US News recognizes UMSL on its ‘Best Graduate Schools’ list with 9 programs appearing in latest rankings

Mar 29, 2022

Nursing, public affairs, business, education, social work, psychology, mathematics, chemistry and biology all received recognition on the publication’s 2023 list.

Permanent Daylight Savings: A Q&A with Professor Xuemin Wang on the implications of the Sunshine Protection Act on circadian rhythm

Mar 18, 2022

Professor Xuemin (Sam) Wang researches the molecular mechanism of interplays between the circadian clock and metabolism in plants, which has implications for human health.

Biology alumnus Felipe Zapata talks to St. Louis Public Radio, KTVI about role with Disney’s ‘Encanto’

Feb 18, 2022

Zapata, who earned his PhD at UMSL and is now an assistant professor at UCLA, consulted with Disney on the plants depicted in the film, set in his native Colombia.

Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center renaming World Ecology Award to honor late philanthropist Robert R. Hermann

Jan 31, 2022

Hermann was a longtime supporter of the Harris Center and presented singer and activist John Denver with the first World Ecology Award in 1990.

Eye on UMSL: Dissecting knowledge

Jan 24, 2022

Teaching assistant Jake Manis consults with students Erna Rizvanovic, Annie Buck, Phuong Nguyen and Chris Courtwright Monday in the Science Learning Building.

USDA awards UMSL-led team of researchers $633,000 grant to study pollination in urban orchards

Nov 18, 2021

Aimee Dunlap and Nathan Muchhala are collaborating with researchers from the Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri Botanical Garden, SLU, Webster and Maryville.

STARS program exposes 36 area high school students to summer of scientific research

Jul 19, 2021

Jim Maher, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Mayo Clinic, delivered the keynote address last Friday during the program’s virtual confirmation ceremony.

Bird Skins Workshop helps biology students get up-close look at feathered fliers

Jul 5, 2021

Assistant Teaching Professor Meghann Humphries organized the workshop, which taught students how to taxidermize migratory birds donated by the St. Louis Audubon Society.

August graduate Gabriela Hernandez takes indirect path to biology degree, has plans for PhD

Jun 21, 2021

Hernandez has landed a position as a lab assistant at the Danforth Plant Science Center and will begin applying to doctoral programs this fall.

Andreia Figueiredo following passion for biology, bees to earn PhD at UMSL

Jun 7, 2021

Figueiredo, a native of São Luís, Brazil, has been researching color vision in orchid bees with support from the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center.

Provost Marie Mora announces 28 faculty promotions for the 2021-22 academic year

May 17, 2021

Seven faculty members received tenure and promotions to associate professor, five earned the rank of full professor and 16 non-tenure track faculty members also advanced.

NIH awards Xuemin Wang $1.2 million to examine circadian rhythm and lipid metabolism, accumulation in plants, with implications for human health

Apr 28, 2021

The plant biochemist’s research could have implications for human metabolic conditions such as diabetes.

Eye on UMSL: Plant sale

Apr 26, 2021

Doctoral students Eva Colberg, Rachel Brant and Andreia Figueiredo work at the Biology Graduate Student Association’s annual plant sale last week outside the Science Complex.

Eye on UMSL: Lessons in the lab

Jan 25, 2021

Students listened intently to instructions from Assistant Teaching Professor Lori Paul during their anatomy and physiology class in the Science Learning Building.

Amanda Wu wins national Graduate Women in Science Fellowship to support research on rare oaks

Oct 12, 2020

The biology doctoral student is using the $6,750 prize to conduct genomic research on the maple-leaf oak, endemic to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.

CLIMB program adapts to engage area high school students amid COVID-19 pandemic

Jul 27, 2020

The 14 interns from Jennings and University City have worked remotely researching COVID-19 and the reasons for its outsized impact on the African American community.

Nathan Muchhala’s research on plant resilience draws attention

Apr 21, 2020

The associate professor of biology co-authored a new article in New Phytologist that highlights the ability of some plants to reorient themselves after accidents.

Research conference addresses challenge to increase gender diversity in STEM fields

Mar 9, 2020

Undergraduate and graduate students had a chance to share their own research and gain insight from women faculty members in STEM fields.

Summit showcases efforts of UM System researchers to shape a more sustainable future

Nov 25, 2019

The one-day event featured presentations from 21 faculty members whose work is connected to sustainability goals voted on by the United Nations in 2015.

Harris Center honors Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis Zoo for work in Madagascar

Nov 18, 2019

Zoo President Jeffrey Bonner and Garden President Peter Wyse Jackson accepted World Ecology Awards from Anna Harris on behalf of their institutions at a gala on Friday night.

Eye on UMSL: Shark week

Nov 18, 2019

Students dissect a dogfish shark in Assistant Teaching Professor Meghann Humphries’ “Vertebrate Anatomy” lab as part of a semester-long comparative study.

New Founders Dinner video highlights how scholarships transform lives

Oct 11, 2019

Senior biology major Awa Konte was among seven students featured reading from thank you letters to donors about how scholarships have aided them on their journey to degrees.

New recruitment video features testimonials from students on Harris Center’s impact

Sep 30, 2019

A new recruitment video highlights the way the Harris Center works to cultivate a new generation of scientific leaders.

Doctoral candidate Emma Young aims to communicate science to the public

Sep 9, 2019

Young is among 69 finalists who’ll make up the 2020 class of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program.

