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This newsletter will highlight initiatives and activities in the Department of Biological Sciences. With 32 faculty distributed at three sites (Boca Raton, Davie, and Jupiter), we play a large role in the development of FAU's life sciences. Our faculty focus on three main research areas: environmental science, neuroscience, and marine science. In 2018, we published 91 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The Biological Sciences Department has strong collaborations with local research institutions. We plan to cover various areas and geographic units as the stories emerge.
Dr. Sarah L. Milton, Interim Chair
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New Faculty Join the Department of Biological Sciences
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Dr. Carl Hansen
joins the department from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. His current research focuses on understanding G-protein mediated signaling inputs regulating angiogenesis, a collaborative effort with the laboratory of Dr. Janet Robishaw. Read more
here
.
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Dr. Jennifer Krill
was recently hired as an instructor and is an alumna of the Integrative Biology PhD program. She worked in the laboratory of
Dr. Ken Dawson-Scully
where she studied neuro-protective mechanisms in the fruit fly,
Drosophila melanogaster
.
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Troubled Waters: A Turtle's Tale
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A new production from WLRN,
Troubled Waters: A Turtle's Tale
explores the impact of human behavior on our environment-as seen through the lens of one of South Florida's most beloved and fragile underwater creatures-the sea turtle. This production was conceived when
Dr. Jeanette Wyneken's
research about the declining male sea turtle population was published in a Sun Sentinel article last January. The broadcast premiere is Monday, October 3rd at 9pm on WLRN-TV. Read more
here.
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National Merit Scholars Talk About Their Research at FAU
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FAU has welcomed a number of National Merit Scholars, many of which work in laboratories across its campuses and at affiliated research institutions such as the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and the Scripps Research Institute-Florida. This fall a record 35 National Merit Scholars are enrolled and 11 of those finalists will join the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College at FAU's John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter. Read more
here.
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FAU Marine Lab at Gumbo Limbo Helps Turtle Conservation
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Dr. Jeanette Wyneken
and the FAU Marine Laboratory at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center were recently featured in the Miami Herald article discussing how climate change negatively affects the sea turtle gender ratio. Wyneken’s research over the past 20 years shows that the number of males is decreasing across the three species she monitors, even as they lay eggs at different times during the March-October nesting season. Using the past decade as a reference, she said that seven out of the 10 years produced 100 percent female hatchlings. The three years in which nests produced males, their numbers ranged from just 10 to 20 percent. Read more
here.
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Shark Researchers Featured on
National Geographic
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Many FAU Biology Researchers are featured in interviews and make appearances on local and national programming networks. This summer
Dr. Stephen Kajiura
, Professor of Biology, and
Dr. Matt Ajemian
, Assistant Research Professor at HBOI and Biology graduate programs faculty member, were featured on season 5 of the National Geographic television show "When Sharks Attack" in an episode titled, The Shark Bite State.
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Growing Up Scientist: Jane Goodall and Kate Detwiler
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Two prominent female primatologists – Jane Goodall, Ph.D., and FAU’s
Kate Detwiler
, Ph.D. (
Associate Professor and Biology graduate faculty member)
– tell similar stories of investigating the natural world as young girls with encouragement from supportive parents.
The two have worked in the forests of Gombe National Park, Tanzania, Africa, living among chimpanzees and conducted groundbreaking studies. For example, Goodall discovering that chimpanzees use tools; and Detwiler uncovering two distinct species of monkeys producing hybrid offspring.
Read more
here
.
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Dr. Sarah Milton
, Professor and Interim Chair of Biological Sciences, and her graduate student
Heather Seaman
, Marine Science Master's student, were featured four times on different broadcasts over German Public Radio. In the interview, they discussed the hazards facing hatchling sea turtles on the beach and as a result of climate change.
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Roberto Hernandez
, IBNS PhD student, and fellow lab mate
Rubens Tavora
recently visited Brown University to learn gene-editing techniques from leaders in the field. Hernandez and Tavora both work in the laboratory of
Dr. Greg Macleod
, Associate Professor. Read more
here
.
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Omar Avila
, a junior at the Wilkes Honors College, participated in the John Nambu Memorial Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program this past summer. He worked in the laboratory of
Dr. Laura Vernon
on a project that examined the relationship between ethnicity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Avila describes the REU program as a “great opportunity to focus entirely on the development of research skills” and credits the program for improving his skills in literature review, data manipulation, presentation, and peer communication. He intends to go to medical school after graduation. "The most important thing I learned from the REU is that peers play a very important role in the development of ideas and feedback is essential for growth” said Avila.
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Frontiers for Young Minds
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Frontiers for Young Minds
recently published the article "What Can a Blind Fish Teach Us About Sleep?" written by
Alexandra Paz
, a second-year IBNS PhD student who works in the laboratory of
Dr. Alex Keene
. Read more
here
.
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Daniel Alempijevic
, IB PhD student who works in the lab of
Dr. Kate Detwiler
, had his research featured in
Mongabay
, a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform. Read more
here
.
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Meet the Jupiter Biology Office Staff
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Silvana Jaramillo
, Budget Coordinator for the Jupiter Life Science Initiative. Please contact Silvana if you have questions about contracts, grants or budget support on the Jupiter campus.
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Marjorie Cazeau
, Program Assistant for Biological Sciences and the Jupiter Life Science Initiative. Please contact Marjorie if you need secretarial or general support on the Jupiter campus.
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The Biological Sciences Department staff is here to serve students, both majors and non-majors, across several colleges and campuses at FAU. We are always happy to assist as well as answer questions that you may have. For general information about the Biological Sciences Department on the Jupiter campus contact Marjorie at 561-799-8060 or mcazeau@fau.edu.
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To feature exciting news and accomplishments in this newsletter,
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