Study Abroad: Tropical Reef Ecology

Listen to what College of Biological Sciences students and faculty say about their experiences studying tropical reef ecology off Roatan in Honduras!

Discover yourself through studying abroad in Honduras, where you will . . .

-Earn three course credits in December and January while spending a week diving in one of the most magnificent coral reef communities in the world!

-Conduct an independent-research project in an intact coral reef.

-Learn about the evolution and ecology of coral inhabitants.

-Enjoy a night dive, dolphin dive, and two boat dives daily.

-Study oceanography, zoology, evolution, and animal behavior in authentic settings.

-Take a side trip to the spectacular Mayan ruins of Copan on the mainland of Honduras.

Did you know that the University of Minnesota has the largest study abroad programs in the nation? Check out more study abroad programs offered by the College of Biological Sciences.

Meet the Scientist: Helene Muller Landau

What determines the variety of trees in a tropical forest? Is it the seed size? Perhaps seed-hungry animals? And what happens to forests that are being drastically changed by humans? Smithsonian Tropical Research Center Botanist, Helene Muller Landau, talks about her attempt to find answers to these questions.

Faculty in the College of Biological Sciences conduct a broad range of research, from molecules to ecosystems, and make discoveries that improve human health, restore the environment, provide new sources of renewable energy and enhance agriculture.

CBS faculty are also committed to training the next generation of scientists. They welcome students into their research labs and guide them through independent research projects. Their enthusiasm for hands-on education is one of the reasons CBS attracts such highly qualified students. Click here to check out the curent research that is being done in CBS!

CBS Spotlight: The Truth About Lions

Craig Packer, a CBS professor and leading expert on lions, is featured in the January issue of Smithsonian magazine in an article called “The Truth About Lions."

One of Packer’s more sensational experiments took aim at a long-standing mystery. A male lion is the only cat with a mane, and some scientists believed its function was to protect an animal’s neck during fights. But because lions are the only social felines, Packer thought manes were more likely a message or a status symbol. He asked a Dutch toy company to craft four plush, lifesize lions with light and dark manes of different lengths. He named them Lothario, Fabio, Romeo and Julio (as in Juilo Iglesias—this was the late 1990s!).

Professor Packer attracted lions to the dolls using calls of scavenging hyenas. When they encountered the dummies, female lions almost invariably attempted to seduce the dark-maned ones, while males avoided them, preferring to attack the blonds, particularly those with shorter manes.

Packer has been running the Serengeti Lion Project for 31 or its 43 years. It is the most extensive carnivore study ever conducted. You can learn more about Professor Packer and his fascinating work in the Smithsonian article.

Interested in animals and zoology?

Check out Biology 2012: General Zoology, and listen to lecturers Frank Barnwell and Keith Barker describe what the University of Minnesota can offer you! After all, this is just one of the many exciting and challenging courses offered through the College of Biological Sciences.

CBS Student Highlight: Kristin Roensch

What is your major?

Currently, I am a senior pursuing a major in Genetics, Cell Biology and Development and a minor in Spanish Studies.

Why was CBS a great fit for you?

I chose the College of Biological Sciences because of its dedication to and focus on the students. As a student in CBS, I have never felt like a number; everyone involved in CBS really goes above and beyond to make sure that the students are well taken care of and that all of their needs are met. It is so easy to get involved in CBS through its many student groups, organizations, and leadership opportunities. Overall, I am so happy with my decision to come to CBS--I have learned so much, both in and out of the classroom.

Ultimate Homecoming Parade

Now for a little flashback...

As you may know, this past fall marked the return of football to campus with the opening of the TCF Bank Stadium. It was dubbed 'The Ultimate Homecoming.'  Of course, any homecoming isn't complete without a parade, so on Friday, October 9, students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the University community joined together for a night to remember...

To show our school spirit during the parade, approximately 70 students, faculty, staff, and alumni represented the Nature of Life program and all seven departments within CBS. The students created caricatures to represent each of the departments. Dean Robert Elde and CBS founding dean Richard Caldecott rode in a convertible along with Biological Sciences Alumni Society Board of Directors President John S. Anderson. View our full-screen slideshow and see how it all went down!

BIO magazine is now online!

Many of us are spending more time online and less time paging through magazines. Afterall, you can't watch that exciting video about CBS students making a difference in the world if you're not using a computer. In that spirit, BIO (the College of Biological Science's magazine) has decided to go online to publish without the pulp and produce more timely, media-rich features!
 

Check out BIO magazine on the CBS Web site.