Archived Department News

2007

Headlines for April

Integrative Biology's Bio 1B Field Section receives the 2007 Educational Initiatives Award

Headlines for January

Professor Emeritus William Lidicker elected President of the International Federation of Mammalogists

Headlines for April

Graduate student Elizabeth Kirby receives Department of Defense fellowship
Associate Professor Eileen Lacey receives the Distinguished Teaching Award

Headlines for May

IB undergraduate student Cheng Li selected as a Nathan and Violet David Scholar

Headlines for August

Professor Emeritus George Barlow passes away, memorial service planned for September 8

Headlines for September

Associate professor Eileen Lacey re-elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Mammalogists
Professor of the Graduate School Marvalee Wake was designated the "Distinguished Herpetologist 2007" by the Herpetologists' League
Professor of the Graduate School David Wake honored at the Fifth Conference on the Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders

Headlines for October

Professors Koehl, Padian, and Powell have been named fellows of the AAAS

Headlines for November

Assistant Professor Sheila Patek receives 2008 Bartholomew Award from SICB

April

Integrative Biology's Bio 1B Field Section receives the 2007 Educational Initiatives Award

Published April 2, 2007

Bio 1B is one of Integrative Biology's more popular course offerings, and recently, its Special Field Section Studies received the 2007 Educational Initiatives Award. Bio 1B's Field Section allows students to conduct field studies in lieu of weekly labs, giving the motivated student an opportunity to experience field work early in their academic career.

Many people contribute to the success of this program, including Dr. Mike Moser, the academic coordinator for the course, Dr. John Latto, a lecturer for Bio 1B, and many Integrative Biology graduate student instructors.

Congratulations!

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January

Professor Emeritus William Lidicker elected President of the International Federation of Mammalogists

Published January 1, 2007

IB professor emeritus William Lidicker was recently elected president of the International Federation of Mammalogists. The federation formed in the past year to foster international cooperation within the various mammological organizations and to sponsor congresses in Mammology every four years. It replaces an old governance structure started in 1974 that was based on a cold war model of representation by major geopolitical regions of the world. In August 2005, a bylaws committee was established to develop a new governance structure. Since then, the group has transitioned into the International Federation of Mammologists, with Dr. Lidicker as the organization's newly elected president.

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April

Graduate student Elizabeth Kirby receives Department of Defense fellowship

Published April 24, 2007

Elizabeth Kirby, a graduate student in the Kaufer Lab has been awarded  the prestigious Department of Defense fellowship for her graduate research work. Elizabeth is studying stressor controllability as a mediator of the cognitive, neurogenic and growth factor effects of chronic stress on the hippocampal formation.

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Associate Professor Eileen Lacey receives the Distinguished Teaching Award

Published April 3, 2007

Eileen Lacey, associate professor, and curator of mammals at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, has received Berkeley's most prestigious award for teaching. The award reflects Dr. Lacey's commitment to both her undergraduate and graduate students. In an interview with IB last fall Dr. Lacey spoke of providing inspiration to her students and the importance some of her own instructors have had in her career:

"... I hope that I am able to instill in students some of my enthusiasm for behavior, mammals, and field research. Two of the three courses that I teach (behavioral ecology, mammalogy) have substantial lab components and I try to include as many hands-on activities and field trips as I can. During my career, I have benefitted greatly from my interactions with three teachers/mentors (at the high school, undergraduate, and postdoctoral levels) and I hope that I can pass along some of what I gained from those individuals to the students that I encounter."

The Distinguished Teaching Award has only been given to 219 faculty since its inception in 1959, and is the eleventh received by faculty of Integrative Biology, including Bob Full, Marian Diamond, Tyrone Hayes, and Jim Patton.

For more on Dr. Lacey, visit:

IB's Faculty Profile
The Lacey Lab

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May

IB undergraduate student Cheng Li selected as a Nathan and Violet David Scholar

Published May 10, 2007

image of Lily Li
Lily Li conducting research in the Barnosky Lab

Cheng (Lily) Li, an undergraduate student in the Barnosky Lab, has been selected as a Nathan and Violet David Scholar to conduct research on "The impact of environmental changes on the skull and mandible of the American Pika (Ochotona Princeps) - a 2D morphometric study". Lily developed the proposal out of research she began with IB / Museum of Paleontology graduate student Brian Kraatz. 

The Nathan and Violet David Scholars Program "gives talented and service-minded students the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research in the sciences" and also sets them up as mentors for children from low-income backgrounds.  Lily was also selected as a Haas Scholar for the same project, an honor she deferred in accepting the David Scholarship. 

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August

Professor Emeritus George Barlow passes away, memorial service planned for September 8

Published August 8, 2007

IB professor emeritus George Barlow, animal behaviorist and famed ichthyologist, died July 14, after a massive stroke.  

A campus memorial service has been planned for Saturday, September 8 at UC Berkeley's Alumni House, starting at 1:00 PM.  

UC Berkeley's obituary 

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September

Associate professor Eileen Lacey re-elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Mammalogists

Published September 13, 2007

Associate professor Eileen Lacey, who is also an associate curator at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, has been re-elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Mammologists at its annual meeting in June at the University of New Mexico.  Dr. Lacey will serve another three-year term on the board assisting in the directing of the world's oldest and largest scientific organization devoted to mammals.

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Professor of the Graduate School Marvalee Wake was designated the "Distinguished Herpetologist 2007" by the Herpetologists' League

Published September 13, 2007

The Herpetologists' League is an international organization of people devoted to studying the biology of amphibians and reptiles.  The League bestowed Professor of the Graduate School Marvalee Wake with the honor of "Distinguished Herpetologist 2007".  Dr. Wake presented a plenary lecture at joint meetings in St. Louis in July, which will be published in Herpetologica. She also became President of the International Society of Vertebrate Morphology at its meeting in Paris in late July.

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Professor of the Graduate School David Wake honored at the Fifth Conference on the Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders

Published September 13, 2007

Professor of the Graduate School David Wake was feted by a symposium in his honor at the Fifth  Conference on the Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders, held in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, in early August.

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October

Professors Koehl, Padian, and Powell have been named fellows of the AAAS

Published October 29, 2007

From left to right: Mimi Koehl, Zack Powell, Kevin Padian

Three Integrative Biology professors were among 10 University of California, Berkeley faculty to be named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest scientific society. The scientists are being honored "for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications," according to the weekly publication Science. The IB professors include:

Mimi Koehl, "for ground-breaking research in functional morphology, for international research leadership and for her role as a model for women scientists."

Kevin Padian, "for distinguished contributions to the study of the vertebrate evolutionary adaptations and especially for his leadership in science education."

Thomas "Zack" Powell, "for innovative interdisciplinary research in biological oceanography, for his role for many years as a leader of the GLOBEC effort and for his international leadership."

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November

Assistant Professor Sheila Patek receives 2008 Bartholomew Award from SICB

Published November 5, 2007

Assistant Professor Sheila Patek has been awarded the 2008 Bartholomew Award by the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB).  This award is given annually to a young investigator "for distinguished contributions to comparative physiology...or to functional and integrative biology."   Dr. Patek studies the evolution of sensory and mechanical systems in arthropods.

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