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Limulus
NEWSLETTER
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Volume 2008, Issue Fall-02
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
THE OCTOBER LIMULUS
This issue is short. Evidently everybody is very busy in the
middle of the semester. Nevertheless, I would like to remind
all of you that the quality of our newsletter depends on your
contributions.
We have a report about an invited lecture, an invitation to a
community service activity, a little something about 125 years
of Wagner College, and an experience in environmental Biology.
I very much hope you enjoy the review of spring 2008,
Dr. Horst Onken, The Editor
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
No letters received.
BIOLOGY STAFF AND FACULTY NEWS
The Adjunct Professor Series will be continued in the next issue.
October, 2008
speak to some of the biology students regarding similar issues.
She is a professor at William Patterson in New Jersey and was
part of the lab that was successful in the first “test tube” baby
in New York State. The name of her talk was, “Genetic Technology & Eugenics,” and in the course of one hour she was
able to further discuss and present many issues that come up in
the Genes to Genomics classroom. She was very knowledgeable in a number of areas, and had an interesting viewpoint on
the issues due to her Ashkenazi background. Dr. Wahrman
recently put out a book, Brave New Judaism - When Science
and Scripture Collide. She did not merely promote her book,
rather she opened our eyes to see that science and religion do
not always conflict, but rather they can agree to disagree on
some topics. The topics discussed not only bring about religious controversy, but also cause debate regarding ethical issues surrounding life status of a zygote. She touched upon the
possibility of a return to eugenics while also promoting the
positive uses of genetic technology as well. Dr. Wahrman was
able to captivate the audience and leave many students, as well
as faculty, with a number of new questions regarding their position on genetic technology.
OPPORTUNITIES
BIOLOGY STUDENT NEWS
Everybody seems to be too busy to send a contribution.
BIOLOGY CLUB NEWS
The Biology Club will be meeting for the first community service event this semester on November 09. This event will take
place at Blazing Star Cemetery for a clean-up of the cemetery
and the grassland at Arthur Kill shore line. Everyone can join
the event. If you want to participate, please, contact Sejmir
Izeirovski
(President
of
Biology
Club)
at
sejmir.izeirovski@wagner.edu.
TRI BETA NEWS
REPORT ABOUT A TRI BETA EVENT
Here at Wagner we offer a course dealing with the Ethical,
Legal and Social Issues associated with genetic technology,
“Genes to Genomics.” It is a semester long course that delves
into these issues while allowing students to share their voice
regarding their personal beliefs on issues such as genetic
screening and eugenics. On Monday October 27 Wagner was
fortunate enough to have Dr. Miryam Wahrman come and
RESEARCH WITH MOSQUITOES AND CRABS
Dr. Onken offers research opportunities for
students in the frame of
a project in which he
collaborates with scientists from Washington
State University, the University of Idaho, and the University
of Alberta (Edmonton, CA). The project is funded by the National Institute of Health and studies the physiology of the
midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).
Mosquitoes are vectors of a number of parasites, transmit devastating diseases like malaria, yellow fever and dengue, and
are a major threat to the health of billions of people on our
planet. The principal investigators of this project address larval mosquitoes, because it appears more straightforward to
fight these vectors as long as they are confined in an aquatic
habitat.
In collaboration with colleagues from the U.S. (Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratories, Maine), Brazil (University of São
Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, University of Paraná in Curitiba) and
Canada (University of Manitoba in Winnipeg) Dr. Onken pur-
PAGE 1
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
ADVENTURES IN ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY
What is an Estuary? Brittany Frazza, an Environmental Biology student, answered this question eloquently as follows:
“Estuaries are places where freshwater and seawater mix together to form a body of water. Estuaries come in all shapes
and sizes and are called many different names: bays, lagoons,
harbors, inlets, or sounds to name a few. The secluded waters
of estuaries are home to numerous plants and animals that are
able to live in water that is comprised of both fresh and salt
water. Estuaries provide important habitat for species that are
Solute concentrations of various Staten Island water samples. KVK means Kill Van Kull. GNP means Gateway National Park. Contributed by Patrick Powers
Density g/ml
1.035
1.03
1.025
1.02
1.015
1.01
1.005
1
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0.99
0.985
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Wagner College celebrates its 125th anniversary. However, our
college was originally founded as a “Proseminary” to educate
future ministers for the Lutheran Church and Biology was
very likely not a part of the curriculum. However, “Genesis”
was certainly an important teaching topic, and 24 years after
the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and a
year after the author’s death it may be that the strange idea of
evolution was “discussed.”
I do not know when Biology became a topic of the curriculum,
or when the college began a Department of Biological
Sciences. However, this year we were given a day when we
can celebrate the birthday of our college: the 15th of October is
“Founders Day.” This first Founders Day was celebrated in
the theatre in Main Hall with the choir, greetings from the
founders’ successors and descendants, and reflections about
the history of the college by John Daggan (Archivist of the
Metropolitan New York Synod), Dr. Walter Kaelber (Professor of Religious Studies at Wagner College), and Dr. Richard
Guarasci (President of Wagner College).
Although Biology played evidently a minor role (if a role at
all) when the college was founded, it played a significant role
after the celebration of this “Founders Day.” An apple tree
was planted in the rose garden. In the Bible, an apple tree has
a “challenging” role. In symbolism, apples relate to good
health, relationship and love. In Biology, an apple tree is Malus domestica, a member of the rose family (Rosacea). Nevertheless, there is no doubt that it is Biology that lets it grow.
GROW, APPLE TREE, GROW!
De
i
125 YEARS OF BIOLOGY AT WAGNER COLLEGE?
ills
EXPERIENCES
Ki
Contributed by Dr. Onken
valued commercially, recreationally, and culturally. Birds,
fish, amphibians, insects, and other wildlife depend on estuaries to live, feed, nest, and reproduce. Some organisms, like
oysters, make estuaries their permanent home; others, like
horseshoe crabs, use them to complete only part of their life
cycle. Estuaries provide stopovers for migratory bird species
such as the mallard. Estuaries and the land surrounding them
are also places where people live, sail, fish, and swim. As a result of these things, estuaries are often the centers of our
coastal communities”. - B. Frazza, BI 110
So, basically, estuaries are a great asset for any community.
And Staten Island still has some functional estuarine wetlands,
although industrialization has had impacts. We decided to visit
them, as well as some freshwater sites, and collected water
samples. We used public transportation or walked to minimize
the environmental impact of our lab activity and to assess Staten Island’s public transportation resources. We expected estuarine water to have intermediate levels of salt and intermediate densities, and found this to be the case when we measured these parameters in the lab.
Solute Concentration %
Ar
th
ur
K
sues research with Crustacea related to the osmoregulatory capacities and mechanisms of crabs. Together with Dr. Alauddin
(Chemistry) and Professor Beecher (Biology), an ecophysiological study is in an early
stage of planning.
Dr. Onken can offer research opportunities for
two to three students. If
interested contact Dr. Onken in his office (Megerle Science
Hall Room 411), lab (Megerle Science Hall Room 406) or via
e-mail (horst.onken@wagner.edu) or phone 420-4211.
Density measurements of various Staten Island water
samples. Contributed by Timothy Grady
Some of the places we visited aroused concern among students. For example, one group found much garbage including
a switchblade among the tall reeds and grasses. Learning
about natural ecosystems is vital for their protection. Understanding the valuable services they provide brings to light their
importance. Brian Bugbee had this to say in conclusion of our
research and his personal experiences as a member of NY/NJ
Baykeepers:
PAGE 2
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
“Estuaries are important because they are the nursery for marine and aquatic plants, animals, and fish. It is important that
they be protected; otherwise the species which depend on the
estuaries will experience population loss and possibly extinction in the future.
Many times governments are not concerned with the state of
natural environments in the surrounding area until the sites are
so terribly polluted or destroyed that it becomes an issue for
the EPA. In New York City, the government does not consider
the natural environment a high priority, and as a result, private
organizations have to take care of the local estuaries and rivers. One such organization is the NY/NJ Baykeepers. The organization coordinates clean ocean action projects and environmental projects to help clean up the rivers”. - B. Bugbee, BI
110
(You
can
visit
this
organization
at
www.nynjbaykeeper.org )
Our public transportation experiences were variable. Some
students found their sampling sites to be conveniently accessible by public transportation, while others found them timeconsuming. All of the students who used the Wagner ferry
shuttle service to the Kill Van Kull found this service to be extremely clean, efficient, and positive.
Gateway National
Park.Contributed by
Alexandra Ricciardi
Photo by Alexandra
Ricciardi
Michael Giangrande
collecting a water
sample from Blue
Heron Park.
Marsh/Mudflat near the Outer Bridge. Contributed by Gregory
Trenti
Jereme Spinks collecting a water sample from the Kill Van
Kull.
Garbage found on the beach at GNP by Vincent Deluca and
Alexandra Ricciardi.
Vincent Deluca Collecting a water sample from GNP.
Clove Lakes Park
photo. Contributed
by Brittany Frazza
PAGE 3
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
PUZZLES, JOKES, QUOTES, CARTOONS
CARTOON:
Switchblade found
near the Outer
Bridge by Gregory
Trenti,
Anjelica
Cunningham and
Jim Okun.
Contributed by Professor Beecher and students from her Environmental Biology class.
PUBLICATIONS
Onken, H., Patel, M., Javoroncov, M., Izeirovski, S., Moffett, S.B. & Moffett, D.F. (in press). Strong alkalinization in
the anterior midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes
aegypti): Involvement of luminal Na+/K+-ATPase. Journal of
Experimental Zoology. Accepted for publication in October
2008.
(from www.lab-initio.com)
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
CONTRIBUTIONS
In the November issue we will have the contributions from the
41st annual fall meeting of the Metropolitan Association of
College and University Biologists (MACUB) will be held at
Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ) on Saturday, November 1, 2008.
FUTURE MEETINGS
DO NOT FORGET TO PREPARE FOR THE FOLLOWING
CONFERENCE:
The next Eastern Colleges Science Conference will be held
at Wagner College (Staten Island, NY) on Saturday, April 24,
2009.
ALUMNI
Dear Alumni,
If you are interested in contributing to our newsletter, you
are very welcome to do so. Contact Dr. Onken by e-mail
(horst.onken@wagner.edu) with your submission, comment,
ideas or questions! We are excited to hear about where you
are, how and what you do!
MISCELLANEOUS
If your contribution does not fit in any of the sections above,
you can post it here.
DO YOU MISS A SECTION? LET ME KNOW
WHICH AND MAKE A CONTRIBUTION!
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Authors in all sections should keep in mind that not all
readers are specialized in their area of interest. Keep your
contribution on a level that everybody can understand.
Contributions may vary in length between about 50 and
500 words and must be submitted by e-mail to
horst.onken@wagner.edu.
Photographs or other images that accompany an article are
very welcome, but must be submitted as separate files
(high quality jpg is the preferred file format) attached to
the e-mail. Be aware that photographs/images may be minimized in size.
Indicate the section of the newsletter where you want your
contribution to appear.
The editor reserves his right to edit your contribution
or post an immediate response.
Editing may involve publishing contributions in other
sections as indicated by the author.
All contributions will clearly indicate the author's identity.
All contributions are reviewed and publication may be
refused by the editor.
DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT NEWSLETTER:
MONDAY, November 24
The Editorial Board:
Editor: Dr. Horst Onken
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Rollizo, Department Secretary
Student Assistant Editor: N.N.
Student Assistant Editor: N.N.
PAGE 4
�
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Limulus Newsletter, October 2008
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Giangrande, Michael
Deluca, Vincent
Ricciardi, Alexandra
Spinks, Jereme
Table Of Contents
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Letter from the editor / Horst Onken -- Research with mosquitoes and crabs / Horst Onken -- 125 years of biology at Wagner College / Horst Onken -- Adventures in environmental biology / Patrick Powers, Timothy Grady, Gregory Trenti, Brittany Frazza -- Publications -- Professional meetings -- Alumni -- Puzzles, jokes, quotes, cartoons
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Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
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2008-10
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Limulus
NEWSLETTER
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Volume 2009, Issue Fall-04
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
I hope everybody had a great Halloween! About five more
weeks and another fall semester is going into finals week.
Amazing, how fast time rushes by.
I would like to thank all alumni and colleagues for their kind
and encouraging comments about our newsletter
commemorating Dr. Walter Kanzler. This special issue even
got applause in the last Committee of the Whole meeting.
As can be imagined for a mid semester Limulus, this issue is
packed with experiences. Biology Club and Tri Beta report
about their past and upcoming activities. Dr. Kozak from
Physics contributes his experiences at the Burgess Shale. He
visited there last summer and will give a presentation in the
ACE in spring. BI 217 visited the Snug Harbor Botanical
Gardens. We get an overview with a number of beautiful
photographs by our Assistant Editor Nidhi Khanna. Dr.
Moorthy, frequent contributor to the Limulus, gives us her
personal insights about women in science with a special
tribute to the recent female Nobel awardees. The list of 2009
publications was updated, and the newsletter offers a review
of the most recent visit at the MACUB meeting.
The current newsletter is rounded with opportunities,
recommendations, a joke and the usual cartoon. I hope you
enjoy reading the current issue of the LIMULUS.
Dr. Horst Onken
The Editor
BIOLOGY STAFF AND FACULTY NEWS
GREENHOUSE AND GARDEN
At the last department meeting, Dr. Onken was elected to be
the coordinator for greenhouse and garden. The greenhouse
will be restructured to house a plant diversity exhibition. Apart
of the exhibition, bench space is offered for classes held in the
Department of Biological Sciences. Forms and Functions of
Life (BI 217) will study the influence of plant hormones in
spring 2010. Microbial Ecology (MI 523) will investigate
plant-microbe symbiosis and phytopathogenesis. Depending
on the remaining space, students who want to do their
Experiential Component of the Senior RFT may reserve space
for their research project through Dr. Onken. Any students
from outside the department who want to use the greenhouse
or to participate in the greenhouse maintenance should contact
Dr. Onken.
Most of the planters in the garden besides the powerhouse
have been cleared for winter. Some work still remains to be
October, 2009
done and students are welcome to participate in these efforts.
For spring 2010, it is planned to convert the planters in a
theme garden that could be used for classes in the fall.
Contributed by Dr. Onken.
BIOLOGY CLUB NEWS
The Biology Club had a meeting on October 19th, and
discussed a variety of issues. Members of the Biology Club
participated in the annual Breast Cancer Walk that takes place
in Clove Lakes Park. The club will be doing their on-campus
community service event on Tuesday November 10th. The
event is intended to raise awareness about animal cruelty.
Members of the club will display a poster about animal cruelty
in the union that day during lunchtime. Donations that go
towards raising awareness about animal cruelty will be
collected during lunchtime as well. The club will host a
showing of an Animal Planet movie that all members of the
Wagner community are invited to attend. The film will be
shown at 8pm on November 10th, with location TBD.
The Bodies Exhibit trip at the South Street Seaport will take
place on November 22nd. All Wagner students are welcomed
to attend. Participants should be advised to meet everyone at
the 10:40am shuttle. Fliers will be distributed in the following
weeks and there will be a sign up sheet as well. Only 25
participants may attend, and several members of the club are
already planning to attend, so act fast!
The next meeting will be on Monday, November 2nd at 9pm in
the lobby of the 4th floor in Haborview Hall. Please contact the
Biology
Club
president
Cassandra
Bray
(Cassandra.bray@wagner.edu) if you have any questions.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna and Cassandra Bray
TRI-BETA NEWS
Tri-Beta held their last meeting on Monday October 14th.
Members completed their off-campus community service by
participating in the Breast Cancer Walk that took place in
Clove Lakes Park. Despite the gusty winds, and treacherous
rain, many members of Tri-Beta went to the Breast Cancer
Walk to support a good cause.
Tri-Beta also completed their on-campus community service
for this semester. Members dressed up in Halloween costumes
and participated in the Haunted Hallways event on Sunday
October 25th. Haunted Hallways is an event that is open to the
public (people outside of the Wagner community) and takes
place annually. The Marketing Club sponsors the event, and
various clubs and organizations are allowed to rent a room in
PAGE 1
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Main Hall. Each club is permitted to decorate their rooms and
participants are encouraged to dress up in Halloween
costumes. Children from all over Staten Island come to Main
Hall and go “trick or treating” in all of the rooms, and Wagner
students give them candy along with a good scare.
Members of Tri-Beta decided to have a “Mad Scientist” theme
for their room. Students used skeletons and a variety of organs
from the Biology laboratories. The event was an overall
success.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
OPPORTUNITIES
COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY
Greetings Everyone,
I am Nidhi Khanna and I am currently a junior. I am working
with this non-profit organization called Planting Peace.
Planting Peace has many sub-organizations including one
called The Clean World Movement. The Clean World
Movement is trying to encourage more individuals around the
world to recycle and to take better care of the planet. I am
working with The Clean World Movement as the
environmental director in my community. I am organizing
some clean-ups in Staten Island during the semester. If
anybody is interested in helping out, please feel free to contact
me at nidhi.khanna@wagner.edu. Thanks for your interest and
I look forward hearing from you! If you would like more
information about the organization I am working with, please
visit: http://www.plantingpeace.org/.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
RESEARCH WITH MOSQUITOES AND CRABS
Dr.
Onken
offers
research opportunities
for students in the frame
of a project in which he
collaborates with scientists from Washington
State University, the University of Idaho, and the University
of Alberta (Edmonton, CA). The project is funded by the
National Institute of Health and studies the physiology of the
midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).
Mosquitoes are vectors of a number of parasites, transmit
devastating diseases like malaria, yellow fever and dengue,
and are a major threat to the health of billions of people on our
planet. The principal investigators of this project address
larval mosquitoes, because it appears more straightforward to
fight these vectors as long as they are confined in an aquatic
habitat.
In collaboration with colleagues from the U.S. (Mt. Desert
Island Biological Laboratories, Maine), Brazil (University of
São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, University of Paraná in Curitiba)
and Canada (University of Manitoba in Winnipeg) Dr. Onken
pursues research with Crustacea related to the osmoregulatory
capacities and mechanisms of crabs. Together with Dr.
Alauddin (Chemistry) and Professor Beecher (Biology), an
ecophysiological study is in an early stage of planning.
Dr. Onken can offer research opportunities for two to three
students. If interested contact Dr. Onken in his office (Megerle
Science Hall Room 411), lab (Megerle Science Hall Room
406) or via e-mail (horst.onken@wagner.edu) or phone 4204211.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
EXPERIENCES
A VISIT TO THE BURGESS SHALE
This past July, I gave a
lecture
entitled,
"Aliens in Rocks" at
the
Geoscience
Foundation in Field,
British
Columbia,
Canada. I gave it as a
part
of
my
assignments as a Solar
System Ambassador
for NASA/JPL. In
addition, the following day, I was an assistant guide on a 22
kilometer hike to the Walcott Quarry in Yoho National Park,
where I was able to examine various invertebrate fossils
dating back over 530 million years ago.
The rock formations in the Burgess Shale provide us with a
"time machine", taking us
back through the evolution
of life on the Earth. Could
the strange creatures found
in these rock formations
have, in a similar fashion,
also evolved on other
worlds within our solar
system? Could they have
traversed the vacuum of
space and possibly "seeded" our planet back in time? The
plethora of lifeforms seen at this world famous site and the
famous book, "A Wonderful Life" written by Stephen Jay
Gould, clearly proves that
Darwin's theory of Natural
Selection
is
a
valid
explanation of evolution.
Although the hike up to the
walcott Quarry was very
strenuous, it was the most
amazing experience of my
life.
Contributed by Harold Kozak
BI 217 CLASS VISITS SNUG HARBOR BOTANICAL
GARDEN
Earlier this month, Professor Beecher took her Forms and
Functions class to visit the Snug Harbor Botanical Garden.
Fifteen enthusiastic students traveled with Professor Beecher
and Graduate Assistant Zulmarie Franco to the Botanical
Garden on a pleasant Wednesday afternoon.
PAGE 2
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Professor Beecher was teaching her class about photosynthesis
and about plant forms and functions. The students were able to
see an assortment of different plants at the Botanical Garden.
As a current student in Forms and Functions, I learned from
Professor Beecher that there are over 300,000 species of
plants, and all plants are differing in their size and shape.
In many plant species, photosynthesis occurs in the leaves and
students were able to see all kinds of leaves in a wide-ranging
of plants species. The trip was an overall fun experience and
allowed students to relate the knowledge they learned in class
to the “real world.” As a class, we were also supporting a
local attraction that more Staten Island residents should
appreciate. The Botanical Garden was established in 1977. For
more information on the Botanical Garden, please visit
(http://www.snug-harbor.org/horticulture.html).
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
PAGE 3
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
OPINION
The Nobel Prize was established from the will and estate of
Swedish chemist and inventor of the high explosive dynamite
Alfred Nobel in 1895. Originally the prize money was to be
shared by the ones chosen from the fields of Physics,
Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace.
The first set of Nobel Prizes in these categories was given in
1901. The Nobel Prize in Economics was added to the list in
1969. The front side of the three "Swedish" medals (Physics
and Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature) is the
same, featuring a portrait of Alfred Nobel and the years of his
birth and death in Latin; the Economics and Peace Prizes have
a different design. Up to 1980 the "Swedish" medals, each
weighing approximately 200 g and with a diameter of 66 mm,
were made of 23-karat gold. Since then they have been made
of 18-karat green gold plated with 24-karat gold. To date more
than 800 men and 40 women have been the recipients of this
prestigious award. Of all the women who have won the Nobel,
Marie Curie and Barbara McClintock have been exceptional in
that Marie Curie has been honored twice, in 1903 with a
Nobel in Physics and in 1911 with a Nobel in Chemistry.
Barbara McClintock was the only woman in science to win
this prize solo. This year has been exceptional in that five
women have won the coveted price in Physiology or
Medicine, Chemistry, Literature and Economics. That is a
total of four fields out of six, which is quite remarkable.
Only 10 women compared to more than 500 recipients have
won the Nobel Prize in the sciences. The fact that Nobels are
given almost exclusively to academic researchers means that
universities also share some responsibilities for this
remarkable disparity. In the early days of the Nobel, laws and
parental oppositions prevented many women from entering
universities. In the United States women could get a university
education, but no job. Until the 1970s, many leading research
universities and technological institutes were only for men. To
teach in women’s colleges and coeducational universities
American women were expected to stay single. Barbara
McClintock, the Nobel Prize winning geneticist was a few
years from membership in the National Academy of the
Sciences when her boss at the University of Missouri
threatened her in 1936 saying, “If you ever marry, you will be
fired.” McClintock stomped out planning to become a weather
forecaster, until she found a job in a private college (from
“Feeling for an Organism” biography of McClintock). Even
today women scientists find it very hard to get that final
promotion to a “FULL PROFESSOR” in American Academia.
In 1971 a law was passed requiring universities to hire women
into their faculties or risk losing federal dollars. Dr. MaryLou Pardue, who now holds a chair in Microbiology and is a
member of the National Academy of Sciences, says this in
recounting the story of her hiring. “When I applied for a
position at MIT, MIT’s response was ‘Thank you for your
letter. We have had hundreds of responses to our ad’.” Women
scientists even today face subtle discrimination.
Communications can be complicated. As Pardue puts it, “you
can’t go up to a man at a meeting and say ‘let us have a drink,
and I will tell you about my science’ without getting more
than you bargained for.” It is those honest sincere networking
connections that men are privileged to that women hope and
wish for but never get.
Being a full professor in a small Liberal Arts College in the
field of Genetics, I have pondered over this question and here
are my thoughts. I am the only female fulltime professor in the
sciences in the college that I teach. “X” is the symbol for the
unknown and we women have two of those Xs where as the
men have only one. I wonder whether that has anything to do
with it. From a genetics point of view that cannot be true,
because I know that we have more genes on two of our X
chromosomes than the men with an X and Y. The Y
chromosome is such a small chromosome compared to the X
and there are only very few genes on the Y. We know women
in general live longer and are better multi taskers compared to
men. So why is it that there is such a tremendous discrepancy?
Only thing I can think of is that, societal, economical and
other reasons contribute to this problem. It is very refreshing
to see that these stereotyping and taboos are slowly melting
away. This year has been a remarkable year for women in
terms of winning the Nobel Prize and I want to applaud these
winners.
Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn,
Morris Herztein Profes-sor
of Biology and Physiology
in the Department of
Biochem-istry
and
Biophysics at the University
of California is a leader in
the area of telomere,
telomerase research. Dr.
Carol Greider, the co-winner of this award is a Professor at
Johns Hopkins. The molecular nature of telomeres, the end of
eukaryotic chromosomes that serve as protective caps essential
for preserving the genetic information, and the
ribonucleoprotein enzyme, telomerase and the roles they play
in aging and development of cancer was the riddle that these
scientists have been working on for the last several years.
Dr. Ada E. Yonath won the Nobel
Prize along with two other
scientists for her work on
Ribosomes, the cell’s most
multifaceted machine, at the
molecular level. She is a
distinguished scientist from the
Weizmann Institute of Science,
Rehovot, Israel.
Ribosomes,
found in the cytoplasm of the cell
are involved in protein synthesis.
Proteins and enzymes are made
based on the blue print information
PAGE 4
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
carried in the DNA. Proteins and enzymes in turn control the
chemistry of all living organisms. As Ribosomes are crucial to
life they are also target for new antibiotics. An understanding
of the innermost working of the Ribosomes is important for
the scientific understanding of life. This knowledge can be put
to practical and immediate use, since many of today’s
antibiotics cure various diseases by blocking the function of
bacterial Ribosomes.
Herta Muller, winner of the
Nobel Prize in literature was born
in the German-speaking town of
Nitzkydorfmin Banat, Romania.
Muller made her debut with a
collection of short stories,
“Niederungen,”
which
was
censored in Romania. She
published the uncensored version
in Germany. The same year she
also published “Druckender Tango” in Romania. In these two
works Muller depicts life in a small German speaking village,
and the corruption, intolerance and repression to be found
there.
Elinor Ostrom became the first
woman to win a Nobel Prize in
Economics along with fellow
American Oliver Williamson for
analyzing economic governance:
the rules by which people
exercise authority in companies
and economic systems. Ostrom is
a political scientist at Indiana
University who showed how
common resources like forests,
fisheries, oil fields and grazing
lands
can
be
managed
successfully by the people who
use them rather than by the government or private companies.
What 2009 has proved to us all is that given enough
encouragement and equal chances, women can be just as
successful as men. Stereotyping individuals and excluding
opportunities for success to any group based on gender, race
or other criteria should be a thing of the past.
Contributed by Dr. Moorthy
PUBLICATIONS
Etinger, A., Lebron, J. & Palestis, B. J.. (2009, in press).
Sex-assortative shoaling in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Bios.
Izeirovski, S., Moffett, S. B., Moffett, D. F. & Onken, H.
(2009). The anterior midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes
(Aedes aegypti): Effects of nutrients on the transepithelial
voltage and strong luminal alkalinization. Wagner College
Forum for Undergraduate Research.
Izeirovski, S., Moffett, S. B., Moffett, D. F. & Onken, H.
(2009, in press). The anterior midgut of larval yellow fever
mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti): effects of amino acids,
dicarboxylic acids, and glucose on the transepithelial voltage
and strong luminal alkalinization. Journal of Experimental
Zoology, published online, DOI: 10.1002/jez.561.
Jagadeshwaran, U., Onken, H., Hardy, M., Moffett, S. B. &
Moffett, D. F. (2009, in press). Cellular mechanisms of acid
secretion in the posterior midgut of the larval mosquito Aedes
aegypti. Journal of Experimental Biology, in press.
Lamb, C. M., Moorthy, A. S., Corbo, C.P. & Fulop, Z. L.
(2009). Teratogenic effects of lithium chloride on eye
development in early embryogenesis of Zebrafish (Danio
rerio). In Vivo 31(1): 24-31.
Moffett, D.F. and Onken, H. (2009, in press). The Cellular
Basis of Extreme Alkali Secretion in Insects: A Tale of Two
Tissues. In: Epithelial Transport Physiology (ed. George A.
Gerencser). Totowa, New Jersey: Humana Press.
Onken, H., & Moffett, D. F. (2009). Revisiting the cellular
mechanisms of strong luminal alkalinization in the anterior
midgut of larval mosquitoes. Journal of Experimental Biology.
212: 373-377.
Onken, H., Patel, M., Javoroncov, M., Izeirovski, S.,
Moffett, S.B. & Moffett, D.F. (2009). Strong alkalinization in
the anterior midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes
aegypti): Involvement of luminal Na+/K+-ATPase. Journal of
Experimental Zoology. 311A: 155-161.
Palestis, B.G. (2009). Fluctuating asymmetry in common tern
chicks varies with hatching order and clutch size. The Auk
126: 815-822.
Palestis, B.G. (2009). Use of artificial eelgrass mats by
saltmarsh-nesting common terns (Sterna hirundo). In Vivo
30(3): 11-16.
Trivers, R., B.G. Palestis & D. Zaatari. (2009). The Anatomy
of a Fraud: Symmetry and Dance. TPZ Publishers. Antioch,
CA.
Zaatari, D., Palestis, B.G. & Trivers, R. (2009). Fluctuating
asymmetry of responders affects offers in the Ultimatum
Game oppositely according to attractiveness or need as
perceived by proposers. Ethology115: 627-632.
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
MACUB CONFERENCE
On a rainy Saturday morning, a handful of Biology students
and faculty traveled to Kingsborough Community College
where the annual Metropolitan Association of College and
University Biologists Conference was held.
The conference began with a keynote address made by Debra
E. Berg, M.D. Dr. Berg is in charge of the Healthcare
Emergency Preparedness Program in the Bureau of
Communicable Diseases for the New York City Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene. Dr. Berg gave a lecture that
focused on both the seasonal flu and swine flu. She
encouraged the audience to get vaccinated for both the
seasonal flu and swine flu. Both vaccinations are available to
the public now, and are also made with eggs. She advised
individuals that may be allergic to eggs to seek professional
PAGE 5
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
consultation before receiving either vaccination. For more
information
about
swine
flu,
please
visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination_q
a_pub.htm.
Another keynote speaker at the conference, Dr. Richard
Wrangham (Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard
University), gave a lecture about his research focusing on how
cooking has helped human beings evolve as a species. Dr.
Wrangham claims that many primates devout most of their
energy during the day just chewing up their food. According
to Wrangham, cooking raw food enables humans to eat rather
quickly and devout their time to other activities. Dr.
