Lions and Bison and Mollusks and More the UW’S Zoological Museum Trains Interns to Prepare and Display Specimens

College of Letters & Science UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

ZoologyNews for Alumni and Friends of the Department of Zoology NowWinter 2012

Lions and Bison and Mollusks and More The UW’s Zoological Museum trains interns to prepare and display specimens

hree white-coated Tstudent interns huddle over the remains of a female African lion in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Zoological Museum’s specimen-preparation room.

Huge paws, still furry and whole, hang over the table edge, while the students patiently pick at tendons and membranes in the exposed rib cage, neck, and skull. Once the skeleton is completely disarticulated, it will be sent to the flesh-eating dermestid beetle colony in a subterra- nean room near Birge Hall. Then, after the bones are thoroughly cleaned, they will be added to the museum’s osteology collection and made available for research purposes. Without interns to help with such difficult tasks, the museum could not accept specimens such as Vilas the lion, euthanized in the summer of 2012 and donated by Madison’s Henry Vilas Zoo. For many students, this is their BILL FEENY first experience with hands-on activities in close association Museum intern and UW-Madison student Agnieszka Podraza with Galápagos tortoise and sea turtle skeletons. Thanks to a unique research agreement between UW-Madison and Ecuador, the giant with museum professionals. Galápagos tortoise skeleton (collected after the animal had died) was permitted to leave the country and (Continued on page 3) join the UW’s collection in Noland Hall. BILL FEENY

Notes from the Chair

These are exciting Zoology Now, we feature two vignettes: you is important to us! We’d love to times for Zoology one about Professor Tony Stretton, and hear what you are doing with your at UW-Madison! another about a popular course offered Zoology degree, whether you are With the exploding by the Zoological Museum. We hope continuing to work in science or another interest in biology you enjoy them. exciting focus. Your varied career paths on campus, Zool- Several stories in this edition of can serve as inspiration to current stu- ogy is delighted to Zoology Now highlight notable ways in dents whose futures are still evolving. be at the heart of which our faculty and staff are impact- Please send your updates (and photos, several exciting ini- ing the campus and the world through too!) to [email protected]. tiatives for under- their research. In this issue, we feature We will share them in our next newsletter. graduates. With the Botany department, work by several of our ecology faculty. we received a major award from the Subsequent issues will focus on excit- Sincerely, Madison Initiative for Undergraduates ing work by our cellular, neurobiol- (MIU). Through the MIU, Zoology will ogy, and evolutionary biology faculty, lead exciting changes in the Introducto- so stay tuned. The MIU will help the ry Biology curriculum, led by Professor department to continue this tradition of Seth Blair. We are also at the center of excellence through the hiring of a new Jeff Hardin important discussions regarding several faculty member in cell, neuroscience, or Professor and Chair large biological science degree programs developmental biology. We are attract- on the UW-Madison campus. We hope ing many fine candidates, and we hope to tell you more about them in our next to introduce our new Zoology Now is the alumni newsletter of the edition of Zoology Now. colleague in our next edition. Department of Zoology at the Zoology continues its emphasis Our undergraduate and graduate University of Wisconsin-Madison. on advanced animal biology courses, students continue to flourish, winning L.E. Noland Zoology Building which include both new offerings and campus, national, and international 250 North Mills Street Madison, WI 53706 USA old favorites: Tropical Herpetology, awards to support their original research. Environmental Toxicology, a Neurosci- We thank you for your continuing con- Chair of the Department of Zoology: Jeff Hardin ence Biology lab course, as well as the tributions to Zoology’s UW Foundation Department Manager: Peggy Nowicki [email protected] return of Invertebrate Biology, Animal funds. Our students’ success would not Behavior, and Mammalogy. True to our be possible without your continuing, Writer: Mary Ellen Gabriel tradition, faculty and staff are passion- generous support. Design: Wisconsin Alumni Association® ate about teaching. In this edition of Speaking of success, hearing about

