Biology, Geology and Enviornmental Science
Biology, Geology and Enviornmental Science
2025 Newsletter
2025 Newsletter
Dear biology, geology and environmental science alumni, students and friends! Welcome to the latest edition of the BGE department newsletter. It has been an exciting year for BGE students and faculty! Over the summer, we had four faculty earn significant funding from national agencies, totaling almost $2 million. These funds will make a substantial impact on student learning as well as enrich faculty research. The UTC News Blog even wrote an article about these accomplishments. Dr. Davy Giles: $396,750 from HHS-NIH, “In vitro and in silico investigations of changes in bacterial cell membrane dynamics due to polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) modifications” Dr. Loren Hayes: $749,999 from NSF, “IRES: Integrating biological, geospatial, and math modeling to understand how a changing climate impacts animal social systems” Dr. Azad Hossain: $299,998 from NASA, “Remote Sensing of Water Quality in the Tennessee River” Dr. Francesca Leasi: $696,680 from NSF, “Collaborative Research: RUI: The Evolution Of Salinity Tolerance In Monogonont Rotifers” Another exciting development is the donation of Raccoon Mountain Caverns (RMC) to UTC for the purposes of education and research. Our students and faculty now have unlimited access to RMC to study the exciting science inside.
As you would expect, our geologists are very excited by the opportunities this presents, but so are our biologists and environmental scientists. This spring we have been searching for an assistant professor of hydrology with an interest in karst geology. To learn more past and future research in RMC, visit our website. Your support of our gift funds helps to enhance the educational and research experiences for our students and faculty. We would like to keep in touch with all of you, so please update your information using our online alumni information form. Also, we are very active on social media, so please consider following us on whatever platform you prefer. There is something in this newsletter for everyone. We encourage you to read through it at your leisure. Thank you for continuing to be an integral part of the UTC BGE family. With Warmest Regards, Gretchen E. Potts, Ph.D. Department Head and UC Foundation Professor Gretchen-Potts@utc.edu
Dr. Gretchen Potts
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