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Life Sciences Magazine Archive

Summer 2023

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50 Years of Teaching Evolution at BYU

July 26, 2023
Teaching evolution at BYU has an origin story decades in the making. Today, it acts as a testament to BYU’s commitment to search for and teach truth by integrating faith and science.
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Transforming Crime Investigation

July 26, 2023
BYU's women-led research team innovates a kit to distinguish menstrual from circulatory blood in crimes against women, in the hopes of helping domestic violence survivors seek justice.
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Cougar Quinoa: The Sustainable Superhero

July 26, 2023
BYU researchers Rick Jellen and Jeff Maughan and Washington State University's Cedric Habiyaremye are breeding new varieties of the protein-rich quinoa that can thrive in the harsh weather conditions of Rwanda’s tropical climate.
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The Contagion of Fear

July 26, 2023
The global prevalence of anxiety has increased in recent years, especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fish may help us understand human anxiety, social connection, and how to move forward.
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Triple Crown of Student Achievements

July 26, 2023
Students in the College of Life Sciences were recognized this year as Student Employee of the Year and as winners at the Student Innovator of the Year and 3-Minute Thesis competitions.
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Faith in Jesus Christ: Foundation for Achievement in Life

July 26, 2023
Elder Larry Echo Hawk shares how his heritage, education, and spirituality led to him serve Indigenous communities as a lawyer and as a government official. He's continued on to serve the world and Jesus Christ as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.
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College News - Summer 2023

July 26, 2023
College of Life Sciences students are researching alcoholism, building the graduate student community, designing effective workouts, creating new milk packaging, stimulating crop growth in high-salt soil, and changing diets to protect the planet.
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Dean's Message

July 26, 2023
Dean Laura Bridgewater celebrates how BYU College of Life Sciences students and professors are fulfilling their calling to be a light in the world.
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Fall 2022

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Getting Diabetics Back on Their Feet

June 09, 2023
Andrew Hillier and Seth Huber combine public health and engineering at BYU to speed up healing for the foot ulcers of people with diabetes. The students' foot braces take stress off the foot and reduce the need for amputation.
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College News - Fall 2022

June 09, 2023
Students and faculty across the College of Life Sciences are doing amazing things. Read about the three new associate deans, a new dairy product created by food science students, and more.
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Welcoming Dean Bridgewater

June 08, 2023
New dean of the BYU College of Life Sciences Laura Bridgewater champions scientific research as a force for good in the world, learning to embrace the trial-and-error process at an early age as a ballet dancer.
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Becoming the CEO of Your Plate

May 23, 2023
Registered dietitian and BYU alum Miki Eberhardt empowers individuals to create mindful personal and family eating plans. This is not the same thing as thinking constantly about what you eat; it's about making peace with food by focusing on nourishment, nutrition, and celebrating all body types.
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Celebrating Women in Science: Earlene Durrant

May 18, 2023
Earlene Durrant was hired as BYU’s first female athletic trainer in 1972. With little to no funding for the women’s athletic training program 50 years ago, Durrant molded her resource scraps into over thirty courses and two Hall of Fame inductions.
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Pollution, Preservation, and Planting Seeds of Everlasting Impact

May 18, 2023
Through her diligent science communications, Isabella Errigo's research on the negative health effects of Utah's pollution is now a building block for environmental legislation, non-profit missions, and university curriculums. "I expected her to come back with some ideas on how to move forward. She, in the meantime, called forty or fifty members of Congress," says Ben Abbott, BYU professor.
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Dean's Message

May 18, 2023
New dean of the College of Life Sciences Laura Bridgewater focuses on faith and science, community, experiential learning, and knowing the "why" behind the research students conduct.
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A Simple Solution for a Complex Problem: New Tools May Lead to Earlier Alzheimer's Diagnoses

April 04, 2023
Chad Pollard (’22), cell biology PhD student and BYU’s 2022 Student Innovator of the Year, is on a mission to revolutionize Alzheimer’s disease diagnostics.
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Spring 2022

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The Drive to the Lytle Preserve

July 28, 2022
This distant place is close to home.
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College News - Spring 2022

July 28, 2022
News From Our Life Sciences Departments
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Celebrating Women in Science: Kamal Ranadive