Noted ecologist and ornithologist Bob Ricklefs aims to remain involved at UMSL even after retirement

Aug 28, 2019

Ricklefs, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, has spent 24 years on the faculty at UMSL and will continue serving as a Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

UMSL chemists to receive funding for projects as part of UM System’s $20.5M research investment

Aug 8, 2019

Cynthia Dupureur and Alexei Demchenko are leading two of the 19 innovative projects across the system’s four universities that are in line for funding.

UMSL sees largest percentage increase in research funding of Missouri, southern Illinois universities

Jul 1, 2019

The St. Louis Business Journal reported that UMSL had the largest year-over-year growth of large research universities from 2017 to 2018.

Scenes from the NextGen Precision Health Institute groundbreaking

Jun 28, 2019

Last Friday, UMSL Chancellor Tom George and MIMH Director Robert Paul spoke at the NextGen Precision Health Institute groundbreaking in Columbia, Missouri.

Doctoral candidate Sage Rohrer secures NSF fellowship to support study of Galápagos penguins

Jun 10, 2019

Rohrer, who received her bachelor’s degree from UMSL in 2017, was one of approximately 1,500 graduate students selected for the fellowship this year.

Provost Kristin Sobolik announces 25 faculty promotions taking effect before the next academic year

May 3, 2019

Ten faculty members received tenure and promotions to associate professor, eight more earned the rank of full professor, and seven non-tenure track faculty members were also promoted.

Doctoral student Juan Moreira-Hernández researching bat-pollinated tropical plants and sharing love of biology

Apr 8, 2019

The Costa Rica native has taken an active role in the Jennings-UMSL Mentorship Program among other outreach opportunities since coming to St. Louis.

December graduate Angie Quiroga Torres balances school and swimming while earning biology degree

Dec 21, 2018

The Colombia native is planning to pursue a master’s degree in environmental engineering or environmental science beginning next fall.

STEM programs benefiting from $1 million gift from Bayer

Dec 19, 2018

The first-floor lecture hall in recently renovated Benton Hall will be named for the company in recognition of its generosity.

Biology graduate copes with loss while earning her degree, eyes future as doctor

Dec 17, 2018

Destiny Walker has been trying to do her father proud since his death in 2016. She hopes to enroll in an osteopathic medical school next fall after graduating on Saturday.

Biology PhD graduate researches the effects of climate change on alpine plants in the Himalayas

Dec 7, 2018

Robbie Hart, a curator at the Missouri Botanical Garden, is part of a network of scientists doing work as part of the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments.

Eye on UMSL: Crunch time

Dec 3, 2018

With the semester winding down, sophomore biology majors Emma Chilcoat and Mariah Bryan, both pre-med students, studied together in a Benton Hall computer lab.

Students, faculty settling into improved Benton Hall after 18-month renovation

Oct 19, 2018

The building at the heart of UMSL’s science complex has seen significant upgrades as part of a $25.3 million project completed in August.

New year, new faculty

Aug 20, 2018

UMSL introduced more than 20 new full-time faculty members to the university community during a two-day new faculty orientation organized by the Center for Teaching and Learning.

3 UMSL alumnae selected for yearlong Japan Exchange and Teaching Program

Aug 3, 2018

Taylor Clark, Erika Sonneville and Samantha Jarnagin will serve as assistant language teachers in placements across Japan.

The best kale in town: 3 UMSL alumni combine expertise to produce some of St. Louis’ freshest greens

May 18, 2018

High school friends and UMSL alumni Tom Bortz, John-Paul Knobloch and Tim Hydar co-own Straw Hat Aquaponics.

UM President Mun Choi names Todd Swanstrom, Beth Huebner, Patricia Parker Presidential Engagement Fellows

Apr 16, 2018

The fellows will represent the UM System at speaking events throughout the state, discussing their research and sharing how that knowledge can help Missouri citizens.

Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice shines in latest U.S. News & World Report rankings

Mar 20, 2018

The department ranked fifth on the U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 list of the “Best Graduate Schools.”

UMSL representatives share stories of female student veterans with ‘St. Louis on the Air’

Mar 12, 2018

Army veterans Emily Staden and Jim Craig, an associate teaching professor, participated in the St. Louis Public Radio panel discussion.

Summer science experience in high school inspires 2 students now in UMSL’s freshman class

Dec 11, 2017

Evan Montgomery (pictured) and Precious Taylor worked in Associate Professor Chung Wong’s lab while taking part in the REAP/STARS programs in 2016.

Faculty, staff members recognized for exceptional teaching, research and service to UMSL

Sep 28, 2017

Chancellor Tom George presented the 2017 Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence during the State of the University Address.

Meehan Scholarship awarded to 28 students in College of Arts and Sciences

Sep 11, 2017

More than 200 students have benefited from the scholarship since it was established in memory of late political science professor Eugene J. Meehan in 2002.

A UMSL garden for Earth Day

Apr 24, 2017

A group of 30 volunteers planted milkweed, indigo, coneflower, bottlebrush, bee balm and little bluestem in the new Native Plant/Conservation Garden on campus.

Passionflower butterflies, love for Guyana fuel UMSL grad’s research, new job back home

Jan 26, 2017

The Dryas iulia, commonly known as the Julia butterfly, is one of the two species Gyanpriya Maharaj studied to understand their color choices regarding food and mates.

Leaf pattern, auxin levels and more shape grad’s research projects, path to molecular biology career

Dec 13, 2016

Stephanie Theiss did research on campus and at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center while also serving as president of the UMSL Biological Society.

Women in science: 3 science departments, 3 women chairs

Nov 28, 2016

Wendy Olivas, Erika Gibb and Cynthia Dupureur serve as the UMSL department chairs for biology, physics and astronomy, and chemistry and biochemistry, respectively.