Living

BiologyWinter 2010

At the close of the 2009-2010 academic year, Alan Journet will have served Southeast’s Department of Biology for 30 years. At that point he will be hanging up his cleats one last time and retiring –

probably to the west. As many students and area residents may know, through

most of this time he has also served the campus radio station KRCU with a weekly two-hour dose of classical music spun from his personal collection (originally of vinyl albums, but more recently of CDs). He hopes to continue this venture out west.

Alan’s major contributions to the department have been in teaching and coordinating the introductory biology laboratory courses – for majors and non-majors. As many a student will testify, these courses have required considerable work as they have introduced students, major and non-major alike, to the philosophy, scope, limitations and conduct of scientific investigation. He has also contributed by teaching ecology, featuring field work practical studies, and for the last 15 or so years offered an advanced course in his research area of conservation biology. Alan was also an early and enthusiastic proponent of our successful environmental science program at Southeast.

In the research arena, Alan has focused most of his efforts in biological conservation, working locally with the state’s Department of Natural Resources on bottomland hardwood forest ecology and management, and in Costa Rica on questions of tropical ecology, conservation and restoration.

Alan’s major pleasures at Southeast over the years have been in helping students understand how science, a major love of his life, is undertaken, and in helping them on their way to careers in biology, medicine, conservation, resource management and teaching. He has also appreciated the opportunities afforded by Southeast as he has traveled the world conducting and discussing his research and enjoying the biology of far flung places. As an active member of the community promoting environmental consciousness and concern for protecting our local and global life support system, Alan has also become known for his frequent and challenging op-ed columns and letters to the editor.

Faculty Spotlight:

Under The Microscope - Alan Journet

Dr. Alan Journet and his pal Chaco in front of Rhodes Hall.

New Species Named For Alumnus

A new species of starfish has been named in honor of Southeast alumnus John Lawrence. Luidia lawrencei is found in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Lawrence received world-wide recognition for his research of Luidia clathrata, which was what the species had been previously identified. Lawrence is a respected echinoderm biologist and professor emeritus at the University of South Florida.

John R. Sharp received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Southwest Missouri State University and Ph.D. from Texas A&M. He was a faculty member of the Department of Biology from 1980 until his death in 1999. In his memory, John Sharp’s children established a scholarship for biology students as a fitting memorial to a life-long educator.

Remembering John Sharp Remembering All Those Who Have Made a Difference Dates denote years of service to Southeast.In Memory:Robert Cook (1967-1992)John Huckabay (1966-1995)Russell Kullberg (1965-1989)John Sharp (1980-1999)Stanley Diehl (1956-1982)Paul Heye (1955-1984)Willard Gersbacher (1966-1972)Donald Jewell (1956-1979)Edna Dudgeon (1960-1977)Davida Phillips (1966-1981)Homer Bolen (1935-1970)Otto Ohmart (1965-1988)

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Halloween Science Night Teaches Future Scientists

The Departments of Chemistry, Biology and Physics at Southeast hosted the first annual Halloween Science Night to get children excited about science and science careers as well as have a little Halloween fun.

The children were dressed like scientists with safety goggles and aprons as they explored various science laboratories in Rhodes and Magill Halls. Activities included chemistry experiments, glowing chemicals, anatomy lab, carnivorous plant display, star gazing, microbiology lab, exploding pumpkins and much more. The attempt to inspire budding scientists brought out more han 170 of the area’s youth along with their families.

His areas of interest included aquatic toxicology, embryology and ecology, and he was actively involved in research. For many years he served as the director of the Kelso Wildlife Sanctuary.

John also served as adjunct faculty during summer semesters at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) in Ocean Springs, Miss. The GCRL was near and dear to his heart as he also attended the lab as a student and pitched in to help the lab recover after Hurricane Camille in 1969.

Closer to home, John took many groups of students from his classes to the Reis Biological Station where he taught them hands-on field techniques.

