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-WW*FM ffiffi W VOLUME 9, DECEMBER 1993 W I. DaaidLigon Professornnd Chair his, f my third year asChair, uate students in today's world is I has seenour progresscon- vastly improved, as compared to Page tinue. As you may recall, last year's just a year or so ago. This issue newsletter described several major reports on some of these pro- GREETINGS! .................................1 new initiatives. We received: grams, and we invite you to come "Research DEPARTMENTNEWS .......,,,,. 2-7 funding from NSF for a by to see for yourself the advances NSFA4SB-Sp o nsored B olivian Experiences for Undergraduates" we have made. program to provide opportunities The faculty, Expedition ........2 as always, have for students to be involved in been busy with their research. Dr. SecondAnnual ResearchDay ....2 research activities at our LTER site; Terry Yates' work in Bolivia, Dr. MSBRecent Activities ............... 3 funding from AT&T for a comput- Cliff Crawford's work with the Rio OrnithologyDivision Bequest ...3 er lab for undergraduates; two Crande bosque,and Dr. Bud NSF ResearchInstrumentation for Riedesel's The HughesUndergraduate researchinto hyperhy- Minority Institutions (RIMI) dration are featured in this issue. ResearchProgram .................4 awards; and a large award from I should emphasize that the TheREU Program ................. 5 the Howard Hughes Medical Department of Biology is one of CareerDevelopment for Institute. the strongest on the UNM campus As you might imagine, getting for one simple reason. Minority Undergraduates... 5 We have a all of these programs up and run- group of faculty and staff who Behind the Scenes.................. 6-7 ning in an expeditious fashion has insist that our programs become FACULTYHIGHLIGHTS ..... 8-11 required a lot of effort and cooper- and then remain first-rate. In this ation |im Findley,Prof. Emeritus ......8 from our faculty. I am happy issue we feature one of our emeriti to report that our Department has faculty members and HyperhydrationResearch ........ 9 one of our met the challenges involved with staff members who have made a BosqueBiological Management making the adjustments necessary big qualitative difference to our Plan........................................ 10 to accommodate these major new Department. I thank our members RecentPhD's .......11 endeavors-all four of these for their dedication and hard work programs are now fully functional. as well as each you ALUMNTNEWS ................... 11-13 of readers for This year we are pleased to report your interest in and support of our OTHER ALUMNI, FRIENDS the addition of a program that programsl & suppoRTERS....................... 13 helps minority undergraduates As I wrote last year, it is a BSNM......... .......74-7s develop careersin environmental privilege to serve as Chair of this biology. In a nutshell, what all this group. means is that our ability to meet the needs of all of our undergrad- '] THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IVEW MEXICO 4,000 meters. These data are being used in assessingthe mammalian diversity of the country and in numerous systematic, biogeo- NSF/MSB-Sponsored graphic, parasitological and coevolutionary studies. BolivianExpedition This ongoing research has to Joncr SerazeR-BRevo, provided the data necessary n. TrnRv YetES,working Tnnvts Pnnnv,Mencno support a major part of the with a grant from the Znttns and MenrEr research program of Dr. ScienceFoundation, National Cevprnru UNM Yates and his co-PI almost four months conduct- spent biology undergradu- and former stu- ing research in Bolivia on an "Mamma- ate students Mrusse dent, Dr. Cook. ongoing project entitled Cnwnz, JoN DuuNunr, It also has Diversity in Bolivia: The lian Suzv Prunecu and Tou provided a Yungas and Valles." More than 25 SEeroN; and eight research participated in this individuals Bolivian students. The forum for year's field work, including Dn. trip was an exception- five PhD GenpNrn (UC Davis); Dn. Scorr al successand brings to disserta- Coorc (Univ. of Alaska); Dn. JosErH a total of five the tions, two Moonn (Wayne State Wnueu altitudinal transects master's Univ.); Dn. PtrnnEHucor Jrer.r that have been sam- degrees,and (The National Museum of France); pled acrossBolivia by countlessresearch Dn. RtEcEn(USAID Wash- Jenars this group. Bolivian projects for undergraduates. ington); Dns. Pesro MenQuEr and mammals and their parasites have This program has helped to make DoNelo W. DuszvNrsxr(UNM); been sampled in a standardized UNM an international center for of Southwestern BiologY Museum fashion at 500-meter intervals research and education in biologi- Manager BIn GnNNoN; Collections from altitudes ranging from 500 to cal diversity. UNM biology graduate students SecondAnnual Research DaY and gradu- T h" department's second presentation of undergraduate I ate student research,organized again by Dn. KerHnvN VocEt, was held in April of this year. Dn. Mnrr Korsr of University of California at "The Berkeley, was the guest speaker; her topic was Fluid Dynamics of Hairy Little Legs: Feeding, Smelling and Swimming," referring to her study organism, the copepod Cqlocalanusbntto. This year's event featured 33 posters and 10 talks' The poster judges TheBiological SocietY of refused to decide on first or second place winners among the outstanding "first" NewMexico is pub- posters, so five place prizes were awarded to Mnrrsrw Cnewrono, lishedannually by the ReyNn GopzerEs,Mpussa HRNKTN,COTIEEN HerrrEro and MrcHsrE MEnOre. went to RonEnr CaaIN; second-place was BiologY, For talks, the first-place award Departmentof shared by seNnne MnRrNoand Tzn-HErYoNc. A reception was held at the Universityof New end of the day at the UNM Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. Mexico,Albuquerque, Financial support was again provided by the La Jolla Cancer Research NM87131-1091;505/ Foundation. 277-3411:FAX 5051277- 0304. Editor:Dr. Donald W. Duszynski;Editorial Assistant:Anne E. Rice. December1993 ''] THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF I{EW MEXICO MSBRecent OrnithologyDivision Bequest Activities R. RosERr W. DrcrEnnreru,who was appointed a Curatorial l-l Associate of the Museum of Southwestern Biology in 1988, Bolrvrl & Screxce Eouclrroru. recently made a most generous financial contribution to the MSB's Through a major supplement to Division of Ornithology. Bob has been a well-known figure in the Dn. Trnny YerEs' Bolivia grant ornithological community for many years. Since coming to New from the NSF (seep.2),local high Mexico and joining our department, he has made major contributions school students were able to take to the holdings and organization of the bird collections. Thank you, part in this exciting project by Bob, for all you've done for the Museum's Ornithology Divisionl spending the summer in the Museum of Southwestern Biolo- gy's Division of Mammals and Division of Biological Materials. work in the Sevilleta heat with Nine high school students and survey and inventory component gloves, face masks and gowns so three of their teachers from three that will provide a baseline of data as to avoid the virus. area schools spent two months to be used to address other ques- conducting research on Bolivian tions. For example, researchon the PensonnelCxaruoes er rxe MSB. mammals. Four of these students Kirkland AFB project will address The US Fish & Wildlife Service will continue to work in the MSB questions on the effects of grazing (USFWS) has had a presence in the throughout the school year, and on small mammals and plant MSB since the mid-1970s.Last the teachers are now working with communities. The Cannon AFB year, Dn. Nonm Scorr vacated the Dr. Yates to develop curricula that project will assessall vertebrate position here in a move to another will incorporate systematics,bio- and plant communities and USFWS station along the Central diversity and conservation materi- employ geographic information California coast. Long-time ad- al into secondary scienceeduca- system technology. ministrative secretary ReyeNN tion. UNM graduate students Brn Tne Hlrurlvrnus Hutr. Roullo also relocated to a more GeNNoN,JrNNrrEn Fnrv, Lrsa Veun, UNM biologists have attractive position in downtown Eouenpo Perue and JENNrrrn also played Albuquerque. We will greatly MryesHrnoprovided guidance and a central role in activities associat- miss their expertise, energy and instruction to this group in topics ed with the Hantavirus outbreak. friendshipl ranging from computerized map- The MSB has been designated as Simultaneously with the ping and biochemical techniques, the official federal repository for USFWS reorganization under the museum management to the use voucher specimens resulting from National Biological Survey, the of the library. the Hantavirus research by the Center for Disease Control. USFWS transferred Dn. MxE Bocarv and Collections Manager Pnolects rr,rBrotoorclt Drvensrry. JENrvrrEnFnEv, one of Yates' grad- CtNpy Renaorrurrto the MSB. These Closer to home, new research uate students, is currently catalog- two fine people bring along their projects in biological diversity ing and verifying identifications expertise in mammals and other have been funded at Kirkland on specimens collected this past vertebrates and their museum AFB, Cannon AFB (near Clovis) summer. The frozen tissue collec- collections-some 20,000mam- and the Forked Lightening Ranch tions of the Museum's Division of mals and 4,000birds have arrived, in the Pecos.The awarding of Biological Materials may well hold with herpetiles and fish to follow these projects from the Dept. of the key to solving the mystery of