Biology Department Newsletter

Volume 8    Number 7    November 24, 2004

 

Letter from the Editor

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Hi...hope that you enjoy this issue of the newsletter.  See you next issue.  If you have any contributions, please submit them to S Saupe or W Lamberts. 

Student & Faculty News (menu)

CSB/SJU Group Attend GSA Meeting - by Dr. L Davis
DENVER, COLORADO.  Natural Science faculty and students from the College of St. Benedict attended the 2004 Geological Society of America meeting.  Over 6,500 geologists from industry and academia were also in attendance.  Beth Welle (senior) presented aspects of her summer research fellowship at the Minnesota Science Museum in a poster entitled Interpreting Field Data a Decade Later: An Undergraduate’s Unexpected Lesson.  Kelly Fox (junior) presented aspects of her summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) through Gustavus Adolphus College in a poster entitled The Early Cretaceous Buckhorn Paleovalley: Implications for Sevier Foreland Basin Development.  Erin Saupe (sophomore) presented aspects of her on-going collaboration with Dr. Ted Dyman of the U.S. Geological Survey on energy assessments in a poster entitled Relative Uncertainty of U.S. Geological Survey Petroleum Assessments in Gulf Coast Region: 1995-2004.  Larry Davis, with co-authors Robert Eves (Southern Utah University), Bill Lamberts and Gordon Brown, presented two posters focused on interdisciplinary science entitled Cooperative Geological and Biological Field Study of Pigeon Creek Lagoon, San Salvador Island, Bahamas and Encouraging Scientific Literacy Through Extended Natural History Field Trips That Focus on Integrated Science.  Lori McDonald (senior) also attended the meeting and participated in a field trip to the Rock Canyon Anticline near Pueblo, CO to assist in a U.S. Geological Survey project to develop a geologic road log examining Cretaceous rock strata spanning the Cenomanian-Turonian stage boundary.   Ted Dyman of the U.S. Geological Survey hosted a CSB/SJU reunion dinner for past and present CSB/SJU Geoscience students, which included Nikki Hemmesch (CSB ’01) and Aaron Hirsch (SJU ’04).  Nikki Hemmesch recently completed her MS-Paleontology at Boise State University and is presently employed as a senior curator at the Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park, CO.  Aaron Hirsch is presently a graduate student in Geophysics at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Lori McDonald, Dr. L Davis, Beth Welle & Dr. R Eves standing in front of a poster at the GSA meeting, Denver, November 2004.

Kelly Fox standing in front of her poster at the GSA meeting

Lori McDonald checking out foram's on a field trip at the GSA meeting.

Erin Saupe standing in front of her poster at the GSA meeting, Denver, Nov 2004.

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Curriculum News  (menu)

Advisors for Pre-Professional Programs

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Calendar of Events (menu)

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Biology Club News (menu)

Biology Club Officers:

Co-Presidents Jen Tarmann Jeremy Eisenschenk (fall) Ryan Kroschel (spring)	Treasurer: Lindy Watanaskul
PR-Secretary: Jake Theis

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Scholarships/Graduate Study (menu)

Genetic Counseling and Forensic Science
Dr. Michael Reagan, CSB/SJU Biology Department has spent part of his sabbatical making web pages for students interested in the fields of Genetic Counseling and Forensic Science.  He encourages students to check them out and welcomes feedback!

• The Genetic Counseling Information page

• Planning Your Genetic Counseling Curriculum

• The Forensic Science Career Preparation page

If you are interested in these subjects please browse these pages.  These pages can also be reached from Dr. Reagan's homepage.

Scholarship Opportunities (contact the External Scholarships Office, HAB - 103, for more details)

 Links for Scholarships/Grants/Fellowships for Graduate Study

• CSB/SJU Career Services Links

• External Scholarship Program Office

• Graduate School Tips - some useful graduate school resources for students.

