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Check out this story on PhD candidate Lauran Liggan’s exciting work! Lauran is the first researcher from 51���� to conduct SCUBA research in Antarctica.

51���� biologist dives beneath Antarctica sea ice to study the impact of climate change

Former 51���� Biosciences Graduate Student now a Shining Star at McGraw-Hill; see LaKisha Barrett’s smiling face on the poster of McGraw-Hill’s latest product for helping students learn.

Rachel Kuehn is working full time as a research technologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin in a research lab under Dr. Himburg. She states, “We study head and neck cancer, along with normal tissue radiation injury. I’m looking at applying to either MD/PhD dual degree programs along with PhD programs this upcoming application cycle to continue my career in science.”

Double Feature: Justin & Bretta Speck – Partners in Science and in Life

Justin and Bretta’s story is one of partnership, perseverance, and purpose – both in life and in science. The two met as undergraduates on the track team at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and began a journey that has taken them around the world and back to Wisconsin, where they now are both professors at Concordia University Wisconsin.

After several years living and teaching in South Korea, Bretta and Justin moved back to Wisconsin so Justin could do a Ph.D. in Microbiology at 51���� (2009–2015) under Dr. Gyaneshwar Prasad, studying the role of sulfur metabolism in plant-microbe interactions. Drawn by 51����’s strong microbiology program, proximity to family, and family-friendly benefits, the couple settled in Milwaukee, just in time to welcome their first child. Justin credits his time at 51����, especially the teaching experiences, for preparing him to become an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Concordia. Justin enjoys bridging the divide between religion and science, and collaborating with colleagues across disciplines, including his wife!

When Justin completed his degree, it was Bretta’s turn. She joined Dr. Rafa Rodriguez’s lab to pursue her Ph.D. in Behavioral Ecology (2015–2022), focusing on mate choice in Enchenopa treehoppers. Now an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Co-Director of Concordia’s Center for Environmental Stewardship, Bretta thrives in a setting that lets her teach ecology on a campus surrounded by prairies, wetlands, and Lake Michigan’s bluffs.
Both Bretta and Justin recall their years in the Biological Sciences Department with warmth – Justin fondly remembers grad student bowling nights, symposia, and time spent with his labmates, while Bretta treasures fieldwork at the 51���� Field Station, Friday gatherings at the Gasthaus, and celebrating milestones with her academic family.

Through graduate school, raising three children, and building their careers side by side, Justin and Bretta’s journey reflect the best of 51����’s spirit – curiosity, community, and commitment.

Faculty Kudos

• Dr. Jennifer Gutzman was named one of our Notable Leaders in STEM BizTimes Milwaukee!
• Dr. Ching-Hong received the promotion as Distinguished Professor.
• Dr. Alita Burmeister received notification of funding on August 29, 2025, for her R15 grant proposal: Evolution of pleiotropic consequences via mucoid phage resistance in Escherichia coli populations.

Faculty Publications

• The Gutzman Lab has a publication on myh9b, a critical non-muscle myosin II encoding gene that interacts with myh9a and myh10 during zebrafish development in both compensatory and redundant pathways.
• Dr. Ching-Hong’s recent articles highlighting his USDA-funded work on fire blight biocontrol. The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) recently published an article highlighting organic research in Wisconsin. Our USDA NIFA Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI)-funded project—focused on boosting the efficacy of a biocontrol bacterium to manage fire blight in organic apple and pear production—was featured. The article, “Organic Research in the Balance: What’s Happening in Wisconsin,” highlights our work and is featured on OFRF’s blog, as well as in the latest edition of Organic Broadcaster published by Marbleseed. View the following links for more information:

Employee Excellence Awardees

Biological Sciences Department is proud and excited to celebrate two awardees as they received the 2025 51���� Employee Excellence Awards ceremony on October 15th in the 51���� Ballroom. Dr. Emily Latch, Professor, received the Office of Research/Senior Faculty award and Dorothy Kidwell, Undergraduate Student Coordinator, received the University Staff Outstanding Service to the Community on behalf of 51���� award.

Greenhouse

During the last weekend in September, the 51���� Biological Sciences Greenhouse participated in the city-wide Door’s Open Milwaukee Event, a two-day public celebration of Milwaukee’s art, architecture, culture and history. This event brought people from around the country to Milwaukee for the weekend, to explore spaces normally not open to the public.

