robert Barclay, Joseph
Kelli Luton, Randy Herrin, Kathy Woolley, Warren Tyon, Lonnell Smith, and Cathy
Morris, Caroline Merritt, Buddy Crittenden-Byers.
Barrett and Dennis McFadden.
University of Oklahoma Physician Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Associate Program
Martin Amoah
Bobby Bosse, Candace Miller,
Srividhya Muralidharan (Vidia),
Brett Horst, Edmund Abate, and
Susan LaVictoire
Georgetown University College of Summer Internship at St. Anthony Hospital, OKC
Medicine-Washington D.C.
Julie Kitchen and Jennifer Hulsey
Martin Amoah
Ohio College of Podiatric Physician Associate Program, Bayley Seton Hospital,
Staten Island, NY.Medicine, Cleveland, OH
Julye Herndon
Angela McGriff and Paul Alexis
University of Kansas Medical Kansas State University, University of Oklahoma,
Center, Cytotechnology Program Oklahoma State University, Rice University-Houstan,
TX, and Texas A&M- College Station, TX have
Natalie Thavisackd accepted into their Chemistry Ph.D Programs.
Rebecca Sanders
Oklahoma Center of Neuroscience University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry- OKC
Summer Scholarship, OUHSC
Parul Dua, Todd Gentling, Peter Wert, Rodney Maryam
Maria Shue Nostati, and Zach McNickle
Medical Tech Clinical Year St. OU health Science Center College of Public Health
Francis Hospital, Tulsa Environmental & Occupational Health Program
Daochi Minn Hoang Mark Madewell
Ferris State College School of University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy
Optometry, Big Rapids , Michigan.
Jennifer Taylor, Jennifer Burkhart, Michael Baker and
Kim Du
John Bearden
College of Podiatric Medicine and University of Georgia- Graduate Program in Genetics
Surgery, Des Moines, IA
Lori Bennett
Angela McGriff
Ross University School of University of Oklahoma Summer Undergraduate
Medicine, Dominica, West Indies Research program
Paul Alexis and Devin McDonald Rose Swope
OSU College of Veterinary OU Health Science Center, Occupational Therapy
Medicine Program
Katrina Hyam Alis Emmons
Student publications
Chandra, B.C. Sathees, L. Geetha, V.A. Abraham, P. Karanth, Kenaz Thomas*, M.V.
Srinivasan, and R. Gadagkar. 1998. Uniform discrimination of pattern orientation by
honeybees. Animal Behaviour: 56: 8 pp.Student grants and awards
• *Amy Estep has received the following grants/awards:
Graduate Student award from the Office of Sponsored (Faculty)
Research for starch gel electrophoresis of cricket frogs, $500.
Geographic variation in the cricket frog with Dr. John M.
Hranitz. $700 awarded on 15 Jan 1999 by the National
Committee on grants-in-aid of Research of Sigma Xi.
Geographic variation in the cricket frog with Dr. John M. Hranitz.
$100 awarded on 1 Dec 1998 by the Local Committee on grants-in-aid of
Research of Sigma Xi.
*Paige Hill received a $250.00 UCO undergraduate student research award for her project
"Vagility of Freshwater Diving Beetles".
• *Corey Riley has received a $2,500.00 internship from the USDA. Corey is working with Dr.
James Bidlack on his USDA research grant entitled "Use of Natural Resources in an
Ecologically and Economically Sound System.
• * Dusti Timanus received a $500.00 UCO graduate student research award for her
project "Phenotypic Correlation of Male Mating Success in the Collared Lizard".
* Present UCO students
Alumni News
Brixey, David (BS 1998) and Jennie (Smart) Brixey (BS 1998) were
married on the beach in Texas on December 19, 1998. David is now a 7th
Grade Science Teacher in Galveston Texas, Jennie is an Educational
Specialist- Biologist at Moody Gardens. Jennie has received a
scholarship and has enrolled in the Environmental Science Master's
Program at the University of Houston.
