May 2009

Defense of Dissertations

Sudhakar Veeranki, Ph.D. (major advisor: Dr. L. Kim) defended his dissertation entitled “Investigation of Molecular Mechanisms of LKB1 Function in Dictyostelium Development and Stress Responses and the Function of SodC in Chemotaxis” on May 11th.

Defense of Thesis

Robert Hegna, MS (major advisor: Dr. M. Donnelly) defended his thesis entitled “Aposematism in the Strawberry Dart Poison Frog (Oophaga pumilio): The Effect of Pattern, Color, and Density on Predation” on May 15th.

Publications

Nora Oleas, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. J. Francisco-Ortega) has co-authored the following paper:

Livingstone, D.; Freeman, B.; Tondo, C.L.; Cariaga, K.A.; Oleas, N.H.; Meerow, A.W.; Schnell, R.J. and D. N. Kuhn. 2009. Improvement of High-throughput Genotype Analysis After Implementation of a Dual-curve Sybr Green I-based Quantification and Normalization Procedure. HortScience 44(5):1-5.

Justin Campbell, Ph.D. student (major advisor: Dr. J. Fourqurean) has the following paper in press:

Campbell, J.E. and J.W. Fourqurean. In Press. Interspecific variation in the elemental and stable isotopic content of seagrass communities in South Florida. Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Presentations at Meetings

Melissa Doud, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. K. Mathee) presented the following poster at the 109th American Society of Microbiologists General Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, May 17-21:

Melissa S. Doud, Reni Grimes-Zeppegno, Enrique Molina, Nancimae Miller, Danajeyan Balachandar, Lisa Schneper, Robert Poppiti,and Kalai Mathee. Liver and Brain Abscess due to Infection by a magA-Negative Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Grants and Awards

The following students received Summer Research Awards from the Biomedical Research Initiative/RISE at FIU in the amount of $3000 each:

Mark Clifton, Ph.D. student (major advisor: Dr. F. Noriega)
Mario Perez, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. F. Noriega)
James Valdes, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. O. Weeks)
Diansy Zincke, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. K. Mathee)
Ana Paula Benaduce, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. L. Kos)
Sat Gavassa, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. P. Stoddard)

Nora Oleas, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. J. Francisco-Ortega) received The Explorer's Club student award for field work in Ecuador ($1700).

Roxaneh Khorsand, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. S. Koptur) received the Tinker Field Research Grant from the Latin American Studies Program for field work in Brazil.

Angelle Bullard-Roberts, Ph.D. student (major advisor: Dr. B. Bennett) received
$500 from the Kelly Tropical Botany Small Grants for Undergraduates and Graduates and $2000 from the Southern Florida Chapter of the Explorers Club.

Brian Dewsbury, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. J. Fouqurean) received the Kelly Parker Fellowship ($500).

Sat Gavassa, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. P. Stoddard) received the Tinker Field Travel Grant for $2,600 for her field work in Uruguay.

Kelsey Reider, MS student (major advisor: Dr. M. Donnelly) received a grant for $2600 from the Tinker Field Grant (FIU LACC) and a grant for $500 from the Gaige Award (from the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists). The title for both proposals was: Do peccaries drive community changes in a Neotropical leaf litter herpetofauna?

Justin Nowakowski, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor; Dr. M. Donnelly) received a grant for $500 from the Gaige Award (from the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists) for his proposal entitled "Patterns and processes of a fragmented anuran community at multiple levels of biological organization."

Outreach

Derek Burkholder, Ph.D. candidate (major advisor: Dr. M. Heithaus) just got back from a trip to Bernard Harris Middle School in San Antonio, TX where he gave talks on his research and the importance of sharks in marine ecosystems to 10 classes and the Science department.

Alumni News

Amanda Quillen, Ph.D. 09 (major advisor: Dr. E. Gaiser) was hired by Aquatic Systems, Inc. in Pompano Beach as their staff limnologist.

Rudolph von May, Ph.D. 09 (major advisor: Dr. M. Donnelly) published the following paper:
von May, R., M. Medina-Müller, M.A. Donnelly, and K. Summers. 2009. Breeding-site selection by the poison frog Ranitomeya biolat in Amazonian bamboo forests: an experimental approach. Canadian Journal of Zoology 87:453-463.

Jeremy Moynihan, Ph.D. 08 (major advisor: Dr. J. Francisco-Ortega) published the following paper:
Moynihan, J.; Stevenson, D.Wm.; Lewis, C.E.;Vovides, A.P.; Caputo, P., Francisco-Ortega, J. In press. A phylogenetic study of Dioon Lindl. (Zamiaceae, Cycadales), based on morphology, nuclear ribosomal DNA, a low copy nuclear gene and plastid RFLPs. BOTANICAL REVIEW.

Flavia Carneiro Brito, Ph.D. 08 (major advisor: Dr. L. Kos) presented two posters at the 2009 Weinstein Cardiovascular Development meeting in San Francisco, May 5-8:

Brito, FC, Balani, K,Agarwal, A, Kos L. Neural Crest Derived Melanocytes affect the biomechanical properties of the tricuspid valve leaflet.

Fernandez, N, Brito, FC, Kos L. The Role of Sox10 in Heart Development.

Ralph Saporito, Ph.D. 07 (major advisor: Dr. M. Donnelly) published the following paper:
Daly, J.W., Ware, N., Saporito, R.A., Spande, H.M., and Garraffo, H.M. 2009. N-Methyldecahydroquinolines: An unexpected class of alkaloids from Amazonian poison frogs (Dendrobatidae). Journal of Natural Products, published online, May 11, 2009.

Nicole Andrus, MS 02 (major advisor: Dr. J. Francisco-Ortega) published the following paper:
Andrus, Nicole; Tye, Alan; Nesom, Guy; Bogler, David; Lewis, Carl; Noyes, Richard; Jaramillo, Patricia; Francisco-Ortega, Javier. 2009. Phylogenetics of Darwiniothamnus (Asteraceae: Astereae) molecular evidence for multiple origins in the endemic flora of the Galapagos Islands. J. of Biogeography 36 (6):1055-1069.

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