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Limulus
NEWSLETTER
Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Volume 2011, Issue Spring-03
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
As usual, time is running by at the speed of light. Already
April! The semester is almost over. Let us all get ready to turn
in (or grade) papers, presentations, exams and other
assignments. However, let’s all take a minute to look back to
March. Use the LIMULUS.
Welcome back, Dr. Moorthy! We have the last part of your
Dateless Diary with some beautiful photographs. News from
our clubs and societies is followed by Opportunities and
Experiences. The latter are dominated by the Eastern Colleges
Science Conference. At the end, we look back on the visit by
Dr. Allan O’Connell.
May spring come now!
Dr. Horst Onken
The Editor
BIOLOGY STAFF AND FACULTY NEWS
DR. MOORTHY’S DATELESS DIARY CONTINUED
My teaching is going well. The students seem to be enjoying
my way of teaching. I am learning their names. They are
eager to hear the stories and anecdotes that I weave into my
lectures. Some of them stay after the class to discuss the
lecture topic and ask more questions. In addition to my
lecture classes I am also invited to participate and contribute
to the work of different academic committees and panels.
Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) in
Trivandrum is a major Research Center run by the India
Ministry of Science and Technology. Their vision “is to be an
international hub of biotechnology, providing the right
combination of research & development with the dedication,
transparency and creativity of a truly academic research center
combined with the power of innovation, IPR (Intellectual
Property Rights) driven programs and business transformation
to deliver discovery for India.” This will be accompanied by
another highly profitable and critical spinoff – highly trained
manpower. RGCB has a Ph.D. program run jointly with the
Kerala University. The Ph.D. students have to present a
dissertation proposal to the Kerala University when called for
by the University. I am invited to be part of the committee
that will review dissertation research proposals from three
candidates from RGCB.
The candidates present their
proposals that call for some leading edge research. Each
presentation is followed by a lengthy Q&A session during
March, 2011
which the candidate receives constructive feedback. At the
end the committee votes to approve, disapprove, or approve
with modifications the candidate’s proposal. The proposals
presented in this session included “Endocrine Regulation of
the Tumor Stem Cell in Papillary Thyroid Cancer”,
“Identification of Better Modes of Drug Delivery Using
Nanoparticle-based Releasing Systems”, “Identification of
Cold Active Promoters and Enzymes from Bacteria Isolated
from the Arctic”. Luckily for the candidates no proposal was
rejected.
India is becoming a destination for Medical Tourism because
of the availability of highly qualified medical professionals
and state-of-the art hospitals run by private companies. The
Apollo chain of hospitals in large cities and various “Institutes
of Medical Services” are good examples. In Trivandrum there
is such a facility called the Kerala Institute of Medical
Services (KIMS). I visited this hospital and was impressed by
the buildings that are modern, facilities that are excellent, and
the willingness to use technology for efficiency. Patient
information is kept in digital format. The service provided is
excellent although you have to pay for non-emergency
services up front. By Indian standards the charges are in the
medium-to-high range but for people who earn U.S. Dollars
the charges are quite affordable compared to what they are in
the U.S. thus creating the ideal environment for Medical
Tourism. One of my daughter’s physician friends, Dr.
Michael Pirri from the School of Medicine and Health
Sciences, GW University, happened to be in Kerala giving a
seminar and training in Emergency Medicine in a town north
of Trivandrum and he visited us in Trivandrum and stayed
with us for a few days. I wanted to get his impression of the
KIMS facility and took him there to visit a friend who was
recuperating from surgery. Dr. Pirri was quite impressed with
what he saw in the short time that he was able to spend.
As a further test I decided to get a small cosmetic surgery
done. Over the years the holes in my ears have become large
causing my ear rings to fall out and I wanted to correct this. I
was able to get an appointment within a day or two of my
enquiry and the plastic surgeon, Dr. Manish a UK trained
surgeon, took care of the issue quite efficiently and painlessly
by surgically closing the opening in a procedure that lasted
about thirty minutes. The procedure cost me less than $100/-.
