How many of you discovered the error in the URL for the Biology Department Newsletter web site? Hopefully everyone! In any case, the correct URL is given in the "Cool Web Site" section below. Sorry for any confusion in the last issue.

    Lately I’ve been thinking about the glorious days of summer. I spent a week near Myrtle Beach (SC) surfing, golfing and botanizing. Every summer my wife’s family rents a house in this area for a reunion. For fun, we decided to check out the cost of property in a development near our rental house. We learned that a 60 – 100 foot wide strip of sand – excluding house – was selling for $1.2 million. This tidy sum gave you ocean front property and best of all, a salt marsh in the back. It’s absolutely beautiful, but who can afford it? – especially considering a recent study that was cited in Science News (July 8, 2000). According to this article the Atlantic coast is eroding at the rate of about 2 – 3 feet per year and that within the next 60 years up to 25% of the beach houses in the U.S. will be but a "memory". The news gets worse. Global warming could cause the sea levels to rise even further. All of the homes in this area are already raised on 20-foot stilts – a necessity after Hurricane Hugo wiped out the place out a few years. Who knows how high the homes will need to be at the turn of the next century? My recommendation is to buy property in the Blue Ridge Mountains – in another century or so it might be beach front!

    Finally – this is DINOSAUR WEEK! Make sure you get out to see one or more lectures by Dr. Bakker and take the "Walk through time".

Dr. Gordon Brown and Carol Jansky received a CSB/SJU Curriculum and Program Development grant to redesign concepts of biology laboratories.

Dr. Michael Reagan received a Curriculum and Program Development grant to support his research.

Changes at CSB/SJU – A Note from the Registrar’s Office

• Terminated majors: Medical Technology and Social Science Non-Teaching.
• PHED 117 and approved physical activity is required for both CSB and SJU students beginning Fall 2000.
• Liberal Studies major is open to SJU students
• The Athletic Training Minor was renamed "Sports Medicine Minor"

Sept 20-Oct 4 Walk Through Time Exhibit on campus

Sept 23 Wild Ones Prairie Planting, Whitney Park, St. Cloud.

Sept 24-25 Healing Hands: Medicine and the Quest for Peace and Justice. Peace Studies Conference.

Sept 27 "Viruses and Apoptosis: Molecular Mechanisms at the Battlefront". Paul Friesen (U. Wisconsin, Biochemistry Dept); 4:30 p.m. ASC 142.

Sept 27 Volunteers needed for school visit.

Sept 29 "Tyrannosaurus rex: Family Values, an Insider's View to Dinosaurs"; Peter Engel Lecture: Dr. Robert Bakker Friday, September 29 at 7:30 pm; Warner Palaestra - Sexton Arena

Sept 29 GRE Registration deadline (contact CSB/SJU Career Resource center

Sept 30 "Great Dinosaur Art Contest"

Sept 30 "Using dinosaurs to teach science: T. rex tasted like chicken".

Oct. 2 Schirber Medical Ethics Lecture - Elaine Fox, Ph.D, R.N., 7:30 PM , The Peter Engel Science Center Auditorium

Oct 3 Career Exploration Series – Thinking About Graduate School; Q264, 7:00

Oct 3 Visit by the medical admissions officers from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 5:00 p.m in 142 Ardolf Science Center, CSB.

Oct 4 "Biomedical Applications of GC/MS" – by Jack Throck Watson (Michigan State Univ; Biochemistry); 4:30 p.m.; ASC 142

Oct 5 Tri-College Graduate School Fair; 10:30 – 2:30; Atwood Center, SCSU

Oct 7 Biology Club Brat Sale (8:45 – 12:00), St. John’s (contact Kristi Kubista)

Oct 26-29 Creativity and Sustainable Environments Conference – CSB/SJU

Nov 3 GRE Registration deadline (contact CSB/SJU Career Resource center

Nov 15 Career Exploration Series – Thinking About Graduate School; 7:00, TRC

Mar 23 GRE Registration deadline (contact CSB/SJU Career Resource center

April 22 MCAT Registration deadline

Aug 18 MCAT Registration deadline

    This is our biggest and only fundraiser of the year! If you are willing to help please email me and indicate which time periods you would like 8:45 (set-up), 9:15, 9:45, 10:15, 10:45, 11:15, 11:45, 12:15 (cleanup). List the 2 or 3 times you most prefer. Half hour and hour increments are available, and I will try to maneuver around people’s schedules. If anyone from St. Ben’s can help set up in the morning but does not have a ride, I do have a few car seats available.

