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Issue 10Spring 2011Department of Biology San Francisco State UniversityBioNewsDepartment of BiologySF State University1600 Holloway AvenueSan Francisco, CA iology.sfsu.eduEditor and Layout Artist:Colleen Francisemail: silver@sfsu.eduHensill HallHome to SF State’sDepartment of BiologyPhoto by Justin ChanINSIDE THIS ISSUE:A Heartfelt ThanksIn Memory:Dr. Margaret Bradbury23Dr. Dennis DesjardinMushroom HunterExtraordinaire4Creating a NationalTreasure: The HarryD. Thiers Herbarium5Alumni News6‐7Darleen FranklinA Microbiology CSI8A Word from the ChairDear Alumni and Friends:This is the time of year when things are abuzz in theDepartment. We are preparing for our 5th annualBaccalaureate & Masters Recognition Ceremony where wecongratulate and recognize the accomplishments of theClass of 2011. While classroom and laboratories continueat their feverish pace, we prepare for record attendanceat our annual fundraiser Personalized Medicine 4.0:Pharmacogenomics & Consumer Genetic Testing(http://personalizedmedicine.sfsu.edu) on May 26 at the South San FranciscoConvention Center, celebrating our innovative new academic and industrypartnership with South City.One of the highlights of this issue is an account of the work of Professor (andAlumnus) Dennis Desjardin whose work on novel mycological specimens has attractedinternational attention both in the news and in the professional community. (See page4.) Dr. Desjardin developed his passion for his work in the laboratory of the belovedProfessor Emeritus Harry D. Thiers for whom our outstanding Herbarium is named.(See page 5.) These two generations of stunning achievements are but a small part ofthe excitement in every area of biology here at SF State.You are all well aware of California’s serious budget deficit, and theconsequences it is having for the University's mission to provide accessible, qualityeducation for the State’s diverse population. We in Biology bear much of SF State’sobligations to students as our major continues to be in high demand. We have nearly1,800 undergraduate majors right now, and more than 200 graduate students.We as biologists also have an obligation unprecedented in its importance: wemust provide the next generation of scientists, health care professionals and teachersto a world that is more dependent on expertise in all aspects of biological science tocontend with our ever‐changing planet. Moreover, we provide the talent forCalifornia's growing sustainability and biotechnology industries’ workforce.Now is a time when we crucially need you, our alumni, friends, current andformer faculty and staff. Your accomplishments are the lifeblood of our Department.We’ve had many generous gifts (see page 2) and our students, faculty and staff aretremendously grateful. We are counting on you to help us enhance our program inthese very difficult times in higher education. Send us what you can afford in honor ofyour friends, colleagues or favorite teachers. Visit us orcall. Write to us and tell us what’s happening in your life.

ThankYouOur heartfelt thanks goesto the followingindividuals and businesseswhose generous giftsfunded inspiration,innovation, creativity,exploration, vision anddreams in 2010.forSupportingFidelity Charitable Gift FundMartha NoblesBarbara FranksPatricia OwenGenentech Foundationfor Biomedical ScienceDon PattersonLarissa GibbsKaren and Charles GillisonCharles GockelJackie HallEllen HamingsonSuzanne and Jeffery HarmonZheng‐Hui HeMahin Heidary‐CharlesAnonymous (13)Claudette and Raymond HernandezJanet AllenPatricia and Mark HerrickSergio and Ruby AragonLori HinesMary Aulbert‐VollandSylvia and Ronald HochedeDeb BakerSteven HoffmanNancy BegleyAndrew and Sasha HonigJennifer and David BollingerCarrie HunterBeth BoltzClinton and Mui JewMaria and James BoyerCharlene JosseRegina BritschgiSonia JuarezNeysa BudzinskiBenson and Shew JungMichael and Mary BurgettMargo Linden KatzAidan ButlerKeith KopischkeJohn and Catherine CampbellMischa KornievskyRobert and Ellen CaseRichard KouryDouglas CheathemRalph and Sandy LarsonXiaoying ChenPatricia LeeDeborah and John ColomboSusan LefeverAllison and Greg ConitzThomas and Roxanna LentonMarisue CrystalDavid LiuFlorence De LosadaEllen H. MacnealeSylvia de TrinidadDaniel and Barbara MaherJohn and Shirley DumontShalimar ManaliliJames DuncanCindy MansfieldJohn and Jean EllisonVictor MazzeoElizabeth and Neil EndeLeah and Kevin MeekFranklin EnnickMichelle Morse‐BuszardCarol EvkhanianCarol NakasoLaurie FahyThomas NiesenPage 2EducationRussell PittengerElaine PlaisanceJuergen PolstorffDr. Wenshen PongDr. Amy PortmoreDr. Ellen PragerConrad PriceElena C. RamirezRobert RamirezShirley RasmussenRoche Molecular Systems, Inc.Jenette and Jeremy ScottJohn and Julia SerencesPaul ShapiroTheresa and Kenneth ShielsEddie Simeon Jr.Jan Smith (in honor of Mia Mammen)Elizabeth StantonDr. John StevensDavid and Margaret SvobodaJames and Claribel SweeneyMichelle SwensonSherry SymingtonJoseph and Margaret TiegerHongyun TongMina TorabiNancy TowleShirley Van GardeHannah ViernesStephen VollandThomas and Rosemary Wakeman IIIChristopher WeideLisa D. WhiteLinda WhittlePotter WickwareDale Darlene WongMr. and Mrs. Douglas WongCoby Wright

