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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: Brian Spooner, 785-532-6615, spoon1@k-state.edu
Photos available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415.
News releases prepared by: Stephanie Jacques, 785-532-0101, sjacques@k-state.edu

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

K-STATE'S DIVISION OF BIOLOGY APPOINTS NEW ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS

MANHATTAN -- John Blair, university distinguished professor of ecology, and Lorena Passarelli, associate professor of molecular biology, have been appointed associate directors of Kansas State University's Division of Biology.

"The addition of Dr. Blair and Dr. Passarelli as associate directors adds outstanding teaching and research achievements, as well as discipline breadth, gender perspective and multicultural diversity to our administrative team," said Brian Spooner, university distinguished professor and director of the Division of Biology.

As associate directors, Blair will focus on faculty development, while Passarelli's focus will be on student development.

"I think having associate directors that cover the breadth of disciplines in biology is really important and I am very excited about being able to represent the ecology and evolutionary biology section of the Division of Biology," Blair said. "I look forward to helping faculty members as they establish and develop their careers, and being able to contribute to the continued growth of strong research and teaching programs in the division."

"I have been contributing to student development by encouraging the involvement of students in research, so this position expands what I have been doing and allows me to develop new ideas for undergraduate and graduate students to have a richer and broader education," Passarelli said.

Blair joined K-State in 1992. He was named a university distinguished professor in 2006, K-State's highest faculty ranking. He also serves as the Edwin G. Brychta Professor of Biology. He has been recognized for his teaching with the William L. Stamey Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award from K-State's College of Arts and Sciences.

Blair's research interests are on the influence of physical and biological drivers on ecological processes and how ecosystems respond to changes in those drivers as a result of human activities. Since 2002, Blair has brought in almost $7 million to K-State as the principal investigator for multiple projects, as well as an additional $7 million in collaborative funding as a co-principal investigator during the same time frame.

His research work includes serving as principal investigator and project director of the National Science Foundation-funded Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research Program. He also is the principal investigator on collaborative research grants from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Institute for Climate Change Research, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation. Blair has been leading the regional planning for the National Ecological Observatory Network, a National Science Foundation-sponsored research plan being proposed to the U.S. Congress that includes K-State's Konza Prairie Biological Station as a candidate core site for implementing a major new national research and educational program.

Blair received his doctorate from the University of Georgia in 1987.

Passarelli joined K-State in 2001 and has been recognized with many top teaching and research awards, including being the first recipient of K-State's Presidential Distinguished Faculty Award for the Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research in 2007. She also has received K-State's Commerce Bank Presidential Faculty Award for Distinguished Services to Historically Underrepresented Students, the H. Henley Haymaker Teaching Excellence Award, the William L. Stamey Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, Biology Graduate Student Association's Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award and a Faculty Scholar Award from the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence.

Passarelli currently serves as chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Committee on Diversity and as a member of the editorial board of the journal Virology.

She is the principal investigator of active National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Agriculture individual research grants on viral gene regulation and pathogenesis. Her research interests are in molecular virology; specifically, she studies gene regulatory circuits in insect viruses and how insect viruses and insect-vectored viruses establish systemic infections. Her studies may aid in the development of strategies that will curtail vector-borne virus dissemination and control insect pest populations. Passarelli has been both principal investigator and co-principal investigator for many programs bringing in more than $3 million in research grants to K-State since 2002.

Passarelli received her Ph.D. from The University of Georgia in 1993.

"Professors John Blair and Lorena Passarelli have impressive research, teaching and service achievements, and will contribute to an expansion of the Division of Biology focus on faculty and student development programs. It is with pleasure that Dave Rintoul, senior associate director, and I welcome them to the Division's administrative team," Spooner said.