Biology Department Seminars and Events
Mondays at 4:00pm in Regents Hall 310 unless otherwise noted
| Monday, Feb 9th |
Biology in South India
Students who participated in the service learning off-campus program Biology in South India (Aug-Dec 08) will share their research and experiences.
| Monday, Feb 16th |
Mike Farris, Professor of Biology, Hamline University
Human Performance at Extreme Altitude: Adaptation, Acclimatization, or What?
| Tuesday, Feb 17th |
The 2008 K2 Tragedy: A Personal Account
Mike Farris, Professor of Biology, Hamline University
Campus-wide seminar sponsored by the Biology Department, Environmental Studies Department, Exercise Science Department, and Marie M. Meyer Professorship. This is a Science and the Liberal Arts Theme Year Event.
7:00pm, Old Science Center 280
| Monday, Feb 23rd |
Joe Walewski, Director of Naturalist Training, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center
Lichens of the North Woods
| Monday, March 2nd |
Island Biology/Island Art
Two Ways of Knowing and Exploring Natural History.
Students who participated in the interim off-campus island biology and art courses (Gerace Research Centre, Bahamas) will share their research and experiences.
| Monday, March 9th |
Eric Cole, Professor of Biology, St. Olaf College
Imaging Cells in the 21st Century: Electron Tomography and the Scanning Laser Confocal Microscope
| Monday, March 16th |
Changing Corn Belt Agricultural Landscapes: Perennials, People, and Policy
| Monday, March 30th |
Chad Vezina,
School of Pharmacy and Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Research Center,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Prostate Developmental Biology: A Model for Understanding Prostate Disease
| Monday, April 6th |
Mayo Innovation Scholars Program
During interim, St. Olaf science and business students worked with MBA students to evaluate the commercial potential of projects submitted by Mayo Clinic doctors. Hear about the road toward developing a comprehensive business plan and presenting it to the Licensing Managers of the Office of Intellectual Property and the Mayo Clinic.
| Monday, April 13th |
Peru and Equatorial Biology interims
| Saturday, April 18th |
Midwest Protozoology Meeting
Regents Hall 410 - all day
| Monday, April 20th |
Biology Majors Poster Session
All biology majors who have done research are encouraged to present their findings. Biology majors who are applying for distinction must present at this poster session.
| Monday, April 27th |
Charles Umbanhowar, Professor, Department of Biology, St. Olaf College
Between the Mississippi and the Missouri, 1838-1839: A new look at the
botany of Charles Geyer
| Monday, May 4th |
Arlin Gyberg
Biodiesel - joint seminar with Departments of Chemistry and Environmental Studies
| Tuesday, May 5th |
Biology Senior Banquet
6:00pm, Sunroom
| Monday, May 11th |
Val Cervenka
Forensic Entomology: Solving Mysteries with Maggots (some pictures will be graphic)
Past Seminars and Events
Spring 2008
| Monday, Feb 11th 4:00pm |
Roman Kauzlauskas, Professor, Univ. of Minnesota Biotechnology Institute
White Biotechnology
Ken Valentas, Director, Univ. of Minnesota Biotechnology Institute
Microbial Engineering Master's Program
| Friday, Feb 15th 3:00pm |
Christopher Vaughan, PhD,
Associate Adjunct Professor,
Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology
University of Wisconsin
Conservation Strategies for an Endangered Costa Rican Scarlet Macaw Population
| Monday, Feb 18th 7:00pm |
Biology in South India Student Presentation
Students who participated in this Aug-Dec 2007 study service program will share their experiences.