July 28, 2022
Dr. Kamal Ranadive, born in 1917 in Pune, India, used her degrees to conduct biomedical research in various cancers and a leprosy vaccine. When she retired, she trained rural women to work in healthcare and organized scholarships for women in science.
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Birds Around the World

July 28, 2022
With the number of natural history collections declining, Skip Skidmore and Randy Larsen recognize the importance of the bird collection at the Bean Life Science Museum.
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Painting with Bacteria: Connecting Art and Science

July 28, 2022
Winners of the Semiannual Agar Art Contests for the 2021-2022 school year, sponsored by the College of Life Sciences Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology (MMBIO).
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Making Waves with Water Security Research

July 28, 2022
Four-year-old Sara Sayedi sits on her mother’s bedroom floor in Iran, flipping through images of colorful monkeys and frigid arctic landscapes. The world comes alive to her through the villages pictured in National Geographic magazines and the detailed maps in atlases. Her mother helps her sound out unfamiliar words like Antarctica. Decades later, Sayedi’s fascination with the natural world continues to grow as she engages in environmental conservation work through research that impacts policymaking.
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Learning From the Land on Lytle Ranch

July 28, 2022
Dallin Leota, the new owner of the Lytle Preserve, opens the land to BYU students, visitors, and Paiute tribe leaders to provide hands-on experiences with history, preservation, and land restoration.
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Faith, Joy, and Science

July 28, 2022
The following is an abridgment of Dr. Glenn Schiraldi’s presentation given on September 9, 2021, as part of the College of Life Sciences Faith and Science seminar series.
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From Partnership to Patented Research: Undergraduate Student Innovates Gene-Editing Tools

July 21, 2022
It’s not every day that an undergraduate student approaches you with an innovative idea that significantly impacts the field and leads to developing a patented product, a startup company, and published research,” says Jonathon Hill, an associate professor of cell biology at BYU. “[But] I actually think the mentorship aspect is the best story here.”
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Huddled Up for Healing: Working with the Football Team to Address a Degenerative Brain Disease

July 21, 2022
In 2002, the death of legendary NFL center Mike Webster introduced the world to the degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The disease is marked by depression, rage, substance abuse, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia, and diagnoses are rising rapidly among retired football players.
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James Porter: The Mediator's Meaningful Impact

July 21, 2022
At the University of Louisville in Kentucky, a student approached then-professor James Porter and said, “You must be a Christian.” This surprised Porter; he never talked about his religion in the public education sphere. The student continued, “I could tell by the way you act that you must be a Christian.”
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Dean Porter's Last Message

By James Porter
July 21, 2022
I am amazed at how often the work of students from the College of Life Sciences is featured by various campus and off-campus communication outlets. For example, a paper recently published in the journal PLOS One by a group of faculty and students from our Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology was recently the lead article on the BYU homepage and was covered by several local media outlets. These researchers found that the virus responsible for COVID-19 was very unstable when placed on paper money but was more stable when placed on a credit card. This work suggests that our shift to cashless transactions during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to limit the spread of the virus may have been ill-advised.
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Fall 2021

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Moving On and Moving In

March 08, 2022
New Appointments, New Hires, & Retiring
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College News - Fall 2021

March 01, 2022
MMBIO, BIO, CELL BIO, PWS, EXSC, NDFS, PH
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The Unicorn of the Arctic

March 01, 2022
Life Sciences Museum
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Can You Age Out of Exercising?

March 01, 2022
The sun blazed down on the sidewalk of Provo’s Center Street as community members pounded the pavement to the finish line. The marathon started before the sun had even risen, and amongst the clumps of college students was an older gentleman dressed in bright yellow. He finished in under five hours.
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Celebrating Women in Science: Jane Goodall

March 01, 2022
A notebook in one hand and binoculars in the other, twenty-six-year-old Jane Goodall left England and arrived in modern-day Tanzania to observe chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Her arrival in the Gombe Stream National Park was intimidating for her as she set out to study the huge, furry chimps by living in harmony with them. Even now at eighty-seven years old, Goodall still studies chimpanzees and advocates for wildlife conservation around the world.
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The Dangers of Dopamine

