Our own "Night at the Museum"
The EEB holiday party will be held from 6 - 11 p.m., Friday, Dec. 12 at the Exhibit Museum of Natural History. (more)
Upcoming defenses
 1 p.m., Monday, Dec. 15, East Conference Room, Rackham. Elen Oneal presents "Biogeographic and evolutionary mechanisms promoting divergence in Caribbean crickets (genus Amphiacusta)."
 1 p.m., Dec. 8, East Conference Room, Rackham. Bin Wang presents "Origin and evolution of mycorrhizal symbioses in land plants."
 10 a.m., Dec. 5, Rackham Assembly Hall. M. Jahi Chappell, Ph.D. student, presents “From food security to farm to Formicidae: Belo Horizonte, Brazil's Secretaria Municipal de Abastecimentoand biodiversity in the fragmented Atlantic rainforest."
SNRE presentation
Noon, Monday, Nov. 24, 2024 Dana Building. Dr. David Schimel, CEO of NEON, Inc., presents “NEON: A scientific platform for investigating the relationships between forcings and responses.” (more)
Center for Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases Symposium
Microbial Ecology: Relationship to the Environment and Human Health, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. School of Public Health I, Room 1690.
Active Learning in the Sciences workshop
3:30-5:00 p.m., Thursday, November 20, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching Seminar Room, 1013 Palmer Commons.
How do you keep a classroom of 100 undergraduates actively learning? Can students practice communication and teamwork skills in a large class? How do you boost the performance of underrepresented groups? The Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) Project has addressed these concerns. Materials developed by the project are now in use by more than one-third of all science, math, and engineering majors nationwide. Results of rigorous evaluation efforts indicate that this approach improves problem solving, conceptual understanding and attitudes, while decreasing failure rates, especially for women and minorities. In this workshop, Professor Robert Beichner will discuss the classroom environment, review study results of learning in various SCALE-UP settings, and lead the participants in several activities that make the program successful.
According to the SCALE-UP website: "The primary goal of the Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for UndergraduatePrograms (SCALE-UP) Project is to establish a highly collaborative, hands-on, computer-rich, interactive learning environment for large-enrollment courses."
The SCALE-UP Web site has links about the project, the research behind it, and the faculty involved. Register by emailing CRLT.
Special lecture
11 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 18, Room 1532, Ruthven Museums. Dr. James Hopson, University of Chicago presents "Triassic Cynodonts and Cretaceous Monotremes: Problems Relating to the Origin of Mammals."
 Biodiversity Cycles and Galactic Dynamics
4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 17, 335 West Hall. Dr. Adrian Melott, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas presents "Biodiversity Cycles and Galactic Dynamics."
Abstract: After decades of tantalizing partial results, the existence of periodicity in fossil biodiversity has finally been put on a firm statistical basis: there is a significant 62 Myr cycle in fossil biodiversity, with amazing agreement between independent analyses. We note that this cycle agrees in period and phase with the oscillation of the Sun normal to the Galactic disk, in the sense that biodiversity minima coincide with excursions to Galactic north. We suggest an effect based on the generation of cosmic rays at shock waves due to larger-scale motions in the Local Supercluster of galaxies. I discuss the evidence for these periodicities and possible mechanisms to affect biodiversity.
Graduate Preview Day
11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 14. Students considering graduate school can learn about opportunities in ecology and evolutionary biology. Register. (more)
Special seminar
1:10 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2520 C.C. Little. Dr. Markus Egli, University of Zurich, presents "Alpine soils in a changing climate." (more)
 Gallery Project presents Animal Intelligence
Gallery Project’s current exhibit Animal Intelligence includes photography by Professor Elizabeth Tibbetts, associated with her research on wasp facial recognition. Animal Intelligence is a visual and sonic exploration from artists and internationally known field researchers who study the mindful behavior of non-human mammals and other species. The exhibit runs through Sunday, Oct. 26 at 214 South Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor. Photos by Elizabeth Tibbetts.
