CSB/SJU Biology Department Newsletter
Volume 4    Number 8
February 2, 2001

Letter from the Editor:
    Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a great holiday and January.  My January was spent tidying up my office and preparing for spring semester.  I was also excited to have some time to complete a few writing projects including a species checklist for "The Big Woods Natural Area" (soon to be posted on the web) and a short story.  

    Starting with this edition, the Biology Department Newsletter will only be available only on the web.  I will send an email notifying you when a new issue is posted.  I've decided to not email the entire newsletter because: (1) it will save me a significant amount of time.  I used to prepare the newsletter in Word.  Then it had to be reformatted slightly before being put in the email and then reformatted once again for the web.  Now, I will just need to format it once; and (2) it may save you a little disk space.  I had resisted doing this because I know that I rarely visit web sites, such as the new Connections Bulletin Board, to look for new updated information.  I hope this won't be too inconvenient for you.  If you have any comments, let me know.  All the best, Steve.

Student News:

Sarah Young (CSB�01), Sarah Merdan (CSB �00), and Katrina Viegas (CSB � 03) attended the Plant Biological Sciences Graduate Program Open House at the University of Minnesota in January.  They were accompanied by Dr. SG Saupe.  For more information about the UM grad programs visit their web site.

Michelle Kieke (CSB '95) writes that she has completed her Ph.D. from University of Illinois and has started a Post-Doc at the University of Minnesota.

Sarah Kraling (CSB �98) is currently at Parker Hughes Cancer Center doing cancer research including patient-drug assays and immunophenotyping.

Faculty News:

Dr. Larry Davis co-authored a paper with Robert Eves and published in the November issue of the Journal of Geoscience Education.  The title of the article was "Measuring and Describing a Stratigraphic Section in the Classroom".  Dr. Davis also Co-authored a paper with several US Geological Survey geologists on "Cretaceous Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument" published in the Utah Geological Association's Millenium volume - Geology of Utah's Parks and Monuments.

Dr. SG Saupe provided a tour of the Science facilities at St. John�s to the Minnesota House Higher Education Committee.

Curriculum News: none reported

Calendar of Events:

Biology Club News: none reported

Internships/Scholarships/Jobs:

REU-NSF Program at Baylor University in Organismal Biology
    The Department of Biology at BAYLOR UNIVERSITY Announces: An NSF-Research Experience for Undergraduates..."A Feeling For The Organism: Undergraduate Summer Research In ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY"
    
    Baylor University offers an outstanding educational opportunity for college sophomores and juniors to spend a summer working closely with a faculty mentor in the Department of Biology on an independent research project involving whole organisms.  The program aims to foster "a feeling for the organism" by introducing participants to the diversity of life and the works of great naturalists like E. O. Wilson and Barbara McClintock, as well as by immersing them in a specific research question in organismal biology.  Approximately ten summer undergraduate research fellowships, funded by the National Science Foundation and Baylor University, will be offered for Summer 2001.  Each participant will receive a $3000 stipend for the 10-week program that will run from approximately May 28 through August 9.  Apartment housing will be provided and the use of Baylor's library, computer facilities, and student life center will be available to all participants.  Travel will be reimbursed up to $500.

Student Intern � Solid Waste (At least 20 hours/week, winter semester).
    Department:  Environmental Services; Location:  Administration Center, St. Cloud, MN.  Position Objective: To assist with the solid waste, recycling, waste reduction, SCORE, Environmental Service Fee, delinquent refuse accounts and other related solid waste programs.  For more information contact Hank Schreifels in Environmental Services at 320-656-6292, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. � 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Wild Rockies Field Institute
    A representative from the Wild Rockies Field Institute (WRFI), an independent, nonprofit organization that offers undergraduate, rigorously academic, field-based courses accredited through the University of will be on campus on February 20.  Keep posted for more details.  For more information about the WRFI visit there web site <http://www.wildrockies.org/wrfi>.

