JUNE 2008 - JUNE 2013:

 • Paleobotanist Dr. Liu receives NSF CAREER grant to study the Gray Fossil Site

 • Dr. (Christopher) Yusheng Liu, an ETSU assistant professor of Paleobotany in the Department of Biological Sciences, has received a $421,657 grant from the National Science Foundation – Early Faculty Career Development Program (NSF CAREER) to study the fossil plants from the Gray Fossil Site and initiate new educational programs for the next five years.

 • The research will center on the continuous excavation at the Gray Fossil Site, determination of the plant fossils uncovered, reconstruction of their climate conditions, and evolution of forests in southern Appalachian. The Gray Fossil Site fortunately represents a critical geological time (around 7 million years ago), when the global climate transitionally changed from the greenhouse (hot) world to the icehouse situation. It therefore represents a more appropriate analogue for a possible future anthropogenic greenhouse climate than any interglacial stage during the ice age. Plant fossils from Gray will help us understand what the mechanism of climatic change was and how the nature responded during this critical period of time. The educational programs mainly based at the ETSU and General Shale Brick Natural History Museum will bring the excitement of paleontology to college students, K-12 students and teachers, and the public in a region of the country in need of direct exposure to the basis and value of sound historical science. Furthermore, a field-oriented study-abroad 3-week summer course, ‘Fossil Resources of China,’ will be started in summer 2009.

January 17-20, 2008: Dr. Istvan Karsai gives lecture at international workshop.

 • Dr. Istvan Karsai was invited to give a plenary lecture titled "Cooperation and Conflict in Insect Societies: Why and How Organization Happens" at an international workshop entitled "Conflict and Cooperation in Animal Societies".  The workshop was hosted at the Debrecen University, Hungary, in the framework of Integrating Cooperation Research across Europe (INCORE).  There were participants from 10 countries present.

October 5, 2007: Dr. Dhirendra Kumar’s research published in Science

 • A new research discovery published the Oct. 5, issue of Science, “Methyl salicylate is a critical mobile signal for plant systemic acquired resistance” is co-authored by Dr. Dhirendra Kumar, Department of Biological Sciences, ETSU.  This research describes the discovery of a disease resistance signal molecule, methyl salicylate (MeSA) which is produced at the site of pathogen infection from where it moves not only to the other parts of the infected plant but also to neighboring healthy plants. This research is outcome of earlier discovery in 2003 and 2005 made by Dr. Kumar and his colleagues and published in Proceeding of National Academy of Sciences which identified and characterized a protein, SABP2 which converts methyl salicylate to salicylic acid.

 • For more than five decades, plant scientists have been searching for a mobile signal which transmits the signal from the infected to non infected healthy parts of the plant to induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR). A successful SAR response readies the plants for any future attack by elevating the resistance status of the plant.

 • A Plant under attack by herbivores sends out SOS signal for help by emitting a variety of volatile chemicals including methyl salicylate. These chemical compounds attract the predators of herbivores.

 • This and earlier research indicate that methyl salicylate may be one of the global signals used by plants for communications  within the plant, plant to plant and also plant to insects. These studies will help scientists to develop crops which show more resistance to disease and pests which cause great damage to economically important crops.

September 25, 2007:  The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) selected 24 doctoral students and 10 master’s-level and undergraduate students to receive $3,000 fellowships. Among those honored is East Tennessee State University sophomore Tazley Hotz. Hotz is mentored by Dr. Dhirendra Kumar.

 • The fellowship allows recipients to devote their time during the summer to research projects. In addition, $500 was awarded to the student’s faculty mentor for lab supplies, and the student received free membership in ASPB for the coming year plus travel grant assistance to attend the 2008 ASPB conference.

 • Hotz, of New Johnsonville, received the award for her project entitled “Salicylic Acid-Methyl Transferase Required for Plant Innate Immunity.”

 • Visit www.aspb.org/education/summerundergrad.cfm for further information.

September 10-18, 2007: Michael Zavada presented a paper at the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologist (AASP) meeting in Panama City, Panama.  Mohamed Zobaa, a post graduate working in M. Zavada's laboratory, presented a poster at the American Association of Petroleum geologists, Lexington, KY on the palynology of the Gray Fossil Site, Miocene.

July 18-20, 2007: The Departments of Biological Sciences and Mathematics at ETSU along with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will sponsor a Quantitative Biology Curriculum Planning Workshop to be held at the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City.  This workshop will bring together mathematics and biology educators who have developed or wish to develop quantitative biology curricula. The major goals of the conference are to:
• Identify successful models that introduce applications of and connections with biology into the undergraduate mathematics and computer science curriculum.
• Identify successful models that integrate quantitative methods into biology introductory and upper level courses
• Identify resources and materials that support quantitative biology
• Stimulate creation and revision of new materials that integrate mathematics and biology
• Initiate and foster a collaborative learning community