Spring 2023

Meeting Recap for the January 25, 2023

Good morning,

Thanks to everybody who came to biological sciences club last week. We were very excited to see so many new faces and enjoyed meeting everyone during our ice breaker and raffle. Dr. Wallace gave a great presentation on the "Best Bits of Biology" which gave us all some more insight in to the exciting field we chose to study. 

We look forward to our next meeting next Wednesday 2/8 at 7pm in Bessey Room 0210.  More information on this meeting will be provided later.

Fall 2022

Meeting Recap for the November 30, 2022

Good morning BSC,

Hope you have all had a great week as the semester is coming towards an end!

Meeting Recap 

This past Wednesday we learned a lot about the world of paleontology from Dr. Manz. She talked about research she had conducted before becoming a teaching professor here at ISU. We were captivated by her stories of finding her research interests and how she got to where she is. The research she shared was about three intriguing topics in paleontology, the evolution of horses through the fossil record, ancient whales as terrestrial animals, and the discovery of forgotten species like Nyctitheriidae!

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Today! Stop by the Bessey atrium from 12-2 to hear from undergraduates about their research they have conducted. It will be a great time to learn about current projects going on at the university. BSC will be there selling Jimmy Johns sandwiches for just $5. Please come support these students and appreciate their hard work as they present.  Remember to bring $5 so you can enjoy a Jimmy John's sandwich sold from the BSC table.

This was our last meeting of the semester, looking forward to seeing all of you next year more info for those meetings will come at a later date.

-Michael

Meeting Recap for the November 9, 2022

Good morning, BSC!
It was an eventful week for the BSC! We had a wonderful presentation, officer elections, and more.

Meeting Recap

This week we learned a lot from Dr.Gupta! He talked about his research with microtubules and all the processes that they are involved in within the cell. Dr.Gupta also discussed a study abroad program that he helps run. It is a six-week trip to Valencia, Spain. It is a fantastic way to receive Iowa State credits while traveling. For more information on this amazing opportunity, please reach out to spain@iastate.edu or Dr.Gupta!

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held on November 30^th at 7 pm in Bessey 2226! Please note this is the first Wednesday after we get back from Thanksgiving break, and it will be our last meeting of the semester. More information will be coming soon, but we hope to see you there!

Officer Elections

We have a new officer team! Elections were held at the meeting Wednesday, and we voted in several new officers. As we announce our new team, I want to say thank you to all graduating officers. You have served the BSC well and we will miss you!

President- Caroline Dickhausen
Vice President- Kacy Oberbroeckling
Treasure- Rachael Currant
Secretary- Michael Kumar
Fundraising Chair- Clarissa Carolan
Social Outreach Chair- Taylor Grasz
Creative Director- Piper Vinz

I would also like to mention that there are more leadership positions available. If you are interested in an officer position, please reach out to me at cgd2025@iastate.edu, or connect with any of the officers at the next meeting.

Research Symposium: The undergraduate research symposium is coming soon! It will take place on December 2^nd from 12-2 in the Bessey Atrium. Please stay tuned for more information.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have!

Caroline Dickhausen 
Iowa State University
Genetics | Psychology
Biological Sciences Club | President
Beta Beta Beta Honors Society | Associate Member
Genetics Club
Cgd2025@iastate.edu

Meeting Recap for the October 28, 2022

Happy Friday, BSC!

Meeting Recap
We had such a fun time painting pumpkins this week! We also learned some interesting things from Dr. Wallace about pumpkins, including the origin of the term “Jack-O-Lanterns! Overall, a good time was had by all.

Next Meeting 
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 9^th, at 7 pm in Bessey 2226! We will hear from Dr.Gupta. Hope to see you all there!

Officer Elections
We have several officer positions open for reelection. If you are interested in running for President, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasure, please reach out to our current President, Jake Brown, by the next meeting and let him know you are interested. We will vote on our new officers at the next meeting. If you are interested in being an officer for a position other than those mentioned before, you are also welcome to reach out to Jake! His email is bjake725@iastate.edu; feel free to reach out to him with any questions as well.

Fundraiser 
We will be having a fundraiser at Blaze Pizza on Wednesday, November 2^nd, from 5 pm – 8 pm! Please stop by, get some delicious pizza, and show the attached flier when you check out!

