Another summer seminar

It's always nice to welcome one of your own back.

Our next visiting mentor, Dr. Matthew Garcia, is a UTPA alumnus. He will returning to his old stomping grounds to present a seminar titled, "The mitochondria and neurodegeneration: A tale of two proteins, μ-calpain and PANK2" on 15 July 2008, 11:30 am, in SCIE 2.106.

Matt Garcia completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biology here in 2002. He then completed his doctoral research at the University of Kentucky in 2007. He is currently a postdoctoral associate at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Summer seminar

Dr. Wes Tunnell is our next REU visiting mentor. He will be presenting a seminar on coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico on 1 July 2008, 1:00 pm, in SCIE 2.108.

Dr. Wes Tunnell is founder of the Center for Coastal Studies, Associate Director of the Harte Research Institute, Director of the Center for Coastal Studies, and Professor of Biology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He is a broadly trained marine biologist/ecologist with a particular interest in field studies on coral reefs and coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico.

Dr. Tunnell's most recent book, Coral Reefs of the Southern Gulf of Mexico, was published in 2007. He is slated to publish Texas Seashells later this year.

USDA summer internship

The institution: USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The program: The student intern will assist microbiologist in preparation of microbiological media, growth and maintenance of stock cultures, bioasssays and other related duties. In addition, intern can also assist chemist in chemical analyses pertaining to microbiological experiments. Other assignments will be determined based on student’s interest.

Requirements: Junior or senior status.

More information: Sandra.penaherrera@ars.usda.gov

REU and Earth Day

REU student Claudia Tamez is featured in an article in student newspaper, The Pan American, on her involvement in Earth Day 2008.

REU students: not just researchers, but leaders, too.

The envelope, please...

Our 2008 cohort of students is...

Ammie Ortiz
Stephanie Jimenez
Jessena Valdez
Stephanie Castellanos
Amery Yang
Ashley Longoria

More about these students soon!

Invasive species control internships

The institution: Numerous, working with Student Conservation Association. In 2007, there were 247 SCA Botany and Restoration positions located in 34 states in all regions of the country and working with state, federal, and private agencies, including the National Parks Service, US Forest Service, and The Nature Conservancy.

The program: Varies. Invasive species control internships are great positions for someone interested in spending time outside. Invasive species interns spend a large amount of time off trail getting to know an area intimately.

More information: http://www.thesca.org/conservation_internships/.
Search for internships here .

The pool, 2008 edition

We have about 25 applicants this year. We should be doing personal interviews in about two weeks (due to March break).