Department of Biology

2013

A recent article in Georgetown College News features senior Biology of Global Health major Sarah Justvig and her commitment to research both in and outside of her major. Although Justvig is working toward a career in medicine, she has come to understand that research is inclusive and interdisciplinary, extending beyond the sciences.

A Passion for Research

Senior Neurobiology major Wardah Athar has recently been awarded the George J. Mitchell scholarship, which will support her graduate study next year in either neuroscience or psychology at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The scholarship is named for former Senator George J. Mitchell (D-Maine), who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland, and provides for a year of graduate study at a university in Ireland. Wardah dedicated her undergraduate research to studying neuronal communication, which included working in biology professor Maria Donoghue’s developmental neurobiology lab. She looks forward to continuing her scientific growth abroad.

Georgetown Student Wins Mitchell Scholarship to Study in Ireland 

Georgetown University recently announced that it has received a $20 million gift to launch the Georgetown Environment Initiative - a multi-campus effort to advance the interdisciplinary study of the environment in relation to society and stewardship of natural resources. The gift, from a family affiliated with the university that wishes to remain anonymous, will provide resources to create a formal initiative that will benefit from the university’s wide-ranging expertise in relevant fields in science, business, public policy, the humanities, health, law and international relations.

                                                            University’s Environment Initiative Receives $20 Million Gift

2012

Professor Anne Rosenwald and her post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Gaurav Arora, were recently featured in Georgetown College News for their ongoing work with Genome Solver, which helps students and faculty investigate the Human Microbiome Project. Alongside the Center for New Designs in Leadership and Scholarship (CNDLS), Drs. Rosenwald and Arora are leading an initiative to bring more research-based learning into the classroom.

                                                           Genome Solver: Discovering the Human Microbiome

Congratulations to Professor Janet Mann and recent graduate alumnus Margaret Stanton (G'11), whose study on male dolphins' early social bonds and the role they play in predicting their survival later in life was recently published in the online journal PLoS ONE. The study found that male dolphins that are socially well connected during the three to six years before they are weaned are more likely to survive to adulthood.

                                                           Early Social Bonds Predict Survival in Male Dolphins

The latest blog post from "Hoya Citings" in Vox Populi features Biology of Global Health junior David Schaffer and his contributions to ongoing research on foot-and-mouth disease over the summer of 2012 at the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering in Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Hoya Citings: Student contributes to foot-and-mouth disease research in Shanghai laboratory

Congratulations to Professor Janet Mann and her co-authors in the Mann lab, School of Nursing and Health Studies, and the Department of Computer Science, who have discovered that bottlenose dolphins and humans are the only mammals to associate with one another based on cultural behavior with tools. Their study was recently published in the online journal Nature Communications.

                                                         Humans, Dolphins Only Mammals to Socialize Based on Subcultures

In a recent Georgetown College News article, students from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Research Scholars program are featured along with their research work in labs in Biology and across campus. Co-directed by Professors Maria Donoghue and Joseph Neale, the Hughes University Program is funded by HHMI and offers students experience in mentored research or teaching for 11 weeks each summer.

                                                       Summer Research in the City

Biology students and faculty members, including Professor Heidi Elmendorf, were recently featured in a video for Georgetown University News for their participation in the 2012 USA Science & Engineering Fesitval, which was held in April in Washington, DC.

Faculty, Students Present at USA Science & Engineering Festival

Recent articles in the Georgetown College News and Georgetown University News feature students from Professor Heidi Elmendorf and Professor Anne Rosenwald's Gateway course to the Biology of Global Health major, and the work they have done this semester in conjuction with the Capital Area Food Bank to fight hunger in the greater DC metro region.

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally     Global Health Class Helps D.C. Food Bank Promotion

 

Congratulations to undergraduate Biology major Frederick Ghandchi, who has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater scholarship for 2012. Frederick was one of only 282 students selected for this honor, chosen from a pool of 1,123 math, science, and engineering students nationwide.

Undergraduate Cancer Researcher wins Goldwater Scholarship

Congratulations to first year graduate student Theodore (Trey) Picou, who was recently awarded one of three fellowships from the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation. This fellowship will support Trey's graduate study through the 2012-2013 academic year.

2012-13 ARCS Fellowship Recipients

Congratulations to Professor Maria Donoghue, who was one of three recipients of the 2012 Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Professor Donoghue received her award at this year's annual Georgetown College Faculty Convocation, held on January 24th.

Three Professors Awarded Excellence in Teaching Awards
 

A recent article in the Georgetown College News features senior Biology major Jess Hebert, who works with Professor Richard Schlegel in the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researching HPV and its connection to cancer.

Biology Major Wins Goldwater Award for Cancer Research

Recent Neurobiology major graduate Jackie DesJardin (Class of 2011) was featured in Georgetown University News for her leading role in ongoing research on depression, anxiety, and autism related to interactions between brain structures in Prof. Ludise Malkova's lab at Georgetown University Medical Center.

New Research May Help Explain Depression, Other Disorders

In a recent article published in the Georgetown College News, Professor Maria Donoghue is featured for her research surrounding brain development and the cerebral cortex.

Neuroscientist Studies Brain Development

 2011

Congratulations to Assistant Research Professor Kristine Willis, whose recent study on the nuclear pore complex and its role in the development of leukemia and other cancers was recently published in the online journal PLoS ONE.

New Study Sheds Light on Origins of Leukemia
 

Congratulations to Professor Anne Rosenwald, who has been named a 2011 BEN Scholar. The BEN Scholars Program strives to promote the use of digital library resources and student-centered teaching and learning methods in higher education.

GU Biologist Gets Award to Promote Classroom Digital Resources

In a recent article published in the Georgetown University Medical Center News, four researchers in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology are featured for their work on the viruses hepatitis B, C, and D.

Hepatitis Affects Everyone, Everywhere

Kudos to Professor Janet Mann and graduate student Eric Patterson, whose study on dolphins' use of marine basket sponges as a foraging tool was published in the July 20 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE. News of this exciting discovery has now spread far and wide, with articles appearing in such media outlets as Wired Science, Science Magazine, and even The New York Times!

The New York Times    Wired Science    Science Magazine    AnimalWise     Machines Like Us    California Academy of Sciences

Check out the recent article from Georgetown News, which highlights the Georgetown-Hughes Summer Research Scholars Program (funded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute).

Summer Research Program Immerses D.C. Youth in Sciences

Congratulations to Professor Heidi Elmendorf, who was recently honored by the Georgetown College Academic Council for being voted by her students as a professor who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to undergraduate teaching.

College Academic Council Honors Professors

The New Science Center at Georgetown University will be a state-of-the-art research and teaching center for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Ground has been broken and construction is projected to be completed in 2012.

Supporting a new place for science at Georgetown – and for Georgetown in science

The sciences are a core element of Georgetown's liberal arts education, where innovative programs address social issues and build leaders in science research, policy, and education.

Forging a Georgetown Scientist

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