UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AIKEN
EVOLUTIONS
FALL 2003
A Newsletter of the Department of Biology & Geology
Ecology in South Africa
Inside this issue:
Chair’s message
2
Fall 2003 Graduates
2
Alum returns to teach
3
Summer internships
3
Faculty Focus
4
Technology Grant
5
Independent Study
5
Alumni Update
6
Important Dates
• Spring term registration-Jan 8
• Spring term begins-Jan 12
• Major Field Assessment TestJan 16
• Deadline for Spring graduation
applications & Jr. Writing Portfolios-Jan 30
• Spring Break-Mar 8-12
Editors: Carol Cutsinger &
Dawn Hawkins
Impala
This past summer, I journeyed with Kevin Rice (UC
Davis) to Durban, South Africa to present two papers
at the VII International Rangelands Congress, which
meets about every 4-5 years. Rangelands are areas
that cannot be put into traditional agricultural production, but can still be used for other purposes, such as
raising livestock. In less developed parts of the world,
rangelands are very important because a majority of
the population lives directly off the land and destruction or degradation of rangelands affects them economically. Dr. Rice and I presented some of our work
on barbed goatgrass which is an invasive annual grass
species in California and which can greatly degrade
the quality of rangeland there. Specifically, we have
studied how the grass germinates and spreads and also
how genetic variation in this species may be allowing
it to adapt rapidly to local soil conditions. I found it
very interesting that the people and researchers in
most countries are far more interested in rangeland
productivity (how to get more from the land) than in
issues such as invasive species and biodiversity (much
closer to my interests). However, I think these topics
will become more important as the economic impacts
of invasive species is assessed. We met new and old
friends from all over the world and we hope to begin
some work in the near future with folks in Queensland, Australia. The VIII Rangelands Congress will
be held in the Mongolian grassland region of northern
China in 2008.
Although going to the Rangelands Congress was
very interesting and informative, I certainly didn’t want to go all that way and miss out on an
opportunity to see some of the African landscape
and observe African ecology firsthand.
Volume 2, Issue 1
by Dr. Andy Dyer
Dr. Rice, his wife, and I spent 3 days at the
Mkuze Nature Reserve and then another 3
days at the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Nature Reserve in KwaZulu Natal which are north
along the eastern coast of South Africa, almost to Mozambique. Umfolozi is the oldest
and largest park in SA and is where very important large animal research has been conducted for decades, especially on white rhinos. This park is where game managers first
learned how to capture, handle and transport
rhinos, and their innovative techniques
opened up the possibility of moving very
large land animals from one place to another
safely. The white rhino population was once
about 100 and is now 3500 because of their
game management techniques. While there,
we saw most of the large photogenic animals
of South Africa, but we were most impressed
by a sighting of six African wild dogs guarding a kill from vultures next to a river.
South Africa is a very interesting place ecologically, and culturally. However, only 17
years removed from the misery of apartheid,
it is still desperately poor. The SA rangeland
managers are trying their best to promote
sound economic uses of the land while still
allowing people to make a living. For our
part, we contributed to the economy by buying as many locally produced souvenirs as we
could carry.
White rhino UP CLOSE!
Page 2
EVOLUTIONS
A Newsletter of the Department of Biology & Geology
FALL 2003
From the Chair…
Over the summer, we responded to an opportunity to be part of a statewide number of institutions committed to improving and
enhancing biomedical research capacity and instruction in South Carolina. Six primarily undergraduate institutions were chosen to join USC-Columbia, Clemson, and MUSC in the effort, funded by the National Institutes of Health: College of Charleston, Winthrop, Furman, Wofford, Claflin, and Benedict were chosen, and we were not. However the department unanimously
endorsed a long-range plan put forth in the proposal. At the request of the Chancellor, the Academic Council discussed this
proposal and recommended pursuing its objectives. Salient features of the proposal included:
1) A departmental lab manager – The department lost a departmental lab manager position in January ‘99. The unit is serving at least the same number of students (in fewer sections) than ‘98-99. At the same time, faculty and Carol Cutsinger are
responsible for ordering and preparation of their instructional lab materials and the supervision of the work-study students.