 Arts & the Environment
Opening night is Wednesday, Nov. 5, featuring a keynote speech by David W. Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Politics at Oberlin College, co-sponsored by EEB.
Arts & the Environment is a set of artistic installations, performances, screenings and talks that meld the arts and sciences in experiences meant to surprise, delight and re-awaken us to our role in the natural world. Arts & the Environment is the fall 2008 project of U-M’s Arts on Earth initiative. Twenty faculty from six schools and colleges have collaborated to create these events.
 Herbarium tour
Join us for a tour of the U-M Herbarium Wednesday, October 29 from 9:30 – 11:30 am. Transportation will be provided, but you must RSVP to Jane Sullivan janesull@umich.edu.
Herbarium collections include holdings of all major plant groups representing floral communities all over the world. Particular strengths include Michigan and the Great Lakes region; vascular plants of Mexico, Iran, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia; bryophytes of tropical America; fungi of western North America; and marine algae of North America, the West Indies, and Oman.
 Art show features UMMZ artist Megahan
The art of John Megahan, U-M Museum of Zoology graphic artist, will be on display at the Pierre Paul Art Gallery, Ann Arbor, from July 12 – October 2. An artist’s reception will be held July 12 from 6 – 9 p.m. The show features the illustrations for his recent book “W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet” and several of his paintings of wildlife and landscapes. The gallery is on Washtenaw Ave. near Arborland Mall.
 Photo and video contest voting is here!
Pick your top 10 by Oct. 1. Email your vote to Christy Byks-Jazayeri.
SNRE's Sustainable Agriculture Speaker Series begins
4 - 5:30 p.m., Mondays, 2024 Dana Building
Sept. 8, Professor John Vandermeer presents “Rethinking biodiversity conservation in tropical agricultural landscapes."
Sept. 15, Professor Catherine Badgley presents "Report on the Organic World Congress."
Oct. 13, Professor Emeritus Gerald Smith presents “The path to sustainable fisheries." See SNRE events
EEB student and faculty photo and video contest
Submit photos and videos of yourselves engaging in research. (more)
 The EEB Fall Weekend: Meet, mingle, and explore!
The 24th Annual EEB Fall Weekend (formerly known as the Retreat) at the University of Michigan Biological Station in Pellston, Mich. will be held Friday, Sept. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 7.
The program will include field trips, a tour of the station facilities, parties, a poster session, special graduate student gatherings and brief presentations by faculty on major questions in their areas of interest. The poster session will be the usual low-tech, high-quality presentations by all participants. There will be a prize for the best student poster, so think (but don’t actually do anything) ahead! We will provide poster paper and magic markers on site. Posters are optional for first year students.
Also, note that a field trip to Mud Lake Bog will be available. If you are interested, please bring rubber boots or old sneakers and a dry pair to change into—you will get wet—and have a great time. A field trip schedule will be emailed this week.
Bring a sleeping bag, pillow, towel, flashlight, clothes for outdoor hiking and playing, extra shoes or boots and bathing suits (UMBS is on Douglas Lake). Be sure to bring some warm clothing, as it is likely to be cooler than the Ann Arbor area. We will sleep on beds in cabins or in the dormitory.
There will be socials hosted by the faculty on Friday evening and during/after the poster session on Saturday evening. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday will be served in the UMBS dining hall. Participants will also be able to pack sack lunches during breakfast on Sunday morning for the trip back to Ann Arbor.
The cost for food and lodging is:
Faculty $65
Postdocs $30
Grad students $15
Spouses, significant others, and children are very welcome as guests. The cost for each guest is the same as the sponsor’s cost, except that children under five attend for free.
Any student who has financial difficulty should see Deborah Goldberg for assistance. If enough people are interested, the department will arrange some activities for children or provide childcare so that student, postdoc, and faculty parents can participate fully in activities.
Vans will be available for transportation to UMBS and a sign-up sheet for rides will be posted on the EEB student lounge/mailroom door (room 2060 Nat Sci). Vans will depart at 1, 5 and 6 p.m. and the trip takes four to four-and-a-half hours. Car pooling is encouraged if you want to drive. A map will be posted next to the sign-up sheet.
