Umyumyum–LiquidgoldatSt.OlafRebecca Carlson ’11, biology and environmental studies major

Ihavebeenobsessedwithmaplesyrupforthreeyears,eversinceIsawmyfriendstappingsugarmapletreeswithJohnGianniniinPlantPhysiology.Notknowinghowtoidentifysugarmapletreeswithouttheirleavesinthewinter,IdecidedtostealthilytapPresidentAnderson’streesinhisbackyard.ThenextyearIdoubledmytaps‐sixtreesbehindLarson.Iexperimentedwithatubingsystem‐anditworked!Stillnotsatisfiedwithmyproduction,lastspringIappliedforandreceivedasocialentrepreneurshipgrantthroughtheCenterfor

March 2011 Volume 9, Issue 7 BioMass

Upcoming Seminars Mondays

4:00 PM

RNS 410 ________________

April 4

Adam Book

Postdoc researcher

Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center

UW Madison Improved Biomass Processing for Cellulosic Biofuels: Enzyme Discovery and Analysis from Naturally Cellulocytic Microbes _______________

April 8 (Friday) Larry Prochaska Joint Bio and Chem Seminar Frederick A. White Distinguished Professor and Vice-Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Wright State Univ. School of Medicine Modeling Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Diseases; Mutational Analysis of Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit III RNS 390

_______________

April 18

Biology Dept Student Poster Session

TheSt.OlafBiologyDepartmentnewsletter

SeniorBiologyReflection–LisaDeGuireLisa De Guire ’11, biology major, environmental studies concentration Ihavebattledindecisionmyentirelife.AtrestaurantsIamthelastonetoorderandusuallyendupgettingwhateverthewaitressrecommends.IntheCaf,untilIgotusedtoit,Ipiledmyplate(s)withfoodfromeverylinebecauseeverythinglookedsogood.UnfortunatelydecidingonamajorisnotsomethingIwouldtrustawaitresstodecideformeandmyplateisn’tbigenoughtomajorineverything.Myindecisioncomesfromaself‐imposeddesiretoalwaysmakethebestdecisionpossible.Luckily,intermsofmymajor,Ididjustthat.MyinitialinterestinabiologymajorcamefrommydesireforhandsonlearningandawonderfulAPBiologyclassmysenioryearofhighschool.ThoughIoccasionallyquestionedmydecisioninthemidstofintroductorychemistry,duringmyfirstbiologylabsophomoreyear,aswetrompedaroundthenaturallandscatchingsnakesandformulatingbiologicalobservations,IknewthatIhadfoundmymajor.ThebiologymajoratSt.Olafhastakenmeallaroundtheworld.IhaveperformedhandsonresearcheverywherefromourlocalstreamsandnaturallandstotheruralvillagesofIndiaandthedepthsoftheAmazon.IntheGalapagos,IwasabletowitnessstrikingexamplesofDarwin’snaturalselection.InIndia,biologytookonamorehumanface,asIsurveyedvillagersandconductedresearchonmosquitomitigationtechniques.Intherainforest,Iencounteredmorebiodiversityinoneweekthansomepeopleseeinalifetime.ThroughtheseexperiencesIhavelearnedthatbiologyhasmanyfacetsandapplicationsandthatitiseverywhere.ThecaliberoftheSt.OlafBiologydepartmentalsosolidifiedmydecision,withengagingprofessorsandsomeofthebestfacilitiesonecouldfindatasmallliberalartsschool.ThemajorhasprovidedmewithastrongskillsetthatIwillbeabletotakewithmewhereverIgo,nomatterwhatIdo.Ithastaughtmetoaskgoodquestions,tobeaconstantobserver,howtothinkanalytically,problemsolve,conductresearch,andaboveall,howtoskinandstuffawildturkey.I’mstillindecisiveandoccasionallyregretnotaddinganadditionalmajor;however,Ihaveneverregrettedchoosingbiology.

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ExperientialLearning.With$3,000Iwasabletobuildasugarshack,weldanevaporator,andbuytheequipmentnecessarytoinstallthetreestoatubingsystem.

Mymaininterestinthiswholeprojectisourconnectiontonature.Sugarbushingissoexcitingtomebecauseitgetsyououtside.Asasociety,wehavebecomesooutoftouchwiththeoutdoors.Byhavingareason,anexcusetogohangoutoutside,byappreciatingthenaturalphenomenonthathappenseveryspringregardlessifyoutapintoitornot‐thisallhelpsstrengthenourrelationshipwithnature.Plusit'sablast...

Ihave76tapsoutthisseasonandamhopingtoproduce15‐20gallonsofsyrup.Ihavehadafabuloustimebuildingthebush,butitsurehasbeenmoreworkthanIeverimagined!Thegemofthiswholeprojecthasbeenthecommunitysupport.Icouldneverhavedoneitwithouttheirhelp.Fromteachingmetoweld,helpingdrawtheblueprintsfortheshack,answeringmymanyquestions,holdingatapemeasure,keepingmecompany,liftingheavythings,listeningtometalkandtalkandtalkaboutmaplesyrup....it'sbeengreat!

PicturesandtextexcerptedwithpermissionfromRebeccaCarlson’sblog,Umyumyum,LiquidgoldatSt.Olaf,“History”.OriginalpublishdateMarch2011.Herfullblogcanbefoundathttp://sto‐umyumyum.blogspot.com/.

[Rebecca]Cuttingoutthedoor Sugarshackbarnraisingday!

juststartingtoboil roughly45gallonssap...about1.5gallonssyrup

after5hoursboiling

Tipsonapplyingtograduateschoolby Lisa Drewry ’12, biology and individual major

Allinall,applyingtogradschoolwasagreatexperienceforJaimeeHoefert,who’llbeheadingtotheUniversityofColoradoBoulderthisAugusttostudyMolecular,Cellular,&DevelopmentalBiology.However,theprocesswasnotaneasyonetomasterandJaimeehasalotofadviceforotherOlesthinkingoftakingtheplungeandapplyingtogradschool.Morethananythingelse,itisimportanttostartearly,soyouhavetimetoconsidereverythingandasklotsofquestions.Althoughapplicationsgenerallyaren’tdueuntilDecemberorJanuary,bythesummerbeforeyoursenioryearyoushouldbelookingatprogramsandidentifyingwhichyou’reseriouslyinterestedin.Thisisnotsomethingyouhavetodobyyourself.Allyourprofessorshavebeentogradschoolandaregreatsourcesofinformationandadvice.Don’tbeafraidtotalktothem–they’rehappytohelpandknowmuchmorethanyoudoaboutwhatyoushouldbelookingforinaprogram.Also,it’sagreatideatostudyforandtaketheGREduringthesummer–especiallysothisupcomingsummerastheGREwillbechanginginAugust.Ifyoucantaketheoldtest,you’relikelytoscorebetterastherewillbemoreandbetterreviewmaterials.Puttinginthetimetostudyisworthit–theGREisnotaconceptuallydifficulttest,buttherearetricksthatcanvastlyimproveyourscore.Dependingonwhichprogramsyou’reinterestedin,youmayalsoberequiredorrecommendedtotakeasubjecttest.Obviously,takingthesubjecttestanddoingwellisgreat.However,ifyoufeelyou’reunlikelytoscorewellthismayverywellhurtyourapplication,andmanyschoolsdon’trequireanysubjecttests.Asfarastheapplicationgoes,theonlydifficultpartisthestatementofpurpose,whichyoushouldbeginearlysoyoucangothroughseveraldrafts.Aslongasyou’vegottentoknowprofessors,lettersofrecommendationshouldnotbeexceedinglydifficult.However,makesureyougiveyourletter‐writersplentyoftimeandprovidethemwithalltheinformationtheyneedtowriteyouagreatletter.Youshouldgiveeachletter‐writeracopyofyourCV,statementofpurpose,anddirectionsregardingsubmissionanddeadlines.Justincaseyourletter‐writersaren’tultra‐organizedorprompt,youshouldalsoremindthemtheweekanddaybeforetheirlettersaredue.Onceyou’vegottenthroughtheapplication,you’reontohopingforinterviews.Mostschoolsdonotpublicizewhentheynotifycandidateswhethertheyreceivedaninterview,buttheydopostwhentheinterviewswillbe.Dependingontheschoolyou’reinterviewingat,theinterviewsareoftenfairlylaidback.Theytreatyouwellandarereallytryingtogiveyouagoodfeelfortheirprogram.Afteraninterviewweekend,you’llhearbackaboutacceptancefrommostschoolsinaboutaweek.Finally,althoughgettinganinterviewisexciting,theyarealsoverytime‐consuming.Ifyou’vealreadydecidedyou’renolongerinterestedinaschool,turningdownaninterviewofferisperfectlyacceptable.

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PhenologyWalksby Katie Halvorson '11, biology major, ES concentration, image by Tyler Refsland ’11, biology and es major Springiscertainlyonitsway—themonthofMarchcomestoacloseinjustafewshortdays,thefrozenpondshavebeguntothaw,thesnowhasallbutvanished,temperaturesarerising(albeitratherslowly),andawholehordeofnewspringarrivalshavebeenspottedinthearea.Socome

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joinyourStudentNaturalistsTHISFRIDAY(4/1)aswecontinueourweeklyseriesofphenologywalkstoseewhatelsewecanfind!WewillbedepartingfromoutsidetheRegentssciencelibraryat3pmandshouldfinishthewalk(nearTostrud)around5pm.Thisweekwewillbekeepinganespeciallysharpeyeoutforchipmunksandspringephemerals,whichcouldbearrivinganytimenow.Here'saquicklistofourmostrecentsightings:

• baldeaglessoaringovercampus(meaningthatopenwaterisnearby)• woodcocks(whowillbegintheirspectacularcourtshipdanceinjustafewweeks!)• red‐wingedblackbirdsandthesoundsoftheirrecognizable"kon‐ka‐reeeeee"call• meadowvolesrunningaboveground• flocksofmallardsandCanadageesearrivingbackoncampusastheicerecedesfrom

thewetlandsPhenologyisthestudyofperiodicbiologicalevents,suchasthebeginningsofactiveandbreedingseasonsofanimals,leafingoutandfloweringofplants,returnanddeparturesofmigratoryspeciesfromageographicarea,etc.Inadditiontoinformingbasicscientificknowledgeoflocalspeciesandecosystems,phenologicalstudyoverlongperiodsoftimeallowsustomonitorbiologicalchangesthatareresponsestochangesinotherecologicalfactors.Nearlyeveryweekendfortherestofthesemester,thestudentnaturalistswillbewalkingasetroutethroughtheNaturalLandsandtakingnoteofphenologicallysignificantsightingsinordertoprovidethedatathatmayrevealsignificanttrendsinbiologicaleventsastheclimatechanges.Also,keepaneyeoutforthephenologychartuponourboardonthe4thfloorhallwayofRegents,onwhichanyonecancontributetheirownsightings!

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EquatorialBiologyby Charlie Reinertsen ’13, biology major TheEquatorialbiologyprogramledbySteveFreedbergisawindowintoaworldfilledwithincrediblescenery,ancientculture,andstaggeringbiodiversity.OurtimeinEcuadorwasfilledwithsomanystunningeventsthatevenaftertwomonthsIamstillfindingnewmemoriestoreflectupon.Totrytogivejusticetoeachoftheseeventsinashortessayisimpossible;instead,IwilltrytogiveyouatasteofsomeofthemostuniquepartsofourjourneytoEcuador.OurfirstexcursionbroughtustotheGalapagosarchipelago,madefamousbyCharlesDarwin.IntheGalapagos,wecamewithinarmsreachofanimalsthatcan’tbefoundanywhereelse,includinggianttortoises,marineiguanas,andboobies.Whenweweren’tonhikesexploringvolcanoesandmangroveforests,weweresnorkelingwithfishandseaturtles.IntheGalapagos,wespenthalfofourtimeonayachttravelingbetweenislands,andwespenttheotherhalfwithlocalfamiliesonIsabelaisland.WhenweleftIsabelaisland,weweresurroundedbyapodofhundredsofdolphins.Whilewatchingthedolphins,IrememberwonderinghowtherestofourtripcouldeverbeamatchforourtimeintheGalapagos.OurnextadventuretookustoPapallacta,wherebromeliadsandhotspringsareabundant.Afterhikingbyapristinestream,wespenttheafternoonlearningabouttheprocessofspeciationwhilesittinginthehotspringsoutsideofourcabins.Afterthesunset,wewentsearchingforfrogsandinsectswithheadlamps.Thefollowingday,wetraveledbacktoQuitotogetreadyforourtriptothecloudforestinMindo.AtMindo,wesawincrediblebirddiversity.Amongthemostcolorfulbirdswerethesunbittern,thepelican,andthecockoftherock.Toseethecockoftherock,wewokeupbeforesunriseandhikedupthemountain‐sidewithheadlamps.Asthesunrose,theforestcamealivewiththesquawksofthecockoftherock,andthroughthefoliagewecaughtglimpsesofthebrightredmalesastheydancedforthefemales.Inbetweenhikes,thelodgebecameourclassroom.Throughdiscussionandlectures,wewereabletogainanappreciationfortheincrediblediversityofplantsandanimalsinEcuador,anditmadeourexperienceevenmoremeaningful.AshardasitwastoleaveMindo,weknewthatwehadthemostexcitingpartofourjourneyaheadofus.Afterplane,bus,andboatrides,wefinallyarrivedattheTiputiniresearchstationintheAmazonrainforest.AtTiputini,weswamintheriver,caughtpiranhaandcatfish,spottedcaiman(arelativeofthecrocodile),caughtfrogs,snakes,andlizards,andimmersedourselvesintheincrediblebiodiversityoftherainforest.Inadditiontoourhikesinwhichwesawtapir,guan,spidermonkeys,andcountlessinsects,wealsodesignedourownexperimentsandcollectedpreliminarydata.Aswewereleavingtherainforest,IrememberthinkingthatifwecouldflybacktotheGalapagosandstartthetripoverfromthebeginning,Iwouldn’tthinktwiceaboutit;however,thenextplaneweboardedtookushomeinstead.Onourfinalday,wecappedoffourjourneybyhikingupthetallestVolcanointheworld,Cotopaxi.Onourwayupthevolcano,wewatchedtheandeancondor,anextremelyrarebirdwithatenfootwingspan,soaroverourheadsanddisappearintotheclouds.Laterthatevening,ourplanedisappearedintothesameclouds,takingusmilesawayfromanadventurethatIwillneverbeabletoforget.