March 01, 2022
Every October, schools around the country celebrate Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s oldest and largest drug abuse prevention campaign. New research from the Edwards Lab in the BYU Neuroscience Center shows the importance of this drug abuse education, revealing mechanisms that explain why young adults are more susceptible to the negative effects of marijuana than adults.
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Dean's Message

By James Porter
March 01, 2022
I could also ask, "How does knowledge gained through spiritual means fit into the equation?” It is true that science relies on knowledge that is gained by observation using one or more of our special senses.
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The Role of Male Engagement in Female Economic Empowerment: A Collaboration with Grameen Foundation

February 24, 2022
Standing before a new crop of graduate students, professor Benjamin Crookston assigned a “challenge paper” to those sitting in his introductory class to the public health master’s program. After listing four relevant issues, he asked the class to select one, research the topic, and identify ways to address the issue. After careful review, the class chose to address male engagement in female economic empowerment. With Crookston’s help, these six BYU graduate students worked with the Grameen Foundation to create an evidence review on the issue.
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Go Forth to Serve: Dr. Candace McNaughton

February 24, 2022
Alumni Spotlight
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Failing Forward: Unearthing Success

February 24, 2022
Molecular biology student Zak Webber (’20) worked his way down the hallways of the BYU Life Sciences Building, stopping at office doors and waiting patiently on upholstered chairs. His research idea could improve the health of the Navajo Nation, so there wasn’t time for a rain check. While waiting to meet with one professor, Webber noticed another open office door. He walked over and pitched his idea to Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences professor Ben Abbott, who felt himself to be a match for the project.
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Propagating Innovation and Inspired Research

January 20, 2022
After undergoing several dynamic changes over the last year, the College of Life Sciences Greenhouse—a hidden gem—is primed to enable students and faculty to innovate sustainable practices and impact global nutrition. The new greenhouse director, Dr. Matt Arrington, has worked hard to make the greenhouse the ideal setting for hands-on learning and inspired research. His vision is to provide “enough open space where students can have [an] innovative flow of ideas and create their own projects.” Students are encouraged to brainstorm ideas and then use greenhouse resources to carry them out.
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The Garden of Scientific Perspectives

January 11, 2022
The following is an abridgment of Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s original speech given in January 2021 at the BYU College of Life Sciences Seminar Series and sponsored by the Department of Biology.
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Spring 2021

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A Tribute to Lee Braithwaite

July 26, 2022
Our Counselor, Friend, and Role Model
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College News - Spring 2021

July 26, 2022
News From Our Life Sciences Departments
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Celebrating Women In Science: Margaret Liu

July 26, 2022
Margaret Liu grew up with a determined mother who shaped her into a tenacious scientist. Liu’s mother faced racial prejudice as a Chinese immigrant, so she encouraged her children to work hard in school and provided them with music lessons to ensure unique opportunities. She would often tell Liu, “To whom much is given, much is expected,” reminding her that she was held to a high standard.
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Faith and Science

July 26, 2022
Five Tips to Faithfully Approach the Intersection Between Faith and Science
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COVID Contributions

July 26, 2022
Inspiring Learning Through a Pandemic: How the College of Life Sciences Took Initiative
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Life Under Ice: Profiles and Pictures

July 22, 2022
Alder Dillman
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Catalyst for Change

July 22, 2022
Bringing Focus to Diversity in the College of Life Sciences
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What's in a Name?

July 21, 2022
PDBio Evolves Into Cell Biology and Physiology
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Neuroscience Heads Home

September 20, 2021
EVERY FIVE YEARS SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 1999, the neuroscience major has alternated between the College of Life Sciences and the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences. However, as of July 1, 2021, students and faculty will no longer need to adjust to the rotating administration as the Neuroscience Center will permanently reside in the College of Life Sciences.
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Dean's Message

By James Porter
September 14, 2021
ONE OF THE COLLEGE OF LIFE SCIENCES’ PRIORITIES is to support the university’s strategic objective to advance student-centered research and scholarship in the light of President Worthen’s Inspiring Learning initiative.
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Fall 2020

