Faculty Press Coverage

May 2008

5/8/08: Bio Diversity its in the Water: William Fagan, Associate Professor in Biology, and Heather Lynch, an assistant research scientist, have worked with a team of scientists from around the world in order to invent a method for turning data about rainfall and river networks into assessments of fish biodiversity.  This tool will enable better predictions of the ecological impacts of man-made structures as well as the effects of climate change. (ScienceDaily) The story was also picked up by UnderwaterTimes.com.

The original article was published in Nature.

5/7/08: Out of Their Tents, Onto Our Porches: Michael Raupp, Professor of Entomology, was quoted on the recent increase in the presence of Eastern tent caterpillars.  He then explained what their role was once they became moths. (Washingtonpost.com)

April 2008

4/24/08: Watch for Climate Flaws in Fixes, Experts Warn: Ross Salawitch, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was quoted for his work that looked at the possibility of injecting sulfate into the air in order to help create a shield that blocked the sun and reduced global warming.  The study demonstrated the important connections between global warming and ozone depletion.
(MSNBC) The story was also picked up by the RedOrbit

4/16/08: Bloodless Worm Sheds Light on Human Blood, Iron Deficiency: Iqbal Hamza, Affiliate Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular, and his team have identified previously unknown proteins that are critical to transporting heme, the molecule that carries iron.  The discovery came about by using C. elegans roundworm as a test subject and tracking the movement of heme through the worm’s body.  (Nature)

4/14/08: The Bugs of Spring: Michael Raupp, Professor of Entomology, was interviewed on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU, Washington about the critical role that bugs have in local ecosystems and public health officials worry about Lyme Disease and the West Nile Virus.

4/2/08: Climate and Cholera: Rita Colwell, Professor Emeritus for Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, is quoted on her work, which is becoming a predictive model that will be able to forecast climatic conditions associated with specific infectious diseases and may offer predictions of epidemics. (PHYSORG.com)

MARCH 2008

3/21/08: DNA Data: Proposal to wikify GenBank Meets Stiff Resistance: Steven Salzberg, Affiliate Professor and Director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, is quoted on how sequencing problems in the GenBank database arise. (Science)

3/21/08: Peak Addition: How to get Numbers From Mass Spectrometry: Catherine Fenselau, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is referenced on how the techniques used to input biological samples into a mass spectrometer can play favorites. (The Scientist)

3/20/08: New Nanoparticle Catalyst Brings Fuel-Cell Cars Closer to Showroom: Bryan Eichhorn, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is recognized for his work in understanding a new type of catalyst, which ultimately leaves more hydrogen in the fuel cell that is available to make energy.  (University of Wisconsin News) Follow-up stories can be found in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and in the Greenbang, UK.

3/19/08: Spring Keeps Coming Earlier for Birds, Bees, Trees: David Inouye, Professor of Biology and Director of the Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology Program, is quoted on how the signs of climate change as seen by earlier springs is not always advantageous for the particular species. (USA Today)

3/14/08: New Biofuel Production Process Created: Steven Hutcheson, Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, and Ronald Weiner, Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, are noted in a follow-up story for developing a process that might be able to convert brewer’s mash and other kinds of plant products into ethanol or other biofuels. (United Press International)

The new process was also noted in the Wall Street Journal.

3/14/08: Climate Change Takes Bloom Off Wildflowers: David Inouye, Professor of Biology and Director of the Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology Program, is recognized for his findings that indicate how climate change is making some perennial plants unable to seed and reproduce. (Live Science)

This article was followed up April 11th in Boulder Weekly and on LiveScience.

3/10/08: Bacterium Gets Wheels Turning on Ethanol Fuel: Steven Hutcheson, professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, and Ronald Weiner, Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, were acknowledged by Gov. Martin O’Malley for their work on a bacterium that will be used to generate ethanol for a UM spin off company called Zymetis. (Washington Post) (See also 'States Dream Big on Biofuels' Baltimore Sun and 'MARYLAND: Bacteria found breaking down bay grass could aid in ethanol creation' Salisbury Daily News).

