Tag: award

Dr. Brandon Kim awarded $447K NIH R15 grant to study impairment of the cerebral vasculature during bacterial meningitis

September 22, 2023

Effect of GBS infection on the efflux transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the brains of mice. Uninfected animals show expected P-gp expression co-localized with the blood vessel marker lectin (top). GBS infection results in a loss of P-gp in the cerebral vasculature where little to no P-gp is detected infected mouse brain (bottom).

Dr. Brandon Kim has been awarded a $447K NIH R15 grant to study impairment of the cerebral vasculature during bacterial meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is a serious life-threatening infection of the central nervous system that occurs when bacteria are able to cross the highly specialized cerebral vasculature and enter the brain. The cells that comprise the cerebral vasculature are collectively known as the blood-brain barrier and possess unique properties that ensure proper brain homeostasis while also restricting toxins and pathogens. Group […]

Drs. Benstead, Huryn, and Shogren awarded $990K NSF grant to study thermal compensation in stream ecosystems in response to drought

September 21, 2023

Drs. Benstead, Huryn, and Shogren’s research proposal entitled “Collaborative Research: NSFDEB-NERC: Warming’s silver lining? Thermal compensation at multiple levels of organization may promote stream ecosystem stability in response to drought” ($990,203) has been funded by the Nation Science Foundation. This collaborative NSFDEB-NERC project (with Wyatt Cross at Montana State) will combine laboratory measurements (University of Iceland), stream mesocosm manipulations of temperature and drought (University of Birmingham, U.K.), and whole-reach drought manipulations (Hengill geothermal catchment, Iceland) to test the overarching hypothesis […]

Drs. Staudhammer, Atkinson, Shogren, Starr, and Heinrich awarded $3M NSF grant for Woods to Water (W2W) training for the next generation of ecologists and natural resource managers

August 24, 2023

Image of a stream with trees in the background

Drs. Christie Staudhammer, Carla Atkinson, Arial Shogren, Greg Starr, and Kaleb Heinrich have been awarded an NSF-RaMP grant. This is a $3 million grant to train postbaccalaureates in field ecology, targeting participants who have been traditionally under-represented in ecology and natural resources. The team will be recruiting 3 cohorts of 10 students for year-long training that will occur at our local NEON sites and the Jones Center at Ichauway in southwest Georgia, with integrated classroom exercises and workshops. Units will […]

Dr. Harris and Worth Pugh awarded $78K IMLS Grant to rehouse and digitize its department’s collection of ~20,000 crayfish specimens

August 11, 2023

Dr. Philip Harris and Worth Pugh, Coordinator of Zoological Collections, have been awarded $78,323 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to rehouse and digitize its department’s collection of ~20,000 crayfish specimens. This award will be used to hire and train paid and volunteer student workers who will catalog, label, and shelve specimens. In addition, staff will also conduct database cleanup for crayfish lots from waterbodies across Alabama, updating taxonomy and georeferencing for increased accuracy. Finally, to advance the […]

Dr. Higgins awarded $1.8M NIH grant to Investigate Biosynthetic Enzymes to Enhance Natural Product Discovery

July 24, 2023

Dr. Melanie Higgins has been notified that her NIH proposal titled “Investigating biosynthetic enzymes to enhance natural product discovery” has been selected for funding. This proposal is being funded through the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) through NIGMS and is for $1.8M. Proposed research: Natural products (NPs) have diverse complex structures and play a vital role in drug discovery and development. Although the rate of discovery of natural products has increased significantly, traditional bioactivity-guided discovery methods frequently lead to the […]

BSC graduate student Rebecca Varney (Kocot lab) wins best talk at World Congress of Malacology

August 23, 2019

Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate Rebecca Varney for winning a best talk award at the World Congress of Malacology for her presentation on the genome of the chiton Acanthopleura granulata (Mollusca: Polyplacophora)! Abstract of the talk: Molluscan genomic resources continue to increase, but with a marked bias toward bivalves and gastropods. Chitons are models for molluscan biomineralization, producing shell valves, sclerites, and radulas with teeth coated with magnetite (iron). Here we present the first genome of a chiton, the first from […]

Jennie Thies (Caldwell lab) awarded NIH Diversity Research Supplement

July 22, 2019

Congratulations to Jennie Thies (Caldwell lab) for receiving an NIH Diversity Research Supplement! This highly competitive award is a 2-year grant that supports ongoing dissertation research training for individuals from under-represented groups. It will allow Jennie to focus solely on lab work without having the demands of teaching. With this award she will be able to have a combination of “hands-on” research experience in addition to didactic training that will help her become the best scientist she can be. This […]

Dr. Carla Atkinson awarded 2019 President’s Faculty Research Award

April 19, 2019

Congratulations to Dr. Carla Atkinson who received the 2019 President’s Faculty Research Award in Physical and Biological Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering in the Emerging Scholar category!

Congratulations to the many BSC students recognized during honors week!

April 16, 2019

The department of Biological Sciences is very proud of our students whose achievements in academics, research, and teaching were recognized during Honors Week. Congratulations all! Inge and Ilouise Hill Research Fellowship Katie Sandlin (Reed) Joab Langston Thomas Scholarship Rebecca Varney (Kocot) Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Student in Biological Sciences Fall 2018 – Samuel Scopel (Caldwell) Fall 2018 – Jennifer Thies (Caldwell) Spring 2018 – Jennifer Gresham (Earley) Spring 2018 – Feng Kong (Ramonell) Bishop Award Anthony Cremo (Yoder) Aurora […]

Dr. Ryan Earley awarded the Leadership Board’s Outstanding Commitment to Students Award

April 16, 2019

Congratulations to Dr. Ryan Earley for being awarded the UA Leadership Board’s Outstanding Commitment to Students Award. This award recognizes a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences for service in the advancement of students beyond the classroom.