Spreading your wings as a student researcher can take you to rewarding places. Shelby Palmer, a second-year Master of Science in biology student, is the 2023 recipient of the Missouri Birding Society (MBS) Bauer Graduate Scholarship. Her project, titled “Investigating the relationship between ancestry and song in an avian hybrid zone,” has been the focus of her … [Read more...] about Missouri State biology graduate student wins Missouri Birding Society scholarship
The biology department has had a strong start to the year. From Jan. 3-7, five students attended the recent conference of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) in Austin, Texas, with four students being nominated for or winning awards. Dr. Avery Russell, assistant professor of biology at Missouri State University, advises all student … [Read more...] about Biology department brings buzz to Austin
Dr. Giorgia Auteri is new to Missouri State University, but not the world of evolutionary biology. For the last six years, she has been aiming to understand the full extent of how mammals adapt to changes in their environment caused by humans. Now an assistant biology professor at MSU, Auteri has achieved much along the way. An early interest Growing up in Seattle, … [Read more...] about A beacon for bats and bears
According to research presented recently at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, rising temperatures are forcing some bees to take shallow, rapid breaths—essentially hyperventilating—which burns more energy and makes them less likely to survive. About half of the 45 bumble bee species in the United States seem to be in trouble. The reasons … [Read more...] about How our warming world is affecting some bumble bees
In northern Michigan forests lives the white-footed mouse. Among other small mammals, it’s a fierce competitor in the food chain. However, this animal struggles to survive through harsh winters. Tracking the population size and location of this mouse can serve as an indicator of climate change. Dr. Sean Maher, associate professor of biology at Missouri State University, who … [Read more...] about Studying mice to get a bigger picture