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Jobs/Volunteer (menu)

Green Industry Career Fair 
The Green Industry Career Fair will be held Jan. 7, 2005 in conjunction with the Minnesota Green Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  The Career Fair is hosted annually by the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association and the Minnesota Turf and Grounds Foundation with the intent of matching quality students with local green industry employers.  This is a great opportunity for your students to meet many of the state’s finest horticultural employers!  Admission for students is FREE on Friday, January 7.  The student’s free admission on Friday includes the Career Fair, trade show, and all Expo educational seminars.  Registration is available online.  For more details on educational seminars and other information visit their website.

E-Link
    E-link is an on-line career tool available to CSB/SJU students and alums.  It is a service of the Career Resource Office and can help you find a job, info on a major, access the career calendar of events and lots of other cool stuff.  For more information, email the Career Resource Office.

Web Sites:

• CSB/SJU Career Resources Office

• CSB/SJU Financial Aid

• CSB/SJU Student Employment

• SELT

• Science Jobs

• MN - DNR Volunteer Activities

• Careers in Botany

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Internships/Research (menu)

NSF Summer Research in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology - Univ. Kansas
This National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program will be held from May 25th through August 3rd, 2005 in Lawrence, Kansas.  Additional information, and a complete list of potential faculty mentors and their research programs, visit their REU link at their departmental website.  Funding includes living and travel expenses and a $3,500 stipend for all participants.  For more information contact Sharon Lee Green (785-864-5887)

Summer Research Interns – Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation
Internships for up to 12 students for 13 weeks are available.  These are paid research fellowship opportunities.  Possible areas include:  Cardiology, Community & Preventive Care Services, Hematology & Oncology, Infectious Disease, Microbiology, Neurology, Norma J. Vinger Center for Breast Care, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Radiation, and Sports Physical Therapy.  For more information contact Deb Brostrom, Summer Research Interns; Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation; 836 South Ave.; Lacrosse, WI   54601 (608-775-6693, ext. 56693 or 1-800-362-9567, ext. 56693) or visit their website.

Summer Research Participation Program – Roswell Park Cancer Institute
This summer program is for juniors and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the National Cancer Institute.  The college program runs from June 6-Aug. 11, 2005.  If you’re interested in research as a career, this might be for you.  Application deadlines are Feb. 1, 2005 (for more information and the on-line application).  Any questions, please call 716-845-8134.

Internship Links

• Internship program at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

• CSB/SJU Internship Office Home Page
       -New Internship Opportunities page 
       -Environmental Internships
       -Science Research
       -Women's Issues

Links for Undergraduate Research

• CSB/SJU Career Resources Office

• Honors Thesis web site

Links to Summer Research

• CSB/SJU Career Resource Office Links

• University of Minnesota Summer Undergraduate Research

• BioInformatics Summer Research Program - UM

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Seminars/Symposia/Field Trips (menu)

Biology Department Seminars
Dr. Chuck Rodell has organized a fantastic set of biology seminars for the fall semester.  All of the seminars will be held in PENGL 373 at 4:00 pm.  Everyone is invited to attend.  The seminars are:

Central Minnesota Audubon Society
The Central Minnesota Audubon Society meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month in the Unitarian Fellowship Building in St. Cloud (south of Walmart, click here for directions and more info).   Everyone is invited to attend Audubon meetings.  If you need a ride to this, or other, Audubon program, contact Dr. S Saupe.  CMAS presentations for the remainder of the semester include: 

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Miscellaneous  (menu)

First Annual CSB/SJU Geology Reunion
The reunion was a dinner (see photo below) held at the home of Dr. Ted Dyman (USGS; far right).  CSB/SJU students and alums include Nikki Hemmesch, Lori McDonald, Aaron Hirsch, Kelly Fox, Beth Welle, and Erin Saupe.  Nikki Hemmesch recently completed her MS in Paleontology at Boise State University and is the Curator of Paleontology at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park, CO.  Aaron Hirsch (SJU ‘O4) is an MS student at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and conducting his graduate research in geophysics.