Our event was well attended, with a 2-day total of 979 guests that visited our facility! Visitors ranged from families with young children to prospective college students, to current students, to previous 51���� alumni and retired employees, our neighbors, retired community members and several employees of the previous building occupant, Columbia Hospital. Other attendees included residents outside of the Milwaukee metro area, and people from out state, coming from as far away as New York and Denver. The greenhouse has come a long way since our inaugural participation in Doors Open in 2017, when only 412 visitors came to see us!

As you can imagine, the preparations for the event were varied and many. Besides the usual ‘get the plants and greenhouses looking as good as can be’, we included research posters with QR codes to faculty websites, a mini-movie studio showcasing exceptional native pollinator videos filmed and produced by Dr. Jeff Karron, and lots of microscopes and interactive displays for interested folks of all ages.

Collectively, 51���� Bio Sci students and staff volunteers contributed over 160 volunteer hours to help make this event a success. In addition to supporting over 1900 students in 2024 and facilitating $6 million in cutting-edge, funded research, the Greenhouse continues to expand its public outreach, holding educational workshops and Open House events on a regular basis, allowing both the 51���� community and the public an opportunity to glimpse at our unique instructional plant collection and the Department’s amazing research capabilities and achievements.

Graduate Students Spotlight

Madi Rittinger is a PhD candidate in Dr. Rodríguez’s Lab. She investigates the behavior and cognition of small animals – specifically spiders. Although small animals have small brains in absolute terms, they have relatively large brains in proportion to their body size. For example, human brains are roughly 2% of their body mass, but some small animals have brains that are 16% of their body mass. Why do small animals have these relatively huge brains? Madi’s research attempts to answer this question by combining detailed behavioral observations, field experiments, and anatomical data involving MicroCT scans to quantify brain size. In addition to her research, Madi has dedicated many hours to service and outreach. She served as secretary of the Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences (GOBS) for two terms. She also acts as a science ambassador for numerous outreach events and mentors independent high school research projects through the Mentor Matching Engine. In her spare time, Madi likes playing (and coaching) basketball.

Gabby Voit, PhD Student, was awarded a full travel scholarship to attend the 2024 SACNAS Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, from October 31-November 1, 2024. The SACNAS conference, formally known as the “National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference”, is a large, multidisciplinary STEM diversity event hosted by the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).

Dr. Ching-Hong Yang shared that our own student, Xiaochen Yuan, has been accepted as a tenure-track assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), the state’s flagship institution and a highly respected public research university.  He will begin his position in January 2026. This accomplishment highlights the strength of our program and the competitiveness of our graduate students in the academic job market.

Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences (GOBS)

In August, the Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences (GOBS) hosted a Fall Welcome BBQ to welcome new graduate students to the department. The event featured a lively BBQ cookout and fun lawn games and provided an excellent opportunity for new and returning graduate students, faculty, and staff to connect in a relaxed outdoor setting. It encouraged meaningful interactions and helped foster a sense of community within the department. The atmosphere was cheerful and welcoming, allowing students to build friendships and engage with faculty members outside the academic setting. Overall, the Fall Welcome BBQ was a fun and engaging event that successfully strengthened the bond among members of the Biological Sciences community at 51����, setting a positive tone for the upcoming semester.

Upcoming Graduate Events

Check out our upcoming events, organized by the 51���� Graduate School: /graduateschool/events/.

New Graduate Student Welcome

Welcome to our new graduate students, and welcome back to all returning graduate students!

Mohammed Al Ithawi MS Non Thesis	Alex Alenius MS, Burmeister Lab	Stephanie Dudley MS Non Thesis	Anna Evans PhD, Gouignard Lab

Shantanu Karandikar PhD, Gutzman Lab	Shane Latz MS Non Thesis	Abby Lentz MS Non Thesis	Diane Meister PhD, Bardy Lab

Noah Pison PhD, Gouignard Lab	Begoña Ramírez Ibaceta PhD, Alberto Lab	Grace Reynders PhD, de la Cova Lab	Elizabeth Scherer MS, Young Lab

Priyanka Sreeraghuramapura Govindegowda PhD, Zhao Lab	Muhammad Ali Tahir PhD, Zhao Lab	Harleen Tewatia MS, Burmeister Lab	Nickolas Wiedemann PhD, Berges Lab

 

Isabella Wyatt PhD, Höbel Lab

Graduate Students Fellowships And Scholarships

Congratulations to our students who were awarded fellowships and scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year. To see who they are, please view the link here:

Graduation Term	Student Name	Program	Thesis/Dissertation Title
Spring 2025	Sara Seidita	Master’s Thesis	Enchenopa Treehopper Females (Hemiptera: Membracidae) Do Not Use Spontaneous Signals to Counter Wind Noise
Summer 2025	Temitope Temenu	Master’s Thesis	Silicon Use by Phytoplankton: Comparisons Between Freshwater and Marine Synechococcus and a Freshwater Diatom
Spring 2025	Evan Harper	Master’s Non Thesis	N/A
Summer 2025	Drew Little	PhD	Flexible Repertoires to Intergenerational Effects: Influences of the Female Social Environment on Courtship Behaviors in Enchenopa Treehoppers
Spring 2025	Claudia Rodriguez	PhD	Tissue-Specific Mechanisms of Fgfr Signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans: Insights From the Erk-Ktr Biosensor
Summer 2025	Shanice Piango	PhD	Sex, Storage and Symbionts: Optimizing Macrocystis pyrifera Germplasm for Kelp Aquaculture

 

Anyone for tea?

51���� researchers assisted in a global carbon sequestration study by burying tea bags in Estabrook Pond. 51���� biological sciences professors John Berges and Erica Young participated in a global research effort to measure carbon sequestration in wetland environments. Their measurement tool of choice? Lipton tea bags.

Berges, Young, and their students buried tea bags in the sediment at the bottom of Estabrook Pond. The more tea that degraded, the more carbon was released. The research took place in 2017, but the results were published in November 2024. The scientists found that the biggest factor in how quickly carbon was recycled was warmer temperatures. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, so research shows how wetlands may have a role in climate change. Learn more about their study.

Notable Leader

Dr. Jennifer Gutzman was named one of our Notable Leaders in STEM! You may read more at the link to the . 

Frogs, forests, and field work

Conservation student travels to Grenada on a fully funded research trip by a grant from the National Science Foundation, led by Dr. Emily Latch. Jaeden Carrasquillo’s introduction to field research, is one of three 51���� students chosen to participate in SURF-TURF Grenada, a program that allows students to conduct research in the Caribbean Island nation. Other 51���� students are studying the habitat and diet of the Grenada frog, a critically endangered species found only on the island.

In the October 15, 2025, episode of the Larry Meiller Show on Wisconsin Public Radio, Larry and Rafa Rodríguez discussed living with (some) creepy crawlies in the home, the delicate business of spider courtship and mating, and answered questions from listeners about other Fall-appropriate critter topics.

Student Spotlight

As a senior double major in Biological Sciences and Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry, Sam Pruhs has spent the last two and a half years diving deep into environmental and biological research in Dr. John Berges’ lab. His work focuses on understanding how pollutants impact aquatic ecosystems by investigating how microplastics and PFAS interact within an invasive Lake Michigan shrimp species, Hemimysis anomala. Sam’s projects, supported by two SURF awards and independent research semesters, have advanced our understanding of how these persistent contaminants move through aquatic food webs.

Outside the lab, Sam brings the same dedication to serving others. A Navy veteran, he volunteers as a dental assistant at a clinic supporting uninsured patients and with the United Service Organizations (USO) to assist active-duty service members. Now applying to dental schools, he hopes to continue combining his love for research with his passion for helping others.

When Sam is not in the lab or volunteering, you will find him outdoors, hiking or mountain biking to recharge for whatever challenge comes next!

Dr. Jennifer Gutzman, Associate Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, was named one of BizTimes Milwaukee’s 2025 Notable Leaders in STEM, highlighting her work as a faculty mentor in the UW-Milwaukee WiscAMP STEM-Inspire Program and in her research lab. Congratulations, Dr. Gutzman! Read more about Dr. Gutzman’s research and outstanding mentorship on the BizTimes website .