Quick update

For those of you who have read my recent posts, I just wanted to update you on my brother's condition (this is him with my ferret, Pippin, in Texas a few years ago). [In case you haven't read my previous posts, he and his dog were attacked by two pit bulls in late September.] He and Buffy are doing great and have completely recovered, though Jeremy will definitely have some major scars. I will see him for the first time since the "incident" this week over our Thanksgiving break and I can't wait! I will also get to meet his new girlfriend and see the rest of my family so I'm incredibly excited about Thanksgiving this year. I'll let you know how it goes once I've returned from TX. Be safe and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Kansas Herpetological Society Meeting

This past weekend, 4 of my students and I attended the KHS annual meeting, which took place this year at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, KS. One of my students, Eric Kadlec, who worked in the field with me all summer, presented his field observations at the meeting. He did a great job, especially considering that he was the only undergraduate presenter and he was speaking to many of the "big names" in the discipline of herpetology (the study of amphibians and reptiles). Eric and the other students were able to experience a professional meeting and listen to talks about some of the newest findings in the field of herpetology. I am SO glad they were able to go with me and we all had a lot of fun. As a side note, I was also awarded the KHS Alan H. Kamb grant for the study of Kansas snakes this weekend, which will help me and my research students fund the genetic analysis of our relocated rattlesnakes.

Pumpkin Party!

This past Saturday the Biology Department hosted our traditional Pumpkin Carving party for our students and faculty and their families. We had pizza and candy after the carving was finished, and then we gave awards for the best pumpkins ("Scariest," "Most Boo-tiful," "Dead Last," "1st Place," etc.). The pumpkins were all fantastic, and our overall winner was Kristina Carpenter, who skillfully carved a wolf howling at the moon. If you're interested, the pumpkins will be on display this week in the window of the Science Division conference room (SC202A).

Fall Break/ACUBE 2009

Rockhurst is officially on Fall Break, yet most members of the Biology Department have dedicated much of their break this week to preparing for the annual ACUBE (Association of College and University Biology Educators) meeting. We hosted the meeting here on campus this year and were excited for our colleagues from around the country to spend time with us at Rockhurst. Many people commented about how nice the campus, and particularly our science facilities, are. Attendees were also thrilled to be in Kansas City and took advantage of some of the great things it has to offer. Most members of the Department presented talks or posters, including Dr. Chad Scholes and I, who presented information concerning our Biology Field Trip to Nicaragua. As a bonus, a friend of mine from grad school at Texas A&M (Dr. Andrew Greene) came into town for the meeting from Ashland University in Ashland, OH. It's always fun to catch up with Andrew, as well as all of the other members of this close-knit organization. The preparation was a lot of work (especially for Dr. Salem, who coordinated the meeting), but it certainly paid off.

Rough week

Last week my brother, Jeremy, and his Border Collie, Buffy, were attacked by two pit bulls in a public park near where we grew up. An irresponsible and heartless dog owner had dumped them there the day before, and they had obviously been abused (and/or they were fighting dogs) and were incredibly aggressive.
The pit bulls lunged at Buffy's throat and Jeremy grabbed her and climbed a 5-ft stone wall. The dogs were biting his legs as he was climbing up, so his legs are in bad shape (~25 stitches), but getting better everyday. However, it would've been substantially, perhaps unthinkably, worse if he hadn't had the wherewithal to climb the wall and drag Buffy up with him. They were grabbing her leg and tail as she was trying to get up the wall but thankfully she's okay, too (Border Collies have lots of fur to grab onto). A park employee flagged down a policeman who shot and killed one of the dogs as it was still going after Jeremy, which was also traumatic for all involved. They were able to catch the other one and are still monitoring it. A park employee was able to get the owner's his license plate number and they took him into custody this week. Jeremy is doing okay but still in quite a bit of pain and not able to return to work.
Since I didn't want to include a gross picture of his leg (you can see that at the link below), pictured here is Jeremy, with two good legs, in Dublin, Ireland this summer.

Here's the news story if you're interested in reading more or watching the video:

http://www.kbmt12.com/news/local/60792352.html

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/update__police_shoot_pit_bu
ll_at_tyrrell_park.html

RORS

Last Friday we had the pleasure of hosting the first installment of our Rockhurst Outstanding Research Seminar (RORS). We invited a recent RU graduate and research student of mine, Rebecca Benjamin (pictured at our research site with George Pisani), to speak about "Undergraduate Research for the Conservation of Timber Rattlesnakes." She did a PHENOMENAL job (like we expected) and we had a good turnout. The purpose of the seminar is two-fold: to share outstanding research and creative activities with the Rockhurst community as a whole, and to expose students to the benefits and excitement of participating in undergraduate research or creative projects. Rebecca certainly met both of these objectives with her talk.

COA

This afternoon some colleagues and I will be visiting a threatened site along the Blue River in Kansas. The site is contiguous with our local Upper Blue River Conservation Opportunity Area (COA). COAs are areas recognized by the Missouri Department of Conservation as "conservation hotspots," or high priority areas for wildlife and habitat conservation. It just so happens that in KC we have the only urban COA right in our backyards! We hope to protect the site we will visit today from development and further urbanization, as it is important from a natural resource and biodiversity perspective.