The Biology Club hosted guest speaker Jackson Richman on Sept. 28. After being introduced by the club’s president, Brooke Stover, Richman talked about cyberbiosecurity. 

This novel topic is relevant to vaccines, artificial limbs and personal items (i.e., medical records, prescriptions, etc.). Richman explained that if a smart enough group decided to cause chaos in the biological and medical fields, they could hack into databases and change processes and crucial information to harm people in the long run. 

Richman’s goal at UW- Platteville is to introduce a 3000-level elective course on cyberbiosecurity, and he has been working with the Computer Science Department to introduce this course. Additionally, he strives to integrate a cyberbiosecurity minor, hoping to further future students’ knowledge on his topic. 

After the presentation, Biology Club walked from Boebel Hall to Memorial Park, enjoying the last bit of beautiful and comfortable weather in 2021. Along the way, the club’s secretary, Lucas Turpin, educated club members on local flora, additionally commenting on some insects as well. 

Once at the Rountree Branch, Turpin, vice president Kadee Lawrence and new club member Clara Simonson took off their shoes and hopped into the stream, collecting rocks and algae and playing in the clay riverbed. Simonson attempted to catch a crawfish using Lawrence’s coffee thermos, but was unsuccessful after about a half hour of valiant effort. Stover chatted with member Morgan Bradford about homework, mussels in the river and upcoming events. 

As the sun began to set behind the prairie, painting the sky in purple and orange pastels, savoring one of the last remaining tranquil evenings of 2021 quickly became an unforgettable experience with Biology Club.