Albertson awarded CAREER grant to study environment’s effects on evolution
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Craig Albertson, Biology, was awarded a five-year, $625,000 NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant to study the evolutionary developmental biology or “evo-devo” of jaws in cichlid fish, tropical freshwater relatives of the tilapia. These medium-sized, highly adaptable cousins of sunfish have a phenomenal ability to undergo evolutionary change. They’ve developed 1,000 new species in Lake Malawi, Africa, over the past million years, a far faster pace than usual for other vertebrates in a similar period.

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Nationally recognized Food Science department shares its story
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The Food Science program is recognized as among the nation's best. Students study the scientific and technological aspects of processing food and learn how to create high-tech food that add nutrients and reduce the risk of disease. Prominent alumni in the food industry work closely with faculty to support students' studies and research, providing an invaluable network that hones the program's competitive edge.

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Osborne describes Soft Materials Immunology
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Barbara Osborne, an immunologist in the Veterinary and Animal Sciences Department, describes Soft Materials Immunology, a new area of life sciences that holds great promise for developing novel ways to treat and prevent disease. Osbourne says that collaborations between immunologists and material scientists will likely lead to the ability to modify immune responses to diseases by blocking harmful proteins or enhancing helpful proteins.

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Susan K. Whitbourne, Psychology, says sports fans undergo a high level of stress during contests such as the Super Bowl and sometimes ignore the physical symptoms of injury or disease as a result. A scientific study has found that emergency room visits during the Super Bowl are significantly lower than at other times. WGBH-TV 2

Prasanta Bhowmik, Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences, received the Weed Science Society of America’s Outstanding Research Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of weed science. Bhowmik’s research focuses on weed biology, allelopathy and invasive species, perennial weed control and integrated weed management in field crops and turfgrass. Press Release

"Women and Work: Choices and Constraints," a national conference organized by the Center for Research on Families (CRF) in 2008 has led to the publication of "Women Who Opt Out," a new collection of original essays by leading scholars in the field of work and family research, and edited by Bernie Jones. Press Release

Gerald Downes, Biology, and colleagues have developed a reliable and cost-effective animal model, a mutant zebrafish, to study Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD). Untreated, this inherited metabolic disorder that causes individuals to smell like maple syrup, can result in mental retardation, profound neurological damage, severe dystonia, coma and death. Disease Models and Mechanisms, Medical News, Medical XPress, Animal Lab News, Press Release

Anthony McCaffrey, cognitive psychology researcher, studies common roadblocks to problem-solving and has developed a toolkit for enhancing anyone’s skills. McCaffrey believes his Obscure Features Hypothesis (OFH) has led to the first systematic, step-by-step approach to devising innovation-enhancing techniques to overcome a wide range of cognitive obstacles to invention. Psychological Science, Times of India, Yahoo!, Press Release

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