Wrangham suggests that it is much easier to digest cooked
food, and cooking is not only a social practice, but an
important part of human evolution. For more information
about
this
speaker
please
visit:
http://www.harvardscience.harvard.edu/culturesociety/articles/invention-cooking-drove-evolution-humanspecies-new-book-argues.
Wagner Professors, Dr. Stearns and Dr. Mosher gave a
presentation together at a MACUB workshop. Dr. Stearns and
Dr. Mosher spoke about the assessment program that Biology
Department introduced in 2003. Senior Biology and
Microbiology majors are evaluated in their final year at
Wagner. Students take an assessment test and the faculty
reviews these tests to see if students have an exceptional
understanding of the material that students learn during their
undergraduate careers. The results of these tests do not affect a
student’s overall grades.
Biology undergraduate students and Microbiology graduate
students gave poster presentations of their research at the
conference. Senior Michael Gutkin (Biology Major) received
acknowledgment at the conference. Gutkin was awarded best
presentation for his paper that was titled, “Scanning Electron
Microscopic Characterization of Structural Reorganization of
the Adult Zebrafish Optic Tectum in Organotypic Culture.”
Professor Corbo, Dr. Fulop, and Professor Raths all advised
Gutkin with his research. The Limulus staff would like to
congratulate Mike and all of the other Wagner students who
participated in this prestigious conference.
Ten other students gave presentations. The names of the
students and the titles of their research are below:
Anna Lysenko (junior psychology major, biology minor) coauthored on paper presented by Kingsborough student Luesoni
Johnson: “Use of Zebrafish Embryos in Undergraduate
Education: Teaching Science and Scientific Research in an
Easy Way.” Research under the supervision of Prof.
Christopher Corbo, Dr. Zoltan Fulop and Prof. Linda Raths of
Wagner College, and Kristin Polizzotto of Kingsborough
Community College.
Jessica Browning (graduate student in microbiology):
“Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella Contamination of Mute
Swan (Cygnus olor) Eggs in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife
Refuge, Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y.” Research under the
supervision of Dr. Adam Houlihan
Zulmarie Franco (graduate student in microbiology) and
Marlene Streisinger (senior nursing major): “Ultrastructural
Characterization of Formed Elements in Peripheral Blood
of Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio).” Research under the
supervision of Prof. Christopher Corbo, Dr. Zoltan Fulop and
Prof. Linda Raths
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
PHOTO GALLERY ON NEXT PAGE!
Yolana Fuks (senior biology major, chemistry minor) and
Melanie Valencia (sophomore): “Electrophysiology of the
Isolated and Perfused Midgut of Adult Yellow Fever
Mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti): First Results.” Research under
the supervision of Dr. Horst Onken, with co-authors from
Washington State.
Lynsey Brandwein (junior psychology major, biology minor),
Julianna Maniscalco (junior biology major) and Medije
Mashkulli (junior biology major): “Inhibition of Strong
Midgut Alkalinization in Larval Yellow Fever Mosquitoes
(Aedes aegypti) with HEPES Buffer.” Research under the
supervision of Dr. Horst Onken, with co-authors from
Washington State.
PAGE 6
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
ALUMNI
CARTOON:
Dear Alumni,
If you are interested in contributing to our newsletter, you
are very welcome to do so. Contact Dr. Onken by e-mail
(horst.onken@wagner.edu)
with
your
submission,
comment, ideas or questions! We are excited to hear about
where you are, how and what you do!
RECOMMENDATIONS
Dr. STEARNS RECOMMENDS PROJECT VOTE SMART
www.votesmart.org
If you seriously wish to become reliably informed as a voter
regarding the positions of any U.S. candidate or elected
official on practically any issue, I recommend
www.votesmart.org. This web site is maintained in a fair,
impartial manner by individuals representing all political
persuasions. The web site is designed to educate—not
persuade—the voter, “exposing the facts on over 40,000
candidates and elected officials” (p. 5, Project Vote Smart’s
2008 Voter’s Self-Defense Manual). In an age where
politicians are advertised to the public like consumer products,
where most media outlets have replaced serious and
thoughtful comparisons with sensationalized fluff, where bias
is evident in newspaper editorials and most other web sites,
where very few journalists provide deep comparisons, where
television and radio programs often substitute heated opinion
for fact, and where debates have morphed into venues where
positions are promoted rather than debated, this web site is
refreshingly informative. Using www.votesmart.org, you can
identify the three congressional members who represent you
on Capitol Hill (the two senators who represent your state and
the member of the House of Representatives who represents
the district where you live). For each politician, the web site
provides the individual’s voting record, background, positions
on different issues, speeches and public statements, campaign
contributions, endorsements, and interest group ratings, among
other things.
PUZZLES, JOKES, QUOTES, CARTOONS
JOKE:
A biology professor was addressing his class, wanting to see if
they'd read the assigned text.
Professor: Miss Smith, please stand. What part of the human
body increases ten times when excited?
Miss Smith blushes and hesitates and giggles.
Professor: Miss Smith, please sit down. Miss Jones, please
stand and tell me if you know what part of the human body
increases ten times when excited.
Miss Jones: Yes, Professor. It's the pupil of the eye.
Professor: Very good. Thank you Miss Jones, you may sit
down. Miss Smith, will you please stand again. I have three
things to say to you.
1. You have not done your homework.
2. You have a very dirty mind.
3. You're in for a big disappointment.
Cartoon from www.lab-initio.com
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Authors in all sections should keep in mind that not all
readers are specialized in their area of interest. Keep your
contribution on a level that everybody can understand.
Contributions may vary in length between about 50 and
500 words and must be submitted by e-mail to
horst.onken@wagner.edu.
Photographs or other images that accompany an article are
very welcome, but must be submitted as separate files
(high quality jpg is the preferred file format) attached to
the e-mail. Be aware that photographs/images may be
minimized in size.
Indicate the section of the newsletter where you want your
contribution to appear.
The deadline for submission of a contribution is the 20th of
the month. Contributions received later may or may not be
considered.
The editor reserves his right to edit your contribution
or post an immediate response.
Editing may involve to publish contributions in other
sections as indicated by the author.
All contributions will clearly indicate the author's
identity.
All contributions are reviewed and publication may be
refused by the editor.
The Editorial Board:
Editor: Dr. Horst Onken, Associate Professor
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Rollizo, Dept. Secretary
Student Assistant Editor: Nidhi Khanna (Biology major)
Student Assistant Editor: N.N.
PAGE 8
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Limulus Newsletter, October 2009
Table Of Contents
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Letter from the editor / Horst Onken -- Greenhouse and garden / Horst Onken -- Clubs and societies news / Nidhi Khanna and Cassandra Bray -- Opportunities / Nidhi Khanna and Horst Onken -- A visit to the Burgess shale / Harold Kozak -- BI 217 class visits Snug Harbor Botanical Garden / Nidhi Khanna -- Opinion / Ammini Moorthy -- Publications, professional meetings / Nidhi Khanna -- Alumni -- Dr. Stearns recommends Project Vote Smart -- Puzzles, jokes, quotes, cartoons
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Wagner College, Department of Biological Sciences
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Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
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2009-10
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Limulus
NEWSLETTER
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Volume 2010, Issue Fall-02
October, 2010
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
TRI-BETA NEWS
With midterm just over, the fall semester appears to be
heading with full speed towards Thanksgiving and the “final
stress”. Although some call me “junior faculty”, I consider
myself in the “middle ages.” These semesters seem to pass by
faster and faster as older as I get. I wonder how this appears
for students and for “senior faculty”. Students probably think
in terms of the spring year and the fall year, whereas for Dr.
Anderson and Dr. Rath the semesters probably appear like a
week in spring and a week in fall.
Anyways, here is the second LIMULUS of this semester. The
various societies were pretty active. We have reports and
articles with lots of photos from the Pig Roast, the Breast
Cancer Walk, and the MACUB meeting. Noteworthy is also
the “Return of Dr. Fischetti” (see page 5+6).
Tri-Beta held their first meeting of the semester on
Wednesday September 22th. Members completed their offcampus community service by participating in the Breast
Cancer Walk that took place at Cloves Lake Park on October
17th. Tri-Beta members plan to do community service in the
garden later in the semester
Dr. Horst Onken
The Editor
BIOLOGY STAFF AND FACULTY NEWS
CONGRATULATIONS
This year, Dr. Palestis is one of the
recipients of a Faculty Award for
Exceptional Performance in the
Area of Scholarship. His research
addresses certain aspects of the
biology of terns. However, he is also
very engaged in behavioral studies
with zebra fish. All recipients of
faculty awards will be honored at
the Faculty Awards Dinner on
Tuesday, November 16th. More will
be reported in the next newsletter after the awards dinner.
Contributed by Dr. Onken.
BIOLOGY STUDENT NEWS
BIOLOGY CLUB NEWS
The Biology Club completed their off-campus community
service event at the annual Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday
October 17th at Cloves Lake Park. The Biology Club is in the
process of ordering club T- shirts. The „Biology Club Raises
Awareness for Breast Cancer Pork Roast‟ held on October 6 th
was a huge success (see below for further details). During this
on-campus community service event club members were able
to raise a grand total of $482 for a great cause!
Contributed by Farha Rashid
PRE-HEALTH SOCIETY
This semester, the Pre-Health Society has a new president.
Senior Biology major Felicia Giunta serves as the club‟s
president. The organization will have its next meeting on
Wednesday, November 10th at 3pm. The club is hosting a
guest speaker from the New York College of Osteopathtic
Medicine. Students interested in obtaining a DO degree are
encouraged to attend this meeting to learn more about
NYCOM. The location is TBD. For more information, please
contact Felicia.Giunta@wagner.edu.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
PRE-DENTISTRY SOCIETY
Congratulations to the Pre-Dentistry Society, who is now a
Student Government recognized organization established
during this Fall 2010 semester. President and founder of the
Pre-Dentistry Society, Gregory Balaes, referred to the society
as, “an environment where pre-dentistry students are able to
come together in one common place.”
The first annual Dental Health Promotion Day was held
September 29th, in the Union building. The society handed out
144 toothbrushes, as well as information, and tips on oral
hygiene. Donations were also collected for Operation Smile,
an organization who focuses their efforts on raising money for
surgeries to surgically correct cleft palate and cleft lip. Thank
you to all who donated!
The society has partnered with the American Red Cross, and
will be offering a CPR Certification class on Saturday,
November 6th. Certification is being offered at a discounted
cost for all those who are interested. In an interview, Vice
President Lenny Giordano stated, “By offering and setting up
a CPR certification class available for pre-dental students, as
well as all students interested, the Pre-Dentistry Society is
making small steps by giving students tools that will aid them
in the field, and when applying for jobs.”
For
more
information,
please
email
gregory.balaes@wagner.edu, or pre-dental@wagner.edu.
Contributed by Gregory Balaes
Contributed by Farha Rashid
PAGE 1
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
OPPORTUNITIES
RESEARCH WITH MOSQUITOES AND CRABS
Dr.
Onken
offers
research opportunities
for students in the frame
of a project in which he
collaborates with scientists from Washington
State University, the University of Idaho, and the University
of Alberta (Edmonton, CA). The project is funded by the
National Institute of Health and studies the physiology of the
midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).
Mosquitoes are vectors of a number of parasites, transmit
devastating diseases like malaria, yellow fever and dengue,
and are a major threat to the health of billions of people on our
planet. The principal investigators of this project address
larval mosquitoes, because it appears more straightforward to
fight these vectors as long as they are confined in an aquatic
habitat.
In collaboration with colleagues from the U.S. (Mt. Desert
Island Biological Laboratories, Maine), Brazil (University of
São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, University of Paraná in Curitiba)
and Canada (University of Manitoba in Winnipeg) Dr. Onken
pursues research with Crustacea related to the osmoregulatory
capacities and mechanisms of crabs. Together with Dr.
Alauddin (Chemistry) and Professor Beecher (Biology), an
ecophysiological study is in an early stage of planning.
Dr. Onken can offer research opportunities for two to three
students. If interested contact Dr. Onken in his office (Megerle
Science Hall Room 411), lab (Megerle Science Hall Room
406) or via e-mail (horst.onken@wagner.edu) or phone 4204211.
For the spring semester Dr. Onken offers a work study
position related to his work with mosquitoes.
veggie burgers, chicken burgers, and pasta salads were served
buffet style, as students, faculty, and staff gathered on Guild
Patio.
President of the Biology Club, Leonid Denisenko, would like
to thank “Sabrina Slater from Co-curricular for helping us put
it all together, SGA for providing the resources, and all the
members of the Biology Club for working very hard. It was a
lot of fun, and we hope to do it again.” As for future prospects
of the club, Leonid continued in saying, “The Biology Club is
evolving as an organization on campus. I will work very hard
in conjunction with our members to bring educational and
interesting events to Wagner College. We will show that
Science can be a lot of fun.”
Photos from the event:
Contributed by Dr. Onken
WORK IN THE GARDEN
Students interested in collaborating in the greenhouse and/or
garden during the fall and winter of 2010 are encouraged to
contact Dr. Onken (horst.onken@wagner.edu). There is also
an official student job for collaboration in greenhouse and
garden.
Ribbons distributed after donation, and pamphlets with
information on how to detect breast cancer.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
BE A LIMULUS ASISTANT EDITOR
We just welcomed the third assistant editor for the LIMULUS:
Gregory Balaes. The more students actively contribute, the
better the newsletter becomes. Proficient student writers are
invited to become assistant editors for the newsletter of the
Department of Biological Sciences. If you are interested,
please, contact Dr. Onken (horst.onken@wagner.edu).
EXPERIENCES
BIOLOGY CLUB‟S FIRST ANNUAL PIG ROAST
The Biology Club made strides against breast cancer by
raising $482 in the first annual Breast Cancer Awareness Pig
Roast on Wednesday, October 6th. Roasted pork, kielbasas,
Wagner students, as they enjoy the pulled pork, and the turkey
burgers.
PAGE 2
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Members of the Wagner Community gathered on Guild Patio
to spread awareness, and to enjoy the food.
Contributed by Gregory Balaes
ANNUAL BREAST CANCER WALK
The American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast
Cancer is an annual event that takes place just down the hill
from Wagner, in Cloves Lake Park. Hundreds of individuals
walk around the park in order to raise money and show their
support for the women and men who are diagnosed with breast
cancer every year. The Biology Club, Tri- Beta, and PreHealth society participate in this walk as their off campus
community service event each year.
Contributed by Farha Rashid with photographs from Nidhi Khanna
PUBLICATIONS
Jagadeshwaran, U., Onken, H., Hardy, M., Moffett, S. B. &
Moffett, D. F. (2010). Cellular mechanisms of acid secretion
in the posterior midgut of the larval mosquito Aedes aegypti.
Journal of Experimental Biology 213: 295-300.
Moffett, D.F. and Onken, H. (2010). The Cellular Basis of
Extreme Alkali Secretion in Insects: A Tale of Two Tissues.
In: Epithelial Transport Physiology (ed. George A.
PAGE 3
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Gerencser), pp. 91-112 . Totowa, New Jersey: Humana Press.
ISBN: 978-1-60327-228-5.
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
MACUB
On a Saturday morning, a handful of Biology students and
faculty traveled to Molloy College where the annual
Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists
Conference was held. The conference began with a keynote
address made by Dr. Susan S. Kilham, a Professor of
Environmental Science at Drexel University gave a lecture
about global warming and the mountains of evidence that supports it. She does extensive research that deals with the effects
of climate change on various ecosystems.
Biology undergraduate students and Microbiology graduate
students gave poster presentations of their research at the
conference.
Graduate
Assistant
Michael
Gutkin
(Microbiology) received acknowledgment at the conference.
Gutkin was awarded third place in the graduate category for
his presenation that was titled, “Immunofluorescent
Characterization of the Cellular Composition in Normal Adult
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Optic Tectum.". Professor Corbo, Dr.
Alejandra Alonso (College of Staten Island), and Dr. Fulop
advised Gutkin with his research. Additionally, Caroline Mroz
(Senior, Biology major) was honored as a winner for the
Benjamin Cummings/MACUB Student Research Award. The
Limulus staff would like to congratulate Mike, Caroline, and
all of the other Wagner students who participated in this
prestigious conference.
Some photographs from the event:
PAGE 4
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Graduate
"Exploration of the Regulatory Effects of jadW1, jadW2 and
jadW3 in the Biosynthesis of Jadomycin B in Streptomyces
venezuelae ISP5230." Jeffrey Bertone (Microbiology) and Dr.
Roy Mosher.
"Immunofluorescent Characterization of the Cellular
Composition in Normal Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Optic
Tectum." Michael Gutkin (Microbiology(, Prof. Christopher
Corbo, Dr. Alejandra Alonso (College of Staten Island) and
Dr. Zoltan Fulop.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
ALUMNI
Dr. FISCHETTI AGAIN ON CAMPUS
Dr. Fischetti who graduated from Wagner
College in 1962 received an honorary
degree during the commencement
ceremony in May 2010. He will return
this week again to Wagner College in
order to give a presentation in the frame
of the Academic and Cultural Enrichment
(ACE) lecture series.
In the following find a copy of Dr. Fischetti‟s biosketch as it
appeared on the Wagner College website and the
announcement for his ACE presentation this coming week.
Vincent A. Fischetti, Ph.D.
Professor and Head, Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and
Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY
Below is a list of all of the students and their presentations:
Undergraduate
"Chromosomal Aberrations Caused by the Chemotherapeutic
Agent Mitoxantrone on In vitro Human Peripheral
Leukocytes." Roseanna Valant (Senior Biology major) and Dr.
Ammini Moorthy.
"Development of Genetically Encoded Malonyl-CoA Sensor."
Violeta Capric (Junior Biology major), Dr. Michael Wolfgang
(Johns Hopkins University). Wagner College faculty advisor:
Dr. Onken.
"Production of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos using In Vitro
Fertilization Techniques." Caroline Mroz (Senior Biology
major), Dr. Ammini Moorthy.
More than 90 percent of all infections begin at a mucous
membrane site (oral, nasal, upper or lower respiratory, ocular,
intestinal or urogenital). The Fischetti lab is working to
understand the earliest events that occur when gram-positive
bacteria interact with human tissues and cause disease. Its
research is aimed at interfering with these events by:
developing vaccines to induce a mucosal immune response;
blocking the attachment of surface protein in the bacterial cell
wall to prevent infection; and using phage lytic enzymes to
both remove colonizing pathogenic bacteria to prevent
infection and treat established infections.
Dr. Fischetti works with gram-positive bacteria, such as
streptococci, that do not contain a second cell membrane
outside of the cell wall. In the fight against infectious disease,
Dr. Fischetti investigates two nonantibiotic treatment
strategies. This two-pronged approach involves blocking
bacteria from attaching to cells and exploring the use of phage
lytic enzymes to remove pathogenic bacteria once they have
colonized in the host.
To infect their host, bacteria use their surface molecules to
attach and invade human tissues, particularly those that line
the nose and throat. Knowledge of the process bacteria use to
anchor these molecules in their cell wall could lead to
strategies to prevent infection. The M protein is a surface
PAGE 5
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
protein that is the major virulence factor of group A
streptococci because of its ability to impede attack by human
white blood cells. Analysis of this molecule by Dr. Fischetti‟s
lab shows that the region used to attach the M protein to the
cell surface is highly conserved in gram-positive bacteria,
indicating that the mechanism for anchoring surface proteins
in bacteria is also conserved. Since bacteria cannot cause
infection without their surface proteins, a molecule that blocks
surface protein attachment will be broadly applicable to
different gram-positive bacteria.
Dr. Fischetti‟s lab has also shown that the M protein can be
used to deliver the molecules to the surface of gram-positive
bacteria to be used as a vaccine. A vaccine that employs this
approach could be used against a variety of harmful pathogens
and is currently being tested in clinical trials. Dr. Fischetti has
also identified a membrane-associated enzyme responsible for
cleaving the highly conserved anchor region of surface
proteins. Inhibition of this enzyme prevents both cell wall
assembly and the proper attachment of most surface proteins,
resulting in nearly naked bacteria. Studies are under way to
further define the role of this enzyme in cell wall assembly
and the protein attachment process to identify inhibitors that
may be used as a new class of antibiotic.
As new antibiotics are proving futile against resistant strains
of bacteria, the Fischetti lab is investigating the efficacy of
lytic enzymes, which are found exclusively in viruses called
bacteriophages (or phages), viruses that infect bacteria.
Dr. Fischetti‟s lab has recombinantly produced lysins that will
kill the major gram-positive pathogens — Streptococcus
pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus,
Enterococcus faecalis and Bacillus anthracis — and has used
these proteins to destroy their respective bacteria in animal
models of disease. The enzymes are extremely potent; only
very small amounts are needed to destroy millions of
organisms within seconds of contact. They are also highly
specific and unlike antibiotics, only kill the disease-causing
bacteria without harming the beneficial bacteria. Dr.
Fischetti‟s studies have shown that when small amounts of the
enzymes are administered to mice that have intentionally been
infected with these bacteria, the disease-causing bacteria are
rapidly destroyed. In an animal model of pneumococcus
pneumonia, Dr. Fischetti has shown that systemic
administration of the phage enzyme Cpl-1 can rescue mice
infected with the pathogen and completely reverse lung tissue
damage if given within 24 hours post-infection. Fischetti and
his colleagues showed that when the enzyme is delivered to
the brain of mice with pneumococcal meningitis, it effectively
removes the organisms from the site. The lab has also shown
that by removing colonizing S. pneumoniae from the nose of
mice, they could completely prevent secondary ear infections
triggered by influenza.
Using lytic enzymes as a tool, Dr. Fischetti‟s lab developed a
method of drilling through the thick cell walls of grampositive bacteria while keeping them intact. The technique
enabled the Fischetti lab to access the bacterial cytoplasm with
labeled antibodies to study intracellular molecules that were
previously inaccessible.
CAREER
Dr. Fischetti grew up in New York City, receiving his B.S. in
bacteriology from Wagner College in 1962 and his M.S. in
microbiology from Long Island University in 1967. He
received his Ph.D. in microbiology from New York University
in 1970. Dr. Fischetti came to Rockefeller as a postdoc in
1970 and became assistant professor in 1973, associate
professor in 1978 and professor in 1990. In 1987 Dr. Fischetti
received a 10-year National Institutes of Health MERIT
Award that was renewed in 1997.
USING WHAT PHAGE HAVE LEARNED TO
CONTROL GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA
ACE Presentation by Vincent A. Fischetti, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and
Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York,
NY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, 4:20 P.M.,
WAGNER COLLEGE, SPIRO HALL, ROOM 2
Dear Alumni,
If you are interested in contributing to our newsletter, you
are very welcome to do so. Contact Dr. Onken by e-mail
(horst.onken@wagner.edu)
with
your
submission,
comment, ideas or questions! We are excited to hear about
where you are, how and what you do!
PAGE 6
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
CARTOONS
Cartoon from www.lab-initio.com
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Authors in all sections should keep in mind that not all readers are specialized in their area of interest. Keep your contribution on
a level that everybody can understand.
Contributions may vary in length between about 50 and 500 words and must be submitted by e-mail to horst.onken@wagner.edu.
Photographs or other images that accompany an article are very welcome, but must be submitted as separate files (high quality jpg
is the preferred file format) attached to the e-mail. Be aware that photographs/images may be minimized in size.
Indicate the section of the newsletter where you want your contribution to appear.
The deadline for submission of a contribution is the 20th of the month. Contributions received later may or may not be considered.
The editor reserves his right to edit your contribution or post an immediate response.
Editing may involve to publish contributions in other sections as indicated by the author.
All contributions will clearly indicate the author's identity.
All contributions are reviewed and publication may be refused by the editor.
The Editorial Board:
Editor: Dr. Horst Onken, Associate Professor
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Rollizo, Dept. Secretary
Student Assistant Editor: Nidhi Khanna (Biology)
Student Assistant Editor: Farha Rashid (Biology)
Student Assistant Editor: Gregory Balaes (Biology)
Student Assistant Editor: WANTED!
PAGE 7
�
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Letter from the editor / Horst Onken -- Biology staff and faculty news / Horst Onken -- Biology student news / Farha Rashid, Nidhi Khanna, and Gregory Balaes -- Research with mosquitoes and crabs / Horst Onken -- Biology club's first annual pig roast / Gregory Balaes -- Annual breast cancer walk / Farha Rashid and Nidhi Khanna -- Publications, professional meetings, alumni, and cartoons
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Limulus
NEWSLETTER
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Volume 2011, Issue Fall-02
October, 2011
BIOLOGY CLUB MEMBERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Biology Staff and Faculty News
Curriculum News
News from Clubs and Societies
Experiences
Opportunities
Publications, Presentations and Professional Meetings
Alumni
Cartoon
Guidelines for Contributors and Editorial Board
2
2
3
5
6
6
7
8
8
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The October LIMULUS is coming this year after the first
winter storm. The reason is not that the newsletter is late I
admit it sometimes happens), but that winter hit New York
exceptionally early. Under Curriculum News, the current
newsletter presents two First Year Learning Communities with
participation of the Department of Biological Sciences. The
Biology Club had a major event, and also the other student
societies associated with the department are very active. As
usual, reports from such activities and events are found in the
LIMULUS. A horse surgery externship at the Hagyard Equine
Medical Institute is the highlight of the EXPERIENCES
described in the October newsletter. A review of the fall
conference of the Metropolitan Association of College and
University Biologists (MACUB) should be another part of the
LIMULUS that I expect to find a lot of readers.
We all got an unusually early taste of winter this last weekend.
However, I very much hope that the winter will retreat again
that we all can enjoy some more pleasant fall weather. I hope
everybody had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN, and I wish all
students good luck with registration. Finally, let me remind
you that there are only a few weeks until THANKSGIVING.
HANG IN THERE AND GOOD LUCK IN THE FINALS!
Best regards,
Dr. Horst Onken, The Editor
PAGE 1
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
BIOLOGY STAFF AND FACULTY NEWS
PEER EVALUATIONS
A Peer Evaluation Group (PEG), consisting of the full-time
faculty members of the Department of Biological Sciences and
two peers from outside the department (Dr. Mohammad
Alauddin and Dr. Mark Wagner), met on Tuesday, October 25
to evaluate Dr. Onken in his 6th year at Wagner College. Dr.
Onken requested tenure and promotion to full professor. The
evaluation will be continued by the Faculty Personnel
Committee and the Provost, before a decision is made.
Dr. Cook has been tenured in spring and is coming up for
promotion. Her PEG will meet on November 15.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
CURRICULUM NEWS
LC 17 ON THE ROAD AGAIN AND AGAIN
Between October 19th and October 21st, 2011, Dr. Stearns and
Dr. Mosher presented a poser about first-year learning
communities (LCs) titled “Experiential Learning: Integrating
the Field Trip, Research and Civic Engagement Models in a
First Year Learning Community.”
For the past three fall semesters, Dr. Stearns has collaborated
with Dr. Houlihan (now at Randolph College) and now Dr.
Mosher to create the LC 17, titled “Bacteria, Human Health
and Survival.” This LC is composed of two introductory
courses, namely Microbiology (MI200, with laboratory
experience) and Biostatistics and Experimental Design
(BI221), and a third course called the Reflective Tutorial
(RFT). The RFT integrates components from microbiology
and biostatistics to “stimulate critical thinking, discussion,
research and formal writing around the common theme of the
LC.”
Moreover, this LC involves off-campus field-trips to connect
what is learned in the classroom about microorganisms, for
example, to the “real world.” To illustrate, this fall’s LC
students have toured numerous places, including a hospital, a
local wastewater treatment facility, scientific conferences,
laboratories and a medical school. Dr. Stearns writes, “where
possible, each trip is coordinated with subject matter being
considered in the LC lecture courses.”
Furthermore, LC 17 includes a research component called the
Bioremediation Project. This project is designed so that
students can use the scientific method as well as standard
microbiological procedures to “culture bacteria in the
presence/absence of [an industrial] chemical” and to see if
these bacteria can decompose a particular compound. Not only
do first-year students have the unparalleled experience of
conducting their own experiment, but they are also expected to
carry out standard literature research. At the end of this
project, each student writes a paper, which follows the
scientific formatting style, reporting his result. Students
organize Powerpoint presentations, explaining their literature
research as well as their experiments and their subsequent
results.
In addition to the field-trip and research components, LC
students visit an elementary school, where they explain
microbiology to grade-school students. An LC instructor
accompanies these students to assess their performance. The
purpose of this experience is to “reinforce [the students’]
understanding of the subject matter, and at the same time,
provide learning experiences for elementary school students in
the local community.” In this component, students work
together to assemble a Powerpoint presentation as well as
“hands-on” experiences for the children.
In short, the purpose of this LC is to improve first-year
students’ “critical thinking and civic thinking skills”
throughout the semester. From field trips to civic engagement,
students learn to make connections between what is taught in
the classroom and the real world.
I would like to thank Dr. Stearns for sharing this valuable
information with me.
LC 13 SNUG HARBOR WATER FRONT CLEAN UP
About twenty-five Wagner College students from Learning
Community (L.C.) 13, taught by Dr. Heather Cook, and Dr.
Gelabert, cleaned up the Snug Harbor Water Front. After four
straight hours of cleaning, students totaled over sixty bags of
garbage, including trash such as bottles and car parts.
Contributed by Gregory Balaes, and Dr. Heather Cook. Photos by Jonathan
Hinrichs.
PAGE 2
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
NEWS FROM CLUBS AND SOCIETIES
BIOLOGY CLUB
Members of the Biology Club once again had a big turn out at
their last event, titled “MED-iterranian Medley Health
Awareness Feast.” The event lasted from 4pm-7pm on
Wednesday, October 16th. The event was so successful that
more food had to be ordered within the second hour. Funds
were raised to benefit the American Cancer Society Making
Strides Against Breast Cancer. Members, students, faculty,
and staff alike helped raise funds and awareness for a great
cause. This is the second time the biology club has worked
with the ACS to make a donation in the name of Wagner
College Biology Club.
Six tables were set up in Beisler Lounge describing
information of different aspects of biology. The six tables had
their own theme, including: Microbes, Pharmacology, Oral
Hygiene, Breast Cancer, Pre-Veterinary/Environmental
Biology, and most importantly a Biology Information table
that promoted the biological sciences and included models
from the biology department. Each table had raffles including
microbe plushy toys, giveaways, and cookies made personally
by the club members that served as prizes for answering
biological trivia questions correctly.
