ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Thera Dal Pra Iversen (2017)

gender/sexuality/italy -- Online Open-Access Peer-Reviewed International Journal (4, 2017)

I am applying for Dana Research Assistantship Spring 2017 Student-Faculty Collaboration Grant to seek support for the online annual, peer-reviewed academic journal "gender/sexuality/italy," of which I am the Principal Editor and co-founder with colleagues from UCSD, University of Bologna (Italy), UTexas, and Wesleyan. "gender/sexuality/italy" publishes research on gendered identities and the ways they intersect with and produce Italian politics, culture, and society by way of a variety of cultural productions, discourses, and practices spanning historical, social, and geopolitical boundaries. The first issue was published in May 2014. I am now seeking funding to hire two (2) advanced students in Spring 2017 to support my work in the preparation of the fourth annual issue of g/s/i (2017). The Assistant Editors will work with me on all the stages of the publication process. They will collect and store the received articles in Google Drive and Dropbox, assist me with source checking, engage in email exchanges with the contributors and the reviewers, copyedit, proofread, and check the format of a selection from the received submissions, according to the standards of The Chicago Manual of Style and the non-commercial licensing policies of the Creative Commons. They will also help to translate and subtitle multimedia contributions from Italy. I will instruct the Assistant Editors in the preliminary steps of the copy editing and mentor them carefully throughout the whole process. The candidates I identified, Thera Iversen and Delphine Dall'Agata, have sophisticated writing skills both in English and Italian, extended knowledge of contemporary Italian culture and literature, interest in the writing process, and motivation for both the field of research and the job. They will have the chance to read, listen to, or watch the submissions and their revisions, follow the peer-editing process in the academic environment, and collaborate with Faculty and other Assistant Editors in an inter-institutional undertaking. Their collaboration with gender/sexuality/italy will perfect their technological skills and give them a broader sense of the cultural impact and great potential of the digital humanities in the scholarly community..

Term Funded:Spring 2017
Professor: Nicoletta Marini Maio

Orelia Elizabeth Dann (2005)

Manuscript preparation for: Symbolism and Modern Urban Society, and Art, Culture and National Identity in Fin-de Siecle Europe

I would like to apply for a New Dana Assistantship for this academic year for the job of "manuscript preparation." The primary manuscript in preparation for the fall term is Symbolism and Modern Urban Society, a book (c. 600 typescript pages) under contract to Cambridge University Press, due December 2002. The book's text is completed, but much work remains on endnotes, bibliography, rechecking facts, and especially obtaining and organizing all illustrations (there will be nearly 200, all of which must go to Press with photographs, copies, and permissions). For these remaining tasks, an assistant would be conducting library and web research, copy editing and proofreading, locating illustrations, organizing bibliographic entries, and handling formal correspondence with various museums and collections around the world. A secondary project for the fall term would be helping to proof the galleys of another book that I have co-edited, on Art, Culture and National Identity in Fin-de-Siecle Europe, also for Cambridge, which is currently in press. Because this book contains only two chapters written by me plus ten other chapters by ten different authors, the proofing should also involve correspondence with the other authors, rechecking illustration captions, etc. with them. If the galleys arrive by November as promised, then they too would be due in December.

Term Funded:Fall 2002
Professor: Sharon Hirsh

Sarah Emily Hoch (2005)

Processing Instruction in the content-based Language Classroom

Processing instruction (PI) seeks to alter L2 learners' inefficient cognitive strategies by structuring input that promotes form-meaning connections in the developing system (VanPatten, 1996, 2003). Previous studies on grammatical structures in French, Spanish, and Italian show the positive effects of PI for grammatical structures that are identified as causing an processing problem for L2 learners (VanPatten, 2003). As regards the acquisition of the passive voice, observations from a qualitative pilot study by Duperron suggest that intermediate L2 learners, in accordance with the First Noun Strategy extend onto the passive voice in French the ongoing investigation of PI's role on learners' grammar acquisition. My project also includes the development of pedagogical material that delivers PI activities in the L2 content-based environment.

Term Funded:Year 2005
Professor: Lucile Duperron

Erin Nicole Kauffman (2006)

Modernism's Everyday Object

This book will investigate the role of the household object - from overlooked quotidian items to enshrined objects of induced nostalgia - in the visual arts of Western Europe at the turn of the twentieth century. It will trace the significance of the common household object in avant-garde painting and sculture from Post-Impressionist interiors and still lives (of Neo-Impressionists, Symbolists, and Cezanne) through Fauve interiors, and culminating in Cubist and Dada constructions and the readymades of Duchamp. It will explore why these objects held such fascination for artists living and working in fast-paced modern metropolises. Reacting to a variety of social impulses related to urbanization, mechanization, and consumerism, while adhering to new aesthetic theories dealing with space, sensation, and empathetic response, artists embraced domestic objects as complex, and often conflicted, signifers of art's social and even spiritual goals.

Term Funded:Year 2006
Professor: Sharon Hirsh

Nora Marisa Mueller (2005)

Manuscript preparation for: Symbolism and Modern Urban Society, and Art, Culture and National Identity in Fin-de Siecle Europe

I would like to apply for a New Dana Assistantship for this academic year for the job of "manuscript preparation." The primary manuscript in preparation for the fall term is Symbolism and Modern Urban Society, a book (c. 600 typescript pages) under contract to Cambridge University Press, due December 2002. The book's text is completed, but much work remains on endnotes, bibliography, rechecking facts, and especially obtaining and organizing all illustrations (there will be nearly 200, all of which must go to Press with photographs, copies, and permissions). For these remaining tasks, an assistant would be conducting library and web research, copy editing and proofreading, locating illustrations, organizing bibliographic entries, and handling formal correspondence with various museums and collections around the world. A secondary project for the fall term would be helping to proof the galleys of another book that I have co-edited, on Art, Culture and National Identity in Fin-de-Siecle Europe, also for Cambridge, which is currently in press. Because this book contains only two chapters written by me plus ten other chapters by ten different authors, the proofing should also involve correspondence with the other authors, rechecking illustration captions, etc. with them. If the galleys arrive by November as promised, then they too would be due in December.

Term Funded:Year 2002
Professor: Sharon Hirsh

Amanda Nicole Nierva (2018)

NCI/NIH R15CA194937: The effects of stigmatizing U.S. and Danish smokers

People often stigmatize smokers and many public health messages are stigmatizing. Stigmatization has also been proposed as a public health strategy to decrease smoking prevalence. But does stigmatization actually motivate quitting or does it have the opposite effect? The answer to this question has important implications for health education programs, smoking cessation programs, and public health policy. We know little about how smokers react to stigmatization and the causal consequences. Particularly understudied are reactions to stigma within social contexts such as culture and social status. In the proposed research, guided by the Model of Stigma Induced Identity Threat, two experimental studies in the U.S. and Denmark will examine the effects of stigmatizing smokers among people of various levels of social status. This research will provide valuable insights into the consequences of stigmatization and lay the groundwork for more effective educational interventions and smoking cessation programs. Thus, this research will contribute to reaching the Healthy People 2020 objective of reducing adult cigarette smoking in the U.S. to 12 percent from the 2012 rate of 18 percent.

Term Funded:
Professor:

Eliza Rose Park (2011)

Young Writers Program for English Language Learner (ELLs) - Summer 2010

In conjunction with the Lincoln Intermediate Unit Migrant Education Program (LIUMEP) in Adams County, Pennsylvania, this study relates to a Young Writers Program (YWP) for adolescent English Language Learners (ELLs). Young Writers Programs (YWPs) are summer enrichment programs for students. This study will be conducted over eight weeks in the summer of 2010 as part of the LIUMEP's annual "Summer School of Excellence" serving an ELL population consisting primarily of students whose first language is Spanish. Research findings may make significant contributions to the fields of secondary English education and teacher preparation - particularly related to ELL literacy instruction - due to the unique collaboration of teacher educator/pre-service teacher in the approach to designing and implementing this study. Potential findings include more nuanced understandings of how YWPs may influence adolescent ELLs' (1) varied responses to literature-, multimedia-, and multimodal-based texts; (2) literacy skills in their first and/or second language; and (3) contributions to developing social and writing communities with their peers and teachers.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Elizabeth Lewis

Harris Risell (2016)

The Pulp Magazines Project

Harris will continue marking up the project's 300 digital issues in both RDF and TEI - XML standards - compliant formats for the enhanced organization of, and access to, existing materials.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Patrick Belk

Bakary Samasa (2019)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this application, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryos.

Term Funded:
Professor:

Thanh Thien To (2011)

Improving the Quality of the Assignment of Students to First-Year Seminars

Many post-secondary academic institutions in the United States have a First-Year Seminar Program. These seminars are designed to support the success of new incoming first-year students by combining writing, research and active discussion among small groups of students. At ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, students are required to select six seminars they find interesting from a list of approximately 42 seminars. The college then attempts to assign each student to a seminar on their list, while maintaining course capacities. Using standard commercial optimization software, we develop an approach that not only solves this basic assignment problem, but also seeks to balance both the gender and number of international students in the seminars. In addition, we utilize Monte Carlo simulation to study how the number of seminars each student is required to select affects the likelihood that a feasible assignment exists.

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: Richard Forrester

Eric Thomas Vogt (2017)

The Effect of Isoprenoid Depletion on the Inflammatory Response of Blood Cells

In autoinflammatory disease, the innate immune system is overly active and therefore generates inflammatory molecules under circumstances that normally would not warrant such activation. The increased activation of the innate immune system causes episodes of general inflammatory symptoms including fever, joint pain, rash, and fatigue. Most autoinflammatory diseases are caused by mutations in genes that control the innate immune system and are therefore categorized by genetic mutation. One group of autoinflammatory diseases, collectively called Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency (MKD), is caused mutations in the mevalonate kinase (MVK) gene, which is responsible for the production of isoprenoid compounds. These isoprenoid molecules are involved in many different cellular processes including cell division, movement, and communication with the environment. This project aims to understand the cellular mechanisms by which alterations to isoprenoid levels causes inflammatory symptoms. Investigation into how isoprenoids control inflammation provides valuable information for treating inflammatory diseases.

Term Funded:Fall 2016
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Erik Fowler Williams (2018)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this application, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryos.

Term Funded:
Professor:

Danielle Marie Cioce Ferguson (2008)

Burma Environmental Curriculum Development and Implementation

ALLARM has a unique opportunity to apply its work to an international context and to engage two ALLARM students in the process. ALLARM has been asked by EarthRights International, an environmental and human rights organization, to enhance the environmental curriculum for their capacity building school (Burma EarthRights School located in Chiang Mai, Thailand) for Burmese community leaders. This twelve month school's strengths lay in its human rights, international law, and democracy development curricula but lack a strong environmental curriculum. In the first year of collaboration, ALLARM will conduct research and develop teaching materials focused on farming, copper mining, and gold mining. ALLARM students and director will conduct research this fall, travel to Thailand to pilot the curriculum while conducting additional on-the-ground research, and finalize the curriculum for use by Burmese communities and the Burma EarthRights School. ALLARM is requesting support from R&D for the two ALLARM students' research and travel.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Julie Vastine

Vallie L Edenbo (2002)

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Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Lauren Imgrund

Jack Wolbach Treichler (2008)

Burma Environmental Curriculum Development and Implementation

ALLARM has a unique opportunity to apply its work to an international context and to engage two ALLARM students in the process. ALLARM has been asked by EarthRights International, an environmental and human rights organization, to enhance the environmental curriculum for their capacity building school (Burma EarthRights School located in Chiang Mai, Thailand) for Burmese community leaders. This twelve month school's strengths lay in its human rights, international law, and democracy development curricula but lack a strong environmental curriculum. In the first year of collaboration, ALLARM will conduct research and develop teaching materials focused on farming, copper mining, and gold mining. ALLARM students and director will conduct research this fall, travel to Thailand to pilot the curriculum while conducting additional on-the-ground research, and finalize the curriculum for use by Burmese communities and the Burma EarthRights School. ALLARM is requesting support from R&D for the two ALLARM students' research and travel.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Julie Vastine

Quinnelle Lilian Gomez (2010)

Caribbean Media Representations

The research project examines the representation in the media of Caribbean society in general, and specifically, of changes in the nature of interpersonal relations, attitudes toward the construction of national identities and national culture, and the relationship of the independent nation to former colonial powers and contemporary transnational dynamics that are viewed as evidence of cultural imperialism. The Dana Research Assistant will work with me to develop an archive of materials related to the study of Caribbean societies, identities, politics and performances. This will consist of work in the following areas: Cataloging and coding material that has been collected on videotape from television in Trinidad; Sorting, coding and filing newspaper clippings from Trinidad and Tobago; and Creating an Endnote database of media materials and scholarly sources that will be used in the production of bibliographies for journal articles and book manuscripts that I will be developing in the next several years.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: Patricia van Leeuwaarde Moonsammy

Myriam Elizabeth Smith (2021)

Tricks of the Mind or Metabolic Dysperceptions?:(Dis)Figuring Fantasies of Black Male (Corpo)reality

This work considers the ways in which orthomolecular dietary philosophy-the belief that there is a "close relationship between diet and mental health -figures in Victor LaValle's portrayal of the morbidly obese, paranoid schizophrenic narrator of his novel, The Ecstatic or, Homunculus. To inform my analysis, I plan to explore contemporary discussions about pharmaceutical versus nutraceutical (food as medicine) prescriptions for mental health as well as theories of wellness that sustain societal perceptions about the link between race and fatness. By so doing, I hope to substantiate my hypothesis that LaValle is using his fat, schizophrenic narrator to show that when neither the black male's mind nor his diet is disciplined-as expressed through the (dis)figuring of the black male corpus--, he is fantasized in the mainstream public's mind, as the ecstatic, a strange, hypermasculine purveyor of real-world horror. This false assessment of black male corpo(reality) is thus revealed as a trick of society's mind, not of the schizophrenic narrator's.

Term Funded:Fall, Spring 2020
Professor: Lynn Johnson

Naji Nazima Thompson (2019)

Psychodietetics and the Anxieties of Wellness in the African American Literary Imagination

Psychodietetics and the Anxieties of Wellness in the African American Literary Imagination is an interdisciplinary study that shifts attention away from soul food and black hunger as primary themes with which to explore the intersections of food and Black literary studies and redirects scholars toward cognitive food associations that could enrich our understandings of African Americans' meditations on personal and political dis-ease and wellness. The multi-generic texts (slave narratives, short stories, and novels) that I highlight unveil the presences of these meditations in what I term psychodietetic narratives. Psychodietetic narratives articulate the interconnectedness of food, behavioral expressions of human anxieties/ideologies, and the perceptions and performances of wellness within socio-political milieus and family structures. Drawing on psychoanalytic, African American literary, and food studies theories, I demonstrate how African American authors' deployment of food imaging and psychodietetic narratives develop the relationship between African American mental health and racial uplift agendas.

Term Funded:Spring 2017
Professor: Lynn Johnson

Sarah Elizabeth Barr (2011)

Manuscript revision project: "Home and Other Myths: A Lexicon of Queer Inhabitation"

This project explores the idea of "home" in contemporary queer lives, with home describing not only social, familial, national, and political spaces, but a psychic location as well. Drawing from Holocaust theorist Jean Amery's definition of home as the provision of comfort, security, and belonging, I argue that home occupies a central place - conceptually, ethically, politically, and literarily - for queer people. This project examines the ways in which queers have been cast out from various structures of home, and the pervasive types of violence that accompany these forcible dislocations. I expect to send this work out as a book proposal to Duke University Press, a prominent publisher in the field of queer studies by the end of May 2011. My intentions are to contribute to the fields of Queer Studies and American Studies through an analysis of narratives of belonging, identity, and cultural ethics, while also mentoring Sarah Barr in research methodology.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Laura Grappo

Keson Torell Bullock-Brown (2019)

The Resurgence of Scientific Racism in the 1970s

I am seeking a Dana Assistantship for Fall 2017 for my project "The End of White Care: US Liberalism in the 1970s." The particular component of the project in which I'll be engaged this coming semester is cataloguing and analyzing research materials I've collected over the past two years. These include a large volume of secondary sources (scholarly books and essays) as well as a trove of documents from the Smithsonian, Stanford, Princeton, and Howard archives, mostly concerning the resurgence of scientific racism in the 1970s.

Term Funded:Fall 2017
Professor: J Cotten Seiler

John Edward Costango (1993)

Student Co-direction of the Writing Component of the FOCUS program

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1992
Professor: John Bloom

Samuel Nathan Drabkin (2016)

The Socially Dead and the "Improbable Citizen": Cultural Transformations of Haitian Citizenship

This chapter is part of my on-going book project, "The Socially Dead and the "Improbable Citizen": Cultural Transformations of Haitian Citizenship". The book provides a rich textual analysis of the power of the visual field and the complex relationships that exists between violence, domination, and liberation. "The Socially Dead and the "Improbable Citizen" employs visual analysis to illuminate the effective power of images and the ways that imagery has a causal relationship to meaning making and what those meanings might tell us about the visual processes of cultural transformation and the dynamics of the human condition. In four distinct chapters, I analyze painting, photography, film, and comics to expand the scholarship on contemporary Haitian diasporic artistic production and representation. This is a request to fund research assistance for the concluding chapter, "Brother Voodoo: Doctor Strange Love" which focuses on black diasporic superhero character, Brother Voodoo, a Haitian freedom fighting houngan created in 1973 by Marvel Comics. His character emerges during the American "Blaxploitation" film genre period, joining a series of omnipotent and sexually accomplished black heroes. Brother Voodoo's supreme powers; however, were linked to his familial relationship with the dead and his mystical abilities. In this chapter, I provide an interpretive engagement using this comic book character to emphasize the ways in which Brother Voodoo follows in the premise of the early 20th century plays and films that visualized the impenetrable darkness and grotesque "otherness" of Haiti and its people, which I analyze in the introductory chapter of the book.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Jerry Philogene

Giancarlo Daniel Duffy (2014)

Visual Cultures of Internet Islamophobia: Transnational Memes and International Politics

"Visual Cultures of Internet Islamophobia" is intended to address a visual and transnational research gap in studies of Islamophobia. Part of a larger book project, this research explores anti-Muslim memes and images that travel online via social networking sites, such as Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, and Pinterest. The first stage of the project, supported by a Fall 2012 Dana Research fellowship, involved online research on the English-language Internet to archive and code Islamophobic images, cartoons, and memes that are user-generated and circulate online in vernacular networks. In Spring 2013, my research will interrogate whether and how these images are received in Arabic-, Farsi-, and Turkish-speaking communities online. My preliminary research on countercultural Turkish Facebook groups identified some interesting uses for such images by Turkish atheist communities, such as translations, strategic cropping, and re-posting. The project will test the hypothesis that, given the abundance of offensive images online, outrage and protest, overemphasized through the discourse of "Muslim rage" by the Western media, cannot be the only way in which Muslims respond to Islamophobic digital media.

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Perin Gurel

Mary Ann Eggers (2013)

Visual Cultures of Internet Islamophobia

Visual Cultures of Internet Islamophobia is part of an on-going book project on transnational folk representations of Islam, tentatively titled Beyond Islamophobia. The research, intended to address a visual gap in studies of Islamophobia, explores anti-Muslim memes and images that travel online via social networking sites and email chains. The study recognizes the role images play in furthering negative feelings against Muslims and those who "look" Muslim. In addition to its emphasis on visual culture, this study is also unique in its focus on fluid folk cultures, as opposed to fixed media, published popular works, or intellectuals' accounts. Thus, it seeks to uncover the role played by vernacular, person-to-person, if anonymous, communication in the spread of "Islamophobia" in the United States and beyond. The Dana Research Assistant for this project will be responsible for conducting Internet-based research, data-compilation, and indexing.

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Perin Gurel

Nasim Fekrat (2013)

Visual Cultures of Internet Islamophobia: Transnational Memes and International Politics

"Visual Cultures of Internet Islamophobia" is intended to address a visual and transnational research gap in studies of Islamophobia. Part of a larger book project, this research explores anti-Muslim memes and images that travel online via social networking sites, such as Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, and Pinterest. The first stage of the project, supported by a Fall 2012 Dana Research fellowship, involved online research on the English-language Internet to archive and code Islamophobic images, cartoons, and memes that are user-generated and circulate online in vernacular networks. In Spring 2013, my research will interrogate whether and how these images are received in Arabic-, Farsi-, and Turkish-speaking communities online. My preliminary research on countercultural Turkish Facebook groups identified some interesting uses for such images by Turkish atheist communities, such as translations, strategic cropping, and re-posting. The project will test the hypothesis that, given the abundance of offensive images online, outrage and protest, overemphasized through the discourse of "Muslim rage" by the Western media, cannot be the only way in which Muslims respond to Islamophobic digital media.

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Perin Gurel

Mariah B Finkelstein (2017)

The Perfect Skin: Race, Materiality, and the Spectacular Invention of Visibility

This book project explores the ways in which artists of African descent have used diverse materials to illustrate the textured and tactile nature of skin to represent race. It uses the work of contemporary painters and sculptors to explore how the concept of "race" is understood as part of an epidermal schema (according to Frantz Fanon) to express the modality of the visual and difference. In the introductory chapter, I draw on racial theory, visual culture, and art history to examine the tensions between the visual and skin asking what does it mean to consider skin as an agent capable of reflecting and visualizing racialized consciousness and corporeality. The skin, in a black context, has been in modern times a master signifier for the specificity, the particularity, of race. It is the object projected by what Fanon and Paul Gilroy call "epidermalization." It is the sign for race understood purely within scopic sight and the skin as the object of a specularizing gaze. Through the critical analysis of visual art and different art genres, this essay will explore the various narratives of the skin and how the epidermalization of race has shaped contemporary understandings of black identity.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Jerry Philogene

Johanna Marie Fleming (2015)

Project One: Fat Studies Scholarship; Project Two: Girl Scouts of America

I am applying for a Dana research assistant for the 2014-2015 academic year. This research assistant will help me with fact checking and citation verification for three articles related to my work in fat studies: one on fat studies and pedagogical approaches; one on fat stigma and mother blaming; and one on fat, beauty, and concepts of the "natural" in fat activism of the 1970s and 1980s. This research assistant will also work with me to develop a full literature review and annotated bibliography for my new work on the history of the Girl Scouts of America.

Term Funded:Spring 2015
Professor: Amy Farrell

Aaron Stuart Hock (2015)

The Socially Dead and the "Dead Citizen": Cultural Contestations of Haitian Citizenship

I am requesting the support for a Dana Research Assistantship to transcribe four three-hour taped artists' interviews conducted as research for my current book manuscript, The Socially Dead and the "Dead Citizen": Cultural Contestations of Haitian Citizenship. The introductory chapter of the book, in part explores the historical and contemporary artistic and visual narratives that have been created about Haiti beginning in the early 20th century, examining how these narratives have framed the understanding of Haitian citizenry and national citizenship. In addition, the book explores how the visual field informs the ways in which Haiti and Haitian aesthetic culture and practices are understood in the global cultural community. In four chapters, I present readers with films and plastic arts by artists of Haitian descent who invert the historically deleterious framing of Haitian subjectivities. By using the visual field as a place to recontextualize images and the idea of citizenship, my project highlights the works of these Haitian diasporic artists and explores the creative process, ideas, and techniques that undergird the production of self-representation. During a College-supported research trip in Miami, Florida this summer, I conducted artists' interviews with Edouard Duval-Carrie, Vickie Pierre, Adler Guerrier, and Crystal Pearl. These interviews are necessary resource materials for the introduction and the third chapter of the book, which focuses on these specific artists and their work. Once the interviews have been transcribed, I can then use the materials to complete the third chapter and send three chapters to academic presses by the beginning of 2015. In the past, I have used Jason Denaburg, an American Studies student. He has previously transcribed two two-hour artist's interviews and is aware of the careful and thorough nature of this assignment. During our conversations, Jason expressed an interest in oral history and cultural history. Given his interests, I approached him for my initial transcribing project. His transcriptions were methodical and instrumental in the completion of a recently published essay. Along with expanding his knowledge of diverse ethnic and artistic cultures in the United States, by working on this project, Jason is developing his qualitative research skills that emphasize the importance of structured or unstructured interviewing as a critical methodology. This Dana Research Assistantship provides Jason with the opportunity to learn about one aspect of data preparation.

Term Funded:Spring 2015
Professor: Jerry Philogene

Gretchen Kemp Mielke (2006)

Fat America: A Cultural Study of Stigma, Weight Loss and the Fat Acceptance Movement

During the 2002-2003 academic year, I have conducted significant research and writing on my manuscript Fat America: A Cultural Study of Stigma, Weight Loss, and the Fat Acceptance Movement. Before the end of the summer I will send out a completed introduction, chapter outline and prospectus to agents and publishers who have expressed interest in my book. Currently over sixty percent of the U.S. population is medically defined as overweight or obese, a figure that alarms both medical practitioners and the general public. The purpose of Fat America is to elucidate the cultural myths and metaphors surrounding fatness - particularly the historical roots of our animosity - as well as the highly contradictory approaches of two camps who seek to cure our problems with obesity. In the first group are those who, since the late 19th century up through the present have, advocated diets, surgery, drugs and psychotherapy to make us thinner. In the second camp are the much less well-known, but highly eloquent, fat activists. This more recent group of women and men push for an acceptance of the fat body, an end to discrimination, and a rethinking of what constitutes health. I argue that it is only through such an exploration - of fat "stigma" and fat "cures" - that we will be able to move forward in our thinking about our national crisis over obesity.

Term Funded:Year 2004
Professor: Amy Farrell

Leah Judith Shafer (2014)

A Difference That Makes No Difference: Making Race Not Matter in Postwar America

I am excited at the prospect of working with Leah Shafer (AMST 2014) as my Dana Research Assistant for the Spring 2012 semester. The project for which I seek her assistance is called A Difference That Makes No Difference: Making Race Not Matter in Postwar America. Specifically, I will ask her to gather and organize prinary evidence and secondary sources on the formation of race as an ideology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This book-length study draws on several bodies of evidence to show from a variety of angles an endeavor undertaken by powerful American political, legal, media, educational, religious, and social institutions from the 1940s to the present: crafting and propagating a public sensibility that I call "aracialism." Aracialism offered a utopian vision of a liberal polity in which race ceased to be a determinant of Americans' life chances. Aracialism's signal element, however, was (and remains) its superficiality: its architects mostly sought to "disappear" race rather than to confront and redress the structural inequalities race served to normalize.

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: J Cotten Seiler

Jillian Audrey Smith (2004)

Republic of Drivers: Automobility and the Formation of the American Self

At present, I am writing a book proposal for submission to publishers by the end of the semester. The study, tentatively entitled "Republic of Drivers: Automobility and the Formation of the American Self," will show how the figure of the driver has provided a practical model for the dominant conceptions of individual selfhood in American intellectual and political culture, and will evaluate the consequences of that model. The automobile, connected explicitly by its advocates to discourses of American individualism has enjoyed a remarkable primacy in American transportation policy since the mid-twentieth century. I contend that this primacy has been subsidized by a liberal-capitalist regime that has privileged driving, as a salutary practice. Specifically, I argue that driving - highway driving in particular, with its sensations of freedom and anonymity and its procedural limitations - has functioned as a metaphor for American citizenship, with deleterious consequences to democracy.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: J Cotten Seiler

Maretta Rose Sonn (2016)

Project One: Fat Studies Scholarship; Project Two: Girl Scouts of America

I am applying for a Dana research assistant for the 2014-2015 academic year. This research assistant will help me with fact checking and citation verification for three articles related to my work in fat studies: one on fat studies and pedagogical approaches; one on fat stigma and mother blaming; and one on fat, beauty, and concepts of the "natural" in fat activism of the 1970s and 1980s. This research assistant will also work with me to develop a full literature review and annotated bibliography for my new work on the history of the Girl Scouts of America.

Term Funded:Fall 2014
Professor: Amy Farrell

Rebecca Leigh Spiering (2003)

Norton Critical Edition of "O Pioneers!"

I have been asked to edit a Norton Critical Edition of Willa Cather's O Pioneers! The Norton Critical Editions gather a variety of contemporary contextual materials - - historical, cultural, economic, aesthetic - as well as important critical essays, along with the text of the novel. This is a prestigious and well-known series. This will be the first Norton edition of a novel by Willa Cather. I can use a research assistant most creatively and fully in tracking down appropriate contextual materials that will illuminate the historical contexts that shaped the production and the reception of Cather's novel. It will be necessary both to find and to read a range of possible sources before deciding on a final selection. For example, possible contexts for reading the novel include: the closing of the frontier; the experience of immigrant groups from France, Sweden, and Bohemia in Nebraska in the late nineteenth-century; early responses to Walt Whitman's poetry (the title is from Whitman); populist movements in the 19thc Midwest; popular entertainment (including opera and traveling plays) in the 19th century Midwest; Cather's autobiography; the place of the American writer and the role of American literature in the early 20th century; the suffrage movement; early reviews of the novel; later references to Cather's Nebraska by American writers; Nebraska's celebration and veneration of Cather at the present moment, contrasted to the reception of her work in Nebraska in the early 20th century.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Sharon O'Brien

James Yarnall Watson-Krips (2010)

The Impact of Automobility on Chinese Society, 1920-Present

This project is a historical study of automobility in China from the early twentieth century to the present. Building on and adding an international dimension to my book Republic of Drivers: A Cultural History of Automobility in the United States, 1895-1961 (forthcoming 2008 from the University of Chicago Press), I plan to conduct research on the transformations past, present, and future wrought by the automobile in China. I am particularly interested in how the sensations of personal freedom and agency created by driving will affect Chinese political culture. My hypothesis is that driving, and the middle-class prerogative of car ownership, will bring about a liberalization in Chinese society, and that the freedom of the driver will lead to a demand among the growing Chinese middle class for other, perhaps more substantive and explicitly political, types of freedom.

Term Funded:Spring 2008
Professor: J Cotten Seiler

Wuji Zeng (2012)

Chinese Automobility and U.S. Rhetorics of Identicality

Since the 1980s, China has developed its own apparatus of automobility, an interlocking set of economic, social, philosophical, legal, political, aesthetic structures and psychological dispositions that facilitate and normativize automobile use. This project analyzes the U.S./Western positioning of automobility as inevitably politically transformational. I plan to argue that, despite anxieties over an automobilized China's growing appetite for resources (particularly petroleum) and potentially catastrophic greenhouse gas output, the political valence of automobility-its supposedly manifest capacity to engender liberal political subjects-earns Chinese automobility the strong endorsement of most mainstream media in the United States. A diverse range of sources asserts automobility to be doing a sort of missionary work, fostering feelings of individual autonomy, agency, and choice that will eventually impact the Chinese state and society, rendering them "identical: to those of the United States. Zuji Weng will be able to access and translate the Mandarin-language sources (newspapers, magazines, and websites, as well as scholarly work) that will enrich the narrative of Chinese automobility beyond the optimistic and nationalistic sentiments expressed by most U.S. sources.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: J Cotten Seiler

Leslie Thigpen Archer (1993)

Ethnobotany of North Baffin Island Inuit

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1992
Professor: Kristen Borre

Jenny R Caruso (2006)

Collaboration to Reduce Disparities in Hypertension

Dickinson, The University of Pennsylvania and Cheyney College entered into a collaborative project to study cardiovascular disease (hypertension). The objective of the study was to assist in the elimination or reduction of disparities in health status, outcome, prevention or treatment in minority communities. The project studied the effectiveness of efforts to reduce and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities, understand their mediating factors, and develop multidisciplinary strategies and interventions to reduce them. The project expanded research skills and understanding of intervention strategies among emerging, new, and established investigators at Cheyney, Dickinson, and Penn. The goals were to promote the development of junior investigators at all levels of education (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral); develop health disparities research capacity at all institutions; and increase the competitiveness of these institutions for future federal funding in health disparities and mediation research.

Term Funded:Year 2005
Professor: Kjell Enge

Jenny R Caruso (2006)

Collaboration to Reduce Disparities in Hypertension

Dickinson, The University of Pennsylvania and Cheyney College entered into a collaborative project to study cardiovascular disease (hypertension). The objective of the study was to assist in the elimination or reduction of disparities in health status, outcome, prevention or treatment in minority communities. The project studied the effectiveness of efforts to reduce and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities, understand their mediating factors, and develop multidisciplinary strategies and interventions to reduce them. The project expanded research skills and understanding of intervention strategies among emerging, new, and established investigators at Cheyney, Dickinson, and Penn. The goals were to promote the development of junior investigators at all levels of education (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral); develop health disparities research capacity at all institutions; and increase the competitiveness of these institutions for future federal funding in health disparities and mediation research.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Kjell Enge

Katherine W Clark (2012)

Preliminary Analysis of the Human Skeletal Remains from Neale's Landing (site 46WD39), Blennerhassett Island, West Virginia

I am applying for a Dana Research Assistant for spring 2012 to support a student to collaborate with me on the preliminary analysis of the human skeletal remains from a prehistoric archaeological site, Neale's Landing, West Virginia, that is on loan to the Department of Anthropology from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). If funded, the Dana research assistant and I will conduct preliminary analysis of the human skeletal remains to determine the minimum number of individuals that are represented in these burials, their age and sex composition, and their health and disease profiles using standard human osteology analytical procedures. The results of this investigation will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and will ideally lead to future student-faculty research projects of the human skeletal remains from this site.

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: Karen Weinstein

Eric Scott Diehl (1997)

Social Stratification Among the Yi of SW China

Social Stratification Among the Yi of SW China

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: Ann Hill

Eric Scott Diehl (1997)

Social Stratification Among the Yi of SW China

Social Stratification Among the Yi of SW China

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: Ann Hill

Luke Thomas Donohue (2012)

Preliminary Analysis of the Human Skeletal Remains from Neale's Landing (site 46WD39), Blennerhassett Island, West Virginia

I am applying for a Dana Research Assistant for spring 2012 to support a student to collaborate with me on the preliminary analysis of the human skeletal remains from a prehistoric archaeological site, Neale's Landing, West Virginia, that is on loan to the Department of Anthropology from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). If funded, the Dana research assistant and I will conduct preliminary analysis of the human skeletal remains to determine the minimum number of individuals that are represented in these burials, their age and sex composition, and their health and disease profiles using standard human osteology analytical procedures. The results of this investigation will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and will ideally lead to future student-faculty research projects of the human skeletal remains from this site.

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: Karen Weinstein

Christopher Edward Gagne (1998)

Behavior and Ecology of Chimpanzees in SE Cameroon

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: Ellen Ingmanson

Kaitlin Mae Irvine (2010)

Hereditary Status Groups and Neoliberal Reforms in Ethiopia

This proposal is for a Spring 2008 Dana Research Assistant to assist with my book proposal concerning political and economic changes and the everyday lives of people in hereditary status groups in Ethiopia, stemming from my 2001-2002 fieldwork. The book proposal will comprise a prospectus, draft introduction, and four sample chapters, which I will submit for review by the end of the spring semester or the summer of 2008. Southern Ethiopia is characterized by hereditary divisions between dominant farmers and despised traders and craftworkers (including blacksmiths, hideworkers, weavers, and potters). Whereas scholars have characterized these categories as "castes" and assumed their historical persistence, my research examines their contingency and entanglement with forces of political economy. The Dana Research Assistant will work with me to locate and request sources, update and annotate a master bibliography, and crosscheck interview transcripts, audio recordings, field notes, and photographs from the Ethiopia fieldwork.

Term Funded:Spring 2008
Professor: James Ellison

Erin Lucia Mead (2005)

Collaboration to Reduce Disparities in Hypertension

Dickinson, The University of Pennsylvania and Cheyney College entered into a collaborative project to study cardiovascular disease (hypertension). The objective of the study was to assist in the elimination or reduction of disparities in health status, outcome, prevention or treatment in minority communities. The project studied the effectiveness of efforts to reduce and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities, understand their mediating factors, and develop multidisciplinary strategies and interventions to reduce them. The project expanded research skills and understanding of intervention strategies among emerging, new, and established investigators at Cheyney, Dickinson, and Penn. The goals were to promote the development of junior investigators at all levels of education (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral); develop health disparities research capacity at all institutions; and increase the competitiveness of these institutions for future federal funding in health disparities and mediation research.

Term Funded:Year 2005
Professor: Kjell Enge

Erin Lucia Mead (2005)

Collaboration to Reduce Disparities in Hypertension

Dickinson, The University of Pennsylvania and Cheyney College entered into a collaborative project to study cardiovascular disease (hypertension). The objective of the study was to assist in the elimination or reduction of disparities in health status, outcome, prevention or treatment in minority communities. The project studied the effectiveness of efforts to reduce and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities, understand their mediating factors, and develop multidisciplinary strategies and interventions to reduce them. The project expanded research skills and understanding of intervention strategies among emerging, new, and established investigators at Cheyney, Dickinson, and Penn. The goals were to promote the development of junior investigators at all levels of education (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral); develop health disparities research capacity at all institutions; and increase the competitiveness of these institutions for future federal funding in health disparities and mediation research.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Kjell Enge

Ashley Anne Morse (2007)

Collaboration to Reduce Disparities in Hypertension

Dickinson, The University of Pennsylvania and Cheyney College entered into a collaborative project to study cardiovascular disease (hypertension). The objective of the study was to assist in the elimination or reduction of disparities in health status, outcome, prevention or treatment in minority communities. The project studied the effectiveness of efforts to reduce and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities, understand their mediating factors, and develop multidisciplinary strategies and interventions to reduce them. The project expanded research skills and understanding of intervention strategies among emerging, new, and established investigators at Cheyney, Dickinson, and Penn. The goals were to promote the development of junior investigators at all levels of education (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral); develop health disparities research capacity at all institutions; and increase the competitiveness of these institutions for future federal funding in health disparities and mediation research.

Term Funded:Year 2007
Professor: Kjell Enge

Amy Marie Oechsner (2010)

Geoarchaeology at Joara and Fort San Juan: Colonialism and Household Practice at the Berry Site, North Carolina

Support for a Dana Research Assistantship is requested to assist in the final analysis of geoarchaeological samples derived from a significant 16th century Native American and Spanish Colonial archaeological site. An interdisciplinary research team demonstrated that the Berry site, a 12 acre Mississippian Period site dating to the 15th and 16th centuries A.D. is likely that of Fort San Juan and Joara, the center of an important Chiefdom where Juan Pardo's soldiers resided for a year in 1567. The fort includes at least five burned structures which offer a unique opportunity to examine a well preserved archaeological context where native people were dominant to Europeans, as the Spanish were significantly out numbered and dependent on the natives for food and hospitality for a year. The Dana Research Assistant will contribute to the larger study by analyzing microartifact samples from the floor of the burned structures to interpret how they were used and by whom.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: Sarah Sherwood

Bradley Ryan Roller (2012)

Analysis of Data from the 2011 Tanzania Field School: Health and Nutrition in an Interconnected World

This proposal requests Dana research assistant funding to employ Mr. Bradley Roller from July 18th to August 26th to help organize and analyze data from our 2011 ethnographic field school in Tanzania. Professors Weinstein and Ellison, both of the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, take Dickinson students to eastern Africa to teach them fieldwork methods in a rural community. The field school examines how rural people's subsistence, economic activities, and health are connected with broad political and economic changes. The Dana-funded assistant would help analyze fieldwork data, permitting us to present findings at conferences, in publication, and in grant proposals.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: James Ellison

Mindy Suzanne Rupley (2008)

Collaboration to Reduce Disparities in Hypertension

Dickinson, The University of Pennsylvania and Cheyney College entered into a collaborative project to study cardiovascular disease (hypertension). The objective of the study was to assist in the elimination or reduction of disparities in health status, outcome, prevention or treatment in minority communities. The project studied the effectiveness of efforts to reduce and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities, understand their mediating factors, and develop multidisciplinary strategies and interventions to reduce them. The project expanded research skills and understanding of intervention strategies among emerging, new, and established investigators at Cheyney, Dickinson, and Penn. The goals were to promote the development of junior investigators at all levels of education (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral); develop health disparities research capacity at all institutions; and increase the competitiveness of these institutions for future federal funding in health disparities and mediation research.

Term Funded:Year 2007
Professor: Kjell Enge

Mindy Suzanne Rupley (2008)

Collaboration to Reduce Disparities in Hypertension

Dickinson, The University of Pennsylvania and Cheyney College entered into a collaborative project to study cardiovascular disease (hypertension). The objective of the study was to assist in the elimination or reduction of disparities in health status, outcome, prevention or treatment in minority communities. The project studied the effectiveness of efforts to reduce and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities, understand their mediating factors, and develop multidisciplinary strategies and interventions to reduce them. The project expanded research skills and understanding of intervention strategies among emerging, new, and established investigators at Cheyney, Dickinson, and Penn. The goals were to promote the development of junior investigators at all levels of education (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral); develop health disparities research capacity at all institutions; and increase the competitiveness of these institutions for future federal funding in health disparities and mediation research.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Kjell Enge

Gabrielle A Russo (2006)

Body proportions and human biological diversity in pre-Contact Americas

This proposal requests funds to support a Dana research assistantship for student-faculty research in biological anthropology. The research project seeks to compare body proportions of ancient human skeletal remains from diverse environments in the Americas in order to assess the degree of biological diversity present within these populations. The student research assistant will be responsible for identifying, locating, and extracting osteological data from published sources, conducting literature reviews of the archaeological populations that form the basis of this project, and, with faculty supervision, collecting primary data from human skeletal remains. This research project will contribute to the growing scholarly literature about biological adaptations in human prehistory in general and in pre-contact North and South American populations in particular. The outcome of this project includes a student-faculty coauthored presentation at a national anthropology conference.

