Professional Announcements

Biology faculty Michael Cohen, Hall Cushman and Nathan Rank presented results of research by SSU students and faculty on Phytophthora ramorum, the agent that causes Sudden Oak Death, at the fifth annual meeting in October of the California Oak Foundation. Cohen's poster presentation focused on microorganisms that could be used as biological control agents against P. ramorum, including an amoeba species that he discovered in a sample collected in Annadel State Park last spring. Cushman presented two papers that discussed research conducted by Biology MA graduate Michelle Cooper and himself about ways that humans may spread the disease in native forests. Rank began the Sudden Oak Death session in the symposium with a paper reviewing overall findings of SSU research on the spread of SOD in eastern Sonoma County. In addition, Rank gave an invited seminar on SOD to the California Native Plant Society on Oct. 17 and presented an update on the progress of SSU research on Sudden Oak Death to the Sonoma County Fish and Wildlife Board on Oct. 19.

Frederique Lavoipierre, graduate student in Biology, published an article about Sudden Oak Death in the Fall issue of Bay Nature, which is published quarterly for nature lovers in the Bay Area. Her article focused on human spread of P. ramorum and featured the  work of SSU researchers. On Oct. 14, Lavoipierre and Nathan Rank participated in a Bay Nature hike at Jack London State Park.

Assistant Professor Theresa Alfaro-Velcamp, History, published an article entitled “"Reelizing’ Arab and Jewish Ethnicity in Mexican Film," in The Americas (October 2006). The volume is a special issue on Latin American film. Alfaro-Velcamp's article discusses the role of ethnicity in Mexican cinema and was inspired by Professor Elizabeth Martinez's course on Contemporary Mexican Women Writers. John Muller of Multimedia Department was also instrumental in helping locate films for the article.