More faculty are generating more external funding than in any time in the past. The unit needs to recover the lab manager
position
2) An additional faculty member with a biomedical background - This responds to a strong student interest in this area of biology, and our record placing students in professional and graduate programs in science over the past five years
3) Startup packages for two new faculty that are competitive with our peers and allow our junior faculty and students to be
successful - In the past the department has cobbled together the funds for new hires to build labs.
These were in addition to mentored development of the research programs of two in-place assistant professors. Travel funds
were budgeted for all targeted faculty to present results at professional meetings. This was weighed against an expectation that
they would have significant external funding in the fourth year in the program. Our vision spoke to four of seven strategic priorities outlined in USCA’s Strategic Planning Steering Committee’s final report to the Chancellor, August 2003:
Superior Faculty and Staff – We want to continue the development of junior faculty, and attract and compete for the best faculty who want to teach undergraduates. We want to enable the success of their careers at the outset, including travel to national meetings for them to present results and establish broader collaborative research. The addition of a departmental lab
manager will allow better use of faculty time for instruction and scholarship
Quality Facilities & Equipment that Support Institutional Mission – We are proud of the facilities and research infrastructure investments in the Department of Biology and Geology. The targeted investments we have made have resulted in increased grants, and increased opportunities for our students
Excellent Academic & Co-Curricular Programs – We provide an excellent academic program in Biology. Our graduates
Paul Sharpton
are prepared for success in the careers that they seek. Our emphasis on undergraduate research
at all stages of the curriculum adds value to formal class-work
Dynamic Student-Centered Environment- The success of this department’s programs will be found in our graduates and
their later achievements. If we continue to provide opportunities for our students to participate in academic activities outside of class we are preparing those students for success after graduation.
We are excited about this plan for the future, and hope you are too. Please let me what you think! Best wishes to you in the
new year!
Allen J. Dennis
Congratulations December Grads!
The following students were awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology at the Convocation on December 11,
2003:
Christopher Brooks
Kendra Copper —also awarded a B.S. Secondary Education
Anne Helena Jantti
Kathryn Oswald—magna cum laude
Amanda Pridgen
Francis Ricchiuto
Angela Santomauro
Paul Sharpton
Jonathan Thibado
Page 3
Alum returns to teach
Alumni who attended USCA between the years of 1983 and
1987 may remember the smiling face of Michele Harmon, who
graduated with a B.S. in Biology in the Spring of 1987. This
Fall, she returned to her alma mater as a part-time instructor,
teaching two lab sections for both ABIO 101 and ABIO 102.
The intervening years have been busy ones for Dr. Harmon.
Her first position following graduation was as an Aquatic Toxicologist for Normandeau Associates, where she performed toxicity testing for clients located throughout the eastern United
States. She was promoted to Laboratory Supervisor in 1989
and was accountable for all aspects of the daily operation of the
Aquatic Toxicology Lab. From 1991-92 she served as Technical Editor at Normandeau providing support for the preparation
of numerous internal and client-deliverable documents, including a multi-volume technical report that summarized the results
of a six-year comprehensive biological monitoring study of a
cooling reservoir on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah
River Site.
From 1992 to 1997 Michele was employed as an Environmental
Scientist with Halliburton NUS Environmental Corporation in
Aiken. During this time she began graduate studies in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of South Carolina,
where she earned a Master’s of Public Health degree in 1998
and a Ph.D. in 2003. From 1996 to 2003, she was a Profes-
sional Intern conducting environmental research with the U.S.
Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site. Her last project
involved the transport, transformation, and toxicity of mercury
in a constructed wetland environment.
Michele grew up in North Augusta, but has lived in Aiken for
the past 18 years. She says coming back to USCA feels like
coming home. She remembers doing her Senior Research Project with Dr. Spooner on katydids and taking classes with Dr.
Shealy and Dr. Hanlin.
In addition to the labs she is teaching for our department, she is
also teaching a graduate level Environmental Science class at
the School of Public
Health in Columbia and an
anatomy and physiology
class at Aiken Technical
College. In the Spring, she
will teach a lecture/lab
section of ABIO 101 and
two lab sections of ABIO
102 while she searches for
a full-time teaching position. It is a great pleasure
to have her among us as a
faculty member!