Term Funded:Year 2005
Professor: Karen Weinstein

Christina Joy Terrazas (2008)

Anthropology Internship funded by W.M. Keck Foundation

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Karen Weinstein

Wuji Zeng (2012)

Translating and Interpreting China's Southwestern Frontier

The research assistantship proposed here builds on my sabbatical research in fall 2009 on frontier violence and social integration in China. I am requesting six weeks support for Wuji Zeng to do the following: 1) to locate primary, somewhat unorthodox sources in Chinese on China's southwestern frontier in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, in particular, memoirs, diaries, reports (the raw, eye-witness research reports usually submitted to gov't agencies), Guomindang reminiscences, local stories and folklore, etc.; 2) to compile an annotated bibliography of these sources for my review, a selection of which we will translate; 3) translation of a long recorded interview in a local dialect of Chinese made during my sabbatical; 4) completion of a 10-page essay by Wuji on Nuosu-Han relations, including their respective view s on "race" and "ethnicity," based on the materials he has read and translated. Wuji is an anthropology major (and my advisee) interested in issues of race, prejudice, and nationalism.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Ann Hill

Daniel Ezekiel Ehrlich (2013)

Auditory Exostosis and Enamel Hypoplasia in the Human Skeletal Remains from Neale's Landing, Blennerhessett Island, West Virginia

A Dana research assistantship will aid my investigations of two specific pathological conditions in the human skeletal remains from Neale's Landing, Blennerhesset Island, West Virginia. First, I plan to prepare a journal article that reports the presence of bilateral auditory exostoses, a rare and unusual pathological condition in the archaeological record of the Ohio River Valley that signifies repetitive immersion in cold water and illuminates the riverine-based diet of this ancient population. Second, I plan to investigate the high rate of infant mortality in this population by examining the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia, developmental defects of tooth enamel that result from nutritional stress during infancy and young childhood. My students and I will then present the results of the enamel hypoplasia study at the 2014 meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Karen Weinstein

William Hardy Kochtitzky (2016)

NASA GCCE Grant: Agricultural & Ecological Impacts of the Tiwanaku State on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia (AD 400-1150) and Climate Change & Ancient Agricultural Production on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia

Agricultural & Ecological Impacts of the Tiwanaku State on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia (AD 400-1150) and Climate Change & Ancient Agricultural Production on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Maria Bruno

Chloe Monet Miller (2015)

NASA GCCE Grant: Agricultural & Ecological Impacts of the Tiwanaku State on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia (AD 400-1150) and Climate Change & Ancient Agricultural Production on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia

Agricultural & Ecological Impacts of the Tiwanaku State on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia (AD 400-1150) and Climate Change & Ancient Agricultural Production on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Maria Bruno

Amanda Grace Santilli (2017)

Understanding 3000 Years of Landscape Creation in the Lake Titicaca Basin of the Andes through Mapping and Geographic Information Systems on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia

Funds are sought to support an initial landscape-archaeology mapping project in the summer of 2016 that will contribute to a larger investigation into long-term-human-environmental relationships in the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia located in the Lake Titicaca Basin of the Andes. Maria Bruno (Anthropology/Archaeology), GIS specialist James Ciarrocca (LIS), and Earth Science major Amanda Santilli ('17) will use high-precision survey equipment to map approximately 500m swaths of land surrounding two major archaeological sites - Chiripa and Kala Uyuni - starting at the lakeshore and extending up to the top of the Taraco hills (approximately 2000m). These maps will not only encompass the known archaeological features of the two sites, but will also reveal any other human-made features in the surrounding area (such as raised fields, harbors, and causeways) as well as important natural features including streams, springs, clay quarries, etc. These detailed maps will then be placed into developing Geographic Information System (GIS) database to serve as a foundation for the larger project aiming to investigate Taraco landscape use and creation related to social, political, economic, and environmental variables over the 3000-year history of human occupation of the peninsula through archaeological, paleoclimatological, ethnographic, and historic datasets.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Maria Bruno

Christopher Henry Wolf (2014)

Auditory Exostosis and Enamel Hypoplasia in the Human Skeletal Remains from Neale's Landing, Blennerhessett Island, West Virginia

A Dana research assistantship will aid my investigations of two specific pathological conditions in the human skeletal remains from Neale's Landing, Blennerhesset Island, West Virginia. First, I plan to prepare a journal article that reports the presence of bilateral auditory exostoses, a rare and unusual pathological condition in the archaeological record of the Ohio River Valley that signifies repetitive immersion in cold water and illuminates the riverine-based diet of this ancient population. Second, I plan to investigate the high rate of infant mortality in this population by examining the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia, developmental defects of tooth enamel that result from nutritional stress during infancy and young childhood. My students and I will then present the results of the enamel hypoplasia study at the 2014 meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Karen Weinstein

Alexander B Bossakov (2020)

The "Stay-Behinds": Village Labor and Sustainability in the New Era of Migration in Rural China

Change in China's urban areas is dramatic, as cityscapes emerge from suburban rice paddies. But China's rural areas, as well, reflect the impact of globalization, especially as villagers leave home for work in towns and cities. Much of the research on rural China today focuses on these t-migrants, whose labor and remittances have injected cash into the rural economy, spurring the growth of new homes and new levels of consumerism in the countryside. However, stay-behinds continue to work in village fields, go to village schools, and maintain the village's numerous temples and ancestral tombs. It is seldom asked how their largely unpaid work matters in the headlong rush, under government direction, to wage work and urbanization. We focus on two important dimensions of village work, agriculture and religion, as indices for gauging the extent to which China's villages also have a role to play in China's contemporary society and economy. Current research on China's rural villages usually asks what migrants have contributed economically to villages and sociocultural change in rural life. We take a different tack: in the midst of changes to village economies and community life, especially since the beginning of migration out of the village in the early 1990s, we ask how the work of villagers who do not migrate - usually the elderly, mothers, and children - contributes to the sustainability of the local farming ecology and of village cultural traditions.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Susan Rose, Ann Hill

Rachel Gross (2019)

The "Stay-Behinds": Village Labor and Sustainability in the New Era of Migration in Rural China

Change in China's urban areas is dramatic, as cityscapes emerge from suburban rice paddies. But China's rural areas, as well, reflect the impact of globalization, especially as villagers leave home for work in towns and cities. Much of the research on rural China today focuses on these migrants, whose labor and remittances have injected cash into the rural economy, spurring the growth of new homes and new levels of consumerism in the countryside. However, stay-behinds continue to work in village fields, go to village schools, and maintain the village's numerous temples and ancestral tombs. It is seldom asked how their largely unpaid work matters in the headlong rush, under government direction, to wage work and urbanization. We focus on two important dimensions of village work, agriculture and religion, as indices for gauging the extent to which China's villages also have a role to play in China's contemporary society and economy. Current research on China's rural villages usually asks what migrants have contributed economically to villages and sociocultural change in rural life. We take a different tack: in the midst of changes to village economies and community life, especially since the beginning of migration out of the village in the early 1990s, we ask how the work of villagers who do not migrate - usually the elderly, mothers, and children - contributes to the sustainability of the local farming ecology and of village cultural traditions.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Susan Rose, Ann Hill

Muhajir Subuur Lesure (2020)

The "Stay-Behinds": Village Labor and Sustainability in the New Era of Migration in Rural China

Change in China's urban areas is dramatic, as cityscapes emerge from suburban rice paddies. But China's rural areas, as well, reflect the impact of globalization, especially as villagers leave home for work in towns and cities. Much of the research on rural China today focuses on these migrants, whose labor and remittances have injected cash into the rural economy, spurring the growth of new homes and new levels of consumerism in the countryside. However, stay-behinds continue to work in village fields, go to village schools, and maintain the village's numerous temples and ancestral tombs. It is seldom asked how their largely unpaid work matters in the headlong rush, under government direction, to wage work and urbanization. We focus on two important dimensions of village work, agriculture and religion, as indices for gauging the extent to which China's villages also have a role to play in China's contemporary society and economy. Current research on China's rural villages usually asks what migrants have contributed economically to villages and sociocultural change in rural life. We take a different tack: in the midst of changes to village economies and community life, especially since the beginning of migration out of the village in the early 1990s, we ask how the work of villagers who do not migrate - usually the elderly, mothers, and children - contributes to the sustainability of the local farming ecology and of village cultural traditions.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Susan Rose, Ann Hill

Meaghan Emily McBride (2019)

The "Stay-Behinds": Village Labor and Sustainability in the New Era of Migration in Rural China

Change in China's urban areas is dramatic, as cityscapes emerge from suburban rice paddies. But China's rural areas, as well, reflect the impact of globalization, especially as villagers leave home for work in towns and cities. Much of the research on rural China today focuses on these migrants, whose labor and remittances have injected cash into the rural economy, spurring the growth of new homes and new levels of consumerism in the countryside. However, stay-behinds continue to work in village fields, go to village schools, and maintain the village's numerous temples and ancestral tombs. It is seldom asked how their largely unpaid work matters in the headlong rush, under government direction, to wage work and urbanization. We focus on two important dimensions of village work, agriculture and religion, as indices for gauging the extent to which China's villages also have a role to play in China's contemporary society and economy. Current research on China's rural villages usually asks what migrants have contributed economically to villages and sociocultural change in rural life. We take a different tack: in the midst of changes to village economies and community life, especially since the beginning of migration out of the village in the early 1990s, we ask how the work of villagers who do not migrate - usually the elderly, mothers, and children - contributes to the sustainability of the local farming ecology and of village cultural traditions.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Susan Rose, Ann Hill

Pema Tashi (2020)

The "Stay-Behinds": Village Labor and Sustainability in the New Era of Migration in Rural China

Change in China's urban areas is dramatic, as cityscapes emerge from suburban rice paddies. But China's rural areas, as well, reflect the impact of globalization, especially as villagers leave home for work in towns and cities. Much of the research on rural China today focuses on these migrants, whose labor and remittances have injected cash into the rural economy, spurring the growth of new homes and new levels of consumerism in the countryside. However, stay-behinds continue to work in village fields, go to village schools, and maintain the village's numerous temples and ancestral tombs. It is seldom asked how their largely unpaid work matters in the headlong rush, under government direction, to wage work and urbanization. We focus on two important dimensions of village work, agriculture and religion, as indices for gauging the extent to which China's villages also have a role to play in China's contemporary society and economy. Current research on China's rural villages usually asks what migrants have contributed economically to villages and sociocultural change in rural life. We take a different tack: in the midst of changes to village economies and community life, especially since the beginning of migration out of the village in the early 1990s, we ask how the work of villagers who do not migrate - usually the elderly, mothers, and children - contributes to the sustainability of the local farming ecology and of village cultural traditions.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Susan Rose, Ann Hill

Jingwen Zhang (2020)

The "Stay-Behinds": Village Labor and Sustainability in the New Era of Migration in Rural China

Change in China's urban areas is dramatic, as cityscapes emerge from suburban rice paddies. But China's rural areas, as well, reflect the impact of globalization, especially as villagers leave home for work in towns and cities. Much of the research on rural China today focuses on these migrants, whose labor and remittances have injected cash into the rural economy, spurring the growth of new homes and new levels of consumerism in the countryside. However, stay-behinds continue to work in village fields, go to village schools, and maintain the village's numerous temples and ancestral tombs. It is seldom asked how their largely unpaid work matters in the headlong rush, under government direction, to wage work and urbanization. We focus on two important dimensions of village work, agriculture and religion, as indices for gauging the extent to which China's villages also have a role to play in China's contemporary society and economy. Current research on China's rural villages usually asks what migrants have contributed economically to villages and sociocultural change in rural life. We take a different tack: in the midst of changes to village economies and community life, especially since the beginning of migration out of the village in the early 1990s, we ask how the work of villagers who do not migrate - usually the elderly, mothers, and children - contributes to the sustainability of the local farming ecology and of village cultural traditions.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Susan Rose, Ann Hill

Stephanie Marie Mazur (2017)

Immigrants and their families from South America

Ethnographic research focusing on immigrants and their families from South American countries who now live and work in the city and province of Mendoza, Argentina.

Term Funded:Spring 2016
Professor:

Sarah Alison Eisen (2015)

Dickinson's G.I.S./3-D Mycenae Project

An archaeological excavation and publication of such complexity and scale requires interdisciplinary research, collaboration, and high-end digital technology. A key component for effective research and publication is the Mycenae G.I.S. geodatabase. This complex geodatabase will be designed to combine several spatial and non-spatial interfaces in order to facilitate the study of horizontal spatial distribution and vertical stratigraphic sequence of ruins and finds, and help investigate the dynamics between the cultural remains and the natural environment. Concurrently, the buildings and the valley of the Lower Town will be digitally 3-D modelled by specialists; 1,000 artifacts will be selected, 3-D scanned, studied at the Mycenae museum, and uploaded in the G.I.S. database by Sarah Eisen (Dickinson student, archaeology lab assistant) under my direct supervision. Both digital projects will be hosted on the Dickinson website to become pioneer research platforms for scholars worldwide as well as valuable teaching and learning tools. (a) Both digital projects will facilitate our archaeological research at Mycenae immensely; they will also accompany and enhance the printed publications of our excavations at Mycenae. Furthermore, these digital projects will become a ground-breaking, live, dynamic, and interactive digital publication beyond the printed volumes, as they will be continuously maintained, modified, and expanded by our students with new data and scholarly interpretations.(b) Both digital projects will become valuable teaching and learning tools. Our students will be actively involved at every stage of their development: creation, maintenance, expansion, thus enhancing their skills in digital applications in archaeology and their critical thinking in interpreting archaeological contexts. Both digital projects will also benefit our curriculum, since they will be used as teaching tools in G.I.S. classes and will be fully integrated in the new senior seminar, a core course for the archaeology major (ARCH 390 "Advanced Studies in Archaeology: Ancient Cities: Mycenae").

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Christofilis Maggidis

Chrysanthe Maggidis (2016)

Mycenae Project

Mycenae Project

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Christofilis Maggidis

Chrysanthe Maggidis (2016)

Mycenae Project

Mycenae Project

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Christofilis Maggidis

Solai Nikole Sanchez (2015)

Agriculture and the Tiwanaku State (AD 500-1100) on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia

The study of ancient agricultural systems provides insight into how past human populations interacted with their environments to develop diverse agricultural technologies, as well as also how social and political institutions shaped these interactions The proposed Dana Research Assistantship for Summer 2014 would support a student to help analyze archaeological plant samples from the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia that pertain to a period in which the region's first state, Tiwanaku (AD 500-1100), developed. This new information will permit Prof. Bruno to examine if and how agricultural production changed under the influence of the state compared to the autochthonous developments she documented for agricultural intensification during the earlier Formative period (1500 BC-AD 500). Such a study contributes to broader archaeological inquiries into the environmental, technological, and socio-political dynamics of ancient agricultural systems and early complex societies world-wide.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Maria Bruno

Fiona Olivier Clarke (2019)

The Medicine of Art: Disease and the Aesthetic Object in Gilded-Age America

In 1901, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens proclaimed in a letter to Will Low, "Health--is the thing!" Though recently diagnosed with intestinal cancer, Saint-Gaudens was revitalized by recreational sports and 'out-of-door things' he pursued in response to his illlness, having realized mid-career "there is something else in life besides the four walls of an ill-ventilated studio," as he wrote to Low. "The Medicine of Art" puts such moments center stage to consider the role of health and illness in the way art was produced and consumed. It is the first book-length study to address the place or organic disease--cancer, tuberculosis, syphilis--in the life and work of Gilded-Age artists. It demonstrates how well-known works of art by artists such as John Singer Sargent, Abbott Thayer and Augustus Saint-Gaudens were marked by disease, arguing that art itself functioned in medicinal terms for artists and viewers in the late nineteenth century.

Term Funded:Fall 2019
Professor: Elizabeth Lee

Fiona Olivier Clarke (2019)

The Medicine of Art: Disease and the Aesthetic Object in Gilded-Age America

In 1901, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens proclaimed in a letter to Will Low, "Health--is the thing!" Though recently diagnosed with intestinal cancer, Saint-Gaudens was revitalized by recreational sports and 'out-of-door things' he pursued in response to his illlness, having realized mid-career "there is something else in life besides the four walls of an ill-ventilated studio," as he wrote to Low. "The Medicine of Art" puts such moments center stage to consider the role of health and illness in the way art was produced and consumed. It is the first book-length study to address the place or organic disease--cancer, tuberculosis, syphilis--in the life and work of Gilded-Age artists. It demonstrates how well-known works of art by artists such as John Singer Sargent, Abbott Thayer and Augustus Saint-Gaudens were marked by disease, arguing that art itself functioned in medicinal terms for artists and viewers in the late nineteenth century.

Term Funded:Spring 2019
Professor: Elizabeth Lee

Wesley John Lickus (2017)

Ese'Eja Cultural Mapping

To quote ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin, "It isn't the Jaguar that's the most endangered species in the Amazon, it's the indigenous peoples and those uncontacted tribes that have the answers to questions that we have yet to ask." This collaborative multidisciplinary project encompasses a variety of efforts that center around the Ese'Eja Nation, an indigenous fishing, hunting, and gathering people located in the Madre de Dios (Amazonian region) of Peru. The objectives include the documentation of the life of the Ese'ja through cultural mapping and PhotoVoice, the formation of a Plan de Vida - a strategic community planning document, and the creation of educational programming for Ese'Eja schools, surrounding communities, and internationally distributed through the ACEER's award winning Amigos Program. Cultural Mapping: The Ese'Eja are facing challenges to their culture and traditional ways of life like most indigenous groups in Amazonia. In joining with the community to tell their story, and capture their worldview, conservation ethic, and their plight, it is the researchers goal to perpetuate a shift in thinking about indigenous people, like the Ese'Eja, who are often marginalized, invisible, and powerless. Cultural mapping involves documenting indigenous cultural practices and the native people's land ethic, including their deep knowledge of, and spiritual connection to, the local ecosystem. GPS coordinates will document the traditional boundaries of their 1.2 million hectares of ancestral lands in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. An already awarded National Genographic Legacy Grant will help pay for a documentary hardback book, with various accompanying digital media components, about the Ese'ja Nation. Copies will be printed in Spanish for local distribution and in English to be distributed globally. Proceeds from sales will be used as a source of sustainable funding to continue ACEER's educational programming. To coincide with the unveiling of this book in fall of 2016, a traveling exhibition of documentary and fine art photographs, videos, interactive maps and historical and cultural artifacts will open at the prestigious Old College Gallery at the University of Delaware.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Andrew Bale

Clara Marie Roth (2021)

Idaho Refugees and Diaspora

Idaho like many US states has a history of Native American Indians being displaced from their original homeland, as well as a history of embracing refugees and immigrants from around the globe. The first wave of refugees legally arrived from Southeast Asia under the Indochinese Refugee Assistance Program established by Idaho Governor John Evans. In 1975 multiple Southeast Asian countries supported by the U.S. were overthrown resulting in hundreds of thousands of people escaping Southeast Asia to evade execution. We have reached a critical point with these aging and heroic refugees, if we do not act now, this aging population will be gone and their firsthand accounts will be lost forever. We need to learn about their escape, journey, arrival and ultimate success in the US and their stories must be recorded and shared locally, nationally and globally. Disseminating their stories will help educate current and future refugees and aid in their acclamation process and current US citizens will gain an understanding as to why people are forced to abandon their country of origin. We plan to share their stories through four main multimedia channels/avenues including a fine art style hardback book, an exhibition (including photographs, video and audio), a participatory website and lecture/workshop series.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Andrew Bale

Aboluwade O Ayodele (2005)

Determination of Disinfection By-Products (DBP) from the chlorination of macro-molecules and bio-molecules in drinking water supplies. Dr. Brian Halsall, University of Cincinnati

It has been shown that chlorination of certain proteins is a major factor in atherosclerosis. Chlorination of water supplies is a convenient and economical form of disinfecting drinking water supplies. Water chlorination breaks down macro-molecules and bio-molecules and kills pathogens and other microorganisms in the water. This results in an accumulation of a wide variety of Disinfectant By-Products (DBP). Despite the popularity of disinfecting water supplies with chlorine, the actual mechanisms involved in the disinfection processes are widely unknown. Chlorine dissociates in water to yield Hypochlorous acid and Hypochlorite. These and chloramines are the main oxidizing species that produce the varios DBP. Some of these DBP have been identified and recognized as having carcinogenic propeeties and reproductive and developmental effects on animals. A study of the chlorination of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids will provide great insight into the nature of the various DBP present in our drinking water supplies and also allow us to identify and predict the DBP inn our drinking water supplies. We will be determining the mechansims involved in the chlorination processes of various macro-molecules and bio-molecules in different environmental conditions that reflect the various water conditions at different stages of water purification and distribution.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor:

Kayla Bendinelli (2019)

An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Michael Roberts

Megan Christine Blair (2002)

Identifying molecules for the treatment of diabetes

In working with Dr. Jeffrey Toney in the Endocrinology and Chemical Biology department of Merck Research Laboratories, I will be exposed to a multidisciplinary approach to drug discovery. I hope to explore new techniques to identify small molecules for the treatment of diabetes. This internship will involve finding new technologies that offer higher sensitivity and do not use radioactivity. If successful, the new technology could be applied to high throughput screening (HTS) of Merck's chemical collection. HTS has proven to be a highly valuable approach to quickly identifying potential compounds which possess specific biochemical activity. The most active compounds can then be tested in whole cell assays, and, if specific and highly potent, can be tested in animal models of human disease. As an intern, I will attend project team meetings and will present my results to regular departmental review of projects. I also hope to present my findings at a national meeting.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor:

Shannon Marie Bonner (2019)

An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Michael Roberts

Aaron Dale Brumbaugh (2014)

NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU):Purification and Analysis of the MJ1598 Protein from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii

Purification and Analysis of the MJ1598 Protein from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. This research experience complements the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology curriculum in a variety of ways; however, chief among these is the introduction to methods common to the field. Through developing familiarity with the application of growth curve analysis, various chromatographic methods, and polymerase incomplete primer extension (PIPE) cloning, I will acquire a greater understanding of the biochemical principles and theories underlying these methods. Furthermore, I will be able to further immerse myself in the analytical practices inherent in the fields of biochemical and molecular biological research, while simultaneously developing the critical thinking skills necessary for success in these fields. Ultimately, this experience will allow me to utilize the wealth of information I have gained through my academic work within the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, while also building upon it by expanding my knowledge of bacterial physiology, archea, and biochemistry. It is my aim that this experience will synergistically work with my Dickinson education to prepare me to enter the field of biochemistry.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Susan Sights Buckenmaier (2016)

Myotoxic and neurotoxic effects of prolonged application of local anesthetics...

The internship I have been offered through the Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM) is one that is conducting research in an area that I find fascinating and that ties into what I have learned over my first year at Dickinson, my major and what I hope to do as a future officer in the military. I am an ROTC cadet on campus and have declared as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. Working in a military research setting would help prepare me for my eventual career as an Army Officer employed in the medical branch of the military. The project will be done with pigs, and I will be finding out if the nerve catheters and drugs used to treat pain in the hospital are indeed safe. This is necessary because at Walter Reed these catheters and drugs are used for longer periods than anywhere else in a civilian hospital, and to date there is no evidence that they do not cause any damage in the muscle and nerve tissue after such a prolonged use. I will be placing and using the same catheters and drugs in pigs the same way as they are normally used in patients. After a few weeks the research team will functionally and histologically evaluate if there is any damage to the surrounding muscle and nerve. Because these procedures are going to be very similar to those done to patients, I think I will find this research very interesting, and will be able to experience anatomy, and how biology and physiology works firsthand. This relates closely to my major because it deals with a chemical process being preformed on an animal model system, and how the reactions affect the biology of the pig on a molecular level. I hope to be able to apply the information I have learned through my biology and mathematics and apply this new knowledge to both the lab work and evaluation portions of the exploration and gain experience for future classes and my eventual career as an officer. I think that through this experience I will develop invaluable skills and will be able to cultivate my love of science and research.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Jessica Lynne Caban (2011)

Australia (biology, biochemistry and molecular biology)

Australia (biology, biochemistry and molecular biology)

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor:

La Niece Nicole Carpenter (2016)

An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Michael Roberts

Rinaldys Javier Castillo (2017)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app - In vivo evolution of a viral RNA

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: David Kushner

Thanprakorn Chiramanewong (2013)

Cellular Response of Leukemia Cells to an Alkyne-Modified Parthenolide Derivative

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Aaron A Cook (2015)

Purification and Characterization of BAG5

Term Funded:Year 2013
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Robert James Cox (2014)

Effects of macrophage migration inhibitory facto (MIF) on bladder smooth muscle and fibroblast cell survival

Effects of macrophage migration inhibitory facto (MIF) on bladder smooth muscle and fibroblast cell survival

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor:

Gabriel J DiNatale (2014)

Profiling chemotherapeutic-resistant tumor cells

This summer, I will be interning in the Lauffenburger laboratory performing research in the field of cancer biology. My work will entail the study of chemotherapeutic-resistant tumor cells. This specific area of cancer biology research is particularly important because a large proportion of cancer fatalities are due to relapse. These relapses come as a result of the gross killing of the majority of tumor cells, while the few chemotherapeutic-resistant cells remain. These small numbers of cells does not cause many pathogenic complications; however, the cells can propagate and cause disease that is untreatable, and fatal in most cases. Understanding the genetic makeup of these problematic cancer cells can pave the way for targeted treatment that may ultimately lead to total anti-cancer treatments.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Gabriel J DiNatale (2014)

Cellular Effects of Parthenolide Analogs

Term Funded: 2013
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Brianne Marie Dudiak (2016)

Effects of Aspirin on Fatty Acid Beta-Oxidation

This research asks several questions about the effect of aspirin on several proteins involved in fatty acid beta-oxidation, particularly long-chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase (LCAD) and very-long chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD), and how the aspirin-treated proteins affect the fatty acid oxidation process as a whole.

Term Funded:Summer
Professor:

Samuel A Eaton (2017)

An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Michael Roberts

Jessica Nicole Edenfield (2016)

Metaplastic Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Chart Review of Molecular Profiling Results and Outcomes

Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare type of cancer making up approximately 0.5-5.0 percent invasive breast cancers. Characterized by its high-grade carcinoma with heterogeneous metaplastic components, metaplastic breast cancer is usually triple negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2. They also exhibit metaplastic transformation of the glandular epithelium to non-glandular mesenchymal tissue. This cancer can further be classified into five categories; matrix-producing carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, spindle cell carcinoma, carcinosarcoma, metaplastic carcinoma with osteoclastic giant cells. Compared to Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, MBC results in poorer prognosis. MBC has a greater chance of initial spreading to lymph nodes and exhibits more aggressive pathological traits. The study is a systematic investigation designed to contribute to generalizable knowledge. The study aims to identify a correlation with disease progression and determine molecular profiles. The study will partner with The Institute of Translational Oncology for the purpose of detecting if molecular profile suggests potential therapies. Data will be collected in a deidentified fashion. Any data published or presented will be done so in summary only.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Damien Garbett (2003)

Study of Epidermal Growth Factor and Ca2 Efflux in Mammalian Oocyte

My summer internship will involve researching the roles of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and Ca2 effluxes from mammalian oocytes and cumulus cells. This will be my first opportunity to conduct lab research outside of a class setting. The research will be conducted with Dr. David Gross in the Lederle Graduate Research Center at the University of Massachusetss in Amherst. My role in this research will involve performing cell cultures, fluorescence microscopy, and various other biochemical techniques. Working in the lab will enhance my understanding of molecular biology and biochemistry in addition to providing me with valuable lab experience. Also, because the lab personnel consists only of Dr. Gross, myself, and one other post-grad student; I will spend my time in lab conducting meaningful tasks, not trivial chores. Overall this research opportunity will provide me with experience and knowledge that will help me achieve my ambitions of working in a pharmaceutical laboratory.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor:

Alma Daniela Garcia Perez (2017)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app - Defining functional regions of Turnip crinkle virus satellite RNA C

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: David Kushner

Beth Ellen Gern (2002)

Demonstration of the scaffolding function of the protein Ksr in linking Raf, ERK, and MEK in the MAP kinase signaling pathway./Role of the Scaffolding Protein Ksr in Activation of the MAP Kinase Pathway.

The MAP kinase pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway which links growth hormone binding to changes in gene expression and results in an increase in cell proliferation. Three important proteins which serve to help activate this pathway are the proteins Raf-1, MEK and ERK 1/2. Recently the scaffolding protein Ksr has been shown to link these proteins together into a functional complex that binds to phosphatidic acid. This study will examine the effect of site-specific mutagenesis of Ksr on the ability of this protein to serve as an activating scaffold for Raf, MEK and ERK. The results should provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular proliferative responses.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor:

Breanna Sophie Goldner (2014)

Protein Engineering of Molecular Chaperone BAG5

Term Funded:Year 2013
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Jennifer Kay Hibben (2014)

NSF 0918624: Collaborative Research/RUI: Evolution of satC RNA with Turnip Crinkle Virus RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the 3 portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the 5 portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI-s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: David Kushner

Cassandra Elizabeth Holbert (2016)

An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Michael Roberts

Jonathan William Jackson (2014)

Microwave Ritter Reaction

Term Funded: 2012-13
Professor: R David Crouch

Adam Lee Kaminski (2015)

Shear-thinning hydrogels

Kaminski spent 10 weeks over summer 2014 at the University of Pennsylvania's biomaterials laboratory, where his research focused on shear-thinning hydrogels that are used to treat heart failure. "I was co-author for a paper that was published in the journal Biomacromolecules," says the biology major, noting that he's been invited to return to the same laboratory this summer and will use his scholarship stipend to cover the costs associated with this research opportunity.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Kelly E Keenan (2015)

Characterizing the Transport of Mg2 via the SLC41A1 protein

Characterizing the Transport of Mg2 via the SLC41A1 protein

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Kira Marie Krivy (2005)

The role of centrosomal NuMA in multipolar spindles in cancer cells. Dr. Williams Saunders Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh.

Chromosomes are normally segregated during mitosis with very high fidelity. Loss of individual chromosomes typically occurs at less than one in a hundred thousand cell divisions. This high accuracy is ensured by the spindle apparatus, a transitory microtubule-based structure that appears and disappears in eukaryotic cells during cell division. Defects in spindle function, such as the occurrence of multipolar spindles, can lead to a much higher frequency of chromosomes loss or nondisjunction. The genomic instability resulting from these spindle defects may increase the likelihood that the defective cell will become a cancerous cell or lead to birth defects in the next generation. Recent research has determined that a reduction of NuMA with RNAi expression knockdown leads to the elimination of multipolar spindles in cancer cells. This project will utilize immumofluorescent microscopy, construction of DNA expression vectors, and RNAi inhibition of gene expression to specifically investigate whether the overexpression of centrosomal NuMA alone is enough to cause multipolarity.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor:

Ho An Lau (2018)

An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Michael Roberts

Kayleigh Elisabeth Makoid (2016)

Searching for Aneuploid Tolerance Genes

Aneuploidy, or the presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes, is a hallmark of cancer. Past findings have indicated that despite the deleterious effects of aneuploidy, it is a well-tolerated phenomenon within cells (Schoenfelder et. al., 2014). In fact, the Fox Laboratory at Duke University showed that there is no change in the structure or function of the papillar cells of the drosophila hindgut when aneuploidy is increased ten-fold. Thus, it was hypothesized that there is a response that allows papillar cells to thrive despite aneuploidy. A genome-wide deficiency screen was set up in order to detect aneuploid tolerance.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor:

Abigail Olivia Marriott (2016)

An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Michael Roberts

Dana R McGregor (2002)

Yeast Two-Hybrid Interactions Between NAC Proteins and other Trsncription Factor Encoding Genes in Arabidopsis

This research project is being performed as part of a Europe-wide initiative to determine the function of transcription factors in the plant Arabidopsis (the project is termed REGIA which stands for Regulatory Gene Initiative in Arabidopsis). Transcription factors (TFs) are proteins which regulate the expression (transcription) of DNA genes into messenger RNA which is then translated into proteins. Knowing the function of TFs will help decifer how this plant controls the expression of its genes. This specific project focuses on the NAC family of TFs and the yeast two-hybrid method will be used to help determine their function. The project will use cDNA cloning and PCR technology in order to produce the constructs needed for the two-hybrid assay. The work will be performed at the John Innes Center, one of the best plant molecular biology institutes in the world.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor:

Egmidio Medina (2018)

An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Michael Roberts

Alexander James Myers (2019)

An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Michael Roberts

Sahil Rajivshiv Nayyar (2016)

Optical simulation of metal nanostructures using the discrete dipole approximation

Plasmonic metal nanostructures are used in many areas of industry due to their interesting optical properties. Among these is Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), a method of chemical imaging that relies on the optical focusing properties of "rough" nanostructure surfaces to enhance overall chemical signals. The ability to perform rational design of these nanostructures, in which they are engineered to perform specific tasks, requires a method of predicting their optical properties given a certain geometry. In this paper, we present the results of a study using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA); a numerical method that treats arbitrary geometries as a finite array of ideal dipoles to solve for the overall optical properties. We applied this method to single spheres, ellipsoids, homodimers, and heterodimers composed of various configurations of the noble metals (gold, silver, and copper). We were specifically interested in predicting their extinction spectra and near electric field enhanceent; properties that are important in their SERS-based applications. The results were in close agreement with other theoretical methods, such as the quasistatic approximation, for simple geometries such as spheres and ellipsoids of low aspect ratio, with increasingly differing behavior predicted for ellipsoids of higher aspect ratios. We were able to observe some interesting effects in more complicated geometries, such as the "hot spots" observed in dimers, and multiple plasmon resonances within extinction profiles observed for heterodimers. We hope that the results of this work prove useful in practical laboratory applications that make use of nanoparticles' unique optical behavior.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor:

Christine Brooke Neville (2014)

Investigation of Actin Nucleation Factors and Cytoskeletal Structure in Mouse Melanoma Cells

Term Funded:Year 2013
Professor: John Henson

Faith Melissa Peluso (2003)

Interactions between virus and hairpin promoters in the Turnip Crinkle Virus

The turnip crinkle virus (TCV) is a RNA virus with a number of small subviral RNAs associated with it. The subviral RNAs depend on the main viral enzymes to replicate. One specific subviral RNA strand contains the TCV virus and another set of genes called satC, both of which are replicated by the main virus, starting at a region called the promotor region. When the hairpin promoters for satC and TCV are switched, it affects the ability of TCV to replicate them and produce symptoms in plants. Occasionally though, a TCV virus is found to be replicating well, possibly due to a second site mutation elsewhere in the virus. This project is to attempt to discover where the mutation is in the viral RNA. To accomplish this goal, a full length copy of the mutant virus will be cloned and transcripts produced in the lab used to inoculate plants. If the virus produces symptoms, the original clone will be sequenced to find the mutation. Since there will likely be a number of mutations, each will be reengineered into the original TCV with the 3-prime end of satC virus. This information will be used to create a model to determine if the section containing the mutation is interacting with the hairpin promoter on the 3-prime end to cause the virus to replicate better.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor:

Jennifer L Picarsic (2003)

Development of Gene Tissue for Early Lung Cancer using novel invitro model of lung cancer

The Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) is an engineering growth project, which is playing a key role in the advancement and education of biomedical research, both locally and internationally. In 1997, the PTEI established a summer internship program for undergraduate students from Southwestern Peensylvanian counties, for students who are persuing future caeer goals in medicine, engineering, research, or related fields. Each intern is paired with his/her research mentor at one of PTEI's six funded hospitals or universities. During the 10-week internship (contingent upon receiving HHMI grant), I would be working with Joseph M Pilewski, MD of the Unviersity of Pittsburgh Biomedical Center. I would engage in research focused on using gene vectors in an originally designed in vitro lung caner model of normal and malignant lung cancer cells, to test for genes that could abolish malignant cells while preserving the normal cell lining.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor:

Nicole Elizabeth Price (2015)

Molecular Biology Research, Handelsman Lab

I will be working in the Molecular and Developmental Biology department at Yale University with a faculty mentor and a post-graduate student. I will be helping to conduct research on cow manure, trying to find a new class of antibiotics that could help prevent further spread of a deadly disease called mestasis. Mestasis is a disease most commonly found in cows, but being that humans are heavely dependent on cows for meat and dairy products, this disease has been transmitted to a large number of the human population. Our research question explores whether or not the bacteria from the cow manure will continue to grow in the presence of the penicillin it is treated with.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor:

Melissa Beth Rifkin (2018)

Quantifying Phototoxicity: Singlet Oxygen Production of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Octanol

The correlation between a compound's tendency to generate reactive oxygen species and its photo-induced toxicity to aquatic organisms is well documented. In this study, singlet oxygen production by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was measured in octanol and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), bio-relevant solvents, to assess their potential to affect the health of aquatic species subjected to natural oil seeps or man-made oil spills. A spectrophotometric assay used p-nitrosodimethylaniline (RNO) bleaching to measure the amount of singlet oxygen generated by photoirradiated PAHs. Anthracene had the highest rate of RNO oxidation, indicating the most singlet oxygen production, while benzo(a)pyrene had the lowest. These findings can be applied to analyze marine life and their likelihood of survival when in contact with certain PAHs.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor:

Jennifer M Rothberg (2006)

The Diadenosine Polyphospatase "Invasion" homolog in Agrobacterium Tumefaciens. Dr. Suzanne O'Handley, Rochester Institute of Technology

Despite the rare use of compensating payments, economists continue to document many possibilities for improving the welfare of all, if only those people who face a direct loss could be compensated. We hypothesize that compensation is only paid when losers of a policy changes are politically powerful and have strong reason to expect future profits from the existing policy to decline.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor:

Jennifer Kristina Rush (2015)

Role of DNA Methyltransferases in the Proliferation of Cancer Cells

The purpose of this project is to determine the role of certain DNA methyltransferases in the proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer. The significance of this project is to more fully understand the catalysts of cancer metastasis. Even if the hypothesis is not supported, it will provide useful information to better understand these diseases. This endeavor will further our understanding of the types of DNA methyltransferase found specifically in cancer cells and will help other researchers develop better targeted treatments through this knowledge.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Jennifer Kristina Rush (2015)

The role of NgBR in regulating ER positive breast tumor resistance to chemotherapuetic drugs

Last year, I completed a research project also looking at the metastasis of breast cancer and influential factors in the process. This project nicely complements the previous one and allows me to use my current knowledge to further the understanding in this groundbreaking field. It also fits well with my major because I will be using several critical approached commonly used in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology field. Some of the assays and methods I will be performing include cell culture, cell viability assays (trypan blue staining and hemocytometer use), cell apoptosis assays (TUNEL staining or Annexin V staining), and Western blot analysis..

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Elizabeth Kwon Ruszak (2006)

Chloromethylprotease inhibitory effects of HPV infected keratinocytes

It has been recently discovered by Dr. Glawson's Laboratory that a chloromethylketone inhibitor of chymotrypsin-like protease activity, which we had previously described as a relatively selective inhibitor of the nuclear protease, has very potent inhibitory effects on keratinocytes infected with high-risk HPV in raft culture. It now has shown that an important target of the protease inhibitor is actually a family of ATP-dependent, DEAD-box helicases. This summer research will be focusing on documenting the covalent inactivation of a model helicase, the large T-antigen of SV40, defining the modification site, and developing an assay for measurement of helicase activity in nuclear extracts of HPV-infected cells.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor:

Rizwan Mohamed Saffie (2014)

The Importance of Fucosyltransferases in Breast Cancer Metastasis

Worldwide, cancer is now the leading cause of death. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer after lung cancer, the fifth most common cause of cancer death, and the leading cause of cancer death in women. The global burden of breast cancer exceeds all other cancers and the incidence rates of breast cancer are increasing. In cancer progression, there is the development of a primary tumor and the eventual emigration of cancer cells into the circulatory system and distant tissues and organs. This cancerous spread is called metastasis. It has been found that different cancers prefet to invade certain tissues and organs- a phenomenon called organotropism. Breast cancers often spawn metastatic colonies in the brain, liver, bones, and lungs. Metastasis is responsible for a large burden of morbidity and mortality among cancer patients. In fact, only about 10% o cancer deaths are attributable to primary tumors. The remaining 90% o deaths are due to cancerous growths (metastases) that are discovered at sites relatively far away from the locations of their primary tumors. The five-year survival of patients with distant metastatic disease is low and once detected, metastatic breast cancer is incurable. Despite this, there are few therapies that specifically target metastatic disease. Further scientific understanding of the underlying mechanisms and pathways of metastasis is essential to facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Eileen Shen (2014)

Investigation of Actin Nucleation Factors and Cytoskeletal Structure in Mouse Melanoma Cells

Term Funded:Year 2013
Professor: John Henson

Kirsten Marissa Simpson (2005)

Molecular biology and NMR to study retroviral genome recognition and packaging of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Dr. Mike Summers, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD

The lab that I have been offered a position at is the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The lab is the Howard Hughes Medical Institue of UMBC and is run under Dr. Mike Summers. This lab works with the HIV virus and their efforts lie in the area of understanding the protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions that occur as retroviruses assemble in infected cells. They focus on the interactions to better understand the viral genome so that they can develop new drugs to help treat the virus. I will be conducting molecular biology and NMR to study retroviral genome recognition and packaging of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The lab has recently been focusing on the Gag protein since all retroviruses encode a Gag precursor polyprotein that functions in the recognition of viral RNA and in the assembly of virus particules. They have encoded many proteins already and I will be helping to assemble more proteins in the virus. This is a huge opportunity for me to learn more about nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and computational methods that address protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions. This is also a great opportunity for me to help the biology community in general. There is also an opportunity to attend a conference in San Diego, CA at the end of August. The conference will be focused on proteins and protein-protein interactions.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor:

Jerone Tyler Stoner (2015)

Determining the Significance of ZNF217 Overexpression Leading to Metabolic Shifts and Breast Cancer

Determining the Significance of ZNF217 Overexpression Leading to Metabolic Shifts and Breast Cancer

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Alicia Tang (2006)

The role of Pin1 in Regulation of p63, a p53 protein related to human tumorigenesis

The tumor suppressor protein p53 takes part in regulation of cell proliferation as well as apoptosis. P63 is in the family of p53, and it is vital for stem cell regeneration and embryonic development as well as coding for many various proteins. P63 is correlated with cancer development and with any extra production of certain specific p63 isoforms will be associated with human tumorigenesis. The purpose of this project is to find the role of Pin 1 in regulation of p63.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor:

Katri Elizabeth Thiele (2015)

Genomic characterization of corticotropin-releasing hormone in preterm birth

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is largely known for its role in the stress response, signaling for downstream production of cortisol along the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Aside from this role, though, studies have found that CRH is expressed at high levels in the human placenta during pregnancy. Placental CRH expression, detectable from the early second trimester, increases exponentially throughout gestation, peaking at the onset of parturition. This research can contribute to deeper understanding of the physiological mechanisms behind preterm birth, which are still largely enigmatic. Preterm birth, affecting about 1 of every 8 babies in the United States, is one of the leading causes of infant illness and mortality, making research in this field a high priority to protect the lives of future generations. Learning to think critically about research questions is an essential aspect of becoming a scientist. The ability to ask these questions and consider approaches in order to answer them is the basis of successful research, and clinical research is the basis of medicine. It has been incredibly interesting participating in research that is so clinically relevant, as scientists and, especially physician-scientists, are able to help so many people, and have the mandate from society to do so. During my time here, I also shadowed physicians in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where I was able to witness the presence of preterm birth in infant illness and realize the applicability and importance of my research topic and research in general.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Katri Elizabeth Thiele (2015)

Cellular heat shock response in human osteosarcoma cells

This past summer I explored the cellular heat shock response in a lab out of Turku, Finland. Using immunofluorescence techniques we visualized the heat shock response across time points in human osteosarcoma cells. Specifically, the focus was on the formation, growth and proliferation of nuclear stress bodies, which form upon cellular proteotoxic stress. In order to treat the cells and create the means for microscopy, techniques such as pipetting, stressing and culturing cells were used. In parallel, western blots were performed in order to examine the behavior of HSF proteins involved in the process. In a separate experiment, real time, or quantitative, PCR was performed often to explore target gene expression dependent upon heat shock treatments and presence of non-coding satellite III RNA. Here techniques such as pipetting, making solutions and preparing PCR plates were used. All experiments were very helpful for learning laboratory etiquette and techniques, including planning and preparing for my own experiments as well as putting them into action and, eventually, analyzing results. This was very relevant to my biology major as I am very interested in research as well as the behavior of the human body upon exposure to stress.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor:

Katri Elizabeth Thiele (2015)

Purification and characterization of putative giant viral prolyl-4-hydroxylase enzymes.

I am acting as research intern in Professor Thierry Hennet's laboratory in the University of Zurich's Institute of Physiology. I am conducting experiments which explore a particular enzyme in certain Giant Viruses. I am attempting to express these proteins in E. coli bacteria, purify them, and assay their enzymatic activity in an attempt to discover whether they are present, and involved in collaged synthesis in Giant Viruses. This research is relevant to human medicine, as its final aim is to explore the productivity of these enzymes in collagen synthesis in later attempts to explore controlled collagen synthesis, which may aid in the treatment of human connective tissue disorders. I am learning a lot in the way of molecular biology and biochemistry, as well as exploring research in a laboratory as a potential future career. This research is being done under the University of Zurich's Biology Undergraduate Summer School of 2013, which involves weekly seminars and journal clubs in order to improve our abilities to read about, discuss and analyze scientific data and papers. This was a program for which I applied and was accepted along with about 19 other students, out of about 400 applicants worldwide. It is an international program, so I am interacting with many students from different countries and continents in a foreign environment. It truly is, thus far, an intellectually and culturally stimulating experience which I am enjoying immensely.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Phung Tieu Vuong (2012)

Pro-neurotrophin/p75 receptor pathway and the recovery process post traumatic brain injury

Pro-neurotrophin/p75 receptor pathway is suggested to mediate cell death and long term depression in the brain. Previous work has shown that p75 receptor expression increased following lateral fluid percussion injury, suggesting the involvement of pro-neurotrophin/p75 receptor pathway in the recovery process post-traumatic brain injury. Using lateral fluid percussion (LFP) injury as model of traumatic brain injury (TBI), loss of cells by apoptosis, motor and cognitive deficits were measured in p75 receptor mutant mice. Apoptotic cells were quantified with caspase3 immunohistoChemistryistry. Motor deficit was measured using Rotarod test. Cognitive deficit was measured with Morris Water Maze test. Moderately injured p75 knockout mice showed a reduction in the number of apoptotic cells in the cortex at one day post injury compared to wildtype injured animals. Moderately injured p75 heterozygous mice showed improved performance on both motor and cognitive tasks compared to wildtype injured mice at one day post injury but not at later time points. Our results suggest the negative role of pro-neurotrophin/p75 receptor pathway in the early recovery process after LFP injury in mice.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor:

Taylor Nicole Weilnau (2014)

Evaluation of a novel OBGYN residency interview process to assess emotional intelligence

The purpose of the study is to compare behavioral event interviewing with more traditional interview methods with the goal of assessing resident applicants empathy, teamwork, and self-knowledge; three critical components of Emotional Intelligence(EI). A secondary goal of this research is analyze letters of recommendation and past experience with respect to EI and see if they correlate with the results from the interview process analysis. The specific vocabulary EI qualities that will be investigated are empathy, teamwork, and self-knowledge. The significance of this study is to identify a more innovative assessment process for future professional and emotional competencies required for successful residency within the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology. My research role is the creation of a database for extracted quantitative data and assistance in the statistical analysis of data, additionally, I have been CITI trained and certified by LVHN as eligible to research. This research does have the intent of being published. My experience also includes exposure to OBGYN practice in both surgical and clinical settings, and the methods of research within clinical settings. The research conducted contributes to the fields of Public Health, Graduate Medical Education, Medicine, and Healthcare Administration. This does not necessarily relate to my major field of Biochemistry, but rather my career intentions involving the Biomedical/Medical and Healthcare field.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Eleonore P Werner (2006)

Clone, express, purify and determine function of CaFpg protein. Susan S. Wallace, University of Vermont.

