Department of BiologyHearty congratulations to Professor Fred Nijhout on being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences! Fred is one of 213 new members, along with President Obama, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Tom Hanks. The Academy was founded in 1780 by John Adams, Samuel Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock and others. As one of the nation’s oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers, the Academy convenes leaders from the academic, business, and government sectors to address… read more about Nijhout Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences »
Justin Wright, along with collaborator Jason Fridley of Syracuse University, has published a study of various factors affecting the re-growth of forests in cleared fields ("Temperature Accelerates the Rate Fields Become Forests," Jason Fridley and Justin Wright. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 16, 2018). The researchers found that temperature was most responsible for the faster growth of young trees in more southerly sites. As the forest regrows, it absorbs more carbon dioxide than… read more about Justin Wright Publishes in PNAS »
Anne Yoder is among 173 scholars and artists to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship for 2018. These fellowships recognize "individuals who have already demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Prof. Yoder was recognized for her research on "how the myriad forces of climate, geography, genetics, and ecological interactions have converged to generate the unique and incredibly diverse biota of Madagascar." Yoder is stepping down after 12 years… read more about Anne Yoder Named a Guggenheim Fellow »
Emeritus Professor Donald Fluke passed away on April 6, 2018, at the age of 95. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University and came to Duke in 1956 to teach radiation biophysics. He also served in numerous administrative positions, such as Chair of the Zoology Department, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Zoology, and Chair of the Academic Council. He shall be missed. read more about The Biology Department Regrets to Announce the Death of Prof. Donald Fluke »
Biology undergrad Ruolin "Eudora" Miao recently was recently awarded grants from the Mycological Society of America ($500) and Duke's Undergraduate Research Support Office ($2500) for her independent study project on mycoremediation with professors Rytas Vilgalys and Jonathan Shaw. Eudora is studying the role of symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi in forest regeneration at mine sites around North Carolina. Many of these mine sites date back to America's first gold rush (1840) and are still barren of plant growth due to toxic levels… read more about BioMajor Eudora Miao receives multiple grants for independent study »
Pranav Warman, a sophomore who is double-majoring in Biology and Computer Science, has been named a 2018 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. Warman, along with two other Duke students, is among 211 recipients of Goldwater Scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year. Pranav is interested in using computational and mathematical tools to understand schizophrenia and other topics in neuroscience. His mentor, Dr. Gopalkumar… read more about Biology Major Receives Goldwater Scholarship »
Greenhouse Supervisor Michael Barnes has been certified by the American Society of Agronomy as a Sustainability Specialist. In order to get the certification, Michael first had to be a Certified Crop Advisor, then complete a ten-part course covering nutrient management, integrated pest management, precision agriculture, conservation tillage, cover crops, and soil health. Finally, he passed an exam. Congratulations, Michael! read more about Michael Barnes Achieves Sustainability Certification »
The Department of Biology is saddened to report the death of Professor Nicholas Gillham on March 19, 2018. Gillham received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and came to Duke in 1968, remaining here for the rest of his career. He was a noted expert on organelle genetics and also wrote a biography of 19th-century scientist Francis Galton. His colleagues remember him as genial, calm and collected, always curious and interested in learning. "He was a wonderful person who loved the beauty of science… read more about Sad News: Death of Prof. Nicholas Gillham »
The Society for the Study of Evolution has elected Prof. Mark Rausher President for the year 2019. Congratulations! In addition, Peng Jiang and Mark Rausher published a paper in the 1 January 2018 issue of Nature Plants on the genetic changes responsible for evolution of petal spot position in the genus Clarkia. They showed that two simple changes in the promoter region of the anthocyanin transcription factor Myb1, which activates pigment deposition, caused this gene to be… read more about Rausher to be President of the Society for the Study of Evolution »
Graduate student Patrick Green has received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring for 2018! Congratulations Patrick! He is one of only three graduate students to receive this award. The reward recognizes excellence in research mentoring of undergraduates and early-career graduate students. Three cheers! read more about Patrick Green receives Mentoring Award »
