Biology at Trinty

Phase II of CSI is almost ready!

2012-01-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

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

2010-10-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

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

Nice going Kevin!

Biologists Featured in Trinity Magazine

2009-03-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Several biology faculty were featured in the most recent Trinity Magazine that was just released.

Jonathan King was featured on the front cover as part of a nice story on multidisciplinary activities in the sciences (No Boundaries - Science Education Expands in New Directions). Mark Brodl was also featured in text and photos.

James (Jimmy) Roberts was featured in a story about his coming to Trinity (see news release).

And finally, Kelly Lyons Biodiversity of Mexico course and her class field trip to El Cielo Bioreserve in Mexico was featured in the magazine (unfortunately there is no web link, so you will just have to get a copy to see!).

Biology Club Participates in Mitchell Lake Fall Festival

2008-11-14T04:12:00.000-08:00

Mitchell Lake Audubon Center is located on a 1200-acre natural area just outside San Antonio’s loop 410. It is an excellent spot for birding and enjoying nature, especially because of the extensive wetland habitat on the property. For the past four years the Center has put on a Fall Festival to give families an opportunity to interact with local outdoor-minded organizations and explore nature in a more interactive way.

The Biology Club had a booth at the festival where we made plaster of paris mammal tracks with kids and talked to people about the different mammals in the area. We were loaned a beautiful collection of skins and scat by Texas Parks and Wildlife so there were lots of fun things to touch and see. Kids especially liked the scat. We went through two 25 lb bags of plaster which made a lot of tracks, so the event was quite a success!

Prof. Ribble Receives Z.T. Scott Faculty Fellowship

2008-10-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Our own David Ribble received the Z. T. Scott Faculty Fellowship at the May graduation ceremony. Prof. Ribble is the second Biology faculty member to receive this award – Prof. Blystone received this award in 1991.

Official Press Release

Biology Welcomes Dr. Roberts and Dr. Rennebeck

2008-09-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

On 12 September, the Department hosted a party to welcome our newest faculty, Dr. James Roberts and Dr. Gabriela Rennebeck.

Dr. Roberts will fill the Cowles Endowed Professor position. Dr. Roberts is an internationally acclaimed neuroscientist who studies the roles of estrogens and androgens in protecting or recovering from damage in the brain due to oxidative stress. He has held positions at prestigious medical schools, including Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and most recently the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He will be teaching neurobiology class and leading the newly developed Neuroscience Major. Welcome to the Biology Department, Jimmy!

We are also please to have hired Dr. Gabriela Rennebeck in a new position, Instructor of Biology. Dr. Rennebeck received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas, and completed postdoctoral work at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and the University of Kentucky. Dr. Rennebeck will be directing and coordinating faculty and students in our introductory laboratory classes, which includes over 200 students this fall! We are delighted to have Dr. Rennebeck on board.

Professor Espey Retires

2008-09-20T10:16:00.001-07:00

After more than 40 years of service to the University, Professor Espey retired at the end of the 2007-08 academic year. Although he refused to allow us to throw him a party, we surprised him on the last day of classes with a lunch which was attended by some his favorite students from years past. Fortunately for us, Professor Espey will maintain an office for sometime, and he and Doina will be staying in central Texas.

Congratulations Larry on a long and impressive career here at Trinity. We will miss you.

(SURPRISE!)

Dennis Kelly presented Dr. Espey with a some of his publications and letters from former colleagues in a bound volume. CHEERS!

Technology vs Content

2008-09-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

My life has come to this: blogging. Why am I doing this? What could I say that has any bearing on the blogosphere?

I have seen dogs go to a door at a specified time, because they know their owner will come through that door at any time. The dog sits patiently looking at the door, head cocked, ears at the alert. Minutes pass, and pass. The door opens and the dog goes ballistic.

I have seen people sitting at Whataburger waiting for their order to be brought to the table. These people cradle their cell phone in their hands. Their head is cocked, ears at the alert. Minutes pass. They give up, the flight of the valkyries ring tone never sounds. So the impatient person text messages something. I guess the dog equivalent is to go wet on the door.

Do I podcast my lecture? Must I organize my thoughts using PowerPoint? Do students expect that I will post my lecture on Blackboard? Is there something magical about educational technology that will allow students to grasp difficult concepts better? Can I as a professor spend so much time developing and responding to the teaching technology that the content being delivered is substandard? Is the delivery package more important than what is in the box?

Don't expect any answers from me to these questions. So let's see what happens when this blog piece hits the digital whatever.

Bob Blystone

Biology Summer Research 2008

2008-07-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

Many of our students are working hard this summer in our research laboratories, funded through HHMI, NIH, NSF, and a TU - Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Grant. In addition to conducting research, students make weekly research presentations during the summer and take part in an end of the summer research conference.

Details of the students' research projects are listed below.

Conner Hickey - Tight Junction Protein Cleavage by Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Results In Tight Junction Barrier Dysfunction (Dr. King).
Bryce Bushe and Hanna Kodeih - Relationship of Fluidity and Function in the Endoplasmic Reticulum of Barley Aleurone Cells (Dr. Brodl).
Kevin Eaton - Characterization of γ-butyrolactone (GBL) Receptors in Streptomyces acidiscabies and Elevation of Angucyclinone Polyketide WS5995B Production in GBL Receptor Mutant sabS (Dr. Healy).
Ryan Luby - Effect of elevated temperature tarp treatment on germination of native grasses and Bothriochloa ischaemum (KR Blustem) (Dr. Lyons).
Kendalyn Morris - The Effect of Native and Non-native Grassland Habitat on Ant Species Composition (Dr. Lyons).
Nancy Nguyen - Competition Among Native Species and Bothriochloa ischaemum (KR Bluestem) in Texas Grasslands (Dr. Lyons).
Thomas Robinson - Fire Induced Soil Surface Temperature Elevation and Direct Flame Succeptibility among Native Grasses and Bothriochloa ischaemum (KR Bluestem): Implications for Invasive Species Management using Prescribed Fire (Dr. Lyons).
Prajit Limsirachi - Nutritional and Respiratory Physiology in Thermus thermophilus HB27 (Dr. Healy).
Colleen Hughbanks and Rachel Johansen - Effects of Hyperoxia on Epithelial Cells (Dr. King)
Brian Malpede - Cloning of a Duplicated Locus in the carotenoid Biosynthetic Pathway (Dr. Livingstone).
Amanda Benbow - Flower Color Change and Pollinator Visitation in Lupinus texensis (Texas Bluebonnet) (Dr. Lyons).
Kevin Meyer - Baseline data on the distribution of Pennisetum ciliare (Buffelgrass), an invasive C4 grass in the greater San Antonio area (Dr. Lyons).
Laney Redus and Erica Scott - The Genetic Mating System of the Round-eared Elephant-shrew of South Africa (Dr. Ribble).

Seniors Celebrated

2008-07-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

On May 16, the Department of Biology hosted a party to bid our seniors fare well and best wishes. We will miss them! Pictures from this event are shown on the slideshow posting.

Biology at Trinity

2008-07-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

This is a blog for posting of happenings in the Department of Biology at Trinity University. It is intended for students, faculty, and prospective students. If you have something to post, please contact Dr. Ribble.