Damage to DNA molecules can be caused by free radicals. The damage caused by free radicals can be substantial in some cases and can lead to cancer. However, DNA has a mechanism called Base Excision Repair that can fix the damage that free radicals cause. Base Excision Repair is a very complex process involving many different proteins. The CaFpg protein (part of the Fpg/Nei family) is one of the many proteins working in the Base Excision Repair mechanism in eukaryotes outside of plants and vertebrates. The CaFpg protein is found Candida albicans, which is a known pathogen. The goal of my project will be to clone, express, purify and determine the function of the CaFpg protein. Upon completion of the project we will have better insight into how the pathegen functions, a better understanding of the substrate specificity of the CaFpg protein and information about the evolution of the Base Excision Repair mechanism since C. albicans is small not very complex organism.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor:

Ryan David Deeds (2010)

Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The research project will address the question: What are the molecular differences between human leukemia cells and differentiated human blood cells? Profs. Roberts and Forrester will direct the team of 6 students in research combining molecular biological and computational methods to elucidate the differences between the "cancer" genetic program and the "normal cell" genetic program utilizing the human leukemia cell line HL-60. Changes in genetic programs will be determined using DNA microarray analysis as the leukemia cells are induced to assume normal cell properties in culture. A variety of bioinformatics tools will then be applied to the large data sets generated to uncover the molecular mechanisms in play and to model and predict changes in gene activity that mediate the cancer to normal cell conversion. The ultimate goal of this project is to more fully understand the genetic differences between normal and cancer cells and, in the process, identify new targets for chemotherapy.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Senaka Yoshio Ratnayake (2010)

Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The research project will address the question: What are the molecular differences between human leukemia cells and differentiated human blood cells? Profs. Roberts and Forrester will direct the team of 6 students in research combining molecular biological and computational methods to elucidate the differences between the "cancer" genetic program and the "normal cell" genetic program utilizing the human leukemia cell line HL-60. Changes in genetic programs will be determined using DNA microarray analysis as the leukemia cells are induced to assume normal cell properties in culture. A variety of bioinformatics tools will then be applied to the large data sets generated to uncover the molecular mechanisms in play and to model and predict changes in gene activity that mediate the cancer to normal cell conversion. The ultimate goal of this project is to more fully understand the genetic differences between normal and cancer cells and, in the process, identify new targets for chemotherapy.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Adnan Zahir Solaiman (2010)

Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The research project will address the question: What are the molecular differences between human leukemia cells and differentiated human blood cells? Profs. Roberts and Forrester will direct the team of 6 students in research combining molecular biological and computational methods to elucidate the differences between the "cancer" genetic program and the "normal cell" genetic program utilizing the human leukemia cell line HL-60. Changes in genetic programs will be determined using DNA microarray analysis as the leukemia cells are induced to assume normal cell properties in culture. A variety of bioinformatics tools will then be applied to the large data sets generated to uncover the molecular mechanisms in play and to model and predict changes in gene activity that mediate the cancer to normal cell conversion. The ultimate goal of this project is to more fully understand the genetic differences between normal and cancer cells and, in the process, identify new targets for chemotherapy.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Emily Marie Swain (2010)

Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The research project will address the question: What are the molecular differences between human leukemia cells and differentiated human blood cells? Profs. Roberts and Forrester will direct the team of 6 students in research combining molecular biological and computational methods to elucidate the differences between the "cancer" genetic program and the "normal cell" genetic program utilizing the human leukemia cell line HL-60. Changes in genetic programs will be determined using DNA microarray analysis as the leukemia cells are induced to assume normal cell properties in culture. A variety of bioinformatics tools will then be applied to the large data sets generated to uncover the molecular mechanisms in play and to model and predict changes in gene activity that mediate the cancer to normal cell conversion. The ultimate goal of this project is to more fully understand the genetic differences between normal and cancer cells and, in the process, identify new targets for chemotherapy.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Amy Louise Williamson (2010)

Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The research project will address the question: What are the molecular differences between human leukemia cells and differentiated human blood cells? Profs. Roberts and Forrester will direct the team of 6 students in research combining molecular biological and computational methods to elucidate the differences between the "cancer" genetic program and the "normal cell" genetic program utilizing the human leukemia cell line HL-60. Changes in genetic programs will be determined using DNA microarray analysis as the leukemia cells are induced to assume normal cell properties in culture. A variety of bioinformatics tools will then be applied to the large data sets generated to uncover the molecular mechanisms in play and to model and predict changes in gene activity that mediate the cancer to normal cell conversion. The ultimate goal of this project is to more fully understand the genetic differences between normal and cancer cells and, in the process, identify new targets for chemotherapy.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Sarah Elizabeth Gold (2010)

From Waste to Co-Product: Finding Value in Crude Biodiesel Glycerol

The ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Biodiesel Project proposes to research and develop economically viable outlets for the crude glycerol byproduct that results from the production of biodiesel fuel from vegetable oils. To complete this study, ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app will partner with Keystone Biofuels Inc., a new company based in the Harrisburg Keystone Innovation Zone. Crude biodiesel glycerol (CBG) is a "waste" that is produced in significant quantities by every biodiesel refinery, yet the market price for this material is very low due to an international glut. In the volatile, highly competitive biodiesel industry, the race is on to develop innovative, marketable outlets for this material in order to improve the profitability of renewable fuels production. The ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Biodiesel Project will research two specific outlets in this proof of concept study: use of CBG as a feedstock for anaerobic biogas digesters for waste-to-energy conversion and production of industrial liquid soap from CBG.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Matthew Steiman

Andrew Woodward Kamerosky (2010)

From Waste to Co-Product: Finding Value in Crude Biodiesel Glycerol

The ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Biodiesel Project proposes to research and develop economically viable outlets for the crude glycerol byproduct that results from the production of biodiesel fuel from vegetable oils. To complete this study, ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app will partner with Keystone Biofuels Inc., a new company based in the Harrisburg Keystone Innovation Zone. Crude biodiesel glycerol (CBG) is a "waste" that is produced in significant quantities by every biodiesel refinery, yet the market price for this material is very low due to an international glut. In the volatile, highly competitive biodiesel industry, the race is on to develop innovative, marketable outlets for this material in order to improve the profitability of renewable fuels production. The ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Biodiesel Project will research two specific outlets in this proof of concept study: use of CBG as a feedstock for anaerobic biogas digesters for waste-to-energy conversion and production of industrial liquid soap from CBG.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Matthew Steiman

Kelly Elizabeth Maurer (2010)

From Waste to Co-Product: Finding Value in Crude Biodiesel Glycerol

The ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Biodiesel Project proposes to research and develop economically viable outlets for the crude glycerol byproduct that results from the production of biodiesel fuel from vegetable oils. To complete this study, ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app will partner with Keystone Biofuels Inc., a new company based in the Harrisburg Keystone Innovation Zone. Crude biodiesel glycerol (CBG) is a "waste" that is produced in significant quantities by every biodiesel refinery, yet the market price for this material is very low due to an international glut. In the volatile, highly competitive biodiesel industry, the race is on to develop innovative, marketable outlets for this material in order to improve the profitability of renewable fuels production. The ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Biodiesel Project will research two specific outlets in this proof of concept study: use of CBG as a feedstock for anaerobic biogas digesters for waste-to-energy conversion and production of industrial liquid soap from CBG.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Matthew Steiman

Johnnie Allison Abell (2015)

Influence of the FGF and Wnt signaling pathways on the formation of the cardiac inflow tract.

Influence of the FGF and Wnt signaling pathways on the formation of the cardiac inflow tract.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Jason Alan Ader (2007)

Determination of the role of ergosterol in viral RNA replication complex

Viruses are gene poor; the host that the virus infects therefore contributes many functions towards the process of viral replication - the copying of the viral genetic material. Positive-strand RNA [( )ssRNA] viruses include significant human pathogens such as hepatitis C virus, West Nile virus, and the coronavirus that causes SARS. These viruses can be difficult to study in the laboratory setting. My lab studies brome mosaic virus, a ( )ssRNA virus that naturally infects plants. The lab uses Baker's yeast as an alternate host for BMV.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: David Kushner

Jason Alan Ader (2007)

Characterizing specific properties of the newly identified SARS coronavirus proteins 7a and 7b

According to the World Health Organization, the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS, in 2003 resulted in 8,098 infections and 774 fatalities in the human population. It is now known that SARS is caused by the infection of a coronavirus, a specific kind of RNA virus. This summer, I plan on researching this coronavirus while interning with Dr. Pekosz at Washington University School of Medicine. Specifically, I will be using techniques such as PCR mutagenesis and in vitro translation to study two newly characterized SARS coronavirus proteins, 7a and 7b. I will be responsible for determining the mechanism of translation of the open reading frame (orf) 7a and orf 7b, as well as determining the ability of 7b to interact or insert into membranes. This internship will not only deepen my understanding of the scientific method, but it should also produce valuable information regarding the deadly SARS coronavirus.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor:

Bria Symone Antoine (2016)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Charles Zwemer

A Atandi Anyona (2010)

Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Snake Head Shape

Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Snake Head Shape

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Scott Boback

A Atandi Anyona (2010)

Amphibian Populations and the Environment

Amphibian Populations and the Environment

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Harold Wingert

Nathaniel LeMaster Armistead (2013)

Identification of Sexually Dimorphic Cells in the Mouse Retrotrapezoid Nucleus

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Mary Niblock

Nathaniel LeMaster Armistead (2013)

Analysis of Myo19 in Purkinje neurons and cSMAC formation rate analysis in Jurkat T cells

This spring semester I had my first real research experience. During the first few weeks, I was very unsure of what I was actually going to be doing and even towards the middle, I could not say exactly where I was going to finish for the semester. During this process, I have learned many techniques that will help me this summer and possibly in the future. Before spring break, I learned how to do minipreps, learned cell culture technique, how to plate cells, how to do transfections, how to lyse plasmids, how to run western blots, how to do an assay, and learned how to image blots. Since spring break, I focused mostly on western blots and RT PCR in an effort to determine if knockdown could be achieved with any of the transfected short hairpins. During the last week, one of the western blots was exposed to too much primary antibody and I was not able to see any results. Fortunately, the semester did not end there. Later in the week I was able to run RT PCR again and was able to determine that there is a possibility of significant knockdown from the shRNA 629 and an even better knockdown with the combination of shRNA 629 and 625. The results from the RT PCR were confirmed in the western blot performed by Professor Quintero. I learned a lot this past semester and am glad to be able to end on a positive note. After reflection, despite all of the time and work that I thought I was doing, I really was not able to do very much because of the large learning curve involved and school work. It will be very interesting to see how much I can actually get done this summer at NIH. From this experience, I realized that I have enjoyed lab work, but also I realized that molecular biology is still pretty far over my head. After learning all of the new techniques I have a better understanding of the subject, and the experience was extremely helpful in being able to actually understand what I was learning in my cellular biology course. This summer I have begun doing research with Dr. Hammer at NIH. I am examining cerebral purkinje neurons to determine if Myo19 localizes to the mitochondria and if so, to what extent. I am using advanced microscopy techniques and have learned a lot. I have also learned embryonic mouse cerebral dissection techniques. I am performing this research because it is a continuation of last semester and will assist in characterizing Myo19 function. Because culturing purkinje neurons takes a long time in order for them to mature enough to be imaged, I am also examining microcluster movement in Jurkat T cells. To do this, we are artificially creating lipid bilayers in order to attach the Jurkat cells for analysis during microscopy. I am specifically examining the effect of Celiobrevin D on the rate of cSMAC formation in an attempt to determine whether actin or dynein is responsible for the microcluster movement. This is important because there are currently two new papers which have been published that have stated opposing discoveries. I am using Celiobrevin D because it is responsible for inhibiting dynein function and will be using a non functioning version of the drug as a control. I am very excited to continue research this summer and hope to be able to finish these two projects by the end.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor:

Nathaniel LeMaster Armistead (2013)

Identification of Sexually Dimorphic Cells in the Mouse RTN

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Mary Niblock

Nathaniel LeMaster Armistead (2013)

Characterization of Myosin-XIX (MYO19), a Novel Actin-Based Motor

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Tonia Renee Ashline (1995)

Neurochemical regulation of development and behavior in marine invertebrate larvae

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1994
Professor: Anthony Pires

Elizabeth Caruso Austin (2014)

Qualitative and Quantitative Survey of Vessels in Close Proximity to Cetaceans in Coastal Waters of MA

For this internship I will be using field-research methods to examine the health and behavioral patterns of whales in the Gulf of Maine over 12 weeks in the summer of 2013. Due to the nature of the organization, I do not know the exact scientific question that I will be examining. However, after tentative and preliminary conversations with my supervisor I hope to continue work that has been done on a project entitled, "Review of vessel strike impacts on endangered humpback whales: An evaluation of non-lethal collision rates from scar-based photographic data." I will be trained to identify species of whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and other aquatic mammals. I will learn to qualify behavioral patterns and sequences. This data will be recorded in ID catalogues along with location, environmental condition, water quality and boat traffic notes. I will be trained in specific photographic technology and to identify individual animals using visual markers. I will record their overall body condition and health, their location, and behavioral patters. Water quality analysis will be completed on the boat using a salinity indicator and other field testing equipment. It is the job of the intern to be the observer and to record specific measure at the discretion of the research scientist. I may also be asked to videotape behavior, or monitor trash and boats in the surrounding ocean. I will collect data from vessels that depart from 6-7 varying locations in Massachusetts. All data must be logged into a spreadsheet that is turned in at the end of the day. A specific Acer laptop with a programming package is used on the boats. Photo sheets must be filled out for each of the individual pictures taken so that they can be correlated with individual animals and entered correctly into the database. I will be a second naturalist on board and assist the primary researcher in their project. I will be assigned a specific researcher and project upon arrival. At this point it is too early to tell what specific factors I'll be monitoring. Half of the week is spent on the boats and the remaining half is spent in the office for data entry and analysis. I will transfer over the data that was collected during the boat days, verifying its accuracy and precision, and correlating the most recent findings with earlier findings. Health files for individual whales will be updated based on sightings in the field. I will also do background and outside literature research to supplement my topic. With the assistance of the research scientists, the data will be analyzed and formulated to expand upon long-term projects. From boat strike scars to analysis of entanglements to whale-human interaction frequency, all of the research questions have strong and significant impacts on the field of marine biology. All of the projects that are undertake at WDC contribute greatly to our understanding of marine biology, of whale social and behavioral ecology, marine mammal health patterns, oceanographic conditions, migratory patterns, and human influences on natural ecology. This is a highly underdeveloped area of science and is currently seen as a frontier for discovery. In the scheme of governmental and legislative action, our findings may help influence legislation to protect the endangered species of whale and other marine mammals, and to enforce poachers and polluters with stronger fines and repercussions. As a pre-veterinary student, this research project is of particular academic and professional interest to me. It offers me an opportunity to explore marine biology,which isn't ordinarily offered at Dickinson. This internship helps be bridge my academic and personal interests while simultaneously exploring a potential career path.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Tareq Azad (2012)

NSF 0918624: Collaborative Research/RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the 3 portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the 5 portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI's RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: David Kushner

Jenna Marie Badgley (2004)

NSF 0336716 RUI Collaborative Research: Mechanisms of induced pathogen resistance in seagrasses

Enzyme biomarkers for seagrass stress

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Gregory Walter Barnes (1991)

Genetic Substructure in Natural Populations of Woodchucks

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1988
Professor: Janet Wright

Robyn Lyn Barrett (2001)

Investigating a "Smoking Gun" to Allegheny Woodrat Populations

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Janet Wright

Alessandro Giovanni Bartoletti (1997)

The Role of high reperfusion oxygen tensions in kidney dysfunction

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Sara Elizabeth Baszczewski (2006)

Integrated Protein Informatics for Cancer Research

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor:

Paul Richard Battaglia (1999)

Spectrophotometric Analysis of the Enzymatic Activation of Alpha-Terthienyl by the Peroxidase- Catalyzed Oxidation of Indoleacetic Acid

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: Thomas Brennan

Jeannette Marie Bauko (2001)

Molecular Cloning of AP-1 Target Genes Mediating Human Leukemia Cell Differentiation

We have established a human leukemia cell model system for studying cellular specialization (differentiation) and cancer cell growth regulation. These two apparently different phenomena actually share underlying mechanisms. The rapidly dividing, non-specialized leukemia cells can be induced in culture to differentiate into macrophage cells. Accompanying this differentiation is cell division arrest. Thus, the system can be analyzed in two ways; (1) elucidation of the molecular events leading to macrophage specialization, and (2) elucidation of the molecular events which "re-transform" rapidly dividing cancer cells into a non-dividing, normal cell type. An early event in the process is the activation of the transcription factor AP-1 which regulates the expression of other genes. We hypothesis that AP-1 "turns on" genes which lead to macrophage differentiation and cell division arrest. The goal of the purposed research is to isolate and identify those AP-1 target genes which mediate these effects. These experiments have only recently become possible due to the development of a new technique, "chromatin immunoselection."

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Michael Roberts

Matthew Ryan Beamer (2011)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the 3 portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of SatC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PIs RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Michael Edward Benson (2012)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Stephanie Kalena Bernasconi (2013)

Impacts of climate change on grazing fishes near Myora Springs, North Stradebroke Island, Australia.

Impacts of climate change on grazing fishes near Myora Springs, North Stradebroke Island, Australia.

Term Funded:spring 2013
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Justin James Bichler (2003)

Population dynamics and Growth requirements of Euprhorbia purpurea, the glade spurge

Euphoria purpurea or glade spurge is a rare swamp wildflower still known to exist at only about 30 sites, from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. Over the last seven years we have monitored populations at three of the six PA sites: at Lambs Gap In Perry Co., at Mt. Holly Marsh Preserve, and at Hunters Run (map on next page). Whitaker students and I conducted surveys of two additional PA sites (Goat Hill and Cowans Gap) in 1999 and 2000, in conjunction with State Parks and Bureau of Forestry personnel and with Nature Conservancy botanists. Because both populations appear to have declined alarmingly, we worked with these groups to erect fences to exclude deer at both sites and have obtained permission to intensify our population monitoring and our attempts to rear seedlings from these two sites. This summer I hope to 1) continue long-term monitoring at all five sites, 2) conduct a thorough search to locate additional plants that we think exist at Goat Hill, 3) obtain and analyze soil samples from all five sites to help us better understand the species' requirements, and 4) experiment to determine the best conditions for rearing seedlings, not only of this species but of two rare goldenrod species. We have begun using our long-term data set to document effects of deer on the plants, and I would like to expand the data analysis this year to assess the effects of early senescence in some plants on their growth and reproduction in the following season.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Lily Margaret Bieber-Ham (2011)

Environmental Influences on Painted Turtles

Environmental Influences on Painted Turtles

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Scott Boback

Eric Anthony Biondi (2004)

Engineering yDBR mutants that bind but do not cut mRNA introns

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Elena Michelle Birnbaum (2011)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Julianne Elizabeth Bishop (2009)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Spring 2009
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Lauren Elizabeth Bishop (1999)

NIH- 1R15GM47693-01 Cytoskeletal Dynamics during Dell Shape Changes

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: John Henson

Lauren Elizabeth Bishop (1999)

NIH- 1R15GM47693-01 Cytoskeletal Dynamics during Dell Shape Changes

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: John Henson

Jesse Elliott Bissell (2017)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this application, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryos.

Term Funded:Spring 2016
Professor: John Henson

Susan Anne Blasi (2010)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Fall 2009
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Samuel Neill Bogan (2016)

NSF 1416690: Ocean Acidification:Collaborative Research: Effects of Ocean Acidification on Larval Competence, Metamorphosis, and Juvenile Performance in a Planktotrophic Gastropod

The proposed study will help us to understand the ways in which ocean acidification (OA) will impact the development, dispersal, and metamorphosis of the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata, and the mechanism responsible for the effects observed. Larvae will be reared pH levels representing current (390 ppm) and projected 22nd century (800 ppm) atmospheric pCO2, at both normal (20 C) and elevated temperature (25 C) and with and without nutritional stress. We will determine the following: 1) impact of OA on rates of larval tissue growth and shell growth; 2) latent effects of larval exposure to OA on juvenile survival and growth; 3) influence of elevated OA on gene expression patterns in larvae; 4) impact of OA on duration of the pre-competent larval swimming period; 5) impact of OA on the response of competent larvae to a variety of metamorphic inducers; 6) impact of larval diet quality on vulnerability to OA, both in the larval stages and following metamorphosis (latent effects); 7) influence of OA exposure in the larval stage on gene expression patterns in juveniles; and 8) impact of OA on larval swimming ability, settlement behavior, and time to metamorphic competence.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Anthony Pires

Samuel Neill Bogan (2016)

Impacts of ocean acidification on larval development and metamorphosis of Crepidula fornicata

A growing body of research has begun to characterize various impacts of ocean acidification on the physiology and ecology of marine taxa, notably, the inhibitive effects of acidification and increased alkalinity on the development of calcareous molluscs. The complex lifecycles of these organisms requires examination of how isolated periods of their life history vary in vulnerability to environmental stressors such as changes in seawater carbonate chemistry and pH. The severity of ocean acidification's impact across different early life stages has been delineated in a minimal number of taxa. Across a variety of species, environmental stressors inhibiting larval development garner strong carry-over effects on juvenile growth. It is necessary to understand whether growth inhibited by pH change during early life stages is exacerbated in a similar manner across other marine species or if it is possible for these negative effects to become attenuated proceeding impactful periods of development like metamorphosis. We cultured larvae of the planktotrophic gastropod Crepidula fornicata in seawater of pH 8.0 and 7.5 until they became competent for metamorphosis. Shells of larvae reared under the acidified condition grew at a rate 26.4 percent slower than larvae reared under the benign condition. We induced larvae to settlement and cultured newly metamorphosed Crepidula raised under benign and acidified conditions as larvae within both pH treatments during their juvenile phase. Juveniles reared under the 8.0 treatment that were exposed to pH 7.5 as larvae grew at a rate 24.7 percent slower than conspecifics reared under a pH of 8.0 as larvae and juveniles. Our findings indicate a significant larval carry-over effect on juvenile growth of Crepidula fornicata.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Anthony Pires

Shannon Marie Bonner (2019)

Communication Between Immune Cells in Inflammatory Disease

The innate immune system is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. Upon activation, cells of the innate immune system cause inflammation by the release molecules that work to coordinate a response from multiple cells in order to eliminate the threat. It has recently been established that one mode of communication is by small extracellular vesicles (EVs). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a component of bacteria such as E. coli and a potent inflammatory stimulus. In the case of sepsis, LPS enters the blood stream and causes systemic inflammation due to activation of immune cells in the blood. The role of vesicle communication in this process is not well understood. The major goal of this research is to increase our understanding of (1) vesicle release by immune cells following exposure to LPS and (2) delivery to target cells. This work will increase our understanding of cellular communication in inflammatory disease.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Elizabeth Anne Brandt (2013)

Population Ecology and Nest Site Selection in the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

In contrast to most vertebrates which possess sex chromosomes, the gender of many reptile species is determined by the temperature experienced during the middle third of embryonic development. Painted turtles exhibit this strategy known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD); warm temperatures produce females, cool temps produce males, and intermediate temps produce both sexes. As average global temperatures increase over the next decade, an increasing number of female Painted turtles may be produced unless females adjust nest parameters to reduce their internal temperatures. In this study, we investigate the patterns of nest-site selection in a local population of Painted turtles in an attempt to discover the influence of local (roads, railroad tracks, buildings) and global (climate change) anthropogenic factors on the plasticity of this behavior. By recording and analyzing these variables, we will begin to understand how organisms respond to changes in temperature and therefore the biological consequences of global climate change.

Term Funded:summer 2012
Professor: Scott Boback

Jillian Loyer Brechbiel (2002)

Characterization of AP-1 Target Genes

The human leukemia cell line HL-60 can be induced to differentiate into macrophage-like cells. In the process, these rapidly dividing cancer cells eventually stop dividing. One of the early genetic events during differentiation is the induction of the transcription factor AP-1. Our hypothesis is that the induced AP-1 directs the activation of certain target genes which cause the cells to become macrophages and undergo cell division arrest. We have used a chromatin immunoprecipitation technique to isolate putative AP-1 target genes. The goal of this project is to fully characterize these candidate cell division control and macrophage-specific genes.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Michael Roberts

Jillian Loyer Brechbiel (2002)

Characterization of AP-1 Target Genes

The human leukemia cell line HL-60 can be induced to differentiate into macrophage-like cells. In the process, these rapidly dividing cancer cells eventually stop dividing. One of the early genetic events during differentiation is the induction of the transcription factor AP-1. Our hypothesis is that the induced AP-1 directs the activation of certain target genes which cause the cells to become macrophages and undergo cell division arrest. We have used a chromatin immunoprecipitation technique to isolate putative AP-1 target genes. The goal of this project is to fully characterize these candidate cell division control and macrophage-specific genes.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Michael Roberts

Briana Latrice Brown (2016)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app: Sea Urchin Cells and Embryo

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: John Henson

Jamie Ray Bugel (2013)

Molecular Analysis of Human Leukemia

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts

Ethan Conor Burg (2020)

G protein regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the cleavage stage embryo

"The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division."

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: John Henson

Melissa Amber Burgess (2005)

Aging and stress hormones. Michael E. Rhodes, Ph.D., Center for Neurosciences Research, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA

During my ten-week internship at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, I will continue to research the exploration of cholinergic subsystems in the brain by using drugs that stimulate specific components of cholinergic neurotransmission and hormones within an in vitro model, to understand their importance in females vs. males and, especially, in old vs. young animals. Additionally, I will observe and document HPA responses to negative feedback mechanisms to further investigate differences in HPA responses to old and young, female and male, animals. After completing my fellowship, I will be attending a poster conference at the University of California San Diego from August 6-8, 2004. Additionally, I am hoping to prepare a manuscript, summarizing my in vitro results, for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, as well as, to present my poster at the Society for Neuroscience conference held from October 23-27, 2004 in San Diego, California.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor:

Melissa Amber Burgess (2005)

Sex differences in the brain and their influences on endocrine function.

During my ten-week internship at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, I will research the importance of sex differences in the brain and how they influence the endocrine system. Eventually, insight about an organism's acceptance of neural and other engineered tissues can be developed through studying relevant sex differences in the brain and endocrine systems. This research will be of considerable importance to tissue engineering. This "regenerative medicine" is a rapidly growing field which will lead to improved patient care at less expense. My project will be investigating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which is an important endocrine modulator of the body's response to stress. By extracting hypothalami, pituitaries, and adrenal glands from Sprague-Dawley rats and setting up an experiment using the HPA Axis Model (Fig. 1), I will be able to study hormone concentrations while using radioimmunoassays along with immunoradiometric assay. After completing my project, I will prepare a formal poster for presentation at the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative's Summer Symposium, as well as, submitting a one-page written summary to The Endocrine Society.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Carrie Jacobs Cafaro (2003)

Investigation of the Role of Photosensitization in Ultraviolet-B Induced Damage to the Photosynthetic Aparatus

Previous work in our laboratory has shown that ultraviolet-A radiation in combination with photosensitizers is capable of inhibiting photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation in higher plants. Similarly, ultraviolet-B radiation in the absence of photosensitizers also leads to diminished rates of photosynthesis. However, the possible participation of photosensitizers in ultraviolet-B effects has not been investigated. Using chlorophyll fluorescence analysis techniques, we propose to test the hypothesis that certain metal ions, such as Cu(11), may be capable of mediating ultraviolet-B induced damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. This work will provide further insights into the potential effects that terrestrial organisms are likely to experience as a result of increased ultraviolet-B exposure resulting from atmospheric ozone thinning.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Thomas Brennan

Carrie Jacobs Cafaro (2003)

Investigation of the Role of Photosensitization in Ultraviolet-B Induced Damage to the Photosynthetic Aparatus

Previous work in our laboratory has shown that ultraviolet-A radiation in combination with photosensitizers is capable of inhibiting photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation in higher plants. Similarly, ultraviolet-B radiation in the absence of photosensitizers also leads to diminished rates of photosynthesis. However, the possible participation of photosensitizers in ultraviolet-B effects has not been investigated. Using chlorophyll fluorescence analysis techniques, we propose to test the hypothesis that certain metal ions, such as Cu(11), may be capable of mediating ultraviolet-B induced damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. This work will provide further insights into the potential effects that terrestrial organisms are likely to experience as a result of increased ultraviolet-B exposure resulting from atmospheric ozone thinning.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Thomas Brennan

Scott Alan Campbell (2002)

Investigating spatial aspects of Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister) Populations

I propose to work with a student collaborator to extend or complete several projects begun over the last four years to investigate the population biology and decline of the endangered Allegheny woodrat, Neotoma magister. Specifically, we will determine the status of the closest population to Dickinson; we will analyze habitat patches for a population model; we will re-check the status of a health threat to one population. Our results will flesh out a model of woodrat population dynamics that will help identify at what point population decline spells extinction.

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Janet Wright

Scott Alan Campbell (2002)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 2002
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Tracy Erin Campbell (2013)

Restoring P53 Function in Human Leukemia Cells

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Michael Roberts

Tracy Erin Campbell (2013)

Molecular Analysis of Human Leukemia

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts

John George Capano (2013)

Physiological Performance of Snakes During Constriction

n/a

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Scott Boback

John George Capano (2013)

NSF 1121529 IOS: Dynamic Thermal Physiology of Host-Parasite Interactions - Parasite Cyst Clearance Analysis Using Fluorescent Dye

INTELLECTUAL MERIT: Climate change is projected to influence the dynamics and distributions of many parasitic diseases of both humans and wildlife. Whether such changes will increase or reduce disease levels will depend on the differential thermal physiologies of parasites and their hosts. Available forecasts suggest that climate change will involve changes in both mean temperature and temperature variability, yet relatively little is known about how shifts in temperature affect parasite-host relationships. What few studies have examined the thermal biology of disease have focused on how changes in mean temperature affect the susceptibility of endothermic hosts to infection. However, the vast majority of free-living organisms are ectothermic, including many species of economic and ecological importance, and quantitative theory for how ectotherms and their parasites respond to unpredictable changes in temperature remains lacking. The overarching hypothesis underlying this proposal is that parasites acclimate to unpredictable temperature changes more rapidly than their hosts, leading to higher infection rates under variable-temperature conditions. PI Johnson and colleagues will use an integrated theoretical and experimental approach to address this gap in knowledge, using trematode infections in amphibians as a model system to parameterize and validate a model describing the thermal biology of ectotherm parasitism. Specifically, they will (1) develop a theoretical model describing how temperature variability influences parasitic infection in ectotherms, incorporating lags in thermal acclimation following temperature shifts, (2) parameterize the model developed in Objective 1 through a series of controlled-temperature laboratory experiments using trematode infections of tadpoles, and (3) validate the model by testing quantitative predictions for different timescales of temperature variability with a largescale mesocosm experiment. Importantly, beyond simply addressing changes in mean temperature, this model will include time lags in acclimation to new temperatures by both host and parasite. A key innovation will be the construction of a novel yet inexpensive incubator array to overcome limitations of many past experiments on climate change (i.e., pseudoreplication). Once developed, this integrated empirical and theoretical approach to host-pathogen thermal physiology can be easily extended to other disease systems. BROADER IMPACTS: The proposed research and public outreach will provide significant educational and societal benefits. Many economically important diseases, such as malaria and schistosomiasis, have ectothermic vectors or intermediate hosts, and disease is a constant threat to economically important plants and ectothermic animals (e.g., pollinators). The theory developed in this project will help improve our understanding of, and ability to control, these economically important diseases in the face of climate change. Furthermore, funding this proposal will provide educational opportunities at multiple levels. Postdoctoral Researcher Raffel will benefit from the opportunity to administer his first NSF grant, improving his chances of landing a faculty position in the current competitive job market. Both PIs will place an emphasis on educational public outreach with K-12 teachers through collaborations with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado. The graduate student research assistants supported on this grant will participate actively in public outreach to K-12 students through the UC-Boulder School of Education's Science Discovery Program. Undergraduate research assistants will also be recruited from under-represented groups, giving them valuable experiential opportunities to conduct research and develop their own projects. PI Johnson and Dr. Raffel have each advised dozens of undergraduate researchers from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, many of whom have attended national scientific meetings and coauthored papers in professional journals.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Thomas Raffel

John George Capano (2013)

NSF 1121529 IOS: Dynamic Thermal Physiology of Host-Parasite Interactions

INTELLECTUAL MERIT: Climate change is projected to influence the dynamics and distributions of many parasitic diseases of both humans and wildlife. Whether such changes will increase or reduce disease levels will depend on the differential thermal physiologies of parasites and their hosts. Available forecasts suggest that climate change will involve changes in both mean temperature and temperature variability, yet relatively little is known about how shifts in temperature affect parasite-host relationships. What few studies have examined the thermal biology of disease have focused on how changes in mean temperature affect the susceptibility of endothermic hosts to infection. However, the vast majority of free-living organisms are ectothermic, including many species of economic and ecological importance, and quantitative theory for how ectotherms and their parasites respond to unpredictable changes in temperature remains lacking. The overarching hypothesis underlying this proposal is that parasites acclimate to unpredictable temperature changes more rapidly than their hosts, leading to higher infection rates under variable-temperature conditions. PI Johnson and colleagues will use an integrated theoretical and experimental approach to address this gap in knowledge, using trematode infections in amphibians as a model system to parameterize and validate a model describing the thermal biology of ectotherm parasitism. Specifically, they will (1) develop a theoretical model describing how temperature variability influences parasitic infection in ectotherms, incorporating lags in thermal acclimation following temperature shifts, (2) parameterize the model developed in Objective 1 through a series of controlled-temperature laboratory experiments using trematode infections of tadpoles, and (3) validate the model by testing quantitative predictions for different timescales of temperature variability with a largescale mesocosm experiment. Importantly, beyond simply addressing changes in mean temperature, this model will include time lags in acclimation to new temperatures by both host and parasite. A key innovation will be the construction of a novel yet inexpensive incubator array to overcome limitations of many past experiments on climate change (i.e., pseudoreplication). Once developed, this integrated empirical and theoretical approach to host-pathogen thermal physiology can be easily extended to other disease systems. BROADER IMPACTS: The proposed research and public outreach will provide significant educational and societal benefits. Many economically important diseases, such as malaria and schistosomiasis, have ectothermic vectors or intermediate hosts, and disease is a constant threat to economically important plants and ectothermic animals (e.g., pollinators). The theory developed in this project will help improve our understanding of, and ability to control, these economically important diseases in the face of climate change. Furthermore, funding this proposal will provide educational opportunities at multiple levels. Postdoctoral Researcher Raffel will benefit from the opportunity to administer his first NSF grant, improving his chances of landing a faculty position in the current competitive job market. Both PIs will place an emphasis on educational public outreach with K-12 teachers through collaborations with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado. The graduate student research assistants supported on this grant will participate actively in public outreach to K-12 students through the UC-Boulder School of Education's Science Discovery Program. Undergraduate research assistants will also be recruited from under-represented groups, giving them valuable experiential opportunities to conduct research and develop their own projects. PI Johnson and Dr. Raffel have each advised dozens of undergraduate researchers from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, many of whom have attended national scientific meetings and coauthored papers in professional journals.

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Thomas Raffel

John George Capano (2013)

Biomechanics of Ventilation in Boa Constrictor

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Scott Boback

La Niece Nicole Carpenter (2016)

Genetic Re-Programming of Human Leukemia Cells

Leukemia cell's phenotype are strongly attributed to their genetic makeup. The difficulty in reversing an Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) cell's phenotype, stems from the many alterations in gene expression. The method of Quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) provided us with a set of genes that, when amplified, serve as a basis to understand the necessary gene expression for a cancer cell's seemingly immortality. The Early Growth Response family, specifically EGR-1, EGR-2, and EGR-3 only, are transcriptional regulators and have been shown to be upregulated in AML cells. Their upregulation has a repressing effect on the NGFI-A-Binding (NAB) proteins 1 and 2, transcriptional repressors, through a negative feedback loop. This feedback loop is partly responsible for a cell's progression through the cell cycle, even if there is DNA damage. While EGR-1 must pair with another member of its family to suppress the NAB protein's function, the use of the Clustered Regularly Interspace Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) method to knockout an EGR gene can interrupt that suppression. This summer we conducted a series of qRT-PCR reactions for the EGR family and NAB proteins in four cell lines; HL-60, THP-1, KASUMI-1, and KG-1. In these cell lines, we observed upregulation of EGR-1 and EGR-3 by 3 hours. We decided to conduct a CRISPR knockout of EGR-1 in HL-60 cells because its absence would inhibit the negative feedback loop and suppress transcription. Since then we have transfected bacteria with a vector containing overexpressed EGR-1 and allowed them to grow on selective media. Using these cells we have synthesized RNA and complimentary DNA, and will conduct qRT-PCR to test transfection success. We will then complete the CRISPR knockouts utilizing newly synthesized oligonucleotides for EGR-1, an endonuclease and a guide-RNA. Successful CRISPR knockouts are an important step in identifying new potential therapeutic targets in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Michael Roberts

Jennifer M Carr (2006)

Scalloped expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

During the early development of an organism, undifferentiated cells arrange into morphogenetic fields, distinct regions of cells that eventually give rise to specific tissues and structures in the adult organism. A vital part of this process is the region-specific expression of selector genes, genes that direct the development of specific developmental pathways. Expression of these genes is also seen outside of the morphogenetic field whose development they control, though the mechanisms that control regional specificity are unknown. In addition, the products of the same gene in different fields often have different functions. During this two-year project, we will study the expression of the selector gene sd within the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with a specific focus on the nature and mechanisms of regional specificity that are characteristic of the gene's expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Jennifer M Carr (2006)

Scalloped expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

During the early development of an organism, undifferentiated cells arrange into morphogenetic fields, distinct regions of cells that eventually give rise to specific tissues and structures in the adult organism. A vital part of this process is the region-specific expression of selector genes, genes that direct the development of specific developmental pathways. Expression of these genes is also seen outside of the morphogenetic field whose development they control, though the mechanisms that control regional specificity are unknown. In addition, the products of the same gene in different fields often have different functions. During this two-year project, we will study the expression of the selector gene sd within the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with a specific focus on the nature and mechanisms of regional specificity that are characteristic of the gene's expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Jennifer M Carr (2006)

Scalloped expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

During the early development of an organism, undifferentiated cells arrange into morphogenetic fields, distinct regions of cells that eventually give rise to specific tissues and structures in the adult organism. A vital part of this process is the region-specific expression of selector genes, genes that direct the development of specific developmental pathways. Expression of these genes is also seen outside of the morphogenetic field whose development they control, though the mechanisms that control regional specificity are unknown. In addition, the products of the same gene in different fields often have different functions. During this two-year project, we will study the expression of the selector gene sd within the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with a specific focus on the nature and mechanisms of regional specificity that are characteristic of the gene's expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Jennifer M Carr (2006)

Scalloped expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

During the early development of an organism, undifferentiated cells arrange into morphogenetic fields, distinct regions of cells that eventually give rise to specific tissues and structures in the adult organism. A vital part of this process is the region-specific expression of selector genes, genes that direct the development of specific developmental pathways. Expression of these genes is also seen outside of the morphogenetic field whose development they control, though the mechanisms that control regional specificity are unknown. In addition, the products of the same gene in different fields often have different functions. During this two-year project, we will study the expression of the selector gene sd within the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with a specific focus on the nature and mechanisms of regional specificity that are characteristic of the gene's expression.

Term Funded:Year 2005
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Jennifer M Carr (2006)

Scalloped expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

During the early development of an organism, undifferentiated cells arrange into morphogenetic fields, distinct regions of cells that eventually give rise to specific tissues and structures in the adult organism. A vital part of this process is the region-specific expression of selector genes, genes that direct the development of specific developmental pathways. Expression of these genes is also seen outside of the morphogenetic field whose development they control, though the mechanisms that control regional specificity are unknown. In addition, the products of the same gene in different fields often have different functions. During this two-year project, we will study the expression of the selector gene sd within the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with a specific focus on the nature and mechanisms of regional specificity that are characteristic of the gene's expression.

Term Funded:Year 2004
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Jennifer M Carr (2006)

Scalloped expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

During the early development of an organism, undifferentiated cells arrange into morphogenetic fields, distinct regions of cells that eventually give rise to specific tissues and structures in the adult organism. A vital part of this process is the region-specific expression of selector genes, genes that direct the development of specific developmental pathways. Expression of these genes is also seen outside of the morphogenetic field whose development they control, though the mechanisms that control regional specificity are unknown. In addition, the products of the same gene in different fields often have different functions. During this two-year project, we will study the expression of the selector gene sd within the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with a specific focus on the nature and mechanisms of regional specificity that are characteristic of the gene's expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Jennifer M Carr (2006)

Scalloped expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

During the early development of an organism, undifferentiated cells arrange into morphogenetic fields, distinct regions of cells that eventually give rise to specific tissues and structures in the adult organism. A vital part of this process is the region-specific expression of selector genes, genes that direct the development of specific developmental pathways. Expression of these genes is also seen outside of the morphogenetic field whose development they control, though the mechanisms that control regional specificity are unknown. In addition, the products of the same gene in different fields often have different functions. During this two-year project, we will study the expression of the selector gene sd within the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with a specific focus on the nature and mechanisms of regional specificity that are characteristic of the gene's expression.

Term Funded:Year 2005
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Jennifer M Carr (2006)

Scalloped Expression During Drosophila Embryogenesis

I am serving as the faculty mentor for Jennifer Havens '06, a Beckman Scholar. The Beckman Scholar Program supports student research with a faculty member for an academic year bracketed by two summers. Summer 2005 will be Jen's second summer in my laboratory. Because faculty stipends are not covered by the Beckman program, I respectfully request a stipend for our 10 weeks of work. Jen's proposal was approved and funded in April 2004. I have attached a copy of her proposal and my summary of her summer 2004 work.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Rinaldys Javier Castillo (2017)

Sequencing and Characterization of Novel Insect-Associated Yeasts

Many yeasts that live in symbiotic association with detritivorous beetles (whose main food source consists of dead and rotting woody plant material) are likely to exhibit novel mechanisms of carbon metabolism and have the potential to be useful for improved biofuel production. The proposed research seeks to fully characterize ten previously undescribed species of insect yeast symbionts through complete genome sequencing and gene expression analysis. The results of this analysis will implicate genetic features involved in initiation or maintenance of symbiotic association, as well as new genes responsible for carbon metabolism.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Dana Somers

Adam Daniel Cesanek (2010)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or Induced Sink Strength (ISS), determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined. These studies include both correlative m

Term Funded:Fall 2007
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Adam Daniel Cesanek (2010)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or Induced Sink Strength (ISS), determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined. These studies include both correlative m

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Adam Daniel Cesanek (2010)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or Induced Sink Strength (ISS), determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined. These studies include both correlative m

Term Funded:Spring 2008
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Stuart Changoor (2013)

Molecular Analysis of Human Leukemia

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts

David Cheung (2006)

NIH 1R15GM60925-02 Mechanism and Regulation of Actin-based Retrograde Flow

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: John Henson

Christine Yun-Hee Choi (2016)

NSF 1416690: Ocean Acidification:Collaborative Research: Effects of Ocean Acidification on Larval Competence, Metamorphosis, and Juvenile Performance in a Planktotrophic Gastropod

The proposed study will help us to understand the ways in which ocean acidification (OA) will impact the development, dispersal, and metamorphosis of the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata, and the mechanism responsible for the effects observed. Larvae will be reared pH levels representing current (390 ppm) and projected 22nd century (800 ppm) atmospheric pCO2, at both normal (20 C) and elevated temperature (25 C) and with and without nutritional stress. We will determine the following: 1) impact of OA on rates of larval tissue growth and shell growth; 2) latent effects of larval exposure to OA on juvenile survival and growth; 3) influence of elevated OA on gene expression patterns in larvae; 4) impact of OA on duration of the pre-competent larval swimming period; 5) impact of OA on the response of competent larvae to a variety of metamorphic inducers; 6) impact of larval diet quality on vulnerability to OA, both in the larval stages and following metamorphosis (latent effects); 7) influence of OA exposure in the larval stage on gene expression patterns in juveniles; and 8) impact of OA on larval swimming ability, settlement behavior, and time to metamorphic competence.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Anthony Pires

Christine Yun-Hee Choi (2016)

NSF 1416690: Ocean Acidification:Collaborative Research: Effects of Ocean Acidification on Larval Competence, Metamorphosis, and Juvenile Performance in a Planktotrophic Gastropod

The proposed study will help us to understand the ways in which ocean acidification (OA) will impact the development, dispersal, and metamorphosis of the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata, and the mechanism responsible for the effects observed. Larvae will be reared pH levels representing current (390 ppm) and projected 22nd century (800 ppm) atmospheric pCO2, at both normal (20 C) and elevated temperature (25 C) and with and without nutritional stress. We will determine the following: 1) impact of OA on rates of larval tissue growth and shell growth; 2) latent effects of larval exposure to OA on juvenile survival and growth; 3) influence of elevated OA on gene expression patterns in larvae; 4) impact of OA on duration of the pre-competent larval swimming period; 5) impact of OA on the response of competent larvae to a variety of metamorphic inducers; 6) impact of larval diet quality on vulnerability to OA, both in the larval stages and following metamorphosis (latent effects); 7) influence of OA exposure in the larval stage on gene expression patterns in juveniles; and 8) impact of OA on larval swimming ability, settlement behavior, and time to metamorphic competence.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Anthony Pires

Raheem Ahmed Chowdhury (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app - Application of Physics in the Study of Hemoglobin Disorders

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Emily T Cocores (2006)

NSF 0110832 RUI: Neural Regulation of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Anthony Pires

Erin McShane Coleman-Cordes (2002)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 2001
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Susan Ann Colilla (1990)

Development of a tool to isolate specific Genes in Aspergillus Nidulans

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1989
Professor: Craig Jurgensen

Brian Joseph Corbett (1998)

Radiotelemetry study of experimental recolonization of an Allegheny woodrat population

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: Janet Wright

Jason Scott Cordes (2002)

Investigating spatial aspects of Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister) Populations

I propose to work with a student collaborator to extend or complete several projects begun over the last four years to investigate the population biology and decline of the endangered Allegheny woodrat, Neotoma magister. Specifically, we will determine the status of the closest population to Dickinson; we will analyze habitat patches for a population model; we will re-check the status of a health threat to one population. Our results will flesh out a model of woodrat population dynamics that will help identify at what point population decline spells extinction.

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Janet Wright

Jason Scott Cordes (2002)

n/a

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Michael Roberts

Russell Harmon Dabbs (2001)

Research on the population ecology of Euphorbia purpurea, or glade spurge

The project has three components, all involving the ecology of rare plant species. The first is our primary focus but I think the other two will provide good learning experiences as well. A.) Research on the population ecology of Euphoribia purpurea, or glade spurge, a globally rare swamp wildflower related to the poinsettia. There are only ca. 30 populations of glade spurge in existence, including six populations in PA; and it is considered threatened or endangered in each of the eight states in which it occurs. In Pennsylvania, students and I have monitored its status regularly at three sites since 1994 and have made occasional trips to the other PA sites with the DCNR and The Nature Conservancy. B.) Proprogation of two other wildflower species for future research and coursework. We will erect a deer exclosure plot at the Reineman Sanctuary and plant there several dozen individuals of Aster radula (rough-leaved aster) and Solidago speciosa (showy goldenrod) plants that are currently in flowerpots. The student and I will work together and will have assistance from Rob Martens of our department and from the sanctuary manager, Lee Schull. These two species are also endangered in PA. C.) Pollination of chestnut trees at the Reineman Wildlife Sanctuary, in collaboration with the American Chestnut Foundation. This involves bagging female flowers to prevent contamination by the wrong type of pollen, and then spreading male pollen from the desired parent tree onto the female flowers within the bags. It is part of a project to breed resistance from a devastating fungal disease, chestnut blight, into the American chestnut and thereby save that tree species from extinction.

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Shannon Lilly Dauses (2005)

Scalloped expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

During the early development of an organism, undifferentiated cells arrange into morphogenetic fields, distinct regions of cells that eventually give rise to specific tissues and structures in the adult organism. A vital part of this process is the region-specific expression of selector genes, genes that direct the development of specific developmental pathways. Expression of these genes is also seen outside of the morphogenetic field whose development they control, though the mechanisms that control regional specificity are unknown. In addition, the products of the same gene in different fields often have different functions. During this two-year project, we will study the expression of the selector gene sd within the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with a specific focus on the nature and mechanisms of regional specificity that are characteristic of the gene's expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Shannon Lilly Dauses (2005)

Characterization of catalysis-deficient mutants of mouse debranching enzyme.

During the past year Dr. Kirsten Guss has continued to collaborate with Dr. Javier Lopez on a project entitled "Characterization of catalysis-deficient mutants of mouse debranching enzyme." Debranching enzyme targets the 2'-5' phosphodiester bond at the branch junction in the splicing lariat intermediate. The collaborative project involves the molecular cloning of three alleles of the gene that encodes the debranching enzyme (wild type and two mutant versions) to generate constructs for in vitro expression of the proteins.

Term Funded:Fall 2004
Professor:

Shannon Lilly Dauses (2005)

Characterization of catalysis-deficient mutants of mouse debranching enzyme.

During the past year Dr. Kirsten Guss has continued to collaborate with Dr. Javier Lopez on a project entitled "Characterization of catalysis-deficient mutants of mouse debranching enzyme." Debranching enzyme targets the 2'-5' phosphodiester bond at the branch junction in the splicing lariat intermediate. The collaborative project involves the molecular cloning of three alleles of the gene that encodes the debranching enzyme (wild type and two mutant versions) to generate constructs for in vitro expression of the proteins.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor:

Shannon Lilly Dauses (2005)

Scalloped expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

During the early development of an organism, undifferentiated cells arrange into morphogenetic fields, distinct regions of cells that eventually give rise to specific tissues and structures in the adult organism. A vital part of this process is the region-specific expression of selector genes, genes that direct the development of specific developmental pathways. Expression of these genes is also seen outside of the morphogenetic field whose development they control, though the mechanisms that control regional specificity are unknown. In addition, the products of the same gene in different fields often have different functions. During this two-year project, we will study the expression of the selector gene sd within the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with a specific focus on the nature and mechanisms of regional specificity that are characteristic of the gene's expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Nicole Allegra Davidson (2013)

Utilizing American Toads for Agricultural Pest Management

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Scott Boback

Nicole Allegra Davidson (2013)

Impacts of climate change on grazing fishes near Myora Springs, North Stradebroke Island, Australia.

Impacts of climate change on grazing fishes near Myora Springs, North Stradebroke Island, Australia.

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Nicole Allegra Davidson (2013)

Ecological and environmental consequences of nest site selection in the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

In contrast to most vertebrates which possess sex chromosomes, the gender of many reptile species is determined by the temperature experienced during the middle third of embryonic development. Consequently, the sex ratio, a critical demographic parameter, is strongly influenced by changes in environmental temperature. As such, climate change can and will have major impacts on the survival of species which exhibit this strategy known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). In this study we will monitor environmental and ecological parameters which determine hatchling survival in the eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta). Nest temperatures will be obtained using miniature data loggers and a suite of environmental parameters will be recorded for each nest. By recording and analyzing these variables, we will begin to understand how females choose nest sites and how the environment, both current and future, can impact these populations. Therefore, our research will contribute to our understanding of the biological consequences of global climate change.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Scott Boback

Nicole Allegra Davidson (2013)

Ecological and Environmental Influences on Nest-Site Selection of the Painted Turtle

In Painted turtles, the temperature of the nest determines the gender of the hatchlings: warm temps result in female hatchlings while cooler temps result in male hatchlings. As a result, painted turtles are susceptible to climate change. We aim to understand how increases in average daily temperature may affect how females choose suitable sites to lay their eggs and whether these nests are successful in producing hatchlings. In this study, we investigate the patterns of nest-site selection in a local population of Painted turtles in an attempt to discover the interaction between local (roads, railroad tracks, buildings) and global (climate change) anthropogenic factors in determining the behavior of turtles and the survival of their offspring. By recording and analyzing basic parameters such as temperature, location, and exposure we will begin to understand how organisms respond to changes in temperature and therefore the biological consequences of global climate change.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Scott Boback

Jessica E Davis (2004)

Investigating the role of contractile forces in the cell motility of se urching ceolomocytes.

Sea urchin blood cells (coelomocytes) are an excellent model experimental system for structure and function studies focused on the "cytoskeleton," the complex collection of structural and motor proteins that mediates fundamental cell processes such as motility, division and signaling. Our recent work suggests that contractile forces, mediated by the interaction of the structural protein actin and the motor protein myosin, play an integral role in both coelomocyte motility and the overall structuring of cell's cytoskeletal organization. In order to more fully test this hyopothesis we plan to use both morphological and biochemical methods to attempt to determine the extent of actomyosin contractile forces in these cells. The results of this study should contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cell motility.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: John Henson

Jessica E Davis (2004)

Investigating the role of contractile forces in the cell motility of se urching ceolomocytes.

Sea urchin blood cells (coelomocytes) are an excellent model experimental system for structure and function studies focused on the "cytoskeleton," the complex collection of structural and motor proteins that mediates fundamental cell processes such as motility, division and signaling. Our recent work suggests that contractile forces, mediated by the interaction of the structural protein actin and the motor protein myosin, play an integral role in both coelomocyte motility and the overall structuring of cell's cytoskeletal organization. In order to more fully test this hyopothesis we plan to use both morphological and biochemical methods to attempt to determine the extent of actomyosin contractile forces in these cells. The results of this study should contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cell motility.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: John Henson

Jessica E Davis (2004)

Bioinformatics of Subcellular Localization and Changes due to Cancer

The aspect of the project undertaken involved a test of the ability of computer-based pattern recognition software developed in the Murphy lab to distinguish drug-induced changes in fluorescently labeled protein patterns in tissue culture cells. The fluorescent labeling was accomplished using either a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based method or immunofluorescent staining. For GFP labeling, cells expressing a stable form of GFP labeling were provided by the Jarvik lab.

Term Funded:Fall 2003
Professor: John Henson

Jessica E Davis (2004)

Bioinformatics of Subcellular Localization and Changes due to Cancer

The aspect of the project undertaken involved a test of the ability of computer-based pattern recognition software developed in the Murphy lab to distinguish drug-induced changes in fluorescently labeled protein patterns in tissue culture cells. The fluorescent labeling was accomplished using either a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based method or immunofluorescent staining. For GFP labeling, cells expressing a stable form of GFP labeling were provided by the Jarvik lab.

Term Funded:Spring 2004
Professor: John Henson

Rachel Elaine Davis (1998)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 1998
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Lisa Marie DeLiso (2002)

Population dynamics and Growth requirements of Euphorbia purpurea, the glade spurge

Euphoria purpurea or glade spurge is a rare swamp wildflower still known to exist at only about 30 sites, from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. Over the last seven years we have monitored populations at three of the six PA sites: at Lambs Gap In Perry Co., at Mt. Holly Marsh Preserve, and at Hunters Run (map on next page). Whitaker students and I conducted surveys of two additional PA sites (Goat Hill and Cowans Gap) in 1999 and 2000, in conjunction with State Parks and Bureau of Forestry personnel and with Nature Conservancy botanists. Because both populations appear to have declined alarmingly, we worked with these groups to erect fences to exclude deer at both sites and have obtained permission to intensify our population monitoring and our attempts to rear seedlings from these two sites. This summer I hope to 1) continue long-term monitoring at all five sites, 2) conduct a thorough search to locate additional plants that we think exist at Goat Hill, 3) obtain and analyze soil samples from all five sites to help us better understand the species' requirements, and 4) experiment to determine the best conditions for rearing seedlings, not only of this species but of two rare goldenrod species. We have begun using our long-term data set to document effects of deer on the plants, and I would like to expand the data analysis this year to assess the effects of early senescence in some plants on their growth and reproduction in the following season.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Wesley George Dean (2014)

Sexual Dimorphism in the Mouse Retrotrapezoid Nucleus

Term Funded: 2012-13
Professor: Mary Niblock

Casey Lyn DelConte (2005)

Evaluation of potential targets of SCALLOPED function during Drosophila development

A fundamental aspect of the process of development is the production of different types of cells, despite underlying identical genetic potentials. This diversity of cell types results from the expression of only a subset of the genome present in a cell. How the members of this subset of genes are determined, and when and where in the developing organism they will be activated, is the basis of the investigation of the control of gene expression. Coordination of gene expression in the context of the developing organism is critical to result in a correctly formed, patterned, and sized individual. We address this question of coordination of gene expression in the developing fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The aim of this proposal is to evaluate several candidate target genes, identified by computer-based methods, of the wing selector gene scalloped.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Casey Lyn DelConte (2005)

Evaluation of potential targets of SCALLOPED function during Drosophila development

A fundamental aspect of the process of development is the production of different types of cells, despite underlying identical genetic potentials. This diversity of cell types results from the expression of only a subset of the genome present in a cell. How the members of this subset of genes are determined, and when and where in the developing organism they will be activated, is the basis of the investigation of the control of gene expression. Coordination of gene expression in the context of the developing organism is critical to result in a correctly formed, patterned, and sized individual. We address this question of coordination of gene expression in the developing fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The aim of this proposal is to evaluate several candidate target genes, identified by computer-based methods, of the wing selector gene scalloped.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Alice Kaye Denea (2013)

SCALLOPED in the Drosophila Larva

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Kirsten Guss

John Mestrovic Deyrup (2009)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

In YEAR 1 we have succeeded in completing all proposed greenhouse experiments involving hybrid poplar saplings and made progress in establishing Arabidopsis and tomato as model systems in which to examine induced sink strength (ISS), which we hypothesize is a conuuon, first step in general plant wound responses. POPLAR EXPERIMENTS. Along with my co-PIs (Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel) I worked to complete the proposed experiments aimed at testing the ability of wounded poplar foliage to draw in additional resources, via an induction of cell wall invertase activities, to support the production of anti-herbivore defenses. Three large, factorial experiments involving over 500 poplar samplings were completed in the summer of 2006. The ability of induced foliage to import carbohydrates and nitrogen, observed using 1 3C and 1 SN tracers, was assessed with and without disruption of phloem transport and the presence of competing sink tissues, e.g. other wounded branches which compete for resources. These experiments were the largest, most complicated we have attempted since we began this work over eight years ago. ARABIDOPSIS. We have made good progress in developing Arabidopsis as a model system for testing the hypothesis that 155 is a common first step in defense responses. This required some additional effort because it became clear that which this species does possess the ISS response, it reacts a bit differently than poplar. In a series of experiments involving undergraduate students, we tested for the presence or absence of the IS S response in this plant at various developmental stages, in a range of sink and source leaves. The large number of enzyme assays required the development of a new enzyme activity assay, using high through-put grinders, which has increased our ability to process samples by nearly 10-fold.

Term Funded:Spring 2007
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Amy Michelle Diamond (2015)

Ventilatory Changes in Male and Female Mice in Response to Whole Animal Exposure to Carbon Dioxide

My lab recently discovered a sex difference in the activation of the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) in mice in response to 5% crbon dioxide (CO2). There are more than three times as many RTN cells that respond to 5% C2 in males than in females. Our data are intriguing given that the RTN regulates breathing in response to changes in blood carbon dioxide and is defective in several conditions that disproportionately affect males, including the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The proposed study will address an important follow-up question: do females increase their breathing in response to 5% C2 even though the RTN isn't activated? We will collect ventilatory data and correlate numbers of CO2-activated RTN cells with changes in ventilation in mice of each sex. These data will further our understanding of the sex difference in the mouse RTN and also may explain why females are less susceptible to SIDS.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Mary Niblock

Eric Kyle Dichter (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: David Kushner

Eric Kyle Dichter (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Spring 2007
Professor: David Kushner

Eric Kyle Dichter (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: David Kushner

Casey Elizabeth Ditzler (2016)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this project, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryo

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: John Henson

Alice Ann Duchon (2011)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PIs RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Debra Ann Dudas Honer (1991)

Construction of Recombinant Strains of Aspergillus Nidulans

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1990
Professor: Craig Jurgensen

Jillian Hammond Dunbar (2014)

Mechanisms of CD14 Expression

Term Funded: 2012-13
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Javier Victor Duran (1998)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 1998
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Kristi A Elder (2001)

NIH-Roberts

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Michael Roberts

Jessica Elizabeth Ellerman (2003)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 2002
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Jonathan Curry Emlet (2003)

Specificity of selector gene activity during Drosophila development

Developmental biology strives to address how a single cell, the fertilized egg, develops into an organism composed of many cells of many types that are precisely patterned and organized. Tissues, organs, and structures within the organism may develop from discrete clusters of cells called fields. These primordia may be specified to form a given structure through the activity of a special kind of protein, a field-specific transcription factor. These proteins control directly the expression of other proteins necessary for the elaboration of the tissue or structure. The aim of this work is to understand the mechanism by which the initial specification of these fields occurs; that is, what specifies the activity of the field-specific transcription factor? The student researcher who participates in the project will play an instrumental role in investigating this area of study as a potential research trajectory for my laboratory.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Jonathan Curry Emlet (2003)

Specificity of selector gene activity during Drosophila development

Developmental biology strives to address how a single cell, the fertilized egg, develops into an organism composed of many cells of many types that are precisely patterned and organized. Tissues, organs, and structures within the organism may develop from discrete clusters of cells called fields. These primordia may be specified to form a given structure through the activity of a special kind of protein, a field-specific transcription factor. These proteins control directly the expression of other proteins necessary for the elaboration of the tissue or structure. The aim of this work is to understand the mechanism by which the initial specification of these fields occurs; that is, what specifies the activity of the field-specific transcription factor? The student researcher who participates in the project will play an instrumental role in investigating this area of study as a potential research trajectory for my laboratory.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Lisa Nicole Estrella (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: David Kushner

Francoise Annick Febrey (2003)

Molecular Endocrinology and Genetics

I will be actively participating in the lab studies at Bioqual, Inc. including quality research, development and consulting services to Government and commercial contract clients. The overall goal is to compare different organisms on the subspecies level. I will have the opportunity to work with and learn about primate genetics and development. We will compare levels of genetic variation among subspecies using short tandem repeats (STRs or "microsatellites") and functional genes. We will also study phenotypic differentiation among subspecies. I will be using techniques such as PCR and in-vitro cell assays. Assignment to a specific research project at Bioqual is pending funding request.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor:

Elise Marguerite Fiala (2013)

Scalloped Expression During Larval Development

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Kathryn Denise Fiedler (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or "Induced Sink Strength" (ISS), determines leaf responsiveness and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally hetero genous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species shose inducible defense differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined.

Term Funded:Fall 2007
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Kathryn Denise Fiedler (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

In YEAR 1 we have succeeded in completing all proposed greenhouse experiments involving hybrid poplar saplings and made progress in establishing Arabidopsis and tomato as model systems in which to examine induced sink strength (ISS), which we hypothesize is a conuuon, first step in general plant wound responses. POPLAR EXPERIMENTS. Along with my co-PIs (Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel) I worked to complete the proposed experiments aimed at testing the ability of wounded poplar foliage to draw in additional resources, via an induction of cell wall invertase activities, to support the production of anti-herbivore defenses. Three large, factorial experiments involving over 500 poplar samplings were completed in the summer of 2006. The ability of induced foliage to import carbohydrates and nitrogen, observed using 1 3C and 1 SN tracers, was assessed with and without disruption of phloem transport and the presence of competing sink tissues, e.g. other wounded branches which compete for resources. These experiments were the largest, most complicated we have attempted since we began this work over eight years ago. ARABIDOPSIS. We have made good progress in developing Arabidopsis as a model system for testing the hypothesis that 155 is a common first step in defense responses. This required some additional effort because it became clear that which this species does possess the ISS response, it reacts a bit differently than poplar. In a series of experiments involving undergraduate students, we tested for the presence or absence of the IS S response in this plant at various developmental stages, in a range of sink and source leaves. The large number of enzyme assays required the development of a new enzyme activity assay, using high through-put grinders, which has increased our ability to process samples by nearly 10-fold.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Kathryn Denise Fiedler (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

In YEAR 1 we have succeeded in completing all proposed greenhouse experiments involving hybrid poplar saplings and made progress in establishing Arabidopsis and tomato as model systems in which to examine induced sink strength (ISS), which we hypothesize is a conuuon, first step in general plant wound responses. POPLAR EXPERIMENTS. Along with my co-PIs (Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel) I worked to complete the proposed experiments aimed at testing the ability of wounded poplar foliage to draw in additional resources, via an induction of cell wall invertase activities, to support the production of anti-herbivore defenses. Three large, factorial experiments involving over 500 poplar samplings were completed in the summer of 2006. The ability of induced foliage to import carbohydrates and nitrogen, observed using 1 3C and 1 SN tracers, was assessed with and without disruption of phloem transport and the presence of competing sink tissues, e.g. other wounded branches which compete for resources. These experiments were the largest, most complicated we have attempted since we began this work over eight years ago. ARABIDOPSIS. We have made good progress in developing Arabidopsis as a model system for testing the hypothesis that 155 is a common first step in defense responses. This required some additional effort because it became clear that which this species does possess the ISS response, it reacts a bit differently than poplar. In a series of experiments involving undergraduate students, we tested for the presence or absence of the IS S response in this plant at various developmental stages, in a range of sink and source leaves. The large number of enzyme assays required the development of a new enzyme activity assay, using high through-put grinders, which has increased our ability to process samples by nearly 10-fold.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Kathryn Denise Fiedler (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

In YEAR 1 we have succeeded in completing all proposed greenhouse experiments involving hybrid poplar saplings and made progress in establishing Arabidopsis and tomato as model systems in which to examine induced sink strength (ISS), which we hypothesize is a conuuon, first step in general plant wound responses. POPLAR EXPERIMENTS. Along with my co-PIs (Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel) I worked to complete the proposed experiments aimed at testing the ability of wounded poplar foliage to draw in additional resources, via an induction of cell wall invertase activities, to support the production of anti-herbivore defenses. Three large, factorial experiments involving over 500 poplar samplings were completed in the summer of 2006. The ability of induced foliage to import carbohydrates and nitrogen, observed using 1 3C and 1 SN tracers, was assessed with and without disruption of phloem transport and the presence of competing sink tissues, e.g. other wounded branches which compete for resources. These experiments were the largest, most complicated we have attempted since we began this work over eight years ago. ARABIDOPSIS. We have made good progress in developing Arabidopsis as a model system for testing the hypothesis that 155 is a common first step in defense responses. This required some additional effort because it became clear that which this species does possess the ISS response, it reacts a bit differently than poplar. In a series of experiments involving undergraduate students, we tested for the presence or absence of the IS S response in this plant at various developmental stages, in a range of sink and source leaves. The large number of enzyme assays required the development of a new enzyme activity assay, using high through-put grinders, which has increased our ability to process samples by nearly 10-fold.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Kathryn Denise Fiedler (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or "Induced Sink Strength" (ISS), determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined.

Term Funded:Spring 2008
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Sian Mary Fisher (2002)

Research on the population ecology of Euphorbia purpurea, or glade spurge

The project has three components, all involving the ecology of rare plant species. The first is our primary focus but I think the other two will provide good learning experiences as well. A.) Research on the population ecology of Euphoribia purpurea, or glade spurge, a globally rare swamp wildflower related to the poinsettia. There are only ca. 30 populations of glade spurge in existence, including six populations in PA; and it is considered threatened or endangered in each of the eight states in which it occurs. In Pennsylvania, students and I have monitored its status regularly at three sites since 1994 and have made occasional trips to the other PA sites with the DCNR and The Nature Conservancy. B.) Proprogation of two other wildflower species for future research and coursework. We will erect a deer exclosure plot at the Reineman Sanctuary and plant there several dozen individuals of Aster radula (rough-leaved aster) and Solidago speciosa (showy goldenrod) plants that are currently in flowerpots. The student and I will work together and will have assistance from Rob Martens of our department and from the sanctuary manager, Lee Schull. These two species are also endangered in PA. C.) Pollination of chestnut trees at the Reineman Wildlife Sanctuary, in collaboration with the American Chestnut Foundation. This involves bagging female flowers to prevent contamination by the wrong type of pollen, and then spreading male pollen from the desired parent tree onto the female flowers within the bags. It is part of a project to breed resistance from a devastating fungal disease, chestnut blight, into the American chestnut and thereby save that tree species from extinction.

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Aimee Lee Foord (2005)

Assessing islet function after exposure to enzymes and enzyme by-products. Rita Bottino Ph.D., Director Islet Core, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh..

The Islet Core laboratory is involved in the isolation and purification of human and animal islets of Langerhans for clinical as well as experimental use. One of the current lines of research of our lab focuses on the recognition of factors that affect islet survival following isolation. Among the possible causes for early islet failure after transplantation, the effect of exogenous enzymes utilized for the separation of islets from the pancreatic tissue is not well known. In the upcoming summer we intend to perform a series of experiments to determine the consequences of isolation enzymes on islet survival in culture as well as in experimental transplants in vivo. All the technologies for testing islet function in vitro and in vivo are already established in our lab. It would be a great opportunity to involve Aimee in this project and specifically to carry out, with our supervision, the experiments that can finally establish a role for isolation enzymes on islet performance.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor:

Gregory John Fredericks (2000)

The Influence of Microtubules on Actin-based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Coelomic Cells

The Influence of Microtubules on Actin-based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Coelomic Cells

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: John Henson

Christopher Alan Fried (2005)

Investigating the role of Arp2/3 complex-independent actin polymerization in the cell motility of sea urchin coelomocytes.

Sea urchin blood cells (coelomocytes) are an excellent model experimental system for structure and function studies focused on the "cytoskeleton," the collection of structural and motor proteins in the cell that mediate fundamental processes such as motility, division and signaling. The present study focuses on the impact of the drug butanedione monoxime (BDM) on the polymerization of the actin protein cytoskeleton, a process that helps drive motility in coelomocytes and that depends on the activity of the Arp2/3 protein complex. Our preliminary data with BDM treatment suggests that it is an Arp2/3 complex inhibitor and we plan to use this property in order to investigate the Arp2/3 complex-independent forms of actin polymerization that exist in this cell type. The results of this study should contribute to the overall understanding of the mechanisms underlying actin-based cell motility and increase our knowledge of the pharmacological effects of BDM.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: John Henson

Christopher Alan Fried (2005)

Investigating the role of contractile forces in the cell motility of sea urchin ceolomocytes.

Sea urchin blood cells (coelomocytes) are an excellent model experimental system for structure and function studies focused on the "cytoskeleton," the complex collection of structural and motor proteins that mediates fundamental cell processes such as motility, division and signaling. Our recent work suggests that contractile forces, mediated by the interaction of the structural protein actin and the motor protein myosin, play an integral role in both coelomocyte motility and the overall structuring of cell's cytoskeletal organization. In order to more fully test this hyopothesis we plan to use both morphological and biochemical methods to attempt to determine the extent of actomyosin contractile forces in these cells. The results of this study should contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cell motility.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: John Henson

Christopher Alan Fried (2005)

Investigating the role of Arp2/3 complex-independent actin polymerization in the cell motility of sea urchin coelomocytes.

Sea urchin blood cells (coelomocytes) are an excellent model experimental system for structure and function studies focused on the "cytoskeleton," the collection of structural and motor proteins in the cell that mediate fundamental processes such as motility, division and signaling. The present study focuses on the impact of the drug butanedione monoxime (BDM) on the polymerization of the actin protein cytoskeleton, a process that helps drive motility in coelomocytes and that depends on the activity of the Arp2/3 protein complex. Our preliminary data with BDM treatment suggests that it is an Arp2/3 complex inhibitor and we plan to use this property in order to investigate the Arp2/3 complex-independent forms of actin polymerization that exist in this cell type. The results of this study should contribute to the overall understanding of the mechanisms underlying actin-based cell motility and increase our knowledge of the pharmacological effects of BDM.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: John Henson

Christopher Alan Fried (2005)

Bioinformatics of Subcellular Localization and Changes due to Cancer

The main focus of recent experiments have been to generate computer-based comparisons of the subcellular localization patterns of GFP-tagged proteins in either normal or H-Ras-expressing NIH 3T3 cells. For this work GFP-tagged cell lines were transfected with H-Ras and then the control and Ras transformed lines examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Digital images of protein distribution patterns were analyzed by computer-based comparison programs and those proteins found to show significant changes were targeted for further examination. Dr. Henson's lab concentrated on the changes in localization of the tagged protein Tctex1 a light chain of the microtubule motor protein dynein.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: John Henson

Christopher Alan Fried (2005)

Investigating the role of contractile forces in the cell motility of sea urchin ceolomocytes.

Sea urchin blood cells (coelomocytes) are an excellent model experimental system for structure and function studies focused on the "cytoskeleton," the complex collection of structural and motor proteins that mediates fundamental cell processes such as motility, division and signaling. Our recent work suggests that contractile forces, mediated by the interaction of the structural protein actin and the motor protein myosin, play an integral role in both coelomocyte motility and the overall structuring of cell's cytoskeletal organization. In order to more fully test this hyopothesis we plan to use both morphological and biochemical methods to attempt to determine the extent of actomyosin contractile forces in these cells. The results of this study should contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cell motility.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: John Henson

Christopher Alan Fried (2005)

Investigating the role of Arp2/3 complex-independent actin polymerization in the cell motility of sea urchin coelomocytes.

Sea urchin blood cells (coelomocytes) are an excellent model experimental system for structure and function studies focused on the "cytoskeleton," the collection of structural and motor proteins in the cell that mediate fundamental processes such as motility, division and signaling. The present study focuses on the impact of the drug butanedione monoxime (BDM) on the polymerization of the actin protein cytoskeleton, a process that helps drive motility in coelomocytes and that depends on the activity of the Arp2/3 protein complex. Our preliminary data with BDM treatment suggests that it is an Arp2/3 complex inhibitor and we plan to use this property in order to investigate the Arp2/3 complex-independent forms of actin polymerization that exist in this cell type. The results of this study should contribute to the overall understanding of the mechanisms underlying actin-based cell motility and increase our knowledge of the pharmacological effects of BDM.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: John Henson

Jiantao Fu (2015)

RNA structure-function analysis of turnip crinkle virus (TCV) satellite C RNA

Evolution is controversial; a flaw of the "pro-evolution" argument is that demonstration of evolution in the lab setting is challenging. Students in Biology 419, RNA (ribonucleic acid) perform a semester-long lab module examining evolution of viral RNA - which RNA, from a pool of RNAs, allows for function (movement) in plants. Only recently has it been learned that RNA can be multifunctional within cells. The study of RNA viruses allows a unique perspective on understanding RNA function, since the virus uses only RNA (and never DNA) to code for proteins, or simply the RNA itself, for function. Here, sequence and/or structure of a non-coding viral RNA is being examined. The goal of the summer research is to continue the experiments and data analysis started during the semester-long evolution experiment in Bio 419, in order to determine specific nucleotide sequence and/or structure of the viral RNA that mediates its function in plants.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: David Kushner

Christopher Jason Gaetano (1997)

Immunolocalization of the Microtubule Motor Protein Kinesin II in Pluteus Stage Echinoderm Embryos

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: John Henson

Courtney M Gamache (2018)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this project, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryo

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: John Henson

Courtney M Gamache (2018)

Experimental Evolution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus Yeasts

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is essential to the production of various food, beverages, and biofuels, and has been utilized by humans for thousands of years. Consequently, many different domesticated populations of S. cerevisiae exist, including those from wine, baking, and brewing, in which strains with particular characteristics (e.g., increased fermentative capacity in brewing strains and high ethanol tolerance in wine strains) have been selected over multiple generations. Laboratory strains of S. cerevisiae have also been subject to domestication, through repeated selection for the ability to grow efficiently in a laboratory environment. However, despite their importance and the multiple relevant examples of microbe domestication, little is known about the genetic changes that accompany microbe domestication. This project seeks to address the extent to which selection for biochemical changes (changes to protein sequence) versus gene expression changes (changes to the timing and amount of proteins) are drivers of evolutionary change during yeast domestication.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Dana Somers

Damien Garbett (2003)

EGF Receptor Activation in Bovine Cumulus Cells Induces [Ca2 ]i Elevation and Subsequent Cell Death

Last summer I studied the effects of EGF Receptor Activation in Bovince Cumulus Cells (BCC). We observed that EGF stimulus induced an intracellular Ca2+ elevation and subsequent cell death. Towards the end of the summer we began to study the pathways involved in the response and I developed several experiments to determine what pathways were involved for the Ca2+ response, cell death, and cell motility change. I conducted the research with Dr. David Gross at the Lederle Graduate Research Center at UMASS. The lab setting allowed me to design and conduct the experiments first hand with guidance and suggestions from Dr. Gross. The research I conducted was one of the most educational experiences of my life and resulted in future publication and allowed me to present my research at the American Society for Cellular Biology (ASCB) annual meeting in Washington DC. I would like to continue with this project this summer because of how enjoyable and educational the experience was last summer.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor:

Sheri Gentekos (2000)

Surveys, monitoring and initial planning for experimental study of three rare plant species

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Aphnie Germain (2017)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: John Henson

Aphnie Germain (2017)

Dissect the contribution of Rho signaling to contractile ring formation

"During cytokinesis, a ring of actin and myosin forms at the cleavage furrows of cells and its contraction divides the cytoplasm in two. Septins are protein recruiters also found in these contractile rings of cells. Their localization in the contractile rings of dividing sea urchin embryos are shown here for the first time. Similar to mammalian cells, septin appears to co-localize with phosphorylated MLC in embryo contractile rings. We injected the Lytechinus pictus sea urchins with roughly 5 mL of 0.5 M KCl and were then compiled. We collected the eggs in a beaker containing artificial seawater (ASW) and we gathered the sperm in a dry petri dish. At the conclusion of spawning, we washed the eggs multiple times with ASW, which resulted in the removal of the sea urchins' jelly coats, then we fertilized the eggs; we washed the embryos with calcium-free seawater (CFSW) once we removed the fertilization envelopes with the addition of urea. After the embryos were done dividing and were fix, we used several antibodies to label the different proteins within the embryos. In Lytechinus pictus embryos and LLC-PK1 epithelial cells, septin and myosin showed evidence of co-localization within the actomyosin contractile ring. Through fluorescent labeling, there appeared to be an overlap in the placement of both myosin and septin. Embryo treatment with Latrunculin B displayed septin's behavior in the absence of actin. Septin remained in the previous position seen in the untreated embryos; therefore, we concluded that septin was not interacting with actin as previously hypothesized. Furthering testing would be necessary to investigate the interaction between septin and myosin. "

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: John Henson

Shawn Ashley Gessay (2014)

Mechanisms of CD14 Expression

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Anastasia Despina Gianakas (2012)

Mechanisms of Cell Process Formation in Sea Urchin Embryos

The cytoskeleton is the system of structural and motor proteins that mediates cell motility, division and shape changes. My laboratory has long used the sea urchin coelomocyte as a model cell system for the study of the cytoskeletal basis of cellular movement and process/protrusion formation. This summer we plan to extend our studies on cell process formation in coelomocytes to the generation of cell processes during the development of the sea urchin embryo. This will involve the microscopic localization of specific cytoskeletal proteins in processes of cells helping mediate embryonic gastrulation, skeletal formation and establishment of the nervous system. We also plan to inhibit process formation by decreasing the expression of specific cytoskeletal proteins via an antisense RNA-based approach. The results of these studies will increase our knowledge concerning the cytoskeletal mechanisms fundamental to cell process formation. This research will be carried out at the MDI Biological Laboratory in Maine in collaboration with Drs. Robert Morris (Wheaton College) and James Coffman (MDIBL).

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: John Henson

Caroline Elizabeth Gillespie (2018)

NSF 1416690: Ocean Acidification/Collaborative Research/RUI: Effects of Ocean Acidification on Larval Competence, Metamorphosis, and Juvenile Performance in a Planktotrophic Gastropod

The proposed study will help us to understand the ways in which ocean acidification (OA) will impact the development, dispersal, and metamorphosis of the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata, and the mechanism responsible for the effects observed. Larvae will be reared pH levels representing current (390 ppm) and projected 22nd century (800 ppm) atmospheric pCO2, at both normal (20 C) and elevated temperature (25 C) and with and without nutritional stress. We will determine the following: 1) impact of OA on rates of larval tissue growth and shell growth; 2) latent effects of larval exposure to OA on juvenile survival and growth; 3) influence of elevated OA on gene expression patterns in larvae; 4) impact of OA on duration of the pre-competent larval swimming period; 5) impact of OA on the response of competent larvae to a variety of metamorphic inducers; 6) impact of larval diet quality on vulnerability to OA, both in the larval stages and following metamorphosis (latent effects); 7) influence of OA exposure in the larval stage on gene expression patterns in juveniles; and 8) impact of OA on larval swimming ability, settlement behavior, and time to metamorphic competence.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Anthony Pires

Emily Kathryn Gleason (2014)

Sex Differences in the Mouse Retrotrapezoid Nucleus

Term Funded: 2012-13
Professor: Mary Niblock

Brandon Neville Goldson (2015)

Investigation of Actin Nucleation Factors and Cytoskeletal Structure in Mouse Melanoma Cells

Term Funded: 2012-13
Professor: John Henson

Michele Anne Gortakowski (2007)

NSF 0110832 RUI: Neural Regulation of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Anthony Pires

Trevor Munro Griesman (2015)

Exosomal Restriction factors and HIV

This summer, at the University of Iowa, I will be performing research into the relationship between the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and host restriction factors. Restriction factors are proteins or enzymes produced by host cells that can inhibit a virus or prevent it from replicating. Several restriction factors of HIV are known, but I will specifically be looking at a family of proteins called APOBEC3 proteins.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Charles Edward Griffith (1995)

A Moleular Analysis of Gene Expression during Cell Differentiation

A Moleular Analysis of Gene Expression during Cell Differentiation

Term Funded:Summer 1994
Professor: Michael Roberts

Nicholas Samuel Gubitosi (2012)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Emily Grace Gvodas (2005)

Development of fluorescence in in situ hybridization using rRNA-based probes for the analysis of gastrointestinal bacteria

The specific objectives for this project would be as follows: 1) develop and implement 16S rRNA-based probe FISH approaches for the analyses of key groups of gastrointestinal microbes; 2) compare the results of these molecular approaches with classical culture-based techniques; and 3) time permitting, use the FISH approaches to investigate the impact of feeding an ingredient of interest on the gastrointestinal microflora composition of the rat. Ms. Greenlee will be an integral part of this project and, with my assistance and the assistance of other members of my group, will conduct the FISH analyses and classical microbiological techniques. Ms. Greenlee will also be involved in the animal studies, where she will participate in feeding, sample collection and processing. Because the project will involve a considerable amount of effort for development, the optimal duration for the internship woud be 10 weeks.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Nicole Christine Hanson (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Fall 2007
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Nicole Christine Hanson (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

In YEAR 1 we have succeeded in completing all proposed greenhouse experiments involving hybrid poplar saplings and made progress in establishing Arabidopsis and tomato as model systems in which to examine induced sink strength (ISS), which we hypothesize is a conuuon, first step in general plant wound responses. POPLAR EXPERIMENTS. Along with my co-PIs (Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel) I worked to complete the proposed experiments aimed at testing the ability of wounded poplar foliage to draw in additional resources, via an induction of cell wall invertase activities, to support the production of anti-herbivore defenses. Three large, factorial experiments involving over 500 poplar samplings were completed in the summer of 2006. The ability of induced foliage to import carbohydrates and nitrogen, observed using 1 3C and 1 SN tracers, was assessed with and without disruption of phloem transport and the presence of competing sink tissues, e.g. other wounded branches which compete for resources. These experiments were the largest, most complicated we have attempted since we began this work over eight years ago. ARABIDOPSIS. We have made good progress in developing Arabidopsis as a model system for testing the hypothesis that 155 is a common first step in defense responses. This required some additional effort because it became clear that which this species does possess the ISS response, it reacts a bit differently than poplar. In a series of experiments involving undergraduate students, we tested for the presence or absence of the IS S response in this plant at various developmental stages, in a range of sink and source leaves. The large number of enzyme assays required the development of a new enzyme activity assay, using high through-put grinders, which has increased our ability to process samples by nearly 10-fold.

Term Funded:Spring 2007
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Nicole Christine Hanson (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

In YEAR 1 we have succeeded in completing all proposed greenhouse experiments involving hybrid poplar saplings and made progress in establishing Arabidopsis and tomato as model systems in which to examine induced sink strength (ISS), which we hypothesize is a conuuon, first step in general plant wound responses. POPLAR EXPERIMENTS. Along with my co-PIs (Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel) I worked to complete the proposed experiments aimed at testing the ability of wounded poplar foliage to draw in additional resources, via an induction of cell wall invertase activities, to support the production of anti-herbivore defenses. Three large, factorial experiments involving over 500 poplar samplings were completed in the summer of 2006. The ability of induced foliage to import carbohydrates and nitrogen, observed using 1 3C and 1 SN tracers, was assessed with and without disruption of phloem transport and the presence of competing sink tissues, e.g. other wounded branches which compete for resources. These experiments were the largest, most complicated we have attempted since we began this work over eight years ago. ARABIDOPSIS. We have made good progress in developing Arabidopsis as a model system for testing the hypothesis that 155 is a common first step in defense responses. This required some additional effort because it became clear that which this species does possess the ISS response, it reacts a bit differently than poplar. In a series of experiments involving undergraduate students, we tested for the presence or absence of the IS S response in this plant at various developmental stages, in a range of sink and source leaves. The large number of enzyme assays required the development of a new enzyme activity assay, using high through-put grinders, which has increased our ability to process samples by nearly 10-fold.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Nicole Christine Hanson (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

In YEAR 1 we have succeeded in completing all proposed greenhouse experiments involving hybrid poplar saplings and made progress in establishing Arabidopsis and tomato as model systems in which to examine induced sink strength (ISS), which we hypothesize is a conuuon, first step in general plant wound responses. POPLAR EXPERIMENTS. Along with my co-PIs (Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel) I worked to complete the proposed experiments aimed at testing the ability of wounded poplar foliage to draw in additional resources, via an induction of cell wall invertase activities, to support the production of anti-herbivore defenses. Three large, factorial experiments involving over 500 poplar samplings were completed in the summer of 2006. The ability of induced foliage to import carbohydrates and nitrogen, observed using 1 3C and 1 SN tracers, was assessed with and without disruption of phloem transport and the presence of competing sink tissues, e.g. other wounded branches which compete for resources. These experiments were the largest, most complicated we have attempted since we began this work over eight years ago. ARABIDOPSIS. We have made good progress in developing Arabidopsis as a model system for testing the hypothesis that 155 is a common first step in defense responses. This required some additional effort because it became clear that which this species does possess the ISS response, it reacts a bit differently than poplar. In a series of experiments involving undergraduate students, we tested for the presence or absence of the IS S response in this plant at various developmental stages, in a range of sink and source leaves. The large number of enzyme assays required the development of a new enzyme activity assay, using high through-put grinders, which has increased our ability to process samples by nearly 10-fold.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Nicole Christine Hanson (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or "Induced Sink Strength" (ISS), determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined.

Term Funded:13Spring 2008
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Danielle Verlee Hazard (2000)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 1999
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Sprague William Hazard (1999)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 1998
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Jeffrey Todd Heath (2005)

NSF 0336717 Collaborative Research: Coordinate Induction of Sink Strength and Polyphenol Metabolism in Trees

Carbohydrates and secondary metabolism of forest trees, tomato

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Evan Robert Hennessy (2011)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Evan's project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Elaine Rachel Herbig (2012)

NASA GCCE Grant: Climate Variability Reduces Frog Resistance to Nematode Infection

Climate Variability Reduces Frog Resistance to Nematode Infection

Term Funded:Fall 2011
Professor: Thomas Raffel

Elaine Rachel Herbig (2012)

NSF 1121529 IOS: Dynamic Thermal Physiology of Host-Parasite Interactions

INTELLECTUAL MERIT: Climate change is projected to influence the dynamics and distributions of many parasitic diseases of both humans and wildlife. Whether such changes will increase or reduce disease levels will depend on the differential thermal physiologies of parasites and their hosts. Available forecasts suggest that climate change will involve changes in both mean temperature and temperature variability, yet relatively little is known about how shifts in temperature affect parasite-host relationships. What few studies have examined the thermal biology of disease have focused on how changes in mean temperature affect the susceptibility of endothermic hosts to infection. However, the vast majority of free-living organisms are ectothermic, including many species of economic and ecological importance, and quantitative theory for how ectotherms and their parasites respond to unpredictable changes in temperature remains lacking. The overarching hypothesis underlying this proposal is that parasites acclimate to unpredictable temperature changes more rapidly than their hosts, leading to higher infection rates under variable-temperature conditions. PI Johnson and colleagues will use an integrated theoretical and experimental approach to address this gap in knowledge, using trematode infections in amphibians as a model system to parameterize and validate a model describing the thermal biology of ectotherm parasitism. Specifically, they will (1) develop a theoretical model describing how temperature variability influences parasitic infection in ectotherms, incorporating lags in thermal acclimation following temperature shifts, (2) parameterize the model developed in Objective 1 through a series of controlled-temperature laboratory experiments using trematode infections of tadpoles, and (3) validate the model by testing quantitative predictions for different timescales of temperature variability with a largescale mesocosm experiment. Importantly, beyond simply addressing changes in mean temperature, this model will include time lags in acclimation to new temperatures by both host and parasite. A key innovation will be the construction of a novel yet inexpensive incubator array to overcome limitations of many past experiments on climate change (i.e., pseudoreplication). Once developed, this integrated empirical and theoretical approach to host-pathogen thermal physiology can be easily extended to other disease systems. BROADER IMPACTS: The proposed research and public outreach will provide significant educational and societal benefits. Many economically important diseases, such as malaria and schistosomiasis, have ectothermic vectors or intermediate hosts, and disease is a constant threat to economically important plants and ectothermic animals (e.g., pollinators). The theory developed in this project will help improve our understanding of, and ability to control, these economically important diseases in the face of climate change. Furthermore, funding this proposal will provide educational opportunities at multiple levels. Postdoctoral Researcher Raffel will benefit from the opportunity to administer his first NSF grant, improving his chances of landing a faculty position in the current competitive job market. Both PIs will place an emphasis on educational public outreach with K-12 teachers through collaborations with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado. The graduate student research assistants supported on this grant will participate actively in public outreach to K-12 students through the UC-Boulder School of Education's Science Discovery Program. Undergraduate research assistants will also be recruited from under-represented groups, giving them valuable experiential opportunities to conduct research and develop their own projects. PI Johnson and Dr. Raffel have each advised dozens of undergraduate researchers from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, many of whom have attended national scientific meetings and coauthored papers in professional journals.

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Thomas Raffel

Jeanine McGreevy Herdman (2001)

Actin-Based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Coelomocytes: Development of a Permeabilized Cell Model

The mechanisms underlying how cells move and change shape have puzzled cell biologists for over a hundred years. Although a great deal of detailed molecular knowledge has been generated, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. My lab employs cells isolated from the coelomic fluid of sea urchins (coelomocytes) as an experimental system for studying an aspect of cell motility termed retrograde flow. This process consists of the centripetal movement of the cell surface membrane and underlying protein scaffold (the cytoskeleton) from the cell periphery to the center. The sea urchin coelomocyte has a number of attributes, including ease of isolation, geometry, and optical clarity, which makes it an excellent system for studying this form of motility. However the types of experiments that can be performed with these cells has been limited by the fact that they are not amenable to microinjection. In this proposal we plan to develop a permeabilized cell model of the coelomocyte. In order to do this my students and I will have to test a wide array of permeabilizing agents (detergents and membrane toxins) as well as intracellular buffers. Permeabilized cell models have been instrumental in studying a number of cellular processes including cell division, secretion and intracellular transport. The development of the coelomocyte permeabilized model will allow for us to use membrane impermeant reagents (fluorescent proteins, function blocking antibodies, toxins, etc.) as tools in experiments aimed at gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms mediating the flow process.

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: John Henson

Jeanine McGreevy Herdman (2001)

NIH 1R15GM60925-01 Mechanism and Regulation of Actin-based Retrograde Flow

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: John Henson

Hannah Yufay Herzon ()

NSF Collaborative Research: Building the Contractile Ring

NSF Collaborative Research: Building the Contractile Ring

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: John Henson

Trapper Ty Hobble (2020)

Experimental evolution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus yeasts

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is essential to the production of various food, beverages, and biofuels. Many different domesticated populations of S. cerevisiae exist, in which strains with advantageous characteristics have been selected over multiple generations. Laboratory strains of S. cerevisiae have also been subject to domestication, through repeated selection for the ability to grow efficiently in a laboratory environment. Despite the importance of yeasts and the multiple relevant examples of their domestication, little is known about the genetic changes that accompany domestication. This project seeks to observe evolutionary dynamics of laboratory domestication in real-time to answer several questions about evolutionary mechanisms: Will evolution in the same controlled environment carried out many times result in variants with similar mutations? How will genotypic diversity relate to diversity in physiology? Are evolutionary trajectories similar among strains of the same species, or among closely related species? Are biochemical changes or gene expression changes the primary driver of evolutionary change during domestication?