How did you know Dr. Sharp was in the hall? Well, you heard the whistle. On campus, he was known for his whistling and playful nature in the classroom. His students will remember him for his colorful stories, Hawaiian shirts, unique teaching ability and inspiration that lasts a lifetime. Those

who knew him will remember the famous “stinky-pinkys.” They are rhyming wordplay riddles. Here are a few from the archives, good luck!

• A large sea crustacean affiliated with the mafia.

• The scary abode of an Apache.Answers can be found on the Department of Biology Web site at: www.semo.edu/biology/newsletter.htm.

A chemistry club member demonstrates just how cold liquid nitrogen is by freezing a flower in the liquid nitrogen and smashing it on the counter top. The fragments of the flower eventually warmed to room temperature and returned to their former softness.

Miller-Lawrence Reserve Helping StudentsJohn and Addison Lawrence knew exactly what to do with a portion

of the family farm after their mother, Georgia Miller Lawrence, passed away in 2007. A gift of 27 acres of farmland would be used to fufill their mother’s wish to benefit Southeast Missouri State University. The land would provide an ecological preserve for teaching and research under the Department of Biology at Southeast Missouri State University.

The Lawrences worked with the Southeast Missouri University Foundation, the Department of Biology and the Missouri Department of Conservation to begin returning the property in Scott County back to its original, natural state. The goal is to give both students and conservationists the opportunity for teaching, learning and research while monitoring and recording the changes to the land.

“The process should provide good teaching and practical opportunities for wildlife management students,” says John Lawrence.

The farmland had been in the Miller family for more than 100 years.

The Biology Department is undertaking major renovation of its teaching labs in Magill Hall thanks to a Title III Strengthening Institutions grant from the U.S. Department of Education for $2 million.

Biology faculty developed the ideas and Teresa Wilke, director of sponsored programs, and Dr. Margaret Waterman, biology, wrote the proposal that was funded in July 2009. Matching funds from the laboratory renovation fee will help with construction costs.

Not only does this grant fund the bricks and mortar renovation of six rooms, but it also funds innovation in 15 biology courses to be taught in those rooms. With new lab configurations, new equipment specifically designed to enhance collaborative inquiry and a wireless network in each of the rooms, biology faculty members are creating new technology-rich, inquiry modules for their courses. In the next few months, faculty will receive specialized training in incorporating these approaches from experts at the BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium,

Grant to Renovate Labs and Curriculuma leader in undergraduate biology education reform (learn more at bioquest.org).

First up for renovation is the most pressing need for space, expanded anatomy and physiology labs. These will be in Magill Room 134, 138 and the two prep rooms between them. The architect has met with course faculty Dr. Diane Wood and Shannon McNew, as well as the grant leadership team, to discuss needs and ideas. Work began over winter break, and the first redesigned A&P classes will be offered in these renovated labs in fall 2010.

The schedule for the remaining rooms is as follows: the zoology lab in 2011, the botany lab in 2012, an active learning lecture space in 2013 and finally in 2014, Magill Room 228 which is used mainly for science education courses.

It’s going to be messy and perhaps a bit inconvenient for a few years, but the payoff in terms of updated curriculum and safe, modern and technologically enhanced labs will be well worth it.

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Want to Help?An endowment fund

to continue upgrading the biology equipment and labs has been started through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation and will be matched with funding from the Title III grant. Please consider contributing to this fund!

If you are interested in assisting the department in improving the labs or would like more information on this project, contact Trudy G. Lee, Southeast Missouri University Foundation, at tglee@semo.edu or (573) 651-5935.

You may also give online by visiting our Web site atwww.iAMsoutheast.com/biology.

Allan BornsteinDr. Bornstein’s area of expertise is plant systematics. His current research includes systematics of Piper, systematics of Manekia and population biology of Obolaria virginica in southeast Missouri (with Dr. Diane Wood). He teaches courses that include plant biology, systematic botany, native aquatic plants and field botany. Dr. Bornstein also serves as the Herbarium Curator.

