USU Biology Seminars

Fall 2024 Speaker Schedule

13 Sep
Why do Fools Fall in Love? The Neurochemistry of Social Bonding
Dr. Sara Freeman
Utah State University; Biology Dept

Speaker presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

20 Sep
On the predictability of grades
Dr. Chris Smith
Utah State University; Biology Dept

Speaker presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

27 Sep
Use of reservoir hosts to combat infectious diseases
Dr. Christine Petersen
Ohio State University

Speaker presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

4 Oct
To Berry or not to Berry: Using pollen ID, rearing techniques, and nest design, to develop mason bees as new berry pollinators
Miranda Jones, MSc Candidate
Utah State University; Biology Department

Effects of hybridization on the biotic community of Boechera 
Mia Stevens, PhD Candidate
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speakers presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

11 Oct
Worms in the Wild West: The Unseen and Understudied Parasites of Free-Roaming Horses
Graham Goodman
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speaker presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

25 Oct
TBD
Dr. Devaleena Pradham
Idaho State University

Speaker presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

1 Nov
Coevolutionary changes in plant-pest interactions
Jorge Cardoso, PhD Candidate
Utah State University; Biology Department

Fulbright findings: Fungal leaf communities reduce  the development of grapevine downy mildew
Valerie Martin, PhD Candidate
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speakers presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

8 Nov
Natural Products and Evolution: what can we learn from tetrodotoxin 
Dr. Charles Hanifin
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speaker presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

15 Nov
Ecology, genetics, and evolution of hybridization in wild plant populations
Dr. Cathy Rushworth
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speaker presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

6 Dec
TBD
Dr. Zach Gompert
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speaker presenting in LSB 231, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

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Spring 2025 Speaker Schedule

17 Jan
Multitrophic interactions: integrating research strategies to enhance theoretical frameworks
Dr. Fabiane Mundim
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speaker presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 3rd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

24 Jan
From Naturally Occurring to Genetically Engineered Fibrous Proteins: Characterization of Solitary Bee Silk and Development of Recombinant Hagfish Intermediate Filament Materials
Oran Wasserman
Utah State University; Biology Department

Co-occurrence conundrum: Developing a system to unravel how co-occurrence alters the effects of multiple species of invasive plants.
Ryan Stuart
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speakers presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 3rd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

31 Jan
Playing with Poison: Diet and Microbiome Specialization in Toxin Feeding Rodents
Dr. Sara Weinstein
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speaker presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM

7 Feb
Decoding Pain: Tracing the Enkephalin Pathways in the Brain
Callie Newson
Utah State University; Biology Department

Bringing Balance to the Treatment of Pain: A New Hope
Max McDermott
Utah State University; Biology Department

Speakers presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

14 Feb
What determines the distribution and diversity of specialist herbivores on oaks?
Dr. Ian Pearse
Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center

Speaker presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

21 Feb
Trematodes and nematodes and isopods, oh my! Parasite ecology in coastal North Carolina
Dr. Julia Buck
University of North Carolina

Speaker presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

28 Feb
Drought Stress and Diet Breadth: How Increasing Levels of Drought Stress Impact the Performance of a Generalist and Specialist Herbivore
Jakob Palmer

Elevational patterns of a solitary bee, Osmia bruneri
Anna Goates

Speakers presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

7 Mar
Investigating the effects of salinization on carbon processing in streams
Ally Marrs

My friend the polyploid fern, Cystopteris fragilis
Julia Hobbie

Speakers presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

21 Mar
Interactions Among Bee Species: What is the impact of a honey bee apiary on native bees? 
Dr. Diana Cox-Foster
USDA-ARS-PWA Pollinating Insects Research Unit (USU)

Speaker presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

28 Mar
Integrating evolution and genomics to understand plasticity in the wild
Dr. Emily Josephs
Michigan State University

Speaker presenting in BNR 314,, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

4 Apr
A frog tale about a tailed frog: Why an evolutionary perspective matters for predicting sensitivity to increasing temperatures.
Dr. Chris Funk
Colorado State University

Speaker presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

11 Apr
A healthy west in a changing world: Monitoring and modeling western forests and rangelands 
Dr. Dan Atwater
Montana State University

Speaker presenting in BNR 314, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM

18 Apr
TBD
Dr. Jannice Friedman
Queens University

Speaker presenting in BNR 314,, 11:30 AM
*Social hour; LSB 2nd floor atrium: 10:30 AM