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Dana Somers

Scott William Hoffman (2012)

Organization of vago-vagal circuits controlling pancreatic function

Organization of vago-vagal circuits controlling pancreatic function

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor:

Jennifer Lynn Hoffmann (2000)

Surveys, monitoring and initial planning for experimental study of three rare plant species

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Trevor Thomas Hollinger (2016)

NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU): Cervix Remodeling during Pregnancy

In the research experience the question that is being addressed is whether or not there can be a treatment developed to help reduce the chances of preterm birth. This experience will incorporate many aspects of my major especially biological processes and will require the understanding of physiological processes as well. It also has ties to my future career goals by giving me exposure to medical research. It is a very important question to ask and one that could help reduce the chances of preterm birth and the difficulties that go along with it.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Jamie Yoonjoung Hur (2011)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Spring 2009
Professor: David Kushner

Marianne Hutt (2011)

Immunohistochemical Characterization of Sexually Dimorphic Cells in the Retrotrapezoid Nucleus of the Mouse Brainstem

My lab recently has discovered a difference in the number of activated cells in the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) region in male and female mice following carbon dioxide (CO2) exposure. This important region is one of the major players in regulating breathing in response to changes in blood CO2. Our data suggest the interesting possibility that the sexes differ in their thresholds for CO2-activation of the RTN, with males having a lower threshold than females. Because there are many types of cells in the RTN, however, we must verify that the activated cells we have counted are the same cells within the RTN that contribute to CO2 detection. The proposed project will positively identify cells activated by 5% or 10% CO2 in mice of both sexes using antibodies to detect a molecular marker (Phox2b) unique to the RTN CO2-detecting cells. Our data will support (or refute) the existence of a potentially vital sex difference in the RTN.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Mary Niblock

Zoe Heng Irons (2018)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this project, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryo

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: John Henson

Zoe Heng Irons (2018)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this application, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryos.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: John Henson

Patrick Michael Irwin (2017)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this application, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryos.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: John Henson

Jonathan William Jackson (2014)

Ventilatory Changes in Male and Female Mice in Response to Whole Animal Exposure to Carbon Dioxide

Ventilatory Changes in Male and Female Mice in Response to Whole Animal Exposure to Carbon Dioxide

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Mary Niblock

Kristy Beth Jacobus (2005)

Structural genomics analysis using Rho130 as a model

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Maxwell Michael James (2010)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Nina Barbara Jean-Jacques (2011)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Helena Jeudin (2017)

NSF 085670: STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Scott Boback

Bethany Leigh Jillson-Thornhill (2005)

NSF 0336716 RUI Collaborative Research: Mechanisms of induced pathogen resistance in seagrasses

Seagrass enzyme biomarkers

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Amanda Hildur Jimcosky (2017)

Interactions between Oak Trees and Small Mammals

The distribution and proportion of the components of seeds, such as acorns, has the potential to provide explanation for various plant-animal interactions. As tannins play a key role in how desirable a seed is to a small mammal, it was hypothesized that a higher tannin concentration would occur earlier in the winter when seeds are more likely to be stored and that the concentration would diminish throughout the time period that it was cached. Samples were taken from seeds, which were then buried to mock how small mammals cache seeds and sampled monthly. Radial diffusion assays were performed, using the specifications put forth by Ann E. Hagerman of Miami University, to determine the concentration of tannin in each sample. It was found that initial (from November) and final (from March) sample concentrations were fairly similar but that a spike in tannins typically occurs in January before dropping again at the end of the caching period. These results indicate that the seeds may not be more desirable at the end of the winter, but instead that an increase in tannin concentration during the middle portion of the cache helps preserve the seed in order for it to survive longer and potentially reach germination before being eaten or destroyed. These results help gain perspective on the relationship between small mammals and seeds down to a chemical level, including the importance each plays in the others survival as a species.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor:

Rachel Ann Jones (2009)

Structural and Molecular Characterization of a Newly Isolated Bacteriophage Virus

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and are of significant interest due to their extreme abundance, importance in the regulation of bacterial population dynamics, and potential usefulness in limiting the growth of harmful bacteria in environmental and biomedical contamination contexts. Dickinson student Rachel Jones will spend 1 week at Dickinson and then 6 weeks at UCLA analyzing the physical structure and DNA sequence of a new bacteriophage virus isolated in Dr. Erin Sanders-Lorenz's lab at UCLA. This characterization will involve transmission electron microscopy and shotgun sequencing methods and will continue at Dickinson in the fall. The research represents a continuation of the productive collaboration between UCLA and Dickinson that was initiated this semester and based on the purchase of a Li-Cor DNA automated sequencer.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: John Henson

Rodney D Jones (2017)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this application, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryos.

Term Funded:Spring 2016
Professor: John Henson

Caroline Ellis Jordan (2013)

Investigation of Actin Nucleation Factors and Cytoskeletal Structure in Mouse Melanoma Cells

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: John Henson

Rachel Ellis Jordan (2013)

NSF 1121529 IOS: Dynamic Thermal Physiology of Host-Parasite Interactions - Climate change and disease susceptibility in amphibians

This project studied whether the immune system of tadpoles from 3 different species of frog were able to clear the parasite Ribeiroia on its own. The three species of frog studied were Wood frogs, toads, and Green frogs. Snails were used as the preliminary host for the parasite. Cercariae (young parasites) were collected from the snails and dyed with a green fluorescent dye. 24 tadpoles from each species were infected with the dyed cercariae while an additional 12 from each species were not infected and used as controls. Tadpoles were anesthetized and pictures were taken using a fluorescent microscope for 4 weeks to track the number of cercariae present and look for clearing of the parasite. After 4 weeks, tadpoles were euthanized and examined under a microscope to determine the true number of cercariae at euthanization.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Thomas Raffel

Elizabeth G Joseloff (1991)

Regulation of Gene Expression in the Development of Aspergillus Nidulans

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1988
Professor: Craig Jurgensen

Michelle Ferenz Kanther (2004)

Analysis of Pdr5p Mutants that Retain Partial Function

I will be working on a project that has been ongoing for some time now. Using biochemical and genetic techniques, they have been investigating the genetic control of multiple drug resistance in yeast cells. By investigating how the ABC multi-drug transporter Pdr5p functions in yeast cells, they are attempting to understand its role in genetic control of drug resistance. Using gel electrophoresis, membrane preparation, Western blotting, and other techniques, I will be analyzing mutations that alter the recognition properties of Pdr5p. We will be attempting to understand how a single transporer is able to mediate resistance to multiple compounds that are widely varied in their chemical makeup. The major goal of the research will be to investigate how substrates interact with specific binding sites by creating structural and enzymological mutants. These mutants will be prepared for me prior to my arrival and it will be my job to help in the preliminary characterization of such mutants.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Christopher James Katalinas (2013)

Ecophysiology of Marine Organisms

n/a

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Christopher James Katalinas (2013)

Ontogenetic habitat shift of Pterois volitans and their increasing invasion of South Caicos

Pterois volitans have established themselves as the first successful non-native species within the Western North Atlantic and Caribbean regions. The rapid growth, relatively early settlement age, and aggressive predatory behavior of lionfish allow them to compete with native fishes and insert themselves as top predators. Surveys involving the sighting and capturing of lionfish were taken during the Fall 2010, Spring/Summer 2011 and Fall 2011 semesters. During the Fall 2011 semester, a total of 28 shallow sites and 7 deep sites were surveyed by a maximum of 11 team members and habitat, depth, and size of all observed lionfish was recorded. There was a positive correlation between total length and depth, as well as a significant increase in average size of lionfish in shallow and deep patch reefs over the one year study period. In addition, a greater abundance of adult lionfish was found throughout shallow and deep habitats. The positive correlation between total length and depth indicates an ontogenetic shift as lionfish grow larger. Also, the greater abundance of adults throughout shallow and deep patch reefs confirms that lionfish have grown larger and have been expanding their invasion since their arrival in South Caicos in 2007

Term Funded:Fall 2011
Professor:

Christopher James Katalinas (2013)

NASA GCCE Grant: Carbon Enrichment Technology

Carbon Enrichment Technology

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Emily R Keller (2004)

Development of Genetic Markers for the Analysis of Population Structure in the Chilean Sea Bass and Antartic Toothfish

The goal of this project is to apply new single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection by temperature gradient capillary electrophoresis (TGCE) to discover genetic polymorphisms in two commercially and ecologically important fish species, the Chilean Sea Bass and the Antartic Toothfish. Previous methods of detection by restriction enzyme fragment analysis, microsatellites, protein polymorphisms, and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA have proven to be both time and labor intensive. SNP discovery by TGCE offers the highest output and fewest drawbacks, which is why it will be utilized in this project. The experiment will proceed through 5 steps: collection of skeletal muscle samples from both species, DNA extraction from 48 individuals of each species, PCR of target gene fragments, TGCE screening, and DNA sequencing. The results of this project, combined with Dr. Gaffney's previous research, will hopefully contribute to more effective management of these resources and more useful tools for monitoring and enforcement of harvesting of the two species. The project will be presented at both the division and national conferences of the American Fisheries Society, as well as at Dickinson's own research symposium.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Justin Robert Kiehne (2014)

Biomechanics of Ventilation in Boa Constrictor

Term Funded:Spring 2012-2013
Professor: Scott Boback

Jake Olson Kleiner (2013)

Investigation of Actin Nucleation Factors and Cytoskeletal Structure in Mouse Melanoma Cells

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: John Henson

Mary Winifred Kleinman (2010)

Structural Organization of the Contractile Ring during Cell Division in Sea Urchin Embryos

Understanding how cell division works is crucial to our overall knowledge of the role of cell proliferation in health and disease. Cell division consists of two distinct stages: karyokinesis involving division of the chromosomes and cytokinesis involving the division of the cytoplasm. Cytokinesis results from the transient assembly of a contractile ring consisting of the filamentous protein actin and it's associated motor protein myosin II. Although genetic, proteomic, and biochemical analyses have defined the components necessary for contractile ring assembly and constriction, fundamental questions remain regarding the structural organization of the contractile ring. In this study we plan to use sophisticated light and electron microscopic methods to study the structure of actin and myosin in contractile rings isolated from sea urchin embryos. We also plan to examine roles for proteins that impact the formation of actin filaments and those that influence the interaction of actin and myosin. The results of these studies should shed light on the structure and regulation of the contractile ring.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: John Henson

Kristen Michelle Kocher (2012)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Sarah Elizabeth Kolnik (2003)

The role of the cytoskeleton in the cytotoxic functions of the sea urchin coelomocyte

My laboratory has employed sea urchin blood cells (called coelomocytes) as a model experimental system for the study of cell motility, a process that is medicated by a series of structural and motor proteins know collectively as the "cytoskeleton." A major long-term goal of this research is to understand the structural, functional and regulatory mechanisms underlying the cytoskeletal dynamics which help cell's mediate motility, shape changes an intracellular transport. A related goal is to determine how the cytoskeletal mechanisms we identify in coelomocytes contribute to the in vivo functioning of these cells. Several recent literature papers indicate that the subpopulation of coelomocytes historically referred to as "phagocytic amoebocytes" perform primitive immune functions including Natural Killer (NK) cell-like cytotoxic activity (Lin et al., 2001, J. Exp. Zool. 290:741) and he production and secretion of Complement factors (Gross et al., 2000, Immunogenetics 51:1034; Smith et al., 2001, Immunol. Rev. 180:16).

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: John Henson

Sarah Elizabeth Kolnik (2003)

Molecular Mechanism of Actin-based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Ceolomocytes

Cell motility, which plays a fundamental role in a number of crucial cell processes including migration, cell division, and secretion, is mediated by a host of motor and structural proteins know collectively as "the cytoskeleton." In this proposal we plan to extend our studies on the cytoskeletal mechanisms underlying a specific form of motility termed retrograde flow. This flow process involves the movement of the cell's membrane and underlying cytoskeletal scaffold from the cell periphery towards the cell center and it is present in the majority of nucleated cells. The sea urchin coelomocyte offers a number of distinct advantages as a model experimental system for studying retrograde flow, including ease of isolation, lack of cytoskeletal complexity and optical clarity. We plan to use coelomocytes combined with pharmacological treatments, digitally-enhanced video microscopy, and immunofluorescent localization microscopy to extend our understanding of the molecular mechanisms which mediate retrograde flow.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: John Henson

Sarah Elizabeth Kolnik (2003)

The role of the cytoskeleton in the cytotoxic functions of the sea urchin coelomocyte

My laboratory has employed sea urchin blood cells (called coelomocytes) as a model experimental system for the study of cell motility, a process that is medicated by a series of structural and motor proteins know collectively as the "cytoskeleton." A major long-term goal of this research is to understand the structural, functional and regulatory mechanisms underlying the cytoskeletal dynamics which help cell's mediate motility, shape changes an intracellular transport. A related goal is to determine how the cytoskeletal mechanisms we identify in coelomocytes contribute to the in vivo functioning of these cells. Several recent literature papers indicate that the subpopulation of coelomocytes historically referred to as "phagocytic amoebocytes" perform primitive immune functions including Natural Killer (NK) cell-like cytotoxic activity (Lin et al., 2001, J. Exp. Zool. 290:741) and he production and secretion of Complement factors (Gross et al., 2000, Immunogenetics 51:1034; Smith et al., 2001, Immunol. Rev. 180:16).

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: John Henson

Sarah Elizabeth Kolnik (2003)

Molecular Mechanism of Actin-based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Ceolomocytes

Cell motility, which plays a fundamental role in a number of crucial cell processes including migration, cell division, and secretion, is mediated by a host of motor and structural proteins know collectively as "the cytoskeleton." In this proposal we plan to extend our studies on the cytoskeletal mechanisms underlying a specific form of motility termed retrograde flow. This flow process involves the movement of the cell's membrane and underlying cytoskeletal scaffold from the cell periphery towards the cell center and it is present in the majority of nucleated cells. The sea urchin coelomocyte offers a number of distinct advantages as a model experimental system for studying retrograde flow, including ease of isolation, lack of cytoskeletal complexity and optical clarity. We plan to use coelomocytes combined with pharmacological treatments, digitally-enhanced video microscopy, and immunofluorescent localization microscopy to extend our understanding of the molecular mechanisms which mediate retrograde flow.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: John Henson

Heather Oliver Kot (1999)

NIH- 1R15GM47693-01 Cytoskeletal Dynamics during Dell Shape Changes

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: John Henson

Tasha Kouvatsos (2005)

A DNA Microarray Analysis of Human Leukemia Cell Differentiation

DNA microarrays have enabled scientists to study changes in gene expression in living cells by examining thousands of genes in a single experiment. In the experiments described here, DNA microarrays will be used to examine changes in gene expression during the differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) into granulocytes or eosinophils. A microarray analysis HL-60 cell differentiation into macrophages is currently nearing completion. Once identified, genes that are significantly up-regulated or down-regulated will be compared for the three pathways and confirmatory experiments will be preformed by conventional, "one gene at a time" methods. The significance of these experiments goes beyond the study of cell differentiation, since in all three cases, rapidly dividing cancer cells are being converted into non-dividing "normal" cells.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Michael Roberts

Tasha Kouvatsos (2005)

A DNA Microarray Analysis of Human Leukemia Cell Differentiation

DNA microarrays have enabled scientists to study changes in gene expression in living cells by examining thousands of genes in a single experiment. In the experiments described here, DNA microarrays will be used to examine changes in gene expression during the differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) into granulocytes or eosinophils. A microarray analysis HL-60 cell differentiation into macrophages is currently nearing completion. Once identified, genes that are significantly up-regulated or down-regulated will be compared for the three pathways and confirmatory experiments will be preformed by conventional, "one gene at a time" methods. The significance of these experiments goes beyond the study of cell differentiation, since in all three cases, rapidly dividing cancer cells are being converted into non-dividing "normal" cells.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Michael Roberts

Paul Michael Kretzer (2004)

Testing the Biological Activity of Cis and Trans Photoisomers of Phenylpropanoid Compounds

Depletion of the ozone layer has resulted in an increase in the exposure of terrestrial plants to ultraviolet-B radiation. This damages many species of plants and in some cases may have a significant impact on agricultural productivity. One mechanism by which plants are thought to protect themselves from these effects is by synthesis of flavonoids and related compounds that function as natural sunscreens. These compounds are derived from phenylalanine, which is metabolized through thr phenylpropanoid pathway, leading to formation of flavonoids and also to the cell wall structural element lignin. The phenylpropanoid pathway appears to be regulated both at the level of gene transcription and by product inhibition of key enzymes by intermediates of the pathway. Specifically, regulation may occur through cis-trans photoisomerization of intermediates of the pathway, whose isomeric forms have a differential effect on the activity of the enzymes that form them. Using high performance liquid chromatography, we propse to prepare and isolate the cis and trans isomers of a number of these compounds. We will then test their biological activity by observing their effects on flavonoid synthesis and lignin formation in excised plant tissues. These results will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of damage and resistance to ultraviolet radiation in higher plants.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Thomas Brennan

Paul Michael Kretzer (2004)

NSF 0336716 RUI Collaborative Research: Mechanisms of induced pathogen resistance in seagrasses

Nutrient enrichment and seagrass phenolic metabolism

Term Funded:Fall 2003
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Paul Michael Kretzer (2004)

NSF 0336716 RUI Collaborative Research: Mechanisms of induced pathogen resistance in seagrasses

Nutrient enrichment and seagrass phenolic metabolism

Term Funded:Spring 2004
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Paul Michael Kretzer (2004)

Testing the Biological Activity of Cis and Trans Photoisomers of Phenylpropanoid Compounds

Depletion of the ozone layer has resulted in an increase in the exposure of terrestrial plants to ultraviolet-B radiation. This damages many species of plants and in some cases may have a significant impact on agricultural productivity. One mechanism by which plants are thought to protect themselves from these effects is by synthesis of flavonoids and related compounds that function as natural sunscreens. These compounds are derived from phenylalanine, which is metabolized through thr phenylpropanoid pathway, leading to formation of flavonoids and also to the cell wall structural element lignin. The phenylpropanoid pathway appears to be regulated both at the level of gene transcription and by product inhibition of key enzymes by intermediates of the pathway. Specifically, regulation may occur through cis-trans photoisomerization of intermediates of the pathway, whose isomeric forms have a differential effect on the activity of the enzymes that form them. Using high performance liquid chromatography, we propse to prepare and isolate the cis and trans isomers of a number of these compounds. We will then test their biological activity by observing their effects on flavonoid synthesis and lignin formation in excised plant tissues. These results will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of damage and resistance to ultraviolet radiation in higher plants.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Thomas Brennan

Afif Naji Kulaylat (2007)

A Proteomics Approach to Human Leukemia Cell Differentiation

Human leukemia cells can be induced in culture to become cells with normal growth properties. This reversion form cancer cell to "normal " cell has profound implications for cancer treatment and for the understanding of cell differentiation, the process by which embryonic cells specialize into specific cell types. This study seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms by which cancer cells are transformed into normal cells, using state-of-the art technology in the newly evolved field of protemics. Genetic "re-programming" occurs as the leukemia cells are coaxed into "remembering" the traits of the normal cells from which they were derived. The remembered normal cell program then directs the cells to actually become the cells of their origin, in this system, white blood cells called macrophages. The genetic program is manifested in the kinds of proteins present in the cells and their relative amounts. Human cells contain tens of thousands of different proteins and their relative abundances distinguish a muscle cell from a kidney cell, neuron from skin and even a cancer cell from its normal counterpart. Proteomics is the study of the global repertoire of proteins within a cell. Using a newly developed technique, difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE), we propose to identify changes in the protein repertoire of leukemia cells as they revert back to macrophages.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Michael Roberts

Kelly Marie LaRue (2009)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Evan's project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Fall 2008
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Kelly Marie LaRue (2009)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Evan's project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Spring 2009
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Jennifer Reine Lloyd Langston (2008)

Neurochemical Control of Development in Larvae of Marine Polychaete Worms

This proposal seeks funding for Prof. Tony Pires to work with a student for 3 weeks on campus and 4 weeks at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories in the summer of 2007. We will investigate the neural control of metamorphosis by nitric oxide signaling in larvae of marine polychaete worms. This project will use neurochemical, optical and microanatomical methods to study how the nervous system directs rapid and radical developmental changes in immature animals. While on campus, Pires and the student will collaborate with Prof. William Biggers of Wilkes University. Biggers is a biochemist with expertise in polychaete larval biology and nitric oxide biochemistry. At Friday Harbor, Pires and the student will interact with a vigorous international community of scientists. It is anticipated that the project will be reported as a co-authored presentation at the national meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in January 2008.

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: Anthony Pires

Hannah Marie Leahey (2012)

NASA GCCE Grant: Carbon Enrichment Technology

Carbon Enrichment Technology

Term Funded:summer 2011
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Brandon Jongwon Lee (2010)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Fall 2009
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Esther Sun Lee (1998)

Enzymatic Activation of Naturally Occurring Photosensitizers

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: Thomas Brennan

Maxwell Lee (2019)

NSF 1416690: Ocean Acidification/Collaborative Research/RUI: Effects of Ocean Acidification on Larval Competence, Metamorphosis, and Juvenile Performance in a Planktotrophic Gastropod

The proposed study will help us to understand the ways in which ocean acidification (OA) will impact the development, dispersal, and metamorphosis of the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata, and the mechanism responsible for the effects observed. Larvae will be reared pH levels representing current (390 ppm) and projected 22nd century (800 ppm) atmospheric pCO2, at both normal (20 C) and elevated temperature (25 C) and with and without nutritional stress. We will determine the following: 1) impact of OA on rates of larval tissue growth and shell growth; 2) latent effects of larval exposure to OA on juvenile survival and growth; 3) influence of elevated OA on gene expression patterns in larvae; 4) impact of OA on duration of the pre-competent larval swimming period; 5) impact of OA on the response of competent larvae to a variety of metamorphic inducers; 6) impact of larval diet quality on vulnerability to OA, both in the larval stages and following metamorphosis (latent effects); 7) influence of OA exposure in the larval stage on gene expression patterns in juveniles; and 8) impact of OA on larval swimming ability, settlement behavior, and time to metamorphic competence.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Anthony Pires

Maxwell Lee (2019)

Improving Utilization of Biogas and Digester Effluent for Sustainability

Improving Utilization of Biogas and Digester Effluent for Sustainability

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Matthew Steiman

Bryan Daniel Lerner (2014)

NSF 0918624: Collaborative Research/RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the 3 portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the 5 portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PIs RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: David Kushner

Katherine Anne Lestitian (2003)

Ecology, demography, and recovery of a rare wildflower Euphorbia Purpurea

Long-term studies that students and I have carried out on Pennsylvania populations of glade spurge, Euphorbia purpurea, indicate that this globally rare and scientifically interesting wildflower is declining locally. Sexual reproduction is necessary for the maintenance of the population size. However, seedlings are rare and survival of young plants is poor, even after five or six years of growth. This summer I hope to 1) continue long-term monitoring at all five sites, 2) assess the effects of new deer fences and removal of competing vegetation on performance of the plants at three locations, 3) complete initial location of plants in two more recently located populations, with particular attention to small plants such as seedlings that may have been overlooked, 4) experiment to determine the best conditions for rearing seedlings, and 5) work up certain portions of our long-term data set that have remained unanalyzed until now because of time constraints.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Samantha Brooke Levin (2013)

Identification of Central Chemoreceptors in the Mouse Brainstem

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Mary Niblock

Rebecca Diane Levit (2002)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 2002
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Joshua Sturgess Lichtman (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: David Kushner

Joshua Sturgess Lichtman (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2007
Professor: David Kushner

Joshua Sturgess Lichtman (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: David Kushner

Joshua Sturgess Lichtman (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Spring 2007
Professor: David Kushner

Joshua Sturgess Lichtman (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: David Kushner

Kristen Nicole Liebig (2014)

Mechanisms of CD14 Expression

Term Funded: 2012-13
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Wai Wai Lin (2009)

Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) - host interaction studies: in vivo evolution of TCV sattelite RNA (completion of a laboratory research project originating from Biology 419) and analysis of host chemical response to TCV

Evolution is controversial; a flaw of the "pro-evolution" argument is that demonstration of evolution in the lab setting is challenging. Currently, students in Biology 419 RNA (ribonucleic acid), are performing a semester-long lab module examining evolution of viral RNA - which RNA, from a pool of RNAs, allows for function. Only recently has it been learned that RNA is multifunctional within cells. The study of RNA viruses allows a unique perspective on understanding RNA function, since the virus uses only RNA (and never DNA) to code for proteins, or simply the RNA itself, for function. Part of the summer research is designed to complete the experiments and data analysis from the semester-long evolution experiment, and to initiate follow-up studies in collaboration with Anne Simon, Ph.D. (Univ. of MD). In addition, the spread of the virus throughout the host vascular system will be examined in a collaboration with Tom Arnold (Biology), who is currently tracking vascular flow rates in other plant species under the auspices of a current NSF grant.

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: David Kushner

Stephanie Ann Long (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: David Kushner

Stephanie Ann Long (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Spring 2007
Professor: David Kushner

Stephanie Ann Long (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: David Kushner

Kurt Matthew Lucin (2002)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 2001
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Ashly Elizabeth Lukoskie (2005)

Integrated Protein Informatics for Cancer Research

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: John Henson

Cecilie Olrik Macpherson (2020)

Incubations Across A Geothermal Temperature Gradient

"The beef industry suffers major economic losses due to a complex of flies that feed on cow blood and/or mucus. For pastured cows, the most important of these pests are horn flies and face flies. Chemical controls for these pests are prone to failure due to resistance evolution and, moreover, they pose environmental and health risks. For these reasons we propose to evaluate a non-chemical control method that could be used in an integrated pest management plan for filth flies: pasture dragging. This practice is thought to benefit farms by spreading manure nutrients while reducing the survival of fly larvae in manure, but the effects on flies have not been scientifically evaluated. We propose to evaluate the efficacy of this practice on the ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Farm and share our results via the 2019 PASA Farming for the Future Conference, publication in a trade journal (e.g. Stockman Grass Farmer), and publication in a peer-reviewed science journal."

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Matthew Steiman, Jason Smith

Christopher Robert Magel (2004)

Radiotelemetry Study of Summer Movements in Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister) Populations

The allegheny woodrat is a native mammal designated as threatened or endangered in all the states of its range in the northeastern US. Our previous studies suggest that its long-term existence may depend on effective dispersal between habitat patches, but so far there are no measurements of when, and how far, woodrats are capable of dispersing. I propose to use Whitaker funds to include a student collaborator in a radiotelemetry study already funded by the Pennsylvania Wild Resource Conservation Fund. My student collaborator and I will live-trap and radiocollar up to 12 woodrats in a local population and then will monitor their position during June and July. In a follow-up session, I will repeat the monitoring for three weeks in August-September. The data from this study, in conjunction with a parallel effort by collaborator Dr. John Peles of Penn State McKeesport, will allow us to quantify the density of woodrats on and around their primary rock outcrop habitat, their likelihood of shifting den sites, and the timing and distance of dispersal of juvenile woodrats, all key pieces of information for modeling the future of this species and for developing a general model for biodiversity of patchily distributed small mammals in Pennsylvania.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Janet Wright

Christopher Robert Magel (2004)

Dopamine Receptors

Dopamine receptors are important structures that interact with neurons all throughout the body via the neurological system. They have been said to play a major role in regulating neuronal motor control, cognition, and vacular function. Its degradation has been connected to many neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease. All of these diseases are caused by the slow, irreversible, and progressive death of neurons in the brain and can be seen as a function of aging. As of right now no cure has been discovered. The Laboratory of Molecular Neurochemistry at Georgetown University, and specifically Dr. Anita Sidhu, has been researching dopamine receptors to better understand how interactions with these receptors by various molecular players help to either slow down or accelerate neuro-degeneration.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Matthew Stephen Manganaro (2009)

NSF 0744261: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Matthew Stephen Manganaro (2009)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Evan's project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Abigail Rose Marich (2020)

Impact of American Toads on crops and dietary preferences of American Toads

A population of American Toads (Anaxyrus americanus) on the ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Farm has been investigated by our lab since 2012. Pond habitats were constructed to support the toads as a potential mitigator of pest insects and we have monitored their population sizes, movements, and diet. During the summer of 2019, we aim to gain further insight into the toads' feeding behavior and the impacts they have on vegetable production. This project will involve two separate elements: a habitat enclosure study where we will directly test the impact of toads on crop production and a laboratory study to test toad dietary preferences. The first study will experimentally test the impact of toads on crops by placing toads of known densities within enclosures that contain known quantities of a crop plant. Toad growth and plant damage will be monitored over the course of 7 weeks. The laboratory study will test the toad's preference for certain species of prey. Toads will be brought into captivity and presented with pairs of prey species. Toads will be monitored for which prey they select first and this will be recorded. We will replicate these choice trials on a series of captive toads to determine prey preference.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Scott Boback, Margaret Douglas

Antonio David Marrero (2013)

Characterization of Myosin-XIX (MYO19), a Novel Actin-Based Motor

n/a

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Scott Boback

Antonio David Marrero (2013)

Mechanisms of CD14 Expression

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Mohammed Hakim Masab (2013)

NSF 0918624: Collaborative Research/RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA - Sequence-structure-function analysis of a viral RNA

In the USA, crop loss due to infection by plant pathogens (including viruses) exceeds 30 billion dollars annually. In the environment, plant virus genomes, and virus-associated RNAs (satellite RNAs) can evolve to enhance symptom severity. A major question in RNA virology is "what makes an RNA infectious?" Viral RNA sequence and/or structure is often linked to RNA function, which can include infectiousness. Due to its small size, the satellite RNA C (satC) from Turnip crinkle virus is an excellent model for identification and characterization of RNA sequences and/or structures involved in virus replication and pathogenesis. Using an in vivo evolution approach, portions of satC RNA can be randomized, pools of these random satC used to infect turnip plants, and functional satCs can be recovered from plants, allowing for identification of sequences and/or structures formed by these sequences that mediate satC function in plants. Here, we seek to determine sequence/structure requirements in a portion of satC that mediate a step in replication (copying) of the satC RNA. Dr. Kushner has obtained NSF funding for this project; the second of 2 parts of the project will be initiated in his Bio 419 course in Spring '12. Several students have worked on the project since it started in Spring '10. Two students will continue working on the project during summer 2012 -- stipend/housing for one of these students will be paid from NSF grant money; previously it was agreed that the stipend/housing for the second student would be paid for by the college.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: David Kushner

Mohammed Hakim Masab (2013)

In Vivo Evolution of a Viral RNA II

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: David Kushner

Mohammed Hakim Masab (2013)

Invivo Evolution of a Viral RNA

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: David Kushner

Carole Anne McBride (2004)

Computational and Laboratory stuey of p16/Ink4 Mutations"

This project focuses on exploring the relationship among gene evolution and mutation, protein function and structure, and disease (cancer). This will be accomplished by using computational and experimental approaches to predict and test whether mutations in tumor suppressor genes, such as the p16/CDKN2a gene, alter protein function. In the case of CDKN2a, evolutionary and structural patterns are being examined to predict which variants might affect the protein, creating mutant p16 proteins, and to test whether the mutated proteins retain or lose the ability to cause cell cycle arrest. The data gathered in this study will then be employed in the Vermont Cancer Center's ultimate goal of understanding and utilizing this knowledge to aid in early cancer diagnosis and/or prevention.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Mary Kathryn McClellan (2007)

Bioinformatics of Subcellular Localization and Changes due to Cancer

During the period 2005-2006, Dr. Henson's lab has continued to collaborate with the labs of Drs. Robert Murphy and Jon Jarvik at CMU on the project entitled "Bioinformatics of Subcellular Localization and Changes due to Cancer". The work has involved the participation of Dickinson undergraduate Mary McClellan.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor:

Quenelle Washington McKim ()

NSF Collaborative Research: Building the Contractile Ring

NSF Collaborative Research: Building the Contractile Ring

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: John Henson

Julia Brumbaugh McMahon (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Scott Boback

Julia Brumbaugh McMahon (2015)

Ocean Acidification and Larval Development

Our research will endeavor to answer the following question: how does low food concentration and higher pCo2 affect the growth and metamorphosis in Crepidula fornicata? This investigation is a follow-on to our research conducted in the spring of 2014, which was limited to exploring the effects of low pH, by adding the effects of high food versus low food.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Julia Brumbaugh McMahon (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Anthony Pires

Julia Brumbaugh McMahon (2015)

Effects of Ocean Acidification on Development of a Marine Mollusc Larva

Effects of Ocean Acidification on Development of a Marine Mollusc Larva

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Anthony Pires

Angela Emer Medrano (2016)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: John Henson

Caitlin Anne Mehalick (2010)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Ora Elizabeth Mika (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

In YEAR 1 we have succeeded in completing all proposed greenhouse experiments involving hybrid poplar saplings and made progress in establishing Arabidopsis and tomato as model systems in which to examine induced sink strength (ISS), which we hypothesize is a conuuon, first step in general plant wound responses. POPLAR EXPERIMENTS. Along with my co-PIs (Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel) I worked to complete the proposed experiments aimed at testing the ability of wounded poplar foliage to draw in additional resources, via an induction of cell wall invertase activities, to support the production of anti-herbivore defenses. Three large, factorial experiments involving over 500 poplar samplings were completed in the summer of 2006. The ability of induced foliage to import carbohydrates and nitrogen, observed using 1 3C and 1 SN tracers, was assessed with and without disruption of phloem transport and the presence of competing sink tissues, e.g. other wounded branches which compete for resources. These experiments were the largest, most complicated we have attempted since we began this work over eight years ago. ARABIDOPSIS. We have made good progress in developing Arabidopsis as a model system for testing the hypothesis that 155 is a common first step in defense responses. This required some additional effort because it became clear that which this species does possess the ISS response, it reacts a bit differently than poplar. In a series of experiments involving undergraduate students, we tested for the presence or absence of the IS S response in this plant at various developmental stages, in a range of sink and source leaves. The large number of enzyme assays required the development of a new enzyme activity assay, using high through-put grinders, which has increased our ability to process samples by nearly 10-fold.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Ora Elizabeth Mika (2007)

NSF 0336717 Collaborative Research: Coordinate Induction of Sink Strength and Polyphenol Metabolism in Trees

Carbohydrates and secondary metabolism of forest trees, tomato

Term Funded:Spring 2006
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Ora Elizabeth Mika (2007)

NSF 0336717 Collaborative Research: Coordinate Induction of Sink Strength and Polyphenol Metabolism in Trees

Carbohydrates and secondary metabolism of forest trees, tomato

Term Funded:Fall 2005
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Ora Elizabeth Mika (2007)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

In YEAR 1 we have succeeded in completing all proposed greenhouse experiments involving hybrid poplar saplings and made progress in establishing Arabidopsis and tomato as model systems in which to examine induced sink strength (ISS), which we hypothesize is a conuuon, first step in general plant wound responses. POPLAR EXPERIMENTS. Along with my co-PIs (Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel) I worked to complete the proposed experiments aimed at testing the ability of wounded poplar foliage to draw in additional resources, via an induction of cell wall invertase activities, to support the production of anti-herbivore defenses. Three large, factorial experiments involving over 500 poplar samplings were completed in the summer of 2006. The ability of induced foliage to import carbohydrates and nitrogen, observed using 1 3C and 1 SN tracers, was assessed with and without disruption of phloem transport and the presence of competing sink tissues, e.g. other wounded branches which compete for resources. These experiments were the largest, most complicated we have attempted since we began this work over eight years ago. ARABIDOPSIS. We have made good progress in developing Arabidopsis as a model system for testing the hypothesis that 155 is a common first step in defense responses. This required some additional effort because it became clear that which this species does possess the ISS response, it reacts a bit differently than poplar. In a series of experiments involving undergraduate students, we tested for the presence or absence of the IS S response in this plant at various developmental stages, in a range of sink and source leaves. The large number of enzyme assays required the development of a new enzyme activity assay, using high through-put grinders, which has increased our ability to process samples by nearly 10-fold.

Term Funded:Spring 2007
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Emily Mae Miller (2014)

Fluid Resuscitation in Adults with Severe Burns at Risk of Secondary Abdominal Compartment Syndrome

I will be working with Dr. Amani in the Burn Unit of Lehigh Valley Hospital at Cedar Crest. Dr. Amani explained to me that Lehigh Valley Hospital treats third degree burns (those that cover more than 30% of the body's surface area) in a different manner than most other hospitals, and for this reason, patients do not experience secondary abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). Secondary Abdominal Compartment Syndrome complicates fluid resuscitation (treatment for severe burns) because it causes a great decrease in urine output. Therefore, more fluid must be given to the patient and it causes a cycle in which fluid must constantly be given to the patient, which may result in death. The fluid given to the patient is generally a type of saline solution. It has been reported that there is an sACS incidence of 1-20%. However, at Lehigh Valley Hospital, the data suggests that there is a 0% incidence of sACS. The doctors at Lehigh Valley Hospital give the patients fluids, however they usually treat them with high dose Vitamin C, hypertonic LR, or more commonly colloids (ex: frozen plasma). Dr. Amani and I will be conducting research, hoping to reach a conclusion as to why 0% of the severe burn patients at Lehigh Valley Hospital do not experience secondary Abdominal Compartment Syndrome, whereas a percentage of patients at most other hospitals do experience sACS. We will be working on a paper and one of my jobs is to quantify data.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor:

Matthew William Miller (2013)

Ecological and environmental consequences of nest site selection in the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

In contrast to most vertebrates which possess sex chromosomes, the gender of many reptile species is determined by the temperature experienced during the middle third of embryonic development. Consequently, the sex ratio, a critical demographic parameter, is strongly influenced by changes in environmental temperature. As such, climate change can and will have major impacts on the survival of species which exhibit this strategy known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). In this study we will monitor environmental and ecological parameters which determine hatchling survival in the eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta). Nest temperatures will be obtained using miniature data loggers and a suite of environmental parameters will be recorded for each nest. By recording and analyzing these variables, we will begin to understand how females choose nest sites and how the environment, both current and future, can impact these populations. Therefore, our research will contribute to our understanding of the biological consequences of global climate change.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Scott Boback

Matthew William Miller (2013)

Ecological Consequences of Nest Site Selection in the Painted Turtle

Ecological Consequences of Nest Site Selection in the Painted Turtle

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Scott Boback

Patrick Lennon Millet (2007)

Continued Analysis of Role of the Phosphatase siw14p in BMV RNA Replication

Studies of virus-host interaction can illustrate how viruses manipulate host-cell machinery to propagate their genetic material, yet also elucidate enhanced understanding of cellular processes. Positive-strand RNA ((+)ssRNA) viruses include pathogens such as hepatitis C virus, West Nile virus, and the SARS coronavirus. The plant pathogen Brome mosaic virus (BMV) is a representative (+)ssRNA virus whose life cycle has been reproduced in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previous yeast genomic studies have indicated that siw14p, a protein phosphatase, is critical for BMV RNA replication. To enhance understanding of how SIW14 causes this BMV replication defect, this study seeks to analyze BMV replication in the presence of SIW14 phosphatase mutants and begin to determine the direct target of siw14p activity. Furthermore, to better understand SIW14 general function in the cell, completion of current DNA microarray studies, analyzing genome-wide yeast transcription in the presence and absence of SIW1 will be pursued.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: David Kushner

Patrick Lennon Millet (2007)

Continued Analysis of Role of the Phosphatase siw14p in BMV RNA Replication

Studies of virus-host interaction can illustrate how viruses manipulate host-cell machinery to propagate their genetic material, yet also elucidate enhanced understanding of cellular processes. Positive-strand RNA ((+)ssRNA) viruses include pathogens such as hepatitis C virus, West Nile virus, and the SARS coronavirus. The plant pathogen Brome mosaic virus (BMV) is a representative (+)ssRNA virus whose life cycle has been reproduced in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previous yeast genomic studies have indicated that siw14p, a protein phosphatase, is critical for BMV RNA replication. To enhance understanding of how SIW14 causes this BMV replication defect, this study seeks to analyze BMV replication in the presence of SIW14 phosphatase mutants and begin to determine the direct target of siw14p activity. Furthermore, to better understand SIW14 general function in the cell, completion of current DNA microarray studies, analyzing genome-wide yeast transcription in the presence and absence of SIW1 will be pursued.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: David Kushner

Nana Kwaku Minkah (2005)

Host gene expression changes caused by a novel protein phosphatase.

Yeast, a powerful model eukaryotic research system, features striking similarity to humans on the genetic level. While sequencing the yeast genome led to the identification of 6000 yeast genes, elucidation of function of several proteins encoded by those genes has yet to occur. One gene, SIW14, has shown to encode a protein phosphatase, yet the cellular protein targets of this enzyme remain unknown. As proteins are often regulated by kinases and phosphatases, understanding these pathways is critical for determining cellular function. Since the phosphorylation status of proteins is often key to the regulation of gene expression, this study aims to employ microarray technolgoy to identify downstream targets of SIW14. Furthermore, as the protein product of SIW14 is critical for brome mosaic virus (BMV) to copy its genetic material (replicate), a long-term goal of this line of investigation is to further understand the role of SIW14 in BMV RNA replication.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: David Kushner

Nana Kwaku Minkah (2005)

Host gene expression changes caused by a novel protein phosphatase.

Yeast, a powerful model eukaryotic research system, features striking similarity to humans on the genetic level. While sequencing the yeast genome led to the identification of 6000 yeast genes, elucidation of function of several proteins encoded by those genes has yet to occur. One gene, SIW14, has shown to encode a protein phosphatase, yet the cellular protein targets of this enzyme remain unknown. As proteins are often regulated by kinases and phosphatases, understanding these pathways is critical for determining cellular function. Since the phosphorylation status of proteins is often key to the regulation of gene expression, this study aims to employ microarray technolgoy to identify downstream targets of SIW14. Furthermore, as the protein product of SIW14 is critical for brome mosaic virus (BMV) to copy its genetic material (replicate), a long-term goal of this line of investigation is to further understand the role of SIW14 in BMV RNA replication.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: David Kushner

Jeffrey Vincent Mitten (1997)

Electrophysiological Study of Metamorphosis in Gastropod Molluscs

Electrophysiological Study of Metamorphosis in Gastropod Molluscs

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: Anthony Pires

Noah Raphael Morgenstein (2011)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Joanne Cissel Morton (1997)

A Molecular Analysis of Gene Expression during Cell Differentiation

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: Michael Roberts

Joanne Cissel Morton (1997)

A Molecular Analysis of Gene Expression during Cell Differentiation

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: Michael Roberts

Jennifer Ann Moyer (1990)

Karyotypes of Cylindrocystis

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1988
Professor: Paul Biebel

Kathryn Alisa Mueller (2016)

Microbial Taxonomic Diversity

Microbial Taxonomic Diversity

Term Funded:Year 2016
Professor: Dana Somers

Zoe Louisa Muller ()

Sociality of Pregnant Prairie Rattlesnakes in Northern Colorado

Animals face many obstacles in successfully producing and rearing offspring. Survival of offspring can be quite low in part because young are often small, slow, and/or defenseless. In response, parental care has evolved in several vertebrate and invertebrate clades but is most widespread in birds and mammals. In contrast, snakes are considered asocial and the majority of squamate reptiles (lizards snakes) show little to no parental care. In oviparous species (egg layers), maternal egg attendance seems to be more common whereby females defend their eggs from predators. In contrast, viviparous species (those that have live birth) retain embryos in the uterus until they are fully developed, and thus parental care is extremely rare in this group. In fact, maternal attendance of offspring has only been documented in a single group of snakes, temperate pitvipers who remain with their young until they complete their first shed cycle (~ 2 weeks). Pregnant females migrate short distances from their winter dens where aggregate in rookeries where they give birth together. While it is straightforward to see why it would be beneficial for a mother to defend her own offspring, the benefit of aggregation during birthing is less clear. As part of a long-term project focused on understanding the ecology of Prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) in northwestern Colorado, we aim to understand the benefits of social aggregation for pregnant female rattlesnakes

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: Scott Boback

Allison Margaret Murawski (2012)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Allison Margaret Murawski (2012)

NSF 0918624: Collaborative Research/RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the 3 portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the 5 portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI's RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: David Kushner

Connor Thomas Murphy (2005)

Integrated Protein Informatics for Cancer Research

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: John Henson

Heidi Ann Murray-Smith (2003)

The role of the cytoskeleton in the cytotoxic functions of the sea urchin coelomocyte

My laboratory has employed sea urchin blood cells (called coelomocytes) as a model experimental system for the study of cell motility, a process that is medicated by a series of structural and motor proteins know collectively as the "cytoskeleton." A major long-term goal of this research is to understand the structural, functional and regulatory mechanisms underlying the cytoskeletal dynamics which help cell's mediate motility, shape changes an intracellular transport. A related goal is to determine how the cytoskeletal mechanisms we identify in coelomocytes contribute to the in vivo functioning of these cells. Several recent literature papers indicate that the subpopulation of coelomocytes historically referred to as "phagocytic amoebocytes" perform primitive immune functions including Natural Killer (NK) cell-like cytotoxic activity (Lin et al., 2001, J. Exp. Zool. 290:741) and he production and secretion of Complement factors (Gross et al., 2000, Immunogenetics 51:1034; Smith et al., 2001, Immunol. Rev. 180:16).

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: John Henson

Heidi Ann Murray-Smith (2003)

The role of the cytoskeleton in the cytotoxic functions of the sea urchin coelomocyte

My laboratory has employed sea urchin blood cells (called coelomocytes) as a model experimental system for the study of cell motility, a process that is medicated by a series of structural and motor proteins know collectively as the "cytoskeleton." A major long-term goal of this research is to understand the structural, functional and regulatory mechanisms underlying the cytoskeletal dynamics which help cell's mediate motility, shape changes an intracellular transport. A related goal is to determine how the cytoskeletal mechanisms we identify in coelomocytes contribute to the in vivo functioning of these cells. Several recent literature papers indicate that the subpopulation of coelomocytes historically referred to as "phagocytic amoebocytes" perform primitive immune functions including Natural Killer (NK) cell-like cytotoxic activity (Lin et al., 2001, J. Exp. Zool. 290:741) and he production and secretion of Complement factors (Gross et al., 2000, Immunogenetics 51:1034; Smith et al., 2001, Immunol. Rev. 180:16).

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: John Henson

Nicole Michelle Myers (2010)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Ronniel Nazarian (2000)

The Influence of Microtubules on Actin-based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Coelomic Cells

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: John Henson

Ronniel Nazarian (2000)

Mechanical and Pharmacological Manipulation of Actin-Based Centripetal Flow in Sea Urchin \

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: John Henson

Alexis N Newton (2017)

HSP70 and Parthenolide

Cellular systems need to respond to external stressors in order to survive and one of these survival mechanisms happens to include the heat shock response system- which is regulated in response to thermal stress and drug-induced reagents. Once the heat shock protein is induced, it decreases the proteins ability to aggregate by chaperoning in order to mediate protein folding, as well as protein translocation and repair unfolded proteins damaged by environmental stresses. The heat shock system is comprised of the chaperone proteins, chaperone regulators, and transcription factors Hsf1, Hsp70 and Hsp90. Within Hsp70 there are 5 known cysteine mutants: C17, C267, C303, C574, and C603, which are also known to be thiol-reactive compounds. To explore the importance of these cysteine residues, the plasmid strains DH5alpha and JW0013 DNAK were used in order to conduct a mutagenesis, which mutated the cysteine groups to serine in order to determine the mutants, affect on hsp70 activity, as well as its electrophilic activity.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Chieuanh Thi Nguyen (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Chieuanh Thi Nguyen (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: David Kushner

Minh Huu Nguyen (2011)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Cody Michael Nichols (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Cody Michael Nichols (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app - THE BIOMECHANICS OF TWO POLICE PISTOL FIRING STYLES

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Johnathan Lee Nieves (2011)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Elizabeth Rasfeld Norris (2012)

NSF 0744261: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Elizabeth Rasfeld Norris (2012)

Effect of a ketogenic diet on synaptic efficacy in freely behaving juvenile rats

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor:

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Differential Gene Expression in Butyric Acid-Induced Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

The Roberts laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular basis of cell differentiation and malignant transformation. To study these two distinct about interrelated events, we have chosen the human leukemia cell line, HL-60, as a model system. HL-60 cells are rapidly dividing, non-specialized cancer cells that can be induced to differentiate along normal myeloid lineages in culture. Previously, my laboratory has studied the phorbol ester-induced, macrophage differentiation pathway. Rapidly, after addition of the inducer, HL-60 cells exhibit properties of normal macrophage-like cells, exit the cell cycle and eventually undergo apoptosis. A cancer cell can literally be reverted into a "normal", non-dividing cell that ultimately self-destructs. Understanding the molecular events that mediate this dramatic reversion is the goal of our research. DNA Microarray Analysis has demonstrated changes in the global patterns of gene expression and it is this re-programming of the cell's genetics that underlies the process. Mr. Nowicki has explored another differentiation pathway, induced by butyric acid, that also leads to the reversion of HL-60 cells to a more normal cellular phenotype. Butyric acid is known to act as an inhibitor of histone deacetylases that cause changes in chromatin structure, which affect gene expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Michael Roberts

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Genome-wide Analysis of Differential Gene Expression Modulated by Butyric Acid in HL-60 Cells

During the past year Dr. Michael Roberts mentored research student T. Scott Nowicki ('06) who trained in the laboratory of Dr. Jonathan Minden during the summer 2005. Mr. Nowicki assisted Sara Baszczewski in the Minden laboratory learning the DIGE proteomic analysis methods. This expertise was brought back to the Roberts laboratory at Dickinson and Nowicki investigated changes in human leukemia cells during differention using these proteomic methods during the 2005-06 academic year.