Charboneau, Semira Rahimi (BS 1995) will be graduating from
Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine this May.
She and husband John (BS 1994) and (OSUCOM 1998) will be moving
to Columbus Ohio where John was accepted into the Orthopedic
Program and she will be in the Internal Medicine Program.Dixon, Alaina M. (BS 1996) is working for Pharmaceutical Research Associate, Inc. Alaina is currently working on an asthma study comparing inhalation powder to an oral medication. She has study sites in both New York and Washington, D.C. and seems to really be enjoying her job. Elmer, Aaron (MS 1997) has passed his departmental preliminary exams for his doctoral degree in Plant Physiology at Washington State University. He has been received a $9,000 three month summer internship with the Dupont Agricultural Research Station in Delaware. In the Fall he will continue his research appointment in the Plant Physiology graduate program at Washington State University. Harden, Dr. Virginia (BA Ed 1941) A UCO graduate and former professor now lives in Saint Paul Kansas. See Retired and former faculty above for more information. Hulet, Christina (MS 1994) is working as a lab manager and Research Assistant for the Department of Internal Medicine at University of Texas Southwest in Dallas. Meek, Casey (MS 1997) is working on her Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas, presented a paper entitled "Drought Tolerance and Foliar Sprays of Glycine Betaine" in January 1999 at the Beltwide Cotton Conference in Orlando, Florida. She won 3rd place in the graduate student competition for her presentation. Miller, David (BS 1992) David has been working with college students in Washington, helping them to form solid integrated world-views that integrate their personal beliefs with their course of study, particularly in the sciences. He is now applying to graduate schools in marine biology. O'Brien, Sheena (BS Forensic Science 1995) and her husband Richard McAroy , Jr. will be moving to New Hampshire after school is out. Sheena will be working for the New Hampshire State Police in Concord. Her principal assignment will be in fingerprinting and Ballistics. Richard will graduate from OSU college of Veterinary Medicine in May and he has accepted a veterinary position with Court Street Vet Hospital in Keene, New Hampshire. Olson, Paul (MS 1993) who is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oklahoma in Botany and Microbiology, received the George Lynn Cross
Scholarship and First Place in the Student Research Poster Competition.
Paul has presented papers at: The 5th International Petroleum
Environmental Conference, Albuquerque, NM; 3rd Annual International
Conference of Phytoremediation, Houston, TX; and the 215th American
Chemical Society National Meeting, Dallas, TX. Paul also has a new
article.:
Olson, P. E. and J. S. Fletcher. 1999. Field evaluation of
mulberry root structure with regard to phytoremediation.
Bioremediation Journal 3(1): 27-33.
Price (Oliver), Linaye (BS 1998) Linaye is currently an emergency
room nurse. She is working in the emergency room in Ft. Campbell,
Kentucky. In July, 2000, Linaye will accompany her husband Dave and
daughter, Nikita to Thessalonikki, Greece.
Peoples, John (BS 1991) has accepted a position as a Senior Research
Technician with the Department of Neurology at Emory University. He
will be testing treatments to alleviate uncontrolled tremors associated
with Parkinson’s disease.
Tyrrell, Mickey (BS 1997) is working hard and enjoying his classes at
St. George’s University in Grenada. Dr. Guthrie attended a Pre-med.
Advisor’s Conference at St. George in February and visited with
Mickey.
Van Eck, Eric (BS 1993) Eric is working with the Missouri Department
of Natural Resources in the Public Drinking Water Program. Eric lives
just outside of Macom MO and is enjoying the wildlife that visits his
property.
Wilson, Marc (BS 1993) Is doing an OBGYN residency at the
University Hospital in Oklahoma City.
York, Brian (BS 1994) Brian jointed the peace Corp right after
graduation and was based in Africa until July 1996, he now works for
MCI world COM in Oklahoma.You can also read