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Embracing Uncertainty

April 08, 2021
BYU College of Life Sciences Alumni Achievement Award Recipient Dustin Freckleton shares his thoughts on embracing uncertainty—learning to not only cope with but also thrive in the unknown.
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Celebrating Women in Science

In 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote and propelled society towards progress in social and economic equality. In honor of this monumental 100-year anniversary, the College of Life Sciences is proud to showcase some of the women who have made valuable contributions to the life sciences.
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From Insect Sampling to COVID Testing

January 13, 2021
In Dr. Paul Frandsen’s lab, BYU College of Life Sciences student Andrew Sheffield filtered countless jars of environmental DNA. He had no idea that his hours of work and eye for detail would provide him with the skills to contribute to his community and make a difference during a world-wide pandemic.
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Filtering Out Campus's COVID

January 13, 2021
Making thirteen stops three times a week and testing a whole lot of wastewater, these undergraduate students track the COVID-19 cases on BYU campus and in Utah County.
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Atmosphere of Faith

New artwork added to the Life Sciences Building creates an environment of peace. Further reflection on the paintings provides context and meaning.
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Dean's Message

By James Porter
January 12, 2021
Artwork promotes social interactions, elicits emotional responses, facilitates personal connection-making, enhances the workplace environment, and fosters learning. Dean James Porter reflects on the importance of artwork in creating a temple of learning.
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Offering Expert Advice

January 06, 2021
As the COVID-19 virus spread around the globe, BYU reached out to faculty in the College of Life Sciences to answer scientific questions that could aid administration in the decision-making process.
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Spring 2020

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Dr. Gary Booth: A Lifelong Legacy

July 03, 2020
While at BYU, Dr. Gary Booth taught a wide range of subjects. Students and faculty alike appreciated Booth and his impact on the college.
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Inspiring Learning Around the World

Experiences around the world provide impactful learning opportunities for Life Sciences students.
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Department News - Spring 2020

July 03, 2020
Student and faculty news from the School of Life Sciences and the Bean Museum.
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The Huntsman World Senior Games

By Emma Gee
June 29, 2020
They come from around the world. From Russia, Japan, Australia, and every state in America, more than 11,000 senior athletes converge in Utah to participate in the Huntsman World Senior Games, an annual international athletic competition for men and women age 50 and up.
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Plant & Wildlife Sciences Across the Map

By Emma Gee
June 29, 2020
Alaska
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When Plans Don't Fly

June 29, 2020
“It’s game time. My job is the drone. I am supposed to map it, track it, and make sure that nothing goes wrong. We need this imagery data — it is 100 percent necessary. Our whole proposal and internship are based on the data that I am to collect.
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Dean's Message

By James Porter
June 29, 2020
We are all familiar with the slogan located at the west entrance of BYU, “The World is Our Campus.” Nothing epitomizes this idea more than our college’s international programs and research collaborations. I hope you enjoy reading about some of these international experiences in this edition of the magazine.
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Feeding the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky

By Emma Gee
June 29, 2020
Improving lives in Mongolia
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Fall 2019

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Landscape Management Has Done it Again!

By Amelia Mecham
July 27, 2019
The college’s landscape management majors recently won their third-straight national championship and their seventh national title since 2003.
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Dealing with Uncertainty: Dean's Message

By James Porter
July 27, 2019
From the beginning of human existence, people have been asking the question, “What is truth?”
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Dustin Freckleton

By Amelia Mecham
July 27, 2019
"I've had to learn to live in and stare in that abyss of uncertainty and find the grit to keep moving forward."
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In the Spotlight: Public Health

By Emma Gee
July 27, 2019
Public health team members receive their first place awards for the case study competition.
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Can Stories Save Lives?

