Congratulations to students Anna Garcia and Aiden Cohen, and staff Jamie Wagner, for the winning entries in the 4th annual Biology Department Photo/Art Contest! Click below to see the 2025 winners and all contest submissions!
Nathan Derstine
Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Richmond
Decoding Insect Signals: From Social Behavior to Invasive Species Management
Monday, September, 8
Gottwald Auditorium, A001
12-1pm
The Science Belonging Committee (SBC) creates inclusive programs that support science students at UR by offering safe spaces, essential tools, and community-building events. Comprising faculty, staff, and student ambassadors — who help plan and run events — the SBC hosts initiatives like listening sessions, research fairs, field games, career workshops, and socials to foster connection and belonging in the sciences.
Rats have lived alongside us in cities for centuries. We don’t like them, and they’re not good for us — but we don’t know what to do about them. UR’s urban ecologist and biology professor, and his students are on the case.
Priscilla Erickson, assistant professor of biology, along with Weston Gray, post baccalaureate research assistant, published “Field Sampling of Zaprionus indianus in the Eastern United States in 2023-2024” in microPublication Biology.
Priscilla Erickson, assistant professor of biology, along with Weston Gray and Logan M Rakes, post baccalaureate research assistants, and students Christine Cole, ’24, Ansleigh Gunter, ’24, Guanting He, ’26, Samantha Morgan, ’23, Camille R Walsh-Antzak, ’24, and Jillian A Yates, ’24, published “Rapid Wing Size Evolution in African Fig Flies (Zaprionus Indianus) Following Temperate Colonization” in Evolution.
Priscilla Erickson, assistant professor of biology, along with Alexandra Stellwagen, ’26, and Ansleigh Gunter, ’24 published “Limited population structure but signals of recent selection in introduced African Fig Fly (Zaprionus indianus) in North America” in G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics.
Colleen Carpenter-Swanson, assistant professor of Biology, along with students, Audrey Breckenridge, '25, Sanskriti Basnyat, '26, and Eva Fitch, '25, published “Validating the antiseizure effects of vitexin and related flavone glycosides in zebrafish” in Frontiers in Pharmacology.
Biology professor Jonathan Richardson is quoted.
Biology professor Carrie Wu, an expert on invasive plants, is quoted throughout this piece.
Research by biology professor Jonathan Richardson is featured.
Research by biology professor Jory Brinkerhoff is featured.
Biology Department, Gottwald Science Center B-100
138 UR Drive
University of Richmond, VA 23173
Phone: (804) 289-8871
Fax: (804) 289-8233
Department Chair: Peter Smallwood
Academic Administrative Specialist: Emily Phaup
Pre-Health and Integrative Science: Emily Phaup