College of Science Faculty and Staff Achievements
"Leading The Field"
Discover the exceptional accomplishments of the faculty and staff at Weber State University's College of Science, where our experts are leading the field in research, innovation, and education. From groundbreaking discoveries to community engagement, our dedicated team is shaping the future of science and inspiring the next generation of leaders. Explore their achievements and see how WSU is at the forefront of scientific advancement.
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
2024
Andressa Antonini Bertolazzo, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Assistant Professor, published and co-authored "Interzeolite transformation through cross-nucleation: A molecular mechanism for seed-assisted synthesis" in the November issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Learn more.
Congratulations to H. Laine Berghout, College of Science Associate Dean and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor, who was selected as the Academy Fellow of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters for 2024. This award honors individuals who have or have had, substantial involvement as members of the Academy and who have gained distinction through meritorious original research, scholarship, creative work, or extraordinary teaching within their academic field. It is deemed “the highest recognition by peers” and is given very selectively. Read more.
College of Science was awarded the 2024 Friends of Utah Science Teaching Association award for its support of Utah science educators ranging from elementary to university professors and members of the science industry. See Facebook recognition.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Balgord, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Associate Professor, awarded the 2024 Dr. Spencer L Seager Distinguished Teaching Award. The award is sponsored by the family of former WSU president Rodney Brady. The annual award was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate teaching in the College of Science.
Ryan Frazier, Northern Utah Geospatial Technology Education Program Assistant Professor, presented at the Northern American Cartographic Information Society annual meeting in October 2024. Here cartographers meet annually to work out some technical and more theoretical issues in cartography.
Ron Meyers, Department of Zoology Chair and Professor, published and co-authored "Anatomy and Immunohistochemistry of Woodpecker Tail Muscles" in the Journal of Morphology, November 2024. Meyers's research was co-authored with Weber State zoology alumnus, Kyle Spainhower and presents an immunohistochemical study of the tail muscles of two species of woodpeckers. Learn more.
Congratulations to Bridget Hilbig, Department of Botany and Plant Ecology Chair and Associate Professor, and Jim Cohen, Department of Botany and Plant Ecology Assistant Professor, as the recipients of the 2024 Exemplary Interdisciplinary Collaboration Award for successful collaborative work across disciplinary boundaries and improving STEM education at Weber State University. Learn more.
Congratulations to Heather Root, Department of Botany and Plant Ecology Associate Professor, as the recipient of the 2024 John S. Hinkley Fellow Award, for excellence in teaching, research, and service. Learn more.
Christopher Hoagstrom, Department of Zoology Professor published and co-authored "Historical biogeography of North American killifishes (Cyprinodontiformes) recapitulates geographical history in the Gulf of México watershed" in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, October 2024. Learn more.
Sam Zeveloff, Department of Zoology Professor emeritus published and co-authored "The evolutionary and ecological convergence of the raccoon and raccoon dog: A perfect storm of invasive species in Europe" in Wildlife Letters, June 2024. Learn more.
Katrina Twing, Department of Microbiology Associate Professor was selected by the National Academy of Sciences to represent the United States in an international symposium in Tokyo, Japan on pioneering topics in the category of 'Origins of life'.
Carrie Frantz, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Associate Professor presented the results of Great Salt Lake research done with EES, ENVS, and MICRO students who took her Geomicrobiology course (Fall 2023) at the Great Salt Lake Issues Forum, which was attended by the lake managers and policymakers. EES graduate Laura Wilcock also presented her map of the lake's microbialites, which was then published in the Utah Geological Association, vol. 51. Learn more.
Rebecca Brazzo, Department of Zoology Associate Professor was interviewed and published on KUER, FOX, Ogden Standard-Examiner, and KSL regarding her research on mercury levels found in spiders at the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island.
Demetrios Pagonis, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Assistant Professor was interviewed on KSL regarding his summer ozone research looking for root causes of pollution.
Congratulations to Brandon Burnett, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Chair, who earned the Sustainability Research Award for his research, "Heavy Metal Reclamation from Electronic Waste through Environmentally-Friendly Extraction Methods," with WSU undergraduate student researchers.
Congratulations to Monica Linford, College of Science Academic Advisor, who earned the Presidential Award for Community Engagement for sustained and outstanding commitment to mentoring WSU students in learning through community engagement.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Balgord, associate professor, and Adolph Yonkee, professor, in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences earned the College of Science 2024 Ambros Amos Shaw Endowed Chairs for faculty to enable their research and enhance student engagement and collaboration.
Caitlin Tems, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor published and authored "Regional Fluctuations in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific Oxygen Minimum Zone during the Late Holocene" in Oceans 2024, 5, 352-367. Learn more.
Nicolas Perez-Consuegra, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor published and co-authored "Discrimination of tectonic provinces using zircon U-Pb ages from bedrock and detrital samples in the northern Andes" in the journal GSA Bulletin 2024. Learn more.
Carrie Frantz, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Associate Professor published and co-authored "Toxic Elements in benthic lacustrine sediments of Utah's Great Salt Lake following a historic low in elevation" in Frontiers in Soil Science, 4. Learn more.
Carrie Frantz, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Associate Professor published and co-authored "Primary to post-depositional microbial controls on the stable and clumped isotope record of shoreline sediments at Fayetteville Green Lake" in the journal Geobiology. Learn more.
Congratulations to Demetrios Pagonis, Chemistry and Biochemistry Assistant Professor, who was awarded the 2023-2024 Career Champion's Award for going above and beyond to provide students with the necessary tools to further their career before graduation. Read more.
Congratulations to Bridget Hilbig, Botany and Plant Ecology Professor and Department Chair who was awarded the 2023-2024 Weber State Ambrose Amos Shaw Endowed Chair Award. Read more.