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions! Have a wonderful weekend, BSC!

Caroline Dickhausen 
Iowa State University
Genetics | Psychology
Biological Sciences Club | Secretary
Genetics Club
Cgd2025@iastate.edu

Meeting Recap for the October 12, 2022

We had a great time at study tables this week! If you would like to have more events like this throughout the year, please let any of the officers know!

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be on October 26^th, at 7 pm in Bessey Hall (exact room TBD) for our Pumpkin Painting Party!! The exact room information will be in the next email, so be on the lookout for that! Come and hang out and paint some pumpkins! We will also be learning some fun facts about pumpkins from Dr.Wallace. All the supplies will be provided. Can’t wait to see you there!

Meals of the Heartland

Meals of the Heartland service project will be taking place this Saturday, October 15th from 8:30- 1:30! They will be packing thousands of meals and need your help! Sign up for a shift by contacting Dr.Sakaguchi at  and letting him know what shift you would like to sign up for and how excited you are to participate! The shift times are in the attached flier. It will be a great time!

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Undergraduate Research Symposium will be taking place on December 2^nd. More specifics about this event will be coming out shortly.

Have a wonderful weekend, BSC! As always, please reach out with any questions!

Meeting Recap for the September 28

Good morning, BSC!
I hope your week has been going well!

Meeting Recap
We heard from Dr.Beatriz Spalding about the “Economic Botany of the Mediterranean.” She gave an incredible presentation about the origins and uses of many foods, particularly ones used in Mediterranean cooking. She also brought in many of the foods and even allowed us to try them! Overall, it was a wonderful presentation, and we hope to have her back sometime soon.

Next Meeting
Our next meeting will be Wednesday, October 12^th at 7 pm in Bessey 2226. More information about this meeting will be coming soon!

Meals of the Heartland 
The Meals of the Heartland service project is also coming up soon! It will take place on Saturday, October 15^th. They are looking for volunteers to help set up, pack the meals, and clean up after. You can sign up for as many time blocks as you wish. Please see the attached flyer for more information. If you are interested in volunteering, reach out to Dr. Sakaguchi (dssakagu@iastate.edu) or fill out a form using the QR code attached to the flier. Registration for volunteering ends at 5 pm, October 7^th! Hope to see many of you there!

Looking Ahead 
-December 2^nd will be the Undergraduate Research Symposium, more information to come!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and as always, reach out with any questions!

-Caroline -Caroline Dickhausen 
Iowa State University 
Genetics | Psychology 
Biological Sciences Club | Secretary
Genetics Club 
Cgd2025@iastate.edu

Meeting Recap for the September 14 Field Trip:

Happy Friday, BSC!

Meeting Recap: I hope you all had a wonderful week! We enjoyed seeing many of you on Wednesday for our sunset hike! The smores were great, but the people were better! Please let us know at our next meeting if you'd like to do more activities like that. We are always open to new meeting ideas, so if you have one, please reach out to any of the officers at our next meeting.

Next Meeting: Speaking of our next meeting, we will be hearing from Dr. Beatriz Spalding about the “Economic Botany of the Mediterranean”! That meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 28^th at 7 pm in Bessey 2226. Can’t wait to see you all there!

Looking ahead
There are a few events later in the semester to keep in mind!
December 2^nd will be the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
October 15^th is the Meals of the heartland community service event.

More information on these events will be coming soon! 

Please let me know if you have any questions! Have a great weekend!

-Caroline -Caroline Dickhausen 
Iowa State University 
Genetics | Psychology 
Biological Sciences Club | Secretary
Genetics Club 
Cgd2025@iastate.edu

Meeting Recap for the August 31 Meeting:

Dr. Eric Henderson gave an excellent presentation on the development of nanobots and some of his research behind their creation. If you are interested in learning more about him and his research, I will link his website here. He also gave many pieces of advice. Here are some of the important ones: 

• “If it doesn’t violate the laws of the universe, then why not give it a try?”
• “Be fearless”
• “Do fun stuff”
• “A with T and G with C, it’s simple!”

Sunset Hike Next Meeting (9/14/22)!

The BSC will be traveling to McFarland Park in Ames for a sunset hike! We will be walking around the lake and then making smores! We will meet outside of Bessey at 6:30!! Please fill out this form so we can plan on having enough drivers. We will send out more information as we get closer, but we hope you all can make it!