2 Zoology Now Continued from page 1 From the Dean’s Desk

“We have only two state-supported I am de- sity’s biology major (the third largest staff to oversee collecting and curating, lighted to major on campus) and Biocore, an so we rely very heavily on our interns,” write to you award-winning, intercollege biology says Laura Halverson Monahan, curator from the honors program. of collections. SARAH MORTON College of Indeed, the Department of Zool- The UW Zoological Museum is Letters & ogy has much to celebrate. Alumni and a repository of more than 650,000 Science: friends should feel proud of its vibrant, skeletons, skins, and preserved whole the heart engaged community of faculty, staff, vertebrate animals and mollusks — with of UW- students, and alumni. Groundbreak- more arriving every day. Started in the Madison, ing research into ecological “tipping 1880s by Edward A. Birge (after a fire where stu- points” takes our faculty to far-flung destroyed an even earlier collection), dents learn places — from Yellowstone National the museum’s eight collections encom- to make a Park, where Monica Turner studies pass long-extinct creatures such as the good living and lead a good life. When forest fires, to Iceland’s Lake Mývatn, passenger pigeon, endangered species I think of the contributions that our where Tony Ives focuses on fluctuating such as the Wisconsin gray wolf, and departments make to the state and the populations of insects and fish. Both of thousands of other mammals, birds, world through research, teaching, and these scientists have received the pres- reptiles, amphibians, fish, and mollusks. public service, I am reminded why tigious Robert R. MacArthur Award The collection draws researchers from I have spent 30 of my happiest and from the Ecological Society of America around the globe and educates students most rewarding years here. — Turner in 2008 and Ives in 2012. about natural history, including new As you have heard, public higher I invite you to stay connected to and old preservation techniques. education is at a crossroads. State your alma mater. I appreciate your In addition to the museum’s support for the university now provides feedback and support, and I want to internship program, Halverson only 15 percent of our annual budget. thank you for all that you do. Monahan co-instructs a new, upper- I have asked all departments to care- level course focused on natural history fully consider interdepartmental On, Wisconsin! collections, which accepts 15 students collaborations, teaching strategies, per semester. Students learn to preserve and student programs that will ensure whole animals in fluid, prepare mam- a world-class, 21st-century education. mal skins, press and mount plants, and The Department of Zoology has risen pin and label insects. Their hands-on to this challenge. Faculty in Zoology, Gary Sandefur, Dean assignments teach them valuable skills, together with their colleagues in the [email protected] and at the same time, assist curators Botany department, teach core courses twitter.com/UWMadisonLS such as Halverson Monahan in keep- that lay the foundation for the univer- facebook.com/UWMadisonLS ing up with the influx of specimens donated by professors, museums, parks, zoos, natural resources professionals, and citizens. The museum will welcome a siz- able arrival this year: 500 bison bones, You have stories, photos, and memories. We want to hear about your wonderful. including very important skulls, from the Bell Museum of Natural History at For the first time ever, the university is groundbreaking research, and provide the University of Minnesota. The bones launched a new, multi-media effort to life-changing experiences for Badgers. are 7,800 years old, from a long-extinct encourage alumni to support their alma Your annual support ensures that species: bison occidentalis. mater through an annual gift. Your sto- tomorrow’s students are prepared to “This may end up being one of ries matter. Share your experiences and make a good living and lead a good life. the largest finds east of the Mississippi,” more at www.sharethewonderful.org. says Halverson Monahan. “A lot of people will want access to this collection.” Collectively, your gifts — no matter the size — make a difference. Gifts help n n n to recruit outstanding faculty, support

zoology.wisc.edu 3 BILL FEENY

“The purpose has always been to clarify, to help them learn, to give them some- thing in some other region of their memory to hang the concepts onto, and yes— to lighten the moment, to elicit a smile or a laugh.” — Professor Antony Stretton Bascom Professor Antony Stretton (center) in his lab with graduate students Jennifer Knicklebine and Christopher Konop. Tony Stretton Shares Wisdom and Passion for Teaching If you had Professor Antony (“Tony”) A good lecturer communicates at mul- a fervent admirer of American Players Stretton for Neurobiology or Animal tiple levels and conveys much more than Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and Physiology, chances are you would information. He or she also conveys he reads about a novel a week to relax. remember him. validity and authenticity, and gives allu- Perhaps the secret to Stretton’s Reading passages of Shakespeare’s sions to other spheres, both academic success lies in the passion that he holds Macbeth aloud? That is one way in which and in life, that help the student analyze, for his work. Stretton impresses students with the synthesize, and remember,” Stretton “Science is a great source of joy to amount of blood that the human body wrote in a “reflective statement” deliv- me, and I try to share that,” Stretton holds. Leading the class in a rousing ered upon accepting his Distinguished said. “We are really fortunate at UW- chorus of “Clementine”? Stretton wants Teaching Award in 2007. Madison that almost all the students are to illustrate how, after recombination in We recently asked Stretton if he still of very high quality, and I find that their the immune system, DNA is “lost and ascribes to this belief. intelligence, intensity, and energy are gone forever.” “It is what I aspire to, with variable a tremendous incentive to try to teach Infusing his teaching with humor degrees of success!” he replied. them well. I love interactions with the and carefully chosen words and images, Celebrating his 41st year on cam- students; teaching is definitely a two- Stretton, who holds a Bascom Profes- pus, Stretton runs an active research lab, way process, and I receive as much as I sorship, engages even his largest lecture co-teaches Zoology 523 (Neuroscience) give, and am grateful to the students for classes in thoughtful analyses and inter- with Professor Seth Blair, and teaches their enthusiasm and energy, which helps pretations. His goal, he says, is “com- Introductory Biology. He still sails in to keep me young!” plete understanding.” Britain in the summers, and has recently “A good lecture is organized into a walked Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail, finish- n n n story line that makes sense, and is true. ing it on his 70th birthday. He is also

QUIZ YOURSELF: Zoology 101 with Lecturer Eric Linder

1. On one square inch of human skin 2. There’s about of DNA inside 3. Some species of snails can sleep for there are microscopic every cell nucleus in our body, and an years — during which period creatures. average adult body contains around they do not need food.

cells.

