BioSynthesis

The Bloomsburg University Chapter of the Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society was well represented at the Annual Northeast District 2 Convention at Cabrini College on Saturday, March 28. Attending were Adam Kulp, Brendon Juengst, Alan Belles, Jessica Willis, Dr. William Coleman and Dr. Cindy Surmacz.  The chapter received awards for the largest delegation and for traveling the most miles! The convention is a forum for Tri-Beta Chapters from throughout the district to meet for a day of poster and oral research presentations, a key note lecture,  and opportunities to engage with fellow members. BAHS student presenters, their mentors,, and the titles of their presentations are listed below. Brendon Juengst and George Davis. An investigation of the putative Fe3+ transporter from oats. Adam Kulp, William Coleman, and Jennifer Venditti. Synapsin I is enriched at the equatorial segment of capacitated human sperm. Jessica Willis and William Coleman. Evaluation of the calc...

The Biology and Allied Health Club joined hundreds of fellow Huskies (and Roongo) in The Big Event on Saturday, March 28, 2015. The Big Event is a day of service where BU students give back to the Bloomsburg community by engaging in activities ranging from raking to painting. The Community Government Association organizes this annual event.  Thank you Biology and Allied Health Club members for your service despite the chilly weather!

Jessica Willis Two members of the BAHS family were recognized recently as  2015 Outstanding Women of Bloomsburg University , Jessica Willis and Dr. Amber Pitt . Jessica, a graduate student in the biology masters' program was praised for her outstanding scholarship and her service to the department as a graduate assistant. Jessica  uses immunofluorescent staining procedures to study the proteins involved in the trafficking of synaptic vesicles in axon terminals under the supervision of Dr. William Coleman.   As a graduate assistant,  Jessica supports the laboratory courses  Cell Biology and Integrated Physiology Laboratory, mentors an undergraduate researcher, and tutors undergraduate students in biology each week. She was nominated by Dr. Kris Brubaker who describes Jessica as " very organized and a pleasure to work with." Jessica plans to pursue a Ph.D. in neurophysiology.     Dr. Amber Pitt Dr. Amber Pitt, assistant profess...

Dr. Cindy Surmacz completed the Life Science Teaching Resource Community Vision and Change Scholars Program. The goal of this 8-week online program sponsored by the American Physiological Society and the National Science Foundation is to introduce undergraduate biology faculty to new initiatives in biology education. Program participants explore the core concepts and competencies set forth in the Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education Report developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science Foundation and learn how these principles may be applied in the classroom. The program provides access to thousands of peer-reviewed digital teaching resources from the Life Science Teaching Resource Community that focus on active and applied learning. Look out for some new ideas  in Concepts in Biology 1!

The Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences is fortunate to own three high quality clinical ultrasound machines that could used to enrich the educational experience in our anatomy and physiology laboratories. To explore this possibility Dr. William Schwindinger attended a conference “The Ultrasound Curriculum in Medical Education” at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, in Hempstead, NY on March 6 and 7, 2015. The conference brought together medical educators, medical students, ultrasound experts, and education experts to discuss the use of ultrasound in medical education. The conference provided opportunities for hands-on experience with ultrasound imaging on both phantoms and volunteer patients in sessions on echocardiography, musculoskeletal, ob/gyn, physical diagnosis, shock/trauma, and vascular imaging. The products of the conference were learning objectives for using ultrasound to improve medical education in the following areas: anatomy of the knee, anatomy ...

The Biological and Allied Health Sciences Club presented a microscopy workshop at the Children’s Museum on Saturday, March 21. During the workshop children learned how to use a monocular compound microscope to view pond water, euglena, hydra, vinegar eels, and planeria. They also made wet mounts of their cheek cells. Members of the BAHS club that participated in the event were Dana Frobese, Emily Kossifos , and Leah Miller along with their faculty advisors  Dr. Jennifer Venditti and Dr. Angela Hess .

Two new Current Topics in Biology courses are offered as electives for Fall 2015, Animal Behavior and Type 2 Diabetes. Both courses may be used as a health science or a biology elective. Up to two current topics courses may be counted towards electives for the major. Biology 489.01 or 589.01, Current Topics in Biology: Animal Behavior Instructor: Dr. Klingerman This Current Topics in Biology course will focus on behavioral neuroendocrinology, i.e. the regulation of behavior output by the endocrine and central nervous systems.  Topics include a description of hormones and the central nervous system, differences in hormones and brain morphology between males and females, parental behavior, social behavior, energy homeostasis, biological rhythms, and stress.  This course is targeted toward students interested in human or animal behavior, the brain, and/or hormone production and regulation.  Students with career interest in the health sciences or graduate scho...

BAHS Elective Offerings-Fall 2015 Biology 200         Dendrology                        Dr. Chamuris Biology 233         Human Genetics               Dr. Hansen Biology 332         Genetics                              Dr. Ardizzi Biology 333         Molecular Biology             Dr. Schwindinger Biology 343         Immunology                   ...