Looking ahead

There are a few events later in the semester that we are super excited about!
December 2^nd will be the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
October 15^th is the Meals of the heartland community service event.

More information on these events will be coming soon! 

Please reach out with any questions! Have a great weekend BSC! 

-Caroline Dickhausen 
Iowa State University 
Genetics | Psychology 
Biological Sciences Club | Secretary
Genetics Club 
Cgd2025@iastate.edu

SPRING 2022

Recap for the April 6th Meeting:

Happy Friday, BSC!

I hope you had a great week! Please read below for this week’s meeting recap, for information about and the sign-up form for tomorrow's trip to Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park, and for our end-of-the-year survey.

MEETING RECAP

During our meeting time this week, we heard an extremely interesting presentation from one of our BSC advisors, Dr. Robert Wallace of the EEOB Department. The presentation was titled “Ancient Life and Fossil Hunting in North Central Iowa,” and Dr. Wallace gave us a preview of what we will encounter on our club trip to Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park this weekend. He spoke about Iowa geology, life during the Devonian Period, how the fossils we will be finding on Saturday got to where they are, and what to expect on our field trip. Please read below for full trip information and for the sign-up form!

CLUB TRIP TO FLOYD COUNTY FOSSIL AND PRAIRIE PARK 

The Biological Sciences Club will be taking a trip to Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park on Saturday, April 23. Please fill out THIS FORM by today, Friday, April 22 at 5:00PM if you will be attending the trip! Trip details include:

• WHAT: Collecting bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods, crinoids, corals, bryozoans, cephalopods, microfossils. Prairie trail hiking if desired. (For more information, you can view the Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park’s website HERE).

• WHEN: Saturday, April 23, 2022

• TIME & TRAVEL:

  • Carpooling/Driving: We will be carpooling and driving individual cars to the park. Please indicate on the sign-up form (linked above) if you would like to drive separately, if you can be a carpool driver, or if you would like to ride with a carpool driver. 

  • Arrive at Bessey Hall Loading Dock by 8:45AM

  • Vehicles depart at 9:00AM

  • Approximate arrival time to park: 10:30AM

  • On-site activities: 10:30AM-12:30PM

  • Lunch: 12:30PM-1:15PM 

  • Continued on-site activities: 1:15PM-3:00PM

  • Depart from park: ~3:00PM (or when group agrees to depart)

  • Return to Ames/Bessey Hall ~90 minutes later

  • We may depart from the park and return home earlier than scheduled pending weather conditions 

• WHAT TO BRING/WEAR:

  • No Collecting Equipment is needed; Bring zip-lock baggies, plastic containers, unbreakable bottles, envelopes, etc. are suggested to hold specimens.  

  • For collecting fossils, wear long-leg sturdy pants/jeans; wearing shorts is not advised – you will be kneeling/sitting in areas of gravel, rock, clay, and mud. Be prepared to get dirty!   There is little shade on site, so wearing a hat for face protection is often helpful. Conditions will likely be muddy, so shoes with traction are recommended. Additionally, participants may want to bring an old towel to sit on or a change of clothes for the ride home. 

  • For prairie hiking in early Spring, need to dress appropriately for weather (windy/wet?).  Site is in the open and very exposed; may need sun screen and wind protection.

  • Bring individual lunches/snacks and personal beverages (food is participant supplied).

Again, if you will be attending the trip, please fill out THIS FORM by today, Friday, April 22 at 5:00PM. See the attached document for full trip details.

END-OF-THE-YEAR SURVEY

As we approach the end of the school year, the BSC officer team would appreciate your feedback and thoughts about your experiences with the Biological Sciences Club this past year. We greatly value your input and would like to implement any new ideas or suggestions that you may have. Please fill out the anonymous survey HERE. 

Please reach out if you have any questions! Have a great weekend, and we'll see those of you going on the field trip tomorrow!

Kara RueschenbergIowa State University | Biology and Spanish 
Biology Education Success Teams | Peer Mentor
Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society | Vice President 
Biological Sciences Club | Secretary
kruesch@iastate.edu | 712-579-8450

Recap for the April 6th Meeting:

MEETING RECAP

During our meeting time this week, we hosted a study table, discussed tips and tricks for course registration, talked about some of our favorite classes that we have taken, and spoke a little about our research experiences! If you have any questions about class registration, about what courses to take, or about opportunities in biology, don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the BSC officers by emailing bscofficerlist2021@iastate.edu. 

CLUB TRIP TO FLOYD COUNTY FOSSIL AND PRAIRIE PARK 

The Biological Sciences Club will be taking a trip to Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park on Saturday, April 23. Please fill out THIS FORM by Friday, April 22 at 5:00PM if you will be attending the trip! Trip details include:

• WHAT: Collecting bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods, crinoids, corals, bryozoans, cephalopods, microfossils. Prairie trail hiking if desired (For more information, you can view the Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park’s website HERE).

• WHEN: Saturday, April 23, 2022

• TIME & TRAVEL:

  • Carpooling/Driving: We will be carpooling and driving individual cars to the park. Please indicate on the sign-up form (linked above) if you would like to drive separately, if you can be a carpool driver, or if you would like to ride with a carpool driver. 

  • Arrive at Bessey Hall Loading Dock by 8:45AM

  • Vehicles depart at 9:00AM

  • Approximate arrival time to park: 10:30AM

  • On-site activities: 10:30AM-12:30PM

  • Lunch: 12:30PM-1:15PM 

  • Continued on-site activities: 1:15PM-3:00PM

  • Depart from park: ~3:00PM (or when group agrees to depart)

  • Return to Ames/Bessey Hall ~90 minutes later

• WHAT TO BRING/WEAR:

  • No Collecting Equipment is needed; Bring zip-lock baggies, plastic containers, unbreakable bottles, envelopes, etc. are suggested to hold specimens.  

  • For collecting fossils, wear long-leg sturdy pants/jeans; wearing shorts is not advised – you will be kneeling/sitting in areas of gravel, rock, clay, and mud. Be prepared to get dirty! There is little shade on site, so wearing a hat for face protection is often helpful.

  • For prairie hiking in early Spring, need to dress appropriately for weather (windy/wet?). Site is in the open and very exposed; may need sunscreen and wind protection.

  • Bring individual lunches/snacks and personal beverages (food is participant supplied).

Our April 20 club meeting (at 7:00PM in Bessey Hall, Room 2226) will be a short “training” session for club members and trip participants to see images, to see some actual fossils, and to get some paleontological background about the site (geological history, organisms to be found, etc.) Further details about the rides, travel, and logistics for the field trip will be discussed. Trip participants are encouraged to attend this meeting!

Again, if you will be attending the trip, please fill out THIS FORM by Friday, April 22 at 5:00PM. See the attached document for full trip details.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE FUNDRAISER

BSC is hosting a fundraiser at Tropical Smoothie Cafe (517 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50010) on Wednesday, April 20.  All you have to do is stop by and buy a smoothie from 2PM-7PM to support our club! 

Please reach out if you have any questions! 

Kara

Recap for the March 23th Meeting:

Happy Friday, BSC!

I hope you had a great week! Please read below for this week’s meeting recap and for information about our upcoming trip to Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park.

MEETING RECAP

During our meeting time this week, we heard an extremely interesting presentation from Dr. Diane Bassham of the GDCB Department. Dr. Bassham’s presentation was titled “Autophagy in plants: self-eating under stress,” and she spoke about the process of autophagy in plants, plant cell structure, and some of the molecular interactions underlying the association between autophagy and growth. Dr. Bassham also discussed how a better understanding of the plant autophagy process may lead to closing the gap between theoretical and actual crop yield. Her lab is working to determine the conditions under which autophagy is activated in plants, the functions and substrates of autophagy, and how autophagy is regulated in plants. If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Bassham’s research, you can read a short research description and find some of her recent publications HERE. 

For our next meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:00PM in Bessey Hall, Room 2226, we are planning to host a study table and discuss tips and tricks for class registration and opportunities in biology - we hope to see you there and we encourage you to bring friends! 

CLUB TRIP TO FLOYD COUNTY FOSSIL AND PRAIRIE PARK 

The Biological Sciences Club is planning a trip to the Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park for Saturday, April 23. Students who have attended in the past have had a great time! At the site, we will be collecting Devonian fossils, including bivalves, gastropods, crinoids, corals, bryozoans, cephalopods, and microfossils. For more information, you can view the Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park’s website HERE. Additionally, Dr. Wallace will be telling us more about the fossils at the park at our April 20 club meeting. If you are interested in attending the trip, please fill out this INTEREST FORM if you have not already. Be on the lookout for more information about the trip and an official sign-up form coming soon!

