Methodist University Biology Department

Dandelions are masters of survival. They have been used since ancient times for their nutrients and health effects. Checkout this article on the history and potential modern uses for dandelions and you might not mind having them around in your yard so much this summer.

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C34&q=dandilion+as+food&btnG= =gs_qabs&t=1649530986576&u=%23p%3DldgPAlSDnfgJ

Fossil festival!! Be still our geeky hearts 😍

With great excitement, we officially announce the 2022 North Carolina Fossil Festival! May 28 & 29

November of 2019, the Aurora Fossil Festival ownership was transferred to the Aurora Fossil Museum! As the Aurora Fossil Museum picked up the festival, the pandemic hit, canceling our 2020 and 2021 events.

Now, in 2022, we are excited to continue an Aurora, North Carolina tradition! We have been working hard behind the scenes to develop a fun, educational, and fossiliferous event for all to enjoy!

We cannot wait to welcome everyone back to Main Street to support the Aurora Fossil Museum! Please stay tuned and be prepared for the MEGA updates and news as we count down the days!

To see the totally jawesome 2022 North Carolina Fossil Festival schedule of events and to apply to be a vendor, please click on the following link: https://www.eventeny.com/events/ncfossilfest-2627/

If you know, you know. Biologist is still the ultimate career though!

Happy St. Patrick's Day biology lovers! A four-leaf clover is a sign of good luck and a rare find. Occasionally, a genetic mutation causes the growth of a fourth leaf on a sprig of clover. Traditionally, the three leaves of a clover represent faith, hope, and love, so the rare fourth leaf represents luck. This mutation happens in about 1 in every 10,000 clover sprigs, so finding one is truly very lucky!

Do you love the smell of wet earth after the rain? It comes from the bacteria in the soil that produce a compound called geosmin. Also in the soil are Mycobacterium vaccae belived to trigger the release of seratonin, which in turn improves mood and possibly even brain function. So get outside and go play in some dirt today!

It’s in the dirt! Bacteria in soil may make us happier, smarter • The National Wildlife Federation Blog Dirt can be good for you? That's what recent scientific research is telling us. So -- pass the mud pies!

Meet Adam Festa! He is another biology major that we love to show off, and a future ringside physician for the UFC. We asked Adam a few questions about himself and here's what he shared.

Hometown: Fayetteville NC

Type of degree: Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in healthcare

Wishes for the future: I want to go to PA school here at Methodist. After graduation I am going to work towards being a ring side physician for the UFC. I have sustained a handful of injuries over the years, and every time I have made my own physical therapy programs and handled my recoveries on my own. It's always a good feeling to get yourself back into the gym or back into your sport and I want to be able to continue that by helping to keep fighters in the ring for as long as they can.

Something interesting about you: Outside of school I really enjoy training at an MMA gym which is what sparked my interest in working for the UFC. I also spend a lot of time fixing cars and working out.

A memory of MU Biology that you will take with you: I don't have a best memory at MU. I do however have the best people at MU. That is what I will always remember about MU. When I'm on campus you can usually find me in the same study room every day with the same 4 people. They have been the most supportive and caring people I have met. Weather a good day or a bad day we take care of each other. I always feel like my goals are just as important to them as their own goals, and we constantly push each other and build each other up. The relationships I have made here will be lasting ones, and that is worth more to me than the piece of paper Ill receive when I am done here.

They have enzymes and they‘re not afraid to use them.

On this "Thank a Scientist Thursday," we would like to thank a biologist who made a major contribution to Microbiology. We used the agar that Dr. Jane Hinton helped create in lab today.

Jane Hinton (1919–2003) was a pioneer in the study of bacterial antibiotic resistance and one of the first two African-American women to gain the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (1949). Prior to her veterinary medicine studies at the University of Pennsylvania, she worked as a laboratory technician at Harvard. There she co-developed the Mueller–Hinton agar, a culture medium that is now commonly used to test bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics. This agar was a medium developed to isolate the bacteria Neisseria (that's the one that causes gonorrhea and meningococcal meningitis).

Dr. Hinton also came from a family of biologists. She is the daughter of William Augustus Hinton, a microbiologist and the first African-American professor at Harvard University.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the TriBeta National Biological Honors Society come join us on March 3rd at 2pm. Anyone with an interest in the life sciences can be a part of our group!

It's Meet a Major Monday!

We have the most amazing students and we love to show them off. Meet Tiana....

Tiana Dann is from Linden, NC. She is earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Integrative Biology. Her goal is to work in the field of Wildlife Conservation and Management. Some of her favorite things to do are camping and fishing.

We asked Tiana to share an MU Biology memory, she said -
"The only thing that comes to mind is how much I love the Biology department. It's like a family... with all the love and arguments that comes with family. I'm also pretty sure it's given me my first grey hair!"

And we love her right back!

Biologist during every movie

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