Augustana University - SD Biology Department

03/26/2026

with arguably the most beautiful butterflies in the world! 🦋

That’s what students like Gabi Raboni ’26 — a neuroscience and psychology double major from São Paulo, Brazil — are participating in at AU.

As part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Carrie Olson-Manning, Gabi and others are researching how monarchs choose where to lay their eggs from hundreds of species of milkweeds. Caterpillars don’t thrive on some species of milkweeds, so she’s trying to figure out what cues they use to find the milkweed that gives their offspring the best chance.

in research (like Gabi) at Augustana University!

03/12/2026

We had such a wonderful time exhibiting Biology topics and sharing what we have learned with the next generation of Scientists at the annual Women in Science Sioux Falls meeting yesterday.

The visiting 8th grade students from several schools in South Dakota had so much fun learning how to build a human skeleton, how to extract DNA from strawberries 🍓, and insect science basics. It was very impressive to see students conquer their fear of Madagascar hissing cockroaches to becoming “cockroach whisperers” in a matter of minutes! We had a fun and fulfilling day!

We are excited to continue inspiring more students for many more years to come! Here are some photos and videos from the event!

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween from the Biology department! Who doesn't love your favorite scientific model system? From biofilms, milkweed, sorghum, insects, corn, birds, pigs, cell cytoskeleton, mice, zebrafish -- we have done a lot!

09/23/2025

Happy Homecoming week!

09/05/2025

We are looking for a great professor to join the Biology Department!

Augustana University Faculty Positions

09/02/2025

Happy start of classes at Augie. Plant Ecology class on first field trip to Newton State Park!

08/01/2025

Our Summer 2025 Undergraduate Researchers did such a great job presenting their research at the 2025 Eastern South Dakota Undergraduate Research Symposium. Here are some photos from the event.