Integrative Biology News

{besps}front/{/besps}

{besps_c}0|1_alligatorsnapper.jpg|An integrative approach to organismal biology|By integrating across levels of analysis from genes to ecosystems, what can we learn about organisms and their environments? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|2_student.jpg|Integrating research and education|How can we better advance scientific inquiry and educate future scientists? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|3_Lake_fullbright.jpg|Environmental stress and toxicology|What are the effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors on ecology and evolution? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|3_pod.jpg|Anatomy and physiology|What are the proximate and ultimate drivers of organismal anatomy and physiology? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|4_brain2.jpg|From brains to behavioral ecology|What are the mechanisms that govern animal behavior? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|5_parasite.jpg|Ecological interactions|How do organisms interact with each other and with their environment? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|7_ecosystem2.jpg|Ecosystems and conservation|How do ecosystem processes inform conservation biology? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|6_pollinator.jpg|Evolution and biodiversity|How do evolutionary mechanisms shape biodiversity in natural environments? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|6_cells.jpg|Evolutionary genetics and speciation|What mechanisms underlie the origin of species? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|8_microarray.jpg|Molecular genetics and genomics|What can molecular, genetic, and genomic tools reveal about ecology and evolution? {/besps_c}

{besps_c}0|9_blackwidow.jpg|Predator-Prey Interactions|How do different prey vary in quality for predators?{/besps_c}

The Department of Integrative Biology strives for excellence in basic and applied research and instruction in the broad, comprehensive field of integrative biology. The department currently has 24 regular faculty members, numerous active adjuncts and emeritus members, 670 undergraduates in the biology (including pre-healthcare and environmental biology options), zoology (with pre-med, ecology/conservation, and pre-vet options), and physiology majors (with a pre-med option), and over 70 graduate students. Please visit our news section for recent developments in our department, and don't hesitate to contact us if you would like further information.

Researchers with Oklahoma State University and the USDA-ARS have been awarded a $362,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to evaluate the effect of landscape diversity on beneficial insects and ecosystem services. The research team includes Principal Investigator Dr. Kristen Baum from Integrative Biology, Kristopher Giles from Entomology and Plant Pathology, Norman Elliott from the USDA-ARS, and Eric DeVuyst from Agricultural Economics. The project titled "Implications of landscape, crop, and insect diversity for agroecosystem functionality” involves evaluating how pollinators and natural enemies (insect predators) respond to a range of landscape/agroecosystem diversity levels, with a focus on the wheat/canola producing region of the state. They will also assess the availability of pollination and pest control services, and results will be evaluated in the context of economic outcomes for agricultural producers. Congratulations Kristen!

Lexi Hill, a Senior at Deer Creek High School, received first place in the Oklahoma Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition for her project titled “Municipal wastewater effluent has sublethal effects on freshwater snails (Helisoma trivolvis)”. Lexi is a student in Ms. Kaytlyn Goodwin’s (OSU 2015) science class and was mentored by Chris Goodchild, a PhD student in Sarah DuRant’s lab. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is awarded by the Oklahoma Water Environment Association (OWEA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). This prize recognizes outstanding student research in water science and sustainability (for more see: http://www.siwi.org/prizes/stockholmjuniorwaterprize/). The award carries an all expenses paid trip to the national competition in Charlotte, NC, where Lexi will be competing for the opportunity to share her research with an international audience in Stockholm, Sweden. Congratulations, Lexi!

The Department of Integrative Biology will offer several new degree options beginning in the fall of 2016. Our 3 base degrees – Biological Science, Physiology, and Zoology – will remain, but we have added options for a more specific and targeted academic experience.

Our department now offers the following degrees/options:

Biological Science

Biological Science: Environmental Biology

Biological Science: Pre-Healthcare

Biological Science: Secondary Teacher Certification

Physiology

Physiology: Pre-Medical Sciences

Zoology

Zoology: Ecology and Conservation Biology

Zoology: Pre-Medical Sciences

Zoology: Pre-Veterinary Science

Visit with your departmental advisor or see the undergraduate studies page to see if these options might be right for you.

Watch the above video to learn more about what it is like to be a student in the Department of Integrative Biology.

Four Seniors from the Department of Integrative Biology were selected as Oklahoma State Seniors of Significance. Congratulations to Lauren Foley (Major: Zoology and Biological Sciences), Brandon Hubbard (Major:Physiology and Pyschology), Clara Telford (Major: Physiology), and Leah Underwood (Major: Physiology). The award recognizes students who excelled in scholarship, leadership, and service to campus and community. You can learn more here.

Mark your calendar! The Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium is December 5, 2014 from 1:30-3:30pm in the Lobby of Life Sciences West. Each Spring and Fall undergraduates present the results of the research they have been working during the semester. See attached flyer.

More Articles ...

DEPARTMENT OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY