Biology Department | News

UNC Greensboro

Jonah Tatsapaugh

Undergrad Researcher Maps New Pathways in Bone Biology at UNCG

A biology major with a minor in chemistry, Jonah spent the last three semesters developing an innovative method to analyze the microstructural growth of thigh bones of individuals aged 3 months to 18 years.

His project, titled “Filling in the Holes: An In-Depth Look at Microstructural Variation in Subadult Femurs,” uses cutting-edge imaging technology to build the first comprehensive 3D model of normal bone growth patterns in children and adolescents.

Dr. Gideon Wasserberg in the lab

Wasserberg Awarded $3.7 Million for Sand Fly Research to Combat Parasitic Disease 

Professor Gideon Wasserberg, above right, has been awarded a prestigious $3.7 million National Institutes of Health R01 grant to advance his research on controlling sand flies, the vectors of the parasitic disease leishmaniasis.

Leishmaniasis affects over 1 million people each year and is found in approximately 90 countries in tropical and arid regions of the world, putting approximately 1 billion people at risk.

students walking near a wooded area of UNCG campus

The Ins and Outs of UNCG Sustainability

“It’s really easy to get involved,” says Tanner Lyons ’25, a graduate student who was president of the Garden Club while earning their bachelor of science in biology. “The club inspired me to focus on sustainability initiatives. But you can also attend events like the Peabody Park ivy pull this Friday. There’s so many opportunities within departments and on campus as a whole.”

Summer Undergraduate Research Celebration

Undergraduates Reflect on the Impact of Their Summer Research

For burgeoning researchers at UNC Greensboro, summer is no time to take a break.

And the University, which values the time for undergraduates to do their own independent research, guides them in prioritizing this work without creating a financial burden.

Summer stipends from the Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Creativity Office (URSCO) make it all possible.

Christopher Pilgrim

Munroe Student Researcher Spotlight: Christopher Pilgrim

“Microplastics have been found… I mean, everywhere. Soil, air, water — it’s everywhere,” says Christopher Pilgrim, a junior biology major and Munroe Research Award recipient.

“And this is the thing that really captivates me: it doesn’t matter your demographic or socioeconomic status. This is affecting everybody.”

Dr. Bryan McLean and undergraduate Leo Ivey in the biology department use UNCG's Micro-CT scanner to image masked shrews.

New UNCG Research Shows Southern Shrews Shrink in Winter

Newly published research from UNC Greensboro biology professor Dr. Bryan McLean and colleagues shows that the masked shrew, a small, mole-like mammal found in the Appalachian Mountains, shrinks its body and braincase to conserve energy during winter months.

The study, published in the May 2025 issue of The American Naturalist, found that the masked shrew (Sorex cinereus) reduces its body mass by 13 percent in the colder months; the creature then grows larger in spring when conditions improve. In addition to a shrinking body, the team also found seasonal changes in the height of the creature’s braincase (the portion of the skull that houses and protects the brain) and the length of the femur.

Dr. Sally Koerner

Koerner Wins UNCG’s 2025 Research Excellence Award

Dr. Sally Koerner, associate professor of biology, receives the Early Career Research Excellence Award for her transformative scholarship in grassland ecology.

Dr. Koerner is internationally recognized for her research on grassland ecosystems and how global change impacts biological diversity, with studies ranging across South Africa, the Great Plains of the United States, and North Carolina. Her findings have fundamentally changed scientific understanding of grassland ecology, for example demonstrating that while grazing produces vastly different effects on biodiversity across the globe, a universal mechanism – how the dominant plant species responds – controls the response. Koerner’s critical work also includes timely explorations of how fire and drought impact plant community dynamics.

Fatima Elhorry

Munroe Student Researcher Spotlight: Fatima Elhorry

Fatima Elhorry has loved being in the lab from the very beginning. The junior biology major and Dorothy Levis Munroe Student Research Award recipient grew up in Malaysia, where her father was completing his first PhD. As a child, she tagged along when he went to the lab.
“I would just love looking in the microscopes, and I remember one time he showed me how to use nitrogen. It was really fun. Me and my dad bonded over science.”