I will get new holes put in the U.S. only because I will be back
in the U.S. by the time the wound is sufficiently healed.
Our son Ravi, currently working in Abu Dhabi, came on a
short visit for four days (it only takes about four hours by Air).
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
In anticipation of this we had made reservations to visit a
wildlife sanctuary and stay overnight in a lodge (called Aranya
Nivas that translates to “House in the Forest”) inside the
sanctuary. All of us rented a mini-van and headed to the
Thekkady Tiger reserve about 100 miles north of Trivandrum
in Kerala State itself. This sanctuary is in the western ghat
mountain range and is surrounded by tea plantations and
plantations that grow spices such as black pepper, cardamom,
cloves, ginger, nutmeg and others. History buffs would recall
that these spices were the magnet that attracted western
adventurers such as Columbus, and Vasco De Gama to seek
out this land. Columbus ended up in the Americas that he
thought was India and mistakenly called the natives Indians
but Vasco De Gama did land in the Arabian Sea coast of
Kerala. Over the years the British, the Dutch, and the
Portuguese as well as Arabs from the Middle East have found
their way to Kerala and traded for spices. Many of them
ended up settling down in Kerala and the demographics reflect
that.
In the Thekkady Tiger Reserve we did not go deep into the
jungle and did not see any Tigers. We did see monkeys, wild
boars and other small mammals and birds near the lodge but
the highlight was the boat cruise that we took in the river
Periyar (translates to Big River) that runs through the game
reserve. During this cruise we spotted Sambar Deer, Bison,
Cormorants nesting in abundance, Ospreys, Kingfisher birds
and luckily for us a herd of wild elephants with a baby in their
midst. The food at the lodge was absolutely superb and the
accommodations were splendid. We were warned to keep the
windows closed all the time to avoid unwanted visitors
(mostly curious monkeys).
Additionally we visited an elephant park, which housed tame
elephants, that offered elephant rides inside a local plantation
and my son and I rode an elephant. We also visited a spice
plantation and got a nice guided tour. Ravi also found time for
an Ayurvedic massage that is also a popular tourist attraction.
Thekkady village also boasts lots of wholesale spice shops and
I loaded up on high-quality spices and headed back to
Trivandrum.
The students are getting more used to the interactive nature of
the teaching. Some of them are curious and bold enough to
ask me about my students at Wagner College and how they
behave in class. The campus has many activities going on at
any given time and Dr. Nair, the head of the Biotechnology
Department, wants me to participate in these activities as
much as possible. One such activity that I got involved and
enjoyed with was the inauguration of a Genome Research
Center in the University that is being funded by the Kerala
State Government. The formal opening was done by the
Minister of Education and many other dignitaries participated.
It was done in the traditional Kerala style with the lighting of a
large auspicious oil lamp and with young girls beautifully
dressed up in traditional Kerala style saris holding brass plates
filled with fragrant jasmine flowers and other traditional items
as they welcome the guests of honor. This function afforded
me the opportunity to meet and interact with the Education
Minister and the Vice Chancellor (functionally equivalent to a
CEO) of the University.
The Research Center, formally called “The Inter-University
Centre for Genomics and Gene Technology” is intended to
serve as a frontier for research in DNA diagnostics,
recombinant vaccine development, genetic engineering,
plant/animal tissue culture and microbial technology. It is
hoped that the Center will promote cooperation between
industry and academia thus benefiting the people more than
either one of them could with the fruits of their work. The
Center was being staffed while I was there and I was fortunate
enough to be invited to be a member of the selection
committee comprised of scientists from different departments
and participate in a few candidate interviews. All the
candidates had Ph.D. degrees in relevant disciplines of
Biotechnology.