Jim ChampineDr. Champine’s research interests include microbial physiology, bacterial metabolism and environmental microbiology. His current projects include microbial source tracking by PCR and triazine inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase (with Dr. Bruce Hathaway.) Dr. Champine teaches courses such as general microbiology, introduction to laboratory methods in biotechnology, cell biology and genetics lab. Dr. Champine also serves as faculty athletics representative, McNair’s scholar mentor, coordinator of the Biomedical Scholars Program, chapter adviser of Alpha Epsilon Delta and on the Academic Advising Council.

Bill EddlemanDr. Eddleman’s areas include wildlife biology and ornithology. Primary research interests are wetland bird ecology with emphasis on rallids. He is also chairman of the Department of Biology, member of the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission, editor of the Audubon Society of Missouri quarterly (The Bluebird), a Boy Scout and Venture Crew leader, a Civil War reenactor, genealogist and local historian and a birder.

Chris FrazierDr. Frazier’s main teaching responsibility includes virology, epidemiology, immunology and medical microbiology. Her current research includes work

Faculty News & Noteswith Arbovirus epidemiology with an emphasis on West Nile. Dr. Frazier was invited to the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease to train personnel in ELISA and apply the technique to the characterization of Rift Valley Fever Virus and Korean Hemorrhagic Fever Virus. Dr. Frazier now shares her time doing administrative duty at the University as associate to the Provost for assessment and data analysis.

Allen GathmanDr. Gathman studies genomics of basidiomycete fungi, including assembling the chromosome sequences of the mushroom Coprinus cinerea, and comparative genomics of several species. He teaches molecular genetics, molecular and cellular biology and science and religion among others. For the past year, he has also served as director of the Center for Writing Excellence at Southeast.

Tim JuddDr. Judd’s primary teaching areas include zoology, animal behavior, invertebrate biology and entomology. His research interests include nutritional ecology and behavior of social insects. Dr. Judd is very involved with undergraduate and graduate research. He serves as representative to the University’s Graduate Council.

John KraemerDr. Kraemer’s research interests include indoor air quality impacts to public health, pediatric asthma, water quality sampling, risk and exposure assessment to chemical exposure and disaster preparedness. Dr. Kraemer received his Ph.D. in urban health services/environmental health science from Old Dominion University. His courses include occupational and environmental health, industrial hygiene and risk assessment applications.

Walt LillyDr. Lilly is in his 28th year of teaching at Southeast. He teaches biological reasoning, cell biology,

investigative molecular biology and biotechnology and team teaches problems in cell and molecular biology with Allen Gathman. Walt and Allen continue to collaborate in research on peptidase in basidiomycete fungi, Coprinus cinerea, Schizophyllum commune, Pleurotus ostreatus, Serpula lacrymans and Agaricus bisporus. In September, Walt presented to the Penn State Radiation Safety Officers Roundtable on the radiological remediation project in Magill Hall which he has overseen for the past decade. This spring, Walt will be on sabbatical, traveling to Chapel Hill, N.C., to study nitrogen metabolism and proteases in C. cinerea using microarray analysis and RNA interference.

Shannon (Hesse) McNewMs. McNew is the newest member of the biology faculty. Her main teaching responsibility incudes anatomy and physiology and medical microbiology. She also teaches a variety of introductory courses for the department. Shannon participates in the Horizons Summer Youth Program offered through the University. This year, her class on marine biology was a hit with the kids. Shannon was part of the team that developed and planned the Halloween Science Night outreach program. Shannon also serves as the scientific equipment coordinator for the regional campuses in Sikeston, Malden and Kennett. She is currently assisting in the planning of a new science laboratory and classroom at the Perryville Higher Education Center.

Steve OvermannDr. Overmann serves as director of the environmental science program at

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Southeast. His teaching responsibilities include environmental biology, environmental science seminar, recycling and waste management, introduction to toxicology, biology seminar and biological reasoning. His professional interests are in the effects of environmental chemicals on wildlife.

John ScheibeDr. Scheibe’s research interests include the evolution of mammalian gliding, locomotor performance and the functional morphology of gliders. He maintains the reptile and mammal collections for the department and directs the habitat maintenance of 82 sugar gliders and 12 flying squirrels. Dr. Scheibe has also worked with the BBC and the Missouri Department of Conservation on video presentations. His teaching responsibilities include mammalogy, herpetology, and experimental design among others.

