BioNews

BioNews is the Department of Biology's bi-annual newsletter featuring profiles and articles on Biology's people and programs.  View past and current issues below.

New!  Spring 2013 BioNews

Fall 2012 BioNews       Spring 2012 BioNews

Fall 2011 BioNews       Spring 2011 BioNews

Fall 2010 BioNews       Spring 2010 BioNews

Fall 2009 BioNews       Spring 2009 BioNews         

Fall 2008 BioNews       Spring 2008 BioNews        

Fall 2007 BioNews        Spring 2007 BioNews     Fall 2006 BioNews 

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 Bio Bulletin

May 21, 2013

To subscribe to the Bio Bulletin (sent Tuesdays) or send announcements (submission deadline:  Monday, 5:00 p.m.):  email silver@sfsu.edu

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY NEWS 

Undergraduate Cell and Molecular Biology major Angel Ku co-founded PreHealth Dreamers, a national outreach network that seeks to support undocumented immigrant students pursuing careers in STEM fields and medicine.  To learn more, visit:  http://www.phdreamers.org/about-us/our-team/  Congratulations Angel!

Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn's Great Sunflower Project was listed as an opportunity for citizen scientists to collaborate with scientists in a Yakima Herald article "On Gardening:  Citizen Scientists Key to Gathering Important Data."  To read the article, visit:  http://www.yakimaherald.com/valleylife/homeandgarden/latesthomeandgarden/1117488-8/on-gardening-citizen-scientists-key-to-gathering-important  Congratulations Dr. LeBuhn!

Undergraduate Cell and Molecular Biology major Christopher Lee was featured in a San Ramon Patch article "San Ramon Veteran Excels at SF State, Sets Sights on Medical School."  To read the article, visit:  http://sanramon.patch.com/announcements/san-ramon-veteran-excels-at-sf-state-sets-sights-on-medical-school  Congratulations Christopher!

Dr. Kimberly Tanner and SEPAL are the focus of a Golden Gate Xpress article "SEPAL Discovers Most Effective Study Habits."  To read the article, visit:  www.goldengatexpress.org/2013/05/15/sepal-cramming-students/  Congratulations Dr. Tanner!

The research of Dr. Vance Vredenburg is the focus of The New York Times article "Frog Once Used in Pregnancy Tests Spread Deadly Fungus" and Los Angeles Times article "Invasive Frogs Carry Amphibian-Killing Fungus."  To read the LA Times article, visit:  www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-frogs-disease-20130520,0,7696518.story Congratulations Dr. Vredenburg!

Graduate Ecology and Systematic Biology major Robert Vogt (Kimmerer Lab) won second place at the CSU Research Competition for "An Investigation of Feeding by Copepod Nauplii on Phytoplankton using Epifluorescence Microscopy and High-Throughput Microplate Reader Assay."  Congratulations Robert!

Student Thesis Defense:  "(sub)Family Reunion!  Will the North American Arbutus (Ericaceae) be Invited?" by Sheryl Creer (Parker Lab), 3:00 p.m., May 23, HH 440.  Everyone is invited.

Student Thesis Defense:  "Investigating Undergraduate Science Students' Conceptions and Misconceptions of Ocean Acidification" by Kathryn Danielson (SEPAL), 11:30 a.m., May 24, HH 245.  Everyone is invited.

Biology Department presents the 7th Annual Baccalaureate and Masters Recognition Ceremony, 4:00 p.m., May 26, Gym.

Biology Department presents "Personalized Medicine 6.0:  Next Generation Sequencing for Targeted Therapeutics," May 30, South San Francisco Conference Center.  For more information, visit:  http://personalizedmedicine.sfsu.edu  or email:  dnamed@sfsu.edu 

Did you travel to a scientific conference during Winter or Spring 2013?  Did you pay out of your own pocket to present or attend?  If so, you may be eligible for reimbursement (up to $400/applicant) from the Graduate Student Council in Biology.  Application deadline:  May 31 (5:00 p.m.)  Applications are available in the Biology Department Office, HH 534, or email:  gscbsfsu@gmail.com 

Biology Department seeks Prep Graduate Assistants for Fall courses BIOL 101 (10 hours/week), BIOL 240 (15 hours/week) and Solutions Prep (20 hours/week).  3.0 GPA or better required.  For Solutions Prep GA, wet lab experience is a must  Positions begin August 19.  For more information, email:  briesach@sfsu.edu (Posted 5/14)

Need to fulfill your upper division writing requirement?  Enroll in one of the following Biology GWAR courses:  BIOL 344, 351, 402, 529, 570 or 631.  For more information, visit:  http://biology.sfsu.edu/content/gwar (Posted 5/21)

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING NEWS

An announcement from the Pre-Health Professions Student Alliance:  the Princeton Review is recruiting MCAT Teachers that scored well on the MCAT for teaching.   For more information, email:  VChau@Review.com  To learn more about Princeton Review discounts or information on the MCAT,GRE or LSAT, email: sfsuphpsa@gmail.com (Posted 4/30)

SF STATE/CSU NEWS

Memorial Day (Campus closed):  May 27.

