Dear Readers, 

On behalf of the Eukayon editorial board, I would like to thank you for your enormous and remarkable support in the successful completion of an astonishing journal this year. Eukayon would not have seen its 16th consecutive year without your continued support. Every year the dedicated team members of Eukayon editorial boards strive to showcase the life sciences scholarship at Lake Forest College, working tirelessly to make the upcoming edition the best that it can be. This year, we received an outstanding number of articles from various branches of the life sciences, including articles from thought-provoking research projects, academic scholarship and educational features articles. This year’s theme, “Form and Function”, was inspired by the structure and collaboration among each editorial board, the backbone of Eukayon, that yields an outstanding product at the end of each season. 

Form refers to the physical structure, shape and size of an organism, both internal and external. Organisms have their unique “form” due to a process of gradual evolution over millions of years. Living things have specific forms that allow them to perform certain functions and be able to survive. This concept of form leading to function can arise at the subatomic level and expand at the macro level. For instance, subatomic particles arrange themselves to make up atoms, and atoms come together to make up molecules. The process continues until the building blocks have made an organism. In the process, different organelles are made that perform different functions and collaborate to yield a final product. Most important, this effort continues towards the betterment of organism. Organism keeps evolving, but always remain true to its founding roots. 

The success of the Eukayon journal is similar to the evolution of an organism. It is a result of the individual contributions of Eukayon’s editorial board. Similar to those building blocks each member plays an important role depending on their position. The work was done in a sequential manner where the success of each board built upon the success of previous board efforts. This theme “Form and Function” reflects the collaborative efforts of Eukayon team. Each board is structured in a specific manner to perform their specific functions. The review board, copy-edit board, publication board, and web managing are all the vital organs of Eukayon and each member is similar to an organelle, crucial for existence of Eukayon as a whole. The Eukayon team is comprised of well talented, hardworking, and creative people. I am thankful to my team who exceeded the expectations and get through each obstacle with diligence. 

This year, we are honored to listen to Dr. Flavia Barbosa. She is the assistant professor of biology at Lake Forest College. She attended the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil for her undergraduate degree. She went on to pursue a doctoral degree in biological sciences in the University of Missouri. At Lake Forest College, Barbosa currently teaches Sensing the Environment, Ecology and Evolution, and Animal Behavior. She is also mentoring two senior thesis students. Barbosa is interested in a particular part of evolution that most of us don’t consider: sexual selection in certain species. To study this, she looks at mating behaviors of insects, from katydids to moths, and has found that female preference plays a large role in evolution. Dr. Barbosa is one of the most outstanding professors who studies different forms of life in her lab and broadens our horizons by teaching evolutionary aspects of different forms of life. As once quoted by Theodosius Grygorovych Dobzhansky “ Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution”. 

Eukayon has received continuous support from many faculty and staff members throughout the years, and would never be successful without their submissions. Dr. Maine, has served as our advisor for a number of years, and has been a constant source of direction, guidance and advice. Her invaluable insight inspired us to get through all challenges and pave out path towards success. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Shubhik DebBurman for his continued support, dedication and advice. A special thank you needs to be given to Dr. Tracey McCabe, Director of Writing Programs and Senior Lecturer in English, for her invaluable assistance. I would also like to thank Cory Stevens, Head of Public Services and Collection Development, Allen Olson, Assistant Director of Visual Communications, and Patti Headley, Department Assistant for all of their instrumental assistance and indirect support. In addition, a special thanks to Jennifer Van Ewyk, Assistant director of Gates Center for reviewing and approving funding for this year’s edition. I would also like to thank Lake Forest College for its continued investment in our journal. Finally, thank you to all the faculty and students that submitted to Eukayon. There is no Eukayon without your submissions. Thank you for granting us the opportunity to publish your exceptional work. We hope you enjoy this year’s edition. 

Sincerely, 

Ruqia Bibi 

Editor-in-Chief, Eukayon, 2019-2020