 

CSB Controlled Deer Hunt – Bow and Arrow Only
In an effort to try to control the increasing deer population in the Monastic woods adjoining the CSB campus, there will be controlled bow hunting this fall.  There will be no firearms allowed on CSB College or Monastic property. 

This hunt will be very controlled and monitored by the CSB Security Department.  All hunters must be pre-approved and registered with the Director of Security or his designee.  The hunt is open to members or family members of the College/University and Monastic Communities.  Hunting will start Friday, November 19th and continue through the end of the bow hunting season, December 31, 2004.

CSB Security will be monitoring the hunting and signs have been posted by all entrances to the woods.  The woods are still open for community members to walk/run in.  Please be respectful of all users and stay on marked trails.  Any questions or concerns should be directed to Jim Schumann at CSB Security. 

Canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau
This is a course offered by the Wild Rockies Institute from March 23 - May 21, 2005 in the canyonlands of southern Utah!  For more information and this course and other opportunities by the Wild Rockies Institute, visit their website. 

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News from the Melancon Greenhouse (menu)

The CSB/SJU Biology Department Greenhouse is located in the SE corner of PENGL and is open daily from about 9 - 4.

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News from the CSB/SJU Bailey Herbarium -  (menu) - by Stephen Saupe

Remember, the herbarium is always open from about 8 - 5 daily and is open to anyone to study, relax and/or use the networked computer.  For more information, visit the herbarium website.

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

Twinkie Science
  Or perhaps this should have been the Joke of the Week.

Science On-Line
Great news - we now have institutional online access to the journal Science.  Thanks to librarian Dave Wuolu and Natural Science Division Head Dr Frank Rioux for working on this project.  To access the journal, CLICK HERE.

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Puzzler of the Week (menu)
(Do you know any good puzzlers?  Please send us your ideas)

New Puzzler.  (re-repeated from last issue)
What weighs 10 tons, covers 36 acres and has lived for 1,500 years?
      (a) The roots of a Giant Redwood tree
      (b) Prickly Pear, an Australian cactus
      (c) a toadstool
 

To enter the competition, simply send your answer to Dr. S. Saupe via email or snail mail (c/o Biology Department, St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN 56321), campus mail, or simply slide the entry under my office door, SC335). The winner will be selected randomly from among the correct entries.  The winner will receive an official CSB/SJU Bailey Herbarium Magnet. Entries are due Dec 10.

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Joke of the Week  (menu)
(Have you heard any good jokes?  Please share them with us)

Lawyer Laughs
     The following, which were forwarded to me via email, are presumably from a book called "Disorder in the Court." They're are supposedly things people actually said in court, word for word.

Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July fifteenth.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.

Q: This myasthenia gravis-does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget. Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?

Q: All your responses must be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
A: Oral.

Q: How old is your son-the one living with you.
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.

Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke that  morning?
A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
Q: And why did that upset you?
A: My name is Susan.

Q: Trooper, when you stopped the defendant, were your red and blue lights flashing?
A: Yes.
Q: Did the defendant say anything when she got out of her car?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: What did she say?
A: What disco am I at?

The following questions were supposedly actually asked of witnesses by attorneys during trials and, in certain cases, the responses given by insightful witnesses:

Q: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?

Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year old, how old is he?

Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?

Q: Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?

Q: You were there until the time you left, is that true?

Q: How many times have you committed suicide?

Q: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?

Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
A: Yes.
Q: And what were you doing at that time?

Q: She had three children, right?
A: Yes.
Q: How many were boys?
A: None.
Q: Were there any girls?

Q: You say the stairs went down to the basement?
A: Yes.
Q: And these stairs, did they go up also?

Q: How was your first marriage terminated?
A: By death.
Q: And by whose death was it terminated?

Q: Can you describe the individual?
A: He was about medium height and had a beard.
Q: Was this a male, or a female?
 

Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.

Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy.

Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?
A: It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.

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Frequently Asked Questions  (menu)

none submitted

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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