2006: (Spring)  March , April , Summer

News - March 2006

Three Graduate Students Win Awards at the Zoology and Botany Graduate Student Symposium
The 2006, 9th Annual Zoology and Botany Graduate Student Symposium was held on Friday, March 24th. The Graduate Student Symposium provided an opportunity for graduate students to exchange scientific ideas, practice presenting research, and to interact with the scientific community. Awards providing money for travel to professional meetings are given for the best MS talk, the best PhD talk, and the best poster in each department.

There were three winners from Zoology: The best poster presentation went to Becky Hylton, who presented her research on the effects of acid deposition, calcium depletion, and mercury toxicity on high elevation Southern Appalachian songbirds and land snails. Becky will be headed to the field this spring to continue this research. Krishna Pacifici won the best MS talk for his work on the effects of vegetation on the detection process in auditory avian point count surveys. He is currently still analyzing other aspects of this research and will defend his thesis project next year. Sunny Snider won best PhD talk for her work examining how competitive interactions affect movement rates of two exotic snail species in Trinidad. Sunny is also analyzing data and plans to defend her dissertation next year. Contributor Becky Sexton.

NC State Undergrad Chosen for Research in China
Kevin Messenger, a senior in zoology, has been accepted in a nationwide search for someone to conduct a herpetological survey in the mountains of central China. The study is taking place in the Shennongjia National Forest Reserve of Hubei Province. He will be working with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in order to help ascertain what species of animals occur in this remote area. The herpetofauna at this location has never been studied before and several rare species are suspected. A few of these include Azemiops feae (Fea’s Viper) – considered one of the most primitive vipers on earth, sharing qualities of colubrids, vipers and elapids. Andrias (Chinese Giant Salamander) is also suspected to occur in this region. This salamander can grow to lengths of 5 feet. Due to the immense scale of the area and the vertical range, there is also a very likely chance of coming across new species. New species will be placed in local museums or universities.

Kevin will be camping out in this mountain range from mid-May until mid-September, 2006, with follow-up work in China in 2007. The second field season will involve a survey of the biodiversity at various elevations. The reserve in China ranges from 1,200 ft at the river valley to over 10,000 ft at the highest peaks. The average elevation is about 6,000 ft. The reserve itself is an area of about 800,000 acres of pristine mountainous terrain. The climate is sub-tropical/ temperate with very distinct seasons. In order to make his survey as robust a survey as possible, he will be employing several techniques such as active searching, coverboards, funnel traps, PVC traps (for treefrogs), driving roads at night, and recording anuran calls.

Funding is pending from several agencies, including the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Explorer’s Club, Wildlife Conservation Society, American Wildlife Research Foundation, and the Wildlife Preservation Trust International. The project is being conducted in cooperation with Dr. Yiming Li, from the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Results from the study will be shared with the Chinese government and the officials at the Shennongjia Forest Reserve.

Kevin will be working with one Chinese assistant. This requires that he learns Mandarin Chinese, an activity in which he is currently engaged.

When he returns to the United States he plans to enroll in a graduate program in Zoology at NC State. His proposed graduate work involves continuation of his research on the factors affecting the periodicity of behavior in the snakes of the sandhills of South Carolina. Contributor, Harold Heatwole, PhD.

Susan Marschalk Receives CALS “Award for Excellence”
"Susan Marschalk was recognized with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences “Award for Excellence” in the On-Campus Supervisory/Administrative category for her many outstanding contributions to the Department of Zoology. This award is given each year by CALS to honor the contributions of its outstanding employees. As a result of this award, Susan will automatically be entered as CALS nominee for a similar university wide award. The winners of this award will also be recognized during the University Awards Luncheon scheduled for Monday, May 22 at the McKimmon Center. Susan has served as the administrative assistant to the Head for the past 9 years. Prior to her employment in the Department she worked in the CALS Office of International Programs."

A luncheon honoring Susan and other recipients will be held on Wednesday, April 5 at 12 noon at the University Club on Hillsborough Street. Anyone who would like to attend the luncheon should contact Helen_crane@ncsu.edu. Contributor, Thurman Grove, Ph.D.

Ben Jacquet was Awarded a Fellowship
Ben Jacquet was awarded a fellowship from the American Foundation for Aging Research (AFAR) and GlaxoSmithKline for his proposal to utilize the powerful technique of repeated in vivo imaging to examine the importance of terminal Schwann cells in changes that occur at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) in aging mice. AFAR is a non-profit organization that supports education and research in the biological aspects of aging. Contributor, Jane L. Lubischer, Ph.D.

Zoology Student, Becky Hylton Receives Award

On March 9th, Paul E. Super, Science Coordinator for the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob Great Smoky Mountains National Park, announced that Becky Hylton, received a $2,000 award from the National Park Service Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center for her research on the effects of mercury on high elevation bird communities in the southern Appalachians. Contributor, Ted Simons, PhD.

Chris Butler Receives Best Student Poster Award
MS student Chis Butler won First Place, Best Student Poster Award at the Tidewater Chapter American Fisheries Society 2006 annual meeting in Atlantic Beach, NC, January 24-26. The title of his winning poster was "Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) feeding ecology and potential ecosystem effects during winter in North Carolina". His coauthors were Paul Rudershausen, Joe Smith, Neil McNeill and Jeff Buckel. Contributor, Jeff Buckel, PhD.

Zoology student, Charlene Couch, receives two awards at the Aquaculture America 2006  conference in Las Vegas, NV.

1. Walter Landry Memorial Award. The $250 award and plaque were presented to Charlene Couch by the Striped Bass Growers of America President, Max Rapert at the SBGA Industry Forum. The Walter Landry Memorial Award is presented to a graduate student for outstanding achievement in research on any of the species in the Morone genus and/or Morone hybrids.

2. M.P. Mulvihill Aquaculture Student Scholarship. The Mulvihill family and Aquaculture Research/Environmental Associates, Inc. (AREA) presented a $1500 scholarship to Charlene Couch to help further her education. Selection of the recipient is based on academic achievement, financial status, research accomplishments, demonstrated commitment to aquaculture and the US Aquaculture Society, and academic and professional career goals. Visit Charlene Couch web site at http://www4.ncsu.edu/~crcouch/

New Editors for the Journal "Integrative and Comparative Biology" appointed from the Zoology Department
The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology has undergone a major chnge in its editorship and publisher. Harold Heatwole was appointed by the Society as Editor in Chief for a period of fine years beginning 1 January 2006. Nancy Cochran retired from her position in the Zoology Undergraduate Office on 31 January and began a five-year appointment as half-time Assistant Editor for the journal on 1 February 2006. The new press is Oxford University Press which took over from Allen Press on 1 January. This change has involved a modernization of the publishing process with all papers published online and citable immediately after acceptance and editing. Publishing of the journal in hard copy follows later. There are six issues of the journal per year.

There will be an open house of the ICB editorial office at 5 pm on Friday, 17 February. The office is located in room 275 David Clark Laboratories. Snacks will be provided. All interested persons are invited. Contributor, Harold Heatwole, PhD.

Laura Jolley in Ghana
Laura Jolley is a recent graduate of the Department of Zoology who is now a Peace Corps volunteer doing important work in Africa. During two summers in the course of her Zoology program, Laura worked on AIDS education and in primary care in the African nation of Ghana. Following graduation, Laura joined the Peace Corps and headed back to Africa, where she is now continuing work in this area. She is working in a remote village in the mountains of Lesotho. Laura is adapting to life in a small house without electricity or running water, but very much loves her village and her work with a Swiss funded hospital and the Government of Lesotho. Her main project at the hospital involves HIV testing associated with prenatal care and education aimed at preventing mother to child transmission. Laura is also working with local Agriculture Extension Officers to build a greenhouse for an HIV support group in the village. The greenhouse will be used in seedling production and generate income for the group. Finally, Laura is working with young women in a dance group that travels to local schools to perform and help empower young people to better prevent HIV infection and deal with its societal consequences.

Following her Peace Corps stint, Laura intends to pursue graduate studies in Public Health and is especially interested in epidemiology. We are very proud of this Zoology alumnus and look forward to following her endeavors as she works to make a difference. Contributor, John Godwin, PhD. 

Lori Davias Receives Two Awards
MS student Lori Davias won the Richard L. Noble Best Student Presentation Award at the North Carolina Chapter American Fisheries Society 2005 annual meeting in Browns Summit, NC, January 31-February 1. The title of her winning presentation was "A preliminary Ecopath-Ecosim model of a North Carolina reservoir foodweb: challenges, insights, and future directions. Her coauthors were Jeff Buckel and Jim Rice.

Lori Davias was the winner of the American Fisheries Society 2005 Student Writing Contest, established to recognize students who do an excellent job communicating the value of fisheries research to the general public. Submitted articles are judged according to their quality and their ability to turn a scientific research topic into a paper for the general public. Lori's article was displayed at the poster session at the recent AFS meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, and she was presented a plaque recognizing her achievement. Her winning article will be published in the February 2006 issue of Fisheries magazine. Meanwhile, it can be accessed online.....MORE
Contributor, Jim Rice, PhD.