Congratulations to Colin Inglefield, Physics and Astronomy Professor and Department Chair who was awarded the 2024 Brady Presidential Distinguished Award. Read more.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Balgord, Earth and Environmental Sciences Associate Professor who was awarded the 2024 Weber State Presidential Innovative Teaching Grant. Read more.
Congratulations to Nicolas Perez-Consuegra, Earth and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor who was awarded the 2024 Weber State Presidential Innovative Teaching Grant. Read more.
Congratulations to Amber Hansen, Developmental Math Instructor, who was awarded the Weber State 2024 Student Choice: Outstanding Faculty Award. Read more.
Congratulations to Anna Cinch, Earth and Environmental Sciences Administrative Specialist who was one of the 2024 Unsung Hero Nominees. Read more.
Congratulations to Bridget Hilbig, botany and plant ecology professor, for being awarded Weber State University’s 2024 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award. The award is based on nominations from students, faculty and staff who recognize the student-focused efforts of WSU professors in various fields of study, from the arts to the sciences. Read more.
The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Associate Professor Elizabeth Balgord and Assistant Professor Nicolás Pérez-Consuegra traveled with a group through Aconcagua’s, the tallest mountain in South America with a summit elevation of 22,837 feet, 360 route to collect samples of sedimentary rocks and snow from glaciers for research on geological history and glacier pollution. Balgord and Pérez-Consuegra are also working on creating virtual tours of Aconcagua for students, Argentine park rangers and guides and future student study abroad trips. Read more from Weber State and ABC4's coverage.
Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor, collaboratively published "Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses" in Biological Reviews. Read more.
Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor, collaboratively published "Revised New World bioregions and environmental correlates for vectors of Chagas disease (Hemiptera, Triatominae)" in Science Direct. Read more.
2023
Michele Skopec, zoology professor, and her team of student researchers spent time along the Weber River to capture footage of the otters. Sightings provide important information about the location and distribution of the species, which is vital for creating management plans. The WSU team shared its findings with Loveland Living Planet Aquarium who work closely with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to share details that can be used to help manage the species. Their work also helps determine an ecosystem’s overall health, as otters are an indicator species, meaning their presence signals a thriving ecosystem. Conversely, areas where otters are struggling or absent may be a sign of an unhealthy ecosystem. More on Weber State's story, KSL's coverage, and FOX's coverage.
Julian Chan, mathematics professor, and Heather Root, botany and plant ecology professor, collaboratively published "Long-term biorcrust responses to wildfires in Washington, USA" in the American Journal of Botany. Read more.
Congratulations to Adolf Yonkee, earth and environmental sciences professor, for being the recipient of the 2023 Lehi Hintze Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Geology of Utah. He will receive the award, and give a presentation about his career and research on orogenic processes and the history of mountain building in Utah, during UGA's November luncheon meeting.
Robert Okazaki, zoology professor emeritus, co-authored the research paper "First Biocharacterization of Artemia Populations From Western and Northwestern Algeria" that has been published in the peer-reviewed scientific journa, Zoomorphology (2023). Read more.
Congratulations to Ed Walker, chemistry professor and chem tech (AAS) program director, for being awarded by the Utah Award ACS committee the 2023 Chemistry Professional Utah Award. Impressed with his efforts to train students to work in chemical industry through the development of the chemical technician associates program, and the Center for Excellence in Chemical Technology they acknowledged his service to the chemical industry.
Robert Okazaki, zoology professor emeritus, presented research "Proseritan turbellarians in the egg mass of the commercially important horsehair crab, Erimacrus isenbeckii, from Hokkaido, Japan" at the XV International Symposium on Flatworm Biology in São Sebastião, Brazil from 24-28th July. He co-authored the presentation with Dr. Hiroshi Kajihara of Hokkaido University.
Robert Okazaki, zoology professor emeritus, co-authored the paper, "Ray Gibson (1938-2023): in memoriam" now published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Zootaxa (2023). Read more.
Demetiros Pagonis, assistant professor of chemistry & biochemistry, published the paper, "Impact of Biomass Burning Organic Aerosol Volatility on Smoke Concentrations Downwind of Fires" now published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Environmental Science & Technology. Read more.
Congratulations to Tracy Covey, chemistry & biochemistry associate professor, for being recognized as the 2023 College of Science Endowed Scholar Awardee. Read announcement.
Bridget Hilbig, Jim Cohen, botany & plant ecology professors, Kristin Rabosky, physics & astronomy professor, and Meghan Hamilton, teacher education professor, were awarded a 1.24 million dollar grant from National Science Foundation's STEM Education Organizational Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Program. It is the largest NSF grant awarded to Weber State University to date (per NSF's data). The grant brings Weber State's first ever STEM teaching cohort of 4 postdoctoral fellows for 2 years. The award, Postdoctoral Research Opportunities for Greater Retention, Engagement, Scholarship, and Success (PROGRESS) in Broadening STEM Education, involves a multifaceted approach to transform STEM postdoctoral training, allowing them to become independent teacher-scholars who have the chance to gain and build skills in pedagogy, teaching, writing, and mentorship. They will engage in a multitiered approach to mentorship, ongoing STEM education research at WSU, and develop their own, independent research program building their research expertise, skills, and competencies to engage in impactful STEM and STEM education scholarship. Award Abstract. Read article.
Carie Frantz, earth and environmental sciences professor and environmental science program director, collaboratively published with 7 Weber State University students the article, "Desiccation of ecosystem-critical microbialites in the shrinking Great Salt Lake, Utah (USA)" in PLOS WATER journal, which is an open access, rigorously reported, peer reviewed journal. Read article.