Every table had pamphlets about its respective topic and
posters created by the members of the club. The microbe table
explained information regarding sex cells, where students
were also able to pick up free condoms. A pharmacology table
offered information regarding drug and alcohol abuse, and the
biochemical effects on the brain. Other information such as an
oral hygiene table gave out gum, toothpaste and toothbrushes
brought by a club member and a breast cancer table was also
on display with biological cancer effects.
Mediterranean food was the center of the event, offering foods
such as baklava, chicken, beef, and lamb kebabs, Turkish
bread, babaganoush, delicious sauces, grilled vegetables, and
tiramisu, just to name a few. The focal point of the event was
to bring delicious food to campus residents and educate the
public about biology and how it is related to everyday life.
The members were fully engaged and helped every step of the
way from decorations to clean up. Everyone worked together
to created a successful event. Close to 300 people passed by
including our new provost.
Please look for future events such as the Biology Club’s breast
cancer walk, and their “feeding meeting,” which will feature a
science with sushi night.
Contributed by Gregory Balaes
PAGE 3
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
TRI-BETA BIOLOGY HONORS SOCIETY
This past month, Tri-Beta took part in the Light the Night,
with a great turn out, despite the rain. The walk benefited the
leukemia and lymphoma society, where students walked to
raise money for research, and hopefully a cure.
On November 9th, members of Tri-Beta are hosting a Faculty
Luncheon for the Department of Biological Sciences. Students
of Tri-Beta are also holding a Thanksgiving canned food drive
to benefit a local church during the holiday season.
Shown below are students at the Light the Night Walk.
summer.
Lastly, there is a new executive board for the 2011-2012
academic semester. President- Paki Mekki; VP of Medicine Maleeha Memon; VP of Allied Health - Samar Alwani;
Community Service Chair - Antonia Bertelle; Treasurer Noor Hussain; Secretary: Kymberlie Vargas
For more information on future events, please contact
pakinam.mekki@wagner.edu
Contributed by Philip Fomina
PRE-DENTISTRY SOCIETY
On October 22, at 11 AM, the Pre-Dentistry Society held their
bi-annual CPR Certification event through the American Red
Cross at Wagner College. Students were trained on
administering CPR, the abdominal thrust, and how to use the
AED (Automatic External Defibrillator). If you were not able
to be certified in the Fall semester, then don’t worry. There
will be a future CPR certification event in the Spring 2012
semester.
Contributed by Philip Fomina. Photo by Joanna Emilio.
PRE-HEALTH SOCIETY
This semester, PHS has been extremely active. Our members
have attended symposiums, engaged in two community
service events and visited Mount Sinai School of Medicine's
Open House event.
As far as community service, the Pre-Health Society was
involved with the Light the Night walk on October 1st, as well
as a Muslims for Life blood drive on October 19th, in order to
commemorate lives lost on 9/11.
During this year, the Pre-Health Society is extremely
interested in attracting a wide variety of graduate schools to
come speak at Wagner College. For instance, the New York
College of Podiatric Medicine held a symposium on
September 30th, the African Conservation Experience held a
symposium on October 7th, MEDLIFE held a symposium on
October 12th, and NYIT’s New York College of Osteopathic
Medicine held a symposium on October 14th.
To highlight one symposium in particular, Ellen Sziede, a
representative from the African Conservation Experience,
spoke about the wildlife care and veterinary hands-on
experience available to interested students in southern Africa.
In this project, which lasts two to twelve weeks, students
take responsibility for the daily care of injured, orphaned and
poisoned wildlife, working with a wide range of African
species, from large mammals to reptiles and birds. Participants
also assist with veterinary nursing, preparing diet plans,
administering physiotherapy and preparing the wildlife for
release and rehabilitation. This program requires no previous
experience with animals and is ideal for those interested in
veterinary nursing and veterinary medicine. Two Wagner
students, Mark Fealey and Jessica Oppenheimer, are
participating in the African Conservation Experience next
Students administering rescue breaths to their victims and
administering CPR.
Any student interested in dentistry is certainly welcome to join
the Pre-Dentistry Society. For more information, please, email
pre-dental@wagner.edu!
Contributed by Philip Fomina. Photos by Gregory Balaes.
PAGE 4
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
EXPERIENCES
HORSE SURGERY EXTERNSHIP
Hi, my name is Mark Fealey. I am a third-year biology major
and aspiring to become a veterinarian one day.
This past summer, I had a great opportunity to gain experience
with not only large animals, but with the top equine surgeons
in the world. Towards the end of August, I flew down to
Lexington, KY and stayed at the world famous Hagyard
Equine Medical Institute (the world’s oldest and largest equine
practice) to go on a horse surgery externship, an externship
usually only offered to veterinary students. There, I lived with
veterinarians that were from around the world, ranging from
Argentina to Ireland.
On my weeklong stay, I shadowed Hagyard’s senior equine
surgeon, Dr. Michael Spirito (’80 Torino, Italy). I would start
my day by waking up at 6:30 am and travel to various farms to
assist and observe routine home visits horse inspections. This
mainly consisted of checking each horse’s larynx and x-raying
each horse’s legs. By the time we were done, it would be
around 1 pm and we would have x-rayed an average of 35
horses (keep in mind, a set of 36 x-rays per horse will run you
about $500).
Once we finished the home visits for the day, the real fun
began: surgery. To see an animal weighing around 1,000 lbs
go under anesthesia, lifted, prepped and eventually cut open
was remarkable. The one thing that amazed me more was how
quick and efficient the crew operated. For example, one of the
more common surgeries young horses underwent was to put
screws in the cannon of the horse to properly align its growth
plate. The average duration of the surgery was literally 5
minutes, from first incision up to putting sutures in.
Nothing surprised me more than seeing my first colic surgery.
A colic surgery consists of rearranging the large and small
intestines to reduce gas pressure and to make the horse
comfortable. A horse can die if left untreated due to pain
alone. As soon as the surgeon, Dr. Robert J. Hunt (84
University of Georgia), made his first incision, fluids were
pouring out of the horse. There was so much internal fluid that
they needed a vet technician to mop up the floor so the
surgeon wouldn’t slip. In my disbelief, that did not stifle him
as he reached for yards upon yards of large intestine and
continued with the surgery.
The surgeries I saw were very common for the time of year
but still very exciting: screws, osteochronditis dissecans
surgery (performed otoscopically), colic surgery and
castration. In a week’s time, I learned a lot about the
physiology of horses and techniques during surgery, but more
importantly that this is the field and atmosphere I would like
to work in one day.I can’t begin to thank Dr. Spirito enough
for allowing me to shadow one of the greatest, if not the
greatest horse surgeons in the world. I am happy to report that
I’ve been invited back to stay longer and experience another
externship in equine medicine next summer.
Contributed by Mark Fealey
PAGE 5
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
BIRD & MOTH RESCUE ON CAMPUS
This October, the department of biological sciences helped in
the rescue of both a moth and bird. Originally discovered by
staff member Joseph Cosentino and student Ethan Kraft, the
rescue efforts also involved Dr. Palestis, Prof. Raths, Mrs.
Rollizo, and Dr. Onken.
The first, an injured white-throated sparrow was found
“stunned,” but after a nice meal of birdseed and water, Dr.
Palestis decided it was fine to be released. Dr. Palestis gently
gripped the bird and placed it near a garden outside of Megerle
Science. After a few seconds, the bird peeked his head left and
right, and flew without any problems straight to a tree branch.
Stephanie Rollizo explains, “He looked very happy to be back
outside once again.”
The second, a moth, was found near the facilities loading
dock, simply laying on the ground. Joeseph Cosentino said he
passed the cocoon for several weeks, and was curious to see it
finally hatch. When he saw the moth on laying floor, it
disheartened him, where he felt it was his duty to bring it to
the Department of Biological Sciences for rescue. The staff
had no problem caring for the moth, in what he described as
food any moth would love:
“Most moths are quite fond of sugar water. No one quite
knows why they prefer this particular mixture, but they sure
do chow down on it. What you do, is you mix together water
(doesn't matter if it is warm or cold...just don't make it
freezing or piping hot) with A LOT of sugar. Then, you put a
cotton ball into the mixture and let it soak it up. The reason
you want to put it into a cotton ball is because if you just put it
in a bowl, the moth may drown in its food. Kind of squeeze
out some excess water, not a lot, just so the moth can't drown
in it, then you're set to go.”
Contributed by Gregory Balaes and Stephanie Rollizo.
OPPORTUNITIES
RESEARCH WITH MOSQUITOES AND CRABS
Dr. Onken offers research
opportunities for students in
the frame of a project in
which he collaborates with
scientists from Washington
State University, the University of Idaho, and the University
of Alberta (Edmonton, CA). The project is funded by the
National Institute of Health and studies the physiology of the
midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).
Mosquitoes are vectors of a number of parasites, transmit
devastating diseases like malaria, yellow fever and dengue,
and are a major threat to the health of billions of people on our
planet. The principal investigators of this project address
larval mosquitoes, because it appears more straightforward to
fight these vectors as long as they are confined in an aquatic
habitat.
In collaboration with colleagues from the U.S. (Mt. Desert
Island Biological Laboratories, Maine), Brazil (University of
São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, University of Paraná in Curitiba)
and Canada (University of Manitoba in Winnipeg) Dr. Onken
pursues research with Crustacea related to the osmoregulatory
capacities and mechanisms of crabs.
Dr. Onken can offer research opportunities for two to three
students. If interested contact Dr. Onken in his office (Megerle
Science Hall Room 411), lab (Megerle Science Hall Room
406) or via e-mail (horst.onken@wagner.edu) or phone 4204211.
For the spring semester Dr. Onken offers a work study
position related to his work with mosquitoes.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
The editor would like to encourage faculty members of the
Department of Biological Sciences to describe their
opportunities for research projects in the LIMULUS.
If students are interested to volunteer, to do research for
credit (BI 493 and 494), or to prepare for their research
experience in the frame of the senior learning community,
please, contact the faculty members of the department.
WORK IN THE GARDEN
Students interested in collaborating in the greenhouse and/or
garden during the fall of 2011 should contact Dr. Onken
(horst.onken@wagner.edu).
Contributed by Dr. Onken
BE A LIMULUS ASISTANT EDITOR
Proficient student writers are invited to become assistant
editors for the newsletter of the Department of Biological
Sciences. If you are interested, please, contact Dr. Onken
(horst.onken@wagner.edu).
Contributed by Dr. Onken
PUBLICATIONS
Palestis, B.G., J. Cabrero, R. Trivers, and J.P.M. Camacho.
2010. Prevalence of B chromosomes in Orthoptera is
associated with shape and number of A chromosomes.
Genetica 138: 1181-1189.
PRESENTATIONS
Palestis, B.G. and K.E. Eppinger. 2011. A banding study of
common terns on Pettit Island, NJ: Preliminary results.
Greater New York/New Jersey Harbor Herons and Waterbirds
Working Group. Staten Island, NY. January 12-13.
PAGE 6
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Palestis, B., I. Nisbet, J. Hatch, J. Arnold, and P. Szczys.
2011. The importance of tail length for sexual selection in
roseate terns. Waterbird Society. Grand Island, NE. March 1316.
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
MACUB 2011
The 44th Annual MACUB Conference took place at Seton
Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey on Saturday,
October 29, 2011. MACUB is the Metropolitan Association
of College and University Biologists (see http://macub.org).
Seven faculty and staff of the department of biological
sciences attended with nine students, of which five presented
their research, as follows:
Analyzing the Effect of Phthalates on the Development of
Drosophila melanogaster. Lisa Duncan, Joanna Emilio,
Heather Cook, Wagner College
Electron Microscopic Analysis of Cell Membrane Integrity
when Expressing Tau Pseudophosphorylated at Positions
T212, T213 & S262. Leonid Denisenko, Christopher Corbo,
Wagner College; Alejandra Alonso, CSI
Identification of Proliferating and Immunologically Active
Cells in Surviving Organotypic Culture of Adult Zebrafish
(Danio rerio) Optic Tecturm. Michael C. Gutkin, Christoper
P. Corbo, Linda A. Raths, Zoltan L. Fulop, Wagner College
Imaging Primary Cilia in Pancreatic Cancer Tumor
Initiating Cells. Gina M. Auricchio, Wagner College;
Jennifer Bailty, Florencia McAllister, Anirban Maitra, Steven
Leach, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Measuring Distribution and Permeability of an HIV
Microbicide Gel Vehicle using MRT, SPECT/CT and a
Radiolabeled Small Molecule. Maleeha A. Memon, Wagner
College; Edward Fuchs, Rahul Bakshi, Craig Hendrix, Johns
Hopkins University
Contributed by Stephanie Rollizo
ALUMNI
Dear Alumni,
If you are interested in contributing to our newsletter, you
are very welcome to do so. Contact Dr. Onken by e-mail
(horst.onken@wagner.edu)
with
your
submission,
comment, ideas or questions! We are excited to hear about
where you are, how and what you do!
PAGE 7
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
CARTOON
Cartoons from www.lab-initio.com
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Authors in all sections should keep in mind that not all readers are specialized in their area of interest. Keep your contribution on a
level that everybody can understand.
Contributions may vary in length between about 50 and 500 words and must be submitted by e-mail to horst.onken@wagner.edu.
Photographs or other images that accompany an article are very welcome, but must be submitted as separate files (high quality jpg
is the preferred file format) attached to the e-mail. Be aware that photographs/images may be minimized in size.
Indicate the section of the newsletter where you want your contribution to appear.
The deadline for submission of a contribution is the 20th of the month. Contributions received later may or may not be considered.
The editor reserves his right to edit your contribution or post an immediate response.
Editing may involve to publish contributions in other sections as indicated by the author.
All contributions will clearly indicate the author's identity.
All contributions are reviewed and publication may be refused by the editor.
The Editorial Board:
Editor: Dr. Horst Onken, Associate Professor
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Rollizo, Department Secretary
Student Assistant Editor: Gregory Balaes (Biology)
Student Assistant Editor: Philip Fomina (Biopsychology)
Student Assistant Editor: Pakinam Mekki (Biology)
Student Assistant Editor: WANTED!
PAGE 8
�
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Limulus Newsletter, October 2011
Table Of Contents
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Letter from the editor / Horst Onken -- Biology staff and faculty news : Peer evaluations / Horst Onken -- LC 17 on the road again and again -- LC 13 Snug Harbor water front clean up / Gregory Balaes, Heather Cook, and Jonathan Hinrichs -- News from clubs and societies / Gregory Balaes, Philip Fomina, and Joanna Emilio -- Horse surgery externship / Mark Fealey -- Bird and moth rescue on campus / Gregory Balaes and Stephanie Rollizo -- Opportunities, publications, presentations, professional meetings, alumni, and cartoon
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Limulus
NEWSLETTER
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Volume 2008, Issue Fall-01
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
THE SEPTEMBER LIMULUS
This issue of our newsletter is again a special issue that reviews the activities of our department during the last semester.
The LIMULUS is now one year old and it is time to think
about necessary changes. As this September newsletter clearly
shows, I cannot complain about too few contributions. Nevertheless, I would very much like to still increase contributions
by students. During the spring semester, editing the newsletter
became more and more a challenge for me and my computer.
Therefore, I want to renew my offer to one or two students to
act as Assistant Editors of the LIMULUS. Moreover, I will try
a change of the format. It is very laborious to pull the content
of the newsletter from month to month. I chose this format in
the beginning, because I feared that the monthly newsletters
could not even fill a single page. After one year of LIMULUS
it seems clear that there is no reason for this fear. I will still
collect all the material for a comprehensive special issue in the
beginning of the semesters. However, the regular, monthly issues will only present the new submissions.
I very much hope you enjoy the review of spring 2008,
Dr. Horst Onken, The Editor
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dr. Onken Thank you so much for including me on the distribution list
for the newsletter. Also thanks for your time in putting it together - it looks great! If it's not too much trouble may I please
be included on the monthly distribution list. Thanks again and
I appreciate your time, Michele Leone (formerly Belliveau)
Michele, thank you very much for your nice and encouraging
response. Your address was included in our monthly distribution list. We are glad to have you as a monthly reader and we
would be delighted to hear more from you. If you like, tell us
about your time after Wagner College in a contribution for the
"ALUMNI" section. The Editor.
Thank you for sending me the newsletter. Nice to read what
the dept. is doing as well as the people doing it. I graduated in
'71, BS Biology, Dale Yarns was dept. chairman, Dr. Kanzler,
Dr. Kiley as well as others were there. Pls keep me on your email list. bob piegari.
Bob, thank you very much for your response. Unfortunately, I
have never heard of the names you mention, since I am a
member of the faculty at Wagner only in my 4th semester. May
September, 2008
be somebody of the "older" Wagnarians could give us a clue.
Of course, Bob, we would also love to hear more of your time
at Wagner College, or what you have done since then. Use the
"ALUMNI" section of the newsletter, if you like. The Editor.
Dr. O.,
Thanks for including me on your note. I enjoyed reading the
Newsletter. I'm going to go out on a limb....if my Bregenz exchange experience serves me well, "Es gibt immer Möglichkeiten" would be better translated, "There are always possibilities" There is folly, I recognize, in presuming to challenge a
professor named Horst on German usage! No offense intended. Cheers (Tschüß), Ed (BS '77)
Ed, thank you very much for your mail. Like the others you are
very much invited to tell us about your post Wagner experiences in the "ALUMNI" section. I have to admit that Ed and
I already had a little e-mail exchange about the translation issue. Would you be surprised to hear that Wagner's German
education was excellent (hopefully not only in the 70s)? No
doubt, Ed's correction of my translation is absolutely right!
BIOLOGY STAFF AND FACULTY NEWS
A NEW FACULTY MEMBER
On behalf of the Applied Microbiologist Search Committee, I
am happy to announce that Dr. Adam J.
Houlihan has joined the Faculty of the
Department of Biological Sciences as of
the Fall 2008 semester. Dr. Houlihan
received his undergraduate degree in
Molecular Biology from the University
of Southern Mississippi, and his Ph.D.
in Microbiology from Cornell University. He has spent the past two years as a
post-doctoral research associate with
the USDA – Agricultural Research Service and the Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. Dr. Houlihan’s research is focused on plantmicrobe interactions. He is interested in the ways in which
plants respond to and resist infection; in particular, he would
like to investigate plant-derived antimicrobial compounds and
the responses of soil bacteria and fungi to these compounds.
Dr. Houlihan teaches a number of courses in the undergraduate and graduate microbiology degree programs here at
Wagner including Microbial Ecology, Applied, Food, and Industrial Microbiology, and Microbial Physiology.
Contributed by Dr. Mosher
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR SERIES
LISAMARIE ALBA
Professor Lisamarie Alba came to
Wagner College as an undergraduate student in the 1970’s majoring in Bacteriology (the old name
before it switched to Microbiology). She was an undergraduate student laboratory assistant for the
Department of Bacteriology, became a graduate assistant and
worked on a research project for
the Megerles (the science building is named for the family) using the electron microscope, different types of hair and the
shampoo that they manufactured. She has a B.S. and M.S. degree in Bacteriology. She was hired by the department as a full
time instructor. While an instructor she served on many committees and advised and taught many students. She started
working on a Ph.D. at St John’s University. While working at
Wagner College she worked at Maimonides Medical Center.
She presently works full time for Maimonides Medical Center
and has been an adjunct professor in the department for many
years.
Contributed by Dr. Bobbit
JOSEPH BERBERENA
In the spring semester 2008, Professor Joseph Berberena became
the newest member of our adjunct
faculty. He teaches the four lab
sections of Human Anatomy and
Physiology. Professor Berberena
is a very experienced teacher who
has been an adjunct professor at a
number of colleges in New York,
New Jersey and Nevada for 27
years. He holds Bachelor and
Master degrees in Education and
has a broad background of completed biomedical coursework
from the New York Medical College Graduate School.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
Dr. STEARNS: MEGERLE ENDOWED CHAIR II
The science departments at
Wagner College are very fortunate to have the generosity of the
Megerle family. After a first endowed chair (Megerle Endowed
Chair I; in the moment occupied
by Dr. Fulop), a second endowed
chair became available for the
academic year 2008/2009. In the
program announcement of the
provost, Dr. Devorah Lieberman,
it reads: “Qualified faculty are
those who hold the rank of full
professor in one the following areas: biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics or physical anthropology/archeology.” and “Candidates must have a distinguished
record of past research and scholarship as well as an ongoing
program of research.” Dr. Stearns from our department was
selected and appointed the Megerle Endowed Chair II. This
decision is an honor for Dr. Stearns and the selection of another Biology Professor honors our department.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Contributed by Dr. Onken
BIOLOGY STUDENT NEWS
GRADUATES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL
SCIENCES IN SPRING 2008
BS with a major in Biology: Carmine Cataldo, Justine Cicalo, Aleksey Etinger, Jusuf Husic, Nina Eliza Krietchman,
Christina Lamb.
BS with a major in Biopsychology: Chelsey Bunyer, Alfred
Phillips.
BS with a major in Microbiology: Michael Bois, Kristin
Dybing, Mouhamed Halwani, Edmond Kurtovic, Lauren
Maltese.
MS in Microbiology: Diana Catanzariti, Chris Corbo, Melanie M. Corebello, Vincenzo D. DiMaggio, Edmond C.
Jenkins, Richard A. Maltese Jr., Nicholas Salvatore Senise,
William Sheu, Edlira Tafani.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Contributed by Stephanie Rollizo and Dr. Onken
A VISIT AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Recently, I had the experience of
interviewing with the National Institute of Health at the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Disease in Bethesda, MD for a 1year postbaccalaureate research
position. It was a really great experience and I was immediately
impressed with both the campus
(which was huge and very highly
secured) and the lab I interviewed
with. The program is for recent graduates who are planning on
attending graduate school after the year with the NIH ends.
They provide you with the research and possible publications
that graduate schools would be looking for. You are assigned
to work with a post-doctoral fellow that you have matched
with and are allowed to work both independently and with anyone else who is involved in your post-doc’s research. The interview was fun since I was able to meet all of the scientists
working in the lab and listen to each of their research projects
all day and ask them lots of questions. The laboratory works
with many different aspects of the anthrax toxin and I am very
excited to start in August.
Contributed by Lauren Maltese
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
GRADUATE SCHOOL INTERVIEWS
This semester has been quite a
time of traveling. I was so fortunate to attend five graduate school
interviews this semester, and I
wanted to tell students interested in
graduate school a little bit about
what they are like. First off, graduate school interviews are not as
scary as you may think. Most of
the professors are very laidback
and just want to hear about what
your research interests are. Sometimes you will have that tough and aloof interviewer, but as
long as you know your stuff, you do not have to worry. Here
are three main things I would want to tell anyone doing graduate school interviews.
Know your research: It is extremely important that you know
everything about your research and its significance. I had
every interviewer ask me about the zebrafish embryos. You
will find that after you spend so much time in your project, it
is very easy to answer these questions.
Know the program: It is critical that you know about the
program you have applied to, and more importantly why you
are specifically interested in it. You will be asked why you
applied to this program and not another. Have that answer
ready so the interviewer knows that you are excited about their
program and put time into choosing the schools you applied
to.
Ask questions: Please ask questions during the interview. A
great tip if you need some fuel for more questions is to ask
your interviewer what he or she studies. You would be amazed
how effective that question can be. Your interviewer will be
very pleased to share his/her work, and it will allow you to ask
specific questions about what he/she does.
Stay calm, and have fun! It is not everyday that you get to talk
to so many excellent researchers from places around the country. Take advantage of the interview, and you will be great!
Contributed by Christina Lamb
Senior Learning Community—2 units: BI 400E (zero
units), 400, and either 495 Molecular Cell Biology or 492
Ecological and Evolutionary Theory
Cognate courses—4 units of Chemistry and 2 units of
Physics: CH 111, 112, 211, and either CH 212 or 517 (if not
used as an elective); PY 131, 132 or PY 141, 142
Requirements for a Major in Microbiology (B.S.)
A minimum of 18 units with the following distribution:
Core requirements - 8 units of microbiology as follows:
Microbiology 200, 219, 221, 314, 512, 521, 522, 525
Electives - 2 units chosen from: 200-level or higher microbiology courses, Chemistry 517
Senior Learning Community - 2 units: Microbiology 400,
400E, 491
Cognate courses - 6 units of Chemistry and Physics: Chemistry 111, 112, 211, and either 212 or 517 (if not used as an
elective); Physics 131, 132 or Physics 141, 142
New Summary of the Biopsychology Major:
14 units including the following required courses and electives: Biology 213, 217, 306; Psychology 101, 351, 442; Biology 221 or Psychology 116; Chemistry 111.
Elective courses (Select two courses from Experimental
Psychology and two from Biology)
Experimental Psychology: select 2 courses
Biology: Biology 219, 304, 311, 312, 324, 333.
One of the following senior-level learning communities:
Biology 400 and 400E, and Biology 495 Molecular Cell Biology (recommended for students considering medical school or
graduate studies in the biological sciences or neuroscience/neurobiology) or Psychology 400 and Psychology 441
(recommended for students considering graduate studies in
psychology or neuroscience with emphasis on biopsychology). Student must make this decision in their junior year and
inform the appropriate department. Students selecting the Biology Senior Learning Community must take Biology 219, because it is the prerequisite to Biology 495.
Students majoring in biopsychology may not also major or
minor in psychology or biology.
CURRICULUM NEWS
Some curricula changes of the courses taught by the department have been implemented in the fall semester 2008. The
updated requirements for the majors are given below. The department's website has been updated also contains the changes
made to the descriptions of the individual courses:
Requirements for a Major in Biology (B.S.)
A minimum of 18 units with the following distribution:
Foundation requirements—5 units of Biology as follows:
BI 213, 215, 217, 219, and 221
Upper-level requirements—2 units as follows: BI 311, 333
Upper-level electives—3 units chosen from the following:
Any 300-level or higher Biology course(s) with a laboratory or
BI 493 or CH 517 or the second Capstone Course listed below.
Requirements for a Minor in Biology
A minimum of five units in biology, including BI 213 and at
least two additional courses at the 200-level or higher.
Requirements for a Minor in Microbiology
A minimum of five units at the 200-level or higher in microbiology. MI 200 is required and MI 314 and 512 are strongly
recommended.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
BIOLOGY CLUB NEWS
The Biology Club met on Sunday, March 2, at Blazing Star
Cemetery for another clean-up of the cemetery and the grass-
PAGE 3
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
land at the Arthur Kill shore line near Rossville Avenue in
southwestern Staten Island.
Hmmmmmm!
Contributed by Dr. Onken
TRI BETA NEWS
TriBeta organized a faculty luncheon on the 13th of February,
offering delicious food, fun and lots of conversation. The following photographs of the event were contributed by Dr.
Moorthy:
Contributed by Dr. Onken with photographs by Dr. Moorthy
NEW MEMBERS
Organizers
Three very helpful graduate students of the microbiology program get their share.
I am so proud to announce the new members of the Beta Beta
Beta Biological Honor Society for this year:
Samantha Cook, Georgia Dellas, Nicole DePergola, Yolana
Fuks, Colleen Janson, Christina Locantore, Michele Marotto,
Kristina McEvoy, Robyn McLaughlin, Lillian Reilly, Danielle
Sheehan, Ashley Stackpole and Michael Stanton.
The Executive Board for 2008-2009:
President: Ryan Rogers, Vice President: Yulia Seldina, Secretary: Tanya Modica, Treasurer: Dina Hussam, Historian:
Georgia Dellas.
I am so proud of all the new members, and I cannot speak
more highly of next year’s executive board. I cannot wait to
see the exciting things that Tri Beta will do in 2008-2009.
Thank you for all of the support this year, and a special thank
you to Dr. Palestis for being such a wonderful advisor. As Dr.
Palestis goes on sabbatical next semester, Dr. Linda Raths will
be the new Tri Beta advisor. We are very happy to have her,
and look forward to another great year.
Contributed by Christina Lamb
PAGE 4
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
OPPORTUNITIES
RESEARCH WITH MOSQUITOES AND CRABS
Dr. Onken offers
research opportunities for students in
the frame of a
project in which he
collaborates with
scien-tists from Washington State University, the University
of Idaho, and the University of Alberta (Edmonton, CA). The
project is funded by the National Institute of Health and studies the physiology of the midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti). Mosquitoes are vectors of a number
of parasites, transmit devastating diseases like malaria, yellow
fever and dengue, and are a major threat to the health of billions of people on our planet. The principal investigators of
this project address larval mosquitoes, because it appears more
straight forward to fight these vectors as long as they are confined in an aquatic habitat.
In
collaboration
with
colleagues
from the US (Mt.
Desert Island Biological Laboratories, Maine), Brazil
(Univer-sity of São
Paulo in Ribeirão
Preto, University
of Paraná in Curitiba) and Canada (University of Manitoba in
Winnipeg) Dr. Onken pursues research with Crustacea related
to the osmoregulatory capacities and mechanisms of crabs.
Together with Dr. Alauddin (Chemistry) and Professor Beecher (Biology), an ecophysiological study is in an early stage of
planning.
Dr. Onken can offer research opportunities for 2-3 students. If
interested contact Dr. Onken in his office (Megerle Science
Hall Room 411), lab (Megerle Science Hall Room 406) or via
e-mail (horst.onken@wagner.edu) or phone 420-4211.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
EXPERIENCES
conditions in order to be successful. The GNPC houses Staten
Island’s native seed bank…one of the very few native seed
banks in the country! While walking through their greenhouses, we got an inside peek at some native grasses and sedges,
and Tim Chambers and Ed Toth (GNPC directors) shared information on what types of restoration projects these plants
were headed for. We learned that the GNPC fills a lot of orders for salt marsh grass Spartina alterni-flora which provides
habitat for nesting birds and is an important component of the
estuarine ecosystem on Staten Island and elsewhere throughout NYC. Spartina alterniflora can grow in these special ecosystems because it is salt tolerant, and not inhibited by brackish water.
The GNCP is providing most of the native plant needs for the
restoration of the Staten Island landfill. This is one of the
most ambitious urban restoration projects underway on the
planet. It aims to turn a 2,000 acre abandoned landfill into a
beautiful interconnected park that will provide not only
recreation opportunities and economic development, but also
wildlife habitat and ecosystem functions like flood and pollution control to Staten Islanders. Native plants are important to
these efforts, because they are co-evolved with other native
species and the conditions of the area. They will provide habitat for native animal species and won’t require a lot of irrigation and care…planting native species of plants will give the
area the opportunity to restore itself!