Volunteers Sought for Visit by Discovery School Group – by Chris Courchane
   We have a group of 110 students coming from Discovery Elementary to do the Walk Through Time on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 11:00. They will be in two groups. I could use some help that day in making sure that they get where they need to be at the right times. Please let me know if you're able to help me out by greeting them and then getting them directed to lunch after they're done with their tour. If you can help anytime between 11:00 and 12:30, please let me know. Contact me 320/363-2562 or by email (ccourchane@csbsju.edu <mailto:ccourchane@csbsju.edu>

Mississippi Topsoil Internship Opportunity
   Mississippi Topsoils is a company based in Cold Spring that is involved with composting and recycling organic waste materials from Gold ‘N Plump. Contact Mr. Brad Matuska, a St. John’s alum, at Mississippi Topsoils, Inc., 14138 State Hwy 23, PO Box 444, Cold Spring, MN 56320-0444, Phone: (320)685-7676, Fax: (320)685-7887, www.composter.com/topsoils. Past students have reported a great experience interning here.

Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program Coordinator
   Watershed Partners Volunteer Stream Monitoring program is seeking a program coordinator for the seven-county Metropolitan area. Responsibilities include facilitating collaboration among volunteer programs and agencies, arranging training, facilitating outreach, developing materials, obtaining funding, budgeting and program planning and evaluation. A Bachelor's degree is required. Send resume and names of 3 references to Maria Juergens, Water Resource Center, 173 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Ave.,St.Paul, MN 55108 by September 22, 2000. For additional information, contact Sylvia McCollor, Chair, Search Committee, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 651-296-7249, sylvia.mccollor@pca.state.mn.us.

Volunteer Stream Monitoring Technical Coordinator.
   Watershed Partners Volunteer Stream Monitoring program is seeking a technical coordinator for the seven-county Metropolitan area. This position works with a Technical Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from the University, state and local agencies and nonprofit organizations involved in volunteer monitoring, to develop monitoring protocols, a data management plan and a quality assurance plan. A Bachelor's degree with 3 years of experience in water monitoring or a Master's degree with water monitoring experience is required. Send resume and names of 3 references to Maria Juergens, Water Resource Center, 173 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Ave.,St.Paul, MN 55108 by September 22, 2000. For additional information, contact Sylvia McCollor, Chair, Search Committee, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 651-296-7249, sylvia.mccollor@pca.state.mn.us.

Audubon Center of the North Woods
   The Audubon Center is looking for interns in Environmental Education, Wildlife Education/Rehabilitation and for summer Counselors/Instructors. For more information about internships contact Annie Scherz at ascherz@ecenet.com. The Audubon Center also offers a variety of college courses. Check out their web site at www.audubon-center.com.

JT 2001 Course – Wolf Ecology in N. Minnesota
   Looking for an off-campus JT course? Contact the Audubon Center of the North Woods for more information about a wolf ecology course (320 – 245 – 2648; www.audubon-center.com).

Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships for Minorities.
   For more information visit http://national-academies.org/osep/fo

GRE Registration Deadlines
Sept 29, 2000
Nov 3, 2000
Mar 23, 2001

MCAT Registration Deadlines
April 22, 2001
Aug 18, 2001

Tri-College Graduate School Fair
   Thursday October 5, 10:30 – 2:00 p.m.; Atwood Center, SCSU

Career Exploration Series – Thinking About Graduate School
   October 3, Quad 264, SJU. 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.

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.

Belize Marine Tropical Research & Education Center.
   Has internships available. Email bztrec@btl.net for more information.

Healing Hands: Medicine and the Quest for Peace and Justice.
    The13^th Annual Peace Studies Conference will be held Sunday, Sept 24 and Monday, Sept 25 on campus. Topics include, "Iraq: Medicine Under Siege" by G. S. Harak (7:30 Sunday), "Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs in the Post Cold War World: The Role of Economic Sanctions" by Dr. Richard Garfield (1:00 Quad 264, SJU), and "Does Robert Have a Chance? The Injustice of the Inner City" by Dr. David Hilfiker MD, (7:30 pm Quad 264, SJU). There will also be a series of good workshops. For more information call 320 – 363 – 2770.

