Category: "Biology"

Ran Libeskind-Hadas, R. Michael Shanahan Professor of Computer Science, studies algorithmic issues in computational biology—in particular, the problem of phylogenetic tree reconciliation, a computational method used to reconstruct the evolutionary histories of related pairs of organisms by hypothesizing the evolutionary events that explain their incongruence. The reconciliation is a mapping of one tree onto the other […]

Harvey Mudd College joint chemistry and biology major Emily Shimizu ’20 has been named an Astronaut Scholar for the 2019–2020 academic year by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. She is the 26th Harvey Mudd student to receive the honor, which includes a scholarship prize of up to $10,000 and opportunities for professional development and mentoring. “Besides […]

Like an undersea version of the canary in a coal mine analogy, soft corals are indicator species whose vibrancy and health act as a gauge for the overall habitat of a coral reef. Coral reefs provide food, livelihoods and coastal protection for more than 500 million people worldwide and are among the ecosystems most threatened […]

Promotions and tenure appointments for HMC faculty were approved during the May meeting of the HMC Board of Trustees. Eliot Bush (biology) and Theresa Lynn (physics) have been promoted to the rank of full professor. Both serve as chair of their respective departments. Bush, professor and chair of the Department of Biology, uses computational methods […]

In celebration of experiential learning, an integral part of the Harvey Mudd College experience, the entire College community views students’ original projects in design or research each spring. This commemoration of student achievement includes Presentation Days (May 6 and 8), showcasing senior thesis research and class projects, and Projects Day (May 7), a showcase of […]

The Harvey Mudd community gathered on campus Jan. 26 to celebrate the successful conclusion of The Campaign for Harvey Mudd College. The event included presentations from the recipients of scholarships, summer experiential learning stipends and endowed chairs as well as those who work in newly renovated spaces and live in the new residence hall—all made […]

Patients and clinicians treating rare diseases face myriad challenges. By definition, the rarity of a disease can mean that research on the condition, established protocol for diagnosis and treatment, and treatment itself are also rare. “Rare diseases” was the theme of the third annual Mount Sinai Health Hackathon in New York City, where four Harvey […]

Laura Palucki Blake, assistant vice president for institutional research and effectiveness at Harvey Mudd College, will serve as program evaluator on an ambitious research traineeship grant to start a graduate-level bioelectronics program at Rice University. Funded by a $3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Rice’s bioelectronics incubator will train students to develop technologies at […]

During her first-ever submersible dive on Aug. 23, coral reef expert and Harvey Mudd College biologist Catherine McFadden experienced a monumental moment. “We thought there might be some coral at the site, but I was expecting a fairly barren landscape of mud and rock with just some small, isolated coral colonies here and there.” Instead, […]

When microbiologists from around the world gathered this month for the Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages meeting, they were joined by two Harvey Mudd College students whose research was so impressive it earned them a Best Undergraduate Poster award. At the longest-running series of molecular biology meetings, joint chemistry and biology majors Lakshmi Batachari […]