VISITING A NATIVE PLANT CENTER
Professor Beecher’s Environmental Biology class recently enjoyed a trip to the Staten Island Greenbelt Native Plant Center
(GNPC). GNPC taxonomists collect the seeds, shoots, and rhizomes of native plants from various New York City parks and
bring them back to the center where they are processed, catalogued, stored, and propagated for use in many local and regional restoration efforts. This is not such an easy task! For
example, many native plant seeds require several environmental cues such as temperature and moisture regimes that must
occur in a special sequence in order to germinate.
GNPC staff must do much research about the ecology and life
histories of the plants that they are coaxing into propagation,
and use many innovative methods to simulate natural climatic
Contributed by Professor Beecher
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
WAGNER IN THE SNOW
February 22, 6am, I get out of bed. I had promised Dr. Stearns
to give a presentation in his class at 8:30am. When I look out
of the window I see white, nothing but white snow. It is a lot
of snow, at least a couple of inches. What will my commute be
like? After getting through the shower I start the computer in
the hope for an e-mail that may release me from the terrible
drive during the rush hour. At 06:17:36 AM EST Lee Manchester wrote: "Wagner College is closed for the day due to snow."
Thank you so much - you just made my day, preventing me
from the hurry through the winter storm.
After a relaxing breakfast I dig my car out of the snow and
risk the drive. It took me about an hour for the 12 miles from
Rossville to Grymes Hill. When I arrive at the College only
staff is there - and students who live on campus. On our floor I
meet Ruth who is, as always, busy cleaning. A walk through
the snow-covered campus unravels fairy-tale atmosphere: We
have a beautiful campus, don't we? At 1pm I am back home,
grading with a hot cup of tea in my hand.
Contributed by Dr. Onken.
THE OSPREYS ARE BACK
Our athletes run, throw and
bat as "seahawks". Through
the eyes of biologists there is
only one bird that can be
meant by this - the osprey
Pandion
haliaetus,
also
known in colloquial language
as fish hawk, fish eagle, or
seahawk even. Ospreys are
distributed worldwide and
they live almost exclusively
on fish. Even for ornithomaniacs it is a very special event to
observe an osprey at hunt.
These majestic raptors can
hover above a lake to then
dive claws first into the water and grab a meal.
In Cheesequake State Park, half an hour south of the Outerbridge in Middlesex County, NJ, a pair of ospreys has just ar-
rived from their winter holidays in the south and is now settling into a nest prepared by the park rangers. Do not miss visiting the observation platform close by to see the birds to perfect the home for their future offspring. Cheesequake Statepark is also a great place to enjoy a hike through saltwater and
freshwater marshes, a white cedar swamp, pine barrens, and
northeastern hardwood forest.
The image is taken from Naumann's "Naturgeschichte der
Vögel Mitteleuropas" (Natural History of the Birds of Central
Europe).
Contributed by Dr. Onken.
IT'S JUST ANOTHER ELEPHANT
Over spring break, I was
given the opportunity to
travel to South Africa
with my boyfriend
Charles Nicolais and his
family. For eleven days,
we stayed in chalets,
went on hikes, and
drove on safaris. For
five days, we stayed in
Kruger National Park, where expert game rangers whisk you
off on game drives and walking safaris, tracking the wildlife in
their natural habitat. According to the biodiversity statistics,
Kruger accounts for as many as 1,500 lions, 11,672 elephants,
4,859 rhinoceros, 1,000 leopards, and 27,000 buffalo. Of
course there are many other animals, but these are what Kruger designates as the "Big five"- the animals that are most dangerous if they are injured but not killed.
We were lucky enough to not only catch a glimpse of the "Big
Five" but many other spectacular sights. On our first sunrise
safari drive, we saw a cheetah stalking its prey. On our second
night, two male lions, guarding a water buffalo they had killed
earlier. The park rangers who took us on the drives were outstanding. On our way out that night that we saw the lions, he
pointed them out to us down in the bush. Later, he said, we
might find the lions laying in the road, because it retains heat
from the day. Sure enough, an hour and a half later, two lions
were lounging in the middle of the road. Right in front of us.
They moved- slowly, once our car approached, and one of
them appeared to be ready to pounce by the side of the road!
As if reading our thoughts, the ranger said, "he is going to the
bathroom!!"
After having a semester of Cells Genes and Evolution, and
currently being in the
middle of Forms and
Functions of Life, I
realize the applications
of my education in biology. My boyfriend's
nine-year-old
brother
asked, "why don't the
roofs of those huts get
really wet?" "Well," I
said, "some plants have
this outer waxy covering called a cuticle." Or one time, in the
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
middle of a safari, I felt the urge to explain that giraffes don't
have long necks so they can eat leaves on tall trees, but because they fight with their necks during courtship. And then
while looking through our bird book I wondered why there are
two different species of hornbill, one with a yellow bill and
one with an orange bill. What would be the environmental and
lifestyle reason for a change in color of the bill? The trip
turned out to be just as much an educational experience as it
was an eye-opener to the possiblities of the natural world at its
finest.
It's funny when you spend so much time seeing these animals
close up and in their natural habitat. On the first day, you are
thrilled to catch a glimpse of a zebra a half-mile away. By the
fifth day, you are saying, "Dad!! Keep going! It's just another
elephant!"
Contributed by Taylor Wheaton, Chemistry Major.
FENCING WITH A CHAMPION
This semester Christina Lamb and I took fencing lessons using
the sabre with Dr. Palestis at Master’s Fencing Academy in
NJ. Did you know that Dr. Palestis was highly placed nationally? We learned so much and had so much fun that we plan to
continue fencing after we graduate. "EN GARDE!"
Contributed by Lauren Maltese
DUKE FARMS: INDOOR DISPLAY GARDEN
END OF AN ERA
Duke farms is a private
property, 2740 acres of
park like setting, in
Hillsborough, New Jersey, owned and operated
through the trust fund
set up by Doris Duke,
the Million Dollar Baby
who at age 12 inherited
enormous amount of
wealth and power from
her father the tobacco
magnate James Duke.
The park and the indoor
gardens are open to the
public for a nominal fee
and the display gardens
have exquisite flowers
and plants from all over the world.
The indoor gardens are
housed in elegant turnof- the-century glass
conservatories. The eleven linked green houses
display elegant miniatures of garden styles
from the different cultures of the world. It
took Doris Duke six years (1958-1964) to accomplish this
task. She traveled all over the world collecting speci-mens and
ideas to complete these
gardens and for almost
43 years the gardens
have been open to the
public for their enjoyment. In this marvelous
display, Italian, Colonial, French, English,
Chinese Japanese and
Indo Persian designs are juxtaposed near desert, tropical and
semi-tropical environments. In addition to the garden style
variations, one also sees
seasonal changes in annuals and perennials all
through the year. The
displays will take a few
hours to walk through
and enjoy and is filled
with photo opportunities.
This lovely display is going to become a thing of the past
soon. On May 25th, 2008 the indoor display gardens will close
the door for good and
never open again. My
husband and I visit
these indoor displays
frequently and when we
read about its closing
in the local paper, we
were saddened and
went for our final
goodbye to the gardens this week. This is what we were able
to find out about the closing. “The garden will be dismantled
as the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation pursues a mission
that emphasizes the
practical and holistic
over the merely ornamental”. I for one do not
quite understand the
jargon, but in layman’s
term what it means is
that they are no longer
interested in just gardens. According to a recent article in the Newspaper Star
Ledger “Trustees will not just talk the talk about global warming, carbon emission, habitat loss and threatened species but
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
walk the walk devoting
the foundation’s considerable resources to
funding the best approaches that technology and natural
sciences can supply.
Together with partners
in environmental and
educational communities the foundation hopes to define what
“living Green” really means. In essence the Duke foundation
is going to spend a good part of their resources to find
tions for a variety of
global and environtal issues. I do applaud
them for this, but do we
have to get rid of
thing so magnificent
and beautiful like the inindoor
gardens
to
achieve their goals? I
am sure Doris Duke, if she were alive, would emphatically say
No.
The thousands of flowering plants, shrubs and the trees in the
indoor gardens will be
given away to garden
clubs and charitable organizations and the rest
will be thrown out as
trash and the gardens
will be dismantled. I
encourage all of you to
take a trip to the gardens before this happens. You will be glad you did.
Contributed by Dr. Moorthy
MORE FIELD TRIPS IN ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY
Professor Beecher’s
Environmental Biology class enjoyed
two very different
and interesting field
trips this month. We
toured a wastewater
treatment plant and
learned about the
processes of primary
and secondary wastewater treatment and the importance of these processes to the
reduction of biological oxygen demand, organic matter, and
fecal coliform that would otherwise be sent into receiving waters. If these wastes were discharged directly into the Arthur
Kill without undergoing these processes first, Dr. Onken’s Animal Physiology class may have a much harder time finding
local fiddler crabs for their research! We also learned how
anaerobic digesters supply the plant with 30% of their power
by generating useful methane gas, which is burned to generate
energy. Planned upgrades to the system will increase this ca-
pacity, and may even bring the plant to 100% energy independence. We discussed the possibilities for recycling water instead of discharging it, and the opportunities that exist for producing biogas from sewage lagoons at animal feeding operations. The odors encountered during the tour were pretty unpleasant to us, but the plant operators informed us that they
were "#1 in the #2 business," and that the odor smelled like
money to them!
We also experienced the
ginnings of spring by visiting Clay Pit Ponds State
Park. This piece of land is
an excellent example of how
many valuable ecosystem
services are provided by our
earth and how important it is
to preserve open space, even
in densely populated urban
areas. Clay Pit Ponds has served humanity for many years. We
viewed artifacts of Lenape Nation origin that have been found
in this park including potshards, tools and arrowheads. Later,
the “Free Blacks of Sandy Ground”
inhabited this area, where they maintained a thriving oyster business and
established a notable amount of
wealth. After the waters became too
polluted to farm oysters, the area was
mined for clay to make bricks. Now
the area serves as a functional wetland, providing wildlife habitat, flood mitigation, filtering of
pollutants, and a peaceful and tranquil park for people to enjoy. Mother Earth keeps giving and giving!!!!!!!
We encountered birds, frogs, bees, butterflies, wildflowers,
snakes, and signs of unseen
wildlife like large rodent burrows and fresh deer prints by
a brook. We practiced identifying trees with the help of
our field guides, and didn’t do
too bad! We observed the surface tension of water by
watching water striders, and noted an abundance of benthic
macroinvertebrates. We also were able to check out the composting operation and some domestic livestock that have a
home at Clay Pit Ponds State Park. We would definitely
ommend this park to anyone who loves to go outside and
play!!!!!!
Contributed by Professor Beecher with a photograph by Claudia Grammatico
BUTTERFLIES HELP TEACHING DEVELOPMEN
As part of her double major in Elementary Education and Natural Science, Jacqualena Grigoli completed a tutorial with me
this semester--BI 490 (Biology Research for Elementary
School Teachers)--during which she researched and invented
ways to teach elementary school children some of the fundamental biological concepts required by New York State. She
prepared lesson plans, which we went over each week. One
lesson was on development, for which Jackie chose to demon-
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
strate the development of butterflies. Brian Palestis
approved
partment funding
of
some
lars and a butterfly
kit complete with a
net "cage" and
food. Jackie timed
the development process so that the butterflies appeared during Earth Week, when she visited a local third-grade class
taught by the wife of Dr. Falabella (Physics, Wagner College).
Jackie also brought along some caterpillars. She taught the
students the life cycle of the butterfly. They then took the cage
outside and released the butterflies. The students themselves
are taking care of the caterpillars, until they become butterflies
as well.
Contributed by Dr. Stearns with a photograph by Jacqualena Grigoli
NEW MICROBIOLOGY LABS
During the summer
the
microbiology
labs on the 3rd floor
of the Megerle
Science Hall were
renovated.
This
project was long
overdue and could
finally be realized
thanks to funding
from “the anonymous donor” whose family is supporting the sciences at
Wagner College since a long time. The transformation of the
labs almost reminds of an insect metamorphosis from
caterpillar to butterfly. Visit the microbiology labs to get an
impression. The old furniture was largely saved and served to
improve the equipment of other labs on the 3rd and 4th floor.
Special thanks go to Chris Corbo, Stephanie Rollizo and to
Professor Linda Raths who guaranteed that the pupal stage
during the summer was successfully finished.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
CRAYFISH BABIES
This summer, while caring for
the crayfish from Dr. Onken’s
Forms and Functions Lab, we
were given a pleasant surprise!
One of the crayfish had
developed eggs and was
carrying hundreds of fertilized
eggs under her tail! With a
separate tank set up for the
mom-to-be, babies slowly
began hatching! The process is
continual, with weeks passing between the arrivals of the
newborns! As of today, there are still baby crayfish waiting to
hatch, with their bigger brothers and sisters waiting to greet
(or eat) them! Come and visit!
Contributed by Stephanie Rollizo
OPINION
GLOBAL WARMING AND SUSTAINABILITY
In the last 100 years the average air temperature at the earth's
surface rose by about ¾ of a centigrade and according to the
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) "most of
the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since
the mid-twentieth century is very likely due to the observed
increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations."
The above conclusion by the IPCC has been endorsed by
numerous important scientific societies and academic
institutions. For example, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science stated "The scientific evidence is
clear: global climate change caused by human activities is
occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society" and the
website of the American Physical Society reads "Emissions of
greenhouse gases from human activities are changing the
atmosphere in ways that affect the Earth's climate. The
evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring."
Depending on the measures taken to reduce greenhouse gas
emission, climate models predict a temperature increase of up
to 6 centigrades during this century, which is a catastrophic
threat to the current composition of the biosphere.
The above sounds very convincing to me. Nevertheless, there
are some scientists who express doubts about the conclusions
of the IPCC. Although they reflect a small minority, their
critical input should not be neglected. However, I welcome the
direction that the discussion about global warming has taken
for another reason. I believe that the threat of global warming
offers a chance to change human activities on this planet to
return to a sustainable coexistance of the human society with
the rest of the natural world, a path that humanity has
evidently left before or during my lifetime.
Sustainability can be defined as the capacity of an ecosystem
to maintain ecological processes and functions, biological diversity, and productivity over time. For the human society it
means to use ecosystems and their resources in a manner that
satisfies present requirements without compromising the requirements or choices of future generations. As estimated on
www.earthday.net my personal ecological footprint amounts
to 3.7 global hectares. If everybody would live like I do, two
planets would be needed to sustain the human population.
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
The consumption of most nations of the earth is shown as the
area occupied in the map above. The color indicates the ecological footprint of the average citizen of a country, with dark
red being over 10 global hectares per person. Thanks to the
small ecological footprint of the vast majority of the global
population humanity's footprint exceeded the biological capacity of the planet only by 25% in 2003. We consume the "capital" of the natural resources offered by the earth instead of using the "interest." I very much welcome the initiative of Dr.
Guarasci to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, the installation of the Sustainability Committee, the initiative of Professor Wesby in the Committee of the Whole, and all other efforts to reduce the ecological footprint of Wagner College. I promote below the "Ten
Things You Can Do" forwarded by Professor Wesby:
Contributed by Dr. Onken
TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO
1.
Change a light bulb: Replace regular bulbs with compact
florescent bulbs; save 150 lbs of CO2 per year per bulb.
2. Drive less: Walk, bike, carpool, use mass transit; you
save one pound of CO2 for every mile you don’t drive.
3. Recycle more: Save 2,400 lbs of CO2 per year by recycling half of your household waste.
4. Check your tires: Proper inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%; every gallon saved keeps 20 lbs
of CO2 out of the atmosphere.
5. Use less hot water: It takes a lot of energy to heat water.
Install a low flow showerhead to use less hot water (saves
350 lbs of CO2 per year).Wash your clothes in cold or lukewarm water (saves 500 lbs of CO2 per year ).
6. Avoid products with a lot of packaging: Save 1200 lbs
of CO2 per year by cutting down your garbage by 10%.
7. Adjust your thermostat: Move down 2 degrees in winter
and up 2 degrees in summer - save 2000 lbs of CO2 per
year.
8. Plant a tree: A single tree will absorb a ton of CO2 in its
lifetime.
9. Be smart about electronics:
a. Turn off electronic devices. Turn off your TV, DVD
player, computer or other device when you’re not using
them; save thousands of pounds of CO2 per year
b. Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them. Even when turned off, things like hairdryers,
cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the
energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips
working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy
consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the
atmosphere every year!
c. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new
purchases. Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models. If each
household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with
the most efficient models available, we’d eliminate 175
million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year!
10. Spread the word: (visit www.climatecrisis.net) See An
Inconvenient Truth and other films and programs on cli-
mate crisis. Stay informed. Support measures to curb further carbon emissions.
Contributed by Professor Roger Wesby
PUBLICATIONS
Onken, H., Moffett, S. B. and Moffett, D. F. (2008). Alkalinization in the isolated and perfused anterior midgut of the larval mosquito, Aedes aegypti. 20pp. Journal of Insect Science
8:46, available online: insectscience.org/8.46.
The above article is currently featured on the homepage of
the Journal of Insect Science.
Moffett, D.F. and Onken, H. (2008, in press). The Cellular
Basis of Extreme Alkali Secretion in Insects: A Tale of Two
Tissues. In: Epithelial Transport Physiology (ed. George A.
Gerencser). Totowa, New Jersey: Humana Press.
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
CONTRIBUTIONS
Bois, M., Kurtovic, E., Bobbitt, K. (2008). Antimicrobial
properties of chios mastic in vitro. 62nd Annual Eastern Colleges Science Conference. Program and Abstracts, page 48
and 79/80 (platform presentation and poster).
Etinger, A., Palestis, B.G. (2008). The effect of ethanol on
the escape response of zebrafish. 2nd Annual Undergraduate
Research Symposium in the Biological Sciences. William Paterson University of New Jersey, April 26.
Gerwing, J., Adair, S., Stearns, D., McConnell, D. (2008).
Collaborative research: critical thinking for civic thinking in
science.” Inventions and Impact 2: Building Excellence in
Undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education. National Science Foundation,
Division of Undergraduate Education, Course, Curriculum,
and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) Program Conference,
August 13-15, 2008, Renaissance Washington, D.C. Hotel,
Washington, D.C.
Izeirovski, S., Onken, H. (2008). The effects of different nutrients on the transepithelial voltage of the isolated and perfused anterior midgut of larval Aedes aegypti. 62nd Annual
Eastern Colleges Science Conference. Program and Abstracts,
page 61 (poster).
Lamb, C. M., Moorthy, A. S., Fulop, Z. L. (2008). Teratogenic effects of lithium chloride exposure on eye development
during early embryogenesis in zebrafish (Danio rerio). 62nd
Annual Eastern Colleges Science Conference. Program and
Abstracts, page 35 and 67/68 (platform presentation and poster).
Maltese, L. M., Corbo, C., Bobbitt, K. A. (2008). Pathogenesis of various induced bacterial infections of the cardiothoracic region of adult zebrafish. 62nd Annual Eastern Colleges
Science Conference. Program and Abstracts, page 79 (poster).
Mosher, R. and Stearns, D. (2008). Direct Measures for Assessing the General Education Program at Wagner College.
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Association of American Colleges and Universities. Integrative Designs for General Education and Assessment. Network
for Academic Renewal Conference, Boston (MA), February
21-23.
Onken, H., Cataldo, C.S., Coppolo, J.A., Lamb, CM.,
LoRe, E.G., Post, A.K., Zangara, N.E. (2008). An Animal
Physiology lab project that promotes undergraduate student interest and responsibility. FASEB Journal 22: 575.2.
Onken, H., Moffett, S.B., Moffett, D.F. (2008). Revisiting the
mechanism of strong alkalinization in the anterior midgut of
larval yellow fever mosquitoes Aedes aegypti. Comparative
Biochemistry and Physiology 150A, p. S137.
Onken, H., Parks, S., Goss, G., Moffett, D.F. (2008). Extremely alkaline intracellular pH in the anterior stomach of
larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti). FASEB Journal 22: 759.4.
Onken, H., Patel, M., Javoroncov, M., Moffett, S.B., Moffett, D.F. (2008). Apical Na+/K+-ATPase and strong alkalinization in the anterior stomach of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti). FASEB Journal 22: 1239.9.
Pistilli, A., Roxbury, C., Zambidis, E. (2008). Role of micro
RNAs in the regulation of both normal and malignant hematopoiesis. 62nd Annual Eastern Colleges Science Conference.
Program and Abstracts, page 34 and 74/75 (platform presentation and poster).
Earth Week Event:
Wagner Scholars Discuss Their Research on the Environment (April 23-24, 2008)
Alexa Dietrich (Anthropology), "Community Politics and the
Environment"
Brian Palestis (Biology), "Conservation of Coastal Birds"
Maria Gelabert (Chemistry), "Energy and Carbon"
Don Stearns (Biology), "Critically Thinking about the Environment"
Mohammad Alauddin (Chemistry), "Environmental pollution,
climate change, and their impact on public health"
FUTURE MEETINGS
DO NOT MISS TO ATTEND THE FOLLOWING CONFERENCES:
REVIEWS
Dr. MOSHER AND Dr. STEARNS REPRESENT WAGNER
COLLEGE IN BOSTON
Approximately 800 participants attended the conference of the Association of American Colleges and
Universities (AAC&U) in Boston,
MA. Drs. Mosher and Stearns presented a poster during a wellattended poster session. The presentation was identified as a LEAP
(Liberal Education and America’s Promise) Campus Action
Network Exemplar by the AAC&U, because it addressed
some of the desired student learning outcomes presented by
LEAP as important for a liberal education.
During the conference, Drs. Mosher and Stearns also met with
representatives from Belmont University, a small university in
Nashville, Tennessee. Belmont and Wagner are working together on a funded grant with the goal of developing assessment tools to directly measure the value-added component of
experiential education. Dr. Mosher served on a panel at the
AAC&U conference, to discuss this joint venture with a larger
audience.
Contributed by Dr. Stearns
EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY IN SAN DIEGO
Between April 5 and 9, over 12,000
biological and biomedical scientists
gathered in the San Diego Convention Center for a meeting organized
by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
According to EurekAlert "Experimental Biology offers an unparalleled opportunity to see medical advances being made."
Wagner College was represented by Dr. Onken, an active
member of the American Physiological Society who studies
midgut function of larval mosquitoes. He presented results
from collaborations with researchers from Washington State
University, from the University of Alberta, and with students
from Wagner College. The posters were well visited and resulted in interesting discussions and in the initiation of a new
collaboration with a research group from the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
EASTERN COLLEGES SCIENCE CONFERENCE
st
The 41 annual fall meeting of the Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists (MACUB) will be
held at Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ) on Saturday, November 1, 2008.
The next Eastern Colleges Science Conference will be held
at Wagner College (Staten Island, NY) on Saturday, April
24, 2009.
The 62nd Eastern College Science Conference was held at
Niagara University, outside Buffalo. This year 26 faculty
members and students attended the conference on April 12,
2008. There were 18 students who presented their work as either a paper, platform (oral) or poster presentation. Wagner
College did an enviable job at the conference and Andrew Pistilli, Sejmir Izeirovski, Michael Bois, Lauren Maltese, Kathryn
Chepiga, and Christina Lamb received outstanding presentation awards for their work.
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
I never went north of New
York and it was a great experience for me as well as
evidently for everyone from
Wagner College who went
on the trip to Niagara. We
left Wagner about 1 p.m. on
friday 04/11/08 and arrived
at the Grand Niagara Hotel
around 9 p.m. The seven hour drive through enormous crop
fields, farms and forests was beautiful and passed fast with a
lot of chatting.
When arriving at the hotel we ordered food right away, because we were starving. After dinner some of the students gathered and practiced for their presentations, and some had fun
just being there. The next morning we got up at 7a.m. After a
ten minute drive to Niagara University we attended the first
meeting at 8a.m. Afterwards we had breakfast and students
started to get ready for their platform presentations bet-ween
9:30 and 12. After a lunch break the conference continued
with poster pre-sentations from 1:30 to 4:30.
After the presentations were finished we returned to the hotel
and made a field trip to the Niagara Falls only five minutes
away. The falls were very beautiful and enormous with thunderous sounds and the mist in the air. It was a little chilly and
most of us had underestimated the climate difference in the
north of our state.
On our way back I was very
surprised when I saw a statue
of one of my idols, Nikola
Tesla. This researcher and
inventer was from Croacia in
Southern Europe, not too far
from where I was born. Tesla
changed the world with his
numerous contributions to
the field of electrical science.
Among his many pathbreaking achievements is the
first hydro-electric power plant in the world in Niagara Falls.
After returning to the hotel we got ready to attend the 8 p.m.
dinner and the award ceremony. As the awards ceremony
started everyone became excited, hoping to be among the recipients. I was very happy that Wagner College did so wonderful at the Eastern College Science Conference and brought
six awards back home. This was better than any other college
attending the conference.
After the awards ceremony we crossed the border to Canada
where we visited a club and celebrated our success. Unfortunately, we had to keep our visit to Canada short because we
had to return to Wagner College early the next day.
Contributed by Sejmir Izeirovski
SEB MEETING IN MARSEILLE, FRANCE
The Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) had its annual
meeting this year in Parc Chanot in Marseille in Southern
France from July 6th to July 10th. Besides symposia like “Climate Change: from genes to ecosystems,” “Green Products:
Bioenergy and Pharmaceuticals,” or “Circadian Clocks” there
was one symposium that attracted my special interest and to
which I contributed with a presentation (see list of contributions to professional meetings above) – “Insect homeostasis: a
tribute to Simon Maddrell FRS”.
It is clear that insect homeostasis is interesting for an invertebrate physiologist,
but who is Simon Maddrell and what
means FRS. Well, to begin with the easy
part: FRS means Fellow of the Royal
Society. Simon Maddrell is Honorary
Professor in Comparative Physiology at
the University of Cambridge, UK. He
very significantly influenced the field of
insect homeostasis over the last decades not only through his
own research. Quite a few first rate insect physiologists all
over the world have their roots in the lab of Simon Maddrell.
The symposium encompassed exciting news presented by researchers who dominated the field in the last decades as well
as presentations addressing the life of Simon Maddrell. Professor Nathan Tublitz from the University of Oregon described everyday life in the Maddrell lab in Cambridge in a
very entertaining way. Remarkable was also the visibility of
technological progress. One contributor gave his talk while being at a different meeting in Cape Town (South Africa) and
another presenter talked from Ontario (Canada). These contributions were made possible through video conferencing, using
Skype. In the last lecture Simon Maddrell himself addressed
the question: “Insect Malpighian tubules: what does past research suggest about future investigations?” I do not know the
exact age of Simon Maddrell, but I got the impression that he
will have quite an impact on this future and not only through
the work of his students and collaborators.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
THE HORMESIS RESEARCH PROJECT
BEGINNING OF THE END OR END OF THE BEGINNING
At the end of March 2008 the Hormesis Research Project was
finished with an exhibition in the Spotlight Gallery in the
Horrman Library and with a reception on March 31.
In the very center of the Hormesis Research Pro-ject are two
people, Dr. Zoltan Fulop
and a very generous and
anonymous donor. At the
reception, Dr. Fulop explained the meaning of
hormesis for all those who
did not yet know it: Hormesis is the stimulating or
beneficial biological response to low concentrations of a toxin or stressor.
Thus, a toxin that shows
hormesis has opposite effects at low and high doses. In the last five years,
hormesis was studied in
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
the frame of the project under the guidance of Dr. Fulop who
had received a research grant. Although not urged to follow
the suggestion by the anonymous donor, Dr. Fulop explored
this topic and used the grant in a truly admirable way for the
benefit of the whole Department of Biological Sciences at
Wagner College.
Dr. Fulop did not only advance his own research into the field
of hormesis, but he supported all other faculty members who
directed hormesis-related research projects. In this way, the
project boosted research activity at the department. Hormesisrelated research was mainly conducted with the nervous system of a model organism, the zebra fish, Danio rerio, and alcohol was the stressor that was studied predominantly. However, research about effects of different stressors, on different
systems, like zebra fish behavior, or on completely different
animal systems like the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster was
supported and integrated.
Under the wings of Dr. Fulop
the project also spread to other
departments at Wagner College,
generating successful interdepartmental collabora-tion that
is not seen too often. In this regard the contributions of Professor Andy Needle from the
Art Department is especially
noteworthy. He clearly left his
"fingerprints" through the magnificent graphics used for publications and presentations of the
project's results.
Most remarkably though is the involvement of students of
Wagner College. In five years, over 40 students have actively
participated in the Hormesis Project. Many of them presented
their research at scientific conferences, including Eastern College Science Conferences (ECSC), annual meetings of the
Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists
(MACUB), meetings of the Sigma Xi Research Society, and
the New England Science Symposium. Numerous students
won awards for outstanding presentations, which is especially
remarkable for a relatively small college like Wagner. Many
students selected hormesis-related topics as the basis of the
experimental work for their senior thesis. Among the many
outstanding students who participated in the Hormesis Project
only one can be highlighted in
this article.
Chris Corbo contributed to the
success of the project in truly
remarkable ways, not only because he was involved from the
very beginning. Chris has
learned all facettes of scientific
research within the project. He
has not only become an outstanding experimentor, but he
also presented the project multiple times and won award after
award. As a graduate student in
the Microbiology Program, Chris developed into a peer for
other students to assist with the solution of experimental and
technical challenges. He has taught courses as an adjunct professor and assisted faculty members in many other ways. Everybody in the department regrets that Chris will move into a
PhD program at the College of Staten Island in fall of this
year. On the other hand, everybody wants to see Chris continue on his way into a certainly successful future in science.
At the reception, the success of the Hormesis Project was honored by the President of the College, Dr. Richard Guarasci,
and by the Provost, Dr. Devorah Lieberman. In a very pleasant
and relaxed atmosphere as it is so typical for Wagner College
a number of collaborating faculty members and students reflected on their experiences with the project and offered the
opportunity to guide visitors through their parts.
At the end of my tribute to the Hormesis Research Project and
to those who made it so successful I want to return to the beginning of the reception. "It is the end of the project," Dr. Fulop said, in order to let everybody know that the financial support from the grant has ended. "End" is an ambiguous word,
especially in science, where the course of one research project
just generates questions worthwhile to be explored in future
research efforts. I do not believe that the end of the Hormesis
Project is the "Begin-ning of the End." Instead, I am convinced that it is just the
"End of the Beginning"
of even extended and intensified research activities at Wagner College
that will also reflect a return to the generous
anony-mous donors who
facilitated the Hormesis
Research Project.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
ALUMNI
WELCOME BACK JESSICA VEGA
Ms. Jessica Vega, a Genetic
Counselor working for Reprogenetics in Livingston New Jersey
was the ACE lecturer at Wagner
on March 10. More than 100 students and faculty attended this
event. Ms. Vega is a Wagner
Alum, who did her BS in Biology and MS in Microbiology. She
was a student athlete with President’s Merit Scholarship and
was the captain of the Women’s Volley Ball team at Wagner.