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) Work/Learn Internship
    Program.  Deadline: March 1, 200.  The Work/Learn Internship Program offers undergraduate and beginning graduate students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the fields of environmental research and education. This program enables students to work on specific projects under the direction of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's (SERC) professional staff and is tailored to provide the maximum educational benefit to each participant. Projects include terrestrial, atmospheric, and estuarine environmental research within the disciplines of ECOLOGY, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, MICROBIOLOGY, BOTANY, ZOOLOGY, MATHEMATICS, and PHYSICS. Projects are also offered in environmental education and environmental information management.  For more information contact Smithsonian Environmental Research Center;  ATTN: Internship Coordinator, P.O. Box 28; Edgewater, MD 21037 Phone: (443) 482-2217; Website: http://www.serc.si.edu/SERC_web_html/internship/internhome.html.

Great River Greening's � Supervisor�s Training.
    Basic Supervisors Training - March 29th, 2001, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm; Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 3815 East 80th Street, Bloomington, MN 55425.  For more information call the Volunteer Hotline at 651.665.9500 x 2; or contact GRG on our web page at www.greatrivergreening.org.

Big Rivers Partnership Restoration Technician
            Great River Greening, a non-profit environmental restoration organization based in St. Paul, is accepting applications for a seasonal restoration technician position.  The restoration technician will implement restoration and ecological management plans along the Mississippi and Minnesota River corridors in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.  This position requires the ability to work on difficult terrain, under adverse field conditions and during inclement weather.  For more information, contact David L. Cathcart at 35 West Water Street, Suite 201 Saint Paul, MN  55107, or email to dcathcart@greatrivergreening.org.

Restoration Ecologist for Great River Greening
            Great River Greening is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help communities restore, manage, and learn about their natural resources through volunteer involvement.  The primary duties of the ecologist will be to provide ecological services to a variety of Great River Greening programs.  Primary responsibilities include managing key projects, conducting ecological inventories and analysis, writing and reviewing ecological restoration and management plans, providing training and disseminating technical information to volunteers and partner organizations, and informing organizational strategic planning. Requires Masters degree in related field (conservation biology, ecology, natural resources management, environmental science, forestry, fisheries and wildlife, etc.), and 4 years of related work experience, or B.S. degree in related field and 8 years of related work experience.   For more information, contact David L. Cathcart at 35 West Water Street, Suite 201 Saint Paul, MN  55107, or email to dcathcart@greatrivergreening.org.

Course Announcement: Arctic Field Ecology
    Two sections of Arctic Field Ecology (University of Minnesota, Biol 4842, 4 semester credits) are being offered this summer (June 26 - July 19, and July 21 - August 16, 2001). There is an information packet you can download at http://muskox.com/acrobat/app.pdf, or contact Dr. Bill Gould at ffwag@uaf.edu; 787-766-5335 ext. 114; http://muskox.com

Hattie M. Strong Foundation Scholarship:  
    The Strong foundation administers a loan program for American college students, studying in the U.S. or abroad, who are entering their FINAL year of study in a undergraduate or graduate degree program.  Loans are made solely on the basis of individual merit, without regard to race, sex, or religion, are interest-free and do not require collateral.  Applicants must be enrolled, as full-time students, in an accredited four-year college or graduate school.  Our maximum loan is $3000.  More information is available at the External Scholarships Program office, HAB 103 - CSB. 

Environmental Internship at Lost Lake Lodge -  Summer 2001
    Lost Lake Lodge is a small family owned resort with 10 cottages and a private lake located 140 miles north of Minneapolis.  The resort is opened from mid May through early October and employees up to 30 full and part time staff.  Currently Lost Lake Lodge is looking for a Resident Naturalist.  This intern would work primarily with children ages 3 through 9.  The intern would also be responsible for evening family activities and some adult interpretive programs.  Duties include developing and implementing environmental education activities using the natural environs of Lost Lake and it's surrounding 70 acres as the classroom.  This is a paid position.  Contact Timothy N. Moore at nature@lostlake.com <http://www.lostlake.com>

