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Thriving Ecosystems, Evolving Discoveries: Ecology and Evolution Spring Newsletter
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Thriving Ecosystems, Evolving Discoveries:
Ecology and Evolution Spring Newsletter |
Greetings alumni and friends,
We hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones well. As the spring semester comes to an end, we're excited to share some of the impressive developments within our Department. This issue features the latest news and accomplishments of our dedicated faculty, alumni, brilliant students, and groundbreaking research initiatives.
We're thrilled to showcase the ongoing work that expands our understanding of the natural world. Dive in and discover the latest from the Department of Ecology and Evolution.
We encourage you to stay connected with our department and learn more about the exciting work that our students and faculty are doing. You can follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
We also enjoy hearing from our alumni and friends! Please feel free to share your stories with us at ecoevo_office@stonybrook.edu.
With best wishes,
H. Resit Akcakaya
Professor and Chair
Applied Ecology, Conservation Biology |
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| Alumni Spotlight |
Bob Michaels, PhD '79
Ecology and Evolution
Since graduating with his E&E PhD in 1979, Dr. Bob Michaels has become a leading voice in environmental toxicology. As founder of RAM TRAC Corporation, Bob tackles critical public health issues. His recent projects include investigating the impact of lead exposure on children in Flint, Michigan, and PFAS contamination near Hoosick Falls, New York. His expertise has benefitted a wide range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to government agencies. Bob recently authored a book, "Civics and Science: Contemporary Issues for Civil Democracy," which explores the intersection of science and informed citizenship.
Inset photo: Bob at Stony Brook in 1975 and at home in 2021, 46 years later. “Where does the time go?” |
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Laurel Yohe '17
E&E alumna Laurel Yohe, assistant professor of Bioinformatics at UNC Charlotte, is pushing the boundaries of anatomical work to make it more quantitative for high-throughput comparative analyses as the era of imageomics falls upon us. She was awarded an NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Research Initiation Initiative (CRII) that funds early-career researchers to launch new and creative computing projects.
Laurel's project “Harnessing Deep-Learning to Simplify Biological Inference from Complex Imaging Data” is intended to transform current methods for phenotypic data, specifically histology, to understand sources of variation in model performance and build necessary training data sets for better deep-learning models.
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Mihir Umarani '21
E&E alum Mihir Umarani '21 along with assistant professor Rafael D’Andrea, published a paper in The American Naturalist revealing spatial patterns in a tropical forest consistent with niche partitioning by soil preferences.
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| Faculty News |
Pascal Title
Assistant Professor Pascal Title and colleagues recently published an article in Science that showcases snakes as an evolutionary success story, having diversified rapidly and across multiple ecological axes. |
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Liliana Dávalos
Work by Professor Liliana Dávalos on deforestation connects international illegal markets to deforestation. According to Dávalos, the 2023 crisis in coca markets presents the opportunity to transition away from this illegal crop, the leaves of which get processed into cocaine, toward a more sustainable and legal alternative. |
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Rafael D'Andrea
Assistant Professor Rafael D'Andrea was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to support his research into understanding patterns of functional diversity within microbial communities. This recognition follows Rafael's impactful recent publication in Ecology Letters, which explored the fascinating interplay between biodiversity and ecosystem function in pitcher plants. Rafael's NSF grant underscores our Department's strong involvement in research that cuts across multiple disciplines.
In addition, we are excited to share that Rafael is one of this year's College of Arts and Sciences Godfrey Excellence in Teaching Award winners, in the Life Sciences discipline. Read more about these awards here. |
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| Undergraduate Student Spotlight |
Undergraduates Sasha Koulakova and Ryan Silver joined the Thacker Lab Outreach program, which was part of the “Meet a Scientist” series at the Long Island Aquarium in March. Visitors examined sponges and their skeletons under a microscope and learned how to identify a variety of marine invertebrates. Younger participants enjoyed drawing and coloring their favorite marine animals. It was a fun day for everyone!
