Biology professor David Garbary presented with the Outstanding Researcher of the Year award at the 2010 Convocation. Dr. Garbary has been working for three decades on algae, from invasive species to commensal relationships among seaweeds, with marine insects and more.
Biology student Amanda Lowe (front row, third from left) has won a prestigious Canadian Graduate Studies Scholarship from NSERC. This $17000 prize will allow her to do her graduate studies under Dr. Hugh Broders of St. Marys University, Halifax. Read more...

Honours biology student wins top prize at APICS

 

 Congratulations are due to James Hudson, an Honours biology student who recently won the top oral presentation award at the annual Atlantic Undergraduate Biology Conference. James' research, working with Karen Brebner, concerned the neurobiology of addiction, and how a potential treatment could change way the drugs-of-abuse interact with the DNA of brain neurons. The quality of presentations at the conference was very high, and thus James faced stiff competition to continue our successful tradition at this conference. StFX has had three winners in the past five years, and is 2nd on the all-time list of top presenters at the conference. Read more...

 
Dr. Ricardo Scrosati named to second five-year Canada Research Chair

Dr. Ricardo Scrosati, a StFX professor and researcher, has been successful in having his prestigious Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Marine Ecology renewed for a second five-year term. More...

 Dr. Ricardo Scrosati named to second five-year Canada Research Chair
 

Biology Department sponsors local Christmas Bird Count

The Antigonish Christmas Bird Count has been run since 1976. It is one of approximately 2000 Christmas Bird Counts in North America, which have been run since 1900. Eight members of the Department, as well as many community members, participated by surveying birds in the field, or by monitoring their feeders. Results were good this year - 66 species were documented including two new birds, Ruddy Duck and Turkey Vulture. Full results are available at the Audubon site.

 
Paddle-assisted Walking in Lobsters
 
Sperm Whale incorporated into the teaching collection.
StFX Biologist Randy Lauff (left in photo) has lead four recovery trips to a Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) which washed ashore dead on a local, remote beach. Although the 11 m whale is too large to fully salvage, representative pieces (pelvic bone, right flipper, rib and lower jaw) have all been saved for the teaching collection and distribution to other museums. Many students, mostly from Mr. Lauff's Comparative Anatomy class, came out to help in the salvage operation.

Photo courtesy of Dave Atkinson, CBC Radio
click the image to go to Maritime Noon!.

Life saving device designed - on its way to development!

Seaweed species named for StFX Biologist!

StFX biology professor David Garbary has had an unusual honour bestowed – he now has a seaweed named after him. The seaweed is called Colaconema garbaryi, and it is common algae on the Pacific coast of North America.

The species is typically less than one mm tall, and normally grows on other seaweeds. It belongs to a group of red algae that Dr. Garbary researched for about 15 years and for which he is recognized as a world authority. The naming in his honour shows the long-standing respect of his scientific peers.

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