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The Drift
August 17, 2007

Carol Freeman, Editor
Submissions to The Drift need to be submitted by 5pm on Thursday to:
eebdept@email.arizona.edu

-In This Edition–
EEB Department News
    EEB Happy Hour Gathering – Monday!
    Monday Seminar Series
    Tuesday “Noon” Seminar Series – E. Snell-Rood
    EEB Grant Award Announcement – N. Moran
    Open Enrollment for Benefits Reminder
News from Other Areas
    Flow Cytometry Analysis Seminar
    Venom Week 2007
Course Announcements – Fall 2007
    ECOL 496J/596J: Plant Population Ecology
    ECOL 596Z: The Origins and Evolution of Eukaryotes
    MCB501: Computer Concepts and Perl Programming
    RNR 496P/596P: Managing Development Near Conservation Areas
    RNR 696A, Section 1: Conservation Seminar
Meetings
    Research Insights in Semiarid Ecosystems (RISE) Symposium
General Announcements
    U of A Blood Drive   

EEB Happy Hour Gathering – Monday!
 
Date:            August 20, 2007
Time:            5:00 – 7:00 pm
Location:       Sam Hughes Place
                   446 N. Campbell Avenue
 
There will be an informal happy hour gathering for all of EEB at Sam Hughes Place to kick off the Fall semester at 5:00 pm on Monday, August 20th.  All EEB faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend.  There will not be a formal program this year as there has been in years past but faculty are encouraged to bring along their new students, postdocs, visitors and staff as this will be a great opportunity to informally introduce them to our department.
 
An array of light snacks will be provided by the department.  Cash bar available.

Monday Seminar Series
 
Monday Seminar Series will resume on Monday, August 27, 2007.  Please note that the EEB Monday seminars will begin at 4:30 pm.

Tuesday “Noon” Seminar Series
EEB Dissertation Final Oral Presentation

Date:            August 21, 2007
Time:            12:30 pm
Location:       Biosciences West, Room 208
 
Emilie Snell-Rood
Candidate for the degree of:    Doctor of Philosophy
With a major in:                      Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
And a minor in:                       Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Costs of plasticity in host use in butterflies

EEB Grant Award Announcement
 
Nancy Moran has received a National Science Foundation award for a two year project entitled, "En-Gen: Mutation in Genomes of Obligate Symbionts and Impacts on the Ecological Tolerances and Distributions of Hosts: Buchnera and Pea Aphids".
 
Congratulations Nancy!

Open Enrollment for Benefits Reminder
Continues through September 10th

Open Enrollment Benefits Fair
August 27, 2007
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
North Ballroom, SUMC
 
All benefit-eligible employees must re-enroll to ensure the continuation of benefit coverage after September 30, 2007.
 
The benefits program for university employees features several changes this year including a new coverage category, coverage for smoking/tobacco cessation aids, annual mammograms for women 40-49, and an increase in the annual physical examination limit.  UA employees can re-enroll and make updates to their benefits plans Aug. 13-Sept. 10 by logging onto Employee Link and selecting "Open Enrollment" from the menu on the left.

For more information, visit http://www.benefitoptions.az.gov.
 
Flexible Spending Account Open Enrollment for 2008 participation will be held at a later date.

Flow Cytometry Analysis Seminar
Hosted by Flow Cytometry Shared Service
 
Date:            August 30, 2007
Time:            10:00 am – Noon
Location:       AHSC 5403

Aaron Hart
Application Scientist
Tree Star, Inc.

FlowJo is experiment-based flow cytometry data analysis software. Originally designed for multi-color research at the Stanford Shared FACS Facility, it is now commercially available and in use by leading research sites worldwide.

Come see how to use FlowJo to create immunophenotyping analyses, perform software compensation and analyze calcium flux, cell cycle, and proliferation experiments. FlowJo produces the best publication quality graphics available, and introduces new technologies for presenting and publishing flow data via Quicktime movies and the Web.

For additional information, please contact Barb Carolus, 621-2047.

Venom Week 2007
 
Dates:          September 3-7, 2007
Location:       Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Resort and
                   Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM)
 
Venom Week 2007 will be an international conference on terrestrial venomous creatures, their venom, and the medical effects of venom.  It will provide attending practitioners and researchers the most up-to-date information on the animals themselves and on treatment of snakebite, scorpion sting, and spider bite.
 
