E-Nouncements - May 2024

Thank you to all of our presenters who participated in this semester's Seminar Series. Seminars will resume in the Fall Semester. 

Congratulations to these graduates on their Master's Degrees and PhDs! 

Michelle DePrenger-Levin - Ph.D. Thesis

Evan Webber - M.S. Thesis

Fayelynn Scheideman - M.S. Thesis

Margaret Garcia - M.S. Thesis

Trevor Carter - Ph.D. Thesis

Jasmine Vidrio - M.S. Thesis

Nicole Laurita - M.S. Thesis

The Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremonies will be held Saturday, May 11th at the Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt Street. Directions and other event information can be found on the Commencement website. 

Biology and other CLAS students will participate in the Morning Ceremony at 9:30am. 

Congratulations to the 87 biology undergraduates receiving their Bachelor of Science Degree!

Please review the following requirements if you are interested in applying to be a grader or an undergraduate teaching assistant for the Fall semester: 

• 3.0 GPA and a sophomore academic standing
• Undergraduate TAs and Graders must be enrolled for the entire semester they are employed.
• Graders need to have passed the class they would like to grade for with a grade of an A or B.
• Undergraduate TA positions may require a variety of pre-requisite courses. Please read the descriptions on the department website.
• Priority will be given to Biology Majors.
• Applicants will be subject to a background check prior to hiring.

If you are interested in either of these positions, please review specific job descriptions and apply on the department website by June 30th!

BIOL 4440 - Ethnobotany: Medicine, Human Health, and the Ecosystem of Plants (3 Credits)

This course explores various aspects of ethnobotany. One emphasis will be on the utilization of plants in various aspects of life including human health, fiber, nutrition, and shelter, beginning with a consideration of indigenous wisdom and traditions in native cultures, in primarily North, Central, and South America. A second major emphasis will be on plant secondary metabolites and their utilization in traditional and modern medications and medical breakthroughs. A third major course emphasis will survey and explore several case-studies on the roles of plants in applied ecological contexts, global economies, and ecosystem services, highlighting case studies in conservation and sustainability. This course also fulfills the capstone course (SUST 4960) requirement as part of a minor in sustainability at CU Denver.

Prerequisites:  BIOL 2010 (or 2061/2097/2030),  BIOL 2011 (or 2081/2098/2031),  BIOL 2020 (or 2051/2095/2040), and BIOL 2021 (or 2071/2096/2041) with a C- or higher AND junior standing.

Nearly 20 biology students gave their research presentations at this year's RACAS (Research and Creative Activities Symposium). All of their presentations are available on the RACAS website.

Mentor Dr: Timberley Roane:

Jada Martinez, Nakita Locklear, Victoria Crane, Anthony Janowsky, Jaden Huynh, Lucas Thornton, Wilshekiah Evans, Jack Ratliff, and Citclali-Aimee Tizcareno

Mentor Dr. Sara Branco:

Will Leary and Matt Johnson

Mentor Dr. Alan Vajda:

Jason Lee and Leah Lusk

Mentor Dr. Chris Phiel:

Farahnoz Sanginova

Mentor Dr. Chris Miller:

Alyssa Cruz, Lucas Thornton, and Jaquelin Trujillo Muneton

Mentor Dr. Carlos Infante:

Harshini Ranjit

Thank you to everyone who has already submitted their student hiring information! If you would like to hire a UGTA, UGRA, or a biweekly hourly student employee (STH - Student Assistant or Grader) for Fall 2024, please email Meghan. Please submit all GRA and GTA information to Barb Schmidt. The deadline for all student hires is Friday, May 17th, 2024. Please refer to Fall hiring emails for more detailed information. 

On April 15th, Dr. Chris Phiel gave a lecture for the Adult Enrichment Program at DU on "Understanding CRISPR."

The ability to permanently correct genetic diseases is a long-standing goal of the biomedical community. Because of the size and complexity of the human genome, state-of-the-art technology was unable to provide the specificity needed to accomplish gene editing – until recently. The discovery of a unique bacterial immune system, termed CRISPR, led to the development of a programmable genetic system capable of high-precision genome editing in eukaryotic cells. While genome editing is generating most of the excitement around the CRISPR technology, there have been a number of advances in this area of biology that are also worthy of attention. In this talk I will discuss the basics of CRISPR, how this approach is being used clinically, and describe additional applications of CRISPR-based technology, including sensitive detection of pathogens.

Dr. Diana Tomback was featured in the environmental journal, Columbia Insight. In the article, "Whitebark pines are in trouble. That means our water supply is, too," Diana describes the plight of the whitebark pine against  blister rust and mountain pine beetles and the need for human intervention. Diana's work has been integral to the National Whitebark Pine Restoration Plan, which has been submitted to the Forest Service. Her research aims to aid the whitebark pine by mimicking the work of its principal seed dispersing agents, the Clark nutcracker. 

The Department of Integrative Biology is proud to celebrate a lifetime honor for our chair, Dr. Diana Tomback, who has just been named as an AAAS Fellow for the class of 2023! The American Association for the Advancement of Science is one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals. Each year, AAAS Council members elect a class of scientists, engineers, and innovators across 24 disciplines whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications, are scientifically or socially outstanding. The Council elects Fellows deliberately and carefully to preserve the honor attached to this recognition. This monumental accomplishment honors Diana’s distinguished contributions to the field of conservation biology and forest ecology. She will be presented with a certificate and a blue and gold rosette at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston, MA in 2025. Other fellows have included Thomas Edison, W.E.B. Dubois, Maria Mitchell, Ellen Ochoa, and Irwin M. Jacobs.

Dr. Sara Branco (Assistant Professor, Integrative Biology) received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) to support SPORES (Society Prioritizes Our Recruitment of Every Scholar), a mentorship program for underrepresented undergraduate students. This project is a collaboration with Clark University, Purdue University, and the Mycological Society of America (MSA) and matches students with mentors with the goals of providing skills, training, and mentorship to underrepresented scientists, empowering and supporting their career advancement, and contributing to their retention in the field of Mycology. The funds will support over 20 undergraduate students and 12 mentors to participate in the SPORES program during the 2024 MSA meeting in Markham, Canada.

Congratulations to Dr. Timberley Roane, who was nominated at the 2024 RACAS (Research and Creative Activities Symposium) as an Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year! Timberley mentored multiple of the 180 presenters who participated in this year's event. 

May 11: Spring 2024 Commencement

May 13: First Day of Maymester

May 14: Maymester Census

May 16: Final grades available on UCD Access and transcripts (tentative)

May 17: Fall student hiring information due to staff

June 3: First day of Summer Semester

June 11: Summer Census

June 18: Spring degrees posted on UCD Access and transcripts (tentative)

June 19: Juneteenth

June 22: Pride 5K Run/Walk

June 23: Denver Pride Parade

July 4: Independence Day

July 27: End of Summer Semester

August 1: Final Summer grades available on UCDAccess and transcripts (tentative)

August 19: Summer degrees posted on UCDAccess and transcripts (tentative)

August 19: First day of Fall Semester