The story was also covered by several television stations such as Washington NBC-4 'Bacteria Found Breaking Down Bay Grass Could Aid in Ethanol Creation' and WJZ-TV Channel 13 Baltimore 'Bacteria Breaking Down Grass Could Aid in Ethanol'

Follow up to this story was picked up by many papers and websites, See also Maryland Firm gets $50,000 Grant to Develop Biofuel Baltimore Sun.

3/6/08: Global Warming Poses Deaf Threat to Tropical Fish: Arthur Popper, Professor of Biology, Interim Associate Dean and director of the Aquatic Bioacoustics Laboratory, points out that the direct cause of the correlation between warmer waters and asymmetrical ear bones has not yet been made. (New Scientist)

3/6/08: Warmer Spring means less snow, fewer flowers in the Rockies: David Inyoue, Professor of Biology and Director of the Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology Program, demonstrates how the lack of snow results in more plants that are unable to flower which inhibits their ability to seed and reproduce. (EnvironmentalResearchWeb)

3/4/08: Energy in Motion - Einstein Rules: Cristopher Jarzynski, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and theoretical physicist, is mentioned for his work developing theoretical tools that can predict available amounts of spontaneous energy. (Red Orbit)

3/4/08: Snakes Hear Through Their Jaws: Catherine Carr, Professor of Biology responds to new research explaining how snakes hear via vibrations picked up by their jawbones. (ABC News Australia)

FEBRUARY 2008

2/22/08: Waterfront Homeowners Living on the Edge: Margaret Palmer, Professor of Entomology and Biology as well as director of the University of Maryland’s Chesapeake Biological Laboratory is quoted on the importance of preserving thin strips of grasses, trees and shrubs on the shorelines of the Chesapeake Bay and portions of its tributaries. (Washington Post)

2/14/08: The Bower of Love: Gerald Borgia, Biology Professor, discusses the ways in which male bowerbirds try to win over their mates with elaborate bowers and energetic displays. (Washington
Post) (See also Dwell Magazine Bower Play)

2/14/08: Heart-shaped hive fits the holiday: David Inouye, Biology Professor, provides his expert opinion on the unusual find of an 18 inch hive that resembles a valentine’s heart, explain that although its rare, in the wild bees ‘have a bit more freedom to be a bit more expressive.’ (The Daily Times: Delmarva)

2/8/08: UM research partnership forged to win federal funds: Hey-Kyoung Lee, Biology Assistant Professor, is featured in this Baltimore Business Journal article about a research collaboration with Scott Thompson, a neurophysiologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, to better understand how the brain communicates in patients with visual impairments, epilepsy, depression and traumatic brain injury.

2/6/08: Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics Professor Anne Simon Addresses National Science Board Meeting on subject of New Paradigms in the Biology of Viruses.

2/5/08: Mendel Upended: Molecular geneticist, and member of the Arabidopsis Research Initiative at the University of Maryland (ATRIUM), Steve Mount and Charles Fenster, Biology Associate Professor, are quoted regarding a revolutionary paper that demonstrated the possibility for overturning some fundamental laws of genetics. (The Scientist)

JANUARY 2008

1/25/08:From Campus to Startup: Chemistry/Biochemistry Professor Larry Sita is featured in this Maryland Gazette article about translating cutting edge research into business ventures.

1/18/08: What Does a Natural Stream Look Like?: Biology and Entomology Professor Margaret Palmer is quoted in this Nature article about new research on the history of mid-Atlantic waterways that has changed thinking about river restoration.

1/15/08: NSF Dedicates New South Pole Station: Rita Colwell, Distinguished Professor (Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics) and former Director of the National Science Foundation, was present at the dedication a new scientific station at the geographic South Pole--the third since 1957--officially ushering in a new support system for sophisticated large-scale experiments in disciplines ranging from astrophysics to environmental chemistry and seismology.

1/7/08: Blind Cave Fish See the Light: Biology Professor William Jeffery is quoted regarding the finding that mating two blind fish can result in sighted offspring. (see also Blind Cave Fish Can Produce Sighted Offspring)

See Also the Faculty News Archives from 2007