Sixteen Undergraduates Awarded 2022 Sullivan Scholarships
Sullivan Scholarships are designated “for expanding biological horizons.” Funds for undergraduate travel are provided from an endowment based on a bequest from the late Professor of Biology, Dr. Robert L. Sullivan. Students receiving awards this year will use them during spring break or summer to participate in field courses led by Wake Forest faculty. These courses are Bird...
Pandemic 101
The pandemic of 2020-21 (and 2022) came as no surprise to Wake Forest Biology Teaching Professor Pat Lord (Ph.D. 1986). She has been teaching about pandemics years before the Covid-19 outbreak. Pat Lord’s career has revolved around the teaching and research of virology– her work showed that a pandemic was in our past, present, and...
Former Wake Forest Biology Ph.D. Reviews Challenges Posed by “Forever Compounds” in Science
Awkerman on Challenges Posed by “Forever Compounds” Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in manufactured products as diverse as fast-food containers and fire-suppressant foam have been called “forever chemicals” because of their extreme persistence. What happens when the environment is contaminated by chemicals that resist degradation? What are the impacts on human and ecosystem health?...
Silman Quoted in Scientific American
A piece in Scientific American that covers a new global assessment of tree biodiversity shows that there are roughly 9,200 tree species yet to be discovered, suggesting that the world’s woods may hold more secrets than previously imagined. According to recent research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA on Monday, the...
Amazon Forests Poisoned by Mercury from Illegal Gold Mining
The study, “Amazon Forests Capture High Levels of Atmospheric Mercury Pollution From Artisanal Gold Mining,” appears Jan. 28 in the journal Nature Communications. The research study was led by Jacqueline R. Gerson, a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University. Wake Forest Biology Professor Miles Silman and Wake Forest Research Professor Luis Fernandez mentored Gerson’s work at...
Dr. Miles Silman comments on local Salem Lake biodiversity
Dr. Miles Silman echoed Bobby Hege, the lakes program supervisor for the City of Winston-Salem Recreation and Parks that is overseeing the construction at Salem Lake, in the WFDD article by stating that many Piedmont area lake ecosystems are very resilient when it comes to disturbances because Salem Lake is man-made. If you think about...
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays from WFU Biology! We look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!
Dr. William K. Smith comments on smoke from the mountain
Dr. William K. Smith, Professor of Biology & Reynolds Babcock Chair, commented on the local wildfire that occurred on Sauratown Mountain in Stokes County this month for the Winston-Salem Journal. Some of the smoke’s particulate matter could settle in the mountains valley and pose a risk to people with pre-existing respiratory problems.” – Dr. William...