Nicolás Pérez-Consuegra, earth and environmental sciences professor, co-authored the article, "On the crumpling and repaving of the North American continent," that has been published in the GeoScience World's Geological Society of America (GSA) Bulletin. The GSA "helps a diverse community of geoscientists find the tools, confidence, and connections they need to navigate the complexity involved in advancing our science and driving their careers to fulfilling new heights." Read article.
Nicolás Pérez-Consuegra, earth and environmental sciences professor, collaboratively published the article, "Erosion rate maps highlight spatio-temporal patterns of uplift and quantify sediment export of the Northern Andes" in the ScienceDirect, which "combines authoritative, full-text scientific, technical and health publications with smart, intuitive functionality so that users can stay informed in their fields and can work more effectively and efficiently." Read article.
Congratulations to Bridget Hilbig, botany and plant ecology department chair, who has been selected as the Ambrose Amos Shaw endowed chair recipient for the 2023-24 academic year. Learn more.
Congratulations to Ed Walker, chemistry professor and chem tech (AAS) program director, who has been leading the program since its inception. The program graduates on around 60 students every year. Nationally (as of the 2022 school year), there are a total of 1,216 Chem Tech AAS degrees awarded. This means that Weber State is currently responsible for 5% of all Chem Tech degrees in the US! Additionally, the percentage of women receiving a Chem Tech AAS degree at Weber State has increased from 24% to 46% from 2012 to 2023, which puts us above the national average of 42% of women obtaining physical science Associate's degrees (according to the American Chemical Society, February 28, 2021). Finally, as of this year (Spring 2023), 15% of our graduating AAS students self-identified as Hispanic, meaning that the program is meeting Weber State's goal for being an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution.
Jonathan Marshall, zoology professor, published the article, "New localities and lineages of the Atlas dwarf lizard Atlantolacerta andreanskyi identified using mitochondrial DNA markers" in the Herpetozoa, the international peer-reviewed open access journal of the Austrian Herpetological Society. Read article.
Weber State chemistry and biochemistry majors, Cole Clark, Maren Dawson, and Jacob Lee with the support of their faculty Timothy Herzog and Tracy Covey delivered presentations on their individual undergraduate research at the April 2023 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Clark presented "Enantioselective Synthesis of Metal Coordination Complexes Using “Chiragen” Ligands", Dawson presented "Anti-Microbial Properties of Cobalt Complexes", and Lee presented "Development of Small Molecules which Inhibit the Activity of Interleukin-4."
John Armstrong, physics and astronomy professor, engages with the community to share in the world's excitement for the October 2023 eclipse. See the coverage he participated in Standard-Examiner, KSL.com, KSL Radio, and ABC 4.
Congratulations to Jon Clark, professor of zoology, for being selected as a member of the esteemed 2023 Cohort of Sigma Xi Fellows, The Scientific Research Honor Society. This is the highest honor bestowed by Sigma Xi and signifies his exceptional accomplishments and notable contributions to the scientific enterprise.
Congratulations to Daniel Clark, microbiology professor, and Kristin Rabosky, physics professor, recipients of the 2023 Weber State's Presidential Teaching Excellence Award. Watch President Mortensen surprise visit to all awardees. Learn more.
Don Davies, chemistry professor, published the article, "Reaction Webs: An Interleaved Approach to Reviewing Reactions in Organic Chemistry" in the Journal of Chemical Education. Read article.
Daniel Clark, microbiology professor, with recent Weber State Microbiology graduates collaboratively published "The Effect of Treatment-Associated Mutations on HIV Replication and Transmission Cycles." in Viruses 2023, 15, 107. It covers how HIV mutates enough to escape drugs, vaccines, etc. Read article.
2022
Katrina Twing, microbiology professor, collaboratively published "Microbial ecology of a shallow alkaline hydrothermal vent: Strýtan Hydrothermal Field, Eyjafördur, northern Iceland" and was awarded the 2022 Outstanding Article by Frontiers in Microbiology. Two of the co-authors were Weber State microbiology students, Zachary Kane and Alexa Sanders. Learn more.
Katrina Twing, microbiology professor, collaboratively published "Metabolic strategies shared by basement residents of the Lost City Hydrothermal Field" in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal. Learn more.
Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor, collaboratively published "Biotic regionalization of freshwater fishes in Northern Middle America highlights
high beta diversity created by prominent biogeographic barriers" in Frontiers of Biogeography's 'In Press' section. Noted on Facebook, this article will be published in issue 14.4. Learn more.
Weber State mathematics majors, Kevin Parks, Megan Simonsen, and Isaac Macevschi with the support of their faculty coach Afshin Ghoreishi, professor of mathematics, received the student team Outstanding SCUDEM (SIMIODE Challenge Using Differential Equations Modeling) international challenge award for SIMIODE (Systematic Initiative for Modeling Investigations & Opportunities with Differential Equations) VII 2022. Teams select one of three problems and produce a mathematical model using differential equations. A ten-minute video is prepared and posted on YouTube for judges to score. Weber State students selected problem C, "People Ruin Everything" in the area of Social Sciences/Humanities. Watch their video entry.
Congratulations to Katrina Marriott, developmental mathematics instructor, for being recognized as the 2022-2023 Weber State University ACES awardee with honorable mention for Shawnette Horton, developmental mathematics administrative assistant, and Leigh Komperda, lab instrumentation technician. The ACES award is given to Academic Affairs division employees who demonstrate excellence and professionalism. Learn more.
Andrea Easter-Pilcher, Dean of the College of Science and zoology professor, collaboratively published "Status and distribution of the Antillean Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus antillarum) on the island of Grenada" in the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. This article has now been published in Volume 35. Learn more.
Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor, collaboratively published "Comparative biogeography of North American turtle faunas: Neogene regionalization" in Frontiers of Biogeography's 'In Press' section. This article will be published in issue 14.4, due out in December, 2022. Learn more.
Brandon Burnett, chemistry professor and department chair, published a student-lead project, "Fast, complete coordination of nutritional-based metal chelates through liquid-assisted grinding" in the Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research, November 8, 2022. Learn more.
Jon Clark, zoology professor, published collaboratively with his students, Sabrina Haney (recipient of a graduate fellowship from Washington State to fully fund her Ph.D. and awarded a very competitive NSF fellowship) and Oscar Bedolla (University of Utah Medical School graduate), "DNA barcodes for Great Salt Lake brine flies establish a baseline for monitoring changes in biodiversity" in the journal Inland Waters. Learn more.
Tori Schaffer, chemistry and criminal justice alumna, (highlighted in the Ever Upward campaign) has been working on using high-performance thin-layer chromatography to separate LSD analogs since graduating spring 2021 along with other research. She is presenting her research at the national forensic science conference in February in Orlando. Also, she is receiving the Jan S. Bashinski Criminalistics Graduate Thesis Assistance Grant from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. They select one person to receive this grant every year. Learn more.
John Sohl, physics professor, collaboratively published the article, "Investigating Errors Observed during UAV-Based Vertical Measurements Using Computational Fluid Dynamics" and was the featured article and awarded the editors choice in the journal Drones. Learn more.
Rebecka Brasso, associate professor of zoology, Carie Frantz, associate professor of Earth and environmental sciences, Marek Matyjasik, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences chair, and Maggie Nguyen, a geology major, learned about last summer’s GETUP program, are featured in Weber State's Wildcat alumni magazine regarding their various research projects located at the currently drying up Great Salt Lake. Learn more.
Demetrios Pagonis, assistant professor of chemistry & biochemistry shared insights on what and how Weber State is looking at staying safe with airborne diseases including Covid with KSL news journalist Mike Anderson. Learn more.
Adolph Yonkee, earth and environmental sciences professor, was a co-author of four presentations at the 2022 GSA National Meeting in Denver: "Using Regional Kinematic Datasets to Better Understand Tectonic Systems: An Example from the North Americal Laramide Foreland," "Integrating Structural, Paleomagnetic, and Geochronologic Datasets to Better Understand Tectonic Systems: An Example from the North American Sevier Fold-Thrust Belt," "Age, Protoliths, and Petrotectonic History of the Fartmington Canyon Complex: Paleoproterozoicevolution of Western North America," and "The Importance of Local Provenance Variation in Foreland Basin Systems: Sevier Fold - Thrust Belt, Eastern Wasatch Range of NorthEastern Utah." Learn more.
Ryan Frazier, northern Utah geospatial technology education professor, presented a 2 minute lightning talk on "Post Soviet Rural Agricultural Brownfields in the Czech Republic" at the Geo for Good 2022 Conference held on Google Campus. This talk was part of a session on networking and using satellite imagery. Learn more.
Adolph Yonkee, earth and environmental sciences professor, was interviewed by KUTV news reporter, Arielle Harrison regarding the Box Elder County earthquake on Saturday, November 12th, 2022. Watch here.
Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor, collaboratively published "Comparative biogeography of North American turtle faunas: Neogene regionalization" in Frontiers of Biogeography's 'In Press' section. This article will be published in issue 14.4, due out in December, 2022. Learn more.
Brandon Burnett, chemistry department chair, published a student-lead project, "Fast, complete coordination of nutritional-based metal chelates through liquid-assisted grinding" in the Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research, November 8, 2022. Learn more.
Congratulations to Botany and Plant Ecology department and Earth and Environmental Sciences department for being in the top five sustainable teams on campus. Congratulations to Mary Owen, administrative specialist, botany & plant ecology, for being awarded 2022 Weber State Sustainability Award for 5+ badges. Learn more.
Congratulations to Rachel Bachman, mathematics professor, for being awarded The Dr. Spencer L. Seager Distinguished Teaching Award. The award was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate teaching in the College of Science.
Congratulations to Jim Cohen, botany and plant ecology professor, a recipient of the 2022-2023 Ambrose Amos Shaw Endowed Chair Award! The Ambrose Amos Shaw Endowed Chair Program is a prestigious university research award that provides support for faculty research and enhanced student engagement and collaboration. Endowed chairs are appointed each year with funding of $7000 per recipient.
UEN visits with Amanda Gentry, COS community engagement coordinator, and student volunteers running Science in the Parks, an interactive outreach program for children of all ages and their families. The free program visits six parks each summer in the Ogden area in conjunction with Ogden School District’s free summer lunch program.
Congratulations to Carie Frantz, earth and environmental sciences professor and environmental science program co-director, for being highlighted by the Geological Society of America (GSA) news for her research and work with undergraduate researchers on the Great Salt Lake. She also presented their findings at the GSA Connects meeting, Sunday, October 9, 2022. Learn more.
Congratulations to Julian Chan, mathematics professor and recipient of the 2022 Weber State Outstanding Researcher Award. The RISE Awards program provides the opportunity to honor faculty that have distinguished themselves through research and innovation, and made noteworthy contributions to Weber State, the community, and the world.
Congratulations to Julian Chan, mathematics, for achieving a rank promotion to full professor and to Carie Frantz, earth and environmental sciences, Shawn Broderick, mathematics, Bridget Hilbig, botany and plant ecology, and Rebecka Brasso, zoology for achieving a rank promotion to associate professor.
Congratulations to Bridget Hilbig, James Cohen and Barbara A Wachocki, botany professors who were awarded a grant of nearly $300K by the NSF in June, 2022 to recruit, retain and support students pursuing the field of botany. The grant will support the Braiding Opportunities in Training, Advocacy, and Networking for Young Scientists (BOTANY Scientists) project which aims to establish practices to improve student mindset and persistence in botany.
Carie Frantz, earth and environmental sciences professor and environmental science program co-director, shares with Weber State News and The Standard Examiner the Great Salt Lake research she is currently working and mentoring students on through the GETUP program.
Rocky Mountain Power Foundation is proud to support ground breaking research with Weber State University, College of Science. The $2,000 grant, presented to Brandon Burnett, chemistry department chair, will allow students within the college to research some of the oldest rocks on Earth known as zircons which are used to date the age of the planet as well as identify potential locations of rare earth elements. Learn More.
Congratulations to Craig Oberg, Matt Domek and Michelle Culumber, microbiology professors who assisted 8 students, 5 of which are in the BUILD Dairy program, present multiple research projects at the American Society for Microbiology MICROBE 2022 meeting in June.
Demetrios Pagonis, chemistry and biochemistry assistant professor, collaboratively published "Systematic way to understand and classify the shared-room airborne transmission risk of indoor spaces" in Indoor Air, International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health, May 22, 2022. Learn more.
Congratulations to Brian Chung, zoology's anatomy and physiology professor and faculty recipient of the 2022 WildCATT Disability Collaboration Award. This award recognizes hard work and outstanding efforts to provide support to our students here at Weber State University. Learn more.
Congratulations to Michael Hernandez, earth and environmental sciences professor, acclaimed for contributions to his discipline, has been named one of Weber State University’s 2022 Brady Presidential Distinguished Professors. Learn more.
Congratulations to Carie Frantz, earth and environmental sciences professor and recipient of the 2022 Oustanding Mentor Award. This award recognizes excellence among faculty in the promotion and participation in undergraduate research, scholarly, and creattive attributes.
Congratulations to Colleen Boam, administrative specialist II, chemistry & biochemistry is recognized for the Weber State 2022 Presidential Outstanding Non-Exempt and Exempt Staff Award.
Congratulations to George Kvernadze, mathematics professor, who has been awarded the College of Science 2021-2022 Career Champion by the Office of Career Services.
Congratulations to Jon Marshall, zoology professor, who has been awarded the Weber State 2022 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award and Hemingway Excellence Award. Learn more.
Congratulations to Katrina Twing, microbiology professor, and James Cohen, botany and plant ecology professor, who have been awarded the Hemingway Faculty Collaboration Award.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Balgord, earth and environmental sciences professor and Kristin Rabosky, physics and astronomy professor, who have been awarded the Hemingway Faculty Collaboration Award and Gwen Williams Prize. Learn more.
Congratulations to Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor and co-director of the environmental science program, who has been awarded the Hemingway Faculty Collaboration Award.
Craig Oberg, microbiology professor, collaboratively published "Review of taxonomic changes in dairy-related lactobacilli" that has been invited for review in the Journal of Dairy Science, February 24, 2022. Learn more.
Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor, collaboratively published "Biogeography of the Macrhybopsis aestivalis complex (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): emphasis on speciation and ancient heterospecific mitochondrial transfer" in Environ Biol Fish, Volume 105, February 10, 2022. This article is one of two “Editor’s Choice” for the February 2022 issue. Learn more.
2021
Katrina Twing, microbiology professor, collaboratively published "Potential microbial contamination from drilling lubricants into subseafloor rock cores" in Scientific Drilling 29: 49-57. Learn more.
Mathematics professor, Matt Ondrus received the 2021-2022 WSU John S. Hinckley Fellow Award
Microbiology professor, Craig Oberg, and earth and environmental sciences professor, Adolf Yonkee, have been awarded the 2021 WSU Office of Sponsored Projects and Technology Commercialization inaugural Research, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurial (RISE) Award.
John Clark and Rebecka Brasso, zoology professors, were interviewed by Kade Garner from Channel 4 news about their research in the GSL.
Microbiology professors, Craig Oberg, Michele Culumber, and Matt Domek's published research earned the "editor's choice" and is thus featured on the Journal of Dairy Science's cover.
Physics professor, John Sohl, a volunteer with Weber County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue is part of an Outside Magazine article featuring the use of drones in their efforts.
John Sohl, professor of physics and High Altitude Reconnaissance Balloon for Outreach and Research (HARBOR) program lead and principle investigator, and team collaborated with YouTuber and musician Rob Landes to send a violin to the edge of space this season. Watch the video here.
Congratulations to Rachel Bachman, professor of mathematics and principal investigator, and co-principal investigators Adam Johnston, professor of physics, Michele Culumber, professor of microbiology, and from the Moyes College of Education, Louise Moulding, MEd program director for being awarded a million-dollar-plus grant from the National Science Foundation. "The project aims to serve the national need of preparing more high-quality teachers of science and mathematics. The 'Propel' project will address shortages of mathematics and science teachers, both locally and nationally, by promoting teaching opportunities to traditional STEM undergraduates." Read more.
Congratulations to Jonathon Marshall, professor of zoology, for being awarded The Dr. Spencer L. Seager Distinguished Teaching Award. The award was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate teaching in the College of Science.
Congratulations to Rachel Bachman, mathematics professor, as the 8x8 project proposal for STEM Professional Learning in the 21-22 school year has been selected for funding by the Utah STEM Action Center. Learn more.
Congratulations to Evan Call, microbiology adjunct professor, for his role in co-authoring a poster that demonstrates a contribution to the science of pressure injury prevention and treatment and led to being a recipient of 2021 The Charles Lachenbruch Award presented by The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel.