Another activity that I participated as a committee member
was in the defense by a Ph.D. candidate, Ms. Lakshmi
Mahadevan, of her research and dissertation. The research
done in Kerala university campuses and in the RGCB results
in about 20-25 Ph.D degrees being conferred every year. The
candidates are typically guided in their research project by
mentors from academia and other institutions such as the
RGCB, hospitals, and the Plant Genome Research Center. On
the average it takes about five to seven years to earn the Ph.D.
degree after the B.S. degree. Public defense of the dissertation
is the norm where the candidate defends the work in front of at
least one outside examiner from another University, the
candidate’s mentor(s), invited scientists from other
departments, and even peers such as other Graduate Students
who might be interested in participating. Lakshmi Mahadevan
successfully defended her work through a well-designed
presentation and by satisfactorily fielding all the questions
directed at her. I also reviewed the dissertations of couple of
other candidates but could only provide my feedback to Dr.
Nair since their defense is scheduled for some time after I get
back to the U.S.
Dr. Nair also arranged for me to give seminars on topics in
Genetics to mixed audiences from different departments. I
picked some of my favorite topics such as “Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMO)”, “DNA and Forensics”, “ELSI
of the Human Genome”, “Stem Cells: Embryonic and Adult
Cells”, and “Population Genetics and Human Migratory
Studies”. All the seminars were well attended and elicited lots
of discussions.
Well all good things end sooner or later. Summer Holidays
for Kerala University start by the middle of March and the
final exams begin in early March. My visiting professorship
here is ending and I am headed back to my home in the U.S.
The weather is getting hotter and more humid and crazy as it
might sound, for my friends in the east coast of U.S. who
endured a brutal January and February, I am longing for some
cooler temperatures. Kind words of appreciation were spoken
by Dr. Nair and others for my services but really I feel like I
got more than what I gave. The enthusiastic and eager young
faces of the students, the supportive and friendly colleagues
and the reaffirmation that Biological Sciences have expanded
tremendously and are flourishing in Kerala University (where
I got my start) will always be with me and inspire me. As a
token of appreciation by Wagner College and me I am leaving
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
a set of my books, several PowerPoint presentations, and
lecture notes with Dr. Nair.
In addition to my academic endeavors I also got to visit
relatives and friends, attend a traditional wedding, eat good
food, and shop for saris, jewelry and souvenirs. So many
people helped in so many ways to make this a productive and
enjoyable trip but I must single out my hosts Drs. Raman and
Prema who opened their home and hearts to us as well as to
numerous guests that we brought in.
A selection of Dr. Moorthy’s photographs follows:
Contributed by Dr. Ammini Moorthy
A wedding hall
Coffee-bean tree
“Miracle banana”
Dr. Michael Perri and Dr. Ammini Moorthy
Dr. Ammini Moorthy and husband, Sam Moorthy
Monkeys grooming each other
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�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.
She currently serves at the Vice
President of Community Service for
the Student Government Association
(SGA). Capric ran a successful
campaign for the SGA presidency
for the 2011-2012 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
OMICRON DELTA KAPPA INDUCTS MICROBIOLOGY
MAJOR WILLIAM RIVERA
Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) is the
national leadership honor society. The
society selects well- rounded students
that strive for excellence through both
academic
and
co-curricular
achievement.
The
society
acknowledges accomplishments in
five
areas:
athletics;
campus/community service, social/
religious activities, and campus
government; journalism and mass
media; and creative and performing
arts. Sophomore microbiology major
William Rivera was inducted into ODK at the spring induction
ceremony. Rivera is currently doing research in parasitology at
Wagner. He aspires to attend dental school upon graduation.
Congratulations on behalf of the Limulus staff!
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
TRI-BETA NEWS
TRI-BETA recently held a meeting on Tuesday, March 28th.
Members are participating in a new project with Dr. Palestis’
help. The organization will develop a way to prevent bird
strikes on campus. Recently, many birds have died after they
crashed into a few buildings on campus. Students will need to
help keep track of any dead birds that are found around either
Megerle Science Building or Haborview Hall. Each student
will be assigned to check for dead birds once a week. The
students will count the birds during the morning hours. This is
a great community service opportunity for members.
