BioSynthesis

The Pre-medical Sciences Club is sponsoring a volleyball tournament for Monica Primary School in Tanzania. Monica Primary School is a K-12 school in the Kihonda providence. One hundred percent of the funds raised will directly help the children living in this region. About $50.00 US dollars can cover tuition and supplies for a year for a child attending the school. The impact of an educated child has a widespread affect in this region. The education of one child not only changes his or her life, but can change of the lives of his/her family and/or village. For more information, contact the Pre-medical Sciences Club.

  Rho Chi Chapter, Beta Beta Beta, Bloomsburg University, October 26, 2014 New members of Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta) Biological Honor Society pose for a picture following their induction ceremony on October 26, 2014. Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta) is a society for students dedicated to improving the understanding and appreciation of biological sciences and extending boundaries of human knowledge through scientific research. Since its founding in 1922, more than 175,000 persons have been accepted into lifetime membership, and more than 430 chapters have been established throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The mission of Tri-Beta is: 1) to stimulate scholarship; 2) to disseminate scientific knowledge; and 3) to promote biological research. To fulfill this mission, the national organization of Beta Beta Beta recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding individuals and chapters and publishes a national journal , BIOS. The induction ceremony was led by current officers: Pre...

Dr. Amber Pitt  was awarded a Wild Resource Conservation Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to examine the effect of land use regimes on hellbender habitat and population persistence in Pennsylvania. Hellbenders are giant, aquatic salamanders native to the eastern United States, including Pennsylvania. They are considered indicators of water quality and are sensitive to habitat disturbances and alterations. Their populations have declined dramatically throughout their range. This research will help determine how land use is affecting hellbender habitat and populations in the Susquehanna River drainage in Pennsylvania.

Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most selective honor society that recognizes and promotes academic achievement in all fields of higher education. Each year, the Bloomsburg University Chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi presents awards to exceptional students on the basis of their academic performance in the freshman year. This year, eight BAHS students were among those honored by the Society. Receiving the award at a ceremony on November 7, 2014 were current BAHS sophomores: Hanan Ben Nacef (Health Sciences), Aubrey Cole (Health Sciences), and Andrew Denisenko (BS Biology and Russian ), Amy Lavella (B.S Health Sciences), Shaidy Moronta (Biology), and Samantha Sharo (Medical Imaging), Derek Stahl (Medical Imaging), and Mallory Tomaschik (Health Sciences.) The ceremony featured a panel discussion by BU upperclassmen on "Enriching the College Experience." Panel participants included BAHS seniors, Bryce Foster and Sean Hartzell. Bryce sha...

Members of the Pre-medical Sciences Club traveled to Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA on October 4 for their Primary Care Day 2014.   The program included panel discussions on admissions, primary care medicine, and medical student life. Students also had the opportunity to participate in patient encounters and clinical workshops. Among the offerings were sessions on newborn exams, joint injections, pelvic exams, and skin biopsies.   The program ended with a guided tour of Penn State College of Medicine. Pre-medical Sciences Club members who attended are: Katie Mullen, Eric Elliot, Vincent Yaeger, Alex Schlack, Gabriella Bonchack, Jonathan Perez, Andrew Denisenko, Ali-reza Mobarakl, and Daniel Deignan .   Katie and Daniel reported that the day was very rewarding, and in particular they enjoyed the overall environment of the medical school and learning about primary care.

This fall,  Martina Drew (BS Biology) worked with Drs. Pitt and  Corbin to lead a team of researchers to document the number of bird mortality events due to collisions into campus building windows . Student researchers including graduate students Alan Belles, Linda Tucker Serniak , and Jamie Shinskie , and undergraduate students Kent Cooper and Gabrielle Byzcek gained experience surveying for birds and evidence of bird-window collisions. This research is part of an international effort to assess the effects of college and university campuses on migratory bird populations and is being conducted in collaboration with researchers from an extensive network of colleges and universities throughout North America as part of the larger Ecological Research as Education Network Bird - window Collision Project ( https://sites.google.com/a/augustana.edu/eren- bird - window -collisions- project /home ). In addition to participating in the international, collaborativ...

