August 2026 Newsletter

Dr. Elke Buschbeck Unlocks the Secrets to Vision with a Remarkable Creature:

Professor Elke Buschbeck and her research team have uncovered a surprising mechanism that helps the sunburst diving beetle develop exceptionally sharp vision. Published in Current Biology, the study revealed that shortly after molting, the beetles rely on water moving into their eyes through cellular osmosis to achieve the precise eye shape needed for accurate focus. When this process is disrupted, the beetles become farsighted and significantly less effective predators. Because similar developmental processes influence human vision, the findings may offer new insights into the growing global epidemic of nearsightedness. The project exemplifies the collaborative nature of research in the Department of Biological Sciences. Alongside Buschbeck, co-authors included faculty members Dr. John Layne and Dr. Joshua Benoit; former graduate student Dr. Shubham Rathore (lead author) and current graduate student Amartya Mitra; and undergraduate researchers Ruby Hyland-Brown and Augusta Jester, whose contributions helped bring the project to completion. Together, the team demonstrates how faculty mentorship and student research can produce discoveries with relevance extending well beyond the insect world. Learn more about Dr. Buschbeck’s fascinating research at the Buschbeck laboratory homepage here.

Crosley Tower, one of the University of Cincinnati’s most recognizable landmarks, is being demolished after 57 years on campus. Completed in 1969, the 17-story Brutalist building became a defining part of UC’s skyline and housed several academic units over the decades, including the Department of Biological Sciences. Because of its unusual construction, the tower is being dismantled section by section. Beyond its architecture, many remember Crosley for the generations of teaching, research and scientific discovery that took place inside its walls.