National Institutes of Health - UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
    The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation�s premier biomedical research institution.  NIH offers an innovative program to support the career development of the next generation of biomedical health researchers - an undergraduate scholarship for students from disadvantaged backgrounds*.  For more information contact the External Scholarships Program Office - HAB 103, CSB.   Applications and information is also available online at http://ugsp.info.nih.gov/

Environmental Specialist - Student Internship
    The Environmental Specialist Intern will assist with monitoring of Minneapolis Park system lakes and waterways in association with a variety of projects, including the Chain of Lakes Clean Water Partnership program.  For more information contact Jeff Lee at 612-370-4900; Jeffrey.t.lee@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; <mailto:Jeffrey.t.lee@ci.minneapolis.mn.us>

Trout Unlimited Job
    Trout Unlimited's mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Founded in 1959, TU today has 125,000 members in 500 chapters nationwide. TU volunteers are the watchdogs of their local rivers and streams. They conduct stream restoration projects and educational projects, and fight for fish-friendly policies at local, state and federal levels.  Headquartered in Washington, DC, TU also conducts scientific and economic research, lobbies to strengthen conservation legislation, and provides a voice for our members, a majority of whom are avid anglers who volunteer their time and effort to protect local rivers and streams that hold trout and salmon. Check out TU's web site at www.tu.org for information about the following positions Local Organizer - Southeast Region; National Training Coordinator; and Youth Program Coordinator.  For more information on these positions, contact Sara Johnson, Director, National Volunteer Operations, Trout Unlimited, 211 S. Paterson St., Ste. 270, Madison, Wisconsin 53703.  Fax: 608-255-1326; E-mail: rdonicht@tu.org.  

Tennessee Clean Water Network Executive Director
    Tennessee Clean Water Network is a newly formed statewide advocacy organization focused on the protection and restoration of the state's waters.  TCWN has two principle objectives: 1) to build the capacity of citizen watershed associations to be effective advocates for their local watershed through communication, technical support, coordination, and direct support; and 2) to advocate for strong state policies and regulations that result in more effective protection and restoration of Tennessee waters.  They are seeking an Executive Director with experience in nonprofit management and environmental policy and advocacy.  Please direct all email questions or submissions to:  Catherine Sheehy, TCWN Program Coordinator, catherine@tcwn.org.  Closing Date:  February 15, 2001.

Seminars/Lectures/Symposia:

Miscellaneous:

Senior Biology Majors Required to take �Major Field Test�
    Graduating Biology majors are required to take a test called the Biology Major Field Test.  The test is provided at no charge and will given on campus.  The reason for this test is to assess whether the Biology Department has been successful in providing a Biology major that is outstanding in both breadth and depth.  Since other colleges also give their Biology majors the same test we can compare the performance of our students to Biology majors in other programs across the nation.  The exam is scheduled for the evening of TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20.  There will be a pizza party followed by the test.  Every graduating senior biology major is required to take this test, so please block out this evening on your calendar now.  For more information contact Dr. Jeanne Lust, Biology Dept. Chair or Dr. Mike Reagan, Biology Assessment Committee.

Geology at CSB/SJU.
    Check out the new web site for the CSB/SJU Geology program.  You�ll find some nice photos of CSB/SJU students who were on a field trip to the Colorado Plateau this past summer, and some photos of Robert Bakker's visit to campus.

CSB/SJU Receives Lancy Foundation Grant
    Dr. Derek Larson, our new ES Director, and Dr. Marcus Webster prepared a grant, entitled "A Sense of Place: Environmental Stewardship in a Benedictine Community� that was funded by the Lancy Foundation.

    The project will fund 10 undergraduate students for Summer 2001 working in conjunction with a faculty member.  The team of faculty/student scholars will study the history, environmental stewardship, environmental history, stewardship, arts, economic potential of biodiversity, and sustainability of the CSB/SJU community.  Keep on the lookout for more information about this program.