She graduated with honors from Wagner and worked in Sloan
Kettering Cancer Research Institute in New York City. Her
graduate degree in Genetic Counseling is from Sarah Lawrence College. Her presentation was on “Preimplantation Genetic Screening and the Ethical, Legal and Social Issues that
Stem from this.” It was a very well attended lecture. Approximately 100 students and a dozen faculties were there as audi-
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
ence. Students and faculty
had several questions to
ask her after the lecture
and on the whole her
ture was very well apciated by the audience. All
students from the “ILC
ELSI of the Genome” team
taught by Dr. John Esser
and Dr. Ammini Moorthy attended this lecture as part of their
course requirements and many of them asked valid and
thought provoking questions to Ms. Vega.
your weekend trip to the NJ shore? Post it here, if you need
help to fix your car or if you are able to fix them.
WANT TO POST YOUR AD HERE?
MISCELLANEOUS
If your contribution does not fit in any of the sections above,
you can post it here.
DO YOU MISS A SECTION? LET ME KNOW
WHICH AND MAKE A CONTRIBUTION!
Contributed by Dr. Moorthy
Dear Alumni,
if you are interested to contribute to our newsletter, your are
very welcome to do so. Contact Dr. Onken by e-mail
(horst.onken@wagner.edu) with your submission, comment,
ideas or questions! We are excited to hear where you are,
how and what you do!
You will receive this newsletter by e-mail every first month of
a semester (January and September). These two newsletters
are special issues that review the previous semester. If you
would also like to receive the monthly newsletter (that repeats itself until it grows into the next special issue), send
me an e-mail requesting to be put on the respective mailing
list, or visit our website to download the current issue at
http://www.wagner.edu/departments/biological_sciences/new
sletter
RECOMMENDED
Recommended reading:
I strongly recommend the following book on the history of biological thought: Sapp, Jan. 2003. Genesis: The Evolution of
Biology. Oxford University Press. It is a fascinating, wellwritten overview of the development of biology reviewing historical and current controversies. This one book covers the
major subfields of biology concisely and with an evolutionary
focus. For example, there are chapters on early non-Darwinian
evolutionary ideas, the cell theory and development, the rediscovery of Mendel’s rules, the tree of life, and symbiosis.
Contributed by Dr. Palestis
Recommend a website, a book or a restaurant that you think
everybody at our department should have experienced.
YOUR RECOMMENDATION COULD BE HERE!
CLASSIFIED
You want to sell your PC, buy a used printer? Are you looking
for company for your Friday night trip to Manhattan or for
PAGE 14
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
PUZZLES, JOKES, QUOTES, CARTOONS
IMAGE OF THE MONTH:
NUMBERS:
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221
What row of numbers comes next? Solution: 1113213211.
What is the next row? Send an e-mail to the editor with the
system that explains which row is next.
MAZE:
Found on http://www.worth1000.com
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Authors in all sections should keep in mind that not all
readers are specialized in their area of interest. Keep your
contribution on a level that everybody can understand.
Contributions may vary in length between about 50 and
500 words and must be submitted by e-mail to
horst.onken@wagner.edu.
Photographs or other images that accompany an article are
very welcome, but must be submitted as separate files
(high quality jpg is the preferred file format) attached to
the e-mail. Be aware that photographs/images may be minimized in size.
Indicate the section of the newsletter where you want your
contribution to appear.
The editor reserves his right to edit your contribution
or post an immediate response.
Editing may involve to publish contributions in other
sections as indicated by the author.
All contributions will clearly indicate the author's identity.
All contributions are reviewed and publication may be
refused by the editor.
CARTOON:
DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT MONTHLY
NEWSLETTER:
MONDAY, October 27
From Nearing Zero, by Nick D. Kim
(http://www.lab-initio.com)
The Editorial Board:
Editor: Dr. Horst Onken
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Rollizo, Department Secretary
Student Assistant Editor: N.N.
Student Assistant Editor: N.N.
PAGE 15
�
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Limulus: The Newsletter of the Wagner College Biological Sciences Department
Description
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The Department of Biological Sciences circulates a newsletter that will be updated monthly, culminating in two special issues per year (January and September). The January edition reviews the fall semester and the September edition reviews the spring semester and summer events. The name of the newsletter is LIMULUS and it is made available as pdf files.
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Title
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Limulus Newsletter, September 2008
Subject
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Houlihan, Adam
Alba, Lisamarie
Berberena, Joseph
Stearns, Donald
Fulop, Zoltan L.
Corbo, Christopher
Table Of Contents
A list of subunits of the resource.
Letter from the editor / Horst Onken -- Letters to the editor / Michele Leone (Belliveau) -- Biology staff and faculty news / Roy Mosher -- Adjunct professor series / Kathleen Bobbitt and Horst Onken -- A visit at the National Institutes of Health / Lauren Maltese -- Graduate school interviews / Christina Lamb -- Curriculum news / Horst Onken -- Biology Club news / Horst Onken -- Tri-Beta news / Horst Onken, Ammini Moorthy, and Christina Lamb -- Research with mosquitoes and crabs / Horst Onken -- Visiting a native plant center / Sierra Beecher -- Wagner in the snow / Horst Onken -- The ospreys are back / Horst Onken -- It's just another elephant / Taylor Wheaton -- Fencing with a champion / Lauren Maltese -- Duke Farms : indoor display garden end of an era / Ammini Moorthy -- More field trips in environmental biology / Sierra Beecher and Claudia Grammatico -- Butterflies help teaching development -- Donald Stearns and Jacqualena Grigoli -- New microbiology labs / Horst Onken -- Crayfish babies / Stephanie Rollizo -- Global warming and sustainability / Horst Onken -- Publications -- Professional meetings -- Dr. Mosher and Dr. Stearns represent Wagner College in Boston / Donald Stearns -- Experimental biology in San Diego / Horst Onken -- Eastern colleges science conference / Sejmir Izeirovski -- SEB meeting in Marseille, France / Horst Onken -- The Hormesis Research Project / Horst Onken -- Welcome back Jessica Vega / Ammini Moorthy -- Recommended reading / Brian Palestis -- Puzzles, jokes, quotes, cartoons
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Wagner College, Department of Biological Sciences
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Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
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2008-09
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Limulus
NEWSLETTER
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Volume 2009, Issue Fall-02
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The Fall semester 2009 is well on its way. Everybody is busy
teaching and learning. Although only one month passed, there
is already something to report in our newsletter: Our student
clubs announce their activities, opportunities to engage,
summer experiences, Dr. Moorthy opens a new section –
PEOPLE- with an essay about Norman Borlaug, a critical
OPINON about our new web design, the announcement of a
professional conference in October, and a letter by an alumn
very worth to read. The current newsletter is rounded with the
usual cartoon, accompanied by a joke and some science
quotes. I hope you enjoy reading the October LIMULUS.
As announced in the September newsletter, we are
planning a special issue on Dr. Kanzler, a former faculty
member who passed away on Friday, June 26. Again, I
would like to ask all current and former faculty, as well as
all alumni who knew Dr. Kanzler to send me memories,
anecdotes, photographs or other possible contributions to
the special issue. The deadline is coming up rapidly: Please
send your contribution for the special issue until Monday,
October 12. I may contact some of you under separate
cover.
Dr. Horst Onken
The Editor
BIOLOGY STAFF AND FACULTY NEWS
EVERYBODY IS BACK AND BUSY
More in the October LIMULUS.
BIOLOGY CLUB NEWS
The Biology Club had a successful first meeting. The next
meeting will be held on MONDAY OCTOBER 5TH at 9pm,
location TBD. Individuals who wish to be part of the Biology
Club should contact the president of the Biology Club Cassie
Bray. (Cassandra.bray@wagner.edu)
If current members are unable to attend the next meeting, they
must contact the secretary of the Biology Club Melissa
Alvarez. (Melissa.alvarez@wagner.edu) If students fail to
contact Melissa about their absence, they will no longer be
listed as members of the Biology Club. The club discussed
several important things at the meeting.
The club plans to complete their off-campus community
service event at the reservoir located on Arthur Kill Road.
September, 2009
Members will clean up trash at the reservoir on either a
Sunday morning or afternoon. This event will take place in
November. Details to be followed shortly.
For the next meeting, Cassie is encouraging members to
suggest a good on-campus community service opportunity. At
the last meeting, members were also considering buying club
t-shirts. Cassie would like members to think of creative ideas
to bring to the next meeting as well.
On Sunday, October 18th(tentatively) the Biology Club will
hold an event at the Bodies Exhibit on the South Street
Seaport. This is a campus-wide event and all are invited to
attend, but you must act fast! Only 25 seats are available and
the part of the ticket will be covered for by the Biology club’s
SGA budget.
The Biology Club is thinking about having movie nights on
campus. At the next meeting, members will discuss further
details. Members will address more issues, but these four
issues are currently the highest priority.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna (information was complied with the help of
Cassie Bray and Melissa Alvarez)
TRI-BETA NEWS
Welcome new members and welcome back returning
members of Tri Beta!
My name is Jessica Cozzolino and I am the secretary of Tri
Beta this year. I will be sending everybody the minutes after
each meeting and will keep you all updated with any Tri
Beta activities.
For our off-campus community service activity we will be
participating in the Breast Cancer Walk taking place on
Sunday, October 18, 2009 at Cloves Lakes Park (1150 Clove
Road, Staten Island, NY.) If you will be participating in this
event please email the president of Tri Beta Yolana Fuks @
Yolana.Fuks@wagner.edu
We were also considering getting team Tee shirts for this
event. So if you are interested or have any ideas you can
email Yolana.
For our on campus community service, we will be
participating in the Haunted Hallways event. In this event
we get our own room in main hall and we decorate the
classroom for Halloween. Children from around the area will
come to Wagner College to see our displays. We are not sure
of the exact date for this yet (most likely the weekend before
Halloween), but I will keep everyone updated. We can also
dress up for this event according to our room theme.
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Our next meeting will take place one day in the week prior to
the Breast Cancer Walk on October 18, 2009.
Feel free to E-Mail me with any questions.
Have a great day and see you all at the next meeting =)
Contributed Jessica Cozzolino
OPPORTUNITIES
RESEARCH WITH MOSQUITOES AND CRABS
Dr.
Onken
offers
research opportunities
for students in the frame
of a project in which he
collaborates with scientists from Washington
State University, the University of Idaho, and the University
of Alberta (Edmonton, CA). The project is funded by the
National Institute of Health and studies the physiology of the
midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).
Mosquitoes are vectors of a number of parasites, transmit
devastating diseases like malaria, yellow fever and dengue,
and are a major threat to the health of billions of people on our
planet. The principal investigators of this project address
larval mosquitoes, because it appears more straightforward to
fight these vectors as long as they are confined in an aquatic
habitat.
In collaboration with colleagues from the U.S. (Mt. Desert
Island Biological Laboratories, Maine), Brazil (University of
São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, University of Paraná in Curitiba)
and Canada (University of Manitoba in Winnipeg) Dr. Onken
pursues research with Crustacea related to the osmoregulatory
capacities and mechanisms of crabs. Together with Dr.
Alauddin (Chemistry) and Professor Beecher (Biology), an
ecophysiological study is in an early stage of planning.
Dr. Onken can offer research opportunities for two to three
students. If interested contact Dr. Onken in his office (Megerle
Science Hall Room 411), lab (Megerle Science Hall Room
406) or via e-mail (horst.onken@wagner.edu) or phone 4204211.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY
Greetings Everyone,
I am Nidhi Khanna and I am currently a junior. I am working
with this non-profit organization called Planting Peace.
Planting Peace has many sub-organizations including one
called The Clean World Movement. The Clean World
Movement is trying to encourage more individuals around the
world to recycle and to take better care of the planet. I am
working with The Clean World Movement as the
environmental director in my community. I am organizing
some clean-ups in Staten Island during the semester. If
anybody is interested in helping out, please feel free to contact
me at nidhi.khanna@wagner.edu. Thanks for your interest and
I look forward hearing from you! If you would like more
information about the organization I am working with, please
visit: http://www.plantingpeace.org/.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
IT’S SO EASY
I recently attended the talk given at Wagner by the
Environmental Author, Robert K. Musil. In his talk, he
encouraged students who are concerned about environmental
issues to try to engage with policy makers. I want to share a
way to do that that I have discovered that takes very close to
zero effort. There are several organizations like the Sierra
Club, The National Wildlife Federation, the Nature
Conservancy, and the League of Conservation Voters. They
research and follow environmental legislative activity very
closely, and advocate strongly for environmental conservation.
If you get on their e-mailing lists, they will contact you
whenever important environmental legislation is coming
before the house or senate. They usually have a form letter
that encourages the relevant decision-makers to vote for or
against a bill and explains their reasoning. You can modify
these letters, and sign by using a password. They know which
decision-makers to send the letters to by your zip-code.
Sometimes you get some e-mail from them asking for
donations, etc., which, as a “starving college student”, you
don’t have to feel guilty about ignoring for now. You can tell
that the letters really go to the politicians, because they almost
always reply. Here is a link you can follow to sign up for the
League of Conservation Voters:
https://admin3.getactive.com/lcv/join.html
Contributed by Professor Beecher
EXPERIENCES
OPOSSUM
On a very wet morning in June, what appeared to be a child’s
toy lay in a puddle on the steps behind the Megerle Science
Building. On closer inspection, I realized something was alive
and moving! With the rain coming down, I wrapped a tiny
creature in tissue and brought it upstairs to my office in
Biological Sciences. The heat
from my hands had an
immediate effect on the baby
animal,
which
was
still
unidentifed. Using the internet, I
realized it was a very small
opposum, and as some time
passed, it began to open its eyes
and its shivvering stopped.
As the possum gained strength,
it made a “hissing” sound, to
perhaps communicate hunger.
It licked little drops of water,
and became quite active,
crawling around in my hands.
Using a heating lamp, I made a
little spot for it to sleep while I worked. Later that day, I was
able to contact the closest wildlife animal rescue group which
was located in New Jersey. (The only wildlife rescue group in
New York City is in the Bronx, since the Staten Island wildlife
facility closed over a year ago.). A wildlife rehabilitator
named “Meg,” told me she could take the stranded baby the
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
next evening, which meant I was having a visitor that evening
at home. Since possums are nocternal, I spent most of the
night awake, feeding droplets of pedialyte (an electrolyte
enriched water) to the baby animal. The next day the possum
was in rather good health, sleeping soundly. That evening we
drove to Meg’s facility in New Jersey, and signed a New
Jersey Fish and Wildlife document handing the little female
over to the professionals. It turned out an odd looking circle
on her abdomen was the beginning of a pouch, since possums
are marsupials.
This week we received good news. Our little rescued Staten
Island marsupial grew up among other orphaned opossums
and was just released into the wild! In just three months, her
wild life was given back to her to enjoy. Good luck, little one!
Contributed by Stephanie Rollizo
PEOPLE
NORMAN BORLAUG
The Father of Green Revolution
“Reach for the stars. Although you will never touch them, you
may get a little stardust on your hands”
Norman Borlaug who
died on Sept.12, 2009
at the age of 95 was
the father of the
Green
Revolution.
His work that led to
the production of disease-resistant wheat
varieties is credited
with saving as many
as a billion people
from starvation world
wide and ushering in
the Green Revolution. He brought new
agricultural
techniques, new highyielding seeds, and
modern technology to the poor farmers in underdeveloped and
developing countries and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
for this. He is one of only five individuals to receive the
Congressional Gold medal, the president’s Medal of Freedom
and the Nobel Peace Prize. The others in this distinguished
category are Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther
King Jr, and Elie Wiesel.
Born of Norwegian descent, Dr. Borlaug was raised in Cresco,
a small farming community in northeast Iowa. His outstanding
contribution and his greatest achievement has been his
unending struggle to integrate the various streams of
agricultural research into viable technologies and to convince
political leaders to bring these advances to bear fruits for the
less fortunate among us. He got a degree in forestry from the
University of Minnesota and worked for the forest service for
sometime. Later he came back to University of Minnesota and
obtained his doctorate in plant pathology. In 1944, he
participated in the Rockefeller Foundation’s pioneering
technical assistance program to Mexico. Part Scientist, part
humanitarian, he realized that improved crop varieties are
essential to solving world hunger. “Norman Borlaug saved
more lives than any man in human history. His heart was as
big as his brilliant mind but it was his passion and compassion
that moved the world” said Josette Sheeran, executive director
of the UN world Food Program.
Borlaug strongly believed that we need to employ technology
and science to increase the food production to feed the hungry
planet. He also recognized that the food production is
seriously affected by diseases, global warming, a lack of
agricultural infrastructure, absence of technology and [poor]
government support. The world-wide financial melt down is
also contributing to reduced funding and support for poor
countries.
When Borlaug was born 95 years ago the world population
was less than 1.5 billion, as opposed to the current figure of
seven billion. As the population grows, we humans are faced
with a choice: convert wilderness areas to farmlands or get
existing farmlands to yield more. Either choice has serious
consequences, the latter will reduce biodiversity but the
former will have more devastating impact, as wilderness is a
much needed habitat for wild life. Much as human existence is
based on agricultural practices, it in essence an “unnatural
practice”, according to Borlaug, and its prime goal is to create
food that we humans can eat in plenty. Humans have become
very insensitive to the issues of Biodiversity and the plight of
all creatures in this planet. Asked what the future holds
Borlaug thinks that Genetically modified crops (GM crops)
has the potential to become part of the solution , if we go in
that direction with caution. Sustained global food security is
essential for the survival of our species. Needless to say that
we also need to make sure that this planet of ours with all its
biodiversity also survives.
Contributed by Dr. Moorthy
OPINION
NEW BROOMS CLEAN WELL!
The above German proverb is often continued with “…, but
old brooms know the corners.” It means that new things may
look good on the first glimpse, but old things can still be better
on the second look. I would like to apply the long version to
the new website of the college.
What a beautiful homepage we got. The slide show is very
attractive, no doubt. However, in my opinion the entire rest of
the new web design is a failure that generated and continues to
generate a lot of work for IT and volunteers, like me, who
spent extra time to update and improve parts of the website.
What had been wrong with the old website of the college? It
had a beautiful design. It was well structured. It was easy to
navigate through the pages, because of the drop down menu
on the homepage. One click, mailport. One click, registrar.
One click, … When navigating through our web pages, 80
percent of each upcoming screen was new, editable
information. Apart of the slim bar at the top that identified the
college, the general background was a shiny white: Easy to
insert figures and photographs, no need to reconfigure the
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
figure background. This supported volunteers to work on
pages. Also the older version of drupal, our online html editor,
was satisfying. I had just accustomed to use it. Admitted, the
homepage had no slide show.
What is wrong with the new design? The structure of the
website is basically unchanged, which is good. However, the
drop down menu on the homepage is missing. Two clicks,
mailport. Two clicks, registrar. Two clicks, … Even worse,
the upper half of each and every upcoming screen is covered
with a large top menu bar, showing four students strolling
along the clock on Trautman Square, and a huge primary
headline. This design moves the editable information on each
page down: Scroll, scroll, scroll, … The background of the
editable space is a light beige. Figures with white background,
meant to be transparent, must be reformatted. The new drupal
evidently does not allow to use the three frame design pattern
that some old department and faculty pages had, and IT had a
hard time to wiggle them through the conversion.
True, we accustom fast. We are using our website daily, and
ultimately we will just adapt to click and scroll faster.
However, we are not the only users of our website. We have
visitors who may come only once to see whether Wagner
College is the right place for them. Our website is like our
business card. It should be graphically attractive, of course.
However, the information should be easily accessible. Even
without the slide show the old website very well satisfied both
purposes. Yes, I agree, the slide show is beautiful and may
lure visitors in for more information. Click, and four students
and the clock on Trautman Square greet. What a nice view,
how attractive. Click, and four students and the clock on
Trautman Square greet. Click, and four students and the clock
on Trautman Square greet. When coming up again and again
and again, this graphical component of our website is
evidently too large and may be seen as a hurdle to reach the
information visitors are looking for. Click, click, click. Scroll,
scroll, scroll. I just hope our visitors do not x us out.
I have been making websites since 15 years. I had to learn
numerous html editors, and I had a lot of trials and errors until
I got results that halfway satisfied me. I browsed through the
web a lot. How do others do it? In the last academic year, I
spent many hours to improve the web pages of the department,
inserting pages of our facilities like greenhouse and
collections. I set up a very informative faculty page,
highlighting my teaching, my research, my students, … I had
pages with recommendations about mosquito prevention and
protection, and I had started a project that displays the
“Woody plants of Wagner College”. All this work, of course
formatted for the old web design, was destroyed, mainly
because of the overlarge bar with the four students and the
clock on Trautman square that appears now on every single
page of the college website. Moreover, I do not yet know how
to make web pages attractive, if the first 50% of each page is
static. On top, I have again to learn a new version of an html
editor. I am annoyed by the way how this was introduced, and
I am discouraged to continue my voluntary efforts.
It would have been so easy to just place a slide show on the
home page and leave the rest as it was.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
PUBLICATIONS
Etinger, A., J. Lebron, and B.G. Palestis. (2009, in press).
Sex-assortative shoaling in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Bios.
Izeirovski, S., Moffett, S. B., Moffett, D. F. & Onken, H.
(2009). The anterior midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes
(Aedes aegypti): Effects of nutrients on the transepithelial
voltage and strong luminal alkalinization. Wagner College
Forum for Undergraduate Research.
Izeirovski, S., Moffett, S. B., Moffett, D. F. & Onken, H.
(2009, in press). The anterior midgut of larval yellow fever
mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti): effects of amino acids,
dicarboxylic acids, and glucose on the transepithelial voltage
and strong luminal alkalinization. Journal of Experimental
Zoology, published online, DOI: 10.1002/jez.561.
Moffett, D.F. and Onken, H. (2009, in press). The Cellular
Basis of Extreme Alkali Secretion in Insects: A Tale of Two
Tissues. In: Epithelial Transport Physiology (ed. George A.
Gerencser). Totowa, New Jersey: Humana Press.
Onken, H., & Moffett, D. F. (2009). Revisiting the cellular
mechanisms of strong luminal alkalinization in the anterior
midgut of larval mosquitoes. Journal of Experimental Biology.
212: 373-377.
Onken, H., Patel, M., Javoroncov, M., Izeirovski, S.,
Moffett, S.B. & Moffett, D.F. (2009). Strong alkalinization in
the anterior midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes
aegypti): Involvement of luminal Na+/K+-ATPase. Journal of
Experimental Zoology. 311A: 155-161.
Palestis, B.G. (2009, in press). Fluctuating asymmetry in
common tern chicks varies with hatching order and clutch
size. The Auk.
Palestis, B.G. (2009, in press). Use of artificial eelgrass mats
by saltmarsh-nesting common terns. In Vivo.
Trivers, R., B.G. Palestis & D. Zaatari. (2009). The Anatomy
of a Fraud: Symmetry and Dance. TPZ Publishers. Antioch,
CA.
Zaatari, D., Palestis, B.G. & Trivers, R. (2009, in press).
Fluctuating asymmetry of responders affects offers in the
Ultimatum Game oppositely according to attractiveness or
need as perceived by proposers. Ethology.
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
MACUB CONFERENCE COMING UP
DATE: September 28, 2009
FROM: Donald Stearns, Megerle II Professor of Biology,
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
REGARDING: 42nd Annual Metropolitan Association of
College and University Biologists (MACUB) Conference,
Kingsborough Community College, Saturday, October 24,
2009
Every year, the Metropolitan Association of College and
University Biologists holds a fall meeting on a Saturday, for
PAGE 4
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
students and faculty interested in the biological sciences. This
fall, the meeting will take place at Kingsborough Community
College, Saturday, October 24th. Registration, continental
breakfast, and exhibitor displays occur from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.,
followed by a general welcome. This year’s morning keynote
address (9:15 – 10:15 a.m.) is titled Pandemic Flu and
Emerging Infectious Diseases, given by Debra E. Berg, M.D.,
Medical director for the Healthcare Emergency Preparedness
Program, Bureau of Communicable Diseases for the New
York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. After
this presentation, there will be exhibitor displays, poster
presentations, member presentations, and concurrent
workshops (11:15-12:30 p.m.), followed by a luncheon. This
year’s afternoon keynote address (12:30-1:30 p.m.) is titled
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made us Human, given by
Richard Wrangham, Ph.D., Ruth Moore Professor of
Biological Anthropology at Harvard University. After this
presentation, there will be more poster presentations and
exhibitor displays (1:30-3:00 p.m.), followed by poster awards
and an ice cream social (3:00-4:00 p.m.).
Students, faculty, and alumni: You are cordially invited to
attend this event. For current students and faculty, your costs
are covered by the Department of Biological Sciences,
Wagner College. For others, the cost ranges from $35 to $55,
depending on your position and timing of registration
payment.
For more information (including van
transportation), please contact Ms. Stephanie Rollizo, Faculty
Secretary, Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner
College, at (718) 390-3103 or Stephanie.rollizo@wagner.edu.
cup of coffee and Dr. Yarns would come by and sit down and
proceed to tell me stories of his life, and some of these stories
were truly amazing. This is what made the man special, he
always had time for his students, he knew just what to say but
more importantly he knew when to listen. He was always there
throughout my entire stay at Wagner. I could pop into his
office anytime and he would always greet me with a smile and
a warm greeting. He was truly my friend.
I have a son, Nicholas, who graduated from Wagner College
"Class of 2009" and is now a Graduate Student on campus. I
hope he finds his own Dr. Yarns while at Wagner.
If there is anything I can ever do to assist you please do not
hesitate to call on me. I will be more than happy to assist with
academic advisement or any other project you request.
Tony Garofalo
Class of 1977
From the Yearbook of 1977:
Contributed by Dr. Stearns
ALUMNI
Tony Garofalo in 1977
A response to the August Newsletter:
Subject: Thank you for the August newsletter
Dear Dr. Onken;
I wish to thank you for your recent copy of the Department of
Biological Sciences August Newsletter. I am a member of
the "Class of 1977". I enjoyed my time at Wagner and
especially the guidance I received from Dr. Yarns (what an
amazing individual) who always told me to pursue my dreams
and ignor the obstacles which may arise. He was an individual
who could easily step out of his role as professor and into his
role as your friend and advisor. I took his advice and 2 years
after graduation I earned a degree as a Physician Assistant (I
guess Dr. Yarns was right about ignoring obstacles) and then
onto a degree as a Podiatrist. While at Wagner I was never an
"A" student but what I lacked in GPA I more than made up in
determination and drive. I took the advice of Dr. Yarns and
placed my focus on the goal. I am sure there are many students
like myself who at times find course work demanding and
difficult (How I remember, painfully, Organic Chemistry and
Dr. Shultz) but I am proof that hard work and a clear focus on
your goals can overcome any obstacle. There were days I
would walk, well actually run, out of an especially difficult
Organic Chem class, head on over to the "Hawks Nest" have a
Biology Faculty in 1977
Standing: Walter Kanzler, Ralph Priddy, Anette Ruark,
Charles Kiley. Kneeling: Dale Yarns, John Frohlin, Murvel
Annan
PAGE 5
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Dear Alumni,
If you are interested in contributing to our newsletter, you
are very welcome to do so. Contact Dr. Onken by e-mail
with
your
submission,
(horst.onken@wagner.edu)
comment, ideas or questions! We are excited to hear about
where you are, how and what you do!
“If your experiment needs statistics, then you ought to have
done a better experiment.” Ernest Rutherford (1st Baron Rutherford of
Nelson) (1871- 1937) English physicist, born in New Zealand. Nobel prize for
chemistry 1908.
“No effect that requires more than 10 percent accuracy in
measurement is worth investigating.” Walther Nernst (1864-1941)
German physicist, chemist. Nobel prize, 1920.
PUZZLES, JOKES, QUOTES, CARTOONS
“Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I
am doing.” Werner Von Braun (1912-1977) German rocket engineer, in U.
CARTOON:
S. after 1945.
“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent
perspiration. “ Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) U. S. inventor.
Quotes from: http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/sciquote.htm
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Authors in all sections should keep in mind that not all
readers are specialized in their area of interest. Keep your
contribution on a level that everybody can understand.
Contributions may vary in length between about 50 and
500 words and must be submitted by e-mail to
horst.onken@wagner.edu.
Cartoon from www.lab-initio.com
JOKE:
There was this biologist who was doing some experiments
with frogs. He was measuring just how far frogs could jump.
So he puts a frog on a line and says "Jump frog, jump!" The
frog jumps 2 feet. He writes in his lab book: 'Frog with 4 legs
- jumps 2 feet'.
Next he chops off one of the legs and repeats the experiment.
"Jump frog jump!" he says. The frog manages to jump 1.5
feet. So he writes in his lab book: 'Frog with 3 legs - jumps 1.5
feet'.
He chops off another and the frog only jumps 1 foot. He writes
in his book: 'Frog with 2 legs jumps 1 foot'.
He continues and removes yet another leg. " Jump frog jump!"
and the frog somehow jumps a half of a foot. So he writes in
his lab book again: 'Frog with one leg - jumps 0.5 feet'.
Finally he chops off the last leg. He puts the frog on the line
and tells it to jump. "Jump frog, jump!" The frog doesn't
move. "Jump frog, jump!!!" Again the frog stays on the line.
"Come on frog, jump!". But to no avail. The biologist finally
writes in his book: 'Frog with no legs - goes deaf'.
From: mwriggle#NoSpam.uoguelph.ca (Michael Wriggles-worth) posted at:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~jcdverha/scijokes/
QUOTES:
“We know very little, and yet it is astonishing that we know so
much, and still more astonishing that so little knowledge can
give us so much power.” Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English
Photographs or other images that accompany an article are
very welcome, but must be submitted as separate files
(high quality jpg is the preferred file format) attached to
the e-mail. Be aware that photographs/images may be
minimized in size.
Indicate the section of the newsletter where you want your
contribution to appear.
The deadline for submission of a contribution is the 20th of
the month. Contributions received later may or may not be
considered.
The editor reserves his right to edit your contribution
or post an immediate response.
Editing may involve to publish contributions in other
sections as indicated by the author.
All contributions will clearly indicate the author's
identity.
All contributions are reviewed and publication may be
refused by the editor.
