First Honors event of the semester!

Last Wednesday night, George Ferguson (Helzberg School of Management) talked with our honors students about the opportunity to participate in the Mensch Management Summer Program on campus.  I would strongly encourage any of our non-business major students to take part in this program, during which time participants have the chance to glean a practical and functional understanding of business that can later be applied to their chosen career field.  For more info, please visit the link above or email George at george.ferguson@rockhurst.edu.

Expanding Your Horizons

On Friday evening, one of my fantastic students (and python enthusiast), Nicole, and I took our respective ball pythons, Monty and Slinky, to Science City at Union Station to introduce them to approximately 45 middle-school girls.  This program, called "Expanding Your Horizons," is sponsored by Science Pioneers and is aimed at getting girls interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.  Our session, "Introduction to Herpetology," was just one of many workshops offered that evening.  As you can see from the photo, the girls just adored Monty.  Then again, how could you not?

Joe Collins

This week has been difficult.   Not because classes have started but because the herpetological community lost one of its greatest and most influential contributors, Mr. Joe Collins, this past weekend.  This is truly sad news and he will be missed tremendously by so many.  I am just so glad that many of my students were able to meet this herp legend over the last few years and I am proud to have known him.  I have pasted the CNAH announcement below, as well as a picture from the KC Star article about his life.

IN MEMORIAM: JOSEPH THOMAS COLLINS (1939 - 2012)

Thursday 19 January 2012: Lawrence, Kansas - CNAH NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org

19 January 2012

It is with very heavy hearts that we report the passing of The Center for North American Herpetology Co-founder and Director Joseph T. Collins.  Joe Collins suffered a massive coronary attack and died on 14 January 2012 in Florida.  He and his wife Suzanne were on their annual herpetofaunal expedition to the Florida panhandle and St. George Island.  Joe was 72 years old.

Like so many of us, Joe turned a childhood passion into a lifelong career.  His accomplishments are too vast for this brief note, and his influence on the lives of past, present, and future herpetologists is immeasurable.  His comical subject lines for many of the daily CNAH notes announcements are a testament to Joe's quick-witted sense of humor.  They will certainly be missed.

Plans for a memorial service have not yet been made.  Details will be released in future announcements as they are received.  To say that Joe will be sorely missed is an understatement.  CNAH, The Kansas Herpetological Society, and the herpetological community in general have lost a great scientist, a bold leader, and a true friend.  Rest in Peace Joe.

The Board of Directors of The Center for North American Herpetology would like to extend its deepest sympathies to Joe's loving wife Suzanne and to all of Joe's family and friends.

 

KCFS

This evening, Dr. Evans and I, along with at least one dedicated student, will be attending a lecture about the evolution of altruism.  This is a hot and controversial concept in evolutionary biology, and is thus a great topic of discussion for the Kansas Citizens for Science's "Science Cafe" this evening. I look forward to hearing Dr. Decelles' take on this topic and how it relates to that of renowned sociobiologist E.O. Wilson.  All of the details of the event are described in the first link above, and it is open to the public.  Please join us if you're free this evening!

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year!  I hope it has started off splendidly.  I am in my office doing a little prep work for classes this spring, including perusing potential texts for our Biology Field Trip course.  Dr. Scholes and I will be taking a road trip with about a dozen students from here to Yellowstone National Park, stopping at points of interest in between.  Thus far, we are leaning toward Yellowstone: A Visitor's Companion, which is a must-have for anyone who will be traveling to Yellowstone.  In class this spring we will ask students to lead discussions about topics in the book, including everything from the anthropology of the region to controversial issues surrounding the reintroduction of wolves to the park; and then we will embark on the trip in mid-May to see these things for ourselves.