Well, all for now. Don’t forget that tomorrow is Election Day. If you need any advice on who to vote for, just ask me!

Don’t forget about the Learning Communities Scheduled for Spring 2001

Nov 7 NCUR conference application due – contact Dr. M. Webster
Nov 8 Biology Club Meeting; NSC 140: 7:00 p.m.
Nov 15 Careers in Health & Medicine; 7:00 p.m., TRC
Mar 23 GRE Registration deadline (contact CSB/SJU Career Resource center
April 22 MCAT Exam (registration materials should be available in January 2001)
Aug 18 MCAT Exam (registration materials should be available in January 2001)

Biology Club Meeting – by Kristi Kubista
    The next Biology Club meeting will be Wednesday, November 8 in the New Science Center, Room 140 at 7:00 p.m. During the meeting we plan to set dates for movie nights in November and December, schedule the Biology Club Christmas party and figure out things to do during J-Term. For more information contact Kristi at x6341.

Biology Camp Out Cancelled – by Greg & Kristi
    The biology club campout that had been scheduled for Friday, Oct 20 was canceled. The Biology Club is planning another campout in the spring.

Career Exploration Series – Careers in Health & Medicine
   Nov 15, TRC, CSB, 7:00 p.m. Contact the Career Resource Center at either CSB or SJU for more info or visit their web site at www.csbsju.edu/career.

Minnesota Radon Project Project. 
    Dr. Dan Steck, Director of the Minnesota Radon Project, is looking for environmentally concerned students to participate in a project that focuses on educational outreach to homeowners who are in high radon areas of Minnesota through local civic organizations. Work on the project includes communication and research. Three students have already been hired in the communication area and two more are needed. Two (or more) students are needed on the technical side; that is, students who have some lab and computer skills or the aptitude to learn those skills. The project is partially funded by the US EPA through the Minnesota Health Department. Students will have a chance to work with health professional outside Collegeville. For more information - contact Dr. Steck (dsteck@csbsju.edu, 320-363-3186, FAX 320-363-3202 , or visit http://www.csbsju.edu/mnradon, http://employees.csbsju.edu/dsteck).

Internship Listing
  Check out the Oct 27 internship listing from the Office of Internships. There are some good biological related internships listed. Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, Lanesboro (MN) has an interesting project available (for more information contact them at fellowship@eagle-bluff.org or www.eagle-bluff.org).

Internship at Mississippi Topsoils, Inc.
    An internship is available at Mississippi Topsoils in Cold Spring, MN. The title of the intern is General Coordinator. This person will help to coordinate and implement duties to meet customer product quality standards, to provide quantitative and qualitative data for product marketing, to maintain an effective and efficient production facility, and to provide the highest standard of customer service. One of the major requirements for the position is a willingness to learn is the most important characteristic. Others skills that may help include customer service experience, ability to communicate well with customers, computer skills, heavy equipment operations, light equipment operations, knowledge of biological system and related scientific experiments. Contact Mr. Brad Matuska for more details at (320)685-7676 or via email brad@composter.com.

Fellowship Program – submitted by Dr. M. Reagan
    The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) runs a Mass Media Fellowship Program, which places undergraduate (and graduate) students at various media sites throughout the U.S. to work as science journalists for a summer. For more information contact kmalloy@aaas.org

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. - Three Positions in Johnston, IA.
    For more information contact Carolyn Winegar at (515) 270-5940 or email jobsresearch@phibred.com.

1. Senior Research Associate – participate in the planning and lead execution of year round greenhouse production for gene testing, early generation transgenic evaluation, and initial integration of transgenic germplasm. A master's degree in Plant Sciences, Agronomy or related subject and at least two years of greenhouse or field experience is desired. Reference Job Code: RES/RESP219/CU
2. Research Associate – collect reliable, corn trait information while providing research, supervisory and technical support to Intellectual Property protection processes. This Intellectual Property position supports Product Characterization and Commercialization (PCC) and Legal Departments by collecting and assembling key research information. A BS or MS degree in biology, agronomy, crop production or a related degree focused on agriculture is desired. Reference Job Code: RES/RESP211/CU
3. Professional Internship - Corn Parent Test – responsible for small plot maintenance and data collection on various experiments conducted at the Johnston research facility. Applicant should be pursuing an undergraduate degree in an agricultural or related discipline, such as Plant Biology. Reference Job Code: RES/RESP235/CU

Hiking and Land Use in the Alps: Tour de Mont Blanc
     At the November meeting of the Central Minnesota Audubon, Dr. John Peck, St. Cloud State University, will present a program featuring a trip he made to the Alps. The presentation will include a discussion of land use ethics, environmental concerns and simply pretty pictures. The program will be Wednesday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the Heritage Nature Center, St. Cloud (across from Cub Foods West). Everyone is welcome. For more information about the program and the Audubon Society visit http://www.cloudnet.com/~audubon.

