Biological Sciences News Archive
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
Fifteen students from across the U.S., including Marshall University Biological Sciences graduate student Mary Zarilla, have just returned from an unforgettable two-week adventure in Uganda. The group took part in Primate Behavior and Conservation (BSC 580), a field course offered in collaboration with the Semliki Chimpanzee Project — a 30-year research and conservation effort. From
Environmental Science minor Maggie Dickerson was one of fourteen students who took part in Marshall’s Tropical Biology and Conservation Field Course, offered by the Department of Biological Sciences with Biology instructor Kimberly Dingess. Over two weeks in June, students explored some of the world’s most bio-diverse ecosystems in Costa Rica. Maggie and her experience was
Dr. Pamela Puppo, together with European collaborators, has published exciting new research exploring how plant species on islands form syngameons—networks of hybridizing species that exchange genes while still maintaining their distinct looks. Using wild thyme as a model, the study found that these genetic networks are especially large and complex on younger islands, where species