Please reach out if you have any questions! Go Cyclones!

Kara

Recap for the March 9th Meeting:
Happy Friday, BSC!

I hope you had a great week! Please read below for this week’s meeting recap and for information about our upcoming trip to Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park.

MEETING RECAP

During our meeting time this week, we had an ice cream social and game night - thank you to everyone who attended! Our next BSC meeting will feature a faculty member presenting their research and will be held on Wednesday, March 23 at 7:00PM in Bessey Hall, Room 2226 - we hope to see you there and we encourage you to bring friends! 

CLUB TRIP TO FLOYD COUNTY FOSSIL AND PRAIRIE PARK 

The Biological Sciences Club is planning a trip to the Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park for Saturday, April 23! Students who have attended in the past have had a great time! At the site, we will be collecting Devonian fossils, including bivalves, gastropods, crinoids, corals, bryozoans, cephalopods, and microfossils. For more information, you can view the Floyd County Fossil and Prairie Park’s website HERE. Additionally, Dr. Wallace will be telling us more about the fossils at the park at our April 20 club meeting. If you are interested in attending the trip, please fill out this INTEREST FORM. 

I hope you have a relaxing spring break!

Please reach out if you have any questions! 
Kara

Recap for the February 23 Meeting:
Happy Friday, BSC!

I hope you had a great week! During our meeting time this week, we heard an extremely interesting presentation given by Dr. Jo Anne Powell-Cofmann of the GDCB Department. She spoke to us about her research on adaptation to low oxygen and the genetic networks that enable animals to respond to these low oxygen environments. Additionally, she spoke about her work with hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) and with the model organism, C. elegans. If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Powell-Cofmann’s research, please follow this link to read more about her research program and publications. 

Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 9 at 7:00PM in Bessey Hall, Room 2226. We are planning to host a social event for this meeting, so be on the lookout for more details to come! 

Please reach out if you have any questions! Have a great weekend!

Kara

Recap for the February 9th Meeting:
Happy Friday, BSC!

I hope you had a great week and have been enjoying the mild weather! During our meeting this week, we heard an extremely interesting presentation given by Dr. Jeffrey Essner of the GDCB Department. Dr. Essner's presentation was titled "Fishing for genes with CRISPR/Cas9 gene targeting in zebrafish," and he spoke about zebrafish as a model system and the use of CRISPR/Cas9 in his lab.  He also spoke about BIOL423L, Developmental Biology Laboratory.  This lab class is open to anyone, and students use molecular biology techniques, SnapGene, PCR, and microscopy to explore multicellular development. If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Essner's research, you can find his research description and some of his publications here. 

Please reach out if you have any questions! Have a great weekend!  

Kara 

Recap for the January 26th Meeting (first meeting of the spring 2022 semester):
Happy Friday, BSC!

I hope you had a great week! During our meeting time this week, we had a super fun and entertaining game night and played Salad Bowl and Minute To Win It games - thank you to everyone who attended and helped us kick off the semester! 

Our next club meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 9 at 7:00PM in Bessey Hall, Room 2226. The speaker for the next meeting is Dr. Jeffrey Essner of the GDCB Department, and he will be presenting his research on cancer progression using the zebrafish model. We hope to see you there! 

If you are receiving this email and have graduated or do not wish to remain on the mailing list, please email our Membership Chair, Gabby Robinson, at gr3@iastate.edu and she will remove you from the list. 

Please reach out if you have any questions! Have a great weekend!

Kara 

FALL 2021
Recap for the Dec 1st Meeting (last meeting of the fall 2021 semester):
Happy Friday, BSC!

I hope you had a great week and are ready for final exams coming up! Please read below for our final meeting recap of the semester, Panda Express fundraiser information, and officer election results.

MEETING RECAP 

During our meeting time this week, we had our science-themed Jeopardy Game Night event. Thank you to all who attended! Looking ahead, we are planning to have our first meeting of the spring semester on Wednesday, January 26, 2022. 

