Faculty Position
The Department of Biological Sciences is engaged in one faculty search in 2009/2010: Endowed Chair in Global Change Biology.
Building a Better Biofactory
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A conversation between two University of Arkansas researchers has led to research funding for an idea to improve purification of proteins derived from genetically engineered bacteria by engineering the impurities out of the bacteria themselves.
Student Research Opportunities in Thailand
The University of Arkansas has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation for a project entitled “Studies of Fungal Biodiversity in Northern Thailand.” The funding provided by NSF will support a program that provides the opportunity, during each of three summers, for four undergraduate and/or graduate students to spend a month carrying out biodiversity studies of fungi and fungus-like organisms associated with tropical forests in northern Thailand as research projects. Tropical forests are thought to be the terrestrial ecosystems characterized by the highest fungal biodiversity, but a major portion of this biodiversity has yet to be documented. In Thailand, the student participants will interact with scientists and graduate students at Chiang Mai University, Mae Fah Luang University and the Mushroom Research Centre. The international aspects of the program are expected to represent an extraordinary training/educational experience for these students, since the interaction with their student counterparts in Thailand will involve sharing the same accommodations, joint field work at study sites in northern Thailand and laboratory-based sessions during which they will work together on processing and analyzing samples and data.
Surviving the Tough Life
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - University of Arkansas researchers have shown that methane-producing microorganisms can survive for up to 25 days without water, which might make such creatures even more likely candidates for the type of life that could be found on Mars.
Amazon Basin Species Found Nowhere Else
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - While working on her master's degree in biology, Paola Barriga braved the challenges of torrential rain, menacing snakes and the sometimes hostile Waorani neighbors as she collected specimens in Amazonia, the world's largest tropical rainforest. Spanning more than half of Brazil, the 2.5 million square miles of the Amazon Basin contain a wealth of life richer than anyplace on earth.
Bat Success Stories
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Some endangered bats in the United States are making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts involving non-profit organizations working with government agencies, says a University of Arkansas professor.