The Duke Research Blog has published a brief portrait of Professor Kathleen Pryer's journey into the world of ferns, from a field trip sparking her interest to a cover paper in Nature, and beyond. The post was written by Isaac Poarch, a student at the North Carolina School of Science and Math. Isaac was doing an internship with the Office of News and Communications and did a lovely job. read more about Duke Research Blog Profiles Kathleen Pryer »
Congratulations to our BioGrads who have won an astonishing 7 Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research! Sigma Xi has made grants in aid of research to students in all areas of science and engineering since 1922. Well done! Ariana Eily, Cell Biology/Biochemistry Jacqueline Gerson, Ecology Rylee Hackley, Systematics/Evolutionary Biology Anna Kudla, Systematics/Evolutionary Biology Rong-Chien Lin, Systematics/Evolutionary Biology Niba Nirmal, Cell Biology/Biochemistry Karla Sosa, Systematics/… read more about BioGrads Win 7 Sigma Xi Grants! »
The number of Ph.D. graduates in biological sciences continues to increase, while the number of tenure-track positions available is shrinking. To help biology graduate students think about alternatives, Professor Mohamed Noor and several current grad students successfully revived Noor's 2015 professional development course as "Biology Bootcamp 2.0." For the spring semester of 2017, Biograds Irene Liao, Patrick Green and Kathryn Picard revised the course in light of feedback from the first iteration. They… read more about Biology Bootcamp Rebooted »
Prof. Tom Mitchell-Olds has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for 2017. Congratulations, Tom! The AAAS is the largest scientific society in the world and seeks to "advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people." The Fellows are recognized for contributions to science and technology, scientific leadership and extraordinary achievements across disciplines. Previous honorees include Thomas Edison and Margaret… read more about Tom Mitchell-Olds Named a AAAS Fellow »
Paul Manos and John McVay have joined with Andrew Hipp at the Morton Arboretum and other colleagues from the University of Minnesota and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México to publish "Sympatric parallel diversification of major oak clades in the Americas and the origins of Mexican species diversity New Phytologist, 18 September 2017, 10.1111/nph.14773). The paper crunched large amounts of data drawn from 300 samples, comprising 146 species of oak. Next-generation sequencing techniques… read more about Manos, McVay et al. reveal origins of white and red oaks »
Associate Professor of the Practice Sherryl Broverman has been selected by Kappa Alpha Theta sorority as one of its 2016-2017 Outstanding Faculty Members in Canada and the United States. The Beta Rho Chapter at Duke nominated Sherryl for her "passion for inspiring her students, as well as her dedication to her own personal values." Kappa Alpha Theta is the oldest Greek-letter organization for women, and was founded to support equal education for women. Congratulations to Sherryl for her achievement, and… read more about Sherryl Broverman Honored by Kappa Alpha Theta »
Prof. Jon Shaw has won a Dimensions of Biodiversity Award from the National Science Foundation. The Program "links functional, genetic and phylogenetic dimensions of biodiversity, offering opportunities to produce rapid advances in understanding the creation, maintenance and loss of biodiversity." Prof. Shaw's project, entitled "Genome structure and adaptive evolution in peatmosses (Sphagnum): ecosystem engineers," will connect DNA variation in Sphagnum with specific plant traits and ultimately ecological… read more about NSF awards major grant to Jon Shaw! »
Prof. Sheila Patek is a co-author on a recently published paper exploring the mechanics of fungal spores (“Asymmetric drop coalescence launches fungal ballistospores with directionality.” F. Liu et al., Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2017. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0083). The study was led by professor of mechanical engineering Chuan-Hua Chen and also included 2001 Botany Ph.D. graduate Anne Pringle, now teaching at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The paper explored the mystery of how fungal spores… read more about Patek Collaborates on Mechanics of Fungal Spores »
Graduate student Laura Bagge (Johnsen Lab) went to a most unusual spot for her field work last summer--the edge of the continental shelf off Nantucket, Massachusetts. Bagge was able to dive in the historic Deep Submergence Vehicle Alvin, first built in the 1960's, to more than 250 meters depth. She and her colleagues captured specimens of creatures that live in the lightless ocean depths. You can see a video of Laura describing her dive and take a 360 degree tour of Alvin at the link, where DukeStories has… read more about Laura Bagge's Trip in ALVIN the Submarine »
Graduate students Kenneth McKenna and Rick Gawne have brought some of the Nijhout lab's many specimens to the atrium of Perkins Library, demonstrating the immense diversity of the insect world. The display in the Jerry and Bruce Chappell Family Gallery describes the migration of the Monarch butterfly, metamorphosis, camouflage and many other aspects of the insect world. Gawne and McKenna said that they used the library often in their research, and wanted to do something that would bring people in. The… read more about Nijhout Lab Brings Insects to Perkins Library »
