Upcoming Events

Medical School Information Session

January 18, Wed. 3:00 PM, Room 241 Congdon - American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine

Announcements

Biology Professor awarded $208,000 NSF grant to study effects of climate change on high altitude trees

You could say that Dr. Niky Hughes, Assistant Professor of Biology, has her head in the clouds – in a good way. Hughes won a highly competitive National Science Foundation RUI grant (for Research in Undergraduate Institutions) in the fall for $208,000.  With those funds, she and three undergraduate students will be traveling to the mountains of Wyoming and North Carolina over the next three summers to study the effects of cloud immersion, sunlight, and temperature on the physiology and productivity of high altitude conifer species.  They will be using these data to model tree-line migration and seedling survivorship in the context of global climate change.

HPU students currently working in Hughes’ lab include Junior biology majors Scotty Keidel and Charlene Miller.  Keidel and Miller have been working with Hughes for the past year, researching the photoprotective role of anthocyanin pigments in leaves.  They will be continuing their work on anthocyanins during the school year, and working on treeline physiology with Hughes over the summers.

Hughes says that, for field-oriented undergraduate students like Miller and Keidel, the grant will provide an opportunity for high-profile research, hands-on experience using a variety of modern field equipment, and increased opportunities for networking and presenting at professional conferences.  Hughes is co-principal investigator with Dr. William K. Smith of Wake Forest University, one of the world’s foremost authorities on conifer physiology and ecology. The grant itself will also supply more than $30,000 in ecophysiological field equipment for Hughes’ lab, and has allowed her to hire a recent HPU graduate – Kaylyn Carpenter – to work as a lab technician during the 2011-2012 academic year.

As a young researcher in a time of historically low funds and unprecedented competition, this is an extraordinary accomplishment for HPU and Hughes, who was also named runner-up to the 2011 Tansley medal– an international award recognizing outstanding young botanists in the early stages of their career.

Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) Meeting, April 13-16 2011

Eight students and five faculty members from the Biology Department attended this year's ASB meeting in Huntsville, Al. The students presented the findings of seven research projects in the form of Poster Presentations while at the meetings.

Abstracts of ASB Posters Presentations

Former Student News

Tabatha Davis (HPU 2010), former John Everett Ward Scholarship winner, successfully completed her first year of medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina at Charleston.

Dr. Susan Haver (HPU 2006) graduated from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in May 2010. She is currently working at a small animal veterinary practice in Thomasville, NC. In addition to seeing patients during the day, Susan also serves as one of the on-call vets for the Emergency Room. Last fall, she was invited to teach a lab in Dr. Sapp’s Parasitology course (BIO 3220). Susan gave a lecture entitled “Parasites, pets and their owners” and designed a diagnostic lab for the students to due which included setting up and screening fecal flotations. Following the lab, Susan spoke with those students pursuing the pre-veterinary track about what they needed to do both in and out of the classroom to be a competitive applicant for vet school.

John Everett Ward Scholarship - 2011

Amanda Starring

Click here for details of the The John Everett Ward Scholarship.

Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society

The Phi Zeta Chapter of Beta Beta Beta will be installed at High Point University this Spring 2010. Beta Beta Beta Biological Society is a national society seeking to encourage scholarly attainment in this field of learning by reserving its active membership for those who achieve superior academic records and who indicate special aptitude for and major interest in the life science.

High Point University students are eligible for Active Membership if they (a) are an undergraduate major or potential major in Biology, (b) have completed at least three courses in Biology with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in Biology course taken, and (c) have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 in all courses taken.

Associate membership is also available to those students who (a) have completed two courses in Biology with a GPA of at least 3.0 in these courses, (b) have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 in all courses taken, and (c) show a high degree of interest in Biology.
The group will meet a few times a semester for chapter business and programs originating with its own members or with outside speakers.

Biology Majors Earn Summer Internships Positions - 2009.

Derek Huffstetler (2010) - Excellence in Cardiovascular Sciences Summer Research Program at Wake Forest University.

Doug Margarucci (2011) - Northern Arizona University Research Experience for Undergraduates in Environmental Science

Melissa Robbins (2010) - Summer Undergraduate Research Focus (SURF) program at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi.

Tabatha Davis (2010) - Medical College of Georgia's Student Training And Research (STAR) program.

Thomas Johnston (2010) - Wake Forest University Primate Center

Jamie Rose (2010) - Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) in Neuroscience at Emory University

Update on Recent Graduates - Spring 2009.

Krista Wagoner (2008) is currently a medical student at The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University

Toua Xiong (2008) was recently accepted into the SABA University School of Medicine

Carnai Simpson (2007) was recently accepted into the Virginia Commonwealth School of Medicine

Recent Past Events

Archive of Past Announcements and Events