2. 3. 1. Answers: 3–4 years years 3–4 cells; trillion 50 DNA; of feet) (6 meters 1.8 creatures; microscopic million 20

4 Zoology Now PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARNI EINARSSON, UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND (2)

Sometimes the midges are so numerous at Mývatn, Iceland, that it is hard to breathe. (Mývatn means “midge lake.”) Lake Mývatn Has More Than a Smidgen of Midges

The grassy shores of Lake Mývatn, Randy Jackson (Agronomy), and Read more about research at Lake Iceland, draw a team of UW-Madison Phil Townsend (Forestry and Wildlife Mývatn and the experiences of UW researchers, including Tony Ives Ecology), as well as their dedicated graduate students and faculty there on (Zoology and Entomology), Jake graduate students and field assistants. the Smidge of Midge blog: uwmyvatn. Vander Zanden (Zoology), Claudio The group studies fluctuations in insect blogspot.com. Gratton (Entomology and Zoology), and fish populations in the lake.

Researcher Earns Prestigious Award

Professor Anthony Ives, a theoretical ecologist, received the prestigious Robert H. MacArthur Award from the Ecological Society of America in August 2012. He is the third member of the Department of Zoology to receive the award, after limnologist Stephen Carpenter and landscape ecologist Monica Turner. Ives works on a wide range of theoretical and experimental ecological questions, from boom-bust cycles of midge populations at an Icelandic lake to predator-prey dynamics in the agricultural fields of Wisconsin. Read more about the award at news.wisc.edu/20915.

zoology.wisc.edu 5 Mixing It up with an Turbulent Ecology Invasive Species Professor Monica Turner’s lab studies landscapes in flux University of Wisconsin-Madison “Where we are now — scientists, under the direction of Asso- ciate Professor of Zoology Jake Vander this is the very edge of Zanden, are mixing an entire lake — Crystal Lake, in Vilas County, Wis- the science. Climate is consin — in an attempt to eradicate changing the rules of the rainbow smelt, a fish that feasts on the young populations of other species game for many ecosystems.” such as perch and walleye. — Professor Monica Turner Measures to remove rainbow smelt typically involve chemicals that destroy If you know that forests naturally most of the lake’s ecosystem. regenerated after the 1988 Yellowstone But scientists at UW-Madison fires and that some trees (lodgepole may have a better solution. The smelt pines, for example) actually evolved to require a cold-water habitat and rely be fire dependent, then you probably on the thermal stratification of lakes Professor Monica Turner is a pioneer in the have Monica Turner to thank. field of landscape ecology. to survive in the summer — and this A pioneer in the field of landscape provided the idea behind the Crystal ecology, the professor of Zoology has all of these new variables is anybody’s Lake Mixing Project. spent almost three decades studying, guess, and it makes for exciting work in Mixing began on Crystal Lake in writing, and talking about forest fires Turner’s lab. the spring, and the team succeeded in and their aftermath, changing attitudes “Where we are now — this is the creating a near-uniform temperature and shaping management techniques. very edge of the science,” said Turner. in the lake. The smelt began behaving Now Turner is trying to understand “Climate is changing the rules of the irregularly in early August, with some just how much of what she thought game for many ecosystems.” dying and floating to the surface. was true about fire and forests may no The trick, for Turner and her Keep an eye out for further longer apply. colleagues, is to anticipate some of updates from Crystal Lake in our Turner’s lab is studying the effects those changes. next newsletter. of climate change on fire regimes in the A new project encourages this ap- northern Rockies, and finding that as the proach. Turner’s lab is part of a National landscape gets warmer and drier, fires are Science Foundation-funded project more frequent. With less time between to study the Yahara Watershed, which blazes, trees may not have enough includes the five Madison-area lakes. time to produce cones, and with more The project is built on an interdisciplin- frequent summer droughts, fewer tree ary team made up of five UW-Madison seedlings may establish themselves after faculty members: an atmospheric fires. In 50 or even 20 years, that could scientist, a limnologist (Steve Carpenter, spell big changes for forests in Yellow- also in Zoology), a social scientist, a stone National Park and elsewhere. civil engineer, and a landscape ecologist “We’ve created models for what (Turner). They’ll be looking specifically might happen,” said Turner. “We may at “ecosystem services,” the term used be looking at a forest fire regime that to describe the many benefits that people will be different than anything seen since derive from nature, such as fresh water, the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago.” food, bioenergy, hunting, fishing, and (Above top) Rainbow smelt have invaded Will fires eventually kill the western recreation. around 25 lakes in Wisconsin, forcing forests? “We’ll be looking at what can be managers to restock them. Turner’s graduate students are done to enhance sustainability in the future, given anticipated changes in cli- The project uses devices called Gradual studying that very question. It may be Entrainment Lake Inverters (GELIs) — that bark beetles (whose populations mate, policy, and land use,” said Turner. large trampoline-like objects that move have surged in recent warmer years) “This is the watershed where we all up and down — to mix the lake and actually help reduce the risk of cata- live and work, so we are committed to destroy the smelt’s cold-water haven. strophic fires. The beetles thin the forest understanding it.” and deplete fuels in the canopy, Turner said. But, how forests will respond amid n n n

6 Zoology Now Making a Difference BILL FEENY Gifts support student research, travel, and more

Thanks to generous alumni and donors, the Department of Zoology offers annual funding for summer research and travel to deserving undergraduates and graduate students. Applying for the grants requires students to articulate their research needs and thus gain experience in grant writing. For example, the Edward A. & Anna G. Birge Undergraduate Scholar- ship Fund, which awards $3,000 for summer research, requires applicants to write a research statement, build a budget, and get a letter of support from Kristin Lee, winner of the Hilldale Award, and Todd Olson, recipient of the Edward A. & Anna G. Birge Undergraduate Scholarship. their adviser. “Essentially, they create a mini grant proposal,” said Department of Zoology “For me, the value of this Your gifts support student and supervisor Peggy Nowicki, who adminis- grant cannot be overstated. faculty research, travel, museum ters the grants. “The process teaches them curating, and so much more. how to write persuasively for funding.” I was able to completely Students often use the money to pay for much-needed lab supplies, but the free up my summer and Giving Options funds also mean that they won’t have to dedicate a large chunk of By mail: Send a check made scramble for a summer job. This year’s payable to the UW Foundation recipient is Todd Olson, an undergradu- my time to the project.” (indicate “Department of Zoology” ate from the lab of Professor Tony Ives or your choice of specific fund) to: who is studying “Space and Coexistence — Todd Olson University of Wisconsin Foundation in Tropical Trees.” U.S. Bank Lockbox, Box 78807 “For me, the value of this grant nual meetings of the Ecological Society Milwaukee, WI 53278-0807 cannot be overstated,” said Olson. “I of America, the Society for Behavioral was able to completely free up my sum- Neuroendocrinology Conference, and Online: zoology.wisc.edu/ mer and dedicate a large chunk of my the International Association for Great support/excellence.html time to the project.” Lakes Research, to name a few. The Department of Zoology also Zoology students also received pres- Planned giving: If you are consid- awarded grants ranging from $1,500 to tigious campus awards this year, helping ering a planned gift such as stocks, $9,000 to 20 graduate students. to benefit outstanding student scholars: bonds, mutual funds, real estate, Alumni and friends of Zoology n Kristin Lee — $3,000 Hilldale or bequests, please contact Dani contribute to our excellence by support- Award (Research lab of Professor Luckett at the UW Foundation at ing funds such as the Zoology Fund, Carol Lee) [email protected] the Emlen Fund, the Noland Fund, the n Lauren Hennelly — $3,000 Hill- or (608) 263-0522. Meyer Fund, and the Jorgens Fund, dale Award (Research lab of Assis- which make these summer research grants tant Professor Pete McIntyre) Thank you for your support! possible for successful graduate student n Emily Holts — $3,000 Holstrom Please update your address in authors of “mini grant proposals.” Environmental Scholarship (Re- the Alumni Directory online at The John Jefferson Davis Travel search lab of Professor Jake Vander uwalumni.com/directory; call Awards Fund provides grants each spring Zanden) (888) WIS-ALUM (947-2586); and fall to graduate students who are or email changes to presenting at conferences. Last spring, n n n [email protected]. 17 award recipients attended the an-

zoology.wisc.edu 7 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit #658 Madison, WI Stay in Touch L.E. Noland Zoology Building 250 North Mills Street We’d like to Madison, WI 53706 USA hear from you!

Please send any news that we can include in future newsletters to: UW-Madison Department of Zoology 250 North Mills Street Madison, WI 53706 Attn: Peggy Nowicki [email protected]

Please update your address in the Alumni Directory online at uwalumni.com/directory; call (888) WIS-ALUM (947-2586); or email changes to [email protected].

Kyle Webert, a graduate student in the lab of Professor Tony Ives, in Mývatn, Iceland. Read more on page 5.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARNI EINARSSON, UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND