Science Faculty and Staff Achievements

2026 ACHIEVEMENTS

• Gennie Parkman, assistant professor of zoology, was recognized in the Standard-Examiner for her work with students to educate the community about the damage of the sun's UV rays, which led to the creation of a student club, UVCrew.

• Lisa Wiltbank, assistant professor of microbiology, James Cohen, associate professor of botany and plant ecology, and Weber State microbiology alumni Devin Burdett, Brighton Larson, Prapti Khadka and Tiffani Peterson authored "Multispectral regulation of chromatic acclimation by integration of the Rca system and the conserved dpx operon" in the Journal of Bacteriology, July 15, 2026.

• Michele Skopec, professor of zoology, was awarded the Ambrose Amos Shaw (AAS) Endowed Chair Program, a prestigious university research award for faculty to enable their research and enhance student engagement and collaboration. The program will provide financial support annually to selected full-time tenure-track or tenured faculty at Weber State University and will be managed by the Provost’s Office.

• Matthew B. Crook, microbiology professor, authored and published “Proposal to replace the pro-illegitimate prokaryotic names 'Candidatus Nostocoides' corrig. Kulichevskaya et al. 2012 and 'Candidatus Nostocoides acidiphilum' corrig. Kulichevskaya et al. 2012 with 'Candidatus Nostocimimus' gen. nov. and 'Candidatus Nostocimimus acidiphilus' comb. nov.” in the International Journal of Systematic Evolutionary Microbiology, March 20, 2026.

• Marek Matyjasik, professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, was awarded the Weber State 2026 Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor.

• The Earth & Environmental Sciences Department was awarded the Weber State “Prior Learning Champion” award on March 30, 2026.
   
  Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is a process that allows students to earn college credit for knowledge and skills gained outside of a traditional classroom setting. This may include learning acquired through work experience, military service, or other life experiences. By awarding credit for prior learning, PLA can reduce the cost of your education, shorten your time to graduation, and recognize the value of the experience you bring to your academic journey.

  Credit is awarded based on the type and length of your experience and is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

• Sebastian Fischetti, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, went to the American Physical Society Global Physics Summit
  with six Weber State physics students in March 2026.

• Cora Neal, professor of mathematics, was promoted to the 2026-27 Interim Associate Dean of the College of Science, and received the Dr. Spencer L. Seager Distinguished Teaching Award. The family of former WSU president Rodney Brady sponsors this award. The annual award was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate teaching in the College of Science. According to the award, the dean or the dean's designees select the recipients. Faculty members are nominated and then ranked by the College of Science Leadership Team, which consists of department chairs, associate deans, and the dean.

• James Cohen, associate professor of botany and plant ecology, and Heather Root, professor of botany and plant ecology, were interviewed by KUER for an article, "Utah's warm winter is likely to lead to a confusing spring for early flowering," March 17, 2026.

• Carie Frantz, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, was the lead researcher and author of "Microbial Ecology of Rotten Sea Ice: Implications for Arctic Carbon Cycling with Global Warming," in the journal Microorganisms (February 2026). This research, which represents a decade of data collection, explores how global warming is shifting the character of Arctic sea ice toward "rotten" ice. Frantz’s team discovered that as this porous ice melts, specialized microbial communities release "bombs" of particulate carbon and nitrogen into the surface ocean. This work provides a critical window into how changing polar conditions are fundamentally altering global nutrient and carbon cycling.

• Julie Jung, assistant professor of zoology, published “The histone code at a crossroads: history, context, and new approaches” in Trends in Genetics in Feb 2026. 

• Julie Jung, assistant professor of zoology, presented "New nematode species just dropped" at the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation Canyons Camp event at the Millcreek Library (Millcreek, UT) on Feb 21, 2026. Jung was also a grant recipient for the RSPG Hemingway New Faculty Grant for $3,000 towards nematode sampling and surveying in Yellowstone National Park.

• Jonathon Marshall, professor of zoology, presented a roundtable panel entitled "A Case Study of Undergraduate Research in Utah: Belonging in a Shifting Landscape" at the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities' 2026 National Conference in Washington, DC.

• Gennie Parkman, assistant professor of zoology, co-authored "Unraveling the Enigma of Melanoma Brain Metastasis: New Molecular Insights and
  Therapeutic Directions” in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Feb. 20, 2026.

• Gennie Parkman, assistant professor of zoology, co-authored "Identification and characterization of BRAF V600E TP53 interactions in melanoma” in
  Cell Reports. Accepted on Feb. 11, 2026.

• Aspen Van Vliet, WSU mathematics major and presenting author, and Henry Azubuike, assistant professor of mathematics and author, presented "Good Permutations and Latin Squares," at the AMS/MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, DC, January 2026.

• The Chemistry & Biochemistry Department received the Affordable Course Materials Award from the WSU Stewart Library, 2026.

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