Purdue University Northwest Biological Sciences

🎉🎓 Congratulations to Hashim Salameh!

We are proud to celebrate Hashim on his acceptance into medical school at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine in Las Cruces, New Mexico!

Hashim is excited for the opportunity to experience a new environment while pursuing his goal of becoming an interventional cardiologist. His passion for this field grew after job shadowing a physician and discovering a genuine love for the work.

We can’t wait to see all that he accomplishes in this next chapter. Congratulations, Hashim! 💛🔬

🐝🌼 Happy World Bee Day! 🌼🐝

Today we’re celebrating some of the planet’s hardest-working pollinators. Bees play a critical role in supporting ecosystems and agriculture, helping pollinate many of the plants that produce the fruits, vegetables, and flowers we rely on every day. 🌎💛

🐝 Fun Bee Facts:

• About 1 in every 3 bites of food we eat depends on pollinators
• There are over 20,000 species of bees worldwide
• Bees can recognize patterns and even learn simple tasks
• Honey bees communicate through a special “waggle dance” 🕺🍯

🌸 Flowers You Can Grow to Help Bees:

🌼 Coneflowers
🌻 Sunflowers
💜 Lavender
🌺 Bee balm
🌿 Milkweed
🌸 Black-eyed Susans

💧 Make a Simple Bee Bath:

Fill a shallow dish with water and add small rocks or marbles so bees have a safe place to land while they drink.

🐝📹 Don’t forget, we have a live feed of our bees on top of the NILS building! Be sure to check them out and celebrate World Bee Day with us. 💛

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4moqY-tdFs

🌏🎓 Student Spotlight: Hashim Salameh

We are proud to highlight Hashim’s recent study abroad experience in South Korea!

Hashim spent one month at Yonsei University, one of the top three universities in South Korea, where he studied the human body and diseases. This experience allowed him to expand his academic knowledge while immersing himself in a new culture and global perspective on healthcare.

This opportunity was made possible with support from the Biology Department, helping him take an important step in his academic and professional journey.

We love seeing our students take their learning beyond the classroom. Way to go, Hashim! 💛🌎

🎉🌿 Celebrating Dr. Young Choi

After an incredible 36 years with our department, Dr. Young Choi, Ph.D. is retiring.

Dr. Choi, an ecologist dedicated to conservation, has made a lasting impact through his work in research, teaching, and environmental stewardship. His passion for conservation and commitment to educating students have helped shape generations of scientists.

We are deeply grateful for all he has contributed to our department and the field of ecology.

Wishing Dr. Choi a wonderful and well-deserved retirement. 💛🌎

🌿🎓 Graduate Spotlight: Jason Steffel

Congratulations to Jason Steffel, Class of 2026, on accepting a position in Seattle, Washington with the Bainbridge Island Land Trust!

In this role, Jason will be working in field conservation, helping manage invasive species, and supporting restoration efforts in local ecosystems. This opportunity reflects his long-standing passion for ecology and environmental conservation, allowing him to turn that passion into meaningful, hands-on work.

We are proud to showcase Jason’s success as he begins this exciting new chapter. Congratulations, Jason! 💛🌎

🎓💛 To Our Graduating Students, Congratulations!

Today we celebrate an incredible milestone for our undergraduate and graduate students. Your journey has been filled with long days, late nights, challenges, growth, and countless moments of perseverance, and you made it.

From your first day in the classroom or lab to this moment of achievement, you have shown dedication, resilience, and passion. You have not only gained knowledge, but also built skills, friendships, and experiences that will carry you forward into your next chapter.

We are so proud of everything you have accomplished and even more excited to see where your paths will lead. No matter where you go, you will always be part of the PNW Biology community.

Congratulations, Class of 2026! 🎉🔬
We are cheering you on every step of the way. 💛

🎉📚 Congratulations to Deepanshi Dahiya and Dr. Durocher!

We are proud to recognize graduate student Deepanshi Dahiya and Dr. Durocher on the publication of their article in Advances in Physiology Education titled:

“Project-based learning for aerobic capacity and key components of distance running performance.”

Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment and continued contribution to research and education. 💛🔬

🔗 Read the article here:
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/advan.00206.2025

🎉📚 Congratulations to Dr. Durocher!

We are proud to recognize Dr. Durocher on the publication of his article titled:

“Heart Rate Variability Moderates the Association Between Trait Anxiety and Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Humans.”

We congratulate Dr. Durocher on this outstanding accomplishment and continued contribution to research and education. 💛🔬

🔗 Read the publication here:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13004277/

🎉🔬 Congratulations to Deepanshi Dahiya!

We are proud to celebrate Deepanshi Dahiya, one of our graduate students, on presenting her research at the American Physiology Summit!

Her poster presentations included:
• “Use of a Seminal Paper to Teach Exercise Physiology and Reinforce Core Concepts in Advanced Human Physiology Class”

• “Acute Binge Alcohol Consumption Decreases the Subendocardial Viability Ratio”

This is an outstanding accomplishment, and we are excited to see her share her work on a national stage. Congratulations, Deepanshi! 💛

🎉📚 Congratulations to Dr. Durocher!

We are proud to recognize Dr. Durocher on the publication of his article titled:

“Effects of a brief mindfulness intervention on hunger and quality perception during pasta consumption.”

We congratulate Dr. Durocher on this outstanding accomplishment and continued contribution to research and education. 💛🔬

🔗 Read the publication here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666326000449