PANDA EXPRESS FUNDRAISER INFORMATION

Our fundraiser is happening TODAY, Friday, December 3 at Panda Express in the Iowa State Memorial Union from 10:30AM-8:00PM. To support our club, you will need to show our flyer at checkout, and I have attached that flyer to this email. We appreciate your support!

OFFICER ELECTION RESULTS

Before our Jeopardy Game Night this week, we held officer elections. These members were elected to the following positions:

• President: Jacob Brown 
• Vice President: Caitlin Walz
• Treasurer: Rachel Currant 
• Secretary: Kara Rueschenberg 

As this was our final meeting of the semester, I would like to wish you luck on your final exams, and I hope you have a wonderful winter break and holiday season! 

Please reach out if you have any questions!
Kara

Recap for the Nov 10th Meeting:

Happy Friday, BSC!

Please read below for some very important information including our meeting recap, Jeopardy Game Night, officer elections, a merchandise update, and Panda Express fundraiser details!

MEETING RECAP
At our meeting this week, we heard an extremely informative presentation given by Dr. Ryan Weaver of the EEOB Department. The presentation was titled “The hidden messages of colorful bird feathers and other animal integuments.”  Dr. Weaver spoke about his journey to science, shared about how he got involved in research, and talked about some of the research projects he has been involved in. In Panama, he studied variations in yellow color of the Prothonotary warbler and reproductive success.  He has also completed a project concluding that the widely-known “carotenoid coloration is a condition-dependent trait” is not as true as once thought.  Dr. Weaver’s recent research has focused on the mitochondria in various organisms.  If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Weaver’s research, I have linked his lab website HERE.

JEOPARDY GAME NIGHT
During our next meeting time on Wednesday, December 1 at 7:00PM in Bessey Hall, Room 2226, we will be hosting a science-themed Jeopardy Game Night! There will be prizes for the winning team - we hope to see you there!

OFFICER ELECTIONS
At the beginning of our next meeting time, we will be holding officer elections for president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary positions. Please read below for descriptions of each position, as written in our BSC Constitution:

• President: Preside at the meetings of the organization, authorize expenditures of organization funds, promote in every reasonable way the interests of the organization, may sit on any committee as a non-voting member, may at any time dissolve a committee, or remove or re-appoint members to a new or pre-existing committee

• Vice President: Organize the club meetings, chair committees and vote in case of a tie in those committees, shall assume the duties of the President in the event the President is unable to conduct the duties of the office

• Treasurer: Enforce the collection of the organization dues, manage the funds of the organization in a proper manner, aid in the organization of any social or educational events such as picnics or field trips, renew the campus organization applications, report income, expense, and balance information at meetings when necessary

• Secretary: Record minutes from meetings for the organization, email minutes to the organization for members not in attendance, organize and assist in development of promotional material, Tee Shirts, hats, etc.

If you are interested in running for any of these positions, please email me (Kara Rueschenberg; kruesch@iastate.edu) by 5PM on Monday, November 29 stating the positions you want to run for. If you are running for an officer position, you are required to attend the officer elections to tell the club about yourself and why you’re running for the position.  Officer elections will be held before the Jeopardy Game Night on Wednesday, December 1 at 7:00PM in Bessey Hall, Room 2226. Please email me if you have any questions about officer elections or officer responsibilities. 

MERCHANDISE INFORMATION
Thank you so much to everyone who responded to our merchandise interest poll! Because we are nearing the end of the semester, we aren’t planning on placing a t-shirt order before the end of the year.  Please be on the lookout for t-shirt order information beginning next semester! 

PANDA EXPRESS FUNDRAISER INFORMATION
We have an upcoming fundraiser scheduled for Friday, December 3 at Panda Express in the Iowa State Memorial Union from 10:30AM-8:00PM. To support our club, you will need to show our flyer at checkout, and I have attached that flyer to this email. We appreciate your support!

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Have a great weekend!
Kara

Recap for the Oct 27th Meeting:

Happy Friday, BSC!
Please read below for our meeting recap, Panda Express Fundraiser announcement, Instagram page announcement, and merchandise interest poll! 

MEETING RECAP 
During our meeting time this week, we had our Halloween Movie Night event and watched Monsters vs. Aliens. Thank you to all who attended! Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 10 at 7:00PM in Bessey Hall, Room 2226, and our speaker will be Dr. Ryan Weaver.

