Biological Sciences News Archive
College of Science graduate student Mary Zarilla has documented the first recorded occurrence of the African golden cat (Profelis aurata) in the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve—marking the first sighting of the species in northwestern Uganda. Zarilla captured a daytime image of the endangered cat using a camera trap she deployed in the park in July 2025.
The College of Science congratulates Dr. Holly Cyphert, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, on receiving funding from the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium to support the HERD STEM-pede at Marshall University. The HERD STEM-pede is a one-day, hands-on science camp designed to introduce fourth- and fifth-grade students to key concepts in
The College of Science congratulates Dr. Pamela Puppo and her graduate students, Noah Adkins and Erica Edinger, from the Department of Biological Sciences for representing Marshall University at the 2025 Ohio Valley Entomological Association Annual Meeting in Burlington, Kentucky. Adkins and Edinger each gave research presentations highlighting their ongoing work in Dr. Puppo’s lab, earning
The Biological Sciences Plants Group—featuring the Palmquist, Puppo, and Shakirov labs—recently traded the lab for the outdoors with a field walk at Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area. Students and faculty spent the afternoon spotting native plants, insects, and birds before wrapping up the day with a stop at the local favorite, Hillbilly Hot Dogs. It
Dr. Herman Mays, professor of biological sciences, recently co-authored a new publication examining the population structure of three crested penguin species in New Zealand. The research offers important insights for conservation: tawaki penguins appear stable and genetically diverse, while erect-crested penguins are divided into two distinct populations—those from the Antipodes Islands and those from the
The College of Science is proud to join Marshall Magazine in celebrating alumna Alyssa Milbee, now a fourth-year medical student at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. A Teays Valley, WV native, Alyssa began her journey in the College of Science, earning dual degrees in biological and health sciences with minors in
Mary Zarilla, a master’s student in Dr. Anne Axel’s lab, spent her summer in Uganda conducting fieldwork for her thesis on mammalian biodiversity in the Albertine Rift’s Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve. This unique site is known for its dry-habitat chimpanzees and is home to the Semliki Chimpanzee Project, where our own Kim Dingess leads annual field
The Palmquist Lab recently brought Marshall University science to the national stage at the 110th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) in Baltimore, Maryland. Lab members Zak Bartholomew, Catie Schwartzmann, and Noah Manuszak shared their research through poster presentations, while Dr. Kyle Palmquist contributed to an all-day working session as part of
Marshall University’s College Program for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder recently led an Allies Training session for biology lab teaching assistants, equipping them with tools to create inclusive, supportive classrooms for all students. The training covered topics like person-first vs. identity-first language, with College Program staff guiding discussion and Nathaniel making his Allies Training debut.
In her lab at Marshall University, Dr. Nadja Spitzer and her students are exploring one of science’s final frontiers — the brain. As part of the NSF-funded West Virginia Network for Functional Neuroscience & Transcriptomics (WV-NFNT) project, Dr. Spitzer collaborates with researchers across the state to study how the brain’s intricate connections change in response