Joint USCA/SRS Undergraduate Research Program
For the past three
summers Dr. Bill
Pirkle has directed a program
funded
by
SCUREF (South
Carolina Un iversities
Research
and
Educ ation
Foundation)
which provides
Summer Research
Internships at
From left to right: Bruce Pattison, Tim Pearson, Danielle Murfee,
Psaras McGrier, Brian Nevius, James Young, Dr. Pirkle
SRS for students at USC Aiken and South Carolina State University. The program’s objectives are to introduce students to
active scientific research and the research environment at the
Savannah River Site, and to increase the number of science
students who graduate from USCA and SCSU and become
enrolled in graduate programs. Each student works for two to
three months during the summer on a project at SRS under the
direction of an SRS Technical Mentor. The student also has a
faculty advisor and is enrolled for undergraduate research
credit the semester following the internship. A written report
is approved by both the faculty advisor and the SRS Technical
Mentor, with an oral report being presented at the end of the
semester. Frequently, students also present their research at the
South Carolina Academy of Science meeting in the Spring.
The students receive a stipend for their work during the summer
as well as a partial tuition scholarship in the fall.
2001 Participants were: Danielle Murfee, Chris Stoudemayer,
Michelle Willia ms, and James Young. 2002 Participants were:
Moboluwade Abe, Eric Doman, Benitra Johnson, Psaras
McGrier, and James Young. James Young’s paper, “Project
Enhancement and Restoration Utilizing Geographic Information Systems Software at the Savannah River Site,” was
awarded Best Undergraduate Presentation in Earth/Geological
Sciences at the 2003 SC Academy of Science Annual Meeting.
He was mentored at SRS by Tracy McLane, with Bill Pirkle
serving as his faculty advisor. 2003 Participants were: Thomas
Brewer, Brian Nevius, Bruce Pattison, and Tim Pearson. This
year’s interns will be presenting the results of their research at
USCA on December 5, 2003, and all four will also do presentations at the SC Academy of Science Annual Meeting at the Co llege of Charleston in April, 2004.
The program has received funding for the summer and fall of
2004. Interested students should contact Dr. Pirkle at
BillP@usca.edu.
Page 4
FALL 2003
EVOLUTIONS
A Newsletter of the Department of Biology & Geology
What Would
WeDr.
Do Garriet
WithoutSmith
Them?
Faculty
Focus:
Dr. Garriet Smith has been teaching at USCA since 1981 after
completing his Ph.D. in microbiology at Clemson University.
His educational history includes a B.A. and M.A.T. in Biology
from Winthrop University and an M.S. in soil microbiology
from Clemson. He is also on the Graduate Faculty of the Marine Science Department at USC Columbia, an Associate Faculty member of the School of the Environment in Columbia, a
Research Associate at the Belle W. Baruch Institute of Marine
Biology and Coastal Research, and full faculty mentor at the
Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Smith's research
interests are in bacterial and fungal interactions with marine
plants and animals, marine microbial ecology, seagrass ecosystems, coral reef diseases, sea fan pathology, and microbial symbiosis. He teaches ABIO 330 - Microbiology, a course often
taken by biology majors as well as being a required course for
nursing majors; ABIO 206 - Genetics and Society, a course for
non-majors; ABIO 325 - Plant Physiology; ABIO 580 - Ecology of the Bahamas, an upper level course taught at the Gerace
Research Center in San Salvador, the Bahamas, as well as special topics classes in Marine Biology.
Dr. Smith has been active in the Earthwatch organization since
the 1980s. The mission of the Earthwatch Institute is to engage
people worldwide in scientific field research and education to
promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. 50,000 members and supporters are spread
across the US, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia and 3,500
members volunteer their time and skills to work with 120 research scientists each year on Earthwatch field research projects
in over 50 countries all around the world. Dr. Smith's first
Earthwatch project was entitled Underwater Meadows and was
designed to study seagrass meadows. For the past 12 years he
has led a mission on Bahamian Coral Reefs with Dr. Tom
McGrath from Corning Community College in New York.
More information on Earthwatch is available at http://www.
earthwatch.org.