PANDA EXPRESS FUNDRAISER 
We have another upcoming fundraiser scheduled for Friday, December 3 at Panda Express in the Iowa State Memorial Union from 10:30AM-8:00PM. To support our club, you will need to show our flyer at checkout, and that flyer will be coming soon!

INSTAGRAM PAGE 
I am excited to announce that the Biological Sciences Club now has an Instagram page! Please follow us @isu.bsc! 

MERCHANDISE INTEREST POLL
Our club is considering placing another t-shirt order! Please see below for the t-shirt design, and fill out THIS FORM if you would be interested in purchasing a shirt so we can gauge club interest!

T-shirt design: 

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Have a great weekend!
Kara

Recap for the Oct 13th Meeting: Dr. Haldre Rogers
Happy Friday, BSC! 

I hope you’ve had a great week! Please read below for our meeting recap and for information about our Tropical Smoothie Fundraiser, Halloween Movie Night, and new BSC webpage!

MEETING RECAP
At our meeting this week, we heard an extremely interesting presentation given by Dr. Haldre Rogers of the EEOB Department. The presentation was titled “Cascading impacts of an invasive snake in a tropical forest.”  Dr. Rogers spoke about an invasive species of snake, the Brown Tree Snake, that is currently causing major ecological issues in Guam.  The snakes eat birds, which are necessary for dispersal of seeds.  Due to the loss of the bird population because of this invasive snake species, tree seeds are not being dispersed at a necessary level. Dr. Rogers also spoke briefly about gut passage effects on germination and snake control efforts. If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Rogers’ research, I have linked her lab website HERE. 

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE FUNDRAISER
BSC is hosting a fundraiser at Tropical Smoothie on Friday, October 22.  All you have to do is stop by and buy a smoothie from 2PM-7PM to support our club! 

HALLOWEEN MOVIE NIGHT EVENT 
The Biological Sciences Club is hosting a Halloween Movie Night event during our next meeting time on Wednesday, October 27 at 7:00PM!  Please vote for which movie you would like to see using this form - the movie with the most votes will be shown! Additionally, please indicate on the form if you have any dietary restrictions we should be aware of when preparing snacks.

BSC WEBPAGE 
Please follow this link to check out our amazing new Biological Sciences Club webpage! On the page, you will find updates about club meetings and activities, officer contact information, links to meeting recaps, and announcements for other events of interest! 

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Have a great weekend!
Kara

Recap for the Sept 29th Meeting: Dr. Lynn Clark
Happy Friday, BSC! 

I hope you’ve had a great week! Please read below for our meeting recap and for information about available club leadership opportunities. 

MEETING RECAP 

At this Wednesday’s BSC meeting, we heard a wonderful presentation from Dr. Lynn Clark of the EEOB Department.  Her presentation was titled “Bamboozled! One botanist’s excellent bamboo adventure,” and she defined exactly what bamboo is, she briefly described its unique biological characteristics, and she also explained where it is located.  Dr. Clark also talked about her experience in science, including her undergraduate and graduate studies and her work at the US National Herbarium, and she described the process of naming new bamboos.  Her research on bamboo is centered around finding out just how many bamboos there are, what evolutionary relationships exist, and what processes gave rise to their diversity.  If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Clark’s research, I have linked some of her publications here. 

Additionally, Dr. Sakaguchi made an announcement at the beginning of our meeting about “Facul-Tea Time,” which will be held on Monday, October 11 at 12:00PM in the Bessey Breezeway.  All biology and genetics students are invited to come have coffee or tea and meet professors from the EEOB and GDCB Departments! 

CLUB LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 

We still have leadership opportunities available! Open positions include fundraising chair, recycling chair, advertising chair, and merchandise chair.  If you are interested in any of these positions, or if you have an idea of a new position in mind, please reach out to any of our current club officers: ecsiberz@iastate.edu (Elizabeth Siberz, President); bjake725@iastate.edu (Jacob Brown, Vice President); kruesch@iastate.edu (Kara Rueschenberg, secretary); cmwalz@iastate.edu (Caitlin Walz, treasurer); lmmagner@iastate.edu (Lexie Magner, LAS Representative); gr3@iastate.edu (Gabby Robinson, Membership Chair). 