Top photo, left to right: Sasha Koulakova, Ryan Silver, Jose Moscoso Nunez, Bob Thacker, Raisa Campos Rizzieri |
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| Graduate Student Spotlight |
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Nicolette Sipperly
PhD candidate, Hurst Della Pietra Donation RA Student Excellence Award Recipient
“With the student excellence award, I attended the Botany conference in Boise, Idaho to run a workshop and present my dissertation research. The workshop shared and encouraged individual approaches to integrate art and science. We cultivate connection and diversity in the scientific community by celebrating distinct perspectives. The goal of the workshop is to appreciate that it is our unique creativity that opens new pathways, resulting in resilience and innovation. Ultimately, the workshop aims to diversify the scientific questions we ask and the solutions we investigate.
In my research talk, I shared my gene expression and growth and development phenotypes. My presentation showed that at the intersection of art and science is the human experience of nature. The process of building knowledge of the world around us is inseparable from the framework of perspective that is shaped by emotion and personal association. Feedback from the audience made it clear that I created a much-needed space for my colleagues to connect more effectively to their work in academia that so often calls us to separate our minds from our hearts.”
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Publication Highlights
 Urmi Poddar
Urmi Poddar had her first paper accepted and published in the Journal of Ecology. In this study, they used data from a long-term vegetation succession study to compare the assembly processes of native and introduced plant species. They found that introduced species generally followed the same trait-based assembly rules as native species but were limited by lower species pool variation. However, highly invasive species were likely to deviate from the trait-abundance relationship shown by the rest of the community, suggesting a link between invasiveness and ‘breaking’ assembly rules. Read the article here.
 Athma Senthilnathan
Athma Senthilnathan, a former postdoc from the D’Andrea lab, published a paper in Ecology offering a new way to model plant-soil interactions and laying the groundwork for a niche theory of positive plant-soil feedback. Read more here |
Publication Highlights
Congrats to Gena Sbeglia and Ross Nehm on their recent article on building conceptual and methodological bridges between SSE’s diversity, equity, and inclusion statement and educational actions in evolutionary biology! Read more here.
In a recent publication, Robert Burroughs and collaborators used machine learning methods applied to geometric morphometric  datasets of turtle plastra (see figure), to determine if there is morphological support for cryptic species of the Pacific pond turtle (genus Actinemys). They found that overall, machine learning approaches worked very well when applied to many clades of turtles, but performed less well when applied to Actinemys. Their best performing models were those that supported a two species complex lending some, albeit equivocal, morphological support for the existence of a northern Pacific pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata) and a southern Pacific pond turtle (Actinemys pallida). |
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| Community Outreach |
Our dedicated graduate students brought the wonders of evolution to campus! In celebration of Darwin Day, they hosted an informative table at the library, educating fellow students about the fascinating world of evolutionary biology.
Pictured here: Sixto Taveras Lopez, E&E graduate student |
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In celebration of Darwin Day and as a provost-sponsored speaker, Dr. Scott Edwards gave a truly inspiring talk on his perspectives in evolutionary research. He explored how the Tree of Life unlocks mysteries connecting genes to physical traits, and this research unlocks a deeper understanding of evolution! |
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| Notable Research |
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Gábor Balázsi, E&E Graduate Program
A significant breakthrough in fighting cancer drug resistance has emerged from SBU thanks to researchers led by Gábor Balázsi, who discovered a way to exploit a cancer cell's own defense mechanism against chemotherapy. Their findings, published in PNAS, could pave the way for entirely new treatment methods.
The study investigates DNA amplification, a common culprit in chemoresistance. The researchers discovered that introducing a specific piece of DNA back into resistant cells could trigger cell death. This "DNA-based therapy" essentially uses cancer's own amplification against itself, offering a promising strategy to combat a major hurdle in cancer treatment. |
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| E&E Professionals: Recent Conference Participation |
| SBU E&E was well represented at the 2023 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting in Cincinnati, OH. PhD students Sam Lavin, Alexandra Pamfilie, Megan Wyatt, and faculty members Tara Smiley and Natasha Vitek attended, presented new research, and networked at this exciting annual conference! |
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Deven Vyas Presents at AABA
Deven Vyas, postdoctoral researcher in the Veeramah Lab, recently presented exciting Slovenian Genomics Project findings at the American Association of Biological Anthropologists conference in Los Angeles. His research explored how Slovenia's genetic landscape transformed over time. Deven's team also discovered a fascinating shift towards genetic similarity with modern northeastern Europe during the 9th-11th centuries, hinting at a possible migration that could be linked to the arrival of Slavic ancestors in Slovenia. This project sheds light on the complex history of Slovenia's population and paves the way for further discoveries.
