News Categories
CAS faculty recognized
[04.16.2013]
20 University of South Florida faculty members were honored on Monday, April 15, with a dinner and formal awards ceremony in Lifsey House on the USF campus in acknowledgment of their recent professional recognitions by a number of the world’s top scholarly and research organizations. Nine of the 20 honorees are College of Arts and Sciences faculty.
CAS researchers publish findings in prestigious journal
[04.23.2013]
Two researchers from the College of Arts and Sciences recently had their findings published in the Cell Death & Disease Journal. Edward Haller, Department Integrative Biology, and Meera Nanjundan, Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, utilized molecular biology, histology and electron microscopy to study the cellular response of normal and malignant ovarian epithelial cells to iron in their environment.
USF researchers publish findings in Biology Letters
[04.15.2013]
Andrea Liebl and Lynn (Marty) Martin’s research was published in the journal Biology Letters. In the newly released paper, the authors measured hippocampal mRNA expression of glucocorticoid receptors in eight house sparrow (Passer domesticus) populations varying in age.
USF authors publish research in Oxford Journals
[04.15.2013]
Mariano Alvarez, Christy Foust, Holly Kilvitis, Andrea Liebl, Lynn (Marty) Martin, Christina Richards and Marta Robertson recently had their research published in the journal of Integrative and Comparative Biology.
USF student selected as regional finalist for White House fellowship
[04.10.2013]
University of South Florida student Terry-René Brown was selected as a regional finalist in the White House Fellows Program for leadership and public service. Brown is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Integrative Biology, and is also a graduate teaching assistant for Biology II lab.
USF’s IB professor to speak at the European Society for Evolutionary Biology
[04.02.2013]
University of South Florida’s Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology Gordon Fox, Ph.D., has been invited to be a speaker at the 14th Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 19-24, 2013. He will be presenting on "Demographic heterogeneity, phenotypic correlation structure and natural selection.”
USF faculty publish work in Journal of Herpetology
[03.25.2013]
Three faculty members from the University of South Florida Department of Integrative Biology recently published work in the Journal of Herpetology. Stacy Heath, Aaron Schrey, Henry Mushinsky and Earl McCoy all contributed to the paper titled, "Contrasting Genetic Differentiation of a Poorly Dispersing Lizard in Connected and Fragmented Scrub Habitats."
USF IB faculty publish work in the journal Fire Ecology
[03.25.2013]
Faculty from the University of South Florida Department of Integrative Biology Earl McCoy and Henry Mushinsky and co-authors Joseph Styga and Carol Rizkalla recently published an article in the journal Fire Ecology.
Darwin Day speaker to address evolutionary roots of altruism
[02.07.2013]
Ground squirrels stand upright and squeal to warn others of predators, even though it puts them at risk. Humans risk their own lives and safety to save others. Such altruistic behaviors have long fascinated scientists like Lee Dugatkin, who ponders the evolutionary roots of caring -- perhaps fittingly on St. Valentine’s Day!
At 6 p.m. on Feb. 14, in the TECO Room in the Education building, Dugatkin will address “The Evolution of Altruism: From Darwin to Today.”
15 USF faculty named AAAS Fellows
[11.29.2012]
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named 15 faculty at the University of South Florida as AAAS Fellows this year. With expertise that ranges from stem cells, climate change and toxicology to graduate education, computer science and blueberries, USF’s 2012 AAAS Fellows are an outstanding example of the high level of teaching, research and scholarship at USF.
Oktoberfest spurs great collaborations
[10.26.2012]
Faculty members love it. Students love it. The University of South Florida’s College of Arts and Sciences’ Oktoberfest is a fun event, but it’s more than a festive get-together. It’s where great collaborations are born. That’s why this annual event has been growing from year to year since its inception in 2006.
Evolving field of behavioral epigenetics
[10.08.2012]
A plant that is unremarkable in one environment becomes an invasive species in another, pushing through house foundations and sprouting up through roads. A house sparrow that’s a perfectly charming resident of the English countryside is transported around the world, where it wipes out other bird species with aggressive behavior and harbored diseases.
Investigating invasive species
[09.10.2012]
A new University of South Florida study of house sparrows, which have become one of the world’s most common invasive species, is providing scientists with physiological and behavior markers that could help keep them a step ahead of the next animal invasion.
USF study: Frogs getting sick from climate change
[08.16.2012]
Scientists studying the rapid decline of the world’s frog populations have suspected that fluctuating temperatures brought on by climate change might make frogs vulnerable to disease.
Ph.D. student participates in new teaching program
[07.24.2012]
Henry W. Custin stands at the front of the classroom at Hillsborough Community College in jeans and a pastel-colored shirt, collar unbuttoned.