Please be on the lookout for information about a club fundraiser and movie night event coming up in October and, as always, reach out if you have any questions! 

Have a relaxing weekend! Go Cyclones! 

Kara 

Recap for the Sept 15th Meeting: Jessica Brown

Happy Friday, BSC!

I hope you had a great week! We heard an extremely interesting presentation at our meeting this week, given by Jessica Brown on the topic of “Mad Science: Producing Food from Plastics.”  Jessica is currently a Ph.D. student here at Iowa State in mechanical engineering, and she received an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Iowa State, as well.  During her presentation, Jessica shared an amazing project that she has been working on that can, quite literally, turn plastic into food.  She spoke a bit about the chemistry behind the process, and then discussed the thermal oxo-degradation and yeast enzymes that aid in the transformation.  If you are interested in getting involved in this type of research, Jessica suggested taking these classes:

• BBMB 411 (Techniques in Biochemical Research) 

• FS HN 311 (Food Chemistry) 

• MICRO 302 (Biology of Microorganisms)

• MICRO 320 (Molecular and Cellular Bacteriology) 

• BRT 501 (Fundamentals of Biorenewable Resources and Technology) 

Jessica also suggested checking the Student Job Board on AccessPlus for available undergraduate research assistant positions.

Additionally, Dr. Sakaguchi spoke at the beginning of our meeting about a study abroad opportunity in Roatan, Honduras.

If you are receiving this email and have graduated or do not wish to remain on the mailing list, please email me separately and I will remove you from the list. 
Please reach out if you have any questions! 
Have a relaxing weekend!

Kara 

Recap for the Sept 1st Meeting: Dr. Norah Warchola:
Happy Friday, BSC!

I hope you had an awesome week! We had an amazing turn out at our meeting on Wednesday - thank you to everyone who attended! Please read below for our meeting recap, for information about available club officer positions, and for information about club dues.  

MEETING RECAP

The presentation at our meeting was titled “Why should I do undergraduate research, and where do I start?” and was given by Dr. Norah Warchola, Experiential Learning Coordinator for biology, genetics, and environmental science.  Dr. Warchola spoke a little about the research she has done, including studies on Fender’s Blue Butterflies and Monarch Caterpillars.  She also presented about why participating in undergraduate research is beneficial and gave several tips to get involved.  Her tips included: start early, identify faculty of interest, and reach out to them via email (be specific why their lab is of interest).  If you are looking for off-campus research opportunities, Dr. Warchola suggested checking CyHire for available positions.  Dr. Warchola teaches BIOL395 "Professional Development in Biological Sciences - Exploring Experiential Learning.”  This 2-credit course counts as an advanced biology course within the major and helps students navigate questions like:

• Why do research or shadowing?

• What if I don't have research experience?

• How do I contact potential mentors?

• How do I find internships?

• Where do I start with all these application materials?

• What experiences are right for me?

If you are interested in connecting with Dr. Warchola about potential research opportunities, you can reach her at warchola@iastate.edu. 

AVAILABLE CLUB OFFICER POSITIONS

We have several leadership positions available on our executive committee that we would love to have filled!  Please read below for all of the positions that we have available and for a short description of each. 

• Fundraising Chair: organize fundraising events for the club

• LAS Representative: attend LAS meetings on behalf of the Biological Sciences Club 

• Membership Chair: reach out to prospective members to grow our club membership

These are all non-elected positions, so if you are interested in or want more details about any of them, please send any current club officers an email at: ecsiberz@iastate.edu (Elizabeth Siberz, President); bjake725@iastate.edu (Jacob Brown, Vice President); kruesch@iastate.edu (Kara Rueschenberg, secretary); cmwalz@iastate.edu (Caitlin Walz, treasurer). 

CLUB DUES

Club dues are $10 per semester or $15 for the entire year.  Dues-paying members get to enjoy the snacks we provide after every meeting, which have historically included pizza, Insomnia cookies, and other great treats.  If you are interested in becoming a dues-paying member, please bring cash to the next club meeting you attend!

If you are receiving this email and have graduated or do not wish to remain on the mailing list, please email me separately and I will remove you from the list. 

Please reach out if you have any questions! 
Have a relaxing 3-day weekend and Go Cyclones!

Kara