Additionally, students that need to complete the
Undergraduate Research I or II, and the 400E requirement, can
use this project as the focus of their research. Any students
interested in participating in this project for research purposes
should contact Dr. Palestis (bpalesti@wagner.edu). Tri-Beta
members that are interested in helping should contact Tri-Beta
president Medije Mashkulli (medije.mashkulli@wagner.edu).
Tri-Beta elections for the new executive board will be held in
the next few weeks.
Contributed by Nidhi Khanna
PRE-HEALTH SOCIETY
The Pre-Healthy Society invited the director of the American
University of Antigua School of Medicine and Veterinary
Medicine to speak at an informational event for Wagner
students. Students that could not attend the event, but would
like more information about the school should visit the
website (http://www.auamed.org/new-aua-hospital).
Contributed by Felicia Guinta
PRE-DENTISTRY SOCIETY
The Pre-Dentistry Society will hold their bi-annual Dental
Health Promotion Day on the Union Patio (weather
permitting) on Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Pre-dental students
from the society will be handing out toothbrushes, coupons for
local dental practices, and information regarding dental health,
all in effort to raise money for the Oral Cancer Foundation
(oralcancerfoundation.org).
Additionally, Dr. Steven Cisternas, a dentist from Staten
Island, will be presenting topics specifically related to
dentistry, including a select few of his treatment cases from
start to finish. The symposium will take place at Wagner
College on Saturday, April 16th at 9:30 AM in Spiro 2. All of
those who are interested are invited to attend.
Contributed by Gregory Balaes
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
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
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.
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.
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).
Ira Flatow, host of Talk Of The Nation: Science Friday, gave
the keynote address. Four undergraduate students presented
their achievements. In the following we reprint their abstracts
and show some photographs from this event.
Jennifer Ida (2011). Transmission of Infectious Disease
between Human and Non-human Primates. Department of
Anthropology, Wagner College.
Cross-species transmission of disease between non-human
primates and humans has increasingly become of great
concern; however we still lack essential background data on
the process. It is hypothesized that close phylogenetic
relationships,
overlapping
territories,
anthropogenic
disturbance, and frequent contact with humans will increase
the likelihood of transmission. This hypothesis is tested
through an analysis of the literature. Specific cases of
transmission were examined and the key factors of
transmission were identified. Factors were then compared
across cases. The research demonstrates that the degree of
relatedness between humans and nonhuman primate species,
as well as the extent of niche overlap and shared territory,
often resulting from human encroachment on primate habitats,
are salient factors in explaining frequency of transmission and
predicting which species are most affected. The examined
species will include gorillas, chimpanzees, baboons, and
macaques. In addition, this research highlights possible routes
of exposure, including fecal/oral and aerosol/inhalation
transmission. The results then suggest directions for future
research, including an examination of ways to mitigate risk.
Contributed by Dr. Onken
COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY
Greetings Everyone, I am Nidhi Khanna and I am currently a
senior. 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
EXPERIENCES
EASTERN COLLEGES SCIENCE CONFERENCE
The 65th Eastern Colleges Science Conference was held at
Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, on April 2nd. This
year, Wagner’s cohort was somewhat smaller than in the years
before. Nevertheless, it was again a great experience for those
who attended.
William Rivera, Corey Gaylets, Roy Mosher, Brian Palestis,
and Adam Houlihan (2011). Carriage of bacterial and
protozoan pathogens among Common Tern chicks on Pettit
Island, Barnegat Bay, NJ. Biology Department, Wagner
College.
