Prof. Wayne Leibel Honored for Lifetime Achievement
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VOLUME 6 WINTER 2010-11 MELISSA HABEr ’12 PROF. WAYNE LEIBEL HONORED RECEIVES EPA FEllOWSHIP FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT elissa Haber ’12 (Piscataway, N.J.) Mhas received the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greater Research Opportunity fellowship, which will finance research supplies and provide tuition assistance and a stipend during the semester. The fellowship also includes a three-month internship with the EPA next summer. Haber’s passion for biology began in high school and was further piqued through a two-week externship at Rockefeller University in New York City during her first year at Lafayette. She’s looking forward to the challenges of conducting research outside academia. “[The field of] biology is always changing,” she says. “There are new Wayne Leibel, Kreider Professor of Biology, and Christina Chen ’11 observe cichlids in Kunkel Hall. discoveries every day and I love to be a part of the exploration. Entering the EPA project will force me to conquer hroughout his career, Professor are parental, guarding and raising their the steep end of the learning curve Wayne Leibel’s hobbies and scientific offspring, which is unusual for fish that quickly, which is a valuable skill.” Tinterests have often overlapped. typically scatter large numbers of fertilized Haber has worked extensively with Since childhood, Leibel has raised eggs. Because of this behavior, they have Laurie Caslake, associate professor tropical fish, maintaining large collections in evolved elaborate colorations and courtship and head of biology, on research using aquariums in his home. A family of tropical behaviors, and have speciated dramatically. microscopic bacteria to strengthen freshwater fish called cichlids (pronounced There are about 2,500 species, with a soil. Through Caslake’s collaborative SICK-lids) has captured his interest most, wide variety of colors and patterns. National Science Foundation grant, Haber both for their interesting behaviors and In the classroom, Leibel uses cichlids spent this summer working with Jason their beauty. Cichlids are one of Leibel’s as an example of explosive, rapid evolution DeJong, associate professor of civil and main areas of research, and he incorporates and speciation. He talks about them in his environmental engineering at University much of this work into his courses. Evolutionary Biology course, as well as in his of California-Davis. They researched a The American Cichlid Association has senior seminar on Molecular Evolution. He is process that potentially could be used to made Leibel a Guy Jordan Fellow, which working with biology major Christina Chen ’11 strengthen the soil beneath structures honors those who have made significant (Westfield, N.J.) on female territoriality in where natural disasters frequently occur. n lifetime contributions to the advancement of the “convict” cichlid. Convicts are medium- the knowledge and appreciation of cichlids. sized black-and-white-striped cichlids from Leibel, Kreider Professor of Biology, Central America that serve as a model is the eighth person to be given the system for behavioral studies, particularly honor since the first recipient was named concerning territoriality and mate choice. in 1987. “I am humbled by and proud Other students also have done honors and of this recognition for what has been independent research with Leibel on cichlids. a labor of love, one that will hopefully “As a trained scientist, my interest in continue for years to come,” he says. cichlids transcended the obvious aesthetic The complicated behavior of cichlids is charm of these animals to their evolution one reason for Leibel’s particular interest in and behavior. My contribution to the hobby them versus other aquarium fish. Cichlids (Continued on page 2) FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD s the calendar flips to Learning project in the STEM A December and faculty and disciplines. We continue to Note: all email addresses are @lafayette.edu students alike look forward to a review and refine our program FACULTY well-deserved Christmas break, with an eye toward the future Laurie F. Caslake we celebrate another year of of biology in the context of the Associate Professor and progress toward our collective increasingly multi- and trans- Department Head goal of making the Lafayette disciplinary life sciences. (610) 330-5462, caslakel biology program the best it can What remains constant in James R. Dearworth be now and into the future. all of this positive change is Assistant Professor and Marked by passion in our commitment to providing Chair of Neuroscience Program teaching and research, our inquiry-based research (610) 330-5466, dearworj faculty continues to engage students in experiences for our students