University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences

09/01/2026

Comment your rating! Next time you visit Bde Maka Ska, or one of 17 other lakes in the metro, keep your eyes peeled for a sign asking you to submit a water quality rating. The results are part of a study on public perception of water quality, led by researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas. Learn more about the surveys in a new blog post, linked in the bio of .

08/31/2026

Earlier this month, we were thrilled to welcome leaders from across the University of Minnesota and industry to celebrate the grand opening of the new Minnesota Biomanufacturing Services facility on our St. Paul campus. With five times more physical space and four times more fermentation capacity, this new state-of-the-art space represents a major expansion of the University’s biomanufacturing footprint. This exciting new chapter will help researchers scale real-world solutions across sectors from pharmaceuticals to agriculture. Thank you to everyone who helped us mark this milestone!

Learn more about the expansion of biomanufacturing at the University of Minnesota: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/university-minnesota-quadruples-biomanufacturing-capability-fast-track-innovations-new

08/28/2026

Today at the State Fair, test your bird knowledge with staff from the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Reserve, and earn a prize! Find us in the Agriculture building from 3 - 6 p.m. See you soon!

08/26/2026

CBS at the State Fair! Discover mammal and bird activities, and learn about research taking place at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, tomorrow and Friday, from 3 to 6 p.m. Find us in the Agriculture/Horticulture Building!

08/21/2026

UMN undergraduates: Spend 12 weeks studying Climate Change & Coastal Resilience with the Sea Education Association (SEA) – a $34,000 value for under $5,000! This program is ideal for ocean-focused science & social science students looking for a unique, hands-on semester this fall.

PROGRAM DETAILS:
🗓 Dates: Sept 28 – Dec 20, 2026

📍 6 weeks: Campus coursework in Woods Hole, MA

⛵ 6 weeks: Sail as active crew & conduct ocean research aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer in the Caribbean (visiting St. Croix, Dominica, St. Kitts & more!)

💰 Cost: Tuition, housing, and meals are fully covered for qualified UMN students! (Out-of-pocket costs are $3,100 for UMN fees/insurance + airfare. Financial aid applies!)

📚 18 credit hours: Pre-approved for the UMN Environment Theme Liberal Education requirement.

📋 Requirements: US Passport (valid through Summer 2027) & medical clearance for 24/7 shipboard life.

📩 Interested? Learn more at the link in our bio and contact Learning Abroad Center advisor Nathan Jacobson at [email protected] today to get started!

08/20/2026

Student art? Student science? Student art and science! Artistically inclined interns at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve produced some incredible artwork this summer, in between weeding and collecting vital scientific data. Featuring comic-style animal prints and watercolors by Juliet Phillips (), printed species graph by Sylvie Chaput (.chaput), cloth booklet by Hannah Gehlsen, and a printed quilt made in collaboration between the three artists.

08/19/2026

Allison Shaw, a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, is one of this year’s Stanley Dagley-Samuel Kirkwood Undergraduate Teaching Award recipients. She has made a lasting impact on undergraduate education, including overhauling a core ecology course with her co-instructor Dr. Daniel Stanton, shifting from traditional observation-based learning to a theory-integrated approach. She also replaced high-stakes testing with objective-based assessments and utilized intuitive tools like R-based apps and graphical modeling to help demystify math-heavy concepts for diverse learners. Congratulations Allison!

08/19/2026

Cue the applause! Here's the tiniest sample of the more than 18 projects presented at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve's annual intern symposium. In addition to the monitoring and maintenance of long-term research projects, summer interns pursue their own scientific questions, with guidance from Cedar Creek researchers and staff. Interested in an internship next summer? Keep an eye on https://cedarcreek.umn.edu/employment-opportunities for a big push for applications this December!

08/17/2026

Tropical forests have immense carbon storage potential. But in the midst of a changing climate, how resilient can these forests be? A recent study, led by CBS faculty member Chris Smith-Martin suggests that tropical tree species may have more ability to survive in the face of drought than thought before. Smith-Martin and colleagues examined physiological traits associated with drought resistance in 18 tree species across regions with varied rainfall in Puerto Rico.

“The most exciting finding from this study is that within the same species, individuals in the drier sites tended to be overall more drought resistant than individuals of the same species in the wetter sites,” says Smith-Martin. “In the face of climate change, this is potentially good news, because they can adjust their drought resistance across the rainfall gradient.”

Research led by Chris Smith-Martin examined physiological traits associated with drought resistance in 18 tree species. August 13, 2026 A study site of an ever-wet tropical rainforest. Photos courtesy of Chris Smith-Martin. Chris Smith-Martin Earth’s climate is entering a new era, with increasingl...

08/14/2026

Clarence Lehman wrote “Quantitative Ecology: A New Unified Approach” back in 2019, one of the first open-access textbooks published by the University of Minnesota Libraries and one of its most popular to date. The textbook has now been viewed more than 20,000 times from readers around the world, including Solomon Freeman of Ghana. Learn more about how the online textbook bridged international barriers and is helping Lehman and Freeman deepen our knowledge in this field of ecology.

Share this article: Share on X (Twitter) Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on EmailProfessor Clarence Lehman wrote the book on quantitative ecology, literally. But when Lehman published “Quantitative Ecology: A New Unified Approach” back in 2019 – alongside the University of Minnesota ...