VMI Biology Department

09/21/2026

Thank you Former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, VMI Biology Alum Class of 1981, for taking time to meet with cadets interested in pursing Medical Degrees. He offered great insight into his experiences applying to medical school, as well as, offered a case study to help cadets think about the bioethical issues that can arise in medicine. We also appreciate BG and Mrs. Moreschi for opening their home for the cadets and Dr. Northam to enjoy lunch and a relaxed conversation. If you are interested in helping with Health Professions mentoring (MD, DO, PA, PT, OT, any allied health program), please reach out to Maj Alison Burke. We would love to have more Alumni meeting with the cadets and providing personal experiences that helped you succeed in your Professional career. If you are willing to have cadets shadow you in your practice, also reach out because we are trying to build a network to help ensure the cadets are meeting all of the application requirements to be competitive.

09/17/2026

Congratulations 2C Reagan Gilman for placing 3rd in the 2026 Shenandoah Twilight Open hosted Friday evening at Kernstown Battlefied in Wi******er, Virginia.

WI******ER, Va. – The VMI women's cross country team gave an all-out effort to win the 2026 Shenandoah Twilight Open hosted Friday evening at Kernstown Battlefied in Wi******er, Virginia.

09/17/2026

Soon to be out in the Journal of North American Bat Research! COL Paul Moosman and his co-authors from and looked at over 4 decades of data to find out how well one of Virginia's rarer species of bats is faring. The team studied 43 years of winter survey data maintained by VDWR and 12 years of more recent data collected at summer sites. The summer data were collected by Moosman, with help from many cadet researchers and other volunteers. We're proud to see one of those former cadets end up on the list of authors!

They found strong evidence that populations in Virginia have been on a long term upswing.

Other key findings:

1. Summer bat numbers did not change significantly between 2013 and 2025, supporting the idea this species is in good shape.

2.The fungal disease (which arrived in the state in 2008 or earlier) probably slowed population growth, but it has not decimated small-footed bats like it did other species.

3. Winter populations showed temporary positive bumps in numbers after rainy summers.

4. Summer numbers fluctuated based on temperatures, suggesting surveys were influenced by weather induced changes in bat roost habits.

Despite the good news for this species, the authors point out that "Winter numbers are so low and variable that, had mortality (from WNS) been higher, population declines would have outpaced efforts to assess status." For that reason, they encourage other biologists to begin surveying the species in summer to strengthen population monitoring. Why small-footed bat winter numbers sometimes fluctuate drastically from year to year remains a mystery!

📷 1. Title and abstract, 2. Moosman at one of the study sites, 3. An adult eastern small-footed bat captured during the project.

09/11/2026

LTC Manjerovic's Animal Behavior Class had a visit from feathered friends. They completed ethograms observing chickens for their Friday class.

09/11/2026

Check out the amazing Dr. Krawiec, Biology major in the first class of females at VMI. We are grateful for her presence on Post as the Post Physician and in the classroom teaching BI101.

09/08/2026

2C Xavier Zarza completed a summer research project with Maj Shingledecker. Check out the work they completed.

Imagine living in an impoverished country and being a parent of a child in need of a prosthetic bone. The cost of one prosthesis would be prohibitive, but over the lifetime of a developing child, it would have to be replaced multiple times to keep up with the child’s growth. Cadet Xavier Zarza ’...

08/24/2026

Congratulations to Rat Efford for his assist on the 6th goal so the Men's Soccer Team could defeat Regent.

LEXINGTON, Va. – A slow start to the game spurred a strong finish as the VMI men's soccer team earned a 6-0 victory over visiting Regent University Saturday afternoon in the 2026 home opener at Patchin Field.

08/20/2026

Hello Biology family! Can you find and tag your Rat in our photos?

We had a great time with them at Rat Supper last night, and are so excited to get to know them all soon.

08/20/2026

The Biology Faculty enjoyed the afternoon and dinner with the new biology Rats. We look forward to a new academic year and supporting the biology majors through their VMI journey.

08/10/2026

Congratulations Biology Alum Rachael Dickenson Richter '22 on your graduation from Ranger School. We continue to be proud of your achievements.

Congratulations to U.S. Army 2nd Lts. Trey Riemann ‘25, Owen Herbert ’25, Kenneth Dinkel ‘25, Matthew Sisk ‘25, and 1st Lt. Rachael (Dickenson) Richter ’22 on their graduation from Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia, July 17, 2026. RVM!