Term Funded:Fall 2005
Professor:

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Genome-wide Analysis of Differential Gene Expression Modulated by Butyric Acid in HL-60 Cells

During the past year Dr. Michael Roberts mentored research student T. Scott Nowicki ('06) who trained in the laboratory of Dr. Jonathan Minden during the summer 2005. Mr. Nowicki assisted Sara Baszczewski in the Minden laboratory learning the DIGE proteomic analysis methods. This expertise was brought back to the Roberts laboratory at Dickinson and Nowicki investigated changes in human leukemia cells during differention using these proteomic methods during the 2005-06 academic year.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor:

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Genome-wide Analysis of Differential Gene Expression Modulated by Butyric Acid in HL-60 Cells

During the past year Dr. Michael Roberts mentored research student T. Scott Nowicki ('06) who trained in the laboratory of Dr. Jonathan Minden during the summer 2005. Mr. Nowicki assisted Sara Baszczewski in the Minden laboratory learning the DIGE proteomic analysis methods. This expertise was brought back to the Roberts laboratory at Dickinson and Nowicki investigated changes in human leukemia cells during differention using these proteomic methods during the 2005-06 academic year.

Term Funded:Spring 2006
Professor:

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Bioinformatics of Subcellular Localization and Changes due to Cancer

The main focus of recent experiments have been to generate computer-based comparisons of the subcellular localization patterns of GFP-tagged proteins in either normal or H-Ras-expressing NIH 3T3 cells. For this work GFP-tagged cell lines were transfected with H-Ras and then the control and Ras transformed lines examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Digital images of protein distribution patterns were analyzed by computer-based comparison programs and those proteins found to show significant changes were targeted for further examination. Dr. Henson's lab concentrated on the changes in localization of the tagged protein Tctex1 a light chain of the microtubule motor protein dynein.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor:

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Differential Gene Expression in Butyric Acid-Induced Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

The Roberts laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular basis of cell differentiation and malignant transformation. To study these two distinct about interrelated events, we have chosen the human leukemia cell line, HL-60, as a model system. HL-60 cells are rapidly dividing, non-specialized cancer cells that can be induced to differentiate along normal myeloid lineages in culture. Previously, my laboratory has studied the phorbol ester-induced, macrophage differentiation pathway. Rapidly, after addition of the inducer, HL-60 cells exhibit properties of normal macrophage-like cells, exit the cell cycle and eventually undergo apoptosis. A cancer cell can literally be reverted into a "normal", non-dividing cell that ultimately self-destructs. Understanding the molecular events that mediate this dramatic reversion is the goal of our research. DNA Microarray Analysis has demonstrated changes in the global patterns of gene expression and it is this re-programming of the cell's genetics that underlies the process. Mr. Nowicki has explored another differentiation pathway, induced by butyric acid, that also leads to the reversion of HL-60 cells to a more normal cellular phenotype. Butyric acid is known to act as an inhibitor of histone deacetylases that cause changes in chromatin structure, which affect gene expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Michael Roberts

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Differential Gene Expression in Butyric Acid-Induced Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

The Roberts laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular basis of cell differentiation and malignant transformation. To study these two distinct about interrelated events, we have chosen the human leukemia cell line, HL-60, as a model system. HL-60 cells are rapidly dividing, non-specialized cancer cells that can be induced to differentiate along normal myeloid lineages in culture. Previously, my laboratory has studied the phorbol ester-induced, macrophage differentiation pathway. Rapidly, after addition of the inducer, HL-60 cells exhibit properties of normal macrophage-like cells, exit the cell cycle and eventually undergo apoptosis. A cancer cell can literally be reverted into a "normal", non-dividing cell that ultimately self-destructs. Understanding the molecular events that mediate this dramatic reversion is the goal of our research. DNA Microarray Analysis has demonstrated changes in the global patterns of gene expression and it is this re-programming of the cell's genetics that underlies the process. Mr. Nowicki has explored another differentiation pathway, induced by butyric acid, that also leads to the reversion of HL-60 cells to a more normal cellular phenotype. Butyric acid is known to act as an inhibitor of histone deacetylases that cause changes in chromatin structure, which affect gene expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Michael Roberts

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Differential Gene Expression in Butyric Acid-Induced Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

The Roberts laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular basis of cell differentiation and malignant transformation. To study these two distinct about interrelated events, we have chosen the human leukemia cell line, HL-60, as a model system. HL-60 cells are rapidly dividing, non-specialized cancer cells that can be induced to differentiate along normal myeloid lineages in culture. Previously, my laboratory has studied the phorbol ester-induced, macrophage differentiation pathway. Rapidly, after addition of the inducer, HL-60 cells exhibit properties of normal macrophage-like cells, exit the cell cycle and eventually undergo apoptosis. A cancer cell can literally be reverted into a "normal", non-dividing cell that ultimately self-destructs. Understanding the molecular events that mediate this dramatic reversion is the goal of our research. DNA Microarray Analysis has demonstrated changes in the global patterns of gene expression and it is this re-programming of the cell's genetics that underlies the process. Mr. Nowicki has explored another differentiation pathway, induced by butyric acid, that also leads to the reversion of HL-60 cells to a more normal cellular phenotype. Butyric acid is known to act as an inhibitor of histone deacetylases that cause changes in chromatin structure, which affect gene expression.

Term Funded:Year 2006
Professor: Michael Roberts

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Bioinformatics of Subcellular Localization and Changes due to Cancer

The main focus of recent experiments have been to generate computer-based comparisons of the subcellular localization patterns of GFP-tagged proteins in either normal or H-Ras-expressing NIH 3T3 cells. For this work GFP-tagged cell lines were transfected with H-Ras and then the control and Ras transformed lines examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Digital images of protein distribution patterns were analyzed by computer-based comparison programs and those proteins found to show significant changes were targeted for further examination. Dr. Henson's lab concentrated on the changes in localization of the tagged protein Tctex1 a light chain of the microtubule motor protein dynein.

Term Funded:Fall 2004
Professor: John Henson

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Bioinformatics of Subcellular Localization and Changes due to Cancer

The main focus of recent experiments have been to generate computer-based comparisons of the subcellular localization patterns of GFP-tagged proteins in either normal or H-Ras-expressing NIH 3T3 cells. For this work GFP-tagged cell lines were transfected with H-Ras and then the control and Ras transformed lines examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Digital images of protein distribution patterns were analyzed by computer-based comparison programs and those proteins found to show significant changes were targeted for further examination. Dr. Henson's lab concentrated on the changes in localization of the tagged protein Tctex1 a light chain of the microtubule motor protein dynein.

Term Funded:Spring 2005
Professor: John Henson

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Differential Gene Expression in Butyric Acid-Induced Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Michael Roberts

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Differential Gene Expression in Butyric Acid-Induced Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

The Roberts laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular basis of cell differentiation and malignant transformation. To study these two distinct about interrelated events, we have chosen the human leukemia cell line, HL-60, as a model system. HL-60 cells are rapidly dividing, non-specialized cancer cells that can be induced to differentiate along normal myeloid lineages in culture. Previously, my laboratory has studied the phorbol ester-induced, macrophage differentiation pathway. Rapidly, after addition of the inducer, HL-60 cells exhibit properties of normal macrophage-like cells, exit the cell cycle and eventually undergo apoptosis. A cancer cell can literally be reverted into a "normal", non-dividing cell that ultimately self-destructs. Understanding the molecular events that mediate this dramatic reversion is the goal of our research. DNA Microarray Analysis has demonstrated changes in the global patterns of gene expression and it is this re-programming of the cell's genetics that underlies the process. Mr. Nowicki has explored another differentiation pathway, induced by butyric acid, that also leads to the reversion of HL-60 cells to a more normal cellular phenotype. Butyric acid is known to act as an inhibitor of histone deacetylases that cause changes in chromatin structure, which affect gene expression.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Michael Roberts

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Differential Gene Expression in Butyric Acid-Induced Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

Term Funded:Year 2006
Professor: Michael Roberts

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Differential Gene Expression in Butyric Acid-Induced Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

The Roberts laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular basis of cell differentiation and malignant transformation. To study these two distinct about interrelated events, we have chosen the human leukemia cell line, HL-60, as a model system. HL-60 cells are rapidly dividing, non-specialized cancer cells that can be induced to differentiate along normal myeloid lineages in culture. Previously, my laboratory has studied the phorbol ester-induced, macrophage differentiation pathway. Rapidly, after addition of the inducer, HL-60 cells exhibit properties of normal macrophage-like cells, exit the cell cycle and eventually undergo apoptosis. A cancer cell can literally be reverted into a "normal", non-dividing cell that ultimately self-destructs. Understanding the molecular events that mediate this dramatic reversion is the goal of our research. DNA Microarray Analysis has demonstrated changes in the global patterns of gene expression and it is this re-programming of the cell's genetics that underlies the process. Mr. Nowicki has explored another differentiation pathway, induced by butyric acid, that also leads to the reversion of HL-60 cells to a more normal cellular phenotype. Butyric acid is known to act as an inhibitor of histone deacetylases that cause changes in chromatin structure, which affect gene expression.

Term Funded:Year 2006
Professor: Michael Roberts

Theodore Scott Nowicki (2006)

Differential Gene Expression in Butyric Acid-Induced Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Michael Roberts

Caitlyn Rose Nuger (2009)

NSF 0744261 RUI: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Spring 2009
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Michael Joseph O'Malley (2005)

The role of a 1 specific opioid agonist in improving neurological outcome following resuscitation from cardiac arrest

Whole body cooling and brain metabolic depression increase survival time following ischemic brain injury. Recent molecular and integrative pharmacology research suggests that numerous vertebrates produce δ1-specific opioid agonists within their central nervous systems in response to severe environmental stressors. These opioids seemingly confer protection by lowering brain metabolic demand and thus increasing tolerance to reduced blood delivery states. We will test the hypothesis that the administration of aδ1-specific opioid agonists within their central nervous systems in response to severe environmental stressors. These opioids seemingly confer protection by lowering brain metabolic demand and thus increasing tolerance to reduced blood delivery states. We will test the hypothesis that the administration of a δ1-specific opioid agonist, as a resuscitation adjuvant, will improve neurological recovery following nine minutes of cardiac arrest. We expect to find significant improvement in neurological outcome in animals receiving the opioid and that this will be mediated by decreases in metabolic demand and body core temperature.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Michael Joseph O'Malley (2005)

The role of a 1 specific opioid agonist in improving neurological outcome following resuscitation from cardiac arrest

Whole body cooling and brain metabolic depression increase survival time following ischemic brain injury. Recent molecular and integrative pharmacology research suggests that numerous vertebrates produce δ1-specific opioid agonists within their central nervous systems in response to severe environmental stressors. These opioids seemingly confer protection by lowering brain metabolic demand and thus increasing tolerance to reduced blood delivery states. We will test the hypothesis that the administration of aδ1-specific opioid agonists within their central nervous systems in response to severe environmental stressors. These opioids seemingly confer protection by lowering brain metabolic demand and thus increasing tolerance to reduced blood delivery states. We will test the hypothesis that the administration of a δ1-specific opioid agonist, as a resuscitation adjuvant, will improve neurological recovery following nine minutes of cardiac arrest. We expect to find significant improvement in neurological outcome in animals receiving the opioid and that this will be mediated by decreases in metabolic demand and body core temperature.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Blake Thomas O'Shaughnessy (2006)

Heart S.C.O.R.E.

This Western Pennsylvania-based study will (1) improve cardiovascular risk stratification to identify high risk populations, (2) identify disparities in cardiovascular risk based on race, socioeconomic status, and geographic location, (3) evaluate mechanisms for populations difference in cardiovascular risk, and (4) implement a multi-disciplinary community-based intervention program (includes exercise, nutrition, smoking cessation, and behavioral interventions) to decrease cardiovascular risk in high-risk populations. These goals, which are designed to eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities, are closely tied to the National Initiative to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and the nation's health promotion and disease prevention agenda established in Healthy People 2010.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor:

Phoebe Ford Oldach (2013)

Genomics in The Differentiation of HL60 Cells

Term Funded:Fall 2011
Professor: Michael Roberts

Phoebe Ford Oldach (2013)

Human Amniotic Stem Cells in the Treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis

Human Amniotic Stem Cells in the Treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor:

Ruth Mary Oldham (2006)

NSF 0336717 Collaborative Research: Coordinate Induction of Sink Strength and Polyphenol Metabolism in Trees

Carbohydrates and secondary metabolism of forest trees, tomato

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Davia Marie Palmeri (2009)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or "Induced sink Strenth" (ISS) determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined.

Term Funded:Fall 2007
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Davia Marie Palmeri (2009)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or "Induced Sink Strength" (ISS), determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined.

Term Funded:8Summer 2008
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Davia Marie Palmeri (2009)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or "Induces Sink Strength" (ISS)determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined.

Term Funded:13Spring 2008
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Rosemary Lillian Palmieri (2016)

Forensic Polymorphisms in Mongolians

This research experience will be focusing on genotyping population samples from a group of ethnic Mongolians and Tsaatans from the region of Outer Mongolia. 128 samples from both populations will be tested using different genotyped loci. The hope is to genotype 100 loci in my time at Yale. The goal of this project is to distinguish the two Mongolian populations from other populations previously genotyped in the Kidd lab.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Linda Anne Mathew Panicker (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: David Kushner

Linda Anne Mathew Panicker (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Spring 2009
Professor: David Kushner

Linda Anne Mathew Panicker (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2008
Professor: David Kushner

Rebecca Lyn Patterson (2013)

Investigation of Actin Nucleation Factors and Cytoskeletal Structure in Mouse Melanoma Cells

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: John Henson

Laura Ann Pell (2004)

Radiotelemetry Study of Summer Movements in Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister) Populations

The allegheny woodrat is a native mammal designated as threatened or endangered in all the states of its range in the northeastern US. Our previous studies suggest that its long-term existence may depend on effective dispersal between habitat patches, but so far there are no measurements of when, and how far, woodrats are capable of dispersing. I propose to use Whitaker funds to include a student collaborator in a radiotelemetry study already funded by the Pennsylvania Wild Resource Conservation Fund. My student collaborator and I will live-trap and radiocollar up to 12 woodrats in a local population and then will monitor their position during June and July. In a follow-up session, I will repeat the monitoring for three weeks in August-September. The data from this study, in conjunction with a parallel effort by collaborator Dr. John Peles of Penn State McKeesport, will allow us to quantify the density of woodrats on and around their primary rock outcrop habitat, their likelihood of shifting den sites, and the timing and distance of dispersal of juvenile woodrats, all key pieces of information for modeling the future of this species and for developing a general model for biodiversity of patchily distributed small mammals in Pennsylvania.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Janet Wright

Cheryl Jane Pendergrass (2000)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 2000
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Jacob Richard Penniman (2003)

Neural Control of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

This proposal seeks funding for Jacob Penniman '03 to work at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories for 8 weeks in the summer of 2002. He will investigate the neural control of metamorphosis in larvae of gastropod molluscs under the supervision of Prof. Anthony Pires. This project, currently funded by the National Science Foundation, uses electrophysiological, neurochemical and anatomical methods to study how the nervous system directs rapid and radical developmental changes in immature animals. While at Friday Harbor, Penniman and Pires will interact with a vigorous international community of scientists. In addition to working on Pires' NSF-funded project (see attached summary), Penniman and Pires will also pursue collaborations in progress with Dr. Michael G. Hadfield (University of Hawaii), Dr. Shaun Cain (University of Washington), and Dr. Stephen C. Kempf (Auburn University) on various aspects of neurochemistry, development and behavior of marine invertebrates.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor:

Jacob Richard Penniman (2003)

NSF 0110832 RUI: Neural Regulation of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Fall 2003
Professor: Anthony Pires

Jacob Richard Penniman (2003)

NSF 0110832 RUI: Neural Regulation of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Anthony Pires

Jacob Richard Penniman (2003)

NSF 0110832 RUI: Neural Regulation of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Spring 2003
Professor: Anthony Pires

Jacob Richard Penniman (2003)

Neural Control of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

This proposal seeks funding for Jacob Penniman '03 to work at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories for 8 weeks in the summer of 2002. He will investigate the neural control of metamorphosis in larvae of gastropod molluscs under the supervision of Prof. Anthony Pires. This project, currently funded by the National Science Foundation, uses electrophysiological, neurochemical and anatomical methods to study how the nervous system directs rapid and radical developmental changes in immature animals. While at Friday Harbor, Penniman and Pires will interact with a vigorous international community of scientists. In addition to working on Pires' NSF-funded project (see attached summary), Penniman and Pires will also pursue collaborations in progress with Dr. Michael G. Hadfield (University of Hawaii), Dr. Shaun Cain (University of Washington), and Dr. Stephen C. Kempf (Auburn University) on various aspects of neurochemistry, development and behavior of marine invertebrates.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Anthony Pires

Jennifer L Picarsic (2003)

Development of Gene Therapy for Early Lung Cancer using Novel In Vitro Model of Lung Cancer

The Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) is an engineering growth project, which is playing a key role in the advancement and education of biomedical research, both locally and internationally. In 1997 the PTEI established a summer internship program for undergraduate students from 10 Southwestern Pennsylvanian counties, for students who are pursuing future career goals in medicine, engineering, research, or related fields. Each intern is paired with his/her research mentor at one of PTEI's six funded hospitals or universities. During the 10-week internship (contingent upon receiving HHMI grant), I would be working with Joseph M. Pilewski, M.D. of the University of Pittsburgh Biomedical Center. I would engage in research focused on using gene vectors, in an originally designed in vitro lung cancer model of normal and malignant lung cancer cells, to test for genes that could abolish malignant cells while preserving the normal cell lining.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor:

Mairi Kaia Phyllis Poisson (2016)

Efficacy of the American Toad as a biological control of insect pests at the ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Farm

Integrated pest management (IPM) has become an attractive method to control pests in organic production farms as it reduces the need for harmful pesticides. IPM incorporates pest control strategies that take production, ecology and society into consideration. One particular part of IPM is conservation biological control (CBC) which is defined as a modification to the environment to protect or enhance natural enemies to reduce the effect of pests. In the proposed study we will investigate the efficacy of toads as a biological control option for insect pests. We will obtain and analyze the stomach contents of toads at the ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Farm to assess the proportion of their diet that contains pest insects.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Scott Boback

Nadine Marie Powell (2004)

The role of a 1 specific opioid agonist in improving neurological outcome following resuscitation from cardiac arrest

Whole body cooling and brain metabolic depression increase survival time following ischemic brain injury. Recent molecular and integrative pharmacology research suggests that numerous vertebrates produce δ1-specific opioid agonists within their central nervous systems in response to severe environmental stressors. These opioids seemingly confer protection by lowering brain metabolic demand and thus increasing tolerance to reduced blood delivery states. We will test the hypothesis that the administration of aδ1-specific opioid agonists within their central nervous systems in response to severe environmental stressors. These opioids seemingly confer protection by lowering brain metabolic demand and thus increasing tolerance to reduced blood delivery states. We will test the hypothesis that the administration of a δ1-specific opioid agonist, as a resuscitation adjuvant, will improve neurological recovery following nine minutes of cardiac arrest. We expect to find significant improvement in neurological outcome in animals receiving the opioid and that this will be mediated by decreases in metabolic demand and body core temperature.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Nadine Marie Powell (2004)

The role of a 1 specific opioid agonist in improving neurological outcome following resuscitation from cardiac arrest

Whole body cooling and brain metabolic depression increase survival time following ischemic brain injury. Recent molecular and integrative pharmacology research suggests that numerous vertebrates produce δ1-specific opioid agonists within their central nervous systems in response to severe environmental stressors. These opioids seemingly confer protection by lowering brain metabolic demand and thus increasing tolerance to reduced blood delivery states. We will test the hypothesis that the administration of aδ1-specific opioid agonists within their central nervous systems in response to severe environmental stressors. These opioids seemingly confer protection by lowering brain metabolic demand and thus increasing tolerance to reduced blood delivery states. We will test the hypothesis that the administration of a δ1-specific opioid agonist, as a resuscitation adjuvant, will improve neurological recovery following nine minutes of cardiac arrest. We expect to find significant improvement in neurological outcome in animals receiving the opioid and that this will be mediated by decreases in metabolic demand and body core temperature.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Matthew Francis Pye (2006)

Enhancing the Efficacy of bioherbicides

There are many plant pathogens that will attack weeds, but only a few have proven virulent enough to control invasive weed species and compete with chemical herbicides. In nature, there is strong selection against highly virulent pathogens, as survival of the pathogen depends upon survival of the host. Total eradication of the host would be evolutionary suicide. However, this deficiency of kamikaze agents does not imply that effective biocontrol is beyond our means. Rather, it challenges biocontrol researchers to develop innovative strategies using formulation, genetics, and synergy to enhance the effectiveness of their biocontrol pathogens. It has been discovered that the virulence and efficacy of bioberbicides can be greatly enhanced by selecting variants of the weed pathogen that overproduce and excrete amino acids that are inhibitory to the target plant. If funded, I plan to continue Professor David Sands work with enhancing the efficacy of bioherbicides.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Matthew Francis Pye (2006)

NSF 0336717 Collaborative Research: Coordinate Induction of Sink Strength and Polyphenol Metabolism in Trees

Carbohydrates and secondary metabolism of forest trees

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Thomas Arnold

John L Pyott (1996)

Cell Regulation of Gene Expression

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1993
Professor: Michael Roberts

Slade Dylan Reisner (2017)

Pulmonary Hypertension

During my time at National Jewish Health I am researching Pulmonary Hypertension, and more specifically Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. It is a disease that causes the lining of the left ventricle of the heart to grow larger and makes the right ventricle grow smaller as a result. This causes an increase in heart pressure and eventually leads to death. The patients that are involved in the study I am conducting are both healthy and sick participants.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor:

Slade Dylan Reisner (2017)

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Blood flow topologies in the proximal pulmonary vasculature demonstrate helical formations whose functional significance remains unexplored in pulmonary hypertension (PAH). Four-dimensional cardiac magnetic resonance (4D CMR) can generate high-fidelity spatial and temporal renderings of these complex flow patterns and allow for quantitative characterization. Helicity, the novel hemodynamic index measuring the linkage of vortex lines in blood flow, may serve to quantitate these helical formations and provide novel insights into pulmonary vasculature fluid-tissue interactions. We tested the relationship between 4D CMR-computed helicity and pulmonary vascular stiffness obtained from same-day right heart catheterization (RHC).

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor:

Alissa Resnikoff (2018)

NSF 1416690: Ocean Acidification:Collaborative Research: Effects of Ocean Acidification on Larval Competence, Metamorphosis, and Juvenile Performance in a Planktotrophic Gastropod

The proposed study will help us to understand the ways in which ocean acidification (OA) will impact the development, dispersal, and metamorphosis of the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata, and the mechanism responsible for the effects observed. Larvae will be reared pH levels representing current (390 ppm) and projected 22nd century (800 ppm) atmospheric pCO2, at both normal (20 C) and elevated temperature (25 C) and with and without nutritional stress. We will determine the following: 1) impact of OA on rates of larval tissue growth and shell growth; 2) latent effects of larval exposure to OA on juvenile survival and growth; 3) influence of elevated OA on gene expression patterns in larvae; 4) impact of OA on duration of the pre-competent larval swimming period; 5) impact of OA on the response of competent larvae to a variety of metamorphic inducers; 6) impact of larval diet quality on vulnerability to OA, both in the larval stages and following metamorphosis (latent effects); 7) influence of OA exposure in the larval stage on gene expression patterns in juveniles; and 8) impact of OA on larval swimming ability, settlement behavior, and time to metamorphic competence.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Anthony Pires

Amanda Cynthia Reynolds (2002)

Neurochemical Diversity in Gastropod Metamorphosis

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Anthony Pires

Amanda Cynthia Reynolds (2002)

NSF 0110832 RUI: Neural Regulation of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Anthony Pires

Amanda Cynthia Reynolds (2002)

NSF 0110832 RUI: Neural Regulation of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Spring 2002
Professor: Anthony Pires

Emily Elizabeth Rhode (2004)

NSF 0336716 RUI Collaborative Research: Mechanisms of induced pathogen resistance in seagrasses

Nutrient enrichment and seagrass phenolic metabolism

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Cole Douglas Rinehart (2017)

Effects of intracerebroventricular benzamil on osmotic responses to hypertonic sodium chloride infusion.

"Increases in plasma sodium concentration are sensed by neurons in the hypothalamus to stimulate thirst, secretion of vasopressin (AVP), and blood pressure. Previous research suggests these neurons express the epithelial sodium channel, and central blockade of these channels was reported to attenuate several forms of salt-sensitive hypertension and reduce AVP secretion (Nishimura et al. 1998). It was hypothesized intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of benzamil, a non-voltage gated Na channel blocker, will attenuate osmotically-induced thirst."

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor:

Courtney Lynn Ritchie (2001)

Neurophysiological Analysis of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Anthony Pires

Courtney Lynn Ritchie (2001)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 2001
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Jacey Ann Roberts (2003)

A DNA Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression during Human Cell Differentiation

The human leukemia cell line HL-60 can be induced to differentiate into macrophage-like cells. This transformation from a rapidly dividing, cancer cell into a non-dividing "normal" cell is the result of a re-programming of the cell's genetic machinery. DNA microarray analysis allows for the global inspection of gene expression in cells at various times. These experiments will identify genes that are activated, repressed or unchanged during the differentiation process.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Michael Roberts

Jacey Ann Roberts (2003)

A DNA Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression during Human Cell Differentiation

The human leukemia cell line HL-60 can be induced to differentiate into macrophage-like cells. This transformation from a rapidly dividing, cancer cell into a non-dividing "normal" cell is the result of a re-programming of the cell's genetic machinery. DNA microarray analysis allows for the global inspection of gene expression in cells at various times. These experiments will identify genes that are activated, repressed or unchanged during the differentiation process.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Michael Roberts

Anita Diana Lee Robin (2012)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Mary Alles Robinson (2001)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 2000
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Norah Elizabeth Roderick (2005)

NSF 0336717 Collaborative Research: Coordinate Induction of Sink Strength and Polyphenol Metabolism in Trees

Carbohydrates and secondary metabolism of forest trees, tomato

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Megan Samantha Rosenberg (2013)

Physiological Performance of Snakes During Constriction

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Scott Boback

Patrick James Rowsey (1990)

Biology of Barnacles on genus Octolasmis Epizoic on Crustacea in the Gulf of Mexico

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1988
Professor: William Jeffries

Max Oliver Rubinstein (2016)

Tracking brown tree snakes in Guam.

Student-alumni research team tracks snakes by night in Guam by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson They stowed away on U.S. military ships from the South Pacific just after World War II, and in the six decades since reaching shore, they've silently infiltrated nearly every aspect of day-to-day life. We're talking brown tree snakes, said to be one of the most successful invasive species, with approximately 1,300,000 slithering across the 30-mile-long island of Guam. More than simply power-cord-gnawing, home-infesting nuisances, the nocturnal snakes have caused the extinction of many of Guam's native vertebrates, including 10 species of birds. And with exploding populations of snakes in the forests and vegetation skirting shorelines and surrounding the island's Andersen Air Force Base, the possibility of stowaway snakes traveling by boat or plane to Hawaii and other Pacific islands-and then taking over those ecosystems-is very real. This summer, students and former students of Associate Professor of Biology Scott Boback are investigating how best to combat that possible Snakes on a Plane scenario by taking part in a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The idea is to refine the USGS's current snake-sleuthing techniques, using high-tech devices to track the snakes' movements, night to night, so they can better predict future behavior. Circling in For four nights each week, John Capano '13, Andrew Veselka '15, Elizabeth Schultz '15 and Max Rubinstein '16 use radio frequencies to track 21 snakes that were previously implanted with radio transmitters and live in the Andersen Air Force Base's Habitat Management Unit. Because the 136-acre study area is surrounded by a snake-proof fence and the snake population within the unit has been reduced with an environmentally safe toxicant, it offers a unique chance to observe how the snakes behave in low population densities. This can help scientists better find brown tree snakes after possible introduction on other islands, but before the population explodes to Guam-like levels. Beginning at about a half-hour after sundown, two of the Dickinsonians travel north, and two, south, walking transects or bushwhacking their way toward their specimens. As a subteam gets close to a snake, the two team members split up and surround the presumed location to reduce angles of attack. When the target is confirmed they circle around it, gradually zeroing in until they see the snake and make a note of its GPS location. Then it's off to the next specimen, until all have been found-usually by around midnight. "Some of the snakes are easy to track because they don't move a whole lot, but there are a couple that like to move fairly far distances," says Schultz-who co-researched boa constrictors with Boback while at Dickinson and plans to pursue a career in medicine-noting that the team already has discovered some of the snakes' favorite spots. "When we see them in the trees and even on the ground, we've seen that they have amazing cantilever ability-it's really easy to see why they have been so successful here." While the Dickinsonians use radio transmitters to track the snakes, a team of USGS biologists performs visual surveys along the same patch of woods. "The overarching goal is to help create more effective detection methods for the snakes by comparing the two datasets and seeing if the snakes are located where the visual teams can find them," says Capano, the Dickinson research crew leader, who completed a senior research project with Boback on the biomechanics of ventilation in the boa constrictor, and will pursue a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology at Brown University, beginning in August. "If visual teams are consistently missing snakes that the radio tracking crew is finding on their nightly paths, new detection methods can be developed." Dashing up that curve As the summer continues, the Dickinson research team will work inside the Guam National Wildlife Refuge on two projects that it has independently developed. They will study the invasive cane toad on Guam, noting the differences in movement distance versus displacement to help determine home ranges and facilitate land management with possible control measures. They also will use bait stations and camera traps to estimate feral hog densities within the refuge. All signs point to a successful run, says the USGS's Robert Reed, who heads the brown tree snake project, and brought on Boback, an expert in snake ecology, to help refine the ideas that led to the current work. John Capano '13, Andrew Veselka '15, Elizabeth Schultz '15 and Max Rubinstein '16 "Even though these Dickinson [researchers] didn't have a whole lot of snake research experience or tropical island research experience, and their learning curve was steep, they're sharp and motivated, and they picked things up very, very quickly," he says. "They're flexible and adaptable, and we're very pleased with their work." The researchers are likewise thrilled, says Rubinstein, a biochemistry & molecular biology major who took Boback's First-Year Seminar in 2012. "I've always loved snakes, and the chance to spend my summer outdoors is pretty incredible," he says.

Term Funded:Summmer 2015
Professor:

Max Oliver Rubinstein (2016)

Behavior Assessment of Brown Tree Snakes at Low Population Densities

During the summer of 2015 I assisted the US Geological Survey's Brown Treesnake Lab in Guam, working on the control and containment of the Brown Treesnake. Brown Treesnakes are invasive and their introduction has caused the extirpation of at least 17 species, and disrupted the ecological balance of the island. The data gathered in this project will help optimize the snake's containment on Guam and their capture if they reach another location. Twenty snakes were implanted with radio transmitters and released in a 50 hectare closed unit containing predominantly limestone forest. Four nights a week we located each of the snakes and collected data on their behavior and location. Our findings indicate that the Brown Treesnake's adaptable physiology has allowed them to be so successful on Guam, and any effort to contain a non-native population will be extremely difficult and need to be comprehensive. For a predominantly arboreal snake, the Brown Treesnake was often found on the ground, obscured by thick ferns, or within karst. These behaviors may allow the snake to remain hidden during the day, or shelter it during digestion or shedding, and conceal it from prey or predators. These findings can help refine search and capture techniques for the Brown Treesnake in the likely event that individuals make their way off the island. Placing traps at various heights and exploiting the snake's physiological capabilities can make for efficient and timely containment of this costly species.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor:

Christian Charles William Ruhl (2014)

Mechanisms of CD14 Expression

Term Funded: 2012-2013
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Marissa Christina Ruschil (2019)

Cellular Interaction in Inflammation

In autoinflammatory disease, the innate immune system is overly active and therefore generates inflammatory molecules under circumstances that normally would not warrant such activation. The increased activation of the innate immune system causes episodes of general inflammatory symptoms including fever, joint pain, rash, and fatigue. Most autoinflammatory diseases are caused by mutations in genes that control the innate immune system and are therefore categorized by genetic mutation. One group of autoinflammatory diseases, collectively called Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency (MKD), is caused mutations in the mevalonate kinase (MVK) gene, which is responsible for the production of isoprenoid compounds. These isoprenoid molecules are involved in many different cellular processes including cell division, movement, and communication with the environment. This project aims to understand the cellular mechanisms by which alterations to isoprenoid levels causes inflammatory symptoms. Investigation into how isoprenoids control inflammation provides valuable information for treating inflammatory diseases.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Max H Russo (2015)

Human UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase

The research question I am studying this summer at Bristol Myers Squibb is the Optimized Assay for Human UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase Activities.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor:

Max H Russo (2015)

Drug metabolism Research

his summer I am returning to intern at Bristol-Myers Squib. The project I am working on this summer is to explore a key area of Drug Metabolism research, specifically tissue distribution of pharmacological agents,

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Max H Russo (2015)

Evaluation of Sandwich-Cultured Human Hepatocytes for Prediction of Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Evaluation of Sandwich-Cultured Human Hepatocytes for Prediction of Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Michael John Sakatos (1998)

Experimental Recolonization of Woodrats (Neotoma Magister) at an Extirpated Site)

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: Janet Wright

Harold Irvin Salmons (2014)

Detecting double strand break occurrence in Palindromic AT-rich repeat (PATRR) regions

Detecting double strand break occurrence in Palindromic AT-rich repeat (PATRR) regions

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Michael David Salvatore (2003)

Ecology, demography, and recovery of a rare wildflower Euphorbia Purpurea

Long-term studies that students and I have carried out on Pennsylvania populations of glade spurge, Euphorbia purpurea, indicate that this globally rare and scientifically interesting wildflower is declining locally. Sexual reproduction is necessary for the maintenance of the population size. However, seedlings are rare and survival of young plants is poor, even after five or six years of growth. This summer I hope to 1) continue long-term monitoring at all five sites, 2) assess the effects of new deer fences and removal of competing vegetation on performance of the plants at three locations, 3) complete initial location of plants in two more recently located populations, with particular attention to small plants such as seedlings that may have been overlooked, 4) experiment to determine the best conditions for rearing seedlings, and 5) work up certain portions of our long-term data set that have remained unanalyzed until now because of time constraints.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Bakary Samasa (2019)

G protein regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the cleavage stage embryo

"The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division."

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: John Henson

Jennifer Ann Sanders (1999)

NIH-Roberts

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: Michael Roberts

Laura Sappelsa (1990)

An Investigation of the Synthesis and Metabolism of Hydrogen Peroxide in Higher Plants

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1989
Professor: Thomas Brennan

Laura Sappelsa (1990)

An Investigation of the Synthesis and Metabolism of Hydrogen Peroxide in Higher Plants

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1988
Professor: Thomas Brennan

Andrew Robert Sas (2003)

NSF 0110832 RUI: Neural Regulation of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Spring 2003
Professor: Anthony Pires

Youki Sato (2016)

Discovery, Identification, and Analysis of Ascomycete Yeast Beetle Endosymbionts

Yeasts are essential symbionts of many different organisms and are the source of many enzymes, drugs, and food products important to humans. The proposed research seeks to collect and identify new species of yeasts from mushroom-eating beetles, and to use the resulting samples to study key questions related to evolution and ecology. Because mushroom-eating beetles have been poorly sampled for microbes, the proposed research is expected to improve our understanding of biodiversity and to identify new species of yeasts with potential benefits for humans. Additionally, the collected species of beetles and yeasts will be used to establish a laboratory colony, with which questions related to the origin, evolution, persistence, and biological function of symbioses will be studied.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Dana Somers

Lauren Carel Saunders (2010)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Svenja Mareike Schneider (2013)

Changes in connectivity between the orbitofrontal cortex and the basal amygdala during adolescence

Changes in connectivity between the orbitofrontal cortex and the basal amygdala during adolescence

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor:

Katrina Louise Schulberg (2001)

Actin-Based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Coelomocytes: Development of a Permeabilized Cell Model

The mechanisms underlying how cells move and change shape have puzzled cell biologists for over a hundred years. Although a great deal of detailed molecular knowledge has been generated, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. My lab employs cells isolated from the coelomic fluid of sea urchins (coelomocytes) as an experimental system for studying an aspect of cell motility termed retrograde flow. This process consists of the centripetal movement of the cell surface membrane and underlying protein scaffold (the cytoskeleton) from the cell periphery to the center. The sea urchin coelomocyte has a number of attributes, including ease of isolation, geometry, and optical clarity, which makes it an excellent system for studying this form of motility. However the types of experiments that can be performed with these cells has been limited by the fact that they are not amenable to microinjection. In this proposal we plan to develop a permeabilized cell model of the coelomocyte. In order to do this my students and I will have to test a wide array of permeabilizing agents (detergents and membrane toxins) as well as intracellular buffers. Permeabilized cell models have been instrumental in studying a number of cellular processes including cell division, secretion and intracellular transport. The development of the coelomocyte permeabilized model will allow for us to use membrane impermeant reagents (fluorescent proteins, function blocking antibodies, toxins, etc.) as tools in experiments aimed at gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms mediating the flow process.

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: John Henson

Katrina Louise Schulberg (2001)

NIH 1R15GM60925-01 Mechanism and Regulation of Actin-based Retrograde Flow

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: John Henson

Nicholas Milan Schwab (2014)

Ecological and Environmental Influences on Nest-Site Selection of the Painted Turtle

In Painted turtles, the temperature of the nest determines the gender of the hatchlings: warm temps result in female hatchlings while cooler temps result in male hatchlings. As a result, painted turtles are susceptible to climate change. We aim to understand how increases in average daily temperature may affect how females choose suitable sites to lay their eggs and whether these nests are successful in producing hatchlings. In this study, we investigate the patterns of nest-site selection in a local population of Painted turtles in an attempt to discover the interaction between local (roads, railroad tracks, buildings) and global (climate change) anthropogenic factors in determining the behavior of turtles and the survival of their offspring. By recording and analyzing basic parameters such as temperature, location, and exposure we will begin to understand how organisms respond to changes in temperature and therefore the biological consequences of global climate change.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Scott Boback

Heather Blumberg Schwartzbauer (1991)

Construction of Recombinant Strains of Aspergillus Nidulans

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1990
Professor: Craig Jurgensen

Abir Adnan Senz (2004)

Glucocorticoid Receptor Fundtion in a Conditionally Immortalized Hippocampal Cell Line

Glucocorticoid hormones exert wide-ranging effects in nearly all tissues in the body and act through a soluble receptor protein, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Although widely distributed throughout the brain, the GR is particularly enriched in the hippocampus where it appears to mediate many of the actions of glucocorticoid hormones in central control of stress responses. In recent years, there has been considerable interest in understanding the roles of glucocorticoid hormones in prenatal development, particularly as it relates to the effects of prenatal stress. As a model for assessing the function of GRs in developing hippocampus we will use the HiB-5 hippocampal cell line. HiB-5 cells were derived from the infection of embryonic rat hippocampal neurons with a temperature-sensitive Simian Virus 40 (SV40). Due to the temperature sensitive properties of the transforming SV40 virus, the HiB-5 cells have become conditionally immortalized. In other words, these cells grow continuously when cultured at 33ºC, the permissive temperature of the SV40 virus, and do not express a neuronal phenotype under these conditions However, when shifted to the restrictive temperature of 39ºC, which inactivates the transforming and immortalizing functions of the SV40 virus, the HiB-5 cells undergo a form of differentiation that culminates in their growth arrest, extension of long neuronal processes and expression of various neuronal markers. We plan to study GR function in immortalized and undifferentiated HiB-5 cells (i.e. grown at 33ºC) and in differentiated HiB-5 cells (i.e. grown at 39ºC). In particular, we will use Western blot analysis to study the turnover of GR and various transfection assays to study the transcriptional regulatory properties of the receptor. The ultimate goal of the project will be to establish conditions%

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Kristen Eileen Severi (2004)

NSF 0110832 RUI: Neural Regulation of Metamorphosis in a Gastropod Mollusc

Development of many types of animals is marked by a dramatic structural transformation, or metamorphosis, between larval and adult forms. Although metamorphosis is gradual and driven by hormones in well-studied developmental systems such as frogs and fruit flies, in other animals it is sudden, rapid, and driven by the larval nervous system. This is especially true in the marine environment, where metamorphosis is triggered by a chemical signal associated with food or habitat required by the adult form. The role of the nervous system in the control of such metamorphoses is poorly understood and has been the focus of Prof. Pires' research for the last decade. Working with larvae of gastropod molluscs (snails), he has shown that one family of chemical signals within the nervous system, the catecholamines, are important regulators of metamorphosis. It is now important to determine if this is a general feature of gastropod metamorphosis or is peculiar to certain species. Differences between species can be considered "experiments of nature" to clarify neurochemical control mechanisms in metamorphosis. Pilot experiments last summer revealed surprising diversity among species, in responses to pharmacological manipulation of endogenous catecholamines. This summer Prof. Pires hopes to see if this diversity can be related to quantitative differences in catecholamine content, or qualitative differences in the distribution of catecholamine-containing cells in larval nervous systems. This project will bring a student into the dynamic research environment of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, a world-class center for research in neural and developmental marine biology.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Anthony Pires

Scott Adam Sheeder (1997)

Experimental Recolonization of Woodrats (Neotoma Magister) at an Extirpated Site)

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: Janet Wright

James L Shoemaker (1997)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 1998
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Stephanie Eckenrode Shreiner (1996)

Second-year study of population ecology of the rare glade spurge Euphorbia Purpurea

Euphorbia purpurea or glade spurge is a rare swamp wildflower still known to exist at only about 30 sites, from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. Over the last seven years we have monitored populations at three of the six PA sites: at Lambs Gap in Perry Co., at Mt. Holly Marsh Preserve, and at Hunters Run (map on next page). Whitaker students and I conducted surveys of two additional PA sites (Goat Hill and Cowans Gap) in 1999 and 2000, in conjunction with State Parks and Bureau of Forestry personnel and with Nature Conservancy botanists. Because both populations appear to have declined alarmingly, we worked with these groups to erect fences to exclude deer at both sites and have obtained permission to intensify our population monitoring and our attempts to rear seedlings from these two sites. This summer I hope to 1) continue long-term monitoring at all five sites, 2) conduct a thorough search to locate additional plants that we think exist at Goat Hill, 3) obtain and analyze soil samples from all five sites to help us better understand the species' requirements, and 4) experiment to determine the best conditions for rearing seedlings, not only of this species but of two rare goldenrod species. We have begun using our long-term data set to document effects of deer on the plants, and I would like to expand the data analysis this year to assess the effects of early senescence in some plants on their growth and reproduction in the following season.

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Stephanie Eckenrode Shreiner (1996)

Second-year study of population ecology of the rare glade spurge Euphorbia Purpurea

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: Carol Loeffler

James W Sierotko (2004)

Population and propagation studies of three rare wildflowers, Euphorbia purpurea, Solidago speciosa, and Aster radula

Over the last nine years, students and I have been monitoring populations of several rare wildflower species and investigating various aspects of their reproduction in hopes of 1) gaining a thorough understanding of their population ecology, and the ecology of rare plants in general, which is poorly studied, and 2) devising management plans which can ensure the continued existence of these species. Our strategy with our most studied species, glade spurge (Euphorbia purpurea), has been to determine through monitoring if these plants' populations are stable, increasing, or declining, and to use measurement, careful observation, and where possible experimental manipulations to identify the factors that affect their reproduction and survival. This summer, we hope to continue monitoring five Pennsylvania populations of glade spurge with special attention to the relative reproductive success and survival of plants given protection from deer and plant competition in the last one to five years. We will initiate some new analyses of the impact of deer browsing on plant size and reproduction that will add important refinements to our previous analyses. We also want to continue ongoing searches for new populations of glade spurge and to initiate searches for two other species, showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) and rough-leaved aster (Aster radula). Finally, in the laboratory, we would like to study the effects of fertilization and watering treatments on the early growth of glade spurge and showy goldenrod, and we are planning a germination experiment that should refine our understanding of cold dormancy in showy goldenrod seeds.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Kayla Christine Simpson (2018)

Integrated Pest Management for Cattle Fly Pests on the Dickinson Farm

Horn flies are a major pest of pasture-raised cattle, costing the beef industry several hundred million US dollars per year. They are also problematic at the Dickinson Farm, where an integrated pest management plan (IPM) is needed. Here we propose a collaborative student-faculty summer research project that will critically examine the merits of three management tactics for horn flies: the release of parasitoid wasps (to eat immature flies), the introduction of dung beetles (to remove manure in which immature flies develop), and walk-through traps (to catch and kill adult flies). Our efforts will help to develop and refine an IPM plan for horn flies at the Dickinson Farm and shed light on the broader question of how to manage this pest in rotational pasture cattle systems. At the same time, the student collaborator will develop their capacities for quantitative and qualitative research, independent thinking, and communication.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Jason Smith

Jessica Kristine Sinchi (2014)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Jessica Kristine Sinchi (2014)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: John Henson

Charles Ethan Slusher (2016)

Thiolactones as prodrugs of thiol-based glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) inhibitors

Served as a laboratory assistant in a medicinal chemistry laboratory at the Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology. Synthesized small organic molecules as potential therapeutics for neurodegenerative disease. Characterized the compounds using NMR, LC/MS and HPLC.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Camille Ariel Sogin (2012)

The Role of Nitrite as a Control on N Cycling Pathways in Marine Sediments

Marine sediments host complex chemical interactions that can have far reaching effects in the environment on a local and global scale. Generally these sediments act as a sink for bioavailable nitrogen and produce N2 in low oxygen conditions. Traditionally, it is thought that the majority of nitrate removal in these systems is caused by heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria converting nitrate and organic carbon to N2 gas. As recently as the 1990's, a new type of denitrification pathway has been described where nitrite and ammonium are converted to N2 gas. This autotrophic Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation (Anammox) can be a key pathway in sedimentary nitrogen cycling, but little is known about what controls Anammox activity. Preliminary results reveal that Anammox is not influenced by excess nitrite and may be limited by other nutrients in our experimental system.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor:

Emily Elizabeth Souder (2005)

Induction of HAART-Persistent HIV-1 Expression

We are trying to solve the problem of HIV-1 latency. HIV-1 latency is defined as those viruses, in individuals infected with the AIDS virus that are "dormant" and persist in patient cells despite their use of anti-viral medications, collectively referred to as HAART. We are investigating novel compounds such as prostratin that are able to force the latent viruses to emerge from cells so that the immune system will recognize these infected cells and eliminate them or eradicate them. The use of compounds to force the expression of latent virus is called immune activation therapy or IAT. I will be treating cells of patients on HAART that retain latent virus with compounds such as prostratin to get virus produced from the treated cells. I will also be isolating and characterizing the virus to try to determine why they remain latent as also to determine if the compounds are able to force the release of only some or many of the latent viruses that remain in patient's cells despite their use of HAART.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Natalie Mary Stanley (2013)

NASA GCCE Grant: Ecological and Environmental Influences on Nest Site Selection in the Painted Turtle

Ecological and Environmental Influences on Nest Site Selection in the Painted Turtle

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Scott Boback

Natalie Mary Stanley (2013)

Mathematical Techniques for the Analysis of Human Leukemia

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts

Natalie Mary Stanley (2013)

Molecular Analysis of Human Leukemia

Term Funded:Fall 2011
Professor: Michael Roberts

Cory Michael Staub (1999)

The Role of AP-1 in Macrophage Differentiation of HL-60 Cells

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: Michael Roberts

Cory Michael Staub (1999)

NIH-Roberts

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: Michael Roberts

Danielle Leigh Staunton (2013)

Ecological and environmental influences on nest-site selection in the Painted turtle

In contrast to most vertebrates which possess sex chromosomes, the gender of many reptile species is determined by the temperature experienced during the middle third of embryonic development. Painted turtles exhibit this strategy known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD); warm temperatures produce females, cool temps produce males, and intermediate temps produce both sexes. As average global temperatures increase over the next decade, an increasing number of female Painted turtles may be produced unless females adjust nest parameters to reduce their internal temperatures. In this study, we investigate the patterns of nest-site selection in a local population of Painted turtles in an attempt to discover the influence of local (roads, railroad tracks, buildings) and global (climate change) anthropogenic factors on the plasticity of this behavior. By recording and analyzing these variables, we will begin to understand how organisms respond to changes in temperature and therefore the biological consequences of global climate change.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Scott Boback

Megan Ann Stekla (2015)

Characterization of a Mitochondrial-Associated Novel Myosin (MYO19)

Mitochondria are organelles that play a critical role in cellular energy metabolism. They are often referred to as "cellular power plants" because they generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used as a source of chemical energy. In addition to ATP production, mitochondria are also involved in cell signaling, differentiation, cell death, and the cell cycle. Because mitochondria have an essential ole in cellular energy metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction plays a prominent role in human diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancer. Proper distribution of mitochondria within the cell is critical for proper function and it is therefore essential to understand how mitochondria are localized in the cell in both normal and disease states. Myosins are a family of ATP-dependent motor proteins involved in cellular processes such as muscle contraction and organelle transport through the production of force. Most myosin molecules are composed of a head (motor), neck, and tail domain. In particular, the motor domain binds to actin (a component of the cellular skeleton) and uses ATP hydrolysis to generate force and "walk" along the actin. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the founding member of a novel myosin class, myosin- XIX (MYO19), localizes to mitochondria and plays a role in mitochondrial movement (Quintero, 2009).In fact, increased levels of MYO19 in lung cells, induced by the addition of an exogenous MYO19 DNA construct, leads to a gain-of-function where the majority of mitochondria move continuously (Quintero, 2009). The MYO19 motor domain appears to power the movement of mitochondria through interaction with actin filaments (Quintero, 2009). The goal of this project is to increase understanding of how the MYO19 motor domain contributes to mitochondrial movement and will take place in two phases. Phase I involves the generation of the molecular tools necessary to address the role of the MYO19 motor domain in mitochondrialmovement. Phase II involves the use of these tools in molecular assays. It is expected that the work of the Dana assistant will result in a poster presentation at Penn State College of Medicine in August 2012 and contribute to a poster for the 2012 American Society for Cell iology Annual Meeting as well as a scientific publication.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Jerone Tyler Stoner (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Jerone Tyler Stoner (2015)

Identification and Characterization of Enterococcus faecalis Biofilm Phenotypes

This research will complement my major in two significant manners: 1) It will allow me to apply knowledge I ve learned in previous classes and summers of research and 2) The knowledge I gain this summer will be directly applicable to classes I have in the upcoming year. I ve already utilized knowledge I learned from taking Infection and Immunity, Cancer Biology, and Biochemistry last year to aid me in understanding the background of my research as well as techniques to be used. Furthermore, I have no doubt that this research experience, as it has a strong focus on microbiology, will provide me with at least an introductory level of understanding for the Microbiology course (with lab) I will be taking in the fall. I also believe that this experience will enhance my ability to collect and interpret data as well as improve my scientific writing/oral skills.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Mary Caitlin Strahota (2008)

n/a

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Suleiman Yousef Sudah (2015)

Ventilatory Changes in Male and Female Mice in Response to Whole Animal Exposure to Carbon Dioxide

My lab recently discovered a sex difference in the activation of the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) in mice in response to 5% crbon dioxide (CO2). There are more than three times as many RTN cells that respond to 5% C2 in males than in females. Our data are intriguing given that the RTN regulates breathing in response to changes in blood carbon dioxide and is defective in several conditions that disproportionately affect males, including the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The proposed study will address an important follow-up question: do females increase their breathing in response to 5% C2 even though the RTN isn't activated? We will collect ventilatory data and correlate numbers of CO2-activated RTN cells with changes in ventilation in mice of each sex. These data will further our understanding of the sex difference in the mouse RTN and also may explain why females are less susceptible to SIDS.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Mary Niblock

Suleiman Yousef Sudah (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: David Kushner

Katelyn Maria Swade (2015)

Role of Cholesterol Biosynthetic Pathway Intermediates in the Inflammatory Response

Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD) is a rare, autosomal recessive genetic mutation in which patients experience a systematic inflammatory phenotype marked by recurrent episodes of disturbed cytokine function and fever attacks. MKD is caused by a block in the mevalonate pathway, the pathway responsible for the production of non-sterol isoprenoid compounds such as farnesyl- and gerynylgeranylpyrophospahte (FPP and GGPP). FPP and GGPP are lipid molecules that are responsible for the proper functioning of Ras, Rho, and Rab families of small GTP-binding proteins. MKD has been linked to GGPP depletion in monocytes and macrophages. The gene for MKD is expressed when a bacteria is introduced to the cell. CD14 is the primary binding site on myeloid cells for the bacterial, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and therefore plays a key role in cytokine production. In order to further examine the effect of isoprenoid depletion on the monocyte and macrophage response to LPS, cellular production of isoprenoid compounds was blocked with statins on RAW 264.7 (murine macrophage cell lines) and MM6 (Mono-Mac 6 human monocyte cell lines). Statins are a class of drugs that inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase. This inhibition mimics the block on the mevalonate pathway in patients with MKD. CD14 expression is analyzed following statin treatment using a luciferase assay protocol. Co-incubation of lovastatin treated cells with either mevalonate or GGPP blocks alterations in CD14 expression and release, indicating that these effects are dependent on inhibition of isoprenoid biosynthesis. Therefore, immune cell response to isoprenoid depletion may vary and a more mechanistic understanding of these differences has the potential to impact treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Term Funded:summer 2013
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Katelyn Maria Swade (2015)

Mechanisms of CD14 Expression

CD14 is an immune system cellular receptor that plays a critical role in host defense against invading pathogens. It binds primarily to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of the outer wall of Gram-negative bacteria. CD14 is found as two protein isoforms: a membrane protein (mCD14) and a soluble serum protein (sCD14). Aberrant expression of sCD14 has been associated with a number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Therefore, a deeper mechanistic understanding of CD14 expression and release from the cell is critical to understand its contribution to inflammatory diseases. Previous work has shown that treatment of immune cells with lovastatin, a drug primarily prescribed for cardiovascular disease that has anti-inflammatory properties, increases the expression of mCD14 while decreasing the release of sCD14 following LPS stimulation. Since lovastatin modulates CD14 expression, this project aims to use this drug as a tool to uncover novel mechanisms of this process

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Amelia Linger Szabat (2013)

Molecular Analysis of Human Leukemia

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts

Holleh Fatima Tajalli (2012)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI s RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Christine Elyse Talbot (2013)

Impacts of climate change on grazing fishes near Myora Springs, North Stradebroke Island, Australia.

Impacts of climate change on grazing fishes near Myora Springs, North Stradebroke Island, Australia.

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Christine Redulla Tallo (2013)

Clinical factors affecting recruitment into a study of the etiology of breast cancer

The subject of my research was observing how clinical factors affect recruitment into a research study of the etiology of breast cancer in young African American women. This research contributes to continuing work to reduce health disparities within minority populations. Through this research, I studied a population predisposed to breast cancer and identified factors that affect recruitment into a cancer genetics study. I plan to use this experience to fulfill the research requirement for my biology major. I have also produced a poster and an abstract from this research, which I plan to present at the science symposium at Dickinson in the spring.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor:

Zafar Subhani Tariq (1999)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 1999
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Jason William Tarpley (1999)

Electrophysiological Study of Metamorphosis in Gastropod Molluscs

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: Anthony Pires

Jason William Tarpley (1999)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 1999
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Natalie Rizzo Taylor (2000)

Merck Scholars Program: Students engage in integrative physiology, anatomy and microanatomy training and research on-campus;and participate in summer internships at Merck Research Labs, Rahway, NJ

This cooperative agreement has provided funds for the development of a world class physiology research and teaching facility at Dickinson while also providing for the on-site training (at MRL) of three highly qualified undergraduates per year. Additionally, the program provided all students taking physiology, anatomy and microanatomy with an unsurpassed experience with instrumentation they would normally not encounter until graduate or medical school.

Term Funded:Year 2000
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Rulaiha Elizabeth Taylor (2018)

NSF 1416690: Ocean Acidification:Collaborative Research: Effects of Ocean Acidification on Larval Competence, Metamorphosis, and Juvenile Performance in a Planktotrophic Gastropod

The proposed study will help us to understand the ways in which ocean acidification (OA) will impact the development, dispersal, and metamorphosis of the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata, and the mechanism responsible for the effects observed. Larvae will be reared pH levels representing current (390 ppm) and projected 22nd century (800 ppm) atmospheric pCO2, at both normal (20 C) and elevated temperature (25 C) and with and without nutritional stress. We will determine the following: 1) impact of OA on rates of larval tissue growth and shell growth; 2) latent effects of larval exposure to OA on juvenile survival and growth; 3) influence of elevated OA on gene expression patterns in larvae; 4) impact of OA on duration of the pre-competent larval swimming period; 5) impact of OA on the response of competent larvae to a variety of metamorphic inducers; 6) impact of larval diet quality on vulnerability to OA, both in the larval stages and following metamorphosis (latent effects); 7) influence of OA exposure in the larval stage on gene expression patterns in juveniles; and 8) impact of OA on larval swimming ability, settlement behavior, and time to metamorphic competence.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Anthony Pires

Christopher Aristos Theodorou (2013)

Biomechanics of Ventilation in Boa Constrictor

Biomechanics of Ventilation in Boa Constrictor

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Scott Boback

Jason Christopher Theriault (1995)

The Function of Kinesin in Organelle Movements in Sea Urchin Cells

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1992
Professor: John Henson

Elizabeth Carney Thorsteinson (2009)

Characterization of Central Chemoreceptors in the Mouse Cerebellum

The goals of this project are to identify and characterize chemosensitive cells in the mouse cerebellum. These specialized neurons, called central chemoreceptors, are able to sense changes in blood levels of carbon dioxide and respond to those changes by increasing breathing. A defect in central chemoreception is thought to be one of the causes of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The proposed experiments will take advantage of a unique transgenic mouse model that allows cells activated by exposure of the whole animal to carbon dioxide to be identified and characterized in tissue sections of the post-mortem brain. This project uses an entirely novel approach to identify and characterize central chemoreceptors in the cerebellum. Knowledge of the number, location, and morphology of these important cells in the mouse not only will further our understanding of central chemoreceptor neuroanatomy, but also will lay the groundwork necessary for future studies to take advantage of the numerous transgenic mouse models specifically suited for studying SIDS.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Mary Niblock

Benjamin James Tiede (2005)

Host Gene Expression Induced by the Brome Mosaic

By studying virus-host interactions one can learn how viruses manipulate host-cell machinery to propagate their genetic material, yet also gain a better understanding of biological processes within cells. Positive-strand RNA viruses include many pathogens such as hepatitis C virus, West Nile virus, and the SARS coronavirus. Brome mosaic virus (BMV), a mild plant pathogen, is a representative positive-strand RNA virus whose life cycle processes have been reproduced in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast is a powerful genetic system and is currently the organism of choice for whole genome studies (genomics). This study will use microarray technology to identify yeast (host) genes that are expressed, and therefore may contribute to, establishment of the membrane-associated complex within the yeast cell where viral genome replication occurs. Such results may indicate anti-viral targets but will also complement previous work that identified over one hundred yeast genes with roles in BMV RNA replication.

Term Funded:Winter 2005
Professor: David Kushner

Benjamin James Tiede (2005)

Host gene expression induced by the brome mosaic virus la protein

By studying virus-host interactions one can learn how viruses manipulate host-cell machinery to propogate their genetic material, yet also gain a better understanding of biological processes within cells. Positive-strand RNA viruses include many pathogens such as hepatitis C virus, West Nile virus, and the SARS coronavirus. Brome mosaic virus (BMV), a mild plant pathogen, is a representative positive-strand RNA virus whose life cycle processes have been reproduced in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast is a powerful genetic system and is currently the organism of choice for whole genome studies (genomics). This study will use microarray technology to identify yeast (host) genes that are expressed, and therefore may contribute to, establishment of the membrane-associated complex within the yeast cell where viral genome replication occurs. Such results may indicate anti-viral targets but will also complement previous work that identified over one hundred yeast genes with roles in BMV RNA replication.

Term Funded:Winter 2004
Professor: David Kushner

Benjamin James Tiede (2005)

Host Gene Expression Induced by the Brome Mosaic

By studying virus-host interactions one can learn how viruses manipulate host-cell machinery to propagate their genetic material, yet also gain a better understanding of biological processes within cells. Positive-strand RNA viruses include many pathogens such as hepatitis C virus, West Nile virus, and the SARS coronavirus. Brome mosaic virus (BMV), a mild plant pathogen, is a representative positive-strand RNA virus whose life cycle processes have been reproduced in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast is a powerful genetic system and is currently the organism of choice for whole genome studies (genomics). This study will use microarray technology to identify yeast (host) genes that are expressed, and therefore may contribute to, establishment of the membrane-associated complex within the yeast cell where viral genome replication occurs. Such results may indicate anti-viral targets but will also complement previous work that identified over one hundred yeast genes with roles in BMV RNA replication.

Term Funded:Winter 2005
Professor: David Kushner

Benjamin James Tiede (2005)

Antibody Isolation and Characterization

This project will be in the Antibody Phage Display Group at Centocor Pharmaceuticals, one of the leaders in monoclonal antibody drug development. Previous research on the development of monoclonal antbodies has been done with the use of hybridomas and screening for particular properties. The Phage Display Group is able to use bacterial systems to develop the antibodies of choice rather than screening fro particular antibodies. A specific property of an antibody will be chosen and then antibodies with this property will be isolated. Antibodies in this experiment will be amplified, cloned and purified and sequenced to study their properties.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Benjamin James Tiede (2005)

Host gene expression induced by the brome mosaic virus la protein

By studying virus-host interactions one can learn how viruses manipulate host-cell machinery to propogate their genetic material, yet also gain a better understanding of biological processes within cells. Positive-strand RNA viruses include many pathogens such as hepatitis C virus, West Nile virus, and the SARS coronavirus. Brome mosaic virus (BMV), a mild plant pathogen, is a representative positive-strand RNA virus whose life cycle processes have been reproduced in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast is a powerful genetic system and is currently the organism of choice for whole genome studies (genomics). This study will use microarray technology to identify yeast (host) genes that are expressed, and therefore may contribute to, establishment of the membrane-associated complex within the yeast cell where viral genome replication occurs. Such results may indicate anti-viral targets but will also complement previous work that identified over one hundred yeast genes with roles in BMV RNA replication.

Term Funded:Winter 2004
Professor: David Kushner

Valerie Anne Trabosh (2003)

Molecular Mechanism of Actin-based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Ceolomocytes

Cell motility, which plays a fundamental role in a number of crucial cell processes including migration, cell division, and secretion, is mediated by a host of motor and structural proteins know collectively as "the cytoskeleton." In this proposal we plan to extend our studies on the cytoskeletal mechanisms underlying a specific form of motility termed retrograde flow. This flow process involves the movement of the cell's membrane and underlying cytoskeletal scaffold from the cell periphery towards the cell center and it is present in the majority of nucleated cells. The sea urchin coelomocyte offers a number of distinct advantages as a model experimental system for studying retrograde flow, including ease of isolation, lack of cytoskeletal complexity and optical clarity. We plan to use coelomocytes combined with pharmacological treatments, digitally-enhanced video microscopy, and immunofluorescent localization microscopy to extend our understanding of the molecular mechanisms which mediate retrograde flow.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: John Henson

Valerie Anne Trabosh (2003)

Molecular Mechanism of Actin-based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Ceolomocytes

Cell motility, which plays a fundamental role in a number of crucial cell processes including migration, cell division, and secretion, is mediated by a host of motor and structural proteins know collectively as "the cytoskeleton." In this proposal we plan to extend our studies on the cytoskeletal mechanisms underlying a specific form of motility termed retrograde flow. This flow process involves the movement of the cell's membrane and underlying cytoskeletal scaffold from the cell periphery towards the cell center and it is present in the majority of nucleated cells. The sea urchin coelomocyte offers a number of distinct advantages as a model experimental system for studying retrograde flow, including ease of isolation, lack of cytoskeletal complexity and optical clarity. We plan to use coelomocytes combined with pharmacological treatments, digitally-enhanced video microscopy, and immunofluorescent localization microscopy to extend our understanding of the molecular mechanisms which mediate retrograde flow.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: John Henson

Valerie Anne Trabosh (2003)

Molecular Mechanisms of Muscular Dystrophy

During the 2002 summer, I would be working in Dr. Yiumo Chan's laboratory at the Weis Center for Research in Danville, PA. The projects that I would be involved in would focus on the molecular mechanisms of muscular dystrophy, specifically the structure and function of the proteins mutated in the disease. These proteins, which are commonly called the dystrophin-associated protein complex (DAPC), are thought to play an important role in maintaining muscle membrane integrity by providing "a physical connection between the actin cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix." (Chan) Mutated sarcoglycans, transmembrane proteins, are responsible for certain cases of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Sarcoglycans stabilize the DAPC connection between the actin cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix. During the summer, we would also be looking at the role of sarcoglycans in signal transduction and their role in maintaining the integrity of the muscle membrane. Using cultured myotubes, the role of post-translational modifications in the transport and assembly of the sarcoglycans to the muscle membrane would be investigated. From the molecular perspective, we would be looking for novel genes involved in muscular dystrophy as well as the role of sarcoglycans.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor:

Robin Jill Turin (1993)

Genetic Structure of Allegheny Woodchucks

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1990
Professor: Janet Wright

Courtney Jean Ullrich (2001)

n/a

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Michael Roberts

Sara Van Meerbeke (2010)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or "Induced Sink Strength" (ISS), determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined.

Term Funded:Spring 2008
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Sara Van Meerbeke (2010)

NSF 0614893 Collaborative Research: Competing Sinks as Constraints on Plant Defense Responses

Under a previous award the PIs discovered that young, heterotrophic poplar leaves must import carbon resources to be able to respond to insects or jasmonate elicitation with increased phenolic defense synthesis. Increased import, or "Induced Sink Strength" (ISS), determines leaf responsiveness, and helps explain why some leaves are more inducible than others and why plant defenses are spatially and temporally heterogenous. This project would examine the generality of ISS by studying two additional plant species whose inducible defenses differ from those in poplar: alkaloids in tomato and glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana. Young (sink) leaves will be elicted by wounding oral secretions from insects that stimulate defenses; changes in defense production, carbon and nitrogen import (using stable isotopes), and cell wall invertase then will be assessed. Transport will be blocked with non-damaging steam girdling in some plants to demonstrate the requirement for importation in induced defenses. In addition to alkaloids and glucosinolates in tomato and Arabidopsis, the dependence on ISS of induction of protein defenses (chitinases, polyphenoloxidases, peroxidases, proteinase inhibitors) will be examined in these species and poplar. Previous results suggested that competing sinks may alter leaf responses to elicitation by hampering material or signal transport. A series of experiments is proposed with combinations of the 3 study plants in which the number, size, proximity of and damage to potentially competing sinks (lateral branches, nearby leaves, fruits) is manipulated and the impact on the responsiveness of young target leaves is assessed. The ability of one herbivore to block or enhance responses to a second by feeding nearby on competing or cooperating sinks will be examined.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Thomas Arnold

Michael A Vecchio (2014)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Andrew Jacobovitz Veselka (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:summer 2012
Professor: David Kushner

Andrew Jacobovitz Veselka (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. Veselka conducted his research at the Sevilleta (New Mexico) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project under the auspices of the Universitty of New Mexico. The prairie dog (Cynomys sp.), due to its burrowing and grazing behavior, is widely recognized as an ecosystem engineer throughout the North American grassland. Their modification and regulation of habitat affects vegetation structure and animal communities throughout their ecosystem. In order to better understand these effects, many studies have been conducted on the responses of small mammals to the presence of prairie dogs. However, most of these have been conducted on the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) and extrapolated to the other four species in the genus. In this study, the effects of the reintroduction of the Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) on the abundance and diversity small mammal populations were surveyed on a short grass steppe habitat. During June of 2014 small mammals were trapped on four 16 hectare plots. Two of these plots were Gunnison's prairie dog reintroduction sites and two were not. The abundance of small mammals was significantly higher for several species as well as for the combined total in plots containing prairie dogs. Over twice the amount of small mammals were caught compared to the same study conducted a year before, a result possibly attributable to an increase in rainfall over the past year.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Eric Thomas Vogt (2017)

Inflammatory Mechanisms in Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency

In autoinflammatory disease, the innate immune system is overly active and therefore generates inflammatory molecules under circumstances that normally would not warrant such activation. The increased activation of the innate immune system causes episodes of general inflammatory symptoms including fever, joint pain, rash, and fatigue. Most autoinflammatory diseases are caused by mutations in genes that control the innate immune system and are therefore categorized by genetic mutation. One group of autoinflammatory diseases, collectively called Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency (MKD), is caused mutations in the mevalonate kinase (MVK) gene, which is responsible for the production of isoprenoid compounds. These isoprenoid molecules are involved in many different cellular processes including cell division, movement, and communication with the environment. This project aims to understand the cellular mechanisms by which alterations to isoprenoid levels causes inflammatory symptoms. Investigation into how isoprenoids control inflammation provides valuable information for treating inflammatory diseases.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Eric Thomas Vogt (2017)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this application, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryos.

Term Funded:Fall 2015
Professor: John Henson

Meagen Kathleen Voss (2007)

NIH 1R15GM60925-02 Mechanism and Regulation of Actin-based Retrograde Flow

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: John Henson

Bryan Glenn Wacker (2015)

Investigating the HSF1-HSF2 Interaction

Over the summer I had the privilege of performing research in the Thiele Lab at Duke University Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. I worked in the Heat Shock Response department of the lab and specifically looked at HSF1 and HSF2. HSF1 is a regulator of the transcriptional activation of heat shock proteins. The research I performed investigated the interaction between HSF1 and HSF2. Both HSF1 and HSF2 play a huge role in cancer, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's, and ALS. In conclusion, I was able to be a part of a project that showed major results and produced publication quality data. I gained a huge amount of knowledge in biochemistry and its application in disease therapies. I also gained vital experience in many laboratory techniques that included protein purification, protein optimization, Thermo Flour, tissue-cell culturing, bacterial cell culturing, immunoblotting, and primer construction. Overall, my experience at the Duke University Medical Center this summer significantly increased my passion and knowledge into biochemistry and medicine.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Karrie Anne Walker (2008)

NSF 0744261: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors n the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:fall 2007
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Heather Grace Ward (2002)

n/a

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Michael Roberts

Matthew Julius Weddig (2013)

Scalloped Expression During Larval Development

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Richard Matthew Weeks (2013)

NASA GCCE Grant: Impact of Near Future Climate Change Scenarios on Sea Urchin Embryogenesis

A variety of models of anthropogenic carbon dioxide enrichment-based climate change predict a dramatic acidification of the world's oceans and current measurements indicate that this is already occurring. Often referred as "the other CO2 enrichment problem" there is a great deal of concern about the impact of this lowering of pH on marine organisms, particularly those that rely on the process of calcification that is inhibited by acidic pH levels. Recent studies have indicated that increased carbon dioxide-dependent acidified seawater can have a negative impact on the development of a number of marine planktonic larvae. In the proposed work, we plan to examine the impact of acidified seawater and increased temperature on specific aspects of sea urchin embryo development. We are particularly interested in the effects on cell division, tissue patterning, neurogenesis and generation of the calcium carbonate-based larval skeleton. The results of this study will contribute to our understanding of how anthropogenic CO2-driven alterations in the ocean environment are going to impact the reproduction of marine invertebrates.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: John Henson

Brett Cameron Wegner (1999)

Population Ecology of Euphorbia Purpurea (Glade Spurge), a Rare Plant Species

Population Ecology of Euphorbia Purpurea (Glade Spurge), a Rare Plant Species

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Brett Cameron Wegner (1999)

Optimization of Gene Transfer into Human Myeloid Cell Lines by Electroporation

Optimization of Gene Transfer into Human Myeloid Cell Lines by Electroporation

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: Michael Roberts

Madison Weirick (2018)

Sequencing and Characterization of Novel Insect-Associated Yeasts

Many yeasts that live in symbiotic association with detritivorous beetles (whose main food source consists of dead and rotting woody plant material) are likely to exhibit novel mechanisms of carbon metabolism and have the potential to be useful for improved biofuel production. The proposed research seeks to fully characterize ten previously undescribed species of insect yeast symbionts through complete genome sequencing and gene expression analysis. The results of this analysis will implicate genetic features involved in initiation or maintenance of symbiotic association, as well as new genes responsible for carbon metabolism.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Dana Somers

Eleonore P Werner (2006)

DNA Microarray Analysis of Retinoic Acid-Induced Granulocyte Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

The human promyelocytic cell line, HL-60, can be induced to differentiate in culture into several different white blood cell types. Retinoic acid is an inducer that directs differentiation along the granulocyte pathway. Rapidly dividing HL-60 leukemia cells take on granulocyte structure and function and stop dividing as they are genetically reprogrammed by the signalling system that is activated by the inducer. These changes in genetic program are not well understood but the system is amenable to DNA microarray analysis which is capable of elucidating changes in the expression of thousands of genes in a single experiment. This study proposes to utilize microarray technology and bioinformatics tools to define the new genetic program that transforms cancer cells into non-dividing granulocytes.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Michael Roberts

Eleonore P Werner (2006)

DNA Microarray Analysis of Retinoic Acid-Induced Granulocyte Differentiation of Human Leukemia Cells

The human promyelocytic cell line, HL-60, can be induced to differentiate in culture into several different white blood cell types. Retinoic acid is an inducer that directs differentiation along the granulocyte pathway. Rapidly dividing HL-60 leukemia cells take on granulocyte structure and function and stop dividing as they are genetically reprogrammed by the signalling system that is activated by the inducer. These changes in genetic program are not well understood but the system is amenable to DNA microarray analysis which is capable of elucidating changes in the expression of thousands of genes in a single experiment. This study proposes to utilize microarray technology and bioinformatics tools to define the new genetic program that transforms cancer cells into non-dividing granulocytes.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Michael Roberts

Max Evan Widawski (2014)

NSF 0918624: Collaborative Research/RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the 3' portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the 5' portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PI's RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:summer 2013
Professor: David Kushner

Lindsay Michelle Wieland (2004)

Isolation of Subpopulation of in a Woodrat (Neotoma Magister) Metapopulation

The Allegheny woodrat is a native mammal designated as threatened or endangered in all the states of its range in the northeastern US. Our previous studies suggest that its long-term existence may depend on effective dispersal between habitat patches, and that without such recolonization small population units would decline to extinction, so determining the degree of isolation of population units is important. Our most recent data implicate young males as the most likely dispersers between units. To test this proposal and as part of a continuing investigation of woodrat dispersal, my student collaborator and I will live-trap and radiocollar up to 8 woodrats in a local population and then will monitor their position from spring through summer (8 weeks for student). In a related study, we will collect tissue samples and initiate a genetic analysis with microsatellite markers to quantify population isolation along the current eastern edge of the woodrat's diminishing range.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Janet Wright

Kevin Andrew Wood (2011)

Population Ecology of Central Pennsylvania Snake Communities

Snakes are secretive animals and under most circumstances are not readily observed in the field. This is particularly true of smaller species that spend most of their time under leaf litter or underground. Consequently little is known about the basic biology of these snakes despite the fact that they are an important component of mixed hardwood forest ecosystems in Pennsylvania. This project aims to determine population and life-history parameters for Pennsylvania snake communities at the Reineman Wildlife Sanctuary and the ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Farm using artificial shelters that facilitate their detection. In spring 2009 we established three coverboard arrays in forest and grassland habitats at the two sites. Data from summer 2009 indicates that these boards are effective in attracting snakes. In this proposal I am seeking support for one Dickinson student to monitor the snake communities in these habitats.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Scott Boback

Daniel Allerton Wright (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: David Kushner

Daniel Allerton Wright (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2007
Professor: David Kushner

Daniel Allerton Wright (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: David Kushner

Daniel Allerton Wright (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Spring 2007
Professor: David Kushner

Daniel Allerton Wright (2009)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Research. Hansen Technologies

A project for academic research and prototype development in support of a high-technology biotechnology business in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. This proposal requested $600,000 for the detection of CWD, sheep scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in blood or other bodily fluids using an array biosensor capable of multianalyte, multiplexed sample analysis of 15 or greater simultaneous fluorescent sandwich assays. The funding will support the development of a live animal fluid test for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie and BSE, as well as the evaluation of commercially available bio-markers for the array biosensor to determine their sensitivity and specificity for chronic wasting disease and sheep scrapie. The project will be undertaken at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, Carlisle, PA - site of Hanson Technologies, Inc. offices, and will be supported by faculty and student researchers. William P. Hanson, Ph.D., President & CEO, Hanson Technologies, Inc., will serve as Project Director.

Term Funded:Fall 2006
Professor: David Kushner

Jacob Clifton Wright (2005)

Population ecology and management of rare plant species, especially Euphorbia purpurea, glade spurge

The ecology of long-lived, slowly-reproducing wildflowers is poorly understood, because of the scarcity of long-term studies. We will census five populations of a globally rare wildflower, glade spurge (Euphorbia purpurea), in a multi-year attempt to understand why these populations are declining. This year we will evaluate the light environment and soil conditions near plants that have grown to large size over the last several years, versus conditions around plants that have grown smaller. The light measurements will help us to assess how shading by trees and lower vegetation affects glade spurge growth and to develop management recommendations for the Game Commission and other agencies overseeing the sites. We will also continue experiments to evaluate the effects of deer browsing on glade spurge growth and reproduction. To develop appreciation of plant species differences, we will also briefly investigate two other rare species of wildflowers.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Jacob Clifton Wright (2005)

Population and propagation studies of three rare wildflowers, Euphorbia purpurea, Solidago speciosa, and Aster radula

Over the last nine years, students and I have been monitoring populations of several rare wildflower species and investigating various aspects of their reproduction in hopes of 1) gaining a thorough understanding of their population ecology, and the ecology of rare plants in general, which is poorly studied, and 2) devising management plans which can ensure the continued existence of these species. Our strategy with our most studied species, glade spurge (Euphorbia purpurea), has been to determine through monitoring if these plants' populations are stable, increasing, or declining, and to use measurement, careful observation, and where possible experimental manipulations to identify the factors that affect their reproduction and survival. This summer, we hope to continue monitoring five Pennsylvania populations of glade spurge with special attention to the relative reproductive success and survival of plants given protection from deer and plant competition in the last one to five years. We will initiate some new analyses of the impact of deer browsing on plant size and reproduction that will add important refinements to our previous analyses. We also want to continue ongoing searches for new populations of glade spurge and to initiate searches for two other species, showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) and rough-leaved aster (Aster radula). Finally, in the laboratory, we would like to study the effects of fertilization and watering treatments on the early growth of glade spurge and showy goldenrod, and we are planning a germination experiment that should refine our understanding of cold dormancy in showy goldenrod seeds.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Carol Loeffler

Shucheng Yang (2016)

NSF 1412688: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH/RUI: G Protein Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton in the Cleavage Stage Embryo

The actin cytoskeleton in animal cells is the primary architectural element that both structures and animates the cell. Thirty years of biochemical, molecular and biophysical studies have contributed to our understanding of how the spatiotemporal regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton facilitates cell motility, adhesion and division. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanics of shape change, particularly the challenges faced by very large, non-adherent cells such as eggs and embryonic blastomeres, whose isotropic cytoskeletons undergo cell cycle-dependent remodeling to facilitate rapid cell division. In this application, a combination of live cell imaging, biophysical, and high resolution microscopy approaches will be applied to examine the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in the context of cytokinesis-related shape change in the early sea urchin embryo, whose synchronous divisions, optical clarity and ease of injection and manipulation offer an excellent experimental system for these studies. The experimentation in this proposal will focus on defining the roles of the Rho GTPase family of actin regulatory proteins in the process of cytokinesis in early sea urchin embryos.

Term Funded:Fall 2015
Professor: John Henson

Sarah E Yeskel (2005)

Assessment of Cenomic Instability in Breast Cancer Patients

In this study, I will be putting together the early data for The Breast Cancer Genomic Instability project for a grant proposal. It will involve chart review, abstraction and exploratory analysis on the case and control subjects gathered thus far. The study, involving 275 women, deals with collecting information about health, diet, and exposure history of these women and collecting blood for DNA and tumor tissue. We will be studying the organization of the demographic, health history, and tumor characteristic data on these subjects. I will also be involved in interim data analysis that will need to be completed by the end of the summer, for the grant proposal due in the early fall. This will be wonderful research experience for me, as I will be studying in a UNC oncology laboratory examining DNA repair genes and functional assays of DNA stability and repair to determine whether the ability to repair DNA predisposes women to breast cancer.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor:

Mesrob Yeterian (2014)

The Mechanism of Motility at the Cell Edge

The cytoskeleton is the system of structural and motor proteins that mediates a wide range of crucial cellular processes, including cell division, migration, immune defense and adhesion. My laboratory has long used the sea urchin coelomocyte as a model experimental system for the study of the cytoskeletal basis of cellular movement and process/protrusion formation. In the past we have used structural and pharmacological approaches to infer the mechanisms underlying motility, however our studies have been hindered by the lack of specificity of the drugs we have used. This summer we plan to employ two newly discovered and highly specific small molecule inhibitors of the actin cytoskeleton along with RNA interference-based approaches. These new tools will allow us to address a significant current debate in the field about the relative contributions of two regualtory proteins that help mediate actin cytoskeletal structure and dynamics at the cell edge. We are confident that this new research will help corroborate and extend our previous work and contribute important new insights into the molecular basis for cell movement.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: John Henson

Rachel A Yonker (2011)

NSF 0744261: Transcriptional control of neural differentiation in drosophila

A research aim of the project is to characterize the expression patterns of biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system. Biogenic amine receptors are in a class of G-protein coupled receptors that function in communication via neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The project for the summer was to characterize the nine members of our "short list" of putative or published biogenic amine receptors in the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system.

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: Kirsten Guss

Ashley Serwah Young (2014)

NSF 0918624 RUI: Identification of cis-acting sequence and structural elements required for replication of a viral RNA

This grant provides funds for Professor Kushner to conduct a collaborative research project in conjunction with Professor Anne Simon of the University of Maryland. Identification and characterization of all structure-function relationships in non-coding sequences required for replication of an infectious RNA is a fundamental question in virology. However, many viral RNAs are simply too large in size to be used to generate such a functional map. The 356 nucleotide subviral RNA of Turnip crinkle virus known as satC is one of the smallest known infectious agents and therefore is highly suited for sequence-structure-function studies. Furthermore, satC sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied using a novel approach termed in vivo functional selection, in which an evolution-based approach allows for functional satC to be selected from an initial pool where specific regions of this viral RNA have been differentially randomized. This has allowed for detailed characterization of the 3' portion of satC. This project aims to use in vivo functional selection to begin to characterize the 5' portion of satC, specifically examining sequences and structures that regulate synthesis of progeny ( )-sense viral RNA from (-)-sense replication intermediates. A critical element of this project is that the experiments will be initiated during semester-long experiments in the PIs RNA biology (Bio 419) courses in Spring 2010 and Spring 2012, in order to expand opportunities for student-faculty research.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: David Kushner

Jennifer Mercedes Zapata (2017)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app - Analyzing the Biomechanics of Two Police Pistol Firing Styles

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Charles Zwemer

Songhui Zhao (2013)

Sensory Regulation of Metamorphosis

Term Funded:
Professor: Anthony Pires

Lindsey Samantha Zwecker (2017)

The Effect of Isoprenoid Depletion on the Inflammatory Response of Blood Cells

In autoinflammatory disease, the innate immune system is overly active and therefore generates inflammatory molecules under circumstances that normally would not warrant such activation. The increased activation of the innate immune system causes episodes of general inflammatory symptoms including fever, joint pain, rash, and fatigue. Most autoinflammatory diseases are caused by mutations in genes that control the innate immune system and are therefore categorized by genetic mutation. One group of autoinflammatory diseases, collectively called Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency (MKD), is caused mutations in the mevalonate kinase (MVK) gene, which is responsible for the production of isoprenoid compounds. These isoprenoid molecules are involved in many different cellular processes including cell division, movement, and communication with the environment. This project aims to understand the cellular mechanisms by which alterations to isoprenoid levels causes inflammatory symptoms. Investigation into how isoprenoids control inflammation provides valuable information for treating inflammatory diseases.

Term Funded:Spring 2017
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Christina Elizabeth Baum (2014)

NSF 0827262: UBM-Group: An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

David Charles Bittner (2011)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Sarah Elisabeth Brnich (2011)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Tracy Erin Campbell (2013)

NSF 082726: UBM-Group: An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem. An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Eric Benjamin Collins (2014)

NSF 0827262: UBM-Group: An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Bryan William Conner (2011)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Carla Elise Cox (2011)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Ryan David Deeds (2010)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Eric Mark Epstein (2014)

NSF 0827262: UBM-Group: An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Julia Elizabeth Filiberti (2012)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Michael Jude Grant (2011)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Abby Christine Larson (2010)

Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The research project will address the question: What are the molecular differences between human leukemia cells and differentiated human blood cells? Profs. Roberts and Forrester will direct the team of 6 students in research combining molecular biological and computational methods to elucidate the differences between the "cancer" genetic program and the "normal cell" genetic program utilizing the human leukemia cell line HL-60. Changes in genetic programs will be determined using DNA microarray analysis as the leukemia cells are induced to assume normal cell properties in culture. A variety of bioinformatics tools will then be applied to the large data sets generated to uncover the molecular mechanisms in play and to model and predict changes in gene activity that mediate the cancer to normal cell conversion. The ultimate goal of this project is to more fully understand the genetic differences between normal and cancer cells and, in the process, identify new targets for chemotherapy.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Abby Christine Larson (2010)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Michael Webster Mansuy (2012)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Senaka Yoshio Ratnayake (2010)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Rizwan Mohamed Saffie (2014)

NSF 0827262: UBM-Group: An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course i҈n Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Kathryn Anna McAndrew Schlechtweg (2014)

NSF 0827262: UBM-Group: An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Adnan Zahir Solaiman (2010)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Amelia Linger Szabat (2013)

NSF 0827262: UBM-Group: An Integrative Analysis of Human Cancer: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Amy Louise Williamson (2010)

NSF 0827262 UBM: Exploiting the Synergy of Mathematical and Molecular Biological Approaches in Studying a Complex Problem

The project involves the linkage of a course in Biology, The Biology of Cancer, and a course in Mathematics, Mathematical Techniques in the Biological Sciences. A cohort of 6-10 students from these programs will co-enroll in the courses in the spring semester of their Junior Year. The instructors to maximize areas of intersection and complementation will carefully coordinate the courses. The Biology of Cancer will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling networks involved in malignant transformation, with a strong emphasis on the experimental approaches to cancer study. Mathematical Techniques in the Biological sciences will survey biostatistical methods with a focus on network modeling. The project mentors will meet with the student cohort throughout the semester to further underscore the course connections and begin developing research questions that exploit the genomic approaches used to understand cancer coupled with the mathematical tools used to analyze large datasets and construct mathematical models. The students will form teams of 2-4 student researchers who will return to campus for an eight-week summer research experience. The projects will all utilized the human leukemia cell line, HL-60. HL-60 cells can be induced to differentiate in culture into one of several non-dividing specialized myeloid cell types. Differentiation results in the conversion of cells exhibiting a cancer cell phenotype to a normal cell phenotype through genetic reprogramming mediated by changes in gene expression. These changes will be monitored over time using DNA microarray analysis and the mathematical approaches for analyzing these data, including normalization, tests of significance and clustering will be employed. As data are obtained, students will begin modeling the expression responses in the context of signaling networks. These models w

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Michael Roberts, Jeffrey Forrester

Audrey Ling (2018)

El problema de los Huarpes con el agua. http://blogs.dickinson.edu/huarpes-y-agua/

The Huarpe people are an indigenous community located in the west of Argentina who have historically faced discrimination from their colonizers. Since being pushed off their land in the 1500's where their ancestors had constructed an intricate maze of irrigation canals that are still heavily utilized and maintained in Mendoza today, the Huarpe community has continued to face unjust hardships including, but not limited to, access to water. In the early 2000s the Potrerillos Dam was constructed in order to provide water for those living in Mendoza Capital. This resulted in the river (Río Mendoza) and lake (Laguna del Rosario) that many in the community depended on, for food and economic livelihood, to run dry. Furthermore, the Huarpe community have always lacked potable drinking water since being pushed off their original lands, a problem which the government is making feeble attempts to solve. The problems this community faces are not talked about nearly enough and the goal of this project is to share the personal stories of people from the Huarpe community.

Term Funded:Winter 2017
Professor:

Cecilie Olrik Macpherson (2020)

Phenology and Population Dynamics of the Turtles at Wildwood Lake

Phenology and Population Dynamics of the Turtles at Wildwood Lake

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Harold Wingert

Emma Frances Sullivan (2019)

Phenology and Population Dynamics of the Turtles at Wildwood Lake

Phenology and Population Dynamics of the Turtles at Wildwood Lake

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Harold Wingert

Grace Hemphill Lange (2012)

Sustainable Communities Eco-Reps

Sustainable Communities Eco-Reps

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Elizabeth Farner

Jordan Emily Haferbier (2013)

Playing for Keeps Along the Susquehanna: A Community-Integrated GIS of Land and Water Uses and Rights in Rural Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play

The sabbatical project will result in two conference presentations and one publication in peer reviewed journal (three different, but related topics).

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: David Perry

Laura Stone Jackson (2012)

NASA GCCE Grant:Taking Aim at Climate Change

Taking Aim at Climate Change

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: Cornelius Leary

Grace Hemphill Lange (2012)

NASA GCCE Grant: Climate Change Mosaic

Climate Change Mosaic

Term Funded:Fall 2011
Professor: Cornelius Leary

Rizwan Mohamed Saffie (2014)

Taking Aim at Climate Change

Taking Aim at Climate Change

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: Cornelius Leary

Tomas Sanguinetti (2014)

Playing for Keeps Along the Susquehanna: A Community-Integrated GIS of Land and Water Uses and Rights in Rural Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play

This community-based project will use a participatory process to create a Geographic Information System (GIS) that describes the local socio-cultural interpretations attached to one or more sub-basins of the Susquehanna River within the extent of the Marcellus Shale natural gas play in rural Pennsylvania. The project seeks to ask the question: What are the different meanings local rural landowners attach to the Susquehanna River, and how do those meanings relate spatially to negotiations over competing uses and rights to surface water and groundwater in light of natural gas exploration and development? Using focus groups, local landowners will cognitively and spatially explore their "sense of place" within the Susquehanna River watershed, share experiences related to environmental and social changes, cognitively and spatially map relationships to social, political, and economic factors, and access their roles in on-going negotiations over the river's development and management related to natural gas exploration and development.

