Featured Stories

2013 Undergraduate Research Poster Session Winners
The Department of Biological Sciences’ 2013 Undergraduate Research Poster session was held on Wednesday, May 1, from noon to 3 p.m. in the Commons Aurora Room. This event provided the opportunity for undergraduate students to showcase their research. Faculty volunteers judged the posters, and winners were announced at the “All Department Barbeque” that followed. Prizes were awarded to the students with the top five ranking posters.
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Williams and Knox - Outstanding New Alums
From undergraduate research and teaching to a Medical Spanish study abroad experience in Costa Rica, Amanda Williams has earned her rank among the top graduates of the Department of Biological Sciences. Classmate Molly Knox has been equally successful while balancing the demands of her varsity tennis schedule.
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Doctoral Student Studies the Effects of Micronutrient, Selenium
During her time at U-Idaho, Maia Benner, a PhD student in bioinformatics and computational biology, has had the thrill of participating in two important discoveries in the lab of Professor Barrie Robison.
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New Faculty Member: Understanding Evolution at the Genomic Level
Professor Paul Hohenlohe first came to the University of Idaho to attend the Evolution meetings in 2009. From that experience he recognized that the Department of Biological Sciences and IBEST (Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies) had created an excellent environment for evolutionary biologists here in Moscow.
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Tribute to Dr. Rolf Ingermann
Rolf Ingermann, highly regarded professor emeritus, passed away on May 6, 2012.
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Visualizing a Vast World
Biology professor Luke Harmon helps develop website that brings the tree of life to life
» Read more about Luke's participation in OneZoom

Kali Turner’s hands-on experience prepares her for a future studying disease
Turner graduates this winter with a degree in biological sciences, but she will stay in Idaho for a semester to complete her research before heading across the world for even more hands-on experience that she hopes will lead her to a future helping humans fight disease.
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Investigating a Common Virus’ Damaging Effect on Cells
Lee Fortunato’s research method reveals how a virus responsible for birth defects co-opts a cell’s ability to repair itself.
» Learn more about Fortunato's research

Pronghorn Research Solves Decades-Old Evolutionary Controversy
Does a male pronghorn antelope’s number of matings increase the number of offspring he has?
» Read more about John Byer's research and Bateman’s Slope

Student Perspective: Stephen Burleigh
Stephen, a undergraduate Microbiology student, is gaining hands-on experience in Dr. Eva Top's lab.
» Learn more about Stephen's experience in the lab

Chasing a Virus Through Mathematical Models
Paul Joyce, Holly Wichman and Craig Miller, faculty in the College of Science, have set out to discover what the next move of the mutation process is going to be through mathematical models.
» Learn about mutating viruses and mathematics

Researchers: 1, Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria: 0
University of Idaho Researchers Aim to Unlock Plasmid Transfer Secrets
In an effort to take the resistance out of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, University of Idaho researchers are getting down to the genetic level
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It’s Not Only the Gene That Counts, But How You Use It
How lizards learned to change their pants
Scientists discover not only that different species can use the same gene to adapt to a new environment, but slight differences in its use can have important consequences.
» Learn about Erica Rosenblum's research in White Sands, New Mexico

V is For…The Word We're Afraid to Speak
Changing Women's Health at the Global Level
Increasing understanding about normal vaginal microbiota – or bacteria – so that physicians can better identify conditions that make women prone to infections and other diseases, and avoid the development of health problems.
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Trout + Trout = Salmon?
Research in the Department of Biological Sciences
Joe Cloud, professor of biological sciences, is attempting to use rainbow trout as surrogate parents to increase the sockeye salmon population in Redfish Lake.
» Full story

Undergraduate Research Key to Shaping Vandal Futures
Research influences undergraduate education at the University of Idaho
Two students investigate the effects of exercise training on performance and gene expression
» Featuring Matt Racine and Roxana Hickey

William Godsoe – Biology Graduate Student
Hear from one of our top Biology P.hD students who is currently involved in two projects including one investigating the role of insects in shaping the evolution of plants in nature.
» Read the Q&A

Lisa Heuvel ─ Neuroscience Graduate Student
Hear how Lisa was inspired to study neurology after her brother was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a neurobiological disorder.
» Read the Q&A

Fighting Killer Frog Fungus
Erica Bree Rosenblum, assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho, is researching Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a “chytrid” fungus that is particularly deadly for certain species of frogs.
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Pronghorns and Royalty
Dr. John Byers has studied mating habits of pronghorns for over two decades. When a drought in 2003 killed off most of the males and about 30 percent of the females, Byers knew he was in a unique place to study mate selection based on inbreeding.
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The Shanghai Connection
Yi Shi, graduate student at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, scoured the internet for the most advanced techniques to study bacteria samples. Her search brought her to the laboratory of Larry Forney at the University of Idaho.
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Brandi Bilaski
Brandi Bilaski, freshman at the University of Idaho studying microbiology, recalls her experience in junior in high school when she participated in the Women in Math and Science program hosted by the University of Idaho.
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The Diane Haynes Memorial Award
PRESENTED TO AN OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT
» Read about Mary Oswald, 2010 Award Recipient

Roxanna Hickey: Research in Women's Health
As a junior studying molecular biology and biochemistry, Roxanna Hickey is already in the lab studying important women’s health issues.
» Read the story