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“Precipitous decline in monarch butterflies linked to habitat loss in Midwest,” published by Environment & Energy (E&E) on Aug. 5, included an excerpt from an interview with Ernest Williams, the William R. Kenan Professor of Biology. The article also linked to a study he co-authored that examined the increasing risks posed by land development and extreme weather on the declining population of monarchs.

It might sound surprising, but studying two neurotransmitters found in drosophila, a genus of small flies, may help us better understand human brain chemistry.  While most people may not regularly think about neurotransmitters in our brains, these chemicals are the stimuli behind our frustrations when stuck in traffic or our elevated stress levels when facing a seemingly never-ending pile of assignments. Ashley Perritt ’14 and Niko Wagner ’14 are studying tyramine beta hydroxylase (TBh) and TBh-Related (TBhR) neurotransmitter genes in drosophila to better understand their functions.

Hamilton College is situated roughly 30 miles from Green Lake, a rare meromictic lake in Onondaga Country.  This lake is considered special due to the segregated nature of its water and multiple base layers of sediment that have remained preserved over the past thousands of years.  This summer, Kevin Boettger ’14 and Matt Brzustoski ’15 studied the lake with Associate Professor of Biology Michael McCormick to identify its unique characteristics and features.

Ernest Williams, the William R. Kenan Professor of Biology, presented “The Migration of Monarch Butterflies In and Beyond New York” on July 19 at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, N.Y. Williams was recently elected to the board of directors of the Monarch Butterfly Fund (MBF).

Elisabeth MacColl ’16 and Tshering Sherpa ’16, along with Associate Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang, presented a talk and poster at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Ciliate Molecular Biology Conference held July 7-13 in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio’s Academic Minute will feature William R. Kenan Professor of Biology Ernest Williams on Wednesday, July 17. The broadcast can be heard locally at 7:34 a.m. or 3:56 p.m. at 90.3 FM and on InsideHigherEd.com.

William R. Kenan Professor of Biology Ernest Williams presented a talk at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society. The talk was presented as part of a symposium on conservation.

Obesity and diabetes are serious issues that public health officials are focusing on.  A bulk of the scientific literature blames sedentary lifestyles for the increase in obesity.  However, the developing trend of people becoming categorized as obese is increasingly steep and Hamilton student researchers believe there are more biological and chemical components to the issues.

The glens around campus are some of the most unique features of Hamilton’s 1,350-acre campus.  Filled with a variety of trees, wildlife, and nature paths, students often take advantage of the beautiful scenery.  However, keen eyes in the biology department took notice of an invasive plant and began investigating its negative impact on the glen environment.

Senior biology majors Rebecca Knipp, Ethan Ayres and Matthew Combs presented at the annual meeting of the Helminthological Society of Washington, the nation’s oldest parasitology research society.  The Society met on April 27 at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Ashleigh Smythe also attended.