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Discover what's happening in BIOLOGY this week! To inquire about our biology programs please click here Biology Photo of the Week Pictured to the right are the students in Ecology 315 during their first stream sampling effort. Students in Ecology 315 are conducting independent research projects on topics including stream assessment, fish population estimations, parasite prevalence in fish hosts, and water and soil chemistry. On this day the students were sampling macroinvertebrates, fish, water and soil.
Organism of the Week Leopard slug (Limax maximus) Slugs are gastropods, soft-bodied land mollusks that lack an external shell and are closely related to snails. The leopard slug is one of the largest of the keeled air-breathing slugs; the “keel” refers to the sharp edge along the lower third of the slug’s back. The adult leopard slug measures 4 to 8 inches in length and is a light grey-brown with darker spots and blotches; every leopard slug differs slightly in its pattern of black spots. There are two pairs of tentacles on the slug’s head. There is a light-sensitive eyespot located on the top of each of the larger tentacles while the smaller pair of tentacles is used for the sense of smell and the sense of touch. The leopard slug is a mollusk and, therefore, has a shell, but the shell is reduced and internal, under the mantle shield which is a moveable flap of tissue that covers the upper back of the slug. In the mantle shield, on the right side, is the pneumostome, a respiratory opening. Leopard slugs are almost always found near human habitation in damp areas. They sleep under stones, rubble, deadwood such as fallen tree trunks, in dark wall crevices and in cellars during the day. They are active at night, coming out to feed on mushrooms, withered plants and algae growing on trees and stones. The leopard slug can also be a carnivore, feeding on harmful garden slugs and their eggs. The leopard slug has been the subject of neurological studies. Its homing ability is strongly developed; after its nocturnal foraging expeditions, it usually returns to the particular crevice or chink in which it has established itself. Also leopard slugs are capable of associative learning, specifically classical conditioning, because they are capable of aversion learning. Leopard slugs have a very unusual and distinctive mating method. The slugs are hermaphrodites, possessing both male and female reproductive organs. After mating, both partners lay hundreds of eggs, which hatch after one month. To view the mating ritual of the leopard slug, click on the following link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhVi4Z6CjZk . The leopard slug in the photo above was discovered in Gwynedd’s Lady Garden by Carissa Reh, senior Biology major; that’s her hand in the glove. The as-yet-unnamed slug now resides in a custom terrarium in the Biology lab. The slug appears settled in its new home, since after moving in, it laid a cluster of eggs. You are invited to visit the slug and join the egg-watch in Room 210 Keiss Hall. To learn more about leopard slugs visit http://webs.lander.edu/rsfox/invertebrates/limax.html http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/leopard_slug.htm http://www.molluscs.at/gastropoda/terrestrial/limax.html Student Association of Science Save the date! Wednesday October 26th for a presentation by Richard Micklos, lecturer in physics, on "Cosmology: An Amateur's Interpretation". The presentation will be at 1:30 PM in Room 107 Keiss Hall. Click here to read more about events sponsored by SAS. Extreme Makeover: Lady Garden Edition The Biology program capstone course requires a service project which focuses on active participation in using the relevant techniques of modern biology to enhance the community and the environment. The fourteen members of the class of 2011 voted to initiate a long-term service project designed to benefit our own campus community. Under the direction of Sister Anne Donigan, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology, the students designed three components to the project:
Students are responsible for each aspect of the project, from raising funds for materials to performing the required labor. Click here to see the work of the class of 2011. This project was designed as a long-term effort that will continue with each successive class. The twelve members of the class of 2012 decided to contcentrate their efforts on the renovation of the greenhouse and the maintenance of the Lady Garden. Click here to see the efforts of the class of 2012. Visit the Lady Garden to follow the progress of the project and see how our gardens grow! How Biology Majors Spend their Summer Vacations Junior Daniel Bencardino participated in an internship at the University of Notre Dame's Environmental Research Center. Click here to read about Daniel's adventures in the wilds of the Michigan Upper Peninsula. Senior Caitlin Doherty continued her research project on host and parasite diversity in the ecosystem of the campus stream Senior Michelle Benton participated in an internship at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where she conducted research on the regulation of cancer cells. Junior Christopher Jordan's internship at the Wissahickon Water Shed involved monitoring water conditions at the site. Junior Jessica Raffaele participated in Abington Memorial Hospital's premedical internship program, which involved attending presentations by physicians, observing surgeries, and volunteering in the Emergency Department. Senior Jonathan Schmidt's internship with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation found him tracking the migration patterns of the pine snake in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Senior Meredith Weir at Emerson Resources, Inc. provided support for analysis and testing of pharmaceutical clinical trials. Congratulations! To the Biology majors in the Class of 2011!