Dinosaur Lecture Series by World Famous Paleontologist
   Dr. Robert Bakker, the famous paleontologist, will be on campus September 29 – 30 to meet with students and give a series of lectures. You are invited to these events and are encouraged to attend. They are sure to be fun, exciting, and intellectually challenging presentations.

    The first annual Peter Engel Lecture will be given on Friday, September 29, at 7:30. On the same day, Dr. Bakker will give an additional lecture at 3:00 aimed at science faculty and students. This will be a more in-depth, scientific lecture than the general audience one in the evening, and the audience will be much smaller.

    On Saturday, September 30 at 10:00 am in the Palaestra he will give a presentation for children. Following that, at 1:30 in the Peter Engel Science Center Auditorium, he will give a presentation for teachers entitled, "Using Dinosaurs to Teach Science: T-rex Tasted Like Chicken".

"Tyrannosaurus rex: Family Values, an Insider's View to Dinosaurs."
   Saint John's University is proud to present the inaugural Peter Engel Lecture: Dr. Robert Bakker Friday, September 29 at 7:30 pm; Warner Palaestra - Sexton Arena

    Dr. Bakker is the author of Raptor Red, Raptor Revenge, and Father of Jurassic Park. He is currently the Adjunct Curator at the Paleon Foundation's Dr. Robert Bakker Learning Center in Glenrock, WY.

    He is considered to be the scientist most responsible for the new, revolutionary ideas that have won over much of the popular and technical opinion about dinosaurs. Dr. Bakker is cited several times by Michael Crichton in his novel Jurassic Park, and assisted in making the dinosaurs as realistic as possible for the motion picture.

    In his lecture, Dr. Bakker will give a first-hand account of how paleontologists have penetrated the mysteries surrounding the private lives of dinosaurs.

"The Great Dinosaur Art Contest".
   This event is an interactive activity for elementary-aged children. It will be presented by Dr. Bakker on September 30, from 10 a.m. to noon. It will be held in Warner Palaestra’s Sexton Arena.

"Using Dinosaurs to Teach Science: T. rex Tasted Like Chicken".
   This presentation by Dr. Bakker is intended for teachers. It will be held on September 30 from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. in Peter Engel Science Center.

Walk Through Time
   This is a self-guided tour consisting of a series of 90 stand-alone educational panels that allow participants to experience 4.6 billion years of history in a one-mile walk. It was developed by employees of the Hewlett-Packard Company. The exhibit will be open to the public from Sept. 20 to Oct 4.

Schirber Bioethics Lecture
On Oct. 2, 2000 at 7:30PM in the PENGL Science Center Auditorium, Dr. Elaine Fox will present the lecture "Cross-Cultural Issues in Healthcare: Doubling the Responsibility of Health Care Providers". This should be a fascinating look at the responsibilities of health care providers in multicultural settings. Anyone thinking about a career in the healthcare field should strongly consider attending this lecture.

From Egg to Organ: Evolution of Developmental Mechanisms - the 9th Annual U MN Symposium in Developmental Biology.
    Mark your calendars! This fall's Symposium in Developmental Biology will be held September 25-26, 2000 in the Earle Brown Center on the St. Paul campus. The meeting will focus on the interface between evolution and development and it will cover a broad range of systems including worms, insects, ascidians, fish, plants, chicks, mice and snakes! Talks will explore molecular mechanisms and evolution of limb development, skeletal patterning, meristem development, signaling systems, and developmental strategies for body patterning. In addition to platform sessions, we will hold a poster session where all attendees (especially students) are encouraged to present their own work on any aspect of biology. Attendees are also invited to a banquet held on Monday evening, Sept. 25 at the Weisman Art Museum on the Minneapolis campus. The after-dinner speaker will be Dr. Andrew Knoll, Chair of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, and the title of his talk is: "Etched in Stone: Fossils and the Early Evolution of Animals." Details concerning registration and schedule are available from the Web site: http://www.med.umn.edu/dbc/symp/2000 or from Mary Muwahid at phone: 625-5128, e-mail: muwahid@lenti.med.umn.edu.  

Creativity and Sustainable Environments Conference
This conference will be held on campus October 26^th – 29^th . Among the featured speakers/activities are:

• Wes Jackson (http://www.landinstitute.com). President of The Land Institute. Salina, Kansas

• Brad Matuska (Mississippi Topsoil) & Jim McNelly (Natur-Tech). Presentation on innovations in composting in Central Minnesota.