Congratulations to Donna Wollman, College of Science Administrative Associate, who received the 2020-2021 Super Staff Award. Donna was selected because of her dedication to student success and for exhibiting outstanding professionalism in going above and beyond to help a student, staff, and/or faculty member.
Congratulations to Amanda Gentry, Coordinator for Community Engagement for the College of Science, who received the 2020-21 Presidential Awards for Community Engagement award. The awards are meant to honor individuals and groups that make a positive impact in the area of community engagement.
Congratulations to Tracy Covey, chemistry professor, for being selected for the 2021 Outstanding Mentor Award for the College of Science. This award recognizes mentors for their contributions to undergraduate research. Read more.
Congratulations to Craig Oberg, microbiology professor, and Elizabeth Balgord, earth & environment sciences professor, for being selected for the 2020 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award. This award recognizes Weber State University faculty members who are outstanding teachers. Read more.
Zoology faculty, Chris Hoagstrom, co-edited and contributed as an author to "Standing between Life and Extinction, Ethics and ecology of conserving aquatic species in North American deserts," University of Chicago Press, January 2021. Learn more.
Congratulations to Debi Larson, administration specialist for the department of mathematics, honored by Weber State University to receive the 2020 Presidential Outstanding Staff Award.
Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor, collaboratively published "Under the radar: genetic assessment of Rio Grande Shiner (Notropis jemezanus) and Speckled Chub (Macrhybopsis aestivalis), two Rio Grande basin endemic cyprinids that have experienced recent range contractions" in Conservation Genetics, January 8th, 2021 edition. Read more.
Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor, collaboratively published "A watershed moment: Analysis of sub-basins refocuses the geography of turtle conservation across the globe" in Biological Conservation, Volume 253, January 2021 edition. Read more.
2020
Congratulations to Michele Culumber, professor of microbiology, for being awarded The Dr. Spencer L Seager Distinguished Teaching Award. The award was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate teaching in the College of Science.
Physics professor Stacy Palen completed the 4th Edition of her popular introductory astronomy text "Understanding our Universe" (W.W. Norton) during the summer of 2020. Learn more.
Physics faculty Kristin Rabosky, Colin Inglefield, and Kiley Spirito's article "Interference and Diffraction in Modern Technology: A New Approach for an Introductory Physics Laboratory Experiment" was published in Volume 58, Issue 9 of The Physics Teacher on November 24, 2020, a publication of the American Association of Physics Teachers. Learn more.
Katharina Schramm, professor of botany and plant ecology, and Michelle Skopec, professor of zoology, collaboratively published, "Strategies in herbivory by mammals revisited: the role of liver metabolism in a juniper specialist (Neotoma stephensi) and a generalist (Neotoma albigula)." (2020) Molecular Ecology 29(9):1674-1683. Learn more.
T. H. Steele, mathematics professor, published "The dynamics of a typical measurable function are determined on a set of measure zero," Real Analysis Exchange 45 (2020), 375 - 386. Learn more.
George Kvernadze, mathematics professor, published "Determination of d-1 dimensional singularity surfaces of a piecewise constant functions of d variables by its Fourier-Jacobi coefficients," Proc.I.Vakua Inst. Appl.Math. Vol.70, 2020. Learn more.
Congratulations to Craig Oberg and Michele Culumber, microbiology professors were honored by Weber State University to receive the 2020 Innovation Award. The award recognizes their outstanding contributions to developing innovations on behalf of Weber State University.
Congratulations to Edward Walker, chemistry professor was selected by Weber State University to receive the 2020 Norsatch Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to developing an innovation ecosystem in Northern Utah.
Rachel Bachman and David Walters, mathematics professors created a platform for math games online, a marvelous example of how the traditional experiential classroom can be moved to a virtual environment. Find their video here.
Congratulations to Edward Walker, chemistry professor for being named one of Weber State University’s 2020 Alumni Dixon Awardees. The honor recognizes professors who have demonstrated careers of excellence and have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support students. Read more.
Congratulations to Heather Root, botany associate professor for being recognized as the 2020 College of Science Endowed Scholar Awardee. She plans to compare soil lichens from habitats in Washington that are not burned or have been burned by wildfire. Because lichens can be difficult to tell apart, she will also develop a method that others could use to identify which lichens are growing using their genetic barcodes. Working with colleagues at BYU she plans to learn more about analyzing lichen genetics and genomics and gain new skills in genomics that she can incorporate in her classroom while also contributing to an understanding of some of the western United States challenges in managing habitats after wildfires.
Congratulations to Chris Hoagstrom, zoology professor for being named Weber State University’s 2020 Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor. The honor recognizes professors who have demonstrated the highest quality teaching, scholarship, research, and community service. Read more.
Congratulations to Adam Johnston, physics professor for being awarded the 2020 John A. Lindquist Award for enhancing connections, so even in a time of social distancing, communities, and individuals support each other and learn together. Read more.
Matthew Crook, microbiology assistant professor, collaboratively published "Isolation, Characterization, and Complete Genome Sequence of a Bradyrhizobium Strain Lb8 From Nodules of Peanut Utilizing Crack Entry Infection" in the February 7th, 2020 edition of Frontiers in Microbiology. Read more.
Congratulations to Brandon Burnett, chemistry assistant professor, and Brian Chung, zoology professor for being awarded the 2019 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award. This award recognizes Weber State University faculty members who are outstanding teachers. Read more.
Christopher Hoagstrom, zoology professor, collaboratively published "Turtle biogeography: Global regionalization and conservation priorities" in Biological Conservation, Volume 241, January 2020 edition. Read more.
2019
Congratulations to Richard (Rick) Ford, professor of geology, for being awarded The Dr. Spencer L Seager Distinguished Teaching Award. The award was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate teaching in the College of Science.