For additional information and registration information, visit http://www.ocme.arizona.edu, or contact the Office of Continuing Medical Education, 626-7832, uofacme@u.arizona.edu.
 
This conference is sponsored by The University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in conjunction with Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, ASDM, Natural Toxins Research Center at Texas A&M-Kingsville, University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of New Mexico, and University of Arizona Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology and Emergency Response Institute.

ECOL 496J/596J:  Plant Population Ecology
(1-3 units)
 
Instructor:     Larry Venable
Day/Time:     Tuesday/2:00-4:00 pm
Location:       BSW 302
 
This course will cover population dynamics, intra- and interspecific competitive, predatory and mutualistic interactions and community dynamics with an emphasis on empirical research.  The format will be a combination of lectures and student presentation/discussions.
 
Available for 1-3 credits; for graduate students and undergraduates with some background in ecology, evolution and plant biology. 

For additional information, please contact Larry Venable at venable@email.arizona.edu or 621-5956.

ECOL 596Z: The Origins and Evolution of Eukaryotes
(2 units)

Instructor:   Jeremiah Hackett
                  hackettj@email.arizona.edu
Day/Time:    Thursday/3:30-5:30 pm
Location:     CHEM 126

This seminar will examine the early events in eukaryotic evolution including origins and evolution of the eukaryotic cell, organelles and the genomes of microbial eukaryotes.

Available to graduate students and advanced undergrads.  Please email the course instructor for additional information.

MCB501: Computer Concepts and Perl Programming
 
Days/Time:    MWF/10:00-10:50 am
Location:       LSS 340
Syllabus:       www.agcol.arizona.edu/~cari/mcb501.html

This course is designed for biology students who have no experience in computer programming. It will cover basics of computers and perl programming.
 
Objectives
1. The students will learn to write simple Perl programs, for example, parse files to extract information, reformat files, and summarize the content of a file.
2. The students will learn computer jargon so they can figure out how to run different downloadable programs.
3. The students will learn concepts in computers so that they can easily collaborate with computational researchers and programmers.
4. The students will gain some intuitions about what is computable, so they can better utilize computers for their biological research.  

RNR 496P/596P: Managing Development near Conservation Areas
 
Days/Time:    TR/12:30-1:45 pm
Location:       HARV 303
Instructor:     Dr. Gary Pivo
 
This course deals with the problem of urban encroachment on protected public lands.  According to the USFS and NPS, this is one of the leading threats to resource conservation.  This year we will take on an assessment of such threats to UA's Tumamoc Hill.

The course is a small seminar/discussion section.  Topics covered include everything from what brings people to these areas, their impacts on natural systems, the land use controls that can be used to control the problem, and related social and political issues.

RNR 696A, Section 001: Conservation Seminar
 
Days/Time:    TBD
Location:       BSE 218 (Reading Room)
 
Each week we discuss ideas and papers important to conservation in a fun and friendly manner. Sometimes we rant, sometimes we rave.  The topics we cover are extremely broad so there is always something for everyone!
 
For additional information, please contact Chris McDonald, cmcdon@email.arizona.edu, 621-7281, or Melanie Culver, culver@ag.arizona.edu, or stop by BSE 128A.

Research Insights in Semiarid Ecosystems (RISE) Symposium

Date:            Saturday, October 6, 2007
Time:            8:30 am - 2:30 pm
Location:       Marley Auditorium, Room 230

Registration: $10 for students; $20 for all others (lunch included)
Registration Deadline: September 24, 2007; Earlier registration will assist event planning.
 
Poster Submission Deadline: September 14, 2007
We have space for only 24 posters, and poster abstracts will be accepted in order of submission.

The fourth annual Research Insights in Semiarid Ecosystems (RISE) Symposium will feature invited speakers presenting recent research on the USDA-ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, University of Arizona Santa Rita Experimental Range and other outdoor laboratories.  There will also be a poster session where students and researchers are encouraged to report on completed or in-progress studies.  Time will be available for questions from the audience. 

Please use the web site http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/rise/ to view the RISE program, to register for the symposium, and to submit poster titles.

U of A Blood Drive
Sponsored by the U of A Staff Advisory Council
 
Date:            August 28, 2007
Time:            11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location:       Cherry Pullout near Main Library
 
Recycle Life – Donate Blood!  Type O donors especially needed.  To schedule a blood donation appointment, please contact Eva Gonzales at 621-4788.