Message from the Department Chair…

Welcome to the first issue of the Syracuse University Biology Department’s new electronic newsletter. I hope that you and your families are safe and well, and that you have a happy holiday season despite the pandemic.

It has been an eventful year for the Biology Department, as we have had significant changes in leadership and staff as well as dealing with the COVID pandemic. This time last year, our Chair of nine years, Professor Ramesh Raina became Interim Vice President for Research. Professor Melissa Pepling stepped in as Interim Chair and Professor Scott Erdman stepped in as Interim Associate Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the spring semester. On July 1st, I became Department Chair and Professor Heather Coleman became Associate Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies. In addition, two long-standing, key staff members retired this summer: Sally Hallahan and Paul Logue. While it is still hard to imagine the department without them, we have been lucky enough to find two excellent replacements. Our new Operations Specialist is Tracy Brownell and Jason Brown is currently our Temporary Building Manager.

In March the university was shut down because of COVID, for everything except essential activities such as maintaining valuable plant and animal research lines.  The campus gradually re-opened through a three-phase process that started in June and we began the fall semester a week early, with classes on Labor day and some weekends, so that we could fit in a full semesters worth of classes before Thanksgiving. With extensive testing, we managed to teach in person until the last week and a half of semester, when all classes went online. At this point, we still hope to resume in person instruction in the spring semester, with the semester starting a week later than normal and no spring break.

Our fall semester started with an online version of our annual departmental luncheon in August to welcome new members of the department and observe milestone anniversaries. Most notably, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of Professor Eleanor Maine and the 55th anniversary of Professor Tom Fondy joining the department. We also welcomed the first cohort of students in our brand-new MS in Biotechnology Program.

Our excellent departmental staff continue to do their usual superb job of keeping the department running smoothly and efficiently, despite all of the extra tasks and stress associated with this unusual semester. The department faculty have also pulled out all of the stops this semester to maintain our high standards of teaching, many of them teaching simultaneously online and in person. We have all become much more familiar with zoom and other online platforms, as I imagine many of you have too. Despite COVID, research in the department continues to thrive, with Biology faculty and students publishing in top-notch journals and being awarded high-profile research grants, some of which are discussed elsewhere in this newsletter. We also, this semester, held an online departmental retreat on inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, developing strategies to improve the recruitment, retention and success of students, faculty and staff from traditionally under-represented groups.

We always love to hear from our alumni and I would also like to encourage you to send updates on your professional and personal lives to Biologynews@syr.edu for future issues of this newsletter and to follow us on Twitter @SUBiology and Instagram @syracuseubiology.

Go Orange! And please stay in touch.

Professor Kate Lewis

Alumni who took Bio 121-123 with me may be wondering what Marvin Druger is doing now? Is he still alive? As far as I know, the answer is “yes.” Although many of my activities have been temporarily suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I retired from SU in 2009, but I still give personalized campus tours for new staff and students, and I am completing a book, “Marv’s Tour of Syracuse University,” that highlights special treasures and places on the SU campus. The book will contain photos by Steve Sartori, SU photographer for 40 years. I came to SU in 1962, so the book gives our personal perspective from 87 years of combined experience at SU.

Bio 121-123 alumni may recall when I threw answer keys out of a second floor window to screaming hordes of students below. A brief video of this event may be seen on YouTube as “The Druger Drop.” Check it out. In 2014, SU Press published my book on “The Misadventures of Marvin.” This book describes many stupid things that I’ve done in my life. My dear, deceased wife, Pat, said, “It’s a very fat book.”  Currently, I am completing a new book, i.e., “More Misadventures of Marvin,” that is an extension of the first book. The popular radio personality, George Kilpatrick, describes the first book as, “Laugh out loud funny.”

I have also written children’s books for children and adults, ranging from poetry to short stories. All the books are available at the SU Bookstore.

I do poetry and book readings at local elementary schools and for many years, I have been a columnist for 55-Plus magazine in Central NY. I have also been presenting a radio program, “Science on the Radio,” on WAER-FM-88.3 for many years. Normally, I organize and direct a Saturday science program at SU for talented high school students in Central NY, called Frontiers of Science but this program was suspended in 2020-2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

My wife passed away in 2014, but I have found a new companion in life. I met her in Wegman’s Supermarket. We have shared travels and adventures for almost six years now. My attitude is to live life fully and to do MORE before I HAVE to do less. That is a good theme for life.

A gratifying feature of my life is that I encounter former students wherever I go. They often tell me that I made a difference in their lives. For example recently Dr. Marc Hahn, a former student, who is now president and CEO of Kansas City University emailed me saying “ My degree from Syracuse gave me a foundation for my career. I just wanted to let you know you made a difference for me. Thank you again!”  What greater gratification to receive than to know that I had a positive influence on the lives of others? When told a friend that I had taught about 45.000 students in my career, he responded, “Yes, you’ve influenced and offended a lot of people,” I hope some of you are among the ones who were  influenced in a positive manner. I’d love to hear from you (mdruger@syr.edu), and I wish all of you a happy, successful and healthy future.

Biology Celebrates 50 Years!

The Biology Department is celebrating it’s 50th year as a department at Syracuse University.  

We would love to hear stories and see pictures from any current Faculty, Staff and Students as well as our Emeritus Faculty and Alumni that celebrate the last 50 years as a department that we can highlight in our next newsletter or on our social media accounts.  

Please send items to biologynews@syr.edu.

Your donations to the Biology Department Discretionary fund have a direct impact on Biology faculty and students, enabling us to enrich the educational experiences of our students and further our research mission. For example, this fund makes it possible for us to provide summer internships for undergraduate students to conduct independent research, fund student travel to research conferences, buy new scientific equipment so that we can expose students to cutting-edge technologies and take advantage of unique opportunities as they arise, such as bringing a prominent scientist to campus.  

Please donate by clicking the link below or sending a check to Syracuse University, Advancement Services, 640 Skytop Road, 2nd Floor, Syracuse, NY 13244-5160 with a note that indicates that the donation is for the Biology Department.