through Anna Edlund critical thinking and active learning in our vigorous and rigorous independent research, Assistant Professor courses and research labs. Recently, our honors research, EXCEL Scholars, and (610) 330-5465, edlunda assessment of student learning indicated Nalven Summer Scholars programs. These Charles W. Holliday a need to focus on the acquisition and research experiences routinely culminate Professor presentation of data more intensively in student-faculty presentations at regional, (610) 330-5461, hollidac throughout our curriculum. To this end, national, and international professional Wayne S. Leibel the General Biology laboratory—thanks to meetings and co-authored publications. Gideon R., Jr., and Alice L. John Drummond—has again been tweaked We are, justifiably, proud of our Kreider Professor (610) 330-5460, leibelw to make each lab more data intensive and students and their accomplishments. inquiry driven. With support from the The neuroscience program continues Robert Kurt Associate Professor McCutchen Foundation, the newest addition to be successful in attracting and (610) 330-5681, kurtr to the biology department, a pontoon graduating robust numbers of excellent Manuel Ospina-Giraldo boat, allowed Professor Nancy Waters science students. For the next three Assistant Professor to develop Advanced Aquatic Ecology. years, this program will be ably led by (610) 330-5655, ospinam Professors Megan Rothenberger and Anna Professor Jim Dearworth. We, along with Elaine R. Reynolds Edlund have developed additional new psychology, will continue to enhance and Associate Professor courses. Professor Manuel Ospina-Giraldo expand this very successful program. (610) 330-5654, reynolde has firmly established Genomics in the Enjoy the newsletter. As always, Megan Rothenberger ’02 curriculum and tweaked his specialty course we love to hear how you are doing. Assistant Professor into Essentials of Plant Infectious Disease. (610) 330-5459, rothenbm Professor Robert Kurt continues to Nancy McCreary Waters administer the health and life science Associate Professor minor, which is attracting students from (610) 330-5467, watersn across the campus. Culminating in fall 2010, Kurt was intimately involved in our three- STAFF year PKAL Facilitating Interdisciplinary L. Philip Auerbach Department Technician (610) 330-5468, auerbacl John Drummond LEIBEL RECEIVES AwARD Leibel has published about 250 articles Laboratory Coordinator (Continued from page 1) on cichlid biology, mainly for popular (610) 330-5912, drummonj has been to make understandable through my science magazines, and has written two Paulette McKenna writing the science of cichlids to people who books on new world cichlids. He also has Department Secretary might otherwise not appreciate it. been an invited speaker at conventions and (610) 330-5456, mckennap My contribution to the science of workshops throughout the country. He has cichlids has been as a conduit for hobbyists edited the American Cichlid Association’s Biology is published annually by the Department of Biology, Lafayette to contribute their observations to the journal for eight years, and has served College, Easton, PA 18042 for current cichlid science community,” he says. on the association’s board of trustees biology majors, prospective students, Leibel has been teaching at Lafayette since many times, including twice as chairman. and biology alumni with the assistance 1983, and served nine years as head of the Most recently, he has been in charge of of the Division of Communications. biology department. He helped create the administering the association’s yearly Editors: Wayne Leibel and Bob Kurt neuroscience program along with Provost grant program that funds cichlid research, Photographer: Chuck Zovko Wendy Hill and other colleagues from the primarily helping doctoral and postdoctoral biology and psychology departments. researchers to complete their studies. n 12/10 • 3K BIOLOGY at LafaYette 2 INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSE MERGES ART AND SCIENCE rt and science are closer cousins than A they are often recognized as being. That is the theme of a new cross-disciplinary course, taught by biology and art faculty, that explores the connected history and current intersection between the two fields. Art, Neuroscience, and Consciousness was taught by Elaine Reynolds, associate professor of biology, and Ed Kerns, Eugene H. Clapp II ’36 Professor of Art. The course is an extension of the Emergent Patterns project, where art and science students worked with Kerns, Reynolds, and Chun Wai Liew, associate professor and head of computer science, to produce the Computation, Vision: Emergence exhibition. Funding for the course was provided by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Students and faculty from art, biology, computer science, electrical and computer engineering,