Dr. Smith has been taking classes from USCA to San Salvador
since 1985 to study marine ecology. It was known that bleaching was occurring in the coral reefs, and as more monitoring
was done to investigate this phenomenon, more and more coral
diseases were being discovered. The destruction of the coral
reefs was becoming a much more serious and widespread problem. In 1996, Dr. Smith’s lab identified the fungus Aspergillus
sydowii as the pathogen causing seafan disease. An important
discovery at this time found this fungus in the dust blowing
across the ocean from Africa. Samples were taken during dust
storms, a process that is continually monitored by the National
Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Satellite
images of these events can be viewed on NOAA’s website at
http://www.noaa.gov.
Other coral diseases which are being studied by Dr.
Smith’s lab include white band disease, yellow band disease, and dark spot disease. In addition to the numerous
undergraduate students who work in the lab during their
tenure at USCA, Dr. Smith also supervises the work of several graduate students. Diego Gil and James Cervino, both
Ph.D. students in Marine Biology on the Columbia campus, are working with Dr. Smith on bleaching and yellow
band disease, respectively. Sean and Sara James Polson,
both alumni of USCA, completed master’s degrees at
Cle mson under Dr. Smith’s direction and are now pursuing
Ph.D. degrees at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Among Dr. Smith’s main collaborators is another USCA
alum, Dr. Kim Ritchie, who completed a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics at UNC-Chapel Hill and went on to post-docs
at the Smithsonian in Panama and Scripps Institute of
Oceanography. In January she will take up a position as
Senior Scientist at the Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, FL.
Dr. Smith has been awarded numerous grants to support his
work and is currently funded by the National Science
Foundation and NOAA. He also has support as co-chair of
the World Bank Coral Disease Study, a long-term study
designed to assess coral health worldwide. In September
of this year he was a delegate to the 2nd Bilateral Confe rence between Russia and the US on Aquatic & Marine Organism Health in Shepardstown, WV. He is widely published in his field and has been featured in two PBS Scientific American Frontiers programs hosted by Alan Alda,
Dust Busters and Alien Invasion, as well as Coral Killers,
on the National Geographic’s Animal Planet. In the Su mmer of 2004 he will co-chair a disease session of the International Society for Reef Studies with Dr. Ernesto Weil of
the University of Puerto Rico in Okinawa, Japan.
Page 5
Ubiquitous Campus Computing
Computer use in biology and geology
courses has never been greater due to an
initiative called the Ubiquitous Campus
Computing program. This grant, coauthored by several members of the Biology and Geology faculty, including Drs.
Dennis, Dyer, Hanlin, and Jackson, was
awarded in summer 2003 and provided
the department with a wireless mobile
labtop cart containing 30 computers, 20
loaner laptops for students enrolled in
ABIO 499 and ABIO/AGLY 398 GIS
and 598 Advanced GIS. Additional
funds were obtained to purchase twelve
GPS units for field courses such as herpetology and ecology. The overall goal
of this program is to improve and enhance the use of computers and technology in academic instruction in the Department of Biology and Geology.
The mobile laptop cart more than
doubles the number of computers available to students enrolled in biology and
geology courses. Corresponding to the
arrival of the laptops this past fall was
the initiation of wireless LAN and internet access in the Science building, which
is a continuation of a campus-wide wireless initiative. With the wireless system
online, laptop computers are no longer
tied to a direct LAN connection to access
email or the internet. In addition, the laptop cart is equipped with a laser printer
that is accessed through the wireless system.
This past fall, ABIO 101 courses
taught by Drs. Jackson and Yates were
the first to put the new technology to
work. Said Jackson, “In the past 101 students were required to work in groups of
four in the laboratory due to the limited
number of computers available. The laptop cart allowed me to reduce each group
size to two thereby increasing student opportunity to learn new technologies such
as SigmaPlot, which is installed on each
laptop”. Towards the end of the semester,
students in Dr. Dyers Ecology and Evolution course also used the laptops to analyze data obtained in the laboratory.
This spring several courses, including
ABIO 101, 102, 355, and AGLY 398 GIS
in the Sciences, are taking advantage of
these new technologies. These technologies fit well with the mission of the Department to integrate established and
emerging technologies into classroom
instruction, to increase the appeal of the
sciences to the non-major, and to better
prepare majors for future careers.
