Ten Biology Students Present at Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference

March 9, 2004

March 9, 2004, Greencastle, Ind. - Ten DePauw University students made presentations at last weekend's Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference (MEEC), which took place at the University of Notre Dame. MEEC is an annual, migratory conference hosted by midwestern universities, organized and mostly attended by graduate students. It has been held continually for 23 years.

Students Matt Jones and Gabe Dunn presented, "Neuroendocrine control of pupal color in swallowtail butterflies: implications for the evolution of environmentally-cued pupal color"; while Kate Marshall and Andie Wyatt offered, "Interspecific differences in pupation site preferences in swallowtail butterflies: implications for the evolution of environmentally-cued pupal color." Kristen Mellencamp, Adam Werne and Meredith Hass collaborated on, "The role of larval eyes in the control of environmentally-cued pupal color in swallowtail butterflies." All three research projects were supervised by professors of biology Wade N. Hazel and Robert J. Stark.

Meanwhile, with the assistance and supervision of associate professor of biology and department chair J.H. Benedix Jr., students Ben Steffen and Jennifer Wingstrom presented, "Microhabitat selection by two species of crickets may help explain evolutionary stasis within a hybrid zone," while Amanda Tolle told the conference of "The benefits of heterospecific matings for female crickets in a hybrid zone."

"We had one of the largest contingents present and, as far as I know, our students were the only undergraduate presenters," says Professor Hazel. "It was a very proud weekend for DePauw and the biology department."

Visit the conference's Web site by clicking here.

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