SF State's Health Equity Institute, National Cancer Institute's Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center offers workshop on "The Role of Biospecimens and Biobanking in Research," 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., May 30, South San Francisco Conference Center.  Breakfast and lunch provided.  Stipends available to pay for registration cost.  For more information, email:  m2830m@gmail.com 

ACADEMIC, RESEARCH, INTERNSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences offers Fall 2013 NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program.  Travel expenses, room and board included.  Application deadline:  May 30.  For more information, visit:  www.bios.edu/education/reu/ 

Program for Field Studies in Tropical Asia offers advanced Field Course in Ecology and Conservation in China, October 19-November 30.  Limited fellowships available to pay for expenses.  For more information, email:  liujingxin@msn.com or corlett@xtbg.cn  (Posted 5/21)

Fall Semester by the Bay -- not in San Francisco, but north to Alaska.  Study marine biology courses on the shore of Kachemak Bay in Homer.  For more information, visit:  http://www.semesterbythebay.org (Posted 5/14)

St. Francis Xavier University's (Nova Scotia, Canada) Biology Department is accepting applications for Master's student to study factors affecting invasive tunicates distributions.  $18K stipend for two years included.  For more information, email:  rwyeth@stfx.ca  (Posted 5/7)

DANTA:  Association for Conservation of the Tropics offers summer Primate Behavior and Tropical Rain Forest Conservation courses in Costa Rica.  For more information, visit:  www.DANTA.info or email:  conservation@danta.info  (Posted 4/30)

University of Barcelona is accepting applications for Post-Doc Fellowship in Chordate Functional Evo-Devo and Genomics.  For more information, email:  canestro@ub.edu (include letter of interest and cv as a single pdf file) or visit:  http://www.ub.edu/genetica/evo-devoen/canestro.htm  (Posted 4/23)

FUNDING:  FELLOWSHIPS, SCHOLARSHIPS, AWARDS

Marine Aquarium Societies of North America offers $4K scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students with a major/focus in the marine science disciplines.  Application deadline:  June 21.  For more information, visit:  http://www.MASNA.org/AboutMASNA/MASNAScholarship.aspx 

Thermo Fisher Pierce Scholarship Program available for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in biology.  GPA of 3.0 or better required.  Application deadline: July 31.  For more information, email:  piercscholarship@thermofisher.com or visit:  http://www.pierce-antibodies.com/PierceScholarship/index.cfm

EVENTS:  CONFERENCES, MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS, LECTURES, SYMPOSIUM, COLLOQUIUM, COMPETITIONS

California Academy of Sciences (Golden Gate Park) Schlinger Chair of Diptera Candidate Lecture Series presents the following in the Boardroom (Everyone is invited):

• Presented by Dr. Pierfilippo Cerretti:  "Insect vs. Insect:  the Amazing Life-Styles of Parasitoid Flies,"  2:00 p.m., May 21 and "Phylogeny of the Tachinidae (Diptera), a Morphological Approach," 10:00 a.m., May 22.
• Presented by Dr. Shaun Winterton:  "The Future of Global Biodiversity Discovery," 2:00 p.m., May 23 and "Evolution of Lower Brachyceran Flies:  Integrating Fossils, DNA and Morphology," 10:00 a.m., May 24.
• Presented by Dr. Michelle Trautwein "The Exoskeletons in Your Closet:  Exploring the Diverstiy of Arthropods in Our Homes," 2:00 p.m., May 28 and "Phylogenomic Advancement Towards Resolving the Fly Tree of Life," 10:00 a.m., May 29.

UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory's John and Mary Louise Riley Seminar Series presents "Will Coral Reefs Dissolve in a High CO2 Future?" by Dr. David Kline (Scripps Institution of Oceanography), 4:00 p.m., June 5.  For more information, call 707-875-2211 or visit:  http://www.bml.ucdavis.edu

Second International Biennial Evolution and Cancer Conference (UCSF), June 12-16.  Registration opens March 1.  For more information, visit:  http://cancer.ucsf.edu/evolution/conference-2013

California Invasive Plant Council 2013 Symposium, October 2-5, Lake Arrowhead Resort, CA.  Abstracts due:  June 14.  For more information,visit:  www.cal-ipc.org/symposia/presenters.php or www.cal-ipc.org/symposia/index.php

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Globalblood Therapeutics (South San Francisco) seeks Research Associate for team researching small molecule drug candidates.  B.S./M.S. in life sciences and a minimumof three years of laboratory research experience required. Background in Biochemistry preferred.  For more information, email:  careers@globalbloodtx.com  (Posted 5/21)

Smithsonian Institution (Washington D.C.) seeks two Genetics Lab Technicians.  For more information, visit:  https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/342031100 or https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/342035800 (Posted 4/30)

Natural Resource Agency seeks full time Staff Services Manager II for Oceans and Coastal Unit (Sacramento).  For more information, visit:  http://jobs.spb.ca.gov/wvpos/more_info.cfm?recno=513287 or email:  George.silagi@fire.ca.gov (Posted 4/23)

California Native Plant Society seeks two full-time Botanists/Ecologists for Sacramento office.  Position begins in May.  Pay rate:  $15-$18/hour.  For more information, visit:  www.cnps.org or email:  ksikes@cnps.org (Posted 4/24)

California Fish and Wildlife seeks Scientific Aides to conduct fisheries field and/or lab work in coastal communities.  Salary range: $11.58-$13.34/hour.  Position begins in April.  Minimum two years of college/university with ten units in the biological sciences or one year experience with surveying, studying or evaluating fish and/or wildlife populations.  For more information, visit:  http://jobs.ca.gov/OEC/jobs/stateapp.aspx or email:  James.Phillips@wildlife.ca.gov  (Posted until 6/1)

Graduating students receive six months of free services from the Career Center after graduation.  SF State online job listing site: www.sfsu.edu/~career/students/resources/resources_major.htm or www.sfsu.edu/~career

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Field Assistant needed for population biology and behavioral ecology fieldwork in Cameroon, September-December.  Previous field experience with birds is a plus.  Travel within Cameroon, room and board will be provided.  For more information, email:  lansverka12@students.ecu.edu (Posted 5/14)