IUP Biology Department

Springtime in western PA means being ready to experiences all the seasons in a single day! These brave students from Dr. David Janetski's BIOL 362 Ecology course went out to count mayfly larvae on rocks in Little Yellow Creek, and will analyze the results to learn about different modes of population dispersion. It was great to be outside collecting data even though it left everyone's hands numb!

Applications for IUP U-SOAR Program due by Friday! Students can participate in the cutting-edge research and scholarship being conducted through IUP this summer during the annual Undergraduate Summer Opportunity for Applying Research program (U-SOAR, formerly RESS). Be a part of the exciting frontiers that are being explored! APPLICATIONS DUE FRIDAY, 16 APRIL. The U-SOAR program will run from June 1 to August 6, 2021.... For more information, go to: https://www.iup.edu/research/events/u-soar/ #iupbiology #iupusoar

Biology Chair Dr. Bharathan has teamed with Takara Bio USA and IRMC to develop faster COVID-19 test for rural communities - Dr. Narayanaswamy Bharathan, chair of IUP’s Department of Biology, began COVID-19 testing at IRMC in May 2020 and has since processed more than 15,000 COVID-19 samples. In July 2020, Dr. Bharathan finished developing a new testing protocol that incorporates RT-qPCR reagents developed by Takara Bio Inc., a world leader in biotechnology research and devel...opment that offers a host of life science research solutions, including reagents for detecting SARS-CoV-2 that have been used in multiple lab-developed COVID-19 tests permitted under FDA Emergency Use Authorizations. What used to take five hours to get results from 50 samples now takes 45 minutes, and it reduces the chance of error because samples are handled less and the opportunity for contamination is reduced, Bharathan said. There’s also no need to stabilize patient swab samples in transport media, so that reduces costs and time. This short turnaround time is very good news for rural America, and for countries that desperately need testing but are limited in financial resources, Bharathan said. In addition to finances, there are supply chain issues related to getting the reagent needed in traditional tests to the testing facilities. Our extractionless protocol removes those challenges, he said. Many rural communities have been struggling to keep up with the demand for COVID-19 testing. Although medical and laboratory personnel are doing their best to process samples, current detection protocols are expensive and slow, and they can expose laboratory personnel to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Furthermore, underserved communities have been hit especially hard by supply chain issues with sample processing components. Read more about this breakthrough here: https://www.takarabio.com//takara-bios-technology-enables- #iupbiology #COVID19 #covidtesting #irmc

Alumni Profile - Emily Williams (BS Biology-ECEB, '15) A 2015 graduate of the Biology ECEB program, Emily Williams is now a Natural Resources Specialist for the Champaign County Forest Preserve District in east central Illinois. Part of her job is to help manage one of the most endangered ecosystems in the United States, Tallgrass Prairie. Emily's work to enhance native biodiversity includes carrying out prescribed burns, native seed collection, prairie planting, and invasive species management. #iupbiology #champaigncountyforestpreserves #tallgrassprairie #fireecology #adaptivemanagement

Learn more about the Biology MS and Accelerated MS programs and more at the IUP Graduate School's Virtual Open House!