The Biology and Allied Health Club led a workshop for 22 eager young scientists at the Children's Museum in Bloomsburg recently. During the workshop, the children explored the structure and function of the heart.  Workshop participants learned about heart anatomy, blood flow through the heart, and heart sounds.  Members of the BAHS club, along with Drs. Angela Hess and Jennifer Venditti , helped participants examine models, color a diagram, and complete a cross-word puzzle. A highlight of the workshop was dissecting a pig heart and tracing blood flow using plastic tubing.  The children were also able to listen to their heart sounds using a stethoscope.   Thanks to the following members of the BAHS club for making this event a huge success:  Mikala Britt, Justin VanDerMolen, Tonya Copella, Natalie Mayo, and Kahli Castagnera . The BAHS Club has another workshop planned for March 21 on microscopy.

Biology 301, Introduction to Health Care, is a new health science elective that offers students background preparation, training, and practical skills to work in a health care setting. This innovative course developed and taught by Dr. Jennifer Venditti has a unique design, combining classroom learning at Bloomsburg University with a 400-hour clinical experience as a nursing assistant at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA.  While on campus, students learn about professionalism in health care, roles of the members of the health care team, patient confidentiality and HIPAA regulations, health assessment techniques, electronic medical records, prevention of infection, integumentary system and skin disorders, body mechanics and ambulation, CPR, and patient interactions. This will provide the foundation for experiences with patients during the clinical component at Geisinger this summer.  Pictured at top right, Dr. Venditti offers tips on blood pressure measurement ...

Biology and chemistry students and faculty at Sanofi-Pasteur. Students and faculty from the Departments of Biological and Allied Health Sciences and Chemistry and Biochemistry took to the road on February 27 to the Sanofi Pasteur facility in Swiftwater, PA.  Sanofi Pasteur, a global company with headquarters in Lyon France, specializes in the research, development, and production of vaccines. The company manufactures vaccines that protect against 20 different infectious diseases, among them influenza and polio. The students had the opportunity to learn about the company, hear a presentation by their Human Resources staff, receive information on the internship-to-hire program, tour the formulation, filling, inspection and packaging facility, and network with BU alumni and professionals who work there. Among the BU alumni who met with students were Melissa Miller (2004) Joni Lavelle (1984) and Adrianna Rogers.  Students found the experience to be both fascinating and ins...

Drs. Rier in collaboration with Drs. Venn (EGGS), Hallen (Chemistry), Wimmer (Business Education and Information & Technology Management), Beyer (EGGS), Whisner (EGGS) and the Columbia County Conservation District will be establishing a real-time monitoring station on Fishing Creek at or near Kocher Park, north of Bloomsburg. Funding for the station is provided by a $50,000  President’s Strategic Planning Grant.  This station will measure stream depth, pH, temperature, conductivity (dissolved material in water), dissolved oxygen, turbidity (suspended material in water), dissolved organic matter, phosphorus concentration, the amount of light striking the surface of the water and meteorological data.  These data will be collected automatically every 15 minutes and then uploaded to a server via cell phone modem and made available on the web in real-time. One of the main goals of this project will be to provide an education and research tool f...

Congratulations to the recipients of the BAHS scholarships for the current 2014-15 academic year! Applications for the upcoming 2015-2016 academic year are currently under review. Biology and Allied Health Scholarship Kahli Castagnera is from Macungie, PA. On campus, Kahli has been active in the group Developing Ambitious Student Leaders, where she has participated in several events to benefit the community. She is a member of the Biology Club and is the current historian of Tri-Beta, the biology honor society. Kahli is a Community Assistant and has achieved Level 1 Leadership Certification. Kahli plans to earn a doctorate in physical therapy and work in an outpatient setting. James E. Parsons Scholarship Carly Gillotti , a medical laboratory science major, hails from Montgomery, PA. Carly has volunteered in the community during BU's Big Event. She will enter the clinical  program in medical laboratory science at Reading Hospital. James E. Co...

Dr. Amber Pitt was a co-author, along with colleagues from Clemson University, of a paper entitled, “Water quality of small, seasonal wetlands in the Piedmont ecoregion, South Carolina, USA: effects of land-use and hydrology” that was published in the peer-reviewed, internationally recognized journal Water Research . The paper evaluates how land use and hydrology affect water quality of small, seasonal wetlands (e.g., vernal pools) in the Piedmont ecoregion of South Carolina Check out this research: Yu, X., J. Hawley-Howard, A.L. Pitt, J. Wang, R.F. Baldwin, and A.T. Chow. 2015. Water quality of small, seasonal wetlands in the Piedmont ecoregion, South Carolina, USA: effects of land-use and hydrology. Water Research 73:98-108 . Doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.01.007.