By Emma Gee
July 27, 2019
The year was 1966, and I was seated at my desk in Mrs. Ross’s third grade classroom when my mouth began to fi ll with saliva faster than I could swallow it.
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Classroom Evolution

By Amelia Mecham
July 27, 2019
New Technology, A New Generation, and a New Future
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Fall 2018

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Biology: the Study of Life

By Amelia Mecham
June 03, 2019
Biology
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Bringing Color to Campus: Experiential Learning

By Alexandra Palmer
June 03, 2019
You may have heard of experiential learning, but you probably didn’t know it started from raising sheep and horses.
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BYU Connect

By Amelia Mecham
June 05, 2019
Mentorship helps students get jobs and alumni give back. However, students often struggle to find and foster relationships with mentors.
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BYU's Herbarium

By Amelia Mecham
June 05, 2019
What happens behind locked doors at the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum?
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Melissa Sevy: Going Forth to Serve

By Alexandra Palmer
June 05, 2019
In October 2018, Melissa Sevy received the prestigious BYU Alumni Achievement Award, and no one can deny that she deserves it. Take a look at the way she is using her skills to bless others.
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Spring 2018

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Changes in Life Sciences Faculty

June 05, 2019
Gordon Lindsay: HLTH
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Dean’s Message

By James Porter
June 05, 2019
It is noteworthy that our professors who are exploring ways to respond to a changing climate (their scholarship) are also guided by admonitions in the scriptures to care for the earth (their faith).
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Ensuring a Thriving Future: BYU alumna Dr. Fernanda Werneck recognized with international award

June 05, 2019
As one of fifteen recipients in the world, Dr. Fernanda Werneck was chosen for a prestigious International Rising Talent Grant from the L’Oréal UNESCO For Women in Science program.
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For the Love of Food

June 05, 2019
The Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science is passionate about food, its effects on the body, and its processing and storage.
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Interdependence and Stewardship: Piecing Together Humanity’s Relationship with the Earth

By Carlee Reber
June 05, 2019
Will we show up in the geologic record in millions of years? The Anthropocene suggests the answer is yes: collective human impact on the environment will leave a definitive mark in future bedrock.
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So what are you going to do with that?

June 05, 2019
Those who ask you that mean well. But the truth is that graduates of the College of Life Sciences can do a lot with their degrees. Take a look at what ten alumnae had to say about what they’ve done over the years.
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2017

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In Memory of Dr. Clayton S. Huber

By Carlee Reber
June 05, 2019
After a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease, Clayton S. Huber died on September 5, 2017.
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Perfecting the Design

By Christy Eck
June 05, 2019
The 2017 Alumni Award recipient John D. Bell's influence on BYU
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Studying Life on a Small Scale

By Christy Eck
June 05, 2019
Here’s a rundown of the benefits of each of the three majors in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology.
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Improved and Protected

By Carlee Reber
June 05, 2019
New Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum director Dr. Duke Rogers spearheads ambitious projects
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Upcoming Exhibits

By Carlee Reber
June 06, 2019
Exhibits are free for any visitor thanks to the donors and endowments given to the museum.
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Changes in Faculty and Staff

By Christy Eck
June 06, 2019
Incoming Faculty
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Message from the Dean: Fall 2017

June 16, 2019
The College of Life Sciences can be a refining host for our students when faculty and staff are dedicated to the notion that our primary responsibility is to help students realize their full human potential.
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No Place Like Home

By Brendan Gwynn
June 05, 2019
The sense of smell can be powerful. While each of the senses can provide a nostalgic effect, research has shown that smell is perhaps the strongest of the five when it comes to triggering emotional memories.
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Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Marion B. Stevens

By Elizabeth Barton
June 06, 2019
At age 92, Marion Bennion Stevens’ memory is crystal clear and her wisdom is almost palpable. “I don’t deserve it,” she laughs. “I’m just someone who has survived long enough.”
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Exercise Sciences Highlight

By Brendan Gwynn
June 05, 2019
The department focuses on viewing the human being as sacred, and seeks to strengthen both body and spirit through the dissemination and sharing of knowledge.
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A Fond Farewell to Marta Adair

By Brendan Gwynn
June 03, 2019
Renowned biology professor Marta Adair recently retired from BYU after working in a variety of capacities on campus, beginning in 1992.
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In Case You Missed It

By Elizabeth Barton
June 06, 2019
Society for Range Management:
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New Life Sciences Faculty

By Brendan Gwynn
June 05, 2019
Ryan Cordner
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Message From the Dean: Spring 2017

June 05, 2019
“All instruction, programs, and services at BYU, including a wide variety of extracurricular experiences, should make their own contribution toward the balanced development of the total person.”
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