Winona State University Biology

10/17/2026

Marlow was spotted again. Looks like they were at the port, boarding on the Irish Ferries boat the Ulysses. Heading over to Wales across the Irish Seas.

10/09/2026

Marlow was spotted at the airport. They must be heading out on an adventure.

09/30/2026

Biology Professor Emeritus Neal Mundahl had his paper, “Adult Versus Juvenile American Red Squirrels Feeding on Eastern American Black Walnuts” published in the most recent issue of the “International Journal of Zoology and Animal Biology”. The paper demonstrated that, compared to adult red squirrels, young squirrels gnawed significantly larger openings in black walnuts to remove the energy-rich nuts. In the photo, the three nuts on the left were fed on by adult squirrels, the three on the right by juveniles. With experience, adult squirrels can spend less time and effort extracting walnuts from their tough shells.

09/28/2026

09/24/2026

Quote from Dr Kenneth Janz President of Winona State University,
"Great story from MPR News today on the growth of Rochester’s biomedical economy and the need for a talented workforce to support it.
I was especially proud to see Winona State University students and faculty featured in the story. Our Biology Department continues to evolve its curriculum so students gain hands-on experience with the techniques employers are looking for, from DNA and RNA analysis to pipetting, centrifugation, gel electrophoresis, and other laboratory skills.
This is exactly why Winona State’s presence in Rochester matters.
As Rochester continues to grow as a center for biomedical innovation, Winona State has an important role to play in educating the scientists, health professionals, technology professionals, business leaders, and other talented people who will help that economy grow.
And it starts with students like WSU freshman Chayse Pulvermacher, featured in the article, who are already thinking about how the skills they are learning today can translate into careers tomorrow.
Proud of the work of Dr. Amy Runck and our Biology faculty, and excited about the opportunities ahead for Winona State and Rochester."

In Rochester, new biomedical companies are growing out of Mayo Clinic. And local leaders want those companies to stay and grow in the community. But finding the right workers with the right skills is a bigger challenge.

09/23/2026

Biology Professor Emeritus Neal Mundahl and PSM graduate Will Varela published a paper "Good, Fair, or Poor? The Reality of Stream Macroinvertebrate Biomonitoring in an Impaired Agricultural Watershed” in the latest issue of the "Journal of Watershed Ecology". The paper used a dataset from Will’s Master’s thesis on stream macroinvertebrates in the Whitewater River to compare seven different indices commonly used to assess stream community health. A brief summary of the paper and a photo are featured as the cover story for the journal’s Issue 2 Volume 1

09/17/2026