Please join us for Dr. Bryan Danforth’s seminar this Friday at 3pm in Hutch 316. Dr. Danforth is a Professor of Entomology at Cornell University studying bee phylogeny, diversity, population genetics and pollination biology. His talk is titled “The new view of bee phylogeny”.
UR Biology 2nd-year students break free!
This year’s UR Biology retreat concluded with a musical creation by the 2nd-year graduate students. Click the link to watch them “break free” in this music video.
Journal club Tuesday 11/4 at 12:30pm
Come join us for journal club next Tuesday at 12:30pm in HH316. We will discuss the following papers on neural evolution:
Somel et al., 2013 Human brain evolution: transcripts, metabolites and their regulators. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 14, 112-127.
Moroz et al., 2014 The ctenophore genome and the evolutionary origins of neural systems. Nature 510, 109–114.
EEB student profile featured
One of our EEB graduate students was featured 
on the UR Graduate Studies website. Click here to read about Cara Brand, a student in the Presgraves Lab.
Friday happy hour–October 31 4pm
Come join us for beer and candy at 4pm in the graduate student lounge for EEB happy hour this week!
Seminar Friday Oct 24, 3pm: Dr. Andre Dhondt
Dr. Andre Dhondt will present a seminar titled “Evolutionary changes in the House Finch-Mycoplasma gallisepticum system” this Friday in HH316. Dr. Dhondt is the Edwin H. Morgens Professor of Ornithology at Cornell University.
Happy hour Friday, Oct 17 at 4:30pm
After you stop by the open house and check out the UPBM poster session (held from 3:30 until 5:00 pm in the Green room), come join us for happy hour in the graduate lounge. We plan to meet at 4:30 pm.
UR Department of Biology retreat
The Department of Biology retreat held this week at Long Acre Farm was a huge success! Thanks to all those involved in organizing the event. We kicked off the day by hearing excellent talks from our alumni guest speakers, Dr. Harmit Malik (Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center) and Dr. Yali Dou (University of Michigan). After talks, we carved pumpkins, competed in games, tasted wines, had a great poster session and dinner. We closed the evening with a hilarious music video created by our 2nd year graduate students and prize announcements. 
Congratulations to the winners:
Teaching award winners- Matthew Johnson and Jeffrey Vedanayagam
Poster award winners- Sophea Chhim and Aisha Siebert
Department of Biology Open House Friday Oct 17
Stop by the Department of Biology open house in HH316 on Friday, Oct 17. The event runs between 2 and 4 pm and is open to all alumni, parents, students, staff and visitors. 
Happy hour, Oct. 10 at 4pm
Please join us for happy hour this Friday, Oct 10, at 4pm in the 3rd floor graduate lounge.