A new paper in Proceedings B by BEACON graduate student Eli Swanson, and faculty members Ian Dworkin and Kay Holekamp uses a new method of measuring body size to show that larger female spotted hyenas have higher lifetime reproductive success. See the press release here.
Eli Swanson was interviewed by LiveScience about the study – read it here!
BEACON scientists Philip McKinley, Xiaobo Tan, and Janette Boughman have been awarded an NSF grant to construct Evolution Park, an evolutionary robotics testbed!
The Evolution Park provides an experimental testbed for applying evolutionary computation to the development and control of autonomous robotic systems. In this environment, artificial creatures can evolve in silico, be fabricated into physical forms, be tested under realistic conditions, and even be deployed to assist in scientific investigations of living organisms. The overriding theme of the project is to construct a facility that supports exploration of the interaction of (natural and artificial) creatures with their surrounding environment, and the effects of that interaction on the evolutionary process.
For more information, please see the Evolution Park website.
We are pleased to introduce our newest BEACON team member, Diversity Director Judi Brown Clarke. She has an extensive background in diversity, including her most recent position as Director of Multicultural Affairs and Inclusion in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University’s (MSU). Judi has a unique portfolio of experience including her current membership on the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Diversity Workgroup and chair of the Michigan Afterschool Partnership’ STEM committee.
Judi earned a BS in Audiology and Speech Sciences and Masters in Education at MSU. She earned a PhD in Public Policy and Administration, specializing in health policy at Western Michigan University.
Judi joined BEACON in February; please take a moment to welcome her.
BEACON has won the Team Research Award from North Carolina A&T State University’s Division of Research & Economic Development (DORED)! Congratulations to our partners at NC A&T!
The BEACON team at North Carolina A&T includes: Marwan Bikdash, Goldie Byrd, Gerry Dozier, Albert Esterline, Gregory Goins, Joseph L Graves Jr., Jian Han, Randall Hayes, Abdollah Homaifar, Gary Lebby, Paul M. Stanfield, and Anna Huiming Yu.
Job posting for part-time programmer
Thomas M. Schmidt laboratory
In the Schmidt lab, we are managing information on bacterial isolates associated with the Human Genome Project and metagenomic and other sequence information associated with soil microbial communities. We are looking for a part-time programmer to help set up a system to manage this data and write scripts to assist researchers in data analysis, with minimal duties in administration of Mac and Windows computers. There will be additional opportunities for the programmer to be involved in developing and refining tools for metagenomic analyses that are currently being developed in the lab.
The successful candidate should have a strong knowledge of Python, Perl, Ruby, C++ or Java, SQL (PostgreSQL or MySQL) and a version control system. Experience with web programming and Linux systems administration would also be desirable. A background or some coursework in biology would be beneficial.
If interested, please contact Tracy Teal (tkteal@msu.edu)
Dr. Erik Goodman, BEACON’s Director and PI, and Dr. Robert T. Pennock, also a BEACON PI, both received Distinguished Faculty Awards at Michigan State University on February 8, 2011.
From the MSU press release:
Erik David Goodman is internationally known as one of the pioneers in the field of genetic algorithms and evolutionary computation. He provided the first real application of genetic algorithms and has been actively involved in research and education in the areas of computer simulation of biological systems, computer graphics, computer-aided design and manufacturing. Through the courses he has developed, he has helped make MSU a world leader in systems biology.
His ability to apply advanced computational algorithms to real-world applications has been a distinct feature of his career. He has worked on more than 25 applications in such different areas as protein folding, medical prediction, circuit layout, scheduling, laminate composites, robotics, shape optimization, control and automotive design. He has received several grants from the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation and General Motors, among others.
Goodman played a significant role in bringing the NSF Science and Technology Center Bio/computational Evolution in Action CONsortium, known as BEACON, to MSU and in establishing the International Society for Genetic and Evolutionary Computation. Goodman’s work is truly interdisciplinary, and he has successfully collaborated with colleagues across engineering disciplines as well as disciplines outside engineering, from zoology and microbiology to telecommunications.
Robert T. Pennock’s interdisciplinary scholarship richly informs his teaching and engagement. One major strand of his work, on the philosophy of evolutionary biology, is a critical assessment of the new creationism, or intelligent design, theory. His book Tower of Babel: The Evidence against the New Creationism has been lauded by peers as the best book on creationism in all its guises.
