NEWSLETTER
December 2011
CALENDAR ADDITIONS: Please add to Calendar where someone can click on date and see event.
Newsletter Content
1. Recent Faculty Achievements
2. Recent Student Achievements
3. December Commencement
4. Biological Sciences Learning Center
5. Suggestion Box
6. Spring Registration
7. Belize & Ireland Studies Programs
8. Seminar Series
RECENT FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS
 Dr. Moore is the recipient of the URC 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award!
 Dr. Fengwei Bai has accepted an invitation from OMICS Publishing Group as an editor in
the Journal of Internal Medicine: Open Access. Internal Medicine is the medical specialty
dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Internal Medicine Open Access is an online journal, which publishes original research articles, reviews and
short articles in forensic sciences on Internet which are easy to access and freely available.
This journal is actively calling for papers in biomedical research field.
RECENT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
 Kristina Paxton, a doctoral student in the Moore lab, was awarded a Dissertation
Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation to further her study of the
“connectedness” between phases of the annual cycle in intercontinental migratory
birds. Kristina moved this past summer to Hawaii to be with her husband, Eben Paxton,
who is a research biologist with the USGS Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research Center, and
last month gave birth to a baby girl, Acacia..
 Jeff Buler, former doctoral student in the Moore lab, recently accepted a tenure-track
Assistant Professor position within the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at
the University of Delaware. Jeff uses weather surveillance radar to study the movement
biology and conservation of migratory birds with projects located throughout North
America.

Emily Cohen, a doctoral student in the Moore lab (pictured below to the left) who will
graduate this December, was awarded a Fellowship with the Smithsonian Institute
Migratory Bird Center. Cohen will start the two year post-doc Fellowship in January 2012.
The project takes advantage of long term banding data to draw inferences about population
connectivity. Emily, her husband Phil, and their daughter Cora will move to Tacoma,
Maryland, just outside Washington, DC.

Lauren Auer, a BSC major/Honors College student working with Aimee Thomas, was a
awarded a Phi Kappa Phi study abroad scholarship and became poster girl for their study
abroad advertisement poster. Megan Chevis, also a biological science major at USM, was
the student who took the photo to the right above!

Myverick Garcia, a senior Biological Sciences major, recently was crowned the 2012 Miss
Mississippi USA. Myverick, a Hattiesburg native, has a deep interest in the biomedical
sciences particularly related to health care. She currently is considering a career in
occupational therapy or perhaps dentistry. In the summer of 2012 she will compete in the
national Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas. Congratulations to our own Miss Mississippi USA
and best wishes for the upcoming national competition!
DECEMBER COMMENCEMENT
Check in time for candidates is 1:30p.m. (1 hour prior to the ceremony):
Baccalaureate candidates’ check-in – Payne Center (front entrance – line up on gym floor)
Specialist's and master’s check-in – Speech and Hearing Sciences building – (room 102)
Doctoral students check-in – Speech and Hearing Sciences building – (room 101)
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES LEARNING CENTER
Need help with a class? Go to the Biological Sciences Learning Center in Mississippi Hall Basement
004. FREE tutoring assistance for Students enrolled in Biological Sciences Lecture Courses: BSC
103, BSC 107, BSC 110, and BSC 111. Find a time that works for you! Their hours are: Mon, Tues,
Wed 5-7PM; and Thurs 3-5PM.
SUGGESTION BOX
There is a suggestion box located right outside the Biological Science Departmental office (Johnson
Science Tower 720). If you have a constructive comment, concern, problem, etc.; please feel free to
write us a note (anonymously if you wish) and drop it into the box.
SPRING REGISTRATION
Dr. Yee will be offering BSC 648/L and BSC 492 “Aquatic Insect Ecology” for the spring semester.
This course will cover the basic and applied aspects of aquatic insects in both moving and standing
waters. Lab will include topics including identification and sampling methods, reading and
discussion of the primary literature, and student presentations. Look for more details as spring
registration nears. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Dr. Yee.
2012 TROPICAL BELIZE & IRELAND STUDIES PROGRAMS
Check out these awesome programs being offered!
Tropical Ecology in Belize BSC 404: registration code 11045
LECTURE DESCRIPTION: Class will meet once a week (Tuesday 3:50 – 6:25p.m.-tentative time)
during the spring semester both online and face-to-face. The lecture will ecologically orient you to
the tropical experience you will encounter upon arrival in Belize.
LABORATORY DESCRIPTION: Two weeks (May 14 – 28, 2012) in the field in Belize, a tropical
country, studying tropical flora and fauna in several different ecological zones: coral reefs, pine
savannahs, rain forests, and mangrove swamps.
*You do not have to be a Biology Major to take this course! Space is limited, so sign up
now. Contact Dr. Aimee K. Thomas for details (aimee.thomas@usm.edu).
*FOR SPRING 2013 Enroll in Ireland Biology Field Experience this spring! (BSC 404/L and
504/L) Join Dr. Kristy Halverson as she takes you on a biological field experience unlike no
other. Visit locations such as the Irish House in Dublin, the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalaugh,
Blarney Castle & Stone, Blarney Woolen Mills, kayaking with Fungi, the Cliffs of Moher, The
Barren, Doolin Cave, and topping it all off with a banquet at the Bunratty Medieval Castle. Become
familiar with major Ireland geography, customs, culture and history. Identify and document native
flora and fauna biodiversity. Aid in local biological conservation efforts. Participate in servicelearning projects and provide well thought-out reflections on the experiences with respect to
attitude, behavior, and course content. Experience Irish culture by immersing oneself in local
activities. And most importantly, have come craic! Check out these awesome pics from the Ireland
trip!
Dates: The on-campus portion of the class this spring 2013 semester will be arranged by the
professor, likely beginning late January/early February.
The field portion of the trip to Ireland will be 13 May - 26 May 2013.
Cost: The cost of the program is $4599 for undergraduate credit and $4799 for graduate
credit. This price includes tuition, airfare, housing, some meals, and all entry fees. (Financial Aid is
Available!)
Apply through International Programs at: http://www.usm.edu/study-abroad.
Completed online application, with $250 deposit, will be accepted until November, space
permitting.
GRADUATE STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Yee Lab of Aquatic Insect Ecology is happy to announce that he has received three years of
funding from the National Institutes of Health to study how environmental filters affect
communities of medically important mosquitoes in containers. Dr. Yee is actively recruiting
graduate students who will be supported off this grant. Further information about these
opportunities and others can be found on his website (http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w777157/) or
on his Research Blog (http://mosquitoecology.blogspot.com/). Get in on the action!
SEMINAR SERIES
The 5th semester of the informal seminar series, E3 (Ecology, Evolution, and the Environment) is
now underway. E3 is held Wednesday at noon to 1 pm in JST 210. We have a variety of talks
scheduled from students and faculty. Please plan to join us and learn what is going on in the
department. Don’t forget to bring your lunch! The schedule can be found at:
http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w777157/E3_Fall_2011_schedule.pdf. Stop by!