• Fuel Cell Demonstration. An Alternative Energy Source presented by Bob Goff (SJU '62) and others.

• Energy efficient car. Demonstration of a gas/electric hybrid automobile, the Toyota Prius.

• SJU/Abbey Arboretum and CSB/Monastery Common Ground Garden. Tours and displays.

• Tribute to Fr. Paul Schwietz. S. Phyllis Plantenberg and Fr. John Klassen present a tribute to the late Fr. Paul, land manager for St. John's Abbey and University.

• Richard Bresnahan. Speaks on the use of indigenous materials and leads a tour of the studio.

• Ernie Diedrich (SJU) and Art Mehrhoff (SCSU). "Assessing Sustainability in Community". Talk about community indicators and then presenting an alternative scheme for evaluating the state of progress in the St. Cloud Area.

• Fr. John Klassen & S. Phyllis Plantenberg. "Stewardship of the Land"

• Larry Schug. Poet who will give a reading and speak of his work with recycling.

• Derek Larson, Joe Desjardins, Chuck Wright, Bernie Evans. Environmental Ethics Panel

• Environmental Studies Faculty and Students. Concurrent session focusing on the Environmental Studies new learning communities.

• Presentations by S. Mara Faulkner's students. Students from S. Mara's English: Modern and Contemporary Literature course will present on their creative work focusing on the environment.

• Minnesota Center Chorale. Performance October 29, 2000, 3:00 p.m. BAC. Phil Welter, Director. The MCC will perform with composer Malcolm Dalglish.

• Malcolm Dalglish. "Hymnody of Earth" A Ceremony of Songs for Choir, Hammer Dulcimer and Percussion, Featuring the poetry of Wendell Berry.

• "Hymns in the broadest sense are songs sung by a congregation of people with words that enliven our common concerns about salvation, the soul, the spirit, the unknown, and survival itself. Wendell Berry's poems seem to take flight naturally in hymn song. Berry is a Kentucky author who has become widely renowned and respected for his essays and novels in which he addresses the importance of community, conservation and common sense. His poetry speaks with a solid and graceful spirituality. Through his words we gain an appreciation for the delicate balance among the many cycles of life."

"Banking on Women"
This is a half-day conference on the globalization of poverty among women. It will be held on October 11, 2000 from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at CSB. For more information, including a listing of speakers and presentation titles, contact 763 – 541 – 9363.

Pre-Professional Students Should Register at the Web Site.
If you are interested in pre-professional health programs (i.e., physical therapy, physician assistant, medicine) you should register at the Pre- Professional web site at http://www.csbsju.edu/premed/.

Pre-Medical Admissions Visit.
Dr. Marilyn Becker, Director of Admissions, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and Dr. Greg Vercellotti, Associate Director of Admissions, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, will talk to interested premed students at 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 3, 2000 (D3), in 142 Ardolf Science Center, CSB. We strongly encourage all interested premeds, regardless of class standing, to attend this meeting to hear about new developments and policies in the UM-TC admissions process. Dr. Becker has started as Director of Admissions this year, and this will be a valuable opportunity to hear first hand from her concerning profiles of the 2000 entering class, trends in the UM-TC admissions policy, among other topics. Since almost all of our students eventually apply to UM-TC , this is a talk you shouldn't miss.

Tutor-Mentors Wanted For The Fast Forward Program.
For more information about this volunteer program working with Chicano-Latino-Hispano youth from Willmar, Cold Spring, and Saint Cloud, MN, check out their web site www.csbsju.edu/fastforwardyouthprogram or contact Jaime Ramirez, Program Director at x2002.

A Potato Tragedy

You know that all potatoes have eyes. Well, Mr. and Mrs. Potato had eyes for each other and they finally got married and had a little one, a real sweet potato, whom they called 'Yam.'

They wanted the best for little Yam, telling her all about the facts of life. They warned her about going out and getting half baked because she could get a bad name like 'Hot Potato,' and then end up with a bunch of Tater Tots.

She said not to worry, "No Mr. McSpud would get her in the sack and make a Rotten Potato out of her!" But she couldn't stay home and become a Couch Potato either. She would get plenty of food and exercise so as not to be skinny like her Shoestring cousins.

Mr. & Mrs. Potato wanted the best for Yam, so they sent her to Idaho P.U., that's Potato University, where the Big Potatoes come from. When she graduates, she'll really be in the Chips.