Participation in the retreat is both valuable and fun for new students, experienced students and faculty. New students benefit greatly by meeting their new colleagues and learning about the graduate program and research in EEB. Everyone gets to know each other better at a first-class facility in a beautiful setting.
Please let us know if you plan to attend, by contacting Jane Sullivan in the EEB Graduate Office in 2019 Nat Sci with the information requested. Payment, via check made out to the University of Michigan, should be given to Sullivan by Thursday, September 4, 2008 (see her if this is a problem). Please give us give us your reply about attending as soon as possible so we can make plans for transport and accommodations at the BioStation.
New EEB student orientation
Breakfast and introductions will begin at 9 a.m., Thursday, 8/28/08, Room 2009 Ruthven Museums. Get acquainted with new colleagues and EEB’s resources. Further scheduling information is forthcoming.
Come to her defense
3:30, Monday, August 25. Nicole Maturen presents "Genetic analysis of the evolution of petaloid bracts in dogwood." East Conference Room, Rackham Building.
BioStation centennial
A public open house will be held from 2 - 6 p.m, June 28, at the U-M Biological Station to celebrate the 100 year anniversary. Alumni and friends will gather Aug. 21- 23 on the shores of Douglas Lake near Pellston, Mich. (LSAmagazine story, U-M News service press release)
Michigan Ecology Mixer at ESA conference
Faculty, students, alumni, and their guests are invited to the Michigan Ecology Mixer at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 5 at the Ecological Society of America annual meeting in Milwaukee, Wisc.
Come to her defense
10 a.m., Wednesday, 8/13/08, Room 2024 Dana Building. Andrea Walther presents "A systematic study of North American freshwater limpets (Gastropoda: Hygrophila: Ancylidae)."
Camp Explorations returns to Exhibit Museum
This summer your children can try their hands at paleontology, astronomy, forensic science, archaeology and more at the U-M Exhibit Museum of Natural History’s Camp Explorations program. (more)
UROP open house
Undergraduate Research Opportunity invites faculty, postdocs and research scientists to breakfast and to learn how to be a UROP sponsor. 8:30 - 10 a.m., 7/31/08, Undergraduate Science Building. RSVP to Shante Galloway.
Admini golf photos
EEB staff celebrated Administrative Professionals Day with a mini golf course through their offices. (see photos)
Early Career Scientists Symposium: Networks in ecology and evolution
The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology sponsored the fourth U-M Early Career Scientists Symposium on Saturday, March 15. Eight outstanding young scientists and two keynote speakers presented on the topic of networks in ecology and evolution. Symposium attendance was over 120 individuals, including about 25 percent from other institutions. 
Pictured are this year's international speakers from left to right : (back row) keynote speakers Dr. Jordi Bascompte and Dr. Andreas Wagner, Dr. Steve Proulx, Dr. Sasha Levy, (front row) Dr. Paulo Guimarães, Samraat Pawar, Dr. Emily Stuart Minor, Dr. Kristi Montooth, Dr. Christian Landry, Dr. Stefano Allesina.
Special thanks to alumnus Dr. Nancy Williams-Walls for generously funding the event.
 Peonies and plays at Arb
The peony garden is in glorious bloom at the Nichols Arboretum. this year's Shakespeare in the Arb is "Two Gentlemen of Verona": 6:30 – 9 p.m., June 5 - 8, 12-15, 19-22. Matinee show added, Sunday, June 22 at 1 p.m. (more)
Upcoming Ph.D. defenses
10 a.m., Monday, 5/19. Ben-Yang Liao presents "Expression evolution of mammalian genes.” Rackham West Conference Room.
10 a.m., Friday, 4/18/08, West Conference Room, Rackham. Javier Ruiz presents "Plant dispersal, seedling recruitment and insect herbivory: evidence from the Dipteryx oleifera system."
