Cofrin Center for Biodiversity selects Zaron for Sager Scholarship

The Cofrin Center for Biodiversity announces the selection of Brian Zaron as recipient of the 2011 Sager Scholarship, a competitive award created by emeriti faculty Dr. Paul Sager and Dr. Thea Sager in memory of Chancellor Emeritus Edward Weidner.  The Sager Scholarship recognizes excellence in science writing based on an undergraduate student research project. Zaron will receive a $750 award, available for spring semester.  His project, titled “Misumena vatia effects on pollinator visitation rates, with particular emphasis on Apis mellifera and syrphid flies” explored the effects of predatory crab spiders on bees and bee-flies in the Cofrin Arboretum and Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary.  The project was completed as part of the course Ecological and Environmental Methods and Analysis taught by Prof. Amy Wolf.



Honorable mention for this year’s competition were students George Gocht and Zachary Moureau.  The interdisciplinary selection committee consisted of faculty members Kimberly Baker (Biology and Human Biology), Jorge Estevez (Physics, Natural and Applied Sciences), and Julie Lukesh (Chemistry, Natural and Applied Sciences).