The Editorial Board:
Editor: Dr. Horst Onken, Associate Professor
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Rollizo, Dept. Secretary
Student Assistant Editor: Nidhi Khanna (Biology major)
Student Assistant Editor: N.N.
philosopher, mathematician.
PAGE 6
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Limulus Newsletter, September 2009
Table Of Contents
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Letter from the editor / Horst Onken -- Clubs and societies news / Nidhi Khanna, Cassandra Bray, Melissa Alvarez, and Jessica Cozzolino -- Opportunities / Horst Onken, Nidhi Khanna, and Sierra D. Beecher -- Experiences / Stephanie Rollizo -- People : Norman Borlaug / Ammini Moorthy -- Opinion : New brooms clean well / Horst Onken -- Publications and professional meetings / Donald Stearns -- Alumni : A response to the August Newsletter / Anthony (Tony) Garofalo -- Puzzles, jokes, quotes, cartoons
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Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
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2009-09
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Limulus
NEWSLETTER
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Volume 2010, Issue Fall-01
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
For students and faculty, the summer break has been too short,
as usual. Administrators and other staff may have looked
forward to a more lively campus life. I am sure many
freshmen were excited to finally start their college career at
Wagner.
For those who make the LIMULUS the beginning of the new
academic year was very busy. Consequently, we took the
freedom to delay the review of the spring semester to the end
of September, instead of coming forward with this task
already a month earlier. I hope all of you enjoy the look back
to the spring, before we give you the news from this semester
in about a month from now.
Dr. Horst Onken
The Editor
BIOLOGY STAFF AND FACULTY NEWS
DR. STEARNS DISCUSSES RESEARCH PROJECTS
Dr. Donald Stearns has spent
23 years of his professional
career serving as full-time
college professor. During the
week, students can find Dr.
Stearns working away in his
office until the late hours of
the night. He is a dedicated
and caring professor that is
currently working on two
important research projects.
Dr. Stearns is studying the
way organisms respond to
different light cues. He also
received a grant from the
National Science Foundation
to study the connection
between critical thinking and civic thinking (CT)2.
After receiving his B.A. in Biology from the Ivy League
institution Dartmouth College, Dr. Stearns attended the
University of New Hampshire and earned a Masters in
Zoology. Before pursuing a PhD in Zoology at Duke
University, he taught undergraduate students in Mexico at the
University of Baja California.
As a graduate student at Duke University, Dr. Stearns focused
on behavioral ecology, especially of marine organisms. He
developed an interest in the cyclic behaviors of nocturnal
September, 2010
migration. Dr. Stearns basically studied daily patterns of
marine organisms and wanted to know how light played a role
in effecting those behaviors. He proposed that organisms
behave differently under various light conditions. “Organisms
can see different light conditions that human beings are unable
to see, and this is quite fascinating to me,” he said.
The effects of light and behavior can help answer a lot of
important questions, such as what specific light cues can
trigger behavioral responses in the natural field. Currently Dr.
Stearns has five research students at Wagner that are working
in the photophysiology lab. In this dark room, the students are
able to control the color and brightness of light using special
filters. The students are using mosquitoes and observing how
the insects respond to different light cues. If the mosquitoes do
not respond to the light cues, then Dr. Stearns will conclude
that the insects did not see the light. He is observing the
organisms‟ behavior as a way to measure what the mosquitoes
can and cannot see.
In addition to conducting research in the laboratory, Dr.
Stearns has been working on a new project, CT 2. He has been
involved in the project with three other institutions. Dr.
Stearns wants to encourage students to have a heightened
sense of concern in their community, and believes that
students must use critical thinking in order to develop into
responsible citizens. Most colleges want students to volunteer
or participate in civic engagement. However, Dr. Stearns
stresses that volunteering is not the same as being a
responsible citizen.
“You can have a heart of gold and decide that you want to
donate to some charity. However, if you don‟t do your
research and use critical thinking, you may end up donating
money to an organization that uses those donations to pay high
salaries to the heads of that organization. As an individual,
you may think that you are helping improve conditions in your
society by donating to that organization, but you actually have
not used critical thinking correctly. People need to separate
facts from falsehoods to achieve a clearer understanding of
any situation,” he said.
In order to become a critical thinker that is engaged in his or
her community, an individual must recognize a problem in his
or her community. The critical thinker needs to not only show
a sense of concern for improving their community, but the
individual should devise a plan to improve the situation in
their community.
I would like to thank Dr. Stearns for taking the time to explain
his two research projects to me.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
PAGE 1
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
HONORNG OUR ADJUNCTS
PROFESSOR BEECHER
love Wagner students and I enjoy coming to work every day. I
never felt like teaching was a job, but something that I really
enjoyed doing. It was such an incredible pleasure to teach at
Wagner and the Biology department is completely supportive.
Stephanie is such a great secretary and she is always so caring
and helpful. I loved teaching at Wagner and I hope to continue
teaching one day again in the future, “she said.
On the behalf of the Limulus staff, I would like to congratulate
Professor Beecher on her acceptance to the PhD program at
Washington State and I wish her the best of luck! I would also
like to thank Professor Beecher for taking the time out of her
busy schedule to conduct this interview.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
Professor Beecher (in the above photograph on the right with
her students in the Botanical Garden) began teaching at
Wagner in 2007. She received her Bachelor of Science in
Biology at Washington State University, which is located in
Pullman, Washington. She stayed at Washington State
University and obtained a Masters in Environmental Science
and Regional Planning.
While studying in graduate school, she became interested in
watersheds and sediment chemistry. She said, “Watersheds
can greatly help reduce the problems that the global
community faces with maintaining clean water supplies.”
Professor Beecher feels that it is vital to pay attention to
watersheds and sediment chemistry because all the materials
that people dump into the Earth eventually settles into lakes.
“Most of the pollution is concentrated in the bottom of lakes
and it is important that individuals take action and reduce
pollution,” she said.
Professor Beecher is a dedicated adjunct faculty member, and
teaches during the fall and spring semesters, and even during
summer sessions. She teaches several classes including
Human Biology, Environmental Biology, Environmental
Issues, and Forms and Functions (the lecture and lab sections
for all four classes).
In addition to her interests in sediment chemistry, she is
fascinated by photosynthesis and will be returning to
Washington State University in the fall to join the PhD
program in molecular plant science. The molecular plant
science program at this university is internationally known and
is one of the top programs in its field.
Professor Beecher really enjoyed teaching at Wagner, and will
miss all of her students and the wonderful faculty she was able
to work with. She likes to teach at Wagner because she is able
to help students as much as she can due to the small classes. “I
Dr. ROSENBERG
Professor
Rosenberg
began
teaching
at
Wagner about two years
ago. He is a Bronx
native and, where he
received a Bachelors in
History at Dartmouth
College. After college,
he went on to George
Washington University
to pursue a medical
degree. Dr. Rosenberg
returned to New York
to complete an internship at Mt. Sinai, and was a blood and
cancer specialist. He eventually moved to Massachusetts and
was a physician for 30 years of his professional career. In
addition to practicing medicine, he received a PhD in
Biophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
While in Cambridge, he served as a Biochemistry professor at
MIT and was a professor at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Rosenberg‟s research interests include molecular biology
and while he taught medicine at Harvard, he also ran
Harvard‟s molecular biology lab. When he studied medicine in
GWU, Dr. Rosenberg became interested in blood. “Blood is
very molecular, and when you study blood you can figure out
the precise causes of diseases. I have watched the hematology
discipline change and increase in power during my career,” he
stated.
In addition to Dr. Rosenberg‟s extensive work at Harvard, he
became actively involved in many social causes. He started
the first free medical clinic in Cambridge with a group of his
colleagues. After teaching at Harvard and MIT for eleven
years, he eventually retired. Dr. Rosenberg holds honor
doctorates from the University of Amsterdam and University
of Paris.
Dr. Rosenberg moved back to New York recently, and has
been teaching several laboratory sections at Wagner. He
teaches the Anatomy and Physiology labs, and will be
teaching the Cells, Genes, and Evolution lab next year. Dr.
Rosenberg enjoys teaching at Wagner and wants to help his
students to be able to think critically. “I want to help students
think through complicated problems and I feel that is
important to help train students to be good critical thinkers. I
PAGE 2
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
want to students to relate the information they learned in lab to
real life situations,” he said.
In his classes, Dr. Rosenberg believes that it is necessary for
the instructor to cater to the students‟ interests. “Currently, I
have some students in my class interested in sports medicine. I
also have some nursing students as well. I try to engage the
students by adding sports medicine related questions in the
homework problems and I include clinical examples in my
lectures because it interests the nursing students. The students
often complain that my homework assignments are difficult,
and I give them hard questions in order for them to prepare for
the examinations. The difficult questions gets them thinking,
and this is the same way I taught my students at MIT,” he
added.
Dr. Rosenberg has an impressive list of accomplishments, and
many of his former students are leading successful lives as
professors all over the globe in academic institutions like
Harvard.
I would like to thank Dr. Rosenberg for taking the time to
speak with me, and it was such a privilege to learn more about
you.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
SPECIAL TOPIC
BIOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY RESEARCH FUND
In the summer of 2009, with the help and support of the
Department of Biological Sciences, the Administration and the
Office of Institutional Advancement (OIA), Dr. Ammini
Moorthy‟s hope to establish an Undergraduate Senior Thesis
Research Fund for the Biology/Microbiology Department
became a reality.
Currently all biology/microbiology majors participate in
undergraduate research under the supervision of a faculty
member as part of their graduation requirement. With the
assistance of Ms. Stephanie Rollizo (faculty secretary), Dr.
Moorthy worked with Ms. Kristen Koehler (OIA) to reach out
to our alumni for help in creating the fund to subsidize this
important part of the curriculum. The fund provides much
needed resources for our students to purchase materials for
their research projects.
The alumni who have already graciously donated are:
Robert Agnello, Danielle Cavallo, Robert Corry, James
D’Amico, Louis DeSantis, Letizia Hobbs, Louise Kaufman,
Stacy Kubikian, Christina Lamb, Christine MarroneMassaro, Robert Peterman, Michael Ponzo, and Carol
Russell.
With the approval of Dr. Brian Palestis (chair of biological
sciences) and Prof. Linda Raths (who maintains expense
records), several students have already benefited from this
fund. Their names and their research projects are:
Nicholas Lepore and Almir Spahiu (Advisor Kathy Bobbitt):
Chemical components and antimicrobial properties of mastic
Medije Mashkulli (Advisor Horst Onken): Set up of a yellow
fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) colony
Philip Kaplan, Glenn Muoio, Peter Pisano, Farha Rashid and
Lauren Raynor (Advisor Donald Stearns): Developmental
changes in larval photosensitivity of the yellow fever
mosquito (Aedes aegypti)
Kaitlin Eppinger (Advisor Brian Palestis): A banding study of
the common tern (Sterna hirundo)
Cassandra Bray (Advisor Brian Palestis): Escape response as a
behavioral assay of blindness in zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Alex Moleson (Advisor Roy Mosher):
mutagenesis of green fluorescent protein
Site-directed
Roseanna Valant (Advisor Ammini Moorthy): Genotoxicity of
mitoxantrone in human cells
Felicia Giunta (Advisor Heather Cook): Effects of endocrine
disrupters on Drosophila development
Benjamin Serbiak (Advisor Ammini Moorthy): The efficacy
of sunscreen blockers in prevention of the effects ultraviolet
light in Vicia faba
Alexander Zilberman (Advisor Adam Houlihan): "Use of PCR
to validate culture-based detection of Salmonella from
waterfowl eggs in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Julianna Maniscalco (Advisor Horst Onken): Inhibition of
strong midgut alkalinization in larval yellow fever mosquitoes
(Aedes aegypti)
Thanks again to the alumni who contributed and made this
possible. Your generosity is already paying dividends. We
need more of you, our alumni, to step forward and contribute
whatever you can. During the summer of 2010, the alumni
will once again be approached to ask for their support.
Alumni who happen to read this article are encouraged to
proactively contribute. It is not often that one gets a chance to
make a donation and see its impact directly and promptly.
Contributed by Stephanie Rollizo, Dr. Moorthy, and Dr. Palestis.
CURRICULUM NEWS
NEW 5 YEAR B.S./M.S. MICROBIOLOGY PROGRAM
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Roy Mosher,
the director of the Microbiology Masters Program at Wagner.
Dr. Mosher teaches a number of courses at Wagner including
Biochemistry I and II, Medical and Public Health,
Microbiology,
Microbial
Genetic, Applied, Food, and
Industrial Microbiology, and
Pathogenic Fungi.
Wagner announced that the
Microbiology Program would
offer students a chance to obtain
a five-year B.S./M.S. beginning
in the Fall 2010 semester. The
new program is not offered in
any other college or university
in the Northeast. Associate
Provost Dr. Jeffrey Kraus spearheaded the idea for the new
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
program. Dr. Kraus is also head of all the graduate studies
programs at the college, and initially he asked Dr. Mosher if it
would be possible to develop a five-year B.S./M.S.
Microbiology graduate program at Wagner.
Dr. Mosher was a little reluctant at first because the
Microbiology Department was shorthanded and would not be
able to expand the program due to the limited faculty. Luckily,
Dr. Adam Houlihan joined the Wagner faculty recently, and
Dr. Mosher believed with Houlihan‟s help, the new program
would be more feasible.
After Dr. Kraus proposed the idea, Dr. Mosher needed to get
the program approved by the Biology Department and then by
the Academic Program Committee, which regulates academic
programs on campus. Dr. Mosher brought the idea to the New
York State Department of Education and they finally gave the
final approval for the program. The entire process took about a
year to complete from start to finish.
Earlier last fall, Dr. Mosher received exciting news from the
Department of Education that Wagner would be allowed to
offer this new program to students the following year.
According to Dr. Mosher, Professor Christopher Corbo, an
adjunct Biology professor at Wagner (‟06 B.S., ‟08 M.S.),
deserves a tremendous amount of credit in helping Dr. Mosher
obtain the proper certifications for the program. Additionally,
Dr. Kathleen Bobbit and Dr. Houlihan played an integral part
in developing the program, and Dr. Mosher could not have
completed this process without their assistance.
The new program offers students a chance to receive their
Masters degree quickly and this program is more research
oriented. “The current two-year Masters program allows
students to choose whether they would like to do a research
based or non-research based thesis. The Masters students
simply do not have enough time to sufficient research, and the
new program allows students to get a head start with their
research,” stated Dr. Mosher.
Students participating in the program will begin to conduct
research in the laboratory during their junior year. They will
be required to complete their senior RFT during the fall
semester of their senior year. This allows students to begin
their Masters research in the spring semester of their senior
year. The advantage of this program is that students can start a
research project as an undergraduate student and have the
opportunity to defend their thesis as a senior. Eventually, the
students can expand on their senior thesis project, and have the
opportunity to have an engaging and intensive research
experience. “Students completing their Masters in
Microbiology usually need time to do research, and by the
time they learn the necessary skills to do the research, it is
time for the students to graduate,” said Dr. Mosher. The new
program allows students to spend more time learning the
techniques in the lab, and hopefully the students will be able
to present their projects at major regional or national
conferences.
Currently, seven undergraduate students have officially
declared an interest in the program. The program allows
students to “exit” out of the program, and students can pursue
other graduate schools if they wish. Students hoping to go to
medical school or dental school can enroll in the five-year
program, but if they get accepted to either medical or dental
school, they can opt to “exit” out of the program. Basically,
the students can choose to obtain their B.S. in Microbiology,
and may opt out of pursuing the Masters in Microbiology in
order to attend another graduate school after they complete
their senior year at Wagner.
Dr. Mosher offered some important advice for students that
are interested in the program. “Anyone that wishes to
participate in the program should make the decision by their
sophomore year, however, it would be better if you decide
during your freshman year. New students and freshman should
try to get into Dr. Stearns‟ and Dr. Houlihan‟s Learning
Community: Bacteria, Human Health and Survival. This LC
allows students to complete their basic microbiology
requirements and it is important to get the introductory course
out of the way. Then, students will be able to fit their other
microbiology classes in the following semester, and it would
be optimal if students put this LC as their top choice, “ he
stated.
I would like to thank Dr. Mosher for taking the time out of his
busy schedule to complete this interview!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
BIOLOGY STUDENT NEWS
AWARDS
BIOLOGY STUDENTS HONORED AT UNDERGRAUATE AWARDS
DINNER
The Undergraduate Awards Dinner was held on Friday April
30th. Many students from the department received honors and
recognition for their exceptional academic work. The awards
that students received are in italics. The students that
maintained a 4.0 GPA for the Spring 2009 and Fall 2010
semesters received a special plaque. The following students
were honorees at the dinner:
Violeta Capric (Biology/Anthropology Majors)- Academic
Excellence Award (4.0 g.p.a)** and the Robert D. Blomquist
Memorial Award in Biology
Terryn Marette (Biology Major)- Biological Science Award
Peter Pisano (Biology Major)- Academic Excellence Award
(4.0 g.p.a)**
Victor Stora (Biology/Chemistry Majors)- Academic
Excellence Award (4.0 g.p.a)
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Melanie Valencia Biology Minor)- Academic Excellence
Award (4.0 g.p.a); Diversity Action Council Award;
Community Service Award. (Biology Minor)
Lisa Duncan (Biopsychology Major)- Academic Excellence
Award (4.0 g.p.a)
Marlena Mason (Biology Major)- Academic Excellence Award
(4.0 g.p.a
Nidhi Khanna (Biology/Philosophy Majors)- Outstanding
Service in Communication Award
Congratulations to all the honorees!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna (with the help of Stephanie Rollizo)
SENIORS RECEIVE DEPARTMENTAL HONORS
Some seniors received special recognition for their
outstanding work in the biology department. Three seniors
received awards for presenting at a conference, and for their
high GPA. Congratulations to Yolana Fuks, Medije Mashkulli,
and Michael Stanton!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
GRADUATE STUDENTS AWARDS CEREMONY
During the first week of May, a few graduate students
received special recognition for their work in the
Microbiology department. Congratulations to all of the
winners!
Microbiology Award- Zulmarie Franco
Highest Academic Achievement-Kristin Belitz
Outstanding Academic Achievement-Janet Sum
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna (with the help of Stephanie Rollizo)
BIOLOGY STUDENTS INITIATED INTO ODK
The National Leadership Honor Society held its Spring
initiation for new members on Friday April 9th at 6pm.
Omicron Delta Kappa was founded in 1914 at Washington and
Lee University. This organization recognizes excellence in
academics and leadership of students at each of its
participating colleges.
Several students from the Biology Department were inducted
into ODK, as well as a faculty member from the department.
Congratulations to all the new members!
Anna Lysenko (Biopsychology Major), Violeta Capric
(Biology), Leandra Manfredi (Biopsychology), Aimee Marin
(Biopsychology), and Dr. Horst Onken (faculty initiate).
Limulus would also like to recognize the Biology students that
were inducted in the fall. I apologize for the late recognition!
Philip Kaplan (Biology Major, chemistry minor), Victor Stora
(Biology/Chemistry
Majors),
and
Nidhi
Khanna
(Biology/Philosophy Majors).
Several graduating seniors from the department have been
members of ODK. I would like to wish them the best of luck
in their future endeavors!
Yolana Fuks (Biology Major, Chemistry Minor), Shannon
O‟Neill (Biology Major), Anna Lysenko (Biopsychology
Major), Colleen Janson (Biology Minor), and Danielle
Sheehan (Biology Minor).
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
BIOLOGY CLUB NEWS
The Biology club held several meetings during this semester.
Members discussed a few important topics at the last meeting,
which was held on Monday, February 22nd. Please look below
for upcoming events.
• On-campus community service
◦
Once the weather begins to get better, the on-campus
community service will take place. Members will be
sitting at a table outside the Union. The Biology club
will be asking for donations (for a cause that is TBD).
Donors will receive “prizes” in exchange for their
contributions.
• Off-campus community service
◦
Members are looking into the possibility of
participating in the National Pillow Fight Day in the
city. The date is Saturday, April 3rd. This is the
Saturday before Easter Sunday. Please let email
Cassandra Bray if anyone is interested in participating
in this event. The pillow fight day works by asking the
participants to donate their pillows at the end of the
day. Any donated pillows are given to animal shelters
in the NY area to make beds for the animals.
• PR events to make the campus aware of the Biology Club
◦
Campus-wide trip to the Bodies: The Exhibition in
Manhattan
◦
Campus-wide trip to the National Museum of History
◦
Table at Wagnerstock (April 17th)
◦
Movie night
• Tie-dye of Biology Club t-shirts
• Members will be tie-dying our club t-shirts on Sunday,
April 11th at 11am on the oval (pending good weather).
Contributed by Cassandra Bray and Nidhi Khanna
The next Biology club meeting will held on Monday April
12th. The elections will take place and members will be voting
on the new Executive Board for next year.
Contributed Nidhi Khanna
The Biology Club completed their on-campus community
service in the last week of April. Members distributed free
condoms in the Union and collected donations to support
Community Health Action.
Elections were also held and the newly elected president is
Leonid Denisenko and the vice president is Caroline Mroz.
Current President, Cassie Bray had a few final words that she
would like to share: “Lastly, I wanted to thank everyone who
was an active member this past year. It felt great to know the
hard work and time I put into making the club better paid off.
I'll miss everyone next year, but be excited for Leonid to take
control. Awesome things will get done during his reign!
Have a great summer, everyone!”
-Cassie Bray
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna and Cassie Bray
TRI-BETA NEWS
Members of Tri-Beta met early this month. Professor Raths
serves as the faculty advisor for Tri-Beta and she suggested
that members participate in an upcoming conference at The
College of New Jersey. The conference will be held on
Saturday March 27th. Students may already have a poster
prepared at that time for the Eastern Colleges Science
Conference and should consider going to this conference as
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
well. The deadline for submitting abstracts electronically for
all oral and poster presentations is March 16th. March 21 st is
the deadline for registering online. ”Walk in” posters will be
allowed the day of the conference, and students have the
opportunity to register the day of the conference.
Contributed by Yolana Fuks, Professor Raths, and Nidhi Khanna
The Biological Honor Society will hold its initiation ceremony
for new members on Friday April 16 th in Gatehouse Lounge.
Members will be completing their off-campus community
service at the Rahway River in New Jersey on Saturday April
17th. Tri-Beta goes to the Rahway River annually during the
springtime to clean up the trash that is scattered around near
the river.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
NEW MEMBERS
Congratulations to the new members of Tri-Beta!
Daniel Fitzpatrick, Philip Kaplan, Terryn Marette, Aimee
Marin, Maleeha Memon, Caroline Mroz, Ashley Nati, Farha
Rashid, and Victor Stora.
ELECTIONS
Tri-Beta recently held elections for its new officers.
Congratulations to all! President: Medije Mashkulli, Vice
President: Violeta Capric, Secretary: Philip Kaplan, Treasurer:
Peter Pisano, and Historian: Farha Rashid.
GRADUATING SENIORS
The Limulus Staff would like to wish the seniors from TriBeta the best of luck in their future endeavors!
Graduating Seniors: Lauren Carasso, Samantha Cook, Jessica
Cozzolino (Secretary), Yolana Fuks (President), Colleen
Janson, Michele Marotto, Shannon O‟Neill (Historian),
Danielle Sheehan, Almir Spahiu , Ashley Stackpole, Michael
Stanton (Vice President), Salvatore Valenti, and Kayla Wong.
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE INITIATION
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
PRE-HEALTH SOCIETY
The Pre-Health Society held their first meeting of the semester
this month. The organization is planning to get involved in a
number of off-campus and on-campus community service
events. Members plan to volunteer at the Soup Kitchen on
Staten Island and will participate in the March of Dimes walk
that will be held in April.
In addition, students that are interested in getting clinical
experience are encouraged to volunteer at Staten Island
University Hospital. The hospital procedures and instructions
that volunteers must follow will be available to members on
the Moodle site. If students would like to volunteer at SIUH,
they
should
contact
Violeta
Capric
(violeta.capric@wagner.edu).
Members are invited to join the Pre-Health Society‟s
fundraising/community service committee. Please contact VP
of Medicine (President of MAPS), Melanie Valencia
(melanie.valencia@wagner.edu) for more information. The
committee will be planning a Salsa Night event to raise money
for the campus-wide Haiti relief efforts. The committee meets
at 4pm on Tuesdays.
Students interested in applying to Medical School should look
out for a presentation from Bryan Fleischman, the Associate
Director of Admissions of the American University of
Antigua-College of Medicine. The presentation will be held on
Tuesday April 20th at 4:00pm, room TBA. Students that
would like to learn more about AUA should visit the
university‟s website (http://www.auamed.org/).
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
Melanie Valencia is the vice-president of the Pre-Health
Society. She also serves as the president of the Minority
Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS). MAPS is a
subgroup of the Pre-Health Society. For the past few months,
Melanie has been working with a group of students in the Pre-
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Health Society to organize a „Salsa Night.‟ This event will be
held on Thursday, April 8th at 8pm in Gatehouse Lounge. An
instructor will be coming to teach all attendees a few salsa
steps. The cost of the event is $5 and all proceeds will be
going to the organization Knowledge is the Cure, which funds
projects in Kenya. The event was a huge success last semester,
and all Wagner students are encouraged to attend!
Students that are interested in applying for medical school
should look out for a presentation from Bryan Fleischman, the
Associate Director of Admissions of the American University
of Antigua-College of Medicine in April. The presentation
will be held on Tuesday April 20th at 4:00pm, room TBA. If
you would like to learn more about AUA, please visit the
website (http://www.auamed.org/).
In addition, students that would like to get more clinical
experience are encouraged to volunteer at Staten Island
University Hospital. The hospital procedures and instructions
that volunteers must follow will be available to members on
the Moodle site. If students would like to volunteer at SIUH,
they
should
contact
Violeta
Capric
(violeta.capric@wagner.edu).
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
ELECTIONS
The Pre-Health Society held its annual elections on Thursday,
April 29th. This was the first time the organization allowed
members that could not attend the elections to submit their
vote electronically by emailing their votes to the Secretary
(Nidhi Khanna). All the candidates were very well qualified
and ran a great race! Thanks to all who participated.
Congratulations to our new officers!
President: Felicia Giunta
VP of Medicine: Julianna Maniscalco
VP of Allied Health: Victor Stora
VP of Dental: Lisa Schneider
Secretary: Medije Mashkulli
Treasurer: John Geli
SGA Representative: Lisa Duncan
Current President Aimee Marin and Secretary Nidhi Khanna
decided to “retire” from the E-board of the Pre-Health Society,
and did not wish to run in the elections. Aimee wrote a final
farewell letter to members that I would like to share:
It has been an honor to serve in the office of president for the
PHS. We can be proud of our achievements and look forward
to even greater achievements in the future. Now is the time for
me to turn over the leadership as the club moves forward with
fresh ideas.
If anyone has any questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail
me. I will be working with the Colleges Against Cancer club
next semester, and I look forward to seeing familiar faces at
those meetings. Thank you once again,
Aimee Marin
Lastly, I wanted to thank everyone in the society for a great
year and for all of your hard work and participation in PHS. It
was an honor and such a pleasure to serve as PHS secretary
for the past year. I am sure Medije will go above and beyond
her duties as secretary next year, and I feel confident of her
abilities.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
OPPORTUNITIES
RESEARCH WITH MOSQUITOES AND CRABS
Dr.
Onken
offers
research opportunities
for students in the frame
of a project in which he
collaborates with scientists from Washington
State University, the University of Idaho, and the University
of Alberta (Edmonton, CA). The project is funded by the
National Institute of Health and studies the physiology of the
midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).
Mosquitoes are vectors of a number of parasites, transmit
devastating diseases like malaria, yellow fever and dengue,
and are a major threat to the health of billions of people on our
planet. The principal investigators of this project address
larval mosquitoes, because it appears more straightforward to
fight these vectors as long as they are confined in an aquatic
habitat.
In collaboration with colleagues from the U.S. (Mt. Desert
Island Biological Laboratories, Maine), Brazil (University of
São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, University of Paraná in Curitiba)
and Canada (University of Manitoba in Winnipeg) Dr. Onken
pursues research with Crustacea related to the osmoregulatory
capacities and mechanisms of crabs. Together with Dr.
Alauddin (Chemistry) and Professor Beecher (Biology), an
ecophysiological study is in an early stage of planning.
Dr. Onken can offer research opportunities for two to three
students. If interested contact Dr. Onken in his office (Megerle
Science Hall Room 411), lab (Megerle Science Hall Room
406) or via e-mail (horst.onken@wagner.edu) or phone 4204211.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
WORK IN THE GARDEN
Students interested in collaborating in the greenhouse and/or
garden during the spring of 2010 should contact Dr. Onken
(horst.onken@wagner.edu).
Contributed by Dr. Onken
BE A LIMULUS ASISTANT EDITOR
Proficient student writers are invited to become assistant
editors for the newsletter of the Department of Biological
Sciences. If you are interested, please, contact Dr. Onken
(horst.onken@wagner.edu).
EXPERIENCES
DARWIN DAY BECOMES ANNUAL TRADITION
Last year, the Biology Department celebrated the 200th
birthday of Charles Darwin. This year, Professor Raths and
Secretary Stephanie Rollizo decided to hold a special lunch
again this year in honor of Darwin‟s birthday. Last year,
everyone had such a wonderful time at the event, and
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Professor Raths and Stephanie wanted to organize a
celebration again this year.
Professor Raths had a special Darwin Exhibit set up in one of
the laboratories. She did a marvelous job with the exhibit, and
included interesting facts about Charles Darwin.
Some interesting facts about Charles Darwin include:
Darwin was not comfortable being on ships. He suffered from
seasickness and did not spend that much time on the Beagle.
He did most of his research on land rather than on ship due to
his problem with seasickness.
His father was a physician wanted Darwin to attend medical
school. Darwin‟s father did not think highly of his son, and
pushed him to attend Edinburgh University to pursue a career
in medicine. Darwin did not want to become a doctor, and his
father said that he was “a disgrace to himself and his family.”
Charles Darwin‟s wife was very religious. When he was
younger, he studied the University of Cambridge. He was
interested in joining the clergy, but he later pursued other
interests. Eventually, Darwin made the transition from being
religious to becoming an agnostic.
On behalf of the Limulus staff, I would like to thank Professor
Raths and Stephanie for organizing the event. This event could
not have been possible without all of their hard work and
contributions. I would also like to acknowledge anyone else
who made delicious treats for everyone else to enjoy.
