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Awards & Achievements

Grant productivity

On average, faculty in the Department of Biology secure $2.4 million per year in new research, instructional and infrastructure funding to the University (the total number of dollars associated with these grants, which are often multi-institutional, is considerably higher). Grants have been awarded from several national granting agencies including the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Department of Defense (US DoD), NASA, US Geological Service (USGS), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Fish and Wildlife Service. The biology department has also been successful in obtaining grant funding from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to investigate the effects of the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill as well as funding from state agencies including the Louisiana Board of Regents, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. We have also been awarded grants from a number of private non-profit entities including The Farrel Fund, the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, and The Water Institute of the Gulf.   

Publications 

The faculty has a strong record of publication, producing an average of 47 peer-reviewed journal publications per year.  An additional 63 papers were published in conference proceedings or other edited volumes. Our publications have appeared in a number of high impact scientific journals including Science, PLoS ONE, Philosophical Transactions Royal Society B, and Ecology and Evolution. 

Other accomplishments

A few of the awards and recognition received by members of the Biology faculty include:

  • Darryl Felder became an Elected AAAS Fellow of the Council for the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2002
     
  • Karl Hasenstein recieved the ASGSR – Founder's Award in 2009.  This award is the highest honor given by the Society. It is made for distinguished scientific contributions to and leadership in the field of gravitational and space biology.
     
  • Daniel Povinelli was named a fellow of both the MIND Institute, UC Santa Barbara and the Association for Psychological Science in 2008
     
  • Karen Smith received the NARSAD Young Investigator Award, 2009
     
  • Darryl Felder received the Excellence in Research Award from the  executive board of The Crustacean Society International in Tokyo, JAPAN, 2009
     
  • Ray Bauer received The Crustacean Society's Excellence in Research Award  in 2012
     
  • Suzanne Fredericq has a new red algal genus, Fredericqia, named in her honor in 2013
     
  • Ray Bauer received the Fulbright-Brazil Scientific Mobility Program Distinguished Chair Award in 2014