UCR Newsroom

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Douglas Altshuler, an assistant professor of biology at UC Riverside who studies flying animals, has been selected to receive the 2006 George A. Bartholomew Award “for distinguished contributions to comparative physiology and biochemistry, and to related fields of functional and integrative biology.” The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology will present the award to Altshuler at the society’s annual meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., in January 2007.

As part of the annual award, Altshuler, will give a lecture presentation of his research to a society-wide audience. The 2006 George A. Bartholomew Award carries a cash award of $500 and a certificate. Eligible candidates for the award are those who have completed their doctorate within the past seven years.

Altshuler, who received his Ph.D. degree in 2001 from the University of Texas at Austin, came to UCR in 2006 from the California Institute of Technology, where he was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow.

In his research, Altshuler studies the physiology and evolutionary biology of hummingbirds, zebra finches, and honeybees. He also has studied the neural control of maneuvering flight in hummingbirds and the aerodynamic mechanisms employed by hummingbirds, honeybees, and fruit flies. In addition, Altshuler helped develop an evolutionary tree for hummingbirds that is used today to study how aerodynamic performance and oxygen capacity developed in high-elevation species.

Named after George A. Bartholomew, a comparative biologist who studied insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, the George A. Bartholomew Award was established in 1992 by the Division of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. The first award was presented in December 1993.

The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment of about 18,000 is expected to grow to 21,000 students by 2020. The campus is planning a medical school and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion.

A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.