Graduate student Emily Yang received a JBC/Herb Tabor Young Investigator Award at the 2017 International Conference on Arabidopsis Research in St. Louis, Mo. "She did a wonderful job presenting her PhD work at the meeting," said her mentor Meng Chen (UC-Riverside). The Tabor Awards are given annually to students, postdocs, and pre-tenure faculty members who exemplify Herb Tabor’s values of creativity and scientific excellence. read more about Emily Yang Receives JBC/Herb Tabor Young Investigator Award! »
Hurrah for Edgar Medina and the Buchler Lab, who have papers out in PNAS and PLoS Genetics! The first paper, “Conservation and divergence of C-terminal domain structure in the retinoblastoma protein family” (doi:10.1073/pnas.1619170114), examines the evolution of proteins that regulate cell division. By studying certain regulators in 50 different species, from single-cell amoebas to flies and snails to fish, chickens and humans, Medina and his colleagues learned that a sudden and huge increase in these… read more about Edgar Medina Scores Another Double for Duke Bio! »
Most labs would be content with getting a single paper into a leading journal like Nature, but the Dong Lab has published two important papers in the same issue: “Global translational reprogramming is a fundamental layer of immune regulation in plants” and “uORF-mediated translation allows engineered plant disease resistance without fitness costs” (25 May 2017). The papers describe the discovery and application of a mechanism for fine-tuning plants’ immune system in order to enhance resistance to disease.… read more about Dong Lab Scores a Double in Nature! »
Winrock International, a charity founded by Winthrop Rockefeller to focus on development and agriculture, nominated Khalid Hameed for the President's Volunteer Service Award, Bronze Medal. Dr. Hameed, who works with the Duke Mycology Group, completed over 100 hours of volunteer service working on the "Farmer-to-Farmer" project funded by US-AID, in which he taught young Bangladeshi farmers how to cultivate mushrooms. In addition to tending mushrooms, participants created a community mushroom house and association, and… read more about Khalid Hameed Receives President's Volunteer Service Award »
The Alumni Affairs office has institued a new award for graduating students "who have exhibited extraordinary leadership during their time at Duke." One of these inaugural Forever Duke Student Leadership Awards has gone to Abbe LaBella (Cunningham Lab) for her service as President of the Graduate and Professional Student Council. We'd follow you anywhere, Abbe! read more about Abbe LaBella Wins Forever Duke Leadership Award »
Ryan Campbell and Jenn Coughlan have received the Biology Department's TA Training Award for their work on Bio 202L, "Genetics and Evolution." Bio 202L is one of the largest and most intensive classes given in Biology, placing many demands on its TAs. Ryan and Jenn stood out for their mastery of the content, eloquent presentations to their lab sections, and readiness to engage with students. Congratulations to them both! read more about Campbell and Coughlan Win TA Training Award »
Congratulations to Anne Yoder! Anne has been named the Braxton Craven Distinguished Professor of Evolutionary Biology. read more about Congratulations to Anne Yoder! »
Peter Larsen, a Senior Research Scientist in the Yoder Lab, has published a ground-breaking paper on the mechanism that may underlie neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Like humans, and unlike other lemurs, captive gray mouse lemurs show signs of cognitive impairment and amyloid brain plaques as they age. By analyzing the mouse lemur genome, Larsen discovered that genes commonly associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s contain elements which can insert copies of themselves in new places. These “… read more about Mouse lemurs help Peter Larsen, Anne Yoder et al. advance research on Alzheimer's »
The Biology Department proudly celebrates the achievements of Professors Sherryl Broverman and Emily Bernhardt. Emily has just been named the Jerry G. and Patricia Hubbard Professor of Biology for her excellence in teaching, including redesigning the core ecology course to feature a "flipped classroom." Sherryl has been given the Dean's Award for Diversity in recognition of her continuing work with WISER, a secondary school for impoverished girls and AIDS orphans in Muhuru Bay, Kenya. As part of this work, Sherryl… read more about Congratulations to Sherryl Broverman and Emily Bernhardt! »
John Branch, a sports reporter at the Times, called on Sheila Patek for help understanding why basketball shoes squeak on hardwood. Patek’s work with spiny lobsters demonstrated how the animals rubbed their antennas on their heads, making a squawk that scared off predators. In the same way the bow of a violin “stick-slips” over the string, or a basketball shoe squeaks on a highly polished floor. In the last case it’s the corrugations on the bottom of the shoe that vibrate, not the medium they rub against.… read more about New York Times Consults Patek for Answers »