What’s New

BIOLOGY STUDENT AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS GRANT TO CONDUCT FIDDLER CRAB RESEARCH

March 25, 2009 – Vicki Ly, a double-major in biology and chemistry, was recently awarded $2,500 for a research project entitled “Carbonic anhydrase activity in the epidermis of the fiddler crab (Uca pugilator) during the molting cycle“. This highly competitive award is funded by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) of the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program. Vicki is mentored by faculty member Dr.  Enmin Zou. She is also a student in the honors program.

February 14-16, 2009 – Researchers and volunteers from LSU and NSU spent the weekend rebuilding a research camp on the Isle Dernieres Barrier Island Refuge. The previous camp was destroyed by Hurricane Ike.  Both LSU and NSU graduate students are using the camp to conduct breeding waterbird research under the direction of Dr. Frank Rohwer (LSU) and Dr. Aaron Pierce (NSU).  The camp and research activities are funded by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Volunteers for LSU included:
Vanessa Tobias
Rachel Villani
Charleston Shirley
Hugo Gee
Christine Wolf
Ann Gerald
Justin A Rabalais
Jason A Stelzer
Bruce Davis
Matt Pieron
Tim Kimmel
Cecilia Leumas (grad. student on project)
Frank Rohwer (Co-PI LSU)

Volunteers for NSU included:
Thomas Widgeon
Tabitha Owen (grad. student on project)
William Finney
Bo Boudreaux
Edward Raynor (grad. student on project)
Aaron Pierce (Co-PI NSU)

NICHOLLS HOSTS 54th ANNUAL FFA CAREER DEVELOPMENT EVENTS INVITATIONAL

March 4, 2009 – The Agriculture Program hosted nearly 500 middle and high school students from 25 institutions during the recent FFA Career Development Events (CDE) Invitational.  This event is designed to help students hone their agricultural skills in a supportive and structured environment.

Since 1928, the FFA has been using CDEs as a useful tool to connect classroom instruction with real life situations. Through CDEs students learn teamwork, communication skills, confidence, and a number of other crucial life skills. These events are designed to better prepare students for a career in the agriculture industry and help them better understand the lessons taught in the classroom.

The following events were run by local FFA advisors and NSU agriculture faculty:

LIVESTOCK JUDGING (at the University Farm)
DAIRY CATTLE JUDGING (at the University Farm)
MEAT IDENTIFICATION
MILK QUALITY AND DAIRY FOODS
NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE
POULTRY JUDGING
FLORICULTURE

Besides being an ideal forum for recruiting, the NSU invitational also serves as a gateway for the regional, state, and federal level CDE’s.

February 27, 2009 – Nicholls biology majors were awarded four of the six top prizes for student research at the 83rd annual meeting of the Louisiana Academy of Sciences.  The Louisiana Academy of Sciences meeting was held on February 27th at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana.

The student scientists are all conducting research under the mentorship of Nicholls biology faculty members.  They represent both biology undergraduate students and graduate students in the Master of Science program.  The winners, as well as their awards, mentors, and titles of research, are listed below

First Place, Undergraduate Presentation
Nicholas Walker
“Bio-ethanol production from post-harvest agricultural residues”
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Ramaraj Boopathy

Second Place, Undergraduate Presentation
Michelle Becnel
“Is the molting hormone involved in the regulation of glucose homeostasis in the fiddler crab Uca pugilator?”
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Enmin Zou

Second Place, Graduate Presentation
Mark Suchy
“Effects of salinity on growth and plasma osmolality of juvenile alligator gar Atractosteus spatula”
Faculty Mentors:  Dr. Allyse Ferrara and Dr. Quenton Fontenot

Third Place, Graduate Presentation
Edward Raynor
“Breeding waterbird use and hatching success of three colonial seabirds on Louisiana’s barrier islands”
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Aaron Pierce