Paul Ehrlich addresses UT

Famed ecologist Paul Ehrlich addressed an audience at UT as part of the Baker Center Interdisciplinary Group on Energy and Environmental Policy series. For more information, see this article in UTK's student newspaper, The Daily Beacon.

PNAS paper on complex codon usage patterns

EEB grad student Premal Shah (now a postdoc in the Plotkin lab at the U. of Pennsylvania) and his adviser, Associate Prof. Mike Gilchrist, recently published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on "Explaining complex codon usage patterns with selection for translational efficiency, mutation bias, and genetic drift."

Abstract: The genetic code is redundant with most amino acids using multiple codons. In many organisms, codon usage is biased toward particular codons. Understanding the adaptive and nonadaptive forces driving the evolution of codon usage bias (CUB) has been an area of intense focus and debate in the fields of molecular and evolutionary biology. However, their relative importance in shaping genomic patterns of CUB remains unsolved. Using a nested model of protein translation and population genetics, we show that observed gene level variation of CUB in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be explained almost entirely by selection for efficient ribosomal usage, genetic drift, and biased mutation. The correlation between observed codon counts within individual genes and our model predictions is 0.96. Although a variety of factors shape patterns of CUB at the level of individual sites within genes, our results suggest that selection for efficient ribosome usage is a central force in shaping codon usage at the genomic scale. In addition, our model allows direct estimation of codon-specific mutation rates and elongation times and can be readily applied to any organism with high-throughput expression datasets. More generally, we have developed a natural framework for integrating models of molecular processes to population genetics models to quantitatively estimate parameters underlying fundamental biological processes, such a protein translation.

Grant to Matheny for new Fungi of Australia volume

Brandon Matheny and Neale Bougher (Department of Conservation, Western Australia) have received a grant from the Australian Biological Resources Study, in conjunction with matching funds from the Western Australia Naturalists' Club, Inc., to add a systematic volume to the Fungi of Australia series. The subject of the volume will be the Inocybaceae of Australia, a family of ectomycorrhizal fungi particularly diverse in temperate regions of Australia.

NEON construction to begin

Funds have been released for the construction of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) as of Aug. 2011. See this press release. From the release: "NEON plans to build 62 sites across the U.S., utilizing cutting-edge technology that will gather and synthesize continental-scale data over 30 years on the impacts of climate change, land use change and invasive species on natural resources and biodiversity. Such information will support the ability to understand and predict environmental change on regional and continental scales."

There are two NEON sites near UTK: a core site at Walker Branch site at Oak Ridge, and a relocatable site in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are several other sites within a day's drive of campus.

ORNL summer research includes EEB alumni

Two UTK EEB alumni are involved in work at Oak Ridge National Labs this summer on the effect of rising carbon dioxide levels on plant growth. Colleen Iversen was a graduate student in EEB and is now an ecoysystem ecologist at ORNL, while Lauren Breza was an EEB undergrad. Both worked in Aimee Classen's lab while at UT.

See WBIR's story about this work here.

PhD student Melissa Cregger receives DOE award

Melissa Cregger, a PhD student in the Aimee Classen lab, was just awarded the 2011 Marvin L. Wesely Award from the Department of Energy. The award was established in honor of the late Dr. Marvin L. Wesely, Argonne National Laboratory senior meteorologist and chief scientist of the DOE Atmospheric Chemistry Program, who died Jan. 20, 2003 from heart cancer (see pdf). The Marvin L. Wesely Fellowship is awarded to the Graduate Research Environmental Fellow (GREF) who has made the best use of their DOE mentor and facilities in improving the quality of his/her research efforts. The award is given for a one-year period to a current GREF fellow who has been supported to do global change research as part of the Global Change Education Program.

Remembering Hal DeSelm

Our esteemed colleague Hal DeSelm died July 12 at 7pm. Hal’s wife of 63 years, Bee, and their daughter Diane were with him.

The obituary and guestbook are here.

A memorial service is being held this Sunday, July 17 at 3pm at Tennessee Valley Unitarian and Universalist Church on Kingston Pike.

Condolences to Bee and their family.

Bat grant to Jennifer Krauel

Jennifer Krauel, a PhD student of Gary McCracken, recently got an award from Bat Conservation International for studying "Fall migration of Tadarida brasiliensis and their agricultural insect prey".

Postdoc in biodiversity conservation with Armsworth

A postdoctoral position is available in Paul Armsworth’s research group at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (web.utk.edu/~parmswor).

The post-doc will participate in an ongoing, interdisciplinary research project that aims to determine the relative effectiveness of different conservation investment strategies in contrasting ecological and socioeconomic contexts. The post-doc will help collate and analyze spatial data on conservation investment patterns in the US. This work involves extensive interactions with conservation practitioners and will provide the individual with experience of a range of interdisciplinary techniques and approaches relevant to conservation science.

