Phase II of CSI is almost ready!

Please check out the construction pictures on this blog. Phase II is almost ready and it is spectacular! Say tuned for more news.

Biology Club at Mitchel Lake OCT 2010

A fun morning at the Audubon society's Mitchell Lake, just south of San Antonio. Many student members from Trinity's biology club, as well as a handful of Biology faculty, were there to help with public outreach--this year we taught kids (and parents!) about insect diversity and morphology. Our activity was a hit: kids built creative and multicolored insects with different colors for the head, abdomen and thorax. And of course, all paper insects had 6 legs! This is an annual event, so look for us there again next year.

Welcome New Faculty (2009-2010)

The Biology Department would like to welcome three dynamic new faculty to Trinity. I realize this should have been posted last year (that's when the pictures were taken). Regardless - it is special honor to welcome the following three faculty to our department.














Dr. Michele Johnson is studying lizard behavioral evolution. She teaches in our Integrative Biology I sequence and developed an upper level Evolution course. Her research group is vigorously working in the field and laboratory addressing interesting questions with lizards using both behavioral and physiological approaches. Please check out her website for the latest news!

http://www.trinity.edu/mjohnso9/














Dr. Troy Murphy is studying behavioral ecology with an emphasis on bird communication. He has developed a course in Animal Behavior and teaches in the Integrative Biology II course. His research group is actively pursuing both bird and fish research projects. Please check out his website for the latest news!

http://www.trinity.edu/tmurphy/trinity/homepage.html













Dr. Renee Chosed (Trinity Alum) joins us as a Visiting Assistant Professor after recently doing postdoctoral studies at MD Anderson. She has been teaching Genetics and Cell Biology. Students enjoyed examining protein localization in Cell Biology Lab.

Construction Has Begun!

On June 8, we said goodbye to our spaces west and south of Cowles Life Science (CLS) Building, as construction on the new integrated Science and Engineering Complex began. This first phase will be completed in ~18 months and will house teaching and research laboratories for Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Neuroscience. Subsequent phases will include renovations of the existing CLS, and the tear-down and rebuild of Moody. The final product will be an integrated science and engineering facility that will promote interdisciplinarity across the sciences, welcome non-science majors to engage in science, and provide attractive student spaces for study. Faculty have worked closely with architects from the firm of EYP to design these new spaces.

More information and updates on this exciting project can be found on the Trinity web site.

Biology Summer Research 2010

The research taking place in the Biology Department is extremely varied and takes place in the labs of Cowles Life Science, to the fields of the Texas Hill County, and all the way to Canada. The living systems explored are equally as varied: bacteria, cultured cells, lizards, chili peppers, dry weather grasses, goldfinches, and elephant-shrews. The topics involve how cells hold themselves together, animal behavior, how cells change their shape and function, mathematical analysis of genetic information, how grazing affects grasses, bird sex, where mammals are, how various chemicals affect nerve cell growth and behavior, and how different light can optimize plant growth. Biology students and faculty are even more busy adding to biological knowledge than the contractors who are outside Cowles Life Science adding to the building.

Biology Club Visits 20 Million Bats

The Biology Club visited Bracken Bat Cave, owned and managed by Bat Conservation International (BCI), to witness the emergence of 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats. This is truly one of the natural wonders of the world! Thanks go to our own David DeLuna, Trinity Safety and Security officer, for arranging our trip through BCI and the Bexar Grotto Society. Fran Hutchins, of BCI, provided an informative tour on the Mexican Free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis), as well as information on the restoration efforts of BCI.

Kevin Livingstone Awarded Tenure

The Biology Department was delighted that Kevin Livingstone recently received news that he was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor.

Nice going Kevin!