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| Community Outreach |
Professor Dianna Padilla was the keynote speaker at the National Shellfisheries Association’s annual meeting on March 18. She gave the opening keynote presentation, "Gastropods: The Other Shellfish."
The meeting was an interesting mix of scientists, conservation biologists, government scientists, and people who work in aquaculture and hatcheries. Nicolas Anderson and Julia Dovi in E&E also attended,as well as several E&E alumni. |
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| Inspiring the Next Generation: SBU Aims to Bring Students to the Turkana Basin |
A recent trip to the Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) in northern Kenya proved truly inspiring for a group of SBU faculty and administrators, including Drs. Pascal Title, Resit Akçakaya, and Elisabeth Watson. The group was treated to incredible wildlife experiences, explored TBI's expertly maintained and irreplaceable fossil collections, and even walked the grounds where groundbreaking hominin fossils were unearthed. TBI's facilities were remarkable, given the remoteness of the location. The onsite staff and researchers were the nicest people you could meet.
The group had several thought-provoking discussions on how to better leverage this extraordinary resource - to more effectively conduct research there, and most importantly, to provide SBU’s undergraduate students with the opportunity of a lifetime in experiencing and learning from such a unique setting. |
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| Awards |
We were thrilled to announce this year's award winners at our annual Department of Ecology and Evolution retreat.
Rupert Ikeh received the Sokal Award for research in statistical analysis for the biological sciences.
Sixto Taveras Lopez, Carlos Morantes Ariza, and Julia Dovi were honored with the Slobodkin Award for their work on non-vertebrates and non-flowering plants.
Departmental Excellence Awards went to Megan Wyatt, Nicolette Sipperly, Chelsi Napoli, and Nicolas Anderson.
Student Excellence Awards were presented to Samuel Lavin and Clare Flynn.
Urmi Poddar and Imogene Welles were recognized for their teaching, and Imogene Welles also received the Ad-hoc Award for program artwork.
Caroline Fabian received the Cedarbrook Award for best talk, and Nicolas Anderson, Urmi Poddar, and Imogene Welles were given the TA award.
Finally, Tammy Gregorian was awarded the Departmental Service Award. |
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2024 Graduate Student, Faculty, and Staff Award Winners
Dean's Award for Excellence in Service by a Graduate Program Director
Joshua Rest, Ecology and Evolution
Faculty-Staff Dissertation Fellowship
Clare Flynn, Ecology and Evolution
Stony Brook Foundation Board of Trustees Dissertation Completion Endowed Fellowship
Alejandro Gil Gomez, Ecology and Evolution
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| Joshua Rest |
Clare Flynn |
Alejandro Gil Gomez |
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| Congratulations to our E&E students who are defending this spring. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors. |
- Jose Moscoso Nunez
- Tianyu LI
- Ann Thonis
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Congratulations to our Spring 2024 graduates in the master's program!
You make us proud! |
- Caroline Fabian
- Elliot Ma
- Marisa Turk
- Chenxi Li
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| A heartfelt thank you for your Giving Day support |
We are thrilled that the Department of Ecology and Evolution raised $10,336 during this year's Giving Day! Tying for 9th place out of 190 departments is a testament to the incredible generosity of our donors.
Special thanks to Doug Futuyma and Jeff Levinton for their vital roles in this success.
Your support directly fuels groundbreaking research projects and empowers the next generation of scientists within E&E. We are incredibly grateful!
Our Department is home to some of the brightest minds in the field, and we are committed to training the next generation of leaders. Your support can help us provide our students with the resources they need to succeed and to fund innovative research projects that are making a difference in the world. |
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Stay Connected
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To learn more about our giving opportunities, please visit our website or contact Michael D'Ambrosio, Senior Director of Development, at 631.632.4061.
Thank you for your support! |
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