Pictured above are (first row, left to right) Erik Wielochowski, Amy Hellmann, Stacey Westerfer, Laura Howell, Caitlin Doherty, Mary Ballinger, (second row) Chris Edelman, Brandon Edgett, Paris Adolphus, Sean Carney, Dr. Lisa McGarry, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Kaylynn Curfmann, Elijah Beckham, (last row) Jessica Rufe, John Entwistle, Sam Song. Where are they now?
Remember the Class of 2010? They are all working hard - studying in graduate school or employed in the field. Pictured are (left to right) Tara White (chemical and biological quality control for a manufacturer of horticultural and agricultural products), Simona Jusyte (research for a biotechnology company), Dr. Lisa McGarry ( Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences), Rosaleen Gilmore (Ph.D. program in biology at USC), Christopher McGullam (full-time high school teacher of biology) and Mitchell White (DUCOM Physician Assistant program); not pictured are graduates Vincent Comitalo (research in molecular biology laboratory) and William Miller (vaccine production at local pharmaceutical company). Watch Successful Biology Graduate Long Mugianto
More Congratulations! To the winner of the CRC Award for Excellence in Freshman Chemistry
Sophomore biology major Jessica Raffaele (left), the 2010 winner of the CRC Award for Excellence in Freshman Chemistry, poses with Dr. Michelle McEliece, Chair of the Natural Science/Mathematics Division, and the award - a copy of the 2010 Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Note the background!
To the Recipient of the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award
Sarah J. Arnold, MD, is the recipient of the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award (shown at right with Dr. Kathleen Owens, President of Gwynedd-Mercy College). Dr. Arnold is a 1991 graduate of the Gwynedd Biology program and a 1995 graduate of the Hahnemann University School of Medicine. Since completing her internship, Dr. Arnold has served as a physician in the US Navy. She has achieved the rank of Commander and has been stationed all over the world; her service has included two tours of duty in Iraq. Dr. Arnold has recently transferred her commission to the US Coast Guard and is now stationed in New Jersey. To learn more about Dr. Arnold's post-Gwynedd career, click here to read her profile published in the Summer 2009 issue of Gwynedd Today.
To the 2010 inducted members of the Sigma Zeta Honor Society.
On November 7th, the Beta Delta Chapter of Sigma Zeta, the National Honor Society for Science and Mathematics inducted ten students into the organization. Pictured are (front row, left to right) Michelle Benton, Shannon Cleveland, (middle row) Heather Chappius, Carissa Reh, Meredith Weir, Joylynn Shore, (rear) Nicholas Coan, Corey Lutz, Craig Trueblood and Paras Terrell. Click here to read about Sigma Zeta events.
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Are you a PROSPECTIVE biology student?
Curriculum Information – Biology Bachelor Degree for students matriculating after August 2009 MAJOR
Biology- 35-38 Credits
GENERAL EDUCATION AND CORE CURRICULUM*
General Education Elective- 3 credits Open Electives- 12 credits *Please contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@gmc.edu or call 1-800-DIAL-GMC for specific general education course requirements. Call 1-800-DIAL-GMC or click here. Credit Requirement A minimum of 125 credits is required for this degree.
Grade Requirement The minimum passing grade within the major is C (a grade of C- is not acceptable). Students are required to take the Biology Field Test as a requirement for consideration for graduation. For information about admissions criteria for Gwynedd-Mercy College, click here. Are you an ALUMNUS/A? Gwynedd-Mercy College Biology Alumni are on Facebook.com. Join us there! Further information about events is available by clicking on "GMC calendar" at the top of the page. |
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