Ph.D. student wins prestigious NSF fellowship
[05.24.2012]
A University of South Florida alumna has received a prestigious National Science Foundation Research Fellowship grant, which will provide a $30,000 stipend and tuition for a maximum of three years.
Common fungicide wreaks havoc on ecosystems
[05.16.2012]
Chlorothalonil, one of the world’s most common fungicides used pervasively on food crops and golf courses, was lethal to a wide variety of freshwater organisms in a new study, University of South Florida researchers said Wednesday.
USF student receives competitive NOAA scholarship
[04.13.2012]
Sarah Seabrook of the University of South Florida has been awarded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings scholarship. The Hollings Scholarship Program provides undergraduate students with awards that include academic assistance (up to a maximum of $8,000 per year) for full-time study during the 9-month academic year and a 10-week, full-time internship position during the summer at a NOAA facility.
Biology Ph.D. student wins Guy Harvey Scholarship
[02.13.2012]
University of South Florida biology doctoral student Laura Habegger has won one of five Guy Harvey Scholarships to continue her research on how the principles of physics and engineering might explain how fish and sharks function and lead to better management strategies.
Lecture to focus on teaching evolution
[02.06.2012]
In celebration of the birthday of Charles Darwin, the University of South Florida welcomes renowned science educator, Eugenie Scott, who argues that students cannot understand science without grasping the centrality of evolution. Scott will present a public lecture at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9 in FAH 101 on Florida’s ‘Critical Thinking’ Bills: Creationism du jour?”
USF students assist on shark expedition
[11.15.2011]
A few University of South Florida marine biology undergraduate students did more than just watch when joining their professor and the Mote Marine Laboratory on a shark expedition.
Undergraduate students working on shark research
[10.05.2011]
While some University of South Florida students opt to spend their summer days relaxing, other students like Chelsea Conley and Ryan McKenzie choose to gain hands-on research experience. They spent all summer and the current fall semester working alongside renowned shark expert Philip Motta, a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology.
USF professor awarded BP grant
[07.08.2011]
A crucial University of South Florida research project examining the impact of last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the often overlooked ecosystem of Gulf beaches will continue after winning a coveted grant from a BP-funded research program.
USF study finds common fungicide lethal for frogs
[04.13.2011]
Chlorothalonil, a common fungicide used around the world on farms and golf courses, has been found to be lethal to frog tadpoles at levels below what regulators have said are safe environmental concentrations, according to a University of South Florida study published in one of the nation’s leading environmental journals.
USF research included in Encyclopedia Britannica
[04.11.2011]
Important findings from a University of South Florida research study on sea slugs have been included in the Encyclopedia Britannica’s “Book of the Year,” which highlights the most important scientific discoveries from 2010.
USF study looks at invasive species
[04.08.2011]
Worldwide, invasions threaten native species and communities, degrade natural areas, decrease crop yields and cost billions to eradicate. Notorious invasive species such as Burmese pythons, Melaleuca, Cuban tree frogs and fire ants, have consumed the attention -- and substantial resources -- of Florida and elsewhere.
USF scientist unlocks mystery of high-performance toad tongues
[03.25.2011]
How do toads, perhaps the least athletic of frogs, feed on fast moving insects? Biologists have known for decades that toads snare prey by flipping their sticky tongues out in a flash of an eye--just a few thousandths of a second--far faster than any other movements the often-sluggish creatures make.
Professor edits journal's special issue
[02.04.2011]
Two years ago, Lynn B. (Marty) Martin received a call inviting him to be the lead editor of a special issue on “Ecological Immunology” in the renowned British Ecological Society’s journal “Functional Ecology.”
USF study examines whale shark eating habits
[10.29.2010]
How does earth’s biggest fish dine on the tiniest marine critters? New research reveals how whale sharks filter feed in the wild and links their feeding anatomy, behavior and ecology as never before.
USF: No visible oil found in offshore sand cores
[10.08.2010]
A team of University of South Florida researchers studying the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on northern Gulf beaches say areas just offshore from some of Florida’s most heavily oiled beaches appear to be free of visible oil contamination in the sediments.
Tracking beach ecosystems in wake of oil spill
[09.01.2010]
In the aftermath of the BP oil spill, the focus on Florida beaches has been whether they are cleaned of oil or not.
But USF Professor Susan Bell, chair of the Department of Integrative Biology, is investigating a more complex set of questions about beaches and their inhabitants: whether the interwoven communities of plants, small crabs, clams, turtles, birds and other critters are a functioning food web or have feeding relationships become altered on beaches impacted by the nation’s largest environmental disaster.
The Nose Knows: Sharks smell in stereo
[06.10.2010]
Shark attacks have been studied for years by researchers who hope to unlock mysteries around how the predatory animals use their senses. The answers may provide scientists with information that can help people – though in an unexpected way when it comes to the sense of smell.