Interesting
facts
were
compiled
from:
(http://www.livescience.com/history/090211-darwinfacts.html)
From Professor Raths’ Darwin Exhibit
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
WAGNER IN THE SNOW
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
WAGNER AFTER THE STORM
In February, the college was hit by snow. On a number of days
classes had to be canceled. In the February newsletter I shared
some photographs of Wagner College in the snow. In March,
the college was hit by a major rain storm, and I share some
photographs of the damages on campus (see below). This
storm caused major damages in different states of the East
Coast. On Staten Island many trees were blown over and
thousands of houses were without power for up to some days.
Also our beautiful campus suffered, and public safety and
maintenance were extremely busy. A couple of trees crashed
and some windows broke.
Broken window in the Library.
A fallen tree blocking Campus Road.
Water damage at the Science Building.
Public Safety in action. A wind gust blew over a whole row of
pines behind the Science Building.
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
variety of different habitat types in a small area, due to its
location at the borders of northern and southern vegetation and
of coastal and upland vegetation. Habitats include deciduous
forest, pine barren, cedar and hardwood swamps, and
saltmarsh.
One of the trees that was blown over on campus was a big, old
oak besides Lyle‟s House (see above). When it fell it barely
missed Lyle‟s House. Lyle Guttu‟s good spirits must have
protected his former home. On the initiative of our department
secretary, Stephanie Rollizo, the department got a slice of the
stem of the tree. It is now in a storage room of the department
and will dry over the summer.
Ben Serbiak and Lara Kirkbride tasting sassafras leaves.
The class walks on a boardwalk through the swampy section
of Cheesequake State Park.
Contributed by Dr. Palestis
PEOPLE
LUESONI JOHNSON
VISITING RESEARCH STUDENT COLLABORATES
WITH DR. FULOP AND RECEIVES HONORS
After the summer it is planned to sand the surface of the stem
slice and to conserve it with varnish. The annual rings of the
tree can then be accurately counted. A rough estimate is that
the tree is between 150 and 200 years old. The stem slice can
then be used as an item to display American and Wagner
College history.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
FUN FIELD TRIP
These photos below are from a class field trip for BI 492
Ecological and Evolutionary Theory to two nearby locations
in New Jersey, Hutcheson Memorial Forest and Cheesequake
State Park. Hutcheson Memorial Forest is owned by Rutgers
University and is the sight of various field research projects,
including a long-term study of ecological succession. Students
were able to see a patch of old-growth forest, forests of known
age that developed from abandoned farm fields, a field kept in
an early successional stage, and evidence of the effects of deer
herbivory and invasive species. Cheesequake contains a wide
In November, the annual Biomedical Research Conference for
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Minority Students was in Phoenix, Arizona. Biology students
attend this prestigious conference to present their research in
developmental biology. Luesoni Johnson, a sophomore from
Kingsborough Community College received honors for her
poster presentation that dealt with the effects of alcohol on
zebrafish embryos. Johnson has been working on this research
project with her advisor from Kingsborough, Dr. Kristen
Polizzotto and Dr. Fulop since the summer 2009. Recently, I
had the privilege to speak with both Dr. Polizzotto and
Luesoni about the research collaboration they have formed
with Wagner College.
Dr. Polizzotto described the different grants that are available
to students at Kingsborough Community College. The first
grant that the college offers is called the Bridges to the
Baccalaureate Program. This grant is funded by the National
Institute of Health (NIH) and is given to underrepresented
students. This program helps students attending community
colleges transition into a four-year college. The students work
with a four-year college (Medgar Evers College) and must
apply to this program. These individuals will then take a
research methods class and get assigned to work with a
mentor. Students have the opportunity to make connections
with mentors and complete research over the summer.
Eventually, these students will make posters and will be
required to present at three different noteworthy conferences.
Kingsborough offers a second grant to underrepresented
students. This grant is basically similar to the grant that is
funded by NIH, but students have the chance to collaborate
with mentors from different colleges. The grant is funded by
the New York State Education Department and is entitled
Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program. Luesoni
was the recipient of this grant and she became interested in
studying zebrafish. Dr. Polizzotto had zebrafish in her lab at
Kingsborough and searched for mentors at different colleges.
Kingsborough has a limited faculty and Dr. Fulop was eager to
serve as Luesoni‟s mentor.
Dr. Polizzotto was pleased with the way this research
collaboration with Dr. Fulop turned out. She stated, “ This
collaboration may be one of the most successful programs.
Luesoni had the opportunity to work with many Wagner
students and faculty. She was lucky enough to be supported by
such great faculty and was able to have a high quality research
experience.”
She added, “In Kingsborough, there are fewer opportunities
for students because the college has a low-budget. The
possibilities at Kingsborough are nothing like what Luesoni
did here, and she was able to have a real lab experience.”
Dr. Fulop was interested to help Luesoni and gave up his time
without expecting anything in return. Professors Raths and
Corbo and students Anna Lysenko and Zulmarie France
assisted Luesoni with her research.
Luesoni‟s research included using 40 zebrafish embryos. She
used three different concentrations of alcohol on the zebrafish
and the experiment lasted 14 days. She analyzed the physical
features of the zebrafish . She compared the features to
zebrafish with fetal alcohol syndrome. In her findings, she
discovered hormesis. Hormesis deals with biological effects
that result from low levels of toxins. The biological effects
appeared to be positive.
Dr. Polizzotto described the way hormesis works. “When you
have a low dosage of a toxin, you won‟t get a linear graph.
The toxin is expected to show steadily worse results in an
organism.”
She added, “Many people don‟t believe in hormesis, but many
pharmaceutical companies use hormesis to indicate how much
dosage doctors should give patients when dealing with
medications. Zebrafish serve as a good model and can provide
drug companies with more information when dealing with
different dosages.”
Luesoni felt that she had a very positive experience while
conducting research at Wagner. Anna Lysenko, a senior
Biopsychology major, served as Luesoni‟s student mentor.
Anna helped Luesoni with her research while Anna worked on
her own research as well. Zulmarie Franco, a recent graduate
of the Microbiology program, was also generous enough to
give up her time to help Luesoni with her research. Zulmarie
allowed Luesoni to shadow and assist her while she completed
her research for her thesis.
In addition to conducting research at Wagner, Luesoni was
able to make an important decision about her future. Prior to
studying zebrafish in the laboratory, Luesoni was not sure
what field she would like to pursue after she graduated from
college. After doing research at Wagner, she discovered that
she was especially interested in developmental biology and
neuroscience. Recently, Luesoni applied to Wagner as a
transfer student and is looking forward to join organizations
like the Biology Club.
I would like to thank Dr. Polizzotto and Luesoni for taking the
time out of their schedules to meet with me. I would also like
to congratulate Leusoni for all of the accolades she received
for her research project!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
PUBLICATIONS
Jagadeshwaran, U., Onken, H., Hardy, M., Moffett, S. B. &
Moffett, D. F. (2010). Cellular mechanisms of acid secretion
in the posterior midgut of the larval mosquito Aedes aegypti.
Journal of Experimental Biology 213: 295-300.
Moffett, D.F. and Onken, H. (2010). The Cellular Basis of
Extreme Alkali Secretion in Insects: A Tale of Two Tissues.
In: Epithelial Transport Physiology (ed. George A.
Gerencser), pp. 91-112 . Totowa, New Jersey: Humana Press.
ISBN: 978-1-60327-228-5.
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
EASTERN COLLEGES SCIENCE CONFERENCE
On Saturday April 24th, Pace University hosted the 64th
annual Eastern Colleges Science Conference. 209
undergraduate students participated in the meeting with 16
student presentations from Wagner for this prestigious event.
A handful of students represented the Biology Department in
the conference. Participants included: Yasemin Alev,Violeta
Capric,Leonid Denisenko,William Etts,Stefani Fanara,Yolana
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Fuks,Felicia Giunta,Michael Gutkin,Philip Kaplan,Anna
Lysenko,Julianna
Maniscalco,Medije
Mashkulli,Glenn
Muoio,Peter
Pisano,Anthony
Rafetto,Lauren
Raynor,Benjamin
Serbiak,Michael
Stanton,Megan
Stolze,Melanie Valencia,Alexander Zilberman. During the
afternoon, attendees had the option to take a tour of Pace
University's beautiful Pleasantville, NY Campus. In addition,
attendees were able to watch the falcon show presented by the
university‟s very own falcon trainer. During dinner attendees
had the pleasure of listening to guest speakers. Dr. Deborah
Poe, an assistant Professor of English at Pace University. She
read from her collection Elements based on the Periodic Table.
Her writing has recently appeared in journals such as
Colorado Review, Sidebrow, and Ploughshares to name a few.
She is also fiction editor of the international online journal of
the arts, Drunken Boat. The second speaker was Dr. William
H. Schlesinger who is President of the Cary Institute of
Ecosystem Studies .He gave an interesting lecture about the
role of human population growth, resource demands and
technology in driving and potentially solving our trajectory of
environmental degradation. The students of the Department of
Biological Sciences contributed with platform presentations
and posters. See below for the titles and authors. Two platform
presentations won Excellence Awards. The Limulus Staff
would like to congratulate all of the participants and winners
for a job well done!
CONGRATULATIONS TO ANTHONY RAFETTO AS
RECIPIENT OF THE AWARD FOR BEST PLATFORM
PRESENTATION (CATEGORY: MATHEMATICS AND
ENGINEERING SCIENCES)
Anthony Rafetto. "U.S. population growth." Research under
the supervision of Dr. Otto Raths.
CONGRATULATIONS ALSO TO MEGAN STOLZE AS
RECIPIENT OF THE AWARD FOR THE BEST
PLATFORM
PRESENTATION
(CATEGORY:
PSYCHOLOGY)
Megan Stolze. "The association between BMI, sweet
preference and drug use." Research under the supervision of
Dr. Laurence J. Nolan.
There were 14 additional poster and platform presentations by
students from Wagner College:
Benjamin Serbiak. "The efficacy of sunscreen blockers in
prevention of the clastogenic effects of long wave and short
wave ultraviolet light in Vicia faba." (platform). Research
under the supervision of Dr. Ammini Moorthy.
Stefani Fanara and Megan Stolze. "Television viewing and
food intake: Is physical fitness a factor?" (platform). Research
under the supervision of Dr. Laurence J. Nolan.
Michael Stanton. "Behavioral responses of common tern
chicks to feather sampling." (platform). Research under the
supervision of Dr. Brian Palestis.
Leonid Denisenko. "U.S. population studies." (platform)
Research under the supervision of Dr. Otto Raths.
Melanie Valencia, Violeta Capric, William Etts and
Yolana Fuks. "Electrophysiology of the isolated and perfused
midgut of adult yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti): First
results." (poster). Research under the supervision of Dr. Horst
Onken, with co-authors S.B. Moffett and D.F. Moffett of
Washington State University.
Michael C. Gutkin. "Detection of proliferating cells in
surviving organotypic culture of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)
optic tectum." (poster). Research under the supervision of
Prof. Christopher Corbo, Dr. Zoltan Fulop and Prof. Linda
Raths.
Anna Lysenko and Yasemin Alev. "Scanning electron
microscopic imaging of the developing neuromasts of the
lateral line system in 7 day old zebrafish embryos." (poster).
Research under the supervision of Prof. Christopher Corbo,
Dr. Zoltan Fulop and Prof. Linda Raths, with co-author
Luesoni Johnson of Kingsboro Community College.
Anna Lysenko. "Effects of alcohol show hormetic
characteristics on development of zebrafish embryos."
(poster). Research under the supervision of Prof. Christopher
Corbo, Dr. Zoltan Fulop and Prof. Linda Raths, with lead
author Luesoni Johnson of Kingsboro Community College.
Alexander Zilberman. "Use of an InvA-specific PCR primer
set to validate culture-based detection of Salmonella from
waterfowl eggs in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens,
New York." (poster). Research under the supervision of Dr.
Adam J. Houlihan, with co-author Jessica Browning of the
U.S. National Park Service.
Medije Mashkulli. "Set up of a yellow fever mosquito (Aedes
aegypti) colony." (poster). Research under the supervision of
Dr. Horst Onken, with co-authors S.B. Moffett and D.F.
Moffett of Washington State University.
Julianna Maniscalco. "Inhibition of strong midgut
alkalinization in larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes
aegypti) with HEPES buffer." (poster). Research under the
supervision of Dr. Horst Onken, with co-authors S.B. Moffett
and D.F. Moffett of Washington State University.
Yolana Fuks. "Increased expression of mitochondrial
glutathione peroxidase 4 and superoxide dismutase 2 reduces
cone cell death in retinitis pigmentosa." (poster). Research
under the supervision of Lili Lu and Peter A. Campochiaro of
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Felicia Guinta, Bethny Brown and Alexandra Videll.
"Analyzing the effect of endocrine disrupting chemicals on
Drosophila development." (poster). Research under the
supervision of Dr. Heather A. Cook.
Peter Pisano, Lauren Raynor, Philip Kaplan and Glenn
Muoio. "Developmental changes in larval photosensitivity of
the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti." (poster). Research
under the supervision of Dr. Donald E. Stearns.
Some photographs from the event:
PAGE 13
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Contributed by Farha Rashid
HORMESIS RESEARCH FEATURED IN DOSERESPONSE CONFERENCE
Five representatives from Wagner College participated in the
annual meeting of the International Dose-Response Society at
the University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA, 27-28 April,
2010): Dr. Zoltan Fulop, Dr. Brian Palestis, Anna Lysenko
(senior Psychology major), Anastasia Kurta (Biopsychology,
Class of 2007), and Luesoni Johnson. Luesoni is currently a
student at Kingsborough Community College who is working
in Dr. Fulop‟s lab and is transferring in to Wagner.
The major focus of the conference was hormesis, a
phenomenon where a substance with inhibitory effects at high
doses has the opposite effects at low doses. For example,
alcohol is classified as a depressant but often has stimulatory
effects at low doses. Hormesis is much more common than
most biologists realize, and is characterized by an inverted Ushaped or J-shaped dose-response curve, rather than fitting the
standard linear or threshold model.
Hormesis has also been the subject of research in the
Department of Biological Sciences for several years (see the
Sept 2008 issue of Limulus for a summary of the “Hormesis
Project”). Much of this work has been funded by an
anonymous donor. In Fall 2009, Dr. Ed Calabrese, the leading
authority on hormesis, spoke at Wagner College (see the
Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Limulus) and invited us to attend the
conference.
Luesoni and Anna gave a poster presentation on work they
have done with Dr. Fulop using zebrafish as a model for fetal
alcohol syndrome, and Dr. Palestis presented a poster
summarizing the work his students have done on the effects of
alcohol on the behavior of adult zebrafish. Dr. Palestis also
served as chair of the session on toxicology and risk
assessment. In addition, a paper written by Anastasia Kurta
and Dr. Palestis was recently accepted for publication by the
society‟s journal, Dose-Response. The reference for this paper
and for the two poster presentations are given below:
PAGE 14
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Kurta, A. and B.G. Palestis. (2010, in press). Effects of
ethanol on shoaling behavior in zebrafish (Danio rerio). DoseResponse.
Johnson, L.D., A. Lysenko, C. Corbo, L. Raths, B. Palestis,
and Z. Fulop. 2010. Alcohol shows hormetic characteristics on
development of zebrafish embryos. Annual Meeting of the
International Dose-Response Society. Amherst, MA. 27-28
April.
Palestis, B.G. 2010. Effects of ethanol on the behavior of
zebrafish (Danio rerio). Annual Meeting of the International
Dose-Response Society. Amherst, MA. 27-28 April.
Contributed by Dr. Palestis
MICROBIOLOGY GRADUATE PRESENTS AT
PRESTIGIOUS CONFERENCE
Recently, Zulmarie Franco presented her research at a
conference at Harvard Medical School in February. She is the
first Wagner student that was ever selected to present at this
conference. I would like to thank Zulmarie for taking the time
to help me with this interview.
Q: What was your research?
A: My research was entitled Morphophysiological
Characterization of Peripheral Blood of Adult Zebrafish
(Danio rerio). This research was performed to aid in the study
of degenerative and regenerative processes that take place in
the injured zebrafish brain, main focus of study in Dr. Fulop's
lab. Information such as the ultrastructural features and the
basic characterization of the blood cells was necessary to
understand these processes and to be able to record the
activities of white blood cells in brain injuries. So I collected
the blood from the heart of a mature zebrafish and with it I
prepared blood smears, which I stained to be able to
differentiate among the different white blood cells in the light
microscope. Also I characterized the cells using the
transmission electron microscope and from the scanning
electron microscope I was able to obtain information on the
physiological activities of the cell. I performed other tests but
these were the most significant ones.
Q: What was the conference like?
A: It was a great experience. Its main focus was on
Biomedical careers and research projects. The speakers were
very motivating; besides talking about their current research
they would start by telling their stories of how they were able
to get to where they are right now. They were mostly
minorities so they talk about all the obstacles they had to
overcome to be were they are right now. Particularly there was
one speaker that I found his story very impressing and
motivating, his name is Dr. Alfredo Quinones Hinojosa, he is
a Neurosurgeon at John Hopkins and performs research on the
role of stem cells in the origin of brain tumors and the
potential role stem cells can play in fighting brain cancer and
regaining neurological function. His story was very
impressing because he talked about how he started working in
the fields when he came to the states and after years of hard
work he decided to go to school and after overcoming all the
obstacles he became a well known doctor conducting a very
promising research
Q: Was the conference overall a good experience? How does
it feel to be the first student from Wagner to attend the
conference?
A: There were around 300 poster presentations of students
from bachelor's degree level up to MD/PhD, so it was very
competitive. You would have two hours to stand by your
poster and talk to the judges and anyone else who would go by
your poster, about the research. But the posters were set up
early in the morning for exhibit while the students were
participating in the conferences. Amazing research projects
were being presented. For me the experience of just being
selected to present my research there made me feel really
proud and thankful for all the opportunities I had at Wagner
and for the great people that helped me all the way (Dr. Fulop,
Chris and my family back in Puerto Rico). I can say that all
the hard work was definitely worth it.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
ALUMNI
Dear Alumni,
If you are interested in contributing to our newsletter, you
are very welcome to do so. Contact Dr. Onken by e-mail
(horst.onken@wagner.edu)
with
your
submission,
comment, ideas or questions! We are excited to hear about
where you are, how and what you do!
CARTOONS
Cartoon from www.lab-initio.com
PAGE 15
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
SENIORS IN THE RFT MAJORING IN BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, OR BIOPSYCHOLOGY
In the front from left to right: Janine Bright, Kristyn Beyar, Cassandra Bray, Jessica Cozzolino, Medije Mashkulli,
Nicholas Lepore, Yolana Fuks. In the back from left to right: Dina Benedetto, Lara Kirkbride, Rachel Delp, Michael
Gutkin, Benjamin Serbiak, Michael Stanton, Almir Spahiu, Sarmed Owaid.
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Authors in all sections should keep in mind that not all readers are specialized in their area of interest. Keep your contribution on
a level that everybody can understand.
Contributions may vary in length between about 50 and 500 words and must be submitted by e-mail to horst.onken@wagner.edu.
Photographs or other images that accompany an article are very welcome, but must be submitted as separate files (high quality jpg
is the preferred file format) attached to the e-mail. Be aware that photographs/images may be minimized in size.
Indicate the section of the newsletter where you want your contribution to appear.
The deadline for submission of a contribution is the 20th of the month. Contributions received later may or may not be considered.
The editor reserves his right to edit your contribution or post an immediate response.
Editing may involve to publish contributions in other sections as indicated by the author.
All contributions will clearly indicate the author's identity.
All contributions are reviewed and publication may be refused by the editor.
The Editorial Board:
Editor: Dr. Horst Onken, Associate Professor
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Rollizo, Dept. Secretary
Student Assistant Editor: Nidhi Khanna (Biology)
Student Assistant Editor: Farha Rashid (Biology)
Student Assistant Editor: WANTED!
PAGE 16
�
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Limulus: The Newsletter of the Wagner College Biological Sciences Department
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Limulus Newsletter, September 2010
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Stearns, Donald
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Rosenberg, Robert D.
Table Of Contents
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Letter from the editor / Horst Onken -- Biology staff and faculty news / Nidhi Khanna -- Special topic / Stephanie Rollizo, Ammini Moorthy, and Brian Palestis -- Curriculum news / Nidhi Khanna -- Biology student news / Nidhi Khanna and Stephanie Rollizo -- Biology club news, Tri-beta news, and Pre-health society / Nidhi Khanna -- Opportunities / Horst Onken -- Experiences / Nidhi Khanna -- People / Nidhi Khanna -- Publications, professional meetings -- Alumni and cartoons
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Limulus
NEWSLETTER
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Volume 2011, Issue Fall-01
September, 2011
SUMMER 2011 - BI:335: NATURAL HISTORY OF THE MID ATLANTIC STATES
Students of BI335 enjoy one of many spectacular sites, a dam, during their field trip to Watchung Reservation in New Jersey.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Biology Staff and Faculty News
Biology Student News
News from Clubs and Societies
Experiences
Opportunities
Publications, Presentations and Professional Meetings
Alumni
Cartoon
Guidelines for Contributors and Editorial Board
2
3
4
5
11
12
13
13
13
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The first LIMULUS in the academic year 2011/2012 comes
with a new format of the cover page: A big photograph and a
Table of Contents. I found this idea of one of the student
editors very good. I promise that we will not rename from
“Newsletter” to “Post” of the Department of Biological
Sciences. Moreover, there will never be half-naked polar bears
or the like on page 2.
In the first newsletter of a semester we used to review the last
semester. To some degree we keep this habit. However, we
have some contributions from the summer, and there are
already news and experiences of the current semester. I hope
you enjoy the first issue of the academic year 2011/2012.
Although it is somewhat late, I want to
welcome everybody back to the
college. Of course, a special hello goes
to Dr. Lily McNair, our new provost.
During the first months at Wagner
College she had to deal with the Main
Hall Catastrophe, an earthquake of
magnitude 5.8, and hurricane Irene.
Prepared by such challenging events, I
am sure Dr. McNair is well-prepared
to guide us through the harshest times, if that should be
necessary.
HAVE A SUCCESSFUL FALL SEMESTER!
Dr. Horst Onken, The Editor
PAGE 1
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
BIOLOGY STAFF AND FACULTY NEWS
BIOLOGY PROFESSOR RECEIVES TENURE
Dr. Heather Cook has been
at Wagner College for
several years. She teaches
many courses in the
biology
department
including: Cells, Genes,
and
Evolution,
Gene
Expression
and
Development, Molecular
Cell Biology, and Science:
The Good, the Bad, the
Controversial
(the
Freshman RFT). She is an
active researcher and her
new research project focuses on the effects of endocrine
disrupting chemicals on drosophila development. In the past,
Dr. Cook received the “Teaching with Technology” award at
the Faculty Awards Dinner in 2009. Recently, she learned that
she received tenure. The members of the biology department
went to celebrate Dr. Cook’s good news. Photographs from
the event are pictured in later pages of the newsletter. On the
behalf of the Limulus Staff, I would like to congratulate Dr.
Cook!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna with a photograph from Dr. Moorthy
DR. ONKEN BECOMES NEW DIRECTOR OF THE
HONORS PROGRAM
Dr. Horst Onken is an associate
professor of Physiology and
Zoology at Wagner College.
Dr. Onken has been teaching at
Wagner since 2006 and has
received recognition for his
exceptional work. He was the
recipient of the “Teaching with
Technology” award and the
Faculty Award for Exceptional
Performance in the Area of
Scholarship.
Dr. Onken has published
articles in various prestigious
publications, including two
articles in the Journal of Experimental Zoology. The papers
published in this journal were co-authored by his Wagner
research students. His research interests include studying
epithelial tissue and working with the Aedes agypti
mosquitoes. In addition to his extensive research schedule, Dr.
Onken teaches several courses in the biology department
including Human Biology, Forms and Functions, Comparative
Vertebrate Anatomy, and Animal Physiology. This past year,
he published a chapter in the book Epithelial Transport
Physiology. He also serves as the chair of the Academic
Honesty Committee.
Dr. Erica Johnson has been the director of the Honors Program
for several years. She has done exceptional work for the
program, and this year alone, the number of graduating
students that participated in the program has doubled. At the
end of the summer, she will be stepping down as the director.
Dr. Onken will be the new director of the program beginning
this fall semester. Congratulations to Dr. Onken!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
DR. HOULIHAN TEACHING AT RANDOLPH
COLLEGE FALL 2011
Dr.
Houlihan
began
teaching at Wagner during
the fall 2008 semester. Even
though he has been at the
college for a few years, Dr.
Houlihan has definitely
helped
the
biology
department grow. He will
be leaving Wagner to teach
at Randolph College in the
fall. Randolph College is in
Virginia and is a small
liberal arts college. He will
be teaching microbiology
and genetics classes to
undergraduate students. Additionally, he will teach a class that
is similar to Wagner’s Cells, Genes, and Evolution and will
have students conducting research in his lab. The biology
department and all of Dr. Houlihan’s students will miss him
dearly, and wish him the best of luck in the fall.
Dr. Houlihan received his Bachelors in Molecular Biology
from the University of Mississippi. He later obtained his PhD
in Microbiology from Cornell University. Dr. Houlihan’s
research is focused on plant microbe interactions, specifically
the ways in which plants resist and respond to infection. He
recently became more interested in gastrointestinal
microbiology research.
Dr. Houlihan has taught several courses at Wagner including:
Cells, Genes, and Evolution, Plagues and Outbreaks, Applied
Food, Microbial Physiology, Microbiology, Microbial
Ecology, Immunology, Serology, and a few years ago, he
began teaching a freshman learning community with Dr.
Stearns entitled, “Human Health and Survival.”
Prior to Wagner, Dr. Houlihan admits that he had very limited
teaching experience. “I had some teaching assistantships in
graduate school, but at Wagner, this was the first time I was
able to teach in this capacity,” he stated.
Additionally, Dr. Houlihan mentioned that it was extremely
rare for a college with less than 200 undergraduate students to
have such an impressive microbiology program. He said,” The
microbiology program is very unique and is made up of
dedicated faculty. I believe that it is good for the college to
have such an excellent program.”
Dr. Houlihan enjoyed his time at Wagner and believes that the
family environment is beneficial both to the students and
faculty. “The thing that stood out at Wagner was that it felt
like everyone was part of a family. This aspect of the college
is something that I will truly miss,” he said.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
PAGE 2
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
BIOLOGY STUDENT NEWS
VOLETA CAPRIC WINS STUDENT GOVERNMENT
PRESIDENTAL ELECTIONS
Junior Violeta Capric is a double
major
in
biology
and
anthropology. Capric ran a
successful campaign for the
SGA presidency for the 20112012 academic year. She served
as a SGA Senator during his
sophomore year. Additionally,
Capric is currently the Vice
President of Tri-Beta, and is a
member of the co-ed service
fraternity Alpha Phi Omega.
Last year, she received the
Academic Excellence Award
(4.0 GPA) for both the fall and
spring semesters and the Robert
D. Blomquist Memorial Award in Biology at the spring
Undergraduate Awards Ceremony. Congratulations on behalf
of the Limulus staff!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
SENIOR ACCEPTED BY DENTAL SCHOOLS
Senior biology major and psychology
minor Peter Pisano received acceptances
from four prestigious dental schools.
Peter was accepted to the University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
(UMDNJ) and New York University’s
College of Dentistry last semester.
During spring semester, Pisano learned
that he gained admission to the School
of Dental Medicine at Stony Brook
University and Columbia University. He
will be attending Stony Brook
University in the fall.
Additionally, Pisano will be graduating with departmental
honors. He will receive the Kevin Sheehy Award in Biology,
given in recognition of the highest cumulative grade point
average in the study of biology and the Dr. Norman L. Freilich
Memorial Award, given to a graduating student accepted into
medical or dental school at the Senior Awards Banquet that
will be held before Commencement.
On the behalf of the Limulus staff, I would like to congratulate
Peter on all of his accomplishments!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
GRADUATING SENIOR TO ATTEND DUAL DEGREE
PROGRAM IN THE FALL
Senior double major (Biology/Chemistry) Victor Stora was
accepted to two excellent veterinary schools. Stora will be
attending Louisiana State University and will be pursuing his
D.V.M. (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) and PhD in
Molecular Cell Biology starting this fall semester. Stora was
also accepted to Iowa State University College of Veterinary
Medicine.
Stora conducted research this past
summer at the School of
Veterinary Medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania. He
worked in the PennGen Lab for
Inborn Errors of Metabolism and
the Deubler Lab for Genetic
Testing. Stora’s research mentor
was Dr.Urs Giger DVM PD FS MS
ACVIM. The results from this
research are being presented at the
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in Denver.
It is under review by the Journal of the American Veterinary
Medical Association (JAVMA).
Additionally, he is the vice president of Allied Health for the
Pre-Health Society. He is the SGA representative for Tri-Beta
and works in the Peer Tutoring Center as the biology tutor. On
the behalf of the Limulus staff, I would like to congratulate
Victor on all of his accomplishments and wish him the best of
luck in the fall!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
BIOPSYCHOLOGY MAJORS ACCEPTED
This year, three biopsychology majors will be attending
various graduate schools this upcoming fall. The Limulus staff
would like to highlight the achievements of these three senior
students.
Leandra Manfredini is a commuter student from Staten Island,
NY. She is a member of various honor societies on campus
including Psi Chi (the International Honor Society in
Psychology), Omicron Delta Kappa (the National Leadership
Honor Society), and Psi Epsilon Alpha (the Biopsychology
Honor Society). Manfredini is also a proud member of the
sorority Alpha Sigma Alpha and served as the VP of
Programming and Ritual for ASA. She also was the Greek
Senate chair for her sorority. Manfredini was accepted to the
City University of New York’s Graduate Program for Doctor
of Physical Therapy (DPT), and will begin her studies this
upcoming fall semester.
Aimee Marin is also a commuter student from Staten Island,
NY. She is a member of ODK, Tri-Beta, Psi Chi, and Gamma
Sigma Epsilon (the Chemistry Honors Society). She founded
the Wagner chapter of Psi Epsilon Alpha (Biopsychology
Honor Society) this year and she served as the organization’s
president. She gained admission to the Evelyn Spiro College
of Nursing at Wagner College. Marin will be pursuing her
second Bachelors in Nursing this fall and hopes to continue
her education at Wagner to receive her Masters in Nursing in
the near future.