A second strand, underpinning the NSF Science and Technology Center Bio/computational Evolution in Action CONsortium, known as BEACON, is Pennock’s theoretical and empirical research with biologists and computer scientists on artificial life and evolving digital organisms. A third strand, his research on the evolution of complexity, intelligence and altruism, involves central philosophical questions about ontology, epistemology and ethics. In his 11 years at MSU, Pennock’s scholarship has been supported by nearly $26 million in external funding from the NSF, the Cambridge Templeton Consortium, and the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center.
Pennock’s contributions to education are broad, ranging from educational software to inquiry-based undergraduate seminars to workshops for in-service teachers. Pennock has given expert testimony to the legislatures and boards of education in Texas and Michigan on the importance of retaining the teaching of evolution in public school science curricula. He also was a key witness for the plaintiffs in the highly publicized Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District case on the constitutionality of requiring that intelligent design be taught in public science classrooms.
Read more about Goodman and Pennock and the Distinguished Professor Awards here. Congratulations to our distinguished leadership!
BEACON’s Kay Holekamp and her recently graduated Ph.D. student Jennifer Smith are featured on the BBC website. Smith’s research revealed that “greeting” behavior in female hyenas is important in forming coalitions for potentially risky behaviors such as hunting.
Read more and see a video of hyenas greeting each other here!
Chris Adami’s newest paper uses Avida to test whether you can detect life just from looking at the distribution of monomers that are used to make up the “molecules of life,” and has important implications for astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial life. Adami’s research was featured in the magazine New Scientist on Friday.
Dr. Adami is a professor at the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences, and is currently on sabbatical at BEACON headquarters at MSU.
One goal of BEACON is to initiate and support research and training activities that involve the study of actively evolving systems and evolutionary dynamics, as well as applying these principles to solve tough computational or engineering problems. Furthermore, BEACON aims to recruit a diverse student population. To promote these goals, BEACON will be providing BEACON Top-Up Recruiting Fellowships to attract promising new Ph.D. students interested in this area to attend Michigan State University, funded by the University.
Eligibility: Top-Up Recruiting Fellowships can be used to support applicants to Ph.D. programs in all departments at MSU that conduct research in this area, with preference given to applicants who are citizens or permanent residents of the US. Any applicant nominated for a Top-Up Recruiting Fellowship must be nominated by a BEACON faculty member. In addition, the applicant must receive a 5-year support commitment from the faculty member and/or department or university. BEACON strongly encourages faculty to nominate women, students from underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Top-Up Recruiting Fellowship Details: If an applicant is awarded a BEACON Top-Up Recruiting Fellowship, they will receive between $3,000 and $5,000 in additional fellowship funds for each year they participate in BEACON activities, for up to a maximum of five years. If the applicant receives an NSF or other similar fellowship already providing $30,000 or more in annual support, BEACON will offer a one-time fellowship supplement of $5,000.
Requirements: Students receiving this fellowship will be required to take two BEACON-related courses during their first year: one course on either evolutionary biology or computational evolution (whichever is not part of the student’s background) during Fall Semester 2011, and one project course where students work in interdisciplinary groups during Spring Semester 2012. This requirement is to support BEACON’s goal of encouraging students to pursue multi-disciplinary research. These courses are normally included in the student’s academic program.
pplication Process: To nominate an applicant, please email the student’s application packet to Eric Torng (torng@msu.edu) by February 14, 2011. Please add the following two items:
Decisions will be made within a week following the announcement of UDF/UEF recipients.
We are very pleased that Louise Mead is joining the BEACON team, in the role of Education Director. Louise is an accomplished evolutionary biologist with a broad range of teaching and administrative experience; she has spent the past four years as the Education Project Director for the National Center for Science Education (NCSE).
Louise earned a BA in Psychology at Bucknell and a Masters of Education with K-12 Teacher Certification in Biology and General Science at UMass Amherst. Then Louise taught high school science for three years before earning a PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at UMass. She spent several years as a postdoctoral researcher, including two years working with Steve Arnold as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Biological Informatics. She has published her scientific work in Evolution, TREE and other journals. Along the way, Louise has taught evolution, molecular evolution, genetics, environmental science and introductory biology.
While working at NCSE, Louise has served as a science content and education consultant for many publishers, museums and education associations. She worked with WGBH, Boston, to develop educational materials to accompany the NOVA Judgment Day program, about the Dover trial. She has several publications on science education in the journal Evolution: Education & Outreach. Louise serves on the Education Committee of the Society for the Study of Evolution and has received the SSE Darwin Award for Outreach. We are very fortunate to have Louise as a colleague.
Louise will introduce herself as she begins taking up the reins in January. Please welcome her then.
By Tom Getty, Chair, Education Director Search Committee