Fall 2003 Independent Research Projects
Research continues to be an integral
part of our department’s program . Students pursue independent study projects under the tutelage of faculty members, and those pursuing a B.S. degree
are required to complete a senior research project. Listed below are projects for Fall 2003.
Independent Study Projects
Jacklyn Davis: Testing of Ribozyme in an
RNA Pol 1 Cassette. Project advisor, Dr.
William Jackson.
Vanessa Guy: In vitro testing of ribozyme targeted to HIV-1 tat mRNA..
Project advisor, Dr. William Jackson.
Carol Journey: Structural analysis of
HIV-1 tat RNA. Project advisor, Dr. William Jackson.
Marlon Smith: Environmental GeomorAmanda Pridgen: Nocturnal behavior of
pholohy mapmaking techniques. Advisor, the African elephant. Advisor, Dr. Andy
Professor Karin Willoughby.
Dyer.
Natalia Surzenko: DNA sequences of catalytic and non-catalytic hammerhead ribozymes. Advisor, Dr. William Jackson.
Zane Prosser: Factors affecting seed recruitment in longleaf pine. Advisor, Dr.
Harry Shealy.
Bianca West: Design and cloning of antiHIV ribozymes. Advisor, Dr. William
Jackson.
Francis Ricchiuto: Mapping pKT230. Advisor, Dr. James Yates.
Senior Research Projects
Lauren Booth: Non-native terrestrial invasive plants in Hitchcock Woods. Advisor,
Dr. Harry Shealy.
Chris Brooks: Lethal temperature thresholds for chufa tubers. Advisor, Dr. Andy
Dyer.
Angela Santomauro: Transformation of
LS2 cells: chemical methods. Advisor, Dr.
James Yates.
Paul Sharpton: PCR amplification of
LB400 genomic DNA. Advisor, Dr. James
Yates.
Kayce Singletary: Introduction to cephal opod biology and mariculture. Advisor, Dr.
Cory Hall: Disturbance and plant invasions Heather Bennett.
Rebecca Napier: Design and cloning of
in Hitchcock Woods. Advisor, Dr. Harry
anti-HIV tat ribozymes. Advisor, Dr. Wil- Shealy.
Melissa Cameron Storey: Octopus feedliam Jackson
ing, mating, and development. Advisor,
Pamela Johnson: Bacteria associated with Dr. Heather Bennett.
Brian Nevius: Marine Pathogens. Project coral diseases in the Great Barrier Reef.
advisor, Dr. Garriet Smith.
Advisor, Dr. Garriet Smith.
Stephanie Suarez: Transformation of LS2
cells: electroporation. Advisor, Dr. James
Brian Sangid: Environmental vs. develKathryn Oswald: Determination of BerylYates.
opmental readings. Advisor, Dr. Allen
lium in ambient air. Advisor, Dr. Harry
Dennis.
Shealy.
Jonathan Thibado: Sea Fan pathology.
Advisor, Dr. Garriet Smith.
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ALUMNI UPDATE
We would love to include information in future issues about where our graduates are and what they are doing.
Please take a moment to send this form to: EVOLUTIONS, Dept of Biology & Geology, USC Aiken, 471 University
Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801, or e-mail the information to carolc@usca.edu.
Name____________________________________________________ Year graduated_____________________
Current Address_______________________________________________________________________________
Current position or program of study_____________________________________________________________
What news would you like to share with USCA and other former students?____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
You can also update your information online at: http://www.usca.edu/alumni
SEMINAR SERIES
In an effort to improve our Friday Seminar Series, we hope to create an endowment that will allow us to enhance our
current series. Attending the seminar series is a requirement for our Senior Research students, but the lectures are free
and open to the public. The current schedule is available on our website at http://www.usca.edu/biogeo.
Enclosed is my contribution of $_____________ (Please make checks payable to the Aiken Partnership with Biology
Seminar Fund on the memo line). You can double your gift if you or your spouse is employed by a company having a
“Matching Gift Program.” Please enclose your company’s matching gift form, available from your Human Resources
Office.
Send to: EVOLUTIONS, Dept of Biology & Geology, USC Aiken, 471 University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801