Thomas Rammelkamp is a resident student from Long Island,
NY. Rammelkamp is a student athlete and was named to the
NEC (Northeast Conference) Winter Academic Honor Roll on
several occasions during his undergraduate career. Athletes
that are on the NEC Honor Roll need to have a grade point
average of at lease 3.20 and need to have distinction as an
athlete on a varsity college team. He is a member of the Men’s
Track and Field team. Despite having a demanding academic
and athletic schedule, Rammelkamp was able to graduate a
semester early and finished his undergraduate career this past
PAGE 3
�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
December. He gained admission to Stony Brook University’s
Physical Therapy (DPT) program and will begin his studies
shortly this upcoming June.
On the behalf of the Limulus staff, I would like to congratulate
all of the biopsychology majors on their acceptances to three
excellent graduate programs! I wish you all the best of luck in
the future.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
NEWS FROM CLUBS AND SOCIETIES
BIOLOGY CLUB
The biology club has passed the 100 active member mark and
growing. Working closely with organizations and charities, the
club will be holding a second annual health awareness event
this October featuring a "MED-iterranean Medley Feast."
Delicious kebobs, appetizers, dips and deserts from the
Mediterranean will be served in support of various biology
related topics and raising funds for ACS Making Strides
Against Breast Cancer Walk on Oct. 16th. New members are
always welcome to join and come to our fun-filled meetings to
discuss current events in biology and meet with other students
interested in the same field. Those interested in joining should
contact Janna Denisenko (janna.denisenko@wagner.edu).
Contributed by Gregory Balaes
A remark by the editor: First of all I want to congratulate the
Biology Club to surpassing 100 active members. This is truly
remarkable. As the faculty advisor of the Biology Club I am
proud, of course, but I want to underline that this outstanding
success of the Biology Club is most certainly based on the
engagement of the members alone. Especially under the
presidency of Leonid Denisenko this club has had remarkable
progress, and I hope that this success will continue under the
presidency of his sister Janna..
Contributed by Gregory Balaes. Photos by Joanna Emilio.
BIOPSYCHOLOGY HONORS SOCIETY
A new Biopsychology Honors Society has been formed at
Wagner College. The following photographs are from the
induction ceremony.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
TRI-BETA BIOLOGY HONORS SOCIETY
Tri-Beta took part in a garden rehabilitation for Dr. Onken and
the Biology Department. The garden behind Megerle should
now be ready to plant for the Spring.
Tri-Beta will also be participating in the Light the Night walk
on Staten Island. The Light the Night Walk supports The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's and is Saturday October 1st
at 5:30 PM on the Midland Beach Promenade. Please contact
Joanna.emilio@wagner.edu if you would like to be involved
in Light the Night.
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
related jobs. Certification is offered at a very discounted rate,
a factor which makes this event very appealing for students.
Contributed by Gregory Balaes
PRE-HEALTH SOCIETY
The Pre-Health Society held elections this past month. The
new VP of Allied Health will be Samar Alwani, a rising junior
biology major. The results for the other E-Board positions will
be announced shortly. For more information, please contact
Pre-Health
Society
President,
Felicia
Giunta
at
Felicia.giunta@wagner.edu.
Photos are taken from the Spring 2011 CPR Certification
event at Wagner College.
All of those interested in the Fall 2011 CPR Certification on
Saturday, October 22 at 11 AM should contact predental@wagner.edu for more information for the
Contributed by Gregory Balaes
PRE-DENTISTRY SOCIETY
Many exciting events are
planned for the 2011-2012
academic
year.
Between
promoting oral health in
neighboring schools, and their
Spring 2012 Health Fair, the
Pre-Dentistry
Society
is
certainly giving back to the
community.
Among other exhibits and activities, the 2012 Health Fair will
feature the 21 feet. long by 15 feet. wide inflatable MEGA
Heart ®. The MEGA Heart displays the entire anatomy of the
human heart, including examples of heart disease, and some of
the latest medical treatments for the heart. Students of the PreDentistry Society and various clubs and organizations will
provide information and activities all in relation to promoting
proper health. The following are organizations who plan to
participate and incorporate components of maintaining proper
health: Physician Assistant Program, Tri-Beta Honors Society,
the Student Nursing Association, the Physician Assistant
Association, the Microbiology Club, TKE, and Theta Chi (two
fraternities here at Wagner Collge). In addition, the Society
has invited neighboring Public Schools, in an attempt to attract
and inform a diverse audience. If you’re your organization or
company is interested in participating, please contact the
Society’s
President,
Gregory
Balaes
at
gregory.balaes@wagner.edu.
The Pre-Dentistry Society will also hold their bi-annual CPR
Certification event on Saturday, October 22 at 11 AM.
Becoming CPR Certified not only is important for everyday
life scenarios, but remains to be a highlight for various health
Lastly, the Society has a new executive board, with the
following students and their respective positions:
Gregory J. Balaes (President), Leonard Giordano (Vice
President), Sara Mfarrej (Community Service Chair), David
Finkelstein (Treasurer), and Angelo Cacciatore (Secretary).
Any student interested in dentistry is certainly welcome to join
the Pre-Dentistry Society. For more information, please email
pre-dental@wagner.edu .
Contributed by Philip Fomina. Photos by Gregory Balaes.
EXPERIENCES
BI335: NATURAL HISTORY OF THE MID-ATLANTIC
STATES
During the two weeks following the Spring 2011 semester’s
end, students of BI335 (taught by Dr. Palestis) truly had a
remarkable experience in “learning by doing.” BI335 involved
many trips to several nearby locations, such as the New Jersey
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
Pine Barrens, Jamaica Bay, the Hackensack Meadowlands,
and the American Museum of Natural History.
Students particularly enjoyed two overnight trips to witness
the horseshoe crab spawning/shorebird migration spectacle in
Delaware Bay and to hunt for marine fossils in the Pocono
Mountains.
If you are interested in the course, please email
bpalesti@wagner.edu in order to express your interest.
Remember, this is elective course, which may be used as one
of the three required electives for the biology major, or
environmental minor.
Students taking a quick rest along side of a dam
at the Watchung Reservation in New Jersey.
Above: Students Gregory Balaes and Casey Lindine gearing
up, as they prepare to enter the deep sea!
Above: Dr. Palestis returning a snapping turtle to its habitat.
The turtle was previously stranded on the side of the road,
seemed dehydrated, and clearly lost. If it was not for Dr.
Palestis’ wild-life strategies, it may not have lived. Great job
Dr. Palestis!
Delaware Bay. Student Casey Lindine observed
as shore birds hunt mating horseshoe crab eggs.
Contributed by Gregory Balaes
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
FROM BLARING HORNS TO SCREAMING PIHAS AND
BACK
During Summer 2011, I
was given an amazing
opportunity to experience
and
learn
biodiversity
survey methods in the
Iwokrama
Forests
of
Guyana, South America.
Through
Operation
Wallacea; an organization
funded by tuition fees that
operates biological and
conservation management
research
programs
in
remote locations across the
world, I was introduced to a
type of field work that
many do not get to
experience. The program was centered in the Iwokrama
Forests in the Guyana Shield at the Iwokrama Research Center
however as an expedition we traveled to additional sites;
including Canopy Walkway, Rock Landing in Surama Village,
and Sandstone.
The program started in
the capital, Georgetown
where our group of 16
met for the first time.
There were 5 volunteers
from America, 2 from
Canada, 1 from Wales, 2
from Scotland, and 6
from
England;
our
supervisors included 1
American scientist in the
PHD program at Missouri
and two scientists and a
doctor from England. Our
first week consisted of
introductory lectures into
the Guyana environment
and the background information on the animals and techniques
that we would be using over the next 3 weeks. We learned
how to set-up mist nets, how to extract birds and bats from the
mist nets, what to look for on mammal surveys and
herpetology surveys’, and how best to avoid any venomous
animals we may encounter. Our stay at the research facility
was short and mainly tutorial. The second week we arrived at
Canopy Walkway, which is a tourist attraction for Guyana.
This week we began to conduct regular surveys that started at
5:45 every morning and normally ended at 11:00 to 11:30.
These surveys included bird point counts, bird nets, two
mammal surveys, and a herpetology survey. On the bird point
counts we would walk onto the platforms (see picture) and
watch and listen closely to the birds that were around us.
We would have either a scientist or an Amerindian guide with
us to help identify the bird, the angle of its direction, and its
distance by the call that it made. The mammal surveys were
similar in that there were transects cut that ranged in distance
from 1.5 km to 3.4 km and a survey consisted of walking
slowly with a guide or scientist and listening and watching
closely for birds or any signs of large mammals. These were
difficult surveys to conduct because the forest is dense and we
as volunteers are clumsy at maneuvering the fallen logs and
swamps so we were easily heard and not always as observant
as our well trained guides. Bird netting was an all day
procedure that began at 6:00 in the morning and ended at 6:00
at night. At each site we set up 18 twelve meter nets, these
nets are made from a thin material and can be hard to see at
certain angles. A bird would fly into it and become tangled;
our job was to extract the birds from the net and identify it and
make a small mark on its far right tail feather so we knew that
it had already been counted. We would check the nets every
hour until dusk approached because then it would be time to
open the bat nets. We always kept the bat and bird nets
separate because the bats carry parasites that would potentially
transfer to the birds and be hazardous to their heath. The
herpetology survey consisted of a walk along either a transect,
or an access road that looked promising for reptiles or
amphibians. We
would use sticks
in order to poke
around the leaf
litter on the floor
to provoke a
frog to jump or
in some cases
and snake to
slither. In our
expedition we
were lucky enough to have caught a juvenile caiman, a
juvenile anaconda, and to see two bi-striped pit vipers, a rare
find (see picture below). During the night there were two
activities to participate in, either the night herpetology walk or
bat nets. The only difference in the night herpetology walk
was that you had to use you headlight, 1. to see where you
were going and 2. to see the eye shine of the different animals.
Red meant larger animal; caiman, predator cat, or some type
of mammal; blue meant spiders, and orange or yellow usually
meant frogs. Bat netting was similar to bird netting, the only
difference was that with the bats you have to avoid being
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
bitten by their fangs and the extraction process was more
tedious. The bats tended to bite and thrash more than the birds
creating holes in the net, so when a bat became tangled, he
was really in there and trying to adjust your body and the bats’
while not being bitten was sometimes a challenge. The second
and third camps that we visited were off of the Burro Burro
River and they included river surveys. River surveys consisted
of traveling 20 minutes either up or down stream and then
switching the motor off for an hour and looking to see any
large mammals such as monkeys, tapirs, or river otters in
addition to water birds as we floated down the river. For our
entire journey we stayed in hammocks that were tied between
two trees; we were provided with mosquito nets and a basher
or tarp that was tied above the hammock for protection from
the sun and the rain. Our meals were served on a routine basis
of 5:30 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. of local cuisine consisting of
rice, chicken, beef, and fish. This trip was an experience of a
lifetime for so many reasons. Not only did I learn about the
techniques of field work and how science is carried out in a
real life application, but I also made international connections
and lasting friendships. Iwokrama Rainforest is under the
protection of the Guyana Shield and should remain so because
the pristine nature of the forest is remarkable. To be able to
spend a month in one of the last remaining untouched lands
was an honor and a privilege and I encourage all who ever
come across such an opportunity to take it.
Contributed by Judy Betz
ANOTHER SUMMER IN WASHINGTON
As in the last years, I spent the summer again at Washington
State University (WSU) where I have the chance to focus on
my research with mosquitoes. Hours of lab work are
accompanied
by
discussions
with
colleagues
and
students.
However, these times
in
the
Pacific
Northwest are not
only dedicated to
work. I meet old
friends, and it may be
a good opportunity to
introduce two of them to you today. Stacia and David Moffett
are professors for Neurobiology and Physiology at WSU.
However, they also have a second life. Living in the vicinity
of the Wawawai Canyon close to the canyon of the Snake
River, they are expert biological gardeners who grow produce
and fruit for a food
coop. On top, they
have a vineyard and
a winery, producing
a
selection
of
delicious wines that
are sold at home, in
their tasting room,
or online. Over the
years, their place
has
become
a
second home for me. Just
to give you a taste of
what it means to grow
biologically to Stacia and
David, let me tell you of
their way to fight
grasshoppers and other
insects that threaten their
crop. Instead of spraying
pesticides, David and
Stacia successfully use chicken, turkeys and guinea fowl to
fight insects. The eggs,
sold at the food coop or
at a local farmers
market,
give
some
additional income. Of
course, these birds need
to be taken care of, not
only because they could
become prey only too
easily to the cougars,
bobcats or coyotes that roam the countryside. At times also
other
little
vagabonds need to
be taken care of,
like these two little
raccoons that had
evidently lost their
mom. Small rodents
like the many kinds
of mice and moles
who favor to nibble
on the roots of producing plants are fought more or less
successfully by the
snakes who like to
explore Stacia and
David’s premises
for the abundant
food resources. A
special treat in a
country
like
Washington State
is for me the
opportunity
to
hike before or
after work or on weekends. It is very different to be
surrounded
by
sheetrock and cars or
by
nature
and
wildlife.
In
Washington State the
latter is close and
you
can
have
marvelous moments
in the most unlikely
places.
Since this year,
another very pleasant
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
part of my summers in Washington State is, of course, my
wife and my family. Some of you may remember that my wife
moved to Washington State in 2010 to get her PhD in
Molecular Plant Science at WSU. Instead of teaching
Environmental Biology at Wagner College, she is now
studying the Münch Hypothesis and laminar flow in the
phloem of Arabidopsis.
Professor Beecher says
hello to everybody who
remembers her.
Last not least, my
summers are determined
by the drives across the
country. Leaving Staten
Island after graduation, it
almost seemed that the
cold, wintery weather did not want to let me pass the Rocky
Mountains. Despite the
obstacles, I had a great
time driving West at the
end of May. Fortunately,
the drive back East in
August was considerably
easier. During this last
summer my car crossed
25 states, and I had the
pleasure to visit eleven National Parks and five National
Monuments. My summer was
enriched by spending time in a
number of very interesting
National Preserves and State
Parks. My “batteries” were
recharged for another academic
year at Wagner College while I
was camping in remote places
in Eastern Oregon or Northern
Colorado. My campfire burnt in
Southern Utah and Western
Arizona. Many times, I was
surrounded
by
most
magnificent
scenery
and
amazing animals and plants.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
LEARNING COMMUNITY AT WASTE WATER PLANT
Last
Tuesday,
September 20, 2011,
the
first-semester
freshmen in Learning
Community 17, taught
by Dr. Mosher and Dr.
Stearns went on their
first of many field trips.
This one in particular
was
to
a
large
wastewater treatment facility, where the students learned how
microbes are used to biodegrade organic wastes.
The experiential component of that learning community
involves several class field trips to see how microbiologists
earn their livings. We go to private pharmaceutical
corporations (e.g., ImClone), academic research institutions
(e.g., microbiology research facilities at Rockefeller
University and New York University), federal facilities (e.g.
Food and Drug Administration), city facilities (e.g. New York
City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), medical
schools (e.g., New York University Medical School), hospitals
(e.g., Bellevue Hospital), as well as a wastewater treatment
facility in New Jersey. The students also have opportunities to
attend two professional meetings especially focused on
microbiology themes this fall (e.g., New York Academy of
Science, and the Metropolitan Association of College and
University Biologists). The students also are preparing to
teach basic microbiology concepts in three local elementary
schools in November.
As part of this learning community, the students also conduct
empirical research to determine if bacteria can survive and
thrive using an industrial chemical as the only source of
carbon. In other words, the students are determining if
bacteria can biodegrade an industrial chemical that they have
been given. For the Bioremediation Project, the students are
working in pairs; each pair has been given a different
chemical. At the end of the semester, they will give a
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
presentation of their results, to which we will invite the
college community. Anything new that is learned here may be
useful in biologically eliminating lab-created chemicals that
are otherwise long-lived in the environment.
Contributed by Dr. Stearns, Dr. Mosher, and Gregory Balaes
ACE LECTURE ABOUT THE HUMAN GENOME
PROJECT
The field of biology has been
advancing every day. Scientists
learned to manipulate pieces of DNA
and even developed ways to use
machines
to
automate
many
laboratory procedures. The first rough
draft of the human genome project
was first proposed at the turn of the
century. The human genome project
was an incredible technological
achievement; however, the project
stirred controversy. Many individuals believed that the
genome project was a crazy idea, and many skeptics did not
understand why it would be useful to sequence the entire
human genome.
George Dewey, Provost and a chemistry professor from the
University of La Verne, gave an ACE lecture at Wagner
College recently. In the near future, Dewey speculated that
parents of newborns might receive a CD-ROM version of their
child’s entire genome. Although sequencing the human
genome had many benefits, there were some problems
associated with sequencing the genome. The human genome
has three billion nucleotide base pairs. It was rather difficult
to try to assemble 3 million reads (reads refer to a fragment in
the genome) in perfect order. Craig Venter, a prominent
American biologist, believed that the best way to sequence the
human genome was to use shotgun assembly. This method
chews up the DNA and the computer will be able to read the
fragments. Contrastingly, Francis Collins, an American
physician-geneticist, believed that the best way to sequence
the human genome was to match 1000 reads with the physical
location of the chromosomes. Nevertheless, Venter’s method
was the most efficient sequencing technique, and he did not
need to identify the chromosomes in the fragments. Many
individuals were still skeptical that it was impossible for a
computer to read the DNA libraries. Eventually, Venter
chopped the DNA a second time, and was able to get a
different set of 1000 reads.
After the human genome project was sequenced, there were
many direct outcomes. The human genome project allowed
scientists to discover 1800 new disease genes and 1000
genetic tests for human disease conditions were developed as a
direct result of the human genome project. Additionally, 50
major types of cancer were identified. There were also many
surprises from the human genome project. Scientists realized
that the number of genes in the human genome is roughly
35,000. The human genome also contains many silent genes.
The outcomes from the human genome project also taught
people about genes and race,
Many individuals believe that race can be defined through
genes. Scientists realized that there are no genes for race and it
is difficult to clearly define race through genes. The human
genome project taught scientists about the differences and
similarities between individuals of various races. There are
three million human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
in the genome. The SNPs occur at 1 out of every 1000 bases.
The individual variations between people are due to the SNPs,
and the SNPs allow scientists to compare how individuals are
similar and different from each other. Additionally,
individuals of different racial backgrounds can actually have
identical SNPs. Dewey stated that race is a consequence of
population migrations, but, there is no fundamental difference
between race. Race is defined by society, and there is no
scientific way to accurately define race.
Dewey’s lecture on the human genome focused on the
importance and the controversies surrounding the human
genome project. The human genome project allowed scientists
to study the variations and similarities between human beings.
Additionally, many genetic tests and diseases were discovered
using the data that was obtained from the genome project. The
wealth of data from the human genome project has also
allowed scientists to study the evolution of human beings.
Early humans actually had the genes for brown eyes and
lactose intolerance. As agriculture developed, early humans
were pressured to develop a tolerance for lactose. Even though
there are a lot of ethical issues surrounding the human genome
project, scientists can use the information from the genome
project to study the evolutionary history of human beings.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna with a photograph from the University of La
Verne’s website
RUTHIE’S RETIREMENT
Ruthie Hernandez has retired from her position of
housekeeping, and will forever go down in history as one of
the best housekeeping ladies ever! To celebrate close to 45
years of hard work, co-workers from the physical sciences,
social sciences, library, registrar, housekeeping and others
gathered in Megerle Science Hall to wish the best of luck to
Ruthie. Her commitment, strength and kind heart made her
more than just another co-worker. She is truly a friend to
many, and not seeing her smiling face will leave a gap in the
daily routine of those who will miss her motherly attention
and vibrant personality.
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
according to these studies, it appears the little brown bat, will
become almost extinct in the northeast in 16 years.
For his gallant efforts in saving this elusive, helpful, and now
threatened animal, a big thank you to Dr. Onken!
Contributed by Stephanie Rollizo with a photograph from the US Fish &
Wildlife Service.
OPPORTUNITIES
Contributed by Gregory Balaes, Stephanie Rollizo, and Professor Linda Raths
RESCUE OF BROWN BAT
It began when Dr. Kathy Bobbitt came from her “General
Pathology” class to let us know that as she was teaching about
rabies transmission through an animal such as a bat, a student
questioned if a bat was in their classroom. Dr. Bobbitt
assumed the student was kidding around, but it was not a joke
when she spotted the little brown bat clinging onto the ceiling.
Prof. Linda Raths, Dr. Horst Onken and I immediately went to
investigate. And there, quietly attached to a ceiling tile, was
the tiny creature. Luckily, we are prepared in the biological
sciences department, and after assessing the situation thought
we might be able to rescue the frightened mammal.
With an old butterfly net in hand, Dr. Onken climbed atop a
desk, reached up, and caught the bat! With the helpless
animal trapped, we took it on a quick journey up to the roof of
the science building, and released it. At first its wings were
spread; then it quickly folded them up and rested. We left it
there, overnight, and discovered it had found its way back into
the wild this morning.
Although it is true that bats can transmit rabies, as Dr. Bobbitt
confirms, they still do more good than harm, eating up lots of
mosquitoes, which then decreases the spread of other diseases,
such as West Nile virus. See:
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2007/09/15/2007-0915_bats_do_far_more_good_than_harm.html
In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that a
fungus called white-nose syndrome, first noticed in 2006 in
New York bats, has a 95% mortality.
See:
http://www.fws.gov/whitenosesyndrome/ .
Unfortunately,
RESEARCH WITH MOSQUITOES AND CRABS
Dr. Onken offers
research opportunities
for students in the
frame of a project in
which he collaborates
with scientists from
Washington State University, the University of Idaho, and the
University of Alberta (Edmonton, CA). The project is funded
by the National Institute of Health and studies the physiology
of the midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes
aegypti). Mosquitoes are vectors of a number of parasites,
transmit devastating diseases like malaria, yellow fever and
dengue, and are a major threat to the health of billions of
people on our planet. The principal investigators of this
project address larval mosquitoes, because it appears more
straightforward to fight these vectors as long as they are
confined in an aquatic habitat.
In collaboration
with colleagues
from the U.S.
(Mt.
Desert
Island Biological
Laboratories,
Maine),
Brazil
(University
of
São Paulo in
Ribeirão Preto,
University of Paraná in Curitiba) and Canada (University of
Manitoba in Winnipeg) Dr. Onken pursues research with
Crustacea related to the osmoregulatory capacities and
mechanisms of crabs.
Dr. Onken can offer research opportunities for two to three
students. If interested contact Dr. Onken in his office (Megerle
Science Hall Room 411), lab (Megerle Science Hall Room
406) or via e-mail (horst.onken@wagner.edu) or phone 4204211.
For the spring semester Dr. Onken offers a work study
position related to his work with mosquitoes.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
The editor would like to encourage faculty members of the
Department of Biological Sciences to describe their
opportunities for research projects in the LIMULUS.
If students are interested to volunteer, to do research for
credit (BI 493 and 494), or to prepare for their research
experience in the frame of the senior learning community,
please, contact the faculty members of the department.
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
WORK IN THE GARDEN
Students interested in collaborating in the greenhouse and/or
garden during the fall of 2011 should contact Dr. Onken
(horst.onken@wagner.edu).
Contributed by Dr. Onken
BE A LIMULUS ASISTANT EDITOR
Proficient student writers are invited to become assistant
editors for the newsletter of the Department of Biological
Sciences. If you are interested, please, contact Dr. Onken
(horst.onken@wagner.edu).
Contributed by Dr. Onken
PUBLICATIONS
To our knowledge, no manuscripts have been published
during the year of 2011. Please, communicate publications
to the editor.
PRESENTATIONS
Palestis, B.G. and K.E. Eppinger. 2011. A banding study of
common terns on Pettit Island, NJ: Preliminary results.
Greater New York/New Jersey Harbor Herons and Waterbirds
Working Group. Staten Island, NY. January 12-13.
Dr. ONKEN IN SCOTLAND
In June/July, Dr. Onken visited Glasgow, UK, for a week to
participate in the annual meeting of the Society of
Experimental Biology. One of the major symposia in the
frame of this conference, entitled “Molecular physiology of
epithelial transport in insects: a tribute to William R.
Harvey.”, was dedicated to the professional life of Bill
Harvey. Dr. Harvey holds a PhD in Biology from Harvard,
worked for decades at Temple University and is currently
Professor of Physiology and Functional Genomics (Whitney
Laboratory, University of Florida) and Professor of Global &
Environmental Health (College of Public Health and Health
Professions, University of Florida). He has significantly
influenced the past 50 years of epithelial transport in insects.
Bill received many honors, organized significant meetings,
and acted as editor of the Journal of Experimental Biology, a
leading journal of the field. The symposium was attended by
about 60 researchers especially active and successful in the
field of epithelial transport in insects. Apart of the scientific
sessions, there was time to socialize and discuss plans,
hypothesis and results.
Palestis, B., I. Nisbet, J. Hatch, J. Arnold, and P. Szczys.
2011. The importance of tail length for sexual selection in
roseate terns. Waterbird Society. Grand Island, NE. March 1316.
PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS
SENIOR PRESENTS AT CONFERENCE
Senior biology major and environmental studies minor Farha
Rashid presented at a conference earlier in Spring 2011. She
presented her research that was entitled, “Spectral
Photosensitivity of the Pupal Stage of the Yellow Fever
Mosquitro Aedes aegypti Larvae.” This research was
conducted under the direction of Dr. Stearns and was funded
with the generous donations from the Undergraduate Senior
Thesis Research Fund for the Department of Biological
Sciences.
The research symposium that Rashid attended took place at
William Paterson University. Undergraduate students from the
Mid-Atlantic area presented their findings in biology and
chemistry. Rashid gave a poster presentation.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
Dr. Onken presented a poster at the conference in the Scottish
Exhibition and Conference Center in Glasgow under the title
“Electrophysiology of the isolated and perfused posterior
midgut of adult, female yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes
aegypti).” He was also invited to give a keynote lecture at a
satellite meeting in the University of Glasgow (the “home” of
Lord Kelvin). Dr. Onken’s visit in Scotland was financially
supported by the Litzenberger Fund.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
MACUB FALL CONFERENCE
The 44th annual fall conference of the Metropolitan
Association of College and University Biologists will be held
on October 29 at Seton Hall University (South Orange, NJ).
This year, the conference theme is “Microbes: Tiny but not
Insignificant”. The two keynote speakers are Dr. Bonnie
Bassler (Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton
University), who will talk about “How Bacteria Talk to Each
Other”, and Dr. Martin J. Blaser (Frederick H. King Professor
of Internal Medicine and Professor of Microbiology at New
York University School of Medicine) will address the topic “A
mixed Bag: Bacteria that Colonize Humans”. The MACUB
conference is always a great opportunity for students to
present their research. Applications for poster presentations
must be submitted online not later than October 13.
Conference registration is open until October 19.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
CARTOON
ALUMNI
Dear Alumni,
If you are interested in contributing to our newsletter, you
are very welcome to do so. Contact Dr. Onken by e-mail
(horst.onken@wagner.edu)
with
your
submission,
comment, ideas or questions! We are excited to hear about
where you are, how and what you do!
Cartoon from www.lab-initio.com
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Authors in all sections should keep in mind that not all readers are specialized in their area of interest. Keep your contribution on a
level that everybody can understand.
Contributions may vary in length between about 50 and 500 words and must be submitted by e-mail to horst.onken@wagner.edu,
or to one of the assistant editors (see below).
Photographs or other images that accompany an article are very welcome, but must be submitted as separate files (high quality jpg
is the preferred file format) attached to the e-mail. Be aware that photographs/images may be minimized in size.
Indicate the section of the newsletter where you want your contribution to appear.
The deadline for submission of a contribution is the 20th of the month. Contributions received later may or may not be considered.
The editor reserves his right to edit your contribution or post an immediate response.
Editing may involve to publish contributions in other sections as indicated by the author.
All contributions will clearly indicate the author's identity.
All contributions are reviewed and publication may be refused by the editor.
The Editorial Board:
Editor: Dr. Horst Onken, Associate Professor
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Rollizo, Secretary of the Department of Biological Sciences
Student Assistant Editor: Nidhi Khanna (graduated Biology major; spring 2011)
Student Assistant Editor: Gregory Balaes (Biopsychology)
Student Assistant Editor: Philip Fomina (Biopsychology)
Student Assistant Editor: WANTED!
PAGE 13
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Limulus: The Newsletter of the Wagner College Biological Sciences Department
Description
An account of the resource
The Department of Biological Sciences circulates a newsletter that will be updated monthly, culminating in two special issues per year (January and September). The January edition reviews the fall semester and the September edition reviews the spring semester and summer events. The name of the newsletter is LIMULUS and it is made available as pdf files.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Limulus Newsletter, September 2011
Subject
The topic of the resource
McNair, Lily
Cook, Heather
Onken, Horst
Houlihan, Adam
Capric, Violeta
Pisano, Peter
Stora, Victor J.
Manfredini, Leandra
Marin, Aimee P.
Rammelkamp, Thomas J.
Palestis, Brain
Balaes, Gregory
Lindine, Casey
Hernandez, Ruthie
Table Of Contents
A list of subunits of the resource.
Letter from the editor / Horst Onken -- Biology professor receives tenure / Nidhi Khanna and Ammini Moorthy -- Dr. Onken becomes new director of the honors program / Nidhi Khanna -- Dr. Houlihan teaching at Randolph College fall 2011 / Nidhi Khanna -- Violeta Capric wins student government presidential elections / Nidhi Khanna -- Senior accepted by dental schools / Nidhi Khanna -- Graduating senior to attend dual degree program in the fall / Nidhi Khanna -- Biopsychology majors accepted / Nidhi Khanna -- News from clubs and societies / Gregory Balaes, Horst Onken, Joanna Emilio, and Philip Fomina -- Natural history of the Mid-Atlantic states / Gregory Balaes -- From blaring horns to screaming pihas and back / Judy Betz -- Another summer in Washington / Horst Onken -- Learning community at waste water plant / Donald Stearns, Roy Mosher, and Gregory Balaes -- Ace lecture about the human genome project / Nidhi Khanna -- Ruthie's retirement / Gregory Balaes, Stephanie Rollizo, and Linda Raths -- Rescue of brown bat / Stephanie Rollizo -- Opportunities / Horst Onken -- Publications, presentations, professional meetings, alumni, and cartoon
Creator
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Wagner College, Department of Biological Sciences
Publisher
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Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Date Issued
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2011-09
Rights
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U.S. and international copyright laws may protect this work. It is provided by Wagner College for scholarly or research purposes only. Commercial use or distribution is not permitted without prior permission of the copyright holder.
Is Part Of
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Wagner College Digital Collections
Format
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application/pdf
Extent
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13 leaves
Language
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en
Type
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Text