Southeastern Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Rick Miller was the featured speaker at the Science on Tap 
seminar Tuesday, June 3, at 7 p.m. in Hammond. Miller cultivates morning glories in the Biology Building’s rooftop greenhouse as a model for his evolutionary research. Courtesy of Public Information

 

The “Science on Tap” lecture series came to a close as biology professor and researcher Rick Miller discussed the origins of plant diversity. 

Miller’s lecture “Why Are There So Many Beautiful Flowers?” took place Tuesday, June 3. 

“As an evolutionary biologist, we ask ‘why?’ questions,” said Miller. “This is what distinguishes us as scientists. In my case, I use plants to address those questions.”

Miller’s interest in flowers stems from their ability to be collected, reproduced and documented in a controlled setting, making them easy to research. Thus, they are often utilized in research to answer evolutionary questions. 

As the title suggests, Miller’s lecture focused on the purpose of variation in flowers. According to Miller, there are over 270,000 species of flowering plants, suggesting beautiful coloration and petal structure play a larger role than simply serving as a symbol for poets.

“One of the important answers of that question is it represents adaptation to different pollinators,” said Miller. “There’s millions of years of co-evolution between flowering plants and animals. This has contributed to the diversity that we see.”

During the lecture, Miller also discussed research conducted by biology students in which they sequenced whole chloroplast genomes for 29 species of Morning Glories. This helped to fulfill an important purpose of the lecture series, which is to highlight research conducted by students and faculty in the biology department as well as establish a favorable reputation for Southeastern in the field of biological research. 

“The research is great because it includes students in our research [and] also, the more you’re at the forefront of doing science, the more you’re going to bring new ideas and a new understanding into the classroom,” said Miller. “There’s going to be a strong synergism between being an active researcher and being a really strong educator.”

A strong emphasis on research can be an academic and financial asset to the university. Grant money used to fund university research often offsets the costs of university expenses. According to Miller, “We have a faculty member in our department whose indirect costs that he’s brought in has equaled his salary and more.”

Additionally, research published by the university can be reviewed by other biologists, adding credibility to the biology department. This is important as students apply for graduate programs and pursue careers in research after receiving a degree. Students coming from a university with a strong background in research are more marketable for positions in their fields. 

The biology department hopes to continue the lecture series next year and to expand scientific literacy as well as promoting the department.