IN MEMORYMargaret Bradbury1927‐2010Talented Artist, Dedicated Ichthyologist, Superb EducatorMargaret G. Bradbury, Professor Emerita, diedin Pacific Grove, California on October 9, 2010.Her Ph.D. dissertation focused on the batfish familyOgcocephalidae — a group she continued to study wellintoher retirement years. According to Dr. TheodoreDr. Bradbury began her scientific career as a StaffPietsch in a 1967 paper “The Genera of Batfishes” Dr.Artist in the Department of Zoology at the ChicagoBradbury “examined the group as a whole, preciselyNatural History Museum (now Field Museum) whileattending Roosevelt College. She received her B.A. in defining the limits of the family and each of the ninegenera (then recognized) providing a list of species forZoology in 1955.each genus and a phylogenetic analysis. In 1980, Dr.After graduation, she entered the doctoral programBradbury produced a detailed and beautifullyat Stanford University, and worked with Dr. Rolf Bolin illustrated revision of the new world batfish genusat Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove. There,Ogcocephalus in which she recognized 12 species,Margaret formed lifelong friendships with many fellow describing five as new to science. Equally impressivestudents who later became leaders in marine biology. revisions of the allied genera Halieutopsis containingdescriptions of four newDr. Bradbury received herPh.D. in Biological Sciences “Margaret was a wonderful ichthyologist species and Dibranchus withdescriptions of a new genusin 1962, and joined SF State’swho marveled at the fishesand four new speciesDepartment of Biologyshe studied and admired.”appeared in 1988 and 1999,faculty in 1963. She taughtrespectively.In total, Dr.Ichthyology, Biology of- Dr. Gregor Caillet, MLMLBradburydescribed16 newFishes, Comparativespecies and one new genus.”Vertebrate Anatomy,History of Biology, and Evolution. “One of hernotable contributions came just before herretirement,” recalls Professor Emeritus Dr. RalphLarson, “when the Biology Department switched froma Zoology/Botany introductory sequence for majors toan integrated one‐year, two‐semester course. Sheserved on the committee that took charge ofdeveloping the second‐semester course which focusedon evolution, the diversity of life and ecology.”Dr Bradbury led many class trips along the Californiacoast from Big Sur to Mendocino. Former College ofScience and Engineering Dean Dr. James Kelleyremembers that she “never questioned the value offield research, in fact she was happiest when she wasdoing just that.”Dr. Bradbury was a Research Associate and Fellow ofthe California Academy of Sciences where she carriedout much of her research. She was both a member andserved as Chair of the Moss Landing MarineLaboratories (MLML) Governing Board, and after herretirement, the Board of the Friends of MLML.Dr. Bradbury retired from SF State in 1994, but herlegacy lives on through the many students whobenefitted from her guidance, support, encouragementand mentorship—and by her work in systematicswhich was exemplary, careful and precise, setting highstandards for others to follow.The Editor thanks Dr. Tomio Iwamoto, Curator andChair, Department of Ichthyology, California Academyof Science for his contribution to this article.To make a donation in memory of Dr. Bradbury, visit http://biology.sfsu.edu and click on the“Make a Difference” link. Please select “Biology Department” in the drop down list and write“In Memory of Dr. Margaret Bradbury” in the “Comments” box. Thank you.

DENNIS DESJARDINDennis Desjardin is the Indiana Jones of the fungaldiscovery world. He has research projects in WestAfrica (São Tome and Princípe), Brazil, Micronesia,Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Hawaiian Islands.In Thailand, he helped established the MushroomResearch Centre which includes a laboratory, restaurant,visitors’ lodge, student chalets, and a mushroom‐shapedswimming pool. His planning for research expeditions caninvolve years of negotiating with foreign governments anduniversities, often promising host nations microscopes,computers, and other equipment, training local studentsand providing duplicate specimens of every fungus histeam removes from the countryside.Dr. Desjardin’sresearch focuseson discovering and documenting the diversity of fleshyfungi from under‐explored tropical habitatsworldwide. He wants to learn which species arepresent, their function in the ecosystem, who they arerelated to, how they got there, where they came from,and their uses by indigenous people.Dr. Desjardin has published 105 scientific papers in whichhe has described over 220 new species of mushrooms.In 2009, he discovered seven new glow‐in‐the‐darkmushroom species, including Mycena luxaeterna (eternallight) (see page 5) and Mycenaluxperpetua (perpetual light)“The natural roles of fungi are diverse—they increasing the number ofknown luminescent fungidecompose dead logs, form symbioticspecies from 64 to 71.Professor Desjardin learned howto identify a trio of edible fungispecies (champignons, porciniand chanterelles) at the agerelationships with plant roots to take up waterthree from his parents andSwiss grandparents whoThe secret to his success isand nutrients and repel disease.routinely gathered mushroomssimple: he is knowledgeableBut, much of their extraordinary powerswhen they lived in Switzerland.about mushrooms and he goesprobably are still unknown”An alumnus of SF State’sto places no other mycologistsDepartment of Biology, hehave been. In 1998, Dr.earned a BS in Biology in 1983,Desjardin was awarded the Alexopoulos Prize from theand a M.A. in Ecology and Systematic Biology in 1985.Mycological Society of America for outstanding researchHe received his Ph.D. in 1989 at the University ofand the Weston Award for outstanding teaching.Tennessee, and taught at Oberlin College before joiningthe Biology faculty in 1990. In addition to teaching and“Although edible and pharmaceutical mushrooms haveresearching mushrooms worldwide, he also finds the time become big business, the numbers of biologists whoto serve as Director and Curator of the Harry D. Thiersspecialize in fungi are becoming less and less,” said Dr.Herbarium (see page 5) collection of 140,000 preservedDesjardin who encourages the education and training ofspecimens of plants and fungi.young taxonomists around the world. To facilitate thisgoal, he is an Adjunct or Honorary Professor at fiveuniversities in Southeast Asia. Dr. Desjardin can becontactedat: ded@sfsu.eduPage 4