Biological Sciences Blog

College of Sciences and Arts Entomologist Celebrates Release of Third Volume on Fruit Flies What do super-rare fruit flies, a children’s bedtime story, and more than four years of research have in common? They’re all ingredients in The Encyclopedia of North American Drosophilids Volume 3: Drosophilids of the Northwest, authored by Thomas Werner (BioSci). Werner, a North American fruit fly expert,…

This Wednesday begins Michigan Tech’s 2025 “Dragons, Knights, and Legendary Sights” Winter Carnival, and BioSci’s Brynn Santi couldn’t be more excited! Brynn is a Human Biology major, Blue Key National Honor Society member, Winter Carnival snow statue committee chair, and is vice president of the Michigan Tech Mushing Club. All of which play a significant role in making the Winter Carnival festiv…

Please join Biological Sciences and Dr. Thomas Werner, professor of genetics and developmental biology (BioSci), in celebrating the release of Daniel Shaykevich’s documentary film, “All The Little Things.” This documentary follows Dr. Werner as he moves outside of the lab in a quest to make an encyclopedia documenting all the fruit fly species in North America. The Van Pelt and Opie Library will …

Dr. Thomas Werner and a team of researchers recently published a paper in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. This team is comprised of Ph.D. students Adenike Olowolagba and Dilka Arachchige, Research Scientist Sushil Dwivedi (Chem), undergraduate students Ashlyn Colleen Beatty and Joseph Peters, high school students Crystal Wang and Alicia Guo, Associate Professor Thomas W…

Vaishali Sharma, a Biological Sciences Ph.D. student, and Xinqian Chen, a previous MTU Biological Sciences graduate and now Integrative Physiology Ph.D. student, have received this year’s Songer Research Award for Human Health. Vaishali Sharma is currently working under Dr. Stephen Techtmann (BioSci) and Dr. Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) on a project titled “Antiviral efficacy of amino acid-based surfact…

Charles Kerfoot, Biological Sciences Emeritus Research Professor, and Professor Emerita Carol MacLennan of Social Sciences appeared in a Great Lakes Now episode titled “Reef Rescue and Wild Edibles.” The episode included a segment on Copper Country’s Buffalo Reef — a high-value fish spawning ground in Superior Grand Traverse Bay. Kerfoot and others explained in the segment how threatened the reef…

Abe Stone is an undergraduate majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology. He came to Michigan Tech’s Biological Sciences Department, already with a great interest in learning more about and working with fungus. Once he enrolled at MTU, he decided to get involved in undergraduate research and start down his fungus research path. Through his research, Stone found a way to effectively and practica…

Jill Olin (BioSci/GLRC) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received an $82,917 research and development contract from Stony Brook University. The title of the project is “Defining foraging hotspots of finfish and sharks in the New York Bight: linking trophic dynamics with spatiotemporal trends in species distributions.” James Junker (GLRC) is a co-PI on this potential two-ye…

The Office of Alumni Engagement has announced the recipients being honored with the 2024 Alumni Awards. Amongst the award recipients is Biological Sciences’ alumni, Danna Kasom. Kasom has earned the 2024 Humanitarian Alumni Award, which recognizes volunteer leadership or service that has enriched or improved the lives of others and the welfare of humanity, and whose accomplishments bring honor to…

MTU’s Tick Talk project was included in a WKAR News story, considering the escalating tick populations in Michigan. Michigan Tech’s Tick Talk project utilizes the power of crowdsourcing tick collection to advance research on tick populations and tick-borne diseases in the Copper Country. Faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students across Michigan Tech departments ranging from Co…

Trista Vick-Majors (BioSci/GLRC) was interviewed on a science podcast supported by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology, the ParAqua Podcast. The ParAqua Podcast highlights new and interesting research in aquatic and marine ecology. Episode 5 of the ParAqua Podcast, released May 19, focused on Vick-Majors’ research in the polar regions on aquatic ecosystems. Trista Vick-Majors . . .

Congratulations to the following 9 instructors from Biological Sciences identified as among only 55 MTU instructors campus-wide that received an exceptional “Average of 7 Dimensions” on student evaluations for Spring Semester 2024! Casey Huckins, Professor and ChairRobert Larson, Assistant ProfessorBrigitte Morin, Teaching ProfessorJill Olin, Assistant ProfessorGordon Paterson, Assist…

To stimulate an interest in biology, the Department of Biological Sciences at Michigan Technological University has sponsored a single-day, hands-on, problem-solving competition known as the Bioathlon each May since 1989. As many as 20 high schools from across the Upper Peninsula have participated in the day-long competition, using their biological skills and knowledge to solve the . . .

Aimee Marceau (BioSci) and Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) were featured in a  WLUC TV6 story about Michigan Tech’s Tick Talk project, a crowdsourced tick collection to aid research on tick-borne diseases and tick populations in the Copper Country. Crowdsourcing Ticks for Disease Surveillance Tick Talk, the crowdsourcing tick collection project that was conducted at Michigan Tech last . . .

Grace Gonzalez graduated from Michigan Tech’s Medical Laboratory Science program in 2023, but her passions didn’t end with only MLS. During her time at Michigan Tech, Gonzalez delved into her interests in human medicine as well as animal care. She began doing aquatic research with Biological Sciences professors Dr. Casey Huckins and Dr. Jill Olin, . . .

Kemmy Taylor (BioSci/KIP), was selected as one of only 25 educators from across the United States to participate in the 2024 U.S. Army Educator Tour at Fort Stewart in Savannah, Georgia. Taylor was nominated by the Milwaukee Army Healthcare Team for her willingness to go above and beyond sharing the programs and scholarships in health-related professions offered by . . .

Dr. Casey Huckins is the new chair of the Biological Sciences Department. He served as interim chair since July 1, taking over from long-time chair and now professor emeritus Chandrashekhar Joshi. “I am excited to continue leading such an outstanding department with its excellence in research, teaching, and service,” said Huckins. “Four of our faculty . . .

Biological Science’s Brigitte Morin was recognized as one of Michigan Tech’s most influential leaders during Women’s History Month. Morin was featured in Tech Today’s story on Michigan Tech’s most influential women, who are making strides to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion across campus. A Husky Nation post titled, “Women’s History Month and Beyond: Six Michigan . . .

Trista Vick-Majors (BioSci/GLRC) was interviewed in a WLUC TV6 segment about how a continuing lack of winter ice cover could change ecosystems, the Great Lakes, and the future of agriculture. It also touches on how these changes could impact small businesses and outdoor winter activities–such as ice fishing and snowmobiling. The WLUC TV6 story mentioned the project launched .…

Trista Vick-Majors (BioSci/GLRC) was quoted by the Associated Press, Canada’s National Observer, ABC News, MLive, Daily Mining Gazette, and Yahoo! News U.K. in a story exploring how an ongoing lack of winter ice cover could change the Great Lakes. The story mentioned a project launched by Vick-Majors to gather winter-specific lake samples for comparison to summer data, with researchers around . .…