Winter 2011

Grad news - outstanding paper award
Being a standout has its benefits

Standing out in a crowd is better than blending in, at least if you're a paper wasp in a colony where fights between nest-mates determine social status.

EEB graduate student Michael Sheehan won the 2010 EEB Outstanding Student Paper Award for "Evolution of identity signals: Frequency-dependent benefits of distinct phenotypes used for individual recognition." (PDF) The research was widely covered in the media.
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Research feature
Small family farms in tropics can feed hungry and preserve biodiversity

Conventional wisdom among many ecologists is that industrial-scale agriculture is the best way to produce lots of food while preserving biodiversity in the world's remaining tropical forests. But Professors John Vandermeer and Ivette Perfecto reject that idea and argue that small, family-owned farms may provide a better way to meet both goals.
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EEB Photographer at Large Contest

Congratulations to our new Honorary Photographer at Large, Professor Catherine Badgley, who came in first place with "Galloping zebras, Amboseli National Park, Kenya." 
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Angels and Envoys

Don't miss a new and interesting little exhibit called Angels and Envoys on the third floor of the Exhibit Museum of Natural History near the bird collection. 

"The exhibit points out an interesting historical confluence between international politics and the Museum of Zoology," said Professor William Fink, curator and director of the Museum of Zoology. 
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Frontiers leads the way: Rackham awarded five-year NSF bridges to Ph.D. grant

The Rackham Graduate School was awarded a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to support programs that act as bridges to doctoral programs at U-M. The grant includes support for the Frontiers Master’s Program in EEB and will cover about 80 percent of program costs, beginning September 1, 2010. 
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