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Friday is May Day, and next week is the final week of instruction for the Spring 2026 semester. In CSUN Biology, it’s time to turn in and present semester projects, and to start studying for final exams.
Students in the 2026 Tropical Semester, led by Professors Fritz Hertel and Tim Karels, will give poster presentations showcasing the results of research projects conducted during their time in Ecuador next Friday, May 8, from noon to 1:30pm on the third floor of Chaparral Hall. Refreshments will be served, and everyone is invited to view a variety of student science and tropical biodiversity.
Biology Master’s student Tanya Pelayo has been chosen for the 2026 Nathan O. Freedman Memorial Award for Outstanding Graduate Student, the highest academic honor awarded by the CSUN College of Graduate Studies. Pelayo, whose thesis research dissects the genomics of ecologically important traits in an invasive plant species, will be recognized in this year’s Biology Honors Reception.
Instructional Support Technician Wendy Dunbarr has been nominated for the CSUN 2026 Presidential Award, which recognizes a staff member who sustains consistent, outstanding performance and demonstrates the values of the University. Wendy says, “I’m honored to be recognized by the Department/College. The announcement from HR doesn’t say who nominated me or share the supporting statements of the nomination form. I am lucky to receive positive feedback from my colleagues regularly, but this is a special kind of recognition”. The award recipient will be announced at the 60th annual Staff Service Awards and Recognition of Excellence event on May 28th.
The Biology Colloquium seminar series continues this week with Dr. Lizbeth Camacho, a postdoctoral fellow in the UC Davis Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology. Dr. Camacho is in the Diaz-Ochoa Lab, studying how the innate immune system responds to Salmonella bacterial infection. Her talk, which is sponsored by the U-RISE program, will be titled “Investigating the Role of Neutrophils in Innate Immunity during Systemic Salmonella Infection.” Colloquium seminars are held this semester at 2:30pm in Chaparral Hall room 5125.
Honors Reception and graduation plans drawn near
The Honors Reception, to be held at 10:30am Friday, May 15, will recognize all Biology students who have received awards and honors this year. Faculty whose student mentees have received awards, especially extramural honors and scholarships, should let Sarah Cohen know to include them.
Master’s students graduating in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026 should also RSVP using this form to join in the first-ever Biology Department graduate hooding ceremony as part of the Honors Reception.
Joshua tree mutualism is a sight to see along the PCT
Biology professor Jeremy Yoder spoke to the Pacific Crest Trail Association about the highly specialized pollination mutualism of Joshua trees and yucca moths. It’s part of a PCTA article series highlighting species interactions along the trail, which follows mountain ranges from Mexico to Canada. Joshua trees shade the PCT in the eastern Sierras, at a point called Walker Pass, west of Ridgecrest.