1:00 p.m., Friday, 4/18/08, 2024 Dana Building. Wendy Grus presents "Evolution of the vomeronasal system viewed through specific genes."
11 a.m., Friday, 4/25/08, West Conference Room, Rackham. Jim Crants presents "Pollination and pollen limitation in mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum L.), a deceit-pollinated spring ephemeral."
EEB spring party
12 - 1:30 p.m., Monday, 4/28, Celebrate spring and the end of the semester with fellow faculty, students and staff with lunch in the Natural Science courtyard. Rain backup: Room 2117 Nat Sci.
Garden lecture
7:45 p.m., Monday, 4/21, Professor Mark Hunter presents "The natural and un-natural history of milkweeds: Insects, toxins and other stories" at the U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
Science Cafe: People at the poles
5:30-7:30 p.m., 4/9, Conor O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub. Professor Knute Nadelhoffer will discuss the impact of human presence in the polar regions.
Special seminar
7 p.m., 4/8/08, Natural Science auditorium. Dr. William Provine, Cornell University, presents "Limitations of the evolutionary synthesis for modern evolutionary biology."
Seminar series: Are science and religion compatible?
The National Academy of Sciences has asserted that “the evidence for evolution can be fully compatible with religious faith.” What do four scholars of science, history, philosophy and politics make of this striking assertion?
All seminars are at 7:30 p.m. in the Chemistry Building.
4/9/08, 1800 Chemistry. William Provine, Cornell University, presents “Double talk at the NAS: How to have your cake and eat it too.”
4/2/08, 1210 Chemistry. Dr. David Mindell, University of Michigan, presents “NAS in the headlights: Discomfort the public, compromise science, or both” and Joseph Kay, science writer for the World Socialist Web Site, presents “Evolution and science in American politics.”
3/26/08, 1210 Chemistry. Dr. Steven Nadler, University of Wisconsin, presents “Spinoza’s God and the Problem of Religion.”
Sponsored by: The Society of Biology Students, The Michigan Student Assembly, The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, The Department of Philosophy, and The Exhibit Museum of Natural History.
UMMZ special seminars
The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology hosts a special seminar at noon, Friday, March 21, Room 2009 Ruthven Museums. Dr. Trevor Price, Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, author of “Speciation in Birds” (2008) Roberts & Co. presents "Speciation into and out of the Himalayas."
Noon, 3/24/08, 2009 Ruthven Museums. Dr. James Edwards, first executive director of the Encyclopedia of Life will give a seminar entitled "The Encyclopedia of Life: a web page for every species."
 Ph.D. defense seminar
3:10 p.m., Wednesday, 4/2/08, East Conference Room, Rackham. Luis Fernando Chaves presents "Ecological dynamics of vector-borne diseases in changing environments."
Early Career Scientists Symposium: Networks in ecology and evolution
The theme of the ECSS 2008 is networks in ecology and evolution. You can now register for the symposium, which will be held Saturday, March 15, 2008 at East Hall auditorium, Room 1324. Speakers, titles, a schedule and more are posted on the ECSS Web site.
Shapiro Science Library dedicates science journal cover display
The Shapiro Science Library invites you to a reception from 4 - 6 p.m. on 2/20 to dedicate their new permanent display of science journal covers. EEB is well represented with 11 of the 24 covers by Jennifer Ast, Henryk Urbanczyk, Paul Dunlap, Robyn Burnham, Meghan Pearce, George Estabrook, Bryan Carstens, Lacey Knowles, Taehwan Lee, Diarmaid Ó Foighil, Barry OConnor, Anton Reznicek and John Vandermeer. The reception takes place on the third floor of the Shapiro Library Building in the Shien-Ming Wu Current Periodicals Reading Room. RSVP by February 8 to Marylin Cesarz.
Special seminar for undergrads
5 - 6 p.m., Wednesday, 1/9/08, 1024 Dana Building. Dr. Elizabeth Jockusch presents "Where have all the frogs gone? Amphibian diversity and decline." Presented by the LSA Honors Program and EEB, with thanks to Matthew Chatfield.
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