Michele Skopec, zoology professor, co-authored "Terpenes may serve as feeding deterrents and foraging cues for mammalian herbivores," in the Journal of Chemical Ecology. Read more.
Brian Chung and Robert Okazaki, zoology professor and zoology professor emeritus respectfully, co-authored the paper, "Nemertean taxonomy—Implementing changes in the higher ranks, dismissing Anopla and Enopla" in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Zoological Scripta (2019) 48:118-119. Read more.
The recipient of the WSU Exemplary Collaboration Award is the WSU PREP Program. Members of this program include: Dana Dellinger, College of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, Yesenia Quintana, Center for Community Engaged Learning, and Jennifer Claesgens, College of Science. Congratulations to this team who work together throughout the year to coordinate and host summer programs that motivate and prepare high-achieving, junior high students, for future schooling and careers in STEM fields.
Adolph Yonkee, earth and environment sciences professor, was bestowed the honor of Society Fellowship by The Geological Society of America (GSA) in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the geosciences and the Geological Society of America -- especially his world-class-research program related to the origin and evolution fold-thrust mountain systems. GSA Fellowship (scroll to the end of the page for Adolph's citation).
John Sohl, physics professor, received the Innovation Research Award for his work on WSU’s High Altitude Reconnaissance Balloon for Outreach and Research. He has also been involved in laser-development engineering projects with the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative and with the Utah Center for Aeronautical Innovation and Design. For more information, visit harbor.weber.edu Read publication.
Congratulations to botany assistant professor, Katharina Schramm, and botany student, Jeff Colbert for the valuable recognition of their efforts researching if hemp could be a viable cash crop for Utah. WSU Press Release. Salt Lake Tribune Article. KSL TV. KUTV Article.
Chemistry major Kaiwi Eisenhour has been recognized as one of Alaska's "movers and shakers" as he spends the summer of 2019 interning with senator Lisa Murkowski, assisting the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with various projects focusing on energy innovation. Read publication.
Congratulations to earth and environmental sciences professor, Carie Frantz for being nominated by WSU students and selected by President Brad Mortensen as a recipient of the 2019 Presidential Teaching Excellence Award.
Zoology professors, Christopher Hoagstrom, Lin Xiang, Nicole Lewis-Rogers, Patrice Connors, Ami Sessions-Robinson and Jon Mull collaboratively published "A Quantitative Simulation of Coevolution with Mutation Using Playing Cards" in the Vol. 81 No. 2, February 2019, edition of The American Biology Teacher. Read publication.
Congratulations to earth and environmental sciences professor, Marek Matyjasik, the recipient of the federally funded Fulbright Award. Joining the ranks of distinguished participants, Matyjasik will be teaching hydrogeology (water environmental studies) and building mutual international understanding through research in Poland, Spring 2020. WSU Press Release. Deseret News Article. Learn more.
2018
Congratulations to Michele Skopec, professor of zoology, for being awarded The Dr. Spencer L Seager Distinguished Teaching Award. The award was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate teaching in the College of Science.
Congratulations to geoscience professor, Adolph Yonkee, the recipient of the 2018 John S. Hinkley Award. The criteria for this award include excellence in teaching, research, and service.
Chemistry professor, Tracy Covey along with a team of others were awarded close to $650K in grant monies from the National Science Foundation that will provide scholarships to 30 low-income, high-achieving students through the WEST (WEber STate) Scholars Program. Over five years of grant funding, the scholarships will benefit students with a demonstrated financial need studying the physical sciences, which spans departments in both WSU’s College of Science and the College of Engineering, Applied Science & Technology. Read more.
Mathematics professors Sandra Fital-Akelbek and Mahmud Akelbek spoke at the Mathematical Association of America national conference, MAA Math Fest 2018, in August. Presentations on cross-disciplinary courses that combine mathematics with humanities entitled "Writing With Numbers" and "Explore Transformation through Anamorphisis and 3D Art."
Geoscience professors Elizabeth Balgord, Carie M. Frantz and Marek Matyjasik were awarded a 320K National Science Foundation grant for the project entitled "GP EXTRA: GETUP - Geoscience Education Targeting Underrepresented Populations." This project will assess the effectiveness of multifaceted pathways to increase recruitment, engagement, and ultimately graduation rates and career placement of Earth Science majors, focusing on underrepresented Latin and female groups at Weber State University. Read more.
Zoology professor John F. Cavitt collaboratively published "Using remote cameras to validate estimates of nest fate in shorebirds" in the July 2018 Ibis: International Journal of Avian Science. Read more.
Microbiology professor Matthew B. Crook collaboratively published "Phylogenomics reveals multiple losses of nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis" in the May 24th, 2018 edition of Science via First Release Journal. Read more.
Physics professor Adam Johnston was elected Utah Science Teachers Association's Higher Education Representative for the 2018-2019 year. The purpose of the Utah Science Teachers Association is to advance, stimulate, extend, improve, and coordinate science teaching in all fields of science at all education levels. Learn more.
2017
Congratulations to Michelle Arnold, associate professor of physics, for being awarded The Dr. Spencer L Seager Distinguished Teaching Award. The award was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate teaching in the College of Science.
Assistant chemistry professor Brandon Burnett, assistant physics professor Kristin Rabosky and physics chair Colin Inglefield worked with students who announced at the end of the first semester in Tracy Hall Science Center the success of a cutting-edge, solar-cell project. The project has acted as a catalyst for additional collaboration across various fields of study.