Little is known about the intestinal microflora of migratory
seabirds. If these avian species harbor gastrointestinal
pathogens, they may disseminate them along migratory
flyways. To assess this possibility, Common Tern (Sterna
hirundo) chicks on Pettit Island in Barnegat Bay, NJ were
evaluated for carriage of bacterial and protozoan pathogens
and nematodes. Oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were taken
for culturebased detection of bacterial gastrointestinal
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
pathogens during the June/July 2009 and June/July 2010
nesting seasons. Bulk fecal samples were also taken during the
2010 nesting season to determine nematode and
Cryptosporidium oocyst loads. Of 125 birds samples in 2009,
none carried Salmonella and only 1 carried Campylobacter. In
2010, 1 of the 54 birds sampled carried Salmonella and none
of them had Campylobacter in their intestines. Microscopic
examination of fecal smears obtained in 2010 revealed that 39
of 54 Common Tern chicks had Cryptosporidium oocysts in
their intestines and 10 of 54 carried adult and larval
nematodes. Preliminary data indicate that Common Tern
chicks in Barnegat Bay have low intestinal carriage of
bacterial pathogens but relatively high carriage of protozoan
parasites and nematodes.
numerical aberrations on human
peripheral leukocyte cultures.
chromosomes
from
Anthony Rafetto gave a platform presentation:
Anthony Rafetto (2011). A Mathematical Economic
Model. Mathematics Department, Wagner College.
A mathematical economic model based on the laws of
Newtonian physics will be presented. The economies of
several nations, including the U.S. and China, are
evaluated using this model.
Roseanna Valant (2011). Chromosome Aberrations Caused
by the Chemotherapeutic Agent Mitoxantrone on In Vitro
Human Peripheral Leukocytes. Biology Department, Wagner
College.
Chemotherapeutic drugs target dividing cells in the body and
since cancer cells are transformed with no control over their
cell cycle, more of the cancer cells are affected by these
treatments. These chemo drugs however, do have an effect on
normal dividing cells and have been known to lead to
secondary cancers in some cases. The purpose of this study is
to assess the chromosomal damage caused by Mitoxantrone,
an antineoplastic, antitumor drug that is used in the treatment
of various types of cancer. Using peripheral leukocytes, sets of
in vitro cultures (normal and drug treated) were prepared from
two different healthy human subjects. The cultures were
harvested after 68-72 hours of incubation using conventional
procedures. Slides were made using a flame drying technique,
stained with a Giemsa stain and viewed under oil immersion
using an Olympus light microscope. Structural and numerical
aberrations as well as changes in mitotic indices were noted
from all samples and digitally photographed. Statistical
evaluation of our results gives us an indication of the
magnitude of damage caused by this drug. Slides with drug
treated cells had a much lower mitotic index and cell density
present compared to the control slides. Preliminary data from
this project coupled with data from previous studies suggests
that the drug Mitoxantrone does cause both structural and
Contributed by Dr. Onken with photographs by Professor Raths
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES
Do not miss the experience! Summer Field Course: BI 335
Natural History of the Mid- Atlantic States. This course,
taught by Dr. Palestis, runs for two weeks (May 16-27) after
the end of the Spring semester and before the start of the main
summer session. It can be used as an elective for the Biology
major and minor and for the Environmental Studies minor.
The course is a great opportunity to experience nature, as it is
almost entirely field-trip based. Trips include several nearby
locations such as the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Jamaica Bay,
and the Great Swamp. There will also be two overnight trips,
to witness the horseshoe crab spawning/shorebird migration
spectacle on Delaware Bay and to hunt for marine fossils in
the Pocono Mountains. Students will learn about the
organisms, ecology, and geology of a wide variety of habitat
types, and will also learn basic methodology for field research.
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.
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.
ALUMNI
MICROBIOLOGY ALUMNI GATHER FOR A MEMORIAL
TO REMEMBER DR. EDITH KERSHAW
Students gathered on March 26th, 2011 to remember Dr. Edith
Kershaw, who served as the Chair of the Bacteriology
department (now called the Microbiology department) at
Wagner College.
Contributed by Gregory Balaes
ALLAN F. O’CONNELL VISITS WAGNER
Students in BI335 from Summer 2007 in front of a cranberry bog at Double
Trouble State Park in Ocean County, NJ. Students from left to right are
Shannon O’Neill, Amanda Rollizo, Jusuf Husic, and Frankie Costanza. Photo
by Dr. Palestis.
Shorebirds feeding on horseshoe crab eggs at Reeds Beach on Delaware Bay
in Cape May County, NJ. Most of the birds in this photo are ruddy turnstones.
The endangered red knot and more than one species of sandpiper are also
visible. Photo by Dr. Palestis.
Contributed by Dr. Palestis
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.
Wagner College alum Allan F. O’Connell (graduate of 1976)
visited Wagner College on March 28. Dr. O’Connell gave a
lecture entitled “Endangered Species, Climate Change, and
Alternative Energy: Implications for Natural Resource
Conservation in the 21st Century”. Allan O'Connell is
currently a research wildlife biologist with the US Geological
Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel,
Maryland. He has 30+ years of experience with the
Department of Interior as a field biologist, natural resource
management and science program manager, administrator, and
most recently as a research scientist at Patuxent, the worldrenowned ecological research center known for its work on
ecotoxicology, endangered species conservation, and
population ecology. Dr. O’ Connell discussed various
techniques used to get an estimate of a population size. Since a
lot of the species he works with are hard to detect such as
frogs and kangaroos, detection probability is so important. He
taught us that probability plays an important role in making an
accurate estimate of endangered species. Dr. O’ Connell
mentioned that there are very few tigers left in the world, in
particular India. He says that good management is necessary
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�The Newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College
to alleviate this problem. Camera trapping is a technique used
to sample all species without going to the actual site and does
not require one to actually catch the animal. The way this
works is that a photograph is taken of the animal. Camera
trapping is a technique that is revolutionizing how wildlife
populations are being sampled around the world. One project
that Dr. O’Connell worked on was reducing the raccoon
population at Cape Lookout, in order for the oyster catcher
population to survive. In addition, Dr. O’ Connell has been
working on sea birds and off- shore wind energy. A concern is
that the location of wind turbines will affect bird species and
all other marine mammals. On behalf of the Limulus staff, I
would like to thank Dr. O’Connell for taking the time to come
to Wagner and presenting his work in front of the student and
faculty body.
Contributed by Farha Rashid
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
Cartoon from www.lab-initio.com
The Editorial Board:
Editor: Dr. Horst Onken, Associate Professor
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Rollizo, Dept. Secretary
Student Assistant Editor: Nidhi Khanna
Student Assistant Editor: Farha Rashid
Student Assistant Editor: Gregory Balaes
Student Assistant Editor: WANTED!
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.
PAGE 8
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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, March 2011
Subject
The topic of the resource
Capric, Violeta
Rivera, William
Gaylets, Corey
Valant, Roseanna J.
Rafetto, Anthony R.
Palestis, Brain
Ida, Jennifer
Table Of Contents
A list of subunits of the resource.
Letter from the editor / Horst Onken -- Dr. Moorthy's dateless diary continued / Ammini Moorthy -- Violeta Capric wins student government presidential elections / Nidhi Khanna -- Omicron Delta Kappa inducts microbiology major William Rivera / Nidhi Khanna -- Club and society news / Nidhi Khanna, Felicia Guinta, and Gregory Balaes -- Opportunities / Horst Onken -- Eastern colleges science conference / Horst Onken and Linda Raths -- Natural history of the Mid-Atlantic states / Brian Palestis -- Publications and presentations -- Microbiology alumni gather for a memorial to remember Dr. Edith Kershaw / Gregory Balaes -- Allan F. O'Connell visits Wagner / Farha Rashid -- Cartoon
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Wagner College, Department of Biological Sciences
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Date Issued
Date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the resource.
2011-03
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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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8 leaves
Language
A language of the resource
en
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text