| Thursday, Feb 21 4:15pm |
Cydney Peterson, '02 Biology Major, Racine Zoo Rhino/Giraffe Care Specialist and Animal Behavior Management Coordinator
Biology Major Alternatives: Racine Zoo Supports SOS Rhino Borneo
| Monday, Feb 25 4:00pm |
Desert Biology and Winter Ecology Student Presentation
Desert Biology: Factors affecting spatial distributions of Creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) in two desert ecosystems
Winter Ecology: MN Biological Field Station, Itasca State Park
| Monday, March 3 4:00pm |
Josh Steffen, Graduate Research Assistant, Biology Dept., University of Utah
Life after St. Olaf: Gene Expression in Plants,
Dissecting Regulatory Networks Controlling Female Gametophyte Development
| Monday, March 10 4:00pm |
Brett Werner, Professor, English Department, St. Olaf College
Implications of Climate Change for Prairie Wetlands and Ducks
| Monday, March 17 4:00pm |
Cardiac Physiology (Atlanta) and Peruvian Medical Experience Student Presentation
| Monday, March 31 4:00pm |
Michael A. Walters, Ph.D., Director, Lead and Probe Discovery, ITDD (Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development), Research Associate Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota
Topic: Modern methods of drug discovery (HTS, combinatorial chemistry, etc)
| Wednesday, April 9 2:00pm |
Eric Schilling '99, Sr. Biomedical Systems Engineer, Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis
The intersection of physics, biology, and engineering: The life of an
interdisciplinary industrial scientist
Abstract
St. Olaf has been emphasizing interdisciplinary studies in the sciences for years and there are some really great opportunities to get involved. But how well do interdisciplinary studies and interdisciplinary thinking translate into real products in the industrial world? I’ll show two examples of important biomedical technology that could not exist without a deep understanding of some of the fundamental intersections of physics, biology and engineering. In one case, centrifugal microfluidic devices have been developed to miniaturize and automate up to 96 parallel CYP450 enzyme inhibition assays for use in the drug discovery industry. In another example, implantable cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators have been developed to treat life threatening arrhythmias and heart failure. I’ll describe how these devices work, what underlying scientific principles are involved and how, in some cases, they can save lives.
Joint Physics and Biology Seminar
Science Center Room 170
| Monday, April 14 4:00pm |
Mayo Scholars Program Student Presentation
| Monday, April 21 4:00pm |
Kent Johnson, Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, St. Paul
| Monday, April 28 4:00pm |
Honors Symposium
| Monday, May 5 4:00pm |
Cailin Orr, Visiting Instructor, Environmental Studies Department, St. Olaf
Fall 2007
| September 10 |
John Schade, St. Olaf College
Elements and Organisms: Biogeochemistry and Stoichiometry in Streams
| September 17 |
Emily Schilling, University of Maine
Habitat on the brink? Assessing the Geographic Distribution and Invertebrate Biodiversity of Naturally Fishless Lakes in Maine.
| September 24 |
Jerry Wolff, St. Cloud St. University
Human Sexual Strategies on a Darwinian Paradigm
| October 1 |
Sandy Voegeli, Gerace Research Center (San Salvador)
Living Jewels. Creating a National Park: Local Conservation Efforts on San Salvador Island
in the Bahamas.
Gerace Research Center Link
| October 4 Thursday, 4:30, SC 278 |
Kim Moss, Art Director, Electronic Publishing Services, Inc., New York
Scientific and Medical Illustration
Sponsored by the Marie M. Meyer Distinguished Professorship
| October 8 |
Mara Robu, St. Olaf College
Using Zebrafish to Investigate Molecular Pathways Involved in Craniofacial Development
| October 22 |
James Elser, Arizona State University
Biological Stoichiometry in Ecology, Evolution, and Disease
| October 29 |
Fred Janzen, Iowa State University
The Evolutionary Ecology of Environmental Sex Determination
| November 5 |
Liza Holeski, University Of Wisconsin
Quanitative Trait Evolution in Mimulus guttatus (Yellow Monkeyflower)
| November 12 |
Paul Rupp, St. Olaf College
The In Vivo Study of Avian Cell Migration Using Quantitative Time-lapse Microscopy
| November 19 |
Student Poster Presentations
2006-2007 Seminars
2005-2006 Seminars