Lucinda SwatzellDr. Swatzell’s area includes plant cell biology. Her team is working on signal transduction during

dehydration and rehydration in desiccation-tolerant plants. In addition, she is collaborating with faculty in the Department of Physics on the biology of fibroblasts during the application of cancer-fighting nanobiotechnological methods. Students in her lab culture cells and test cell physiology and viability following treatment.

Mike TaylorDr. Taylor’s research theme broadly embraces the genetic and ecological processes that can generate or maintain reproductive isolation between populations. He is particularly interested in gobies. His courses include introduction to evolutionary biology, marine biology and ichthyology.

Margaret WatermanDr. Waterman is a biology education specialist teaching biology and education courses, with scholarly emphasis on reform

of undergraduate biology teaching. She works with biology faculty at Southeast, around the country and abroad on case-based teaching methods. She helps faculty create case-based curriculum modules to involve students in both thinking about biology in social contexts and in using scientific inquiry to investigate contemporary problems. She has collaborated on a new book on human biology and global health due out in January 2010.

Diane WoodDr. Wood’s area of research interest is insect ecology, both aquatic and terrestrial. Dr. Wood teaches anatomy and physiology, limnology, ecology and organismal biology. She recently participated in the Athanaeum Series at Kent Library discussing backpacking in foreign countries. She is an avid traveler and completed a trip around the world during summer 2009.

Jim RobinsDr. Robins teaches biology for living, lab investigations in biology and anatomy and physiology at the regional campuses in Sikeston, Malden and Kennett. He co-teaches a field ecology course in the Black Hills with Dr. John Scheibe each summer. His research interests include morphometrics, ecology of small mammals and dinosaur paleontology.

Marilyn BurlesonMarilyn teaches a variety of biology courses for the department at the regional campuses in Sikeston, Kennett and Malden. She taught high school for a number of years but now she enjoys teaching students at the college level.

Administrators still members of the Department of Biology:Fred Janzow, vice provost and dean for the School of Graduate StudiesDave Starrett, dean for the School of University Studies, Academic Information Services and director for the Center for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning

STAFF NEWSVicki HowellVicki has been in the Department of Biology for 29 years and with the University for 33. Vicki is the lead secretary and powerhouse of the department. She still enjoys coming to work in this diverse department where there is never a dull moment. Stephanie HencyThere’s always a smile on Stephanie’s face, and she’ll help you with anything she can. Stephanie is part-time student, part time secretary for the Departments of Biology and Environmental Science.

Maija BlumaDr. Bluma is the lead technician for the microbiology laboratory preparatory area. She maintains the in-house bacterial and fungal cultures for use in the teaching laboratories. Dr. Bluma also enjoys teaching laboratory sections for microbiology courses.

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Attention Graduates: Did you study for master’s degree through Southast’s Department of Biology? A Graduate Student Picnic is scheduled for April 10, 2010 for current and former students. The department encourages you and your family to attend. Visit www.semo.edu/biology and complete the alumni survey including your e-mail address, so we can add you to our invitation list.

Faculty Emeritus:Norman Braasch (1963-1994)John Hinni (1964-1998)

Robert Kuster (1961-1981)Steven Trautwein (1974-2005)Carl Train (1967-2003)

One University Plaza MS 6200Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

LivingBiology

INSIDE:•Alan Journet Under the Microscope•Remembering John Sharp•Miller-Lawrence Reserve Teaches Students•Grant Helps to Upgrade Labs•Halloween Science Night Entices Future Scientists

•Faculty & Staff Notes

Visit us online at www.semo.edu/biology to complete an alumni survey and update your graduate information.

A newsletter of the Department of Biology at Southeast Missouri State University to keep alumni, friends and faculty informed of the latest endeavors, successes and challenges we face. We want to hear from you . Please send us updates on the wonderful work you are doing or let us know what you’d like to hear more about in our next issue. E-mail Shannon McNew at smcnew@semo.edu.