Zoology professor Jonathan Clark and microbiology professor Mo Sondossi published "Genetic Identification of Wolbachia from Great Salt Lake Brine Flies" in the November issue of the international journal, Symbiosis. Former zoology student, who is currently completing a combined M.D./Ph.D. at the University of Utah, co-authored the paper.
USTAR awarded physics professor John Sohl $200,000 to develop AtmoSniffer into a marketable product. Sohl and his High Altitude Reconnaissance Balloon for Outreach and Research (HARBOR) students created AtmoSniffer to measure air pollution up to 120,000 feet. NASA funded the HARBOR team to capture video images from the stratosphere and to measure the atmosphere during the Aug. 21 eclipse.
Director of the Ott Planetarium and physics professor Stacy Palen was named as one of the 2017 Presidential Distinguished Professors. Her work has enabled thousands of school children and other audiences to experience the universe through their visits to the planetarium. Read more.
Zoology professor John Cavitt collaborated to write "Parental cooperation in a changing climate: fluctuating environments predict shifts in care division" for the March edition of the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography.
Zoology assistant professor, Lin Xiang collaborated with two elementary schools in Ogden to develop a computer-enhanced modeling science unit teaching change and stability in ecosystems. She presented the lesson unit in the Utah Science Teachers Association (USTA) 2017 conference.
Geoscience administrative specialist, Marianne Bischoff, is the recipient of the 2017-2018 Presidential Outstanding Staff Award. Marianne was selected by University President Wight for this award in recognition of her creative and dedicated service to students and faculty.
Mathematics professor George Kvernadze published "Determination of the singularity curves of a piecewise constant function of two variables by its Fourier-Jacobi coefficients" in the Proceedings of I. Vekua Institute of Applied Mathematics.
Chemistry professor J. Andreas Lippert recently completed a sabbatical in Maryland where he was a guest researcher in the Advanced Chemical Sciences Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Assistant professor of botany, Katharina Schramm, presented on biochemical adaptations in woodrats feeding on toxic juniper and chaired a session on priming and induces responses in plants at the Gordon Research Conference on Plant-Herbivore Interactions in California.
Physics professors Ron Galli and emeritus physics professor Bradley Carroll published "The Four-Ball Gyro and Motorcycle Countersteering" in the April 2017 edition of The Physics Teacher. Read more.
Zoology professor John Cavitt and former student Kristen Ellis were awarded The Waterbird Society’s Publication Award for Outstanding Contribution to Conservation for research and writing on the conservation of at-risk species or populations of waterbirds. Read more.
Jennifer Claesgens, director of the Center for Science and Mathematics Education, was awarded the 2017 YMCA Ogden Service Award for her collaboration with YMCA to bring summer science and math camps to Weber State.
Botany Professor Heather Root collaboratively published "Canopy distribution and survey detectability of a rare old-growth forest lichen" in the May 2017 issue of Forest Ecology and Management.
Microbiology professor Craig Oberg was awarded the International Dairy Foods Association Research Award in Dairy Foods Processing at the American Dairy Science Association Awards meeting in Pittsburgh in June.
Zoology professor Ron Meyers collaborated to publish "Is sexual dimorphism in singing behavior related to syringeal muscle composition?" in the journal The Auk. Linsey Christensen and Lisa Allred worked with Meyers for a number of years on the research.
Zoology professor Jonathan Clark presented "Genetic Studies of Invertebrate Diversity in the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem" with zoology students and coauthors Oscar Bedolla and Sabrina Haney, at the 13th International Conference on Salt Lake Research held in Ulan-Ude, Russia. The meeting is the world's premier conference on the biology, chemistry and geology of saline lakes and was attended by scientists from 15 countries.
Microbiology professor Craig Oberg and adjunct instructor Evan Call had the article "Off loading wheelchair cushion provides best case reduction in tissue deformation as indicated by MRI" published in the Journal of Tissue Viability.
Botany Professor Heather Root collaboratively published "Recovery of biological soil crust richness and cover 12-16 years after wildfires in Idaho, USA" in the September 2017 issue of Biogeosciences.
Geoscience professor Carie M. Frantz established the geomicrobiology lab as a center for Great Salt Lake geomicrobiology work and resource for the international geomicrobiology community. She is working towards providing a geomicrobiology/geochemistry observatory in the Great Salt Lake.
Developmental mathematics professor and director, Kathryn Van Wagoner and education assistant professor, Sheryl Rushton collaborated to present “Higher Ground: Factors that Optimize Learning of Mathematics” at the 47th Annual Conference of the International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning (ISETL) in Orlando, FL.
Microbiology professors Michele Culumber, Lauren Monteirth and Craig J. Oberg collaborated with other colleagues from Moseley Laboratories Inc., Vivolac Cultures Corp. and Utah State University to publish “Hot topic: Geographical distribution and strain diversity of Lactobacillus wasatchensis isolated from cheese with unwanted gas formation” in the November 2017 (Volume 100, Issue 11, Pages 8764-8767) Journal of Dairy Science. Read more.
Botany professor Bridget Hilbig was awarded the Research Catalyst Grant from iUTAH, an NSF-funded project aimed at building water sustainability in the state.
Emeritus physics professors Ron Galli and Bradley Carroll published "An Effective Photon Momentum in a Dielectric Medium: A Relativistic Approach" on arXiv an eprint service owned and operated by Cornell University.Read more.
Congratulations to Barb Wachocki, professor of botany, for being awarded The Dr. Spencer L Seager Distinguished Teaching Award. The award was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate teaching in the College of Science. (2016)
TY building hours
Semesters
Monday - Thursday:
6:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday: 6:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday: 6:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday: Closed
Holidays & Breaks Hours may vary
Mailing address
Weber State University
College of Science
1415 Edvalson St., Dept. 2501
Ogden, UT 84408-2501