 NCUR 2001 Meeting
       The University of Kentucky will host the 15th National Conference on Undergraduate Research, March 15-17, 2001. The annual NCUR meeting attracts approximately 2,000 undergraduates and faculty for presentations of research by undergraduates in all disciplines. Participants are expected to come from more than 250 colleges and universities representing almost every state in the nation. NCUR brings together undergraduates involved in scholarly and artistic activities throughout the United States, representing a range of disciplines including creative arts, engineering mathematics, business, social science, humanities, physical, chemical and biological sciences, among others. In addition, NCUR represents a terrific opportunity to hear nationally prominent speakers and to discuss educational policy and funding for undergraduate scholarly work as part of the Undergraduate Research Network sessions woven into the NCUR meeting. For more information about NCUR 2001, visit the web site (http://ncur2001.uky.edu).

Holy Banana, Batman!
    Wow….the banana trees are in flower in the CSB/SJU Greenhouse. Check it out! Bananas are monocarpic which means that they only flower once in their life and then die back. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event – at least for the banana tree!

Are You A Senior And Clueless About What To Do With Your Life? - by Dr. M. Reagan
    Join the club. Here is a program that might help you make some decisions. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the govt. organization that funds most biomedical research in this country, has a program called IRTA (Intramural Research Training Award). This is an opportunity to do biomedical research in a lab at an NIH research facility (mostly Washington, D.C., but also a few other locations in the U.S.) for up to a year after you graduate from college. There is no application deadline and the application is on-line and easy. They suggest that you apply about 6 months prior to the date you would like to begin. This is a great opportunity for a graduate to do biomedical research in a cutting-edge lab to see if they like it. You are paid, and incur no obligation by doing this. If you think that you may have an interest in doing research but don't want to commit to a graduate school just yet, you might think about this. The web site is: http://www.training.nih.gov/student/Pre-IRTA/previewpostbac.asp.

Neuro-For-the-Not-So-Neuro-Minded – by Dr. S. Saupe
    "Neuro…." was the clever title of a light-hearted, yet information packed, lecture that I attended at the NABT conference that was presented by Barb Bancroft, RN, MSN, PNP (http://members.aol.com/bancbarb). Among the things I learned in this presentation is that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may be the result of brain cells NOT dying like they are supposed to. Most of us are worried about killing off too many brain cells (especially on weekends). However, cell death is a normal part of development (called apoptosis) including brain development. For example, if you count the number of neurons in the superior temporal gryus of a normal individual, there are 4516/mm² at birth. By 16, this number drops to 2187/mm² and by the time you are 81 there are only about 1016/mm² (some days it seems that I have even fewer than that!). Anyway, the take-home-message is that there is a large decrease of neurons as we age, especially between 10 and 16 years of age. However, in schizophrenics and those with bipolar disorder, this drop never occurs. The increased level of neurotransmitters floating around as a result of excessive neurons may be responsible for the symptoms of these conditions and may explain why these two conditions don’t usually manifest themselves until the teen years. And, it also suggests that to treat these conditions all we need to do is to kill some extra brain cells. But – not with alcohol! It must be done selectively and some promising drugs apparently do just that – Celebrex and Vioxx appear to stimulate apoptosis and are showing promise in treating schizophrenia.

Bananas and navel oranges don’t have any seeds inside them. How do they reproduce?

Reasons for leaving jobs.

My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned because I couldn't concentrate. Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe. After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it. - mainly because it was a so-so job. Next I tried working in a muffler factory but that was exhausting. I wanted to be a barber, but I just couldn't cut it. Then I tried to be a chef, figured it would add a little spice to my life but I just didn't have the thyme. Finally, I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard. My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy. I studied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn't have any patients. Next was a job in a shoe factory; I tried but I just didn't fit in. I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income. Thought about becoming a witch, so I tried that for a spell. I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining. I got a job at a zoo feeding giraffes but I was fired because I wasn't up to it. So then I got a job in a gymnasium (work-out-center), but they said I wasn't fit for the job. Next, I found being an electrician interesting, but the work was shocking. After many years of trying to find steady work I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it. My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind.