CBS People: Erin Fider

Name: Erin Fider

Job title: Program Associate

Number of years with the college: 3.5 (also worked for the Department of Pharmacology for 8 years prior)

Where you work: Itasca Biology Program

Describe something interesting or unusual about your work here:
I work in St. Paul during the academic year and spend three months each summer at Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories. The contrast between the city and the woods, as well as the two distinct working environments, lets me lead a double life. At Itasca, I get to interact on a more personal level with people I meet only in passing here on campus. Living there is unpredictable. On any given day you might run across a bear, get caught in a storm or watch a helicopter land on the soccer field. The best part is working with the great Itasca staff that I only get to see during the summer months. As many will attest, their combined sense of humor cannot be rivaled!

Where’s your favorite spot to hang out when you are at Itasca?
I walk to a huge boulder out on Bear Paw point nearly every day. It's the perfect place to watch the sunset, have a picnic or just sit. I've taken to calling it "my rock" even though the plaque bolted onto it is in memory of Samuel Green, the pioneer forester and professor who first established summer courses in forestry at Itasca. I guess he must have enjoyed the solitude there as well, but he doesn't seem to mind sharing it.

What do you listen to in the car when you drive from St. Paul to Itasca?
Anything and everything! The Essential Adam Ant CD was my top pick this summer. It's impossible to get drowsy while listening to Ant music and it brings back some fun memories.

CBS students making a difference in the world

College of Biological Sciences undergraduates volunteered with Minnesota Medical Leaders this summer in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Michelle Holman, one of the volunteers on the medical mission, describes her experience...

CBS People: Tracy Anderson

Name: Tracy Anderson

Job title: Microscopist / Imaging Specialist (Junior Scientist)

Number of years with the college: 5.5 years (Also, graduated from CBS with a microbiology degree and worked as an undergrad for CBS information technology and also as a teaching assistant for the Biology program.)

Where you work: CBS Imaging Center

Describe something interesting or unusual about your work here.
Working in a University core facility, which serves the entire U of M community, I get to look at a plethora of interesting things under the microscope. The list includes bacteria that can sense magnetic poles, odor absorbing upholstery, orange flavoring used in foods, tool artifacts from the Stone Age, cheese, butter, a piece of an iron-clad ship from the Civil War, extinct insects, owl retina, islet cells, shrimp food, skin exfoliant cream, heart stents, pacemakers, plant roots, basil, artificial tissue, Brazilian moths, astronaut food, lichens collected from around the world … the list goes on. I feel privileged to look at the world with such a unique perspective.

How do you usually get to work?
During the warmer months I drive my MINI Cooper to work, although I really miss riding a scooter. During the winter months I take the bus, which conveniently drops me off next to Snyder Hall in St. Paul where I work.

What other professional pursuit could you imagine for yourself?
Food stylist/photographer and restaurant critic. And pastry chef. In New York City.

A strong foundation

Looking for an innovative, fun, and challenging introduction to biology? Check out the Foundations of Biology, a required course for all first-year College of Biological Sciences students!



Foundations of Biology is taught in an interactive, state-of-the-art classroom. It provides students with individualized atttention from top faculty and hands-on experience, focusing on applying knowledge to real life issues.

CBS Spotlight: Lake Itasca Biological Station

Located near the headwaters of the Mississippi River, Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories is a pristine living laboratory of lakes, bogs, springs, and forests with biodiversity that puts it as close to a tropical rain forest as we get in Minnesota.

Today, students go to Itasca to get their feet wet as tomorrow’s researchers. Moreover, research now underway at the field station such as the Minnesota Mississippi Metagenome Project reflects advances in ecology driven by molecular biology, genomics, remote sensing and computational biology.

If you want to know more about what the U of M and Lake Itasca Biological Station have to offer, click here.

CBS People: Sarah Corrigan

Job title: Assistant Director, Honors in CBS

Number of years with the college: 9

Where you work: CBS Student Services and the University Honors Program

Describe something interesting or unusual about your work here:
I try to learn all my students’ names, and I’ve learned over the years that it's easier to do if you memorize both first and last name. Sometime my brain works like a search engine - input the last name, and the first name comes up a second or two later.

What’s your favorite biology topic?
My interests in biology include issues in conservation and behavior in birds. I can watch hummingbird videos on YouTube for quite a while without getting bored. The one class I wish I’d taken as a student is entomology. The only insects I can identify are the larvae eaten by bluegill sunfish.

Where’s your favorite place on campus to hang out?
I love the horticulture garden on St. Paul campus. Gardening is one of my favorite obsessions!

Stay tuned for more profiles of CBS people in the coming months!

CBS on Twitter!

                                      

Twitter lets you keep in touch with what is happening in CBS through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What's happening? Check out the CBS twitter page and get your tweet on!

CBS students going the extra mile

Students at the U of M are constantly challanging themselves to create a better future for others.

CBS student Mike Torchia covered 400 miles in seven days this summer in an effort to raise funds to endow college scholarships for Peruvian orphans. He explains why he felt compelled to “do more” after spending winter break volunteering in the orphanage in this video:



You can also become involved in student organizations like Biology Without Borders, a group that volunteers in areas like Tanzania, Kenya, and Boliva. Click here to check out more student organization opportunities!

