Achievements
Publications and achievements submitted by our faculty, staff, and students.
Faculty Alexander Bippus, Mihai Tomescu (with I.H. Escapa) Biological Sciences
Peer-reviewed article in American Journal of Botany: "Wanted dead or alive (probably dead): Stem group Polytrichaceae"
Submitted: October 22, 2018
Faculty Mihai Tomescu Biological Sciences
Organized a colloquium at the national meeting of the Botanical Society of America in Rochester, Minnesota: "Fossil plants at the intersection of evo-devo and phylogeny: celebrating the contributions of Gar W. Rothwell to biodiversity and evolution"
Submitted: October 17, 2018
Student Kelly Pfeiler, Shayda Abidi Biological Sciences
Received travel awards from the Botanical Society of America to attend and present research at the 10th European Paleobotany-Palynology Conference in Dublin (Ireland), Aug 2018
Submitted: October 17, 2018
Faculty Mihai Tomescu Biological Sciences
Dr. Tomescu Co-edited a special issue of American Journal of Botany: "Tree of Death: The Role of Fossils in Resolving the Overall Pattern of Plant Phylogeny" (with G.W. Rothwell and I.H. Escapa). You can see the full article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15372197/2018/105/8
Submitted: October 17, 2018
Faculty Karen Kiemnec-Tyburczy Biological Sciences
Karen Kiemnec-Tyburczy (Lecturer, Biological Sciences) and co-authors recently published a peer-reviewed article entitled "Genetic variation and selection of MHC class I loci differ in two congeneric frogs" in the journal Genetica.
This article is "in press" and available online at: https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10709-018-0016-0
Submitted: February 28, 2018
Student Kezia Rasmussen and Kamila Larripa Biological Sciences
Kezia Rasmussen received a Siering/Wilson Research Endowment award to conduct exploratory data analysis on her own microbiome. She will use contemporary data science techniques in this analysis. Her faculty mentor is Kamila Larripa (Mathematics).
Submitted: February 19, 2018
Student Mason London Biological Sciences
Biology graduate student Mason London presented his research at the California Chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science meeting in Davis, CA on Oct 25, 2017. The title of his talk was "A comparison of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in perennial and intermittent headwater streams of the Mattole River in northern California, USA."
Submitted: October 30, 2017
Faculty Jianmin Zhong Biological Sciences
Biological Sciences Professor Jianmin Zhong has published a manuscript on the journal of "Ticks and tick-borne diseases." Although the status of the manuscript is still in press, the online copy has been published.
The article is now published online at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.08.001
Submitted: September 11, 2017
Faculty Amy Sprowles and Kerri J. Malloy Biological Sciences
Amy Sprowles (Biology) and Kerri J. Malloy (Native American Studies) presented their paper “Klamath Connections: creating cultural awareness through interdisciplinary study and community partnerships in the next generation of STEM professionals” at the Critical Histories and Activist Futures: Science, Medicine, and Racial Violence conference (February 24-25, 2017) at the Program in History of Science and Medicine at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The conference focused on issues of science and racial violence as objects of historical study, and considered the lingering inequalities and injustices within history as a discipline.
Submitted: February 21, 2017
Faculty Joe Szewczak Biological Sciences
Dr. Joe Szewczak, Biological Sciences Dept., was recently featured in the October issue of the California Educator Magazine http://educator.cta.org/i/587184-october-2015/23 The article discusses the "Real Bat Man", as Dr. Szewczak teaches, among other courses, Biology of Chiroptera, which is the study of bats. Dr. Szewczak has studied many bat species, looking at migration patterns, social communication, endangered species, and how to reduce fatalities caused by energy-producing wind turbines. He and his colleagues recently completed a two-year trial that provided high-intensity ultrasound emitted from turbines can steer bats away from death.
Submitted: November 10, 2015
Faculty Brian Tissot Biological Sciences
Brian Tissot was an invited speaker at a conference sponsored by the European Association of Surfing Doctors; a group of surfers that are also medical doctors and health practitioners. Held near Biarittz in the beautiful Basque region of southern France he was tasked with the question: Why Should Surfers Care about Ocean Conservation?
Submitted: October 28, 2015
Faculty Kathryn Hedges, Bruce O'Gara, Wayne Knight Biological Sciences Alumni Kathryn Hedges started her own business which focuses on laser-cutting jewelry, holiday decor, and souvenirs. She is using skills from Wayne Knight's graphic design classes and credits her thesis advisor, Bruce O'Gara, with instilling an entrepreneurial mindset. She is currently crowdfunding a Kiva Zip loan to get a studio, hire staff, and manage inventory. You can join her community of supporters at https://zip.kiva.org/loans/15574/i/qs5 or purchase her items at www.splendidcolors.com.
Submitted: July 28, 2015
Student Carsten Charlesworth and Kyle Herout Biological Sciences
Two HSU students recently won first place in their category at the 40th Annual West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Carsten Charlesworth and Kyle Herout took first in the Cell Biology category for their presentation on the Paternal Effect Genes of C. Elegans. Their adviser on the project was Biological Sciences Professor Jakob Varkey.
Submitted: May 29, 2015
Student Sara Downey Biological Sciences
Last week a CSU team made public comments in support of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Bridges program. Former HSU Biology Major/CIRM Bridges Scholar, Sara Downey’s presence at last week’s meeting was electric because most everyone in the room knew she’s on a team developing an embryonic stem cell-derived product as a treatment for type 1 diabetes. After four years on the job, Sara has transformed from a fresh biological sciences graduate with academic research experience into a biotech professional comfortable talking about Six Sigma, cGMPs, regulatory affairs, biotech business cycles, & process engineering. The CIRM board has extended the program for one year.
Submitted: November 3, 2014
Faculty Jianmin Zhong, Andre H. Kurlovs, Jinze Li and Du Cheng Biological Sciences
Biological sciences faculty member Jianmin Zhong and students recently published a paper in the scientific journal PLOS ONE examining Rickettsia, antibiotics and ticks. Andre H. Kurlovs, Jinze Li and Du Cheng were co-authors. The paper is titled "Ixodes pacificus Ticks Maintain Embryogenesis and Egg Hatching after Antibiotic Treatment of Rickettsia Endosymbiont."
Submitted: August 26, 2014
Faculty Bruce O'Gara Biological Sciences
Bruce A. O'Gara, Professor of Zoology and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, was recently profiled in the Member Spotlight section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) website. Read the full text here: "http://membercentral.aaas.org/blogs/member-spotlight/bruce-o-gara-teach…":http://membercentral.aaas.org/blogs/member-spotlight/bruce-o-gara-teach….
The AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the prestigious scientific journal, Science. The profile entitled "Bruce O’Gara teaches his students how to find an answer" details how Prof. O'Gara works with students in his research laboratory to provide practical training to help them advance in their scientific careers. Featured in the profile is the research of senior Cellular and Molecular Biology major Araik Sinanyan on the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and its effects on the regeneration of lost body parts of an annelid worm. Also featured in the profile are quotes from HSU graduate Michael Smeaton, who attributes his experiences in O'Gara's laboratory as being an important factor in giving him the confidence to earn a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins and perform postdoctoral work at Cal-Tech and Stanford.
Submitted: May 9, 2014
Student Reggie Blackwell Biological Sciences
Reggie Blackwell ('14) has landed an NSF Graduate Fellowship to pursue a PhD at Scripps Institute beginning in fall 2014. His project is titled "Invasions within Humboldt Bay California by cryptic species of bryozoans (watersipora spp.) spatial and temporal dominance by three clades."
Submitted: May 7, 2014
Student Cheryl Bondi, Dr. Sharyn Marks Biological Sciences
Cheryl Bondi, former HSU Biology grad student (Advisor, Dr. Sharyn Marks, HSU Zoology) just won the Best Student Paper recently won an award for her thesis research in the 2013 volume of Copeia. The paper is titled "Differences in flow regime influence the seasonal migrations, body size, and body condition of Western Pond Turtles (Actinemys marmorata) that inhabit perennial and intermittent riverine sites in northern California." Copeia 2013:142-153.
Submitted: April 9, 2014
Alumni Nathalia Holt Biological Sciences
Nathalia Holt ('02, Biological Sciences) has written a book that tells the personal stories of two men whose HIV infections were cured in distinct yet essentially related ways, revealing the imminent promise of a cure for HIV. "Cured: How the Berlin Patients Defeated HIV and Forever Changed Medical Science," is forthcoming from Penguin in February. Holt is an award-winning research scientist specializing in HIV biology. Her research has led to major developments in the HIV gene therapy field. After receiving a Bachelor's degree from HSU, she trained at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard University, the University of Southern California and Tulane University. She lives with her husband and their daughter in Boston, Massachusetts.
Submitted: January 16, 2014
Student Georgia Kaufman Biological Sciences
Georgia Kaufman, a Cellular & Molecular Biology major (adviser Professor Jacob Varkey) has been awarded the 2013 Jack and Maureen Yarnall Scholarship for a Student Athlete majoring in the Biological Sciences. Georgia is a junior and a member of the HSU Crew Team.
Submitted: November 20, 2013