Our research group is part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at UT-Knoxville that is a highly interactive and integrative group of faculty, post-docs and fellows and students (http://eeb.bio.utk.edu). UT-Knoxville is a vibrant campus located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and has recently become the home to the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (http://www.nimbios.org) with which our research group has a close association.

Applicants for the position should have a PhD in a relevant discipline, strong quantitative skills, and proficiency in English. In addition, experience with GIS and analysis of spatial ecological data would be advantageous. Funds are available to support this position for one year. The position is immediately available and the search will continue until the position is filled. To apply, please submit by email a CV, a brief covering letter, one or two exemplars of your research (e.g. papers, manuscripts or thesis chapters), and the names and contact information for two references to Paul Armsworth (p.armsworth@utk.edu).

NIMBioS postdocs

Call for Postdoctoral Fellowship Applications at NIMBioS

The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS), located at the Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, is currently accepting applications for postdoctoral scholarship at the interface between mathematics and biology. Highest priority will be given to those with explicit plans to develop their ability to effectively carry on research across these fields. We are particularly interested in requests to support research that integrates diverse fields, requires synthesis at multiple scales, and/or makes use of or requires development of new mathematical/computational approaches. NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellows are chosen based upon indications that the applicant's research plans are consistent with the mission of NIMBioS, the applicant has the demonstrated ability to carry out the proposed research, and the opportunities provided through NIMBioS will enhance the capacity for the research to be completed in an efficient and timely manner. For additional information on NIMBioS, visit www.nimbios.org. Support: annual stipend of $51,000, full University of Tennessee employee fringe benefits, and an annual travel allowance of $2,000. Requests for Support: Submit a brief project description, references, and CV following the guidelines available at http://www.nimbios.org/postdocs/ to Dr. Chris Welsh at cwelsh@utk.edu. Deadline: NIMBioS postdoctoral requests for support are reviewed three times per year, and the selected researchers are offered positions at NIMBioS where they conduct research that is mostly self-directed. The deadline for activities beginning in early 2012 is Sept. 1, 2011. All letters of recommendation should be submitted before the request deadline.

EEB awards (summary)

EEB had its annual awards ceremony on Friday, May 6, 2011. Past EEB outstanding undergrad Jessica Welch took photos; department head Gary McCracken modified trophies for the recipients. Here are links to all the relevant posts:

• Excellence in progress towards degree

• Outstanding student paper award

• Jim Tanner award for outstanding dissertation

• Biology GTA award

• Cokinnius grad student awards

• Outstanding teaching award

• Outstanding EEB undergraduate

• Science alliance awards

• Staff awards

Excellence in progress towards degree

The awards for excellence in progress towards a degree went to Romina Dimarco [not pictured], Mark Genung, and Katie Stuble.

Outstanding student paper award

The award for outstanding student paper went to Emmi Felker-Quinn.

Jim Tanner award for outstanding dissertation

The Jim Tanner award for outstanding dissertation was given to Premal Shah. One of Premal's dissertation chapters (coauthored with advisor Michael Gilchrist) will be appearing in a future issue of PNAS.

Biology GTA award

The award for a biology GTA was given to Lauren Wilmoth for her teaching and leadership as a teaching assistant in biology classes.

Cokinnius grad student awards

This year's recipients of the Cokinnius grad student awards were Melissa Cregger and Phillip Hollingsworth.

Outstanding teaching award

The outstanding teaching award was named the Sandy Echternacht award in recognition of his many years of excellent teaching here. This year's recipient was Mackenzie Taylor.

Outstanding EEB undergraduate

The award for outstanding EEB undergraduate went to Lauren Breza. Lauren started research at UTK just after high school, and worked in the Boake, Sanders, and, most recently, Classen labs.

Gary McCracken took pains to note that competition for this award was intense this year, with several other excellent nominees, especially Sarah Wood, Matt Letre, and Heather Tran, all graduating this spring.

Science alliance awards

The UT-ORNL Science Alliance gives awards to outstanding graduate students. This year, half the awards to biologists across three UTK biology departments went to EEB graduate students: Emily Austin, Matt Niemiller, and Graham Reynolds.

Staff awards

Staff members Marva Anderson, Jaime Call, Pearl Kirkland-Smith, Cheryl Lynn, and Anne Mintz all received awards for their service to the department.

Marva Anderson receiving an envelope from Dept. Head Gary McCracken

Jaime Call receiving an envelope from Dept. Head Gary McCracken

Cheryl Lynn receiving an envelope from Dept. Head Gary McCracken