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Biology Professor Presented at Research Conference

Posted on Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Dr. Katherine Robertson, Westminster College associate professor of biology, presented at the 2011 Gordon Research Conference on Neuroethology, Evolution and Behavior Aug. 14-19 at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass.

Gordon Research Conferences are intended for small groups (100 or fewer) of international scientists to present and discuss new and unpublished research that is at the frontier of science.  Participants are selected through an application process and only accepted applicants may participate.

"It was a great honor for me to be accepted to the conference and to find myself among many prominent scientists who represented a total of 15 countries," Robertson said.  "Westminster was one of very few non-RO1 universities [those who do not receive National Institutes of Health research grants for health-related research and development] represented and probably the smallest college represented."

Robertson's presentation, "A Molecular Mechanism for Neural Plasticity in the Olfactory Processing Centers of Insects," was co-authored by current Westminster junior biology major Samantha Gibson; Westminster graduates Andrew Bennett (2010) and Debra King (2011); and former Westminster student Rebecca Walter.

Gibson is a daughter of Susan Gibson of Sharpsville and a graduate of Kennedy Catholic High School.

Robertson, who joined the Westminster faculty in 2005, earned an undergraduate degree from Paddington College, UK and master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of London.

Contact Robertson at (724) 946-7213 or email for additional information.  Visit http://www.grc.org for additional information about Gordon Research Conferences.

Dr. Katherine Robertson