Biology Stories

The holiday video is always a shining example of our students’ creativity, skills and patience for intricate work.

Today we honor veteran Molly Johnson, a senior at MSUM studying ecology and evolutionary biology with a geospatial analysis emphasis. Molly is from Moorhead and was inspired to join the military through her family, as many of them also served. Her sister Heidi was in the army band prior to moving to Colorado and her other sister Ali served as an Air Force medic. Molly’s mom worked as a social worker for soldiers at the armory in Fargo and her father is captain of the Fargo Fire Department. 

2022 marks the MSUM Planetarium's 50th anniversary. After a half century of inspiring a curiosity in what exists beyond our sky, the people behind the Planetarium honor its significant milestone by sharing the historical orbit of this community asset.

Several MSUM faculty and staff members’ innovative ideas were chosen as finalists to receive funding for projects based around diversity, equity and inclusion. These projects included small seed (up to $10,000) and large seed ($25,000) categories.

MaryJo Nelson, ecology and film major, received the Goldwater Scholarship for her research and continues to combine her passion for science and film in nontraditional ways. 

MSUM students Bridgett Grosz and MaryJo Nelson have been nominated for the 2021 Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater Scholarship is a highly competitive national award for students pursuing a career in science, mathematics, or engineering. Winners are expected to be announced at the end of March. 

Meet Dayna Del Val, a proud Dragon with strong ties to MSUM and a passion for the arts in our community. The 1995 theatre graduate is the President & CEO of The Arts Partnership and has served on the MSUM Foundation board of directors since June 2020.

Thanks to a collaboration between the Women’s Center and the College of Business, Analytics and Communication, five MSUM students had the opportunity to attend their National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) virtually earlier this spring.

Surrounding the hummingbird statue on campus, the pollinator garden gives students the opportunity to bring native plants to MSUM.

When schools in the region began holding classes online earlier this year, Tonya Greywind embraced it as another day in the classroom.

These MSUM alumni and faculty, although from varied backgrounds with different degrees and career fields, all conduct research across the world. Their association with MSUM has shaped their careers.

MSUM alumni Dr. Brandan Anderson ’96 (biology), Dr. JaDean Anderson ’03 (biology), and Dr. Alisha (Pagel) Anderson ’06 (biology) practice together at Anderson Family Chiropractic in Fargo.