U2 coming to TCF Bank Stadium this summer

The U of M campus is home all kinds of shows and events throughout the year, providing entertainment and enrichment opportunities for students and the community. The University regularly hosts famous authors, politicians, business leaders, and scholars, as well as world-renowned musicians, dancers, and artists, and more. Many events are free or offer discounts to U of M students. This summer, U2 will play at TCF Bank Stadium--the first concert to be held in the stadium since its official opening this past August.

If you want to see U2 perform in TCF Bank Stadium on July 27 as part of its "360" tour, tickets start at $30 and go on sale November 21, 2009. It's sure to be an amazing event! Learn more here.

Want to get a taste of what's happening around campus? Check out the "On Campus" section of the University's Web site.

CBS in the news: Converting bacterial to biofuel

At the U of M, many different opportunities arise every day to get involved and make an impact in your community!

The Department of Energy gave a $2.2 million dollar grant to for a research proposal using bacteria to produce biofuel. Lead investigator Larry Wackett, University Distinguished McKnight Professor in CBS, is working with faculty from CBS and the Institute of Technology to develope a co-culture of bacteria that converts carbon dioxide into gasoline and diesel.

The University's bacterial-to-biofuel project was one of three featured in Monday's New York Times.

Click here to read more about the project on the CBS Web site.

Want to live on campus? Apply now!

Over 80 percent of U of M first-year students live on campus. Why? The reasons are endless...living on campus helps you to make new friends, get involved in the U of M community, and provides a supportive (and fun) environment to help you adjust to college life. Plus, it's convenient! You'll be close to your classes, libraries, the student union, the rec center, and much more.

If you are a senior this year and have applied for admission the University of Minnesota, you can apply for housing online now. (You do not have to wait for an admissions decision to apply.) Housing assignments are based on the date you submit your housing application, so the sooner you apply, the better!

Want to get an inside look at our residence halls? Click here for online video tours and more information.

I would also recommend checking out this helpful FAQ about the housing application process.

CBS in the news: Researchers develop new test for melamine

What does it mean to be a student at a top public research university? As a U of M student, you will part of a community making life-changing discoveries that protect and enhance the health of people around the world.

CBS graduate students made headlines when an an enzyme they discovered was used to develop a test that simplifies the detection of melamine contamination in food. Melamine is an industrial chemical that killed six Chinese children and hospitalized 150,000 last year after it was added to milk to increase its apparent protein content. Testing kits to detect melamine used to cost $550. Using the enzyme discovered at the University, a cheaper, portable test was developed. The new test takes just minutes and costs only $13!

Click here to see a KARE-11 news video about this fascinating discovery, or learn more about University's BioTechnology Institute where the enzyme was developed.

Interested in learning more about how you can get involved in research on campus? Check out the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

What do you want to research? Leave me a comment and tell me about it!

What can you do with a CBS major?

One growing field is in genetic counseling!

Genetic counselors work with individuals who have an increased risk for a genetic condition or those at risk for having a child with a birth defect or genetic condition. They provide information and supportive counseling, coordinate testing, and connect families with community resources such as support groups and funding agencies.

Click here to learn more about Graduate Studies in Genetic Counseling at the U of M.

Do you YouTube?

Do you enjoy surfing YouTube until you find that exciting video that you can show all your friends?

Look no further! See what is currently happening in the College of Biological Sciences on its YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/umncbs

Meeting classmates before classes . . .

Nature of Life is a program that all College of Biological Sciences (CBS) students participate in the summer before their freshman year! Students meet classmates and professors during their stay at Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories, which is in northern Minnesota.

Check out this short video about Nature of Life!

Find your major!

Are you interested in the biological sciences but are not sure which major is for you?

Check out the seven different majors offered at the College of Biological Sciences:

Biochemistry
Biology
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
Genetics, Cell Biology & Development
Microbiology
Neuroscience
Plant Biology

A little about me...

Hi! My name is Adam Manteuffel and I am the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) freshman admissions counselor at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. In this blog I am going to tell you about exciting opportunities, important events/dates, and about my own experiences as a former student here in CBS!

Before I tell you more about CBS, I am going to share some fun facts about myself! First of all, I graduated from CBS in May 2009 with a degree in Biology and an emphasis in health sciences.

Most memorable U of M experience: Going to Golden Gopher football games with all of my friends!

Most interesting course: Immunology, because the professor was exceptional and he applied class topics to current events like H1N1 influenza.

Favorite campus restaurant: Jamba Juice! Because nothing goes better on a hot day than a nice cold smoothie.

Favorite hobby: Fishing and hunting. I love to relax and be outside with nature even if it is below zero during deer season or ice fishing on one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes.

Favorite trip: I went on a vacation for two weeks where I ziplined through the jungles of Guatemala, snorkeled off the coast of Belize, and enjoyed the beaches of Cancun, Mexico!

Favorite sports teams: I was born and raised in Wisconsin so I am a Packer fan through thick and thin, but I will cheer for the Golden Gophers over any other team! (And go Brewers!)

'Till next time...