Two New Reports Indicate Dramatic Slowdown in Loss of U.S. Wetlands
    Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today jointly released two new reports (Jan 9, 2001) that both indicate there has been a dramatic slowdown in the loss of wetlands over the past decade.   "This is the greatest overall decline in the rate of wetlands loss since records have been compiled by the federal government,"  Glickman said at a press conference at the Interior Department this afternoon.  "While we celebrate this tremendous progress, we have not yet met our goal of no net loss, so we need to be sure that we continue our efforts to protect the environment and be careful not to move backward.  The new report by the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 1986 to 1997, shows the rate of wetland loss in the United States has decreased down to an estimated annual loss of 58,500  acres an 80 percent reduction compared to the previous decade.  The national goal of no net wetlands losses still has not been met, however. The study shows that between 1986 and 1997, forested wetlands and freshwater emergent wetlands continued to show the most losses.  Open water ponds have been increasing, yet there is concern that the long- term trend in the loss of vegetated wetlands may result in long-term adverse consequences.  For more information visit the Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA web sites.

Sports Fans Wanted:
    Dr. Linda Mealey (CSB/SJU Psychology Department) is recruiting participants for a study on testosterone and cortisol levels of people watching high stakes (and later, low stakes) competitions.   She is looking for a bevy of students to volunteer to help for January term ILP course credit, and later for one or two students to make a senior or honors project out of it (next Spring and all of the 2001-2002 academic year).

New "Native Plants Journal"
    The "Native Plants Journal"--an eclectic forum for dispersing practical information about planting and growing native plants--is a new, full-color, twice-a-year journal from the University of Idaho.  Native Plants Journal needs two things: (1) Subscribers.  Only $30.00 for individuals; $60.00 for libraries.  (See URL below) (2) ARTICLES/AUTHORS.  We need articles for the Fall 2001 issue, which means manuscripts will be due around March or April.   NPJ accepts both general manuscripts (informative articles about techniques, cultivars, habitat restorations, etc.) and refereed research papers (with scientific method, experimental design, statistics...).   For more info, please check out NPJ's wepsite.

Native Seed Conference Announcement -- Conference:  April 19-20, 2001
    Seeds for the Future, a national native wildflower and grass seed production conference will be held in ORLANDO on April 19-20, 2001.   For registration information, please call Nancy at (850) 922-7206. 

Tropical Ethnobotany Field Course
    The Tropical Ethnobotany Course explores field techniques of ethnobotany with an overview of topical ethnobotany and botany. The focus is on practical techniques for ethnobotanical research, the role of plants in indigenous societies, interview techniques, and basic tropical botany. Successful completion of the course will qualify students for participation in ethnobotanical expeditions. The course is offered during the summer for two weeks. For more information contact Director of Education National Tropical Botanical Garden; 3530 Papalina Road; Kalaheo, HI 96741; Tel: (808) 332-7324 ext 225 or 251; Fax: (808) 332-9765; Email: tavana@ntbg.org

Australian Living Fossils - internet discussion forwarded by D. Grandmaison.
    Another "living fossil" tree has been found in Australia.  This is the third since 1994! The first was the wollemi pine (now named Wollemia nobilis), a huge tree species which is thought to have survived in a deep, wet gorge 150 km from Sydney for 200 million years.  Before the discovery by an off duty National Parks officer, it was known only from fossils laid down from 50-200 million years ago. 43 mature individuals are known to exist in the wild. The Royal Botanic Gardens - Sydney's page, with information and great photos, and at these is at these web sites (Jurassic plants; wollemi) .

    For an artist's page, with some good biological info check out the web site. Apparently botanists have found evidence that this species was much more widespread just 2 million years ago in Australia, then went into decline.  A propagation program has been started for this species (a good idea), and horticulturalists hope to have plants for sale by 2005. (Thus contributing to the economy, and giving this plant's existence meaning!)

    A second living fossil tree was also found about that time. This is a very primitive flowering plant in the family Proteaceae.  See links .  Similar species are known from 50-million-year-old fossils, and it is somewhat different and more �primitive" than any living Proteaceae. As of 1994 16 individuals of this species had been found, in an ancient rainforest in Queensland.

    The last species also grows in the Australian rainforest and has nuts that are similar in structure to a "species dating back to prehistoric times" and known only in fossilized form says AP 12/16.  The "living fossil" tree is believed to be closely related to "Eidotha" which once covered "the ancient super-continent of Gondwanaland -- now Australia, Africa, South America and New Zealand."

Nobel Prizes and Undergraduate Colleges � submitted by Dr. Michael Reagan 
    The following information is from the CUR Quarterly, a publication of the Council on Undergraduate Research.  Dr. David Peak, of Utah State University, recently compiled a list of Nobel prizewinners who graduated from primarily undergraduate institutions like CSB/SJU.  He found that 42 Nobel prizewinners graduated from schools like ours.  Here is a list of the winners of the Physiology and Medicine Nobel, the one that Biologists most often are honored with.  The year indicates the year the person won the prize.  I look foward to one of you adding CSB/SJU to the list!  Perhaps the name of Dr. David Mitchell will soon join this exclusive club.  If you are interested, check out the Nobel web site.

• Paul Greengard, 2000, Hamilton College

• Ferid Murad, 1998, DePauw University

• Phillip Sharp, 1993, Union College, KY

• Joseph Murray, 1990, Holy Cross

• J. Michael Bishop, 1989, Gettysburg U

• Harold Varmus, 1989, Amherst

• Gertrude Elion, 1988, Hunter College

• Stanley Cohen, 1986, Brooklyn College

• Joseph Goldstein, 1985, Washington & Lee

• Roger Sperry, 1981, Oberlin College

• Rosalyn Yalow, 1977, Hunter College

• Baruch Blumberg, 1976, Union College, NY

• Bavid Baltimore, 1975, Swarthmore

• Howard Temin, 1975, Swarthmore

• Gerald Edelman, 1972, Ursinus

• Earl Wilbur Sutherland, Jr., 1971, Washburn

• Julius Axelrod, 1970, CCNY

• Haldan Keffer Hartline, 1967, Lafayette College

• Arthur Kornberg, 1959, CCNY

• Philip Showalter Hench, 1950, Lafayette College

Web Sites Worth A Visit: (have you visited any cool sites lately?  Send us your suggestions))

• CSB/SJU Pre-professional Health Programs:

• Biology Department Newsletter – On Line:  

• DNR Volunteer Opportunities

• MN Nature Conservancy (for field trips, volunteer opportunities, etc.)

• CSB/SJU Career Services Home Page

• National Academy of Science

• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

• Connections Bulletin Board

• Scholarship Office

• CSB/SJU Geology program

• Denver University career services website

Puzzler of the Week:
       

Joke of the Week.  Check out these interesting units of measurement: 

• Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter:   Eskimo Pi
• 2000 pounds of Chinese soup: Won ton
• Half of a large intestine: 1 semicolon
• 1000 aches: 1 megahurtz
• Weight an evangelist carries with God: 1 billigram
• Basic unit of laryngitis: 1 hoarsepower
• Shortest distance between two jokes: A straight line
• Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement: 1bananosecond
• A Half-Bath: 1 demijohn
• 453.6 graham crackers: 1 pound cake
• 1 million microphones: 1 megaphone
• 1 kilogram of falling figs: 1 Fig Newton
• 1000 grams of wet socks: 1 literhosen
• 10 rations: 1 decoration
• 100 rations: 1 C-ration
• 10 millipedes: 1 centipede
• 2 monograms: 1 diagram
• 8 nickels: 2 paradigms
• 2 wharves: 1 paradox
• 100 Senators:  Not 1 decision  

Frequently Asked Questions:   What animal gives pink milk?  (this is presumably a serious question from one of our readers.  The only answer I can think of is - a "pink cow".  Anyone have other ideas?)


For more information, contact:
Dr. Stephen G. Saupe
Professor & Herbarium Curator
Biology Department
College of St. Benedict/St. John's University
Collegeville, MN 56321
(320) 363-2782; (320) 363-3202 (fax); ssaupe@csbsju.edu

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