The Biology and Allied Health Club is an academic and social club that sponsors trips, engages in volunteer activities, hosts speakers, and offers informative sessions ranging from how to apply to graduate schools to  internship opportunities. So far this semester, the group has sponsored a “Meet the Professors Night,” participated in the Breast Cancer Walk, conducted a clean-up at nearby Kocher Park, presented information at Career Day and held a bake sale in Hartline Lobby. Anyone interested in the biological and allied health sciences is welcome to join.   The next meetings are at 7 pm in Hartline G40 on Tuesday, November 11 and on Wednesday, December 3. For more information, check out the bulletin board on the first floor of Hartline or contact any officer. Leading the BAHS clubs this year are pictured above from right: Historian: Bryce Foster ; Public relations Officer: Jill Andrews ; Treasurer: Justin Vandermolen ; President: Dana Frobese ;  Secre...

This summer and fall, BU graduate student Jamie Shinskie and  Sean Hartzell (B.S., Biology, natural history option) worked with Dr. Amber Pitt to lead a team of undergraduate and graduate student researchers to assess the habitat and distribution of hellbenders ( Cryptobranchus alleganiensis ) in the Susquehanna River Drainage. Hellbenders are large, long-lived, aquatic salamanders that inhabit high quality, highly oxygenated, fast flowing streams and rivers in the eastern United States. They are sensitive to siltation, sedimentation, and chemical contaminants within streams, and as a result, habitat degradation has resulted in precipitous declines in hellbender populations throughout their range. Hellbenders are currently being considered for listing as a federally endangered species. Student researchers including graduate student Linda Tucker Serniak and undergraduate students Ryan Smolock, Kent Cooper , and Michael Baade gained experience collecting hellbender environ...

Biology and Allied Health Club members and Dr. Corbin headed to Kocher Park near Lightstreet, PA for a clean-up on Saturday morning, October 25.  The Frank W. Kocher  Memorial Park offers 7 acres to explore nature adjacent to Fishing Creek. The park offers public access to Fishing Creek, locations to launch canoes and kayaks, and a picnic area. The park is a joint project of the Columbia County Conservation District and the Fishing Creek Watershed Association. The Biology and Allied Health Club has participated in Kocher Park work days for the past several years. Thank you Biology and Allied Health Club for serving our community!

On Saturday, October 25, 2014, Ali Hussain , a B.S. biology major, pre-medicine option, attended the 17 th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences, which was held at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The Symposium was well attended with 246 abstracts and 276 undergraduate student presenters. The event consisted of morning and afternoon poster sessions, workshops on Professional Communication and Ethics for Scientists, and a plenary talk by Dr. David Asai from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) entitled “Transition States, Hilde Mangold, and You.” Ali presented a poster entitled “Differential Methylation of GNG7 in Normal B6 Mouse Tissues,” on the research that he and Jeffrey Dailey have done in the laboratory of Dr. William Schwindinger . His presentation was very well received and he was awarded the second place certificate in his poster...

Drs. Kipe-Nolt and Nolt and thirteen BAHS majors headed to the Johns Hopkins Hospital Schools of Medical Imaging in Baltimore on October 24, 2014. Johns Hopkins offers medical imaging programs in radiography, nuclear medicine, and diagnostic medical sonography. MI majors making the trip are at right:  Devin Jenkins, Emily Eddinger, Sabrina Sholtes, Jessica LaValva, Matthew Derkits, Derek Stahl, Maisie Orendorf, Cole Sexton, Lindsay Gehman, Derek Tripp, Kaitlin Juran, Sarah Vital, and Olivia Mulvaney. Devin Jenkins reported that she really enjoyed the visit to Johns Hopkins and liked the city of Baltimore. The highlight was the visit to the radiography department. She reports that their tour and visit to the hospital was very well-organized and the food was good, too! 

Tri-Beta biology honor society hosted Biology Trivia in October. BAHS faculty, alumnus Frank Schaeffer, graduate students and undergraduates gathered for pizza, prizes, and a good time. Trivia questions ranged from genetics and molecular biology to botany and taxonomy. Something for everyone! Bragging rights this semester go to the team of Ross Adamek, Samantha Rodrigues, Dr. Brubaker, and Jessica Willis, who claimed victory. Thanks to all who came out to play Biology Trivia. Hope to see you next semester!