Term Funded:Spring 2010
Professor: David Perry

Brett Andrew Shollenberger (2011)

NASA GCCE Grant: Climate Education & Media

Climate Education & Media

Term Funded:Fall 2010
Professor: Sarah Brylinsky

Caroline Estabrook Allison (2004)

Synthesis of TFIIIA uising in vitro reactions

In order for a cell to encode and transmit genetic information, specific proteins must interact and bind to certain nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) molecules. These interactions can be investigated using various biochemical and physical in vitro ("outside of the cell") techniques. Currently, the use of chemical nucleases have proven extremely useful in determining the nature of how proteins use their amino acids to identify and contact a nucleic acid. The chemical nuclease is first attached onto the protein which then interacts with nucleic acid molecules. When the nuclease cuts the nucleic acid molecule at a specific point, then a possible contact between the amino acid of the protein and the nucleic acid can be identified. The use of chemical nucleases requires the production of a protein using in vitro extract reactions while maintaining the protein's ability to interact with nucleic acids. In the proposed project, we will determine optimal conditions for producing TFIIIA (protein capable of binding DNA and RNA) during in vitro reactions and then investigate the ability of this TFIIIA to interact with nucleic acid molecules.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Pamela Higgins

Caroline Estabrook Allison (2004)

Synthesis of TFIIIA uising in vitro reactions

In order for a cell to encode and transmit genetic information, specific proteins must interact and bind to certain nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) molecules. These interactions can be investigated using various biochemical and physical in vitro ("outside of the cell") techniques. Currently, the use of chemical nucleases have proven extremely useful in determining the nature of how proteins use their amino acids to identify and contact a nucleic acid. The chemical nuclease is first attached onto the protein which then interacts with nucleic acid molecules. When the nuclease cuts the nucleic acid molecule at a specific point, then a possible contact between the amino acid of the protein and the nucleic acid can be identified. The use of chemical nucleases requires the production of a protein using in vitro extract reactions while maintaining the protein's ability to interact with nucleic acids. In the proposed project, we will determine optimal conditions for producing TFIIIA (protein capable of binding DNA and RNA) during in vitro reactions and then investigate the ability of this TFIIIA to interact with nucleic acid molecules.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Pamela Higgins

Kimberly C Anderman (1992)

Matrix-isolation of two Hydrocarbon Complexes Characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1991
Professor: Cindy Samet

Kimberly C Anderman (1992)

Matrix Isolation and ab Initio Study fo the 1:1 complexes of Bromocyclopropane with NH3 and (CH3)3N: evidens for a novel C-H---N Hydrogen Bond

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

Term Funded:Summer 1991
Professor: Cindy Samet

Kimberly C Anderman (1992)

Matrix Isolation and ab Initio Study fo the 1:1 complexes of Bromocyclopropane with NH3 and (CH3)3N: evidens for a novel C-H---N Hydrogen Bond

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

Term Funded:Year 1992
Professor: Cindy Samet

Laura Ashley Bahorich (2007)

The Transition Metal-Arene Bond: A Laxer Flash Photolysis Study

I am requesting supplemental funding for this project that is primarily supported through a grant from the American Chemical Society (PRF). As indicated on the PRF budget sheet, I will be hiring two students to conduct research with me this summer. Both will be responsible for setting up the experiment, acquiring and then analyzing the data. I will expect them to prepare a poster detailing the results and with the budgeted travel funds, we will present the results at a national American Chemical Society meeting. In the past, students have found that the projects they have worked on have been beneficial to their growth as scientists. The students are exposed to experiments that involve the use of equipment and techniques that are not formally introduced in the classroom and associated labs.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Laura Ashley Bahorich (2007)

Investigating the n2 bonding interactions between aromatic molecules and transition metal centers

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Sunil Baidar (2009)

SACP--Investigating sources of contamination to the Conodoguinet Creek Watershed

Many secreted and cell-surface proteins in mammals and bacteria are glycoproteins. Glycoproteins are proteins in which multiple sugar residues are covalently attached to the protein backbone through an asparagine or serine residue. Because sugar attachment often occurs through a nitrogen atom, the sugars are referred to as N-linked glycans. The structures of N-linked glycans are complex and as a result, their biological functions were largely ignored until recently. This project involves teaching two undergraduates the analytical methods for characterizing N-linked glycans in a model organism, marine bacteria. Marine bacteria are chosen because they grow quickly, and because I have an on-going collaboration with a colleague who is an expert in marine microbiology. Additionally, their genomes have recently been sequenced, allowing us to ask broader questions based on preliminary results from these studies.

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: Amy Witter

Sunil Baidar (2009)

High Performance Liquid Chromatograph with fluorescence detection studies

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: Amy Witter

Alexander Bernard Dante Baker (2004)

Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons

Funding from NSF would support the continuation of studies involving C-H---N(O) hydrogen bonding in hydrocarbon-base complexes. The technique of matrix isolation combined with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy will be employed to probe the interaction between the hydrocarbon and base. In the short term, this work will serve to elucidate the conditions necessary for hydrogen bond formation to occur and will allow a correlation between hydrogen bond strength and extent of substitution of the hydrocarbon. In the long term the behavior of the proposed binary acid-base complexes will serve as a model for hydrogen bonding in more complicated systems such as organic liquid crystals and large biomolecules.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Cindy Samet

Alexander Bernard Dante Baker (2004)

NSF 0107777 RUI: Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen and Oxygen bases, II

Funding from NSF would support an in-depth study of the hydrogen bonding in hydrocarbon base complexes. The binary complexes proposed involve a hydrocarbon that acts as a weak acid and a nitrogen or oxygen base that is likely to interact with the hydrocarbon acid via the lone pair of electrons on its electronegative nitrogen (N) or oxygen (0) atom. The hydrocarbons to be studied are cyclopropane, cyclopentadiene, and benzene, all of which are cyclic hydrocarbons. Several substituted analogs of each hydrocarbon will be studied. The bases that will be used to form the hydrocarbon acid-base binary complex are ammonia, trimethylamine, and dimethyl ether. The technique of matrix isolation combined with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy will be employed to probe the interaction between the hydrocarbon and base. The "parent" hydrocarbons and bases will be matrix-isolated in argon separately and then codeposited in the same matrix. The product or complex spectrum will then be compared to parent or "blank" spectra. Preliminary work done in the laboratory of the Principal Investigator demonstrates that the hydrogen bonding in the proposed binary complexes is extremely weak, resulting in frequency shifts (from parent to complex spectrum) on the order of 1-3 cm-1. Such weak hydrogen bonding in hydrocarbon-base complexes containing it-bonding electrons has received little attention, and it is not known whether the base will interact with the pi system of the hydrocarbon ring or with the acidic proton on the ring. A primary goal of the project is to investigate C-H hydrogen bonding and its dependence on the hybridization of the s and p orbitals of the C and on the presence of electron withdrawing substituents. The behavior of the proposed binary acid-base complexes will serve as a model for hydro

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Cindy Samet

Alexander Bernard Dante Baker (2004)

NSF 0107777 RUI: Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen and Oxygen bases, II

Funding from NSF would support an in-depth study of the hydrogen bonding in hydrocarbon base complexes. The binary complexes proposed involve a hydrocarbon that acts as a weak acid and a nitrogen or oxygen base that is likely to interact with the hydrocarbon acid via the lone pair of electrons on its electronegative nitrogen (N) or oxygen (0) atom. The hydrocarbons to be studied are cyclopropane, cyclopentadiene, and benzene, all of which are cyclic hydrocarbons. Several substituted analogs of each hydrocarbon will be studied. The bases that will be used to form the hydrocarbon acid-base binary complex are ammonia, trimethylamine, and dimethyl ether. The technique of matrix isolation combined with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy will be employed to probe the interaction between the hydrocarbon and base. The "parent" hydrocarbons and bases will be matrix-isolated in argon separately and then codeposited in the same matrix. The product or complex spectrum will then be compared to parent or "blank" spectra. Preliminary work done in the laboratory of the Principal Investigator demonstrates that the hydrogen bonding in the proposed binary complexes is extremely weak, resulting in frequency shifts (from parent to complex spectrum) on the order of 1-3 cm-1. Such weak hydrogen bonding in hydrocarbon-base complexes containing it-bonding electrons has received little attention, and it is not known whether the base will interact with the pi system of the hydrocarbon ring or with the acidic proton on the ring. A primary goal of the project is to investigate C-H hydrogen bonding and its dependence on the hybridization of the s and p orbitals of the C and on the presence of electron withdrawing substituents. The behavior of the proposed binary acid-base complexes will serve as a model for hydro

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Cindy Samet

Alexander Bernard Dante Baker (2004)

NSF 0107777 RUI: Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen and Oxygen bases, II

Funding from NSF would support an in-depth study of the hydrogen bonding in hydrocarbon base complexes. The binary complexes proposed involve a hydrocarbon that acts as a weak acid and a nitrogen or oxygen base that is likely to interact with the hydrocarbon acid via the lone pair of electrons on its electronegative nitrogen (N) or oxygen (0) atom. The hydrocarbons to be studied are cyclopropane, cyclopentadiene, and benzene, all of which are cyclic hydrocarbons. Several substituted analogs of each hydrocarbon will be studied. The bases that will be used to form the hydrocarbon acid-base binary complex are ammonia, trimethylamine, and dimethyl ether. The technique of matrix isolation combined with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy will be employed to probe the interaction between the hydrocarbon and base. The "parent" hydrocarbons and bases will be matrix-isolated in argon separately and then codeposited in the same matrix. The product or complex spectrum will then be compared to parent or "blank" spectra. Preliminary work done in the laboratory of the Principal Investigator demonstrates that the hydrogen bonding in the proposed binary complexes is extremely weak, resulting in frequency shifts (from parent to complex spectrum) on the order of 1-3 cm-1. Such weak hydrogen bonding in hydrocarbon-base complexes containing it-bonding electrons has received little attention, and it is not known whether the base will interact with the pi system of the hydrocarbon ring or with the acidic proton on the ring. A primary goal of the project is to investigate C-H hydrogen bonding and its dependence on the hybridization of the s and p orbitals of the C and on the presence of electron withdrawing substituents. The behavior of the proposed binary acid-base complexes will serve as a model for hydro

Term Funded:Fall 2004
Professor: Cindy Samet

Alexander Bernard Dante Baker (2004)

NSF 0107777 RUI: Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen and Oxygen bases, II

Funding from NSF would support an in-depth study of the hydrogen bonding in hydrocarbon base complexes. The binary complexes proposed involve a hydrocarbon that acts as a weak acid and a nitrogen or oxygen base that is likely to interact with the hydrocarbon acid via the lone pair of electrons on its electronegative nitrogen (N) or oxygen (0) atom. The hydrocarbons to be studied are cyclopropane, cyclopentadiene, and benzene, all of which are cyclic hydrocarbons. Several substituted analogs of each hydrocarbon will be studied. The bases that will be used to form the hydrocarbon acid-base binary complex are ammonia, trimethylamine, and dimethyl ether. The technique of matrix isolation combined with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy will be employed to probe the interaction between the hydrocarbon and base. The "parent" hydrocarbons and bases will be matrix-isolated in argon separately and then codeposited in the same matrix. The product or complex spectrum will then be compared to parent or "blank" spectra. Preliminary work done in the laboratory of the Principal Investigator demonstrates that the hydrogen bonding in the proposed binary complexes is extremely weak, resulting in frequency shifts (from parent to complex spectrum) on the order of 1-3 cm-1. Such weak hydrogen bonding in hydrocarbon-base complexes containing it-bonding electrons has received little attention, and it is not known whether the base will interact with the pi system of the hydrocarbon ring or with the acidic proton on the ring. A primary goal of the project is to investigate C-H hydrogen bonding and its dependence on the hybridization of the s and p orbitals of the C and on the presence of electron withdrawing substituents. The behavior of the proposed binary acid-base complexes will serve as a model for hydro

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Cindy Samet

Stephen Brennan Barone (1990)

An Application of the Multiple Time-Dependent Calibration Curve

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1989
Professor: Robert Leyon

Eric Larson Barth (2007)

Design, synthesis and assay ofcyclopropane-containing agonists of a-adrenergic agents

In our previous report, we described work toward the coupling of aromatic rings, formation of the cyclopropyl group from an cz4S-unsaturated nitrile and the conversion of the nitrile into an imidazoline ring. During the summer of 2006, our work on this project focused on two primary areas: completing the study of the microwave-mediated Suzuki couplings with aryltrifluoroborate salts and bringing the individual transformations together into a complete synthetic pathway leading to the target molecules.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: R David Crouch

Eric Larson Barth (2007)

Design, synthesis and assay ofcyclopropane-containing agonists of a-adrenergic agents

In our previous report, we described work toward the coupling of aromatic rings, formation of the cyclopropyl group from an cz4S-unsaturated nitrile and the conversion of the nitrile into an imidazoline ring. During the summer of 2006, our work on this project focused on two primary areas: completing the study of the microwave-mediated Suzuki couplings with aryltrifluoroborate salts and bringing the individual transformations together into a complete synthetic pathway leading to the target molecules.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: R David Crouch

Taylor Nicole Bednar (2019)

Colorimetric detection of substitution reactions in living cells

The goal of this project is to determine if synthetic dye molecules may be used to monitor the progress of an unnatural chemical reaction occurring inside living cells. Peptides containing the uniquely reactive sulfhydryl group (-SH) will be expressed in E. coli. These sulfhydryl groups, when part of a particular amino acid sequence, are known to react with certain organic tag molecules in a manner that generates fluoride ions (F-). While this reaction has been successfully optimized in cell lysates and extracts, it has yet to be observed inside a living cell. A number of synthetic dyes containing silyl ethers (-SiR3) have been used to quantify the presence of fluoride in living cells, simply by observing a color change resulting from a second chemical reaction. Using these dyes, this project will explore whether this first reaction can also occur in vivo.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Jason Gavenonis

Megan Christine Blair (2002)

Purification and Analysis of Phytochelatins

This research project focuses on the environmental problem of metal pollution and addresses understanding environmental cleanup efforts of these metals through the use of plants. Phytochelatins are intracellular peptides in plants that are produced in response to sub-lethal metal concentrations. These peptides vary in length from five amino acids to twenty-three amino acids and contain alternating glutamic acid and cysteine residues with a terminal glycine residue. Phytochelatins bind to and sequester the metal ions, rendering them non-toxic to the plant. The study of phytochelatin production and the metal binding properties should be explored in order to expand our understanding of plant response to metal stress. To investigate this process, we plan to use yeast as a model system because they possess the same ability as plants to produce phytochelatins. Initial work in my lab has shown that we can obtain partial purification through bulk methods. The final purification step will utilize high pressure liquid chromatography, and it is this method that we will continue to develop. Preliminary results from this semester using the copper-phytochelatin complex show that this method should purify the phytochelatins to homogeneity. This summer we will utilize a metal with a different ionic radius and determine the length of the phytochelatin produced. By doing a systematic study where only the size of the metal ion used is varied, we can learn more about the production of these short peptides. Additionally, we would like to explore the oxidation-reduction chemistry of these systems. An increase in our knowledge of natural response to metal toxicity can be extended toward enhancing environmental cleanup efforts through processes such as rhizofiltration.

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Joyce Whitehead

Erin Boyd (2000)

The Role of Metals in the Cytotoxic Activity of the Anthracycline Drugs

The Role of Metals in the Cytotoxic Activity of the Anthracycline Drugs

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: Joyce Whitehead

Erin Boyd (2000)

The Effect of the First Row Transition Metals on the Metal Uptake, Culture Health and Phytochelatin Production in Yeast

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Joyce Whitehead

Allyson Jane Boyington (2015)

An Investigation of Microwave-acceleration of Silyl Deprotection Reactions

This project will investigate the use of microwave irradiation to accelerate the removal of silyl protecting groups from phenolic oxygens. Silyl groups contain a silicon atom and are often used to temporarily render an alcohol or phenol unreactive. This allows another reaction with which the alcohol might interfere to proceed. Recently, the use of catalytic amounts of lithium acetate have been reported to allow such deprotection reactions to occur. Although this method uses an especially mild reagent, the reactions times are quite lengthy. We wish to investigate the use of modern laboratory microwave ovens to accelerate this reaction. Preliminary experiments show that high yields of deprotected product can be achieved using microwave irradiation over a 30 - 60 minute period, considerably less than the 8 - 24 hours reported. But we need to establish the optimal conditions for the microwave version of this reaction and then test its generality on other silyl protected alcohols and phenols.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: R David Crouch

Aaron Dale Brumbaugh (2014)

Synthesis and Analysis of Bioreduced Nanoparticles

This project will involve the synthesis and characterization of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles. The nanoparticles used in this study range in size from spheres of less than 5 nm in diameter to hexagonal or triangular platelets that are several hundred nanometers per side. All particles will be synthesized with leaf teas as chemical reducing agents. Lemongrass and ginkgo leaves can be boiled (separately), and the resulting teas aid in the formation of gold, silver, mixed gold and silver, and copper oxide particles. We will use a variety of analytical techniques, including electron microscopy, to help us understand the sizes and compositions of our nanoparticles. With more knowledge about the reactions and the particles, we can look forward to finding applications - in catalysis or spectroscopy - for our nanoparticles.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Sarah St. Angelo

Amy Beth Cadwallader (2001)

Study of the ZnCl2-H20 Mediated Removal of Silyl Protecting Groups

Study of the ZnCl2-H20 Mediated Removal of Silyl Protecting Groups

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: R David Crouch

Tianyi Cai (2013)

Synthesis of Alpha-Methylene Butyrolactones

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Catherine Bridget Campbell (2012)

Microwave Acceleration of the Orthoester Claisen Rearrangement

This project will investigate the use of microwave irradiation to accelerate the orthoester Claisen reaction, allowing chemists to complete the reaction more quickly than the typical 1 to 12 hours that is typical of this reaction. In the last 20 years, microwave ovens have been developed for laboratory use. Reactions can safely be heated rapidly to high temperatures not attainable in a regular flask and, as a result, reactions can be completed in minutes instead of hours. Despite the utility of the orthoester Claisen rearrangement, to date, no reports of modern microwave techniques - in which temperature and pressure are monitored and controlled - to accelerate this reaction have been reported. If this project is successful, we anticipate publishing the results in a mainline organic chemistry journal.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: R David Crouch

Thanprakorn Chiramanewong (2013)

Investigation of the contribution of structure and reactivity to the selective cytotoxicity of germacranolide natural products

The natural product parthenolide has been shown to selectively ablate leukemia stem cells, and its derivative, dimethylaminoparthenolide, is currently in clinical trials for treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia. Parthenolide is a member of the sesquiterpene lactone family of natural products, which bear an α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone reactive group that can modify proteins through Michael addition of biological nucleophiles, such as thiols. In order to determine the effect of structure on the reactivity of α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone-containing natural products with cellular proteins, we will synthesize alkynylated derivatives of the parthenolide, as well as two model compounds. These lactones will be evaluated for toxicity and cellular response in the human acute myelogenous leukemia cell line, THP-1, in comparison to the natural products themselves using cell viability assays, Western blotting, and cell-based apoptosis assays.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Thanprakorn Chiramanewong (2013)

Cellular Effects of Parthenolide Derivatives

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Gregory Alan Clark (2014)

Microwave Ritter Reaction

Term Funded:Year 2013
Professor: R David Crouch

Rebecca Anne Cleiman (2002)

Selective Removal of Triphenylsilyl Protecting Groups

This proposal describes a study of the use of a basic, non-aqueous system to selectively remove the triphenylsilyl group from alcohols without affecting other silyl protecting groups. Such selective desilylation reactions have become increasingly important in synthetic organic chemistry as targets for synthesis have become more intricate and challenging. Preliminary work last summer and during the current academic year indicates that our previously-developed system of NaOH in 1,4-dioxane might be effective in this process. We have already demonstrated that most silyl groups are largely inert to these conditions while the more base-sensitive triphenylsilyl group appears to be susceptible to removal.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: R David Crouch

Rebecca Anne Cleiman (2002)

Selective Removal of Triphenylsilyl Protecting Groups

This proposal describes a study of the use of a basic, non-aqueous system to selectively remove the triphenylsilyl group from alcohols without affecting other silyl protecting groups. Such selective desilylation reactions have become increasingly important in synthetic organic chemistry as targets for synthesis have become more intricate and challenging. Preliminary work last summer and during the current academic year indicates that our previously-developed system of NaOH in 1,4-dioxane might be effective in this process. We have already demonstrated that most silyl groups are largely inert to these conditions while the more base-sensitive triphenylsilyl group appears to be susceptible to removal.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: R David Crouch

Andrew Geoffrey Cohen (1999)

Selective Removal of Silyl Protecting Groups

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: R David Crouch

Kristina Ann Cole (1992)

Synthesis of Molecules usingO-arylhydroxylamines

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1991
Professor: Michael Holden

Grace Elizabeth Crossland (2018)

Characterization of the effect of sesquiterpene lactones on the heat shock response in leukemia cells

We have previously shown that the natural product, parthenolide, chemically modifies the heat shock protein Hsp70 in vitro. The protein Hsp70 is a protective protein that allows cells to survive external stresses and regulates cellular function as part of the larger heat shock response system. We will study how parthenolide treatment affects the heat shock response in leukemia cells. We will measure activation of the heat shock element transcription factor as well as gene expression of several heat shock proteins after treatment with parthenolide. This project will clarify the effect of parthenolide, a potential chemotherapeutic, on the stress response system of leukemia cells.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Francis Furst Daily (2013)

Matrix Isolation Studies

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Cindy Samet

Francis Furst Daily (2013)

Matrix Isolation Studies

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Cindy Samet

Bryce Allen Descavish (2020)

Pteridine reductase interface peptides as antileishmanial agents

Leishmaniasis affects approximately 1 million people per year, with an estimated 30,000 annual deaths, primarily in the Global South. Pteridine reductase (PTR1) is an indispensable enzyme in the parasite that causes this disease, performing an essential biological role in nucleotide and cofactor synthesis, while also conferring resistance to the drug methotrexate. Recent computational work in our lab has led to the hypothesis that interface peptides derived from the native sequence of PTR1 may be effective inhibitors of this enzyme, and thus potential antileishmanial agents. Ongoing work in our research group is focused on validating this approach through in-vitro assays of mutant proteins. Continuation of this project through the summer will focus on the synthesis of potential peptide inhibitors of PTR1 and their evaluation in vitro.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Jason Gavenonis

Gabriel J DiNatale (2014)

Exploring the mechanism of action of the anti-leukemic drug, parthenolide

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) occurs in about 1 out of 250,000 people and long-term survival with AML is poor. This project will study how a potential anti-leukemia therapeutic, parthenolide, interacts with cells and proteins. We will use compounds derived from parthenolide to identify the components of the original molecule that are required to maintain anti-leukemia activity. We will also identify the patterns of proteins within leukemia cells that are modified by parthenolide and our synthesized derivatives using activity-based protein profiling. Understanding how the component parts of parthenolide affect its anti-leukemic properties and interact with proteins in cancer cells can guide the development of new cancer therapeutics.

Term Funded:Fall 2011
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Gabriel J DiNatale (2014)

Investigation of the cellular action of the natural product, parthenolide.

Parthenolide, a natural product from the plant feverfew, has well documented chemotherapeutic properties. Water-soluble derivatives of parthenolide are currently undergoing clinical trials for treatment of leukemia. Despite these successes, the mechanism by which parthenolide and its derivatives interfere with celular processes in cancer cells is not well understood. Using derivatives of parthenolide synthesized in the lab, we plan to identify the action of parthenolide that contributes to its efficacy as a chemotherapeutic. We will use a chemoselective ligation reaction to label cellular targets of the drug with an affinity tag, biotin for subsequent detection and purification. Further understanding of the mecahnism of parthenolide action will pave the way for development of similar chemotherapeutic agents.

Term Funded:Fall 2011
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Thai Uyen Phuoc Dinh (2020)

NSF 1413074: RUI: Electrophilic Modulation of the Heat Shock Response System

This project is part of a long term research program studying the effects of electrophilic natural products on protein activity in human cells. Recently, interest in electrophilic natural products has increased due to promising chemotherapeutic candidates such as dimethylaminoparthenolide. Within this PI's research program, it has been shown that parthenolide derivatives covalently modify heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in vitro, suggesting that, like other organic electrophiles, parthenolide can modulate the heat shock response (HSR) in human cells. This proposal will decipher how parthenolide and similar electrophiles chemically affect the HSR through covalent modification of the chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 and the transcription factor, Hsf1. Peptide enrichment of affinity tagged parthenolide derivatives combined with MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis will identify the amino acids covalently adducted. Mutation of these residues as well as covalent adduction sites previously published in the literature will be used in combination with kinetic binding, protein refolding, co-immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic shift assays to build a complete picture of the effect of modification on heat shock protein (Hsp) function. The association/dissociation rates of mutant proteins both treated and untreated with electrophilic compounds will be measured against native members of the complex using biolayer optical interferometry (BLI), a recently developed optical method for the measurement of biomolecular interactions. In an approach complementary to the quantification of binding affinity for mutant and electrophile-modified Hsps, in vitro complex reconstitution will verify qualitatively the binding affinities observed using BLI. The effect of mutation and electrophile-modification on the protein refolding activity of chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 will be determined using luciferase and beta-galactosidase refolding assays. Any inhibitory or activating effect by mutation or electrophilic modification of Hsf1 will be determined using electrophoretic mobility shift assays.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Rebecca Jaye Driesen (2009)

Synthesis and stability of 1,2-diazetidine derivatives

1,2-Diazetidine derivatives have anti-bacterial activity and serve as active ingredients in ointments. Due to the enormous ring strain in the four-membered dinitrogen molecule; it is prone to facile ring opening and subsequent loss in reaction yields. Methods used to prepare this compound include the [2 2] cycloaddition and intramolecular ring closure. While some of these procedures suffer from poor yields, successful ones are plagued with separation problems and the use of methylene chlwide - a known carcinogen. Therefore the goal of this project shall be to prepare 1,2-diazetidine derivatives employing the intramolecular ring closure of azine derivatives, with loss of unsaturation promoted by vanadium (I) reagent in tetrahydrofruan. It is expected that this method be high yielding and attract the attention of pharmoceutical companies.

Term Funded:Spring 2007
Professor: Paul Fregene

Alice Ann Duchon (2011)

Synthesis of a Copper-Distamycin Conjugate and its Reactivity with DNA

The goal of this project is to synthesize an artificial nuclease that will selectively bind to and cleave DNA for use as an anticancer drug. This will be accomplished by tethering a DNA binding domain to a copper(II)-containing catalytic domain to generate a copper-distamycin conjugate. Once the compound has been thoroughly characterized, its reactivity with DNA will be evaluated. Analysis of this type will ideally lead to a greater understanding of the factors responsible for oxidative damage to DNA by copper and should aid in the design of new compounds with pharmaceutical potential.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Kristi Humphreys

Rebecca Lynn Duttry (2007)

Design, Synthesis and Assay of Cyclopropane-Containing Analogs of a-Adrenergic Agents

This is an expedited proposal seeking room and board for a summer research student who will be working on a Research Corporation-funded project. This request includes $500 in matching funds for the purchase of lab supplies and reagents. The student will assist in the development of synthetic protocols aimed at preparing a series of compounds that are analogs of a-adrenergic agents. Specifically, we hope to develop solid-phase procedures that will allow us to efficiently prepare a series of compounds for testing on a1 receptors by a collaborator at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. The student will perform reactions to bond the starting material to the solid support and carry out studies to determine the optimum conditions for subsequent reactions. The student will purify and characterize reaction products using techniques such as column chromatography and high field NMR spectroscopy.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Rebecca Lynn Duttry (2007)

Design, synthesis and assay ofcyclopropane-containing agonists of a-adrenergic agents

In our previous report, we described work toward the coupling of aromatic rings, formation of the cyclopropyl group from an cz4S-unsaturated nitrile and the conversion of the nitrile into an imidazoline ring. During the summer of 2006, our work on this project focused on two primary areas: completing the study of the microwave-mediated Suzuki couplings with aryltrifluoroborate salts and bringing the individual transformations together into a complete synthetic pathway leading to the target molecules.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Rebecca Lynn Duttry (2007)

Design, synthesis and assay ofcyclopropane-containing agonists of a-adrenergic agents

In our previous report, we described work toward the coupling of aromatic rings, formation of the cyclopropyl group from an cz4S-unsaturated nitrile and the conversion of the nitrile into an imidazoline ring. During the summer of 2006, our work on this project focused on two primary areas: completing the study of the microwave-mediated Suzuki couplings with aryltrifluoroborate salts and bringing the individual transformations together into a complete synthetic pathway leading to the target molecules.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: R David Crouch

Brian Richard Elford (1994)

Carbonylation of Organoiron Systems

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1992
Professor: Michael Holden

Robert Raymond Fehnel (2005)

Investigating the reactivity of metal-arene bonds

My expectation is that the students will be involved in every aspect of the proposed research effort, from obtaining data to analyzing and then presenting it at regional and national conferences. Because successful completion of the project will require setting up a laser flash photolysis apparatus, the students will be able to learn skills that have not been formally introduced in the classroom. From a pedagogical perspective a further benefit of the proposed research is that it will allow students to learn about the application of lasers in chemistry. Lasers have become an important tool in chemistry and their widespread use has made it necessary to introduce laser based experiments into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. The proposed experiments are therefore part of a vision that aims to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the use of modern instrumentation employed in the study of chemistry.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Robert Raymond Fehnel (2005)

Investigating the n2 bonding interactions between aromatic molecules and transition metal centers

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Nicholas Philip Ferenz (2003)

Effects of Nutrient limitation on phytoplankton-derived organic matter and consequences for bacterial community structure

We have a reasonable understanding of how Fe and N availability influence the production of particulate organic carbon by phytoplankton and the resulting consequences for carbon export and storage in the ocean. However, we know very little about how Fe and N limitation affects the production and composition of the largest reservoir of marine fixed carbon, the dissolved organic pool. Our preliminary data make a compelling case that both Fe and N limitation cause large changes in the monosaccharide composition of extracellular carbohydrates produced by phytoplankton. Qualitative changes in labile DOM in turn have large implications for bacterial growth and community composition, and thus for the remineralization of fixed carbon in the sea. This project will take the first important steps toward exploring the linkage between phytoplankton Fe and N limitation and the quantity and quality of labile DOM, and begin to examine the consequences for the marine microbial community.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Amy Witter

Nicholas Philip Ferenz (2003)

Effects of Nutrient limitation on phytoplankton-derived organic matter and consequences for bacterial community structure

We have a reasonable understanding of how Fe and N availability influence the production of particulate organic carbon by phytoplankton and the resulting consequences for carbon export and storage in the ocean. However, we know very little about how Fe and N limitation affects the production and composition of the largest reservoir of marine fixed carbon, the dissolved organic pool. Our preliminary data make a compelling case that both Fe and N limitation cause large changes in the monosaccharide composition of extracellular carbohydrates produced by phytoplankton. Qualitative changes in labile DOM in turn have large implications for bacterial growth and community composition, and thus for the remineralization of fixed carbon in the sea. This project will take the first important steps toward exploring the linkage between phytoplankton Fe and N limitation and the quantity and quality of labile DOM, and begin to examine the consequences for the marine microbial community.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Amy Witter

Julia Rose Ferris (2018)

NSF 1413074: RUI: Electrophilic Modulation of the Heat Shock Response System

This project is part of a long term research program studying the effects of electrophilic natural products on protein activity in human cells. Recently, interest in electrophilic natural products has increased due to promising chemotherapeutic candidates such as dimethylaminoparthenolide. Within this PI's research program, it has been shown that parthenolide derivatives covalently modify heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in vitro, suggesting that, like other organic electrophiles, parthenolide can modulate the heat shock response (HSR) in human cells. This proposal will decipher how parthenolide and similar electrophiles chemically affect the HSR through covalent modification of the chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 and the transcription factor, Hsf1. Peptide enrichment of affinity tagged parthenolide derivatives combined with MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis will identify the amino acids covalently adducted. Mutation of these residues as well as covalent adduction sites previously published in the literature will be used in combination with kinetic binding, protein refolding, co-immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic shift assays to build a complete picture of the effect of modification on heat shock protein (Hsp) function. The association/dissociation rates of mutant proteins both treated and untreated with electrophilic compounds will be measured against native members of the complex using biolayer optical interferometry (BLI), a recently developed optical method for the measurement of biomolecular interactions. In an approach complementary to the quantification of binding affinity for mutant and electrophile-modified Hsps, in vitro complex reconstitution will verify qualitatively the binding affinities observed using BLI. The effect of mutation and electrophile-modification on the protein refolding activity of chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 will be determined using luciferase and beta-galactosidase refolding assays. Any inhibitory or activating effect by mutation or electrophilic modification of Hsf1 will be determined using electrophoretic mobility shift assays.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Abby Nicole Flinchbaugh (2015)

Characterization of the effect of sesquiterpene lactones on the heat shock response in leukemia cells

We have previously shown that the natural product, parthenolide, chemically modifies the heat shock protein Hsp70 in vitro. The protein Hsp70 is a protective protein that allows cells to survive external stresses and regulates cellular function as part of the larger heat shock response system. We will study how parthenolide treatment affects the heat shock response in leukemia cells. We will measure activation of the heat shock element transcription factor as well as gene expression of several heat shock proteins after treatment with parthenolide. This project will clarify the effect of parthenolide, a potential chemotherapeutic, on the stress response system of leukemia cells.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Joshua Foong (2011)

Synthesis and Characterization of an Iron-Salen-Glutamic Acid Molecule

A synthetic scheme has been devised to produce a potential chemical nuclease compound (an iron-salen-glutamic acid) that may be instrumental in probing how DNA interacts with proteins in a cell. The multiple reactions required to construct this new nuclease compound must be optimized so that proper analysis of the compound's structure can be conducted. In addition, the ability of the iron-salen-glutamic acid to cut DNA will be assessed in nicking assays to determine if this compound can serve as an effective chemical nuclease molecule.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Pamela Higgins

Nicole Perry Fultz (2010)

Incorporation of Nanoscience into the Chemistry Curriculum at the Introductory Level

This is an expedited proposal that requests room and board for a student participating in a National Science Foundation funded project to develop nanoscience activities for Chem 111, 141, 241 and 242. The student will adapt and modify published lab activities for these courses and devise new experiments using examples in the nanoscience literature. We hope to have the Scanning Tunneling Microscopes and Atomic Force Microscopes operating by summer and, if this occurs, a large effort will involve developing experiments in which Chem 241 and 242 students can observe the nanoscale behavior of molecules synthesized in the lab.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Nicole Perry Fultz (2010)

NSF 0406837 NUE: Incorporation of Nanoscience into the Chemistry Curriculum at the Introductory Level

This is an expedited proposal that requests room and board for a student participating in a National Science Foundation funded project to develop nanoscience activities for Chem 111, 141, 241 and 242. The student will adapt and modify published lab activities for these courses and devise new experiments using examples in the nanoscience literature. We hope to have the Scanning Tunneling Microscopes and Atomic Force Microscopes operating by summer and, if this occurs, a large effort will involve developing experiments in which Chem 241 and 242 students can observe the nanoscale behavior of molecules synthesized in the lab.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Nicole Perry Fultz (2010)

Incorporation of Nanoscience into the Chemistry Curriculum at the Introductory Level

This is an expedited proposal that requests room and board for a student participating in a National Science Foundation funded project to develop nanoscience activities for Chem 111, 141, 241 and 242. The student will adapt and modify published lab activities for these courses and devise new experiments using examples in the nanoscience literature. We hope to have the Scanning Tunneling Microscopes and Atomic Force Microscopes operating by summer and, if this occurs, a large effort will involve developing experiments in which Chem 241 and 242 students can observe the nanoscale behavior of molecules synthesized in the lab.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Samantha Garcia ()

Developing new bioluminescent sensors for monitoring intracellular interactions

Bioluminescent proteins derived from deep sea shrimp have proven broadly useful in the fields of preclinical imaging and biological sensors. One class of such proteins has been engineered to emit light in response to cross-talk between molecules of interest in cells. Though useful, the current sensors cannot detect multiple signals simultaneously. Researchers in the Rathbun lab will seek to expand the utility of this tool through a process called directed evolution. This project will begin by first accumulating collections of peptide binders and mutant proteins. Peptides will be chemically synthesized, and proteins will be produced in bacteria. Second, each peptide binder will be tested (for bioluminescent light emission) with each mutant protein. Finally, machine learning techniques will be employed to predict the best binders, and the process will repeat until the desired performance is attained. Initially, we will seek to develop two sets of binding proteins that operate orthogonally, to enable detection of multiple interactions in cells simultaneously.

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: Colin Rathbun

Amanda Gellett Seward (2006)

Synthesis and Characterization of Nuclease Activity of Amino Acid Containing Compounds

Chemical nucleases (molecules that damage/cleave DNA) have become a frequently used tool for investigation of the interactions that occur when a nucleic acid binding protein forms a complex with DNA or RNA. Common chemical nucleases incorporated into nucleic acid binding proteins can help elucidate the specific contacts formed in the complex. However, inherent limitations in current chemical nucleases have led to the development of new nuclease compounds. Salen [N, N' bis (salicylidene)-1,2-ethylenediamine] complexes have recently emerged as possible nucleases due to their ability to self-induce DNA damage upon binding. A lysine-ferrocene compound derived in my laboratory has also exhibited some unique abilities in cleaving DNA as well. The current project seeks to synthesize a salen-metal ion complex attached onto an amino acid and investigate subsequent ability of the new compound to cleave DNA molecules. The nuclease activity of this new compound will be compared to that of the lysine-ferrocene compound and common chemical nucleases. These studies will allow determination of whether either/both of these new nuclease compounds are suitable for incorporation into nucleic acid binding proteins and for subsequent use as probes of interaction in protein-nucleic acid complexes.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Pamela Higgins

Amanda Gellett Seward (2006)

Synthesis and Characterization of Nuclease Activity of Amino Acid Containing Compounds

Chemical nucleases (molecules that damage/cleave DNA) have become a frequently used tool for investigation of the interactions that occur when a nucleic acid binding protein forms a complex with DNA or RNA. Common chemical nucleases incorporated into nucleic acid binding proteins can help elucidate the specific contacts formed in the complex. However, inherent limitations in current chemical nucleases have led to the development of new nuclease compounds. Salen [N, N' bis (salicylidene)-1,2-ethylenediamine] complexes have recently emerged as possible nucleases due to their ability to self-induce DNA damage upon binding. A lysine-ferrocene compound derived in my laboratory has also exhibited some unique abilities in cleaving DNA as well. The current project seeks to synthesize a salen-metal ion complex attached onto an amino acid and investigate subsequent ability of the new compound to cleave DNA molecules. The nuclease activity of this new compound will be compared to that of the lysine-ferrocene compound and common chemical nucleases. These studies will allow determination of whether either/both of these new nuclease compounds are suitable for incorporation into nucleic acid binding proteins and for subsequent use as probes of interaction in protein-nucleic acid complexes.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Pamela Higgins

Christopher Ernest Gentchos (1993)

Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Hydrogen Bonds involving C-H bonds: Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen Bases

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1992
Professor: Cindy Samet

Christopher Ernest Gentchos (1993)

Matrix Isolation and ab Initio Study of the 1:1 complexes of Bromocyclopropane with NH3 and (CH3)3N: evidence for a novel C-H---N Hydrogen Bond

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

Term Funded:Fall 1992
Professor: Cindy Samet

Christopher Ernest Gentchos (1993)

Matrix Isolation and ab Initio Study of the 1:1 complexes of Bromocyclopropane with NH3 and (CH3)3N: evidence for a novel C-H---N Hydrogen Bond

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

Term Funded:Summer 1992
Professor: Cindy Samet

Leah Goldfarb (1991)

Study of hydro-carbon-ammonia bonding

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1990
Professor: Cindy Samet

Leah Goldfarb (1991)

Matrix Isolation and ab Initio Study of the 1:1 complexes of Bromocyclopropane with NH3 and (CH3)3N: evidence for a novel C-H---N Hydrogen Bond

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

Term Funded:Fall 1990
Professor: Cindy Samet

Leah Goldfarb (1991)

Matrix Isolation and ab Initio Study of the 1:1 complexes of Bromocyclopropane with NH3 and (CH3)3N: evidence for a novel C-H---N Hydrogen Bond

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

Term Funded:Spring 1991
Professor: Cindy Samet

Leah Goldfarb (1991)

Matrix Isolation Fourier-Transform Infrared Studies of Hydrocarbon-Ammonia Complexes

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1989
Professor: Cindy Samet

Breanna Sophie Goldner (2014)

Analysis of the Effect of BAG5 Truncation Mutants on Chaperone and Ubiquitin Ligase Activity

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's are estimated to affect over 5.9 million U.S. adults (NINDS, Alzheimer's Association). Both diseases are characterized by protein aggregation leading to neuronal malfunction and eventually neuronal death. Molecular chaperone proteins have been shown to ameliorate some of the protein aggregation observed in the disease states. We are studying the effects of a newly identified molecular chaperone protein, BAG5 on aspects of protein regulation in cells to identify its role in normal cellular processes as well as in neurodegenerative disease. We will also be studying the effects of small domain structures within BAG5 for their effects on protein regulation individually and in combination.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Michael James Gortakowski (2007)

Investigating the n2 bonding interactions between aromatic molecules and transition metal centers

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Zev Joshua Greenberg (2016)

Determination of Nicotine in Cigars with RP-HPLC SPME GC/MS

Term Funded: 2013
Professor: Amy Witter

Zev Joshua Greenberg (2016)

EPA-GRO Summer Internship

I was located in Athens, GA, for my summer [2015] GRO internship, at the National Exposure Research Laboratory, Ecosystems Research Division. My internship project was "Fecal Indicators and Host‐specific qPCR Markers in Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment" and I focused on measuring bacteriophage (viruses which infect bacteria) concentrations in wastewater treatment plant effluent as a model for human viruses in the water. I worked in the lab of Dr. Marirosa Molina.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor:

Zev Joshua Greenberg (2016)

NSF 0942579 A natural approach to problem-based learning in the undergraduate curriculum: development of an interdisciplinary course, Chemical Analysis in Chemical Ecology.

This funding will support the creation of a new interdisciplinary course. The focus of the course will be to bring together students from the departments of chemistry and biology to learn about modern chemical methods of analysis used to study naturally-occurring chemicals with bioactive properties, including dietary compounds, toxins, pollutants, and chemical cues.

Term Funded:summer 2013
Professor: Amy Witter

Jie Gu (2008)

Investigating the n2 bonding interactions between aromatic molecules and transition metal centers

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Christine Lynn Hannon (1990)

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

n/a

Term Funded:spring 1990
Professor: Cindy Samet

Christine Lynn Hannon (1990)

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

n/a

Term Funded:fall 1989
Professor: Cindy Samet

Christine Lynn Hannon (1990)

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

n/a

Term Funded:summer 1989
Professor: Cindy Samet

Gavin Robert Harter (2017)

Development of new Trypanothione Reductase Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutics for Chagas Disease

This research aims to develop new treatments for Chagas Disease, a parasitic infection that affects approximately 300,000 Americans. Current drugs for Chagas have limited efficacy and numerous side effects. Trypanothione Reductase (TryR) is an enzyme unique to the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, that causes Chagas, and is essential for its survival. Inhibitors of TryR are an emerging class of new drugs for Chagas. This research will develop new TryR inhibitors that operate through a different mechanism than existing inhibitors. While current inhibitors target the active site of this enzyme, competing with its native substrate (trypanothione), inhibitors designed as part of this project will alter the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme, preventing both binding and reduction of trypanothione. Beyond Chagas Disease, TryR is found in other parasites such as those that cause African Sleeping Sickness and Leishmaniasis. Thus, new TryR inhibitors may have therapeutic value for multiple tropical diseases of poverty.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Jason Gavenonis

Erica Lynn Hartz (2011)

Synthesis via Green Chemistry and Characterization of Metal and Mixed Metal Anisotropic Nanoparticles for Assembly into SERS Substrates

Very small metallic particles with dimensions that can be measured in nanometers (1 nm = 1 x 10-9 m) can be synthesized by reacting metal ions with extracts of lemongrass and ginkgo leaves. We have produced nanoparticles composed of Au, Ag, and Cu (gold, silver, and copper) with interesting shapes and optical properties, and we will continue research into controlling synthetic conditions and nanoparticle properties. Anisotropic nanoparticles (non-spherical) of Au and Ag have potential applications with a very sensitive spectroscopy called Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). We wish to investigate the production of anisotripic Au and Ag nanoparticles via reduction with lemongrass and ginkgo for SERS applications. We have also found that reducing Cu ions with lemongrass produces fluorescent copper-containing particles. These particles are extremely small--only a few nanometers in diameter (SFR report Summer 2009)--and are difficult to thoroughly characterize. We will attempt more thorough characterization of these particles in terms of crystal structure, composition, and fluorescence.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Sarah St. Angelo

Erica Lynn Hartz (2011)

Synthesis of Bimetallic Collidal Triangles for Surface Enhanced Raman

The work proposed herein will investigate the possibility of using colloidal triangles with varying ratios and conformations of Au and Ag as substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Over the course of the summer research term, my student and I will work closely to develop and refine colloidal synthesis strategies in order to produce particles with narrow distributions in size and shape. We will also manipulate the composition of our particles-primarily the relative amounts of gold and silver-by altering starting conditions and by investigating multistep or sequential reduction of the metals. The particles will be characterized by optical spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and will be evaluated for surface enhancement of Raman scatter.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Sarah St. Angelo

Denise Raab Hess (1990)

Matrix Isolation Fourier-Transform Infrared Studies of Hydrocarbon-Ammonia Complexes

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1989
Professor: Cindy Samet

Denise Raab Hess (1990)

Matrix Isolation Fourier-Transform Infrared Studies of Hydrocarbon-Ammonia Complexes

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1989
Professor: Cindy Samet

Kyle R Hess (2008)

Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Meldrum's Acid with Nitrogen and Oxygen Bases

Fuding from R&D would support the continuation of hydrogen bonding studies that have been ongoing in my research laboratory for 19 years. In particular, I propose to study the hydrogen-bonded complex formed between Meldrum's Acid and nitrogen and oxygen bases using the matrix isolation technique combined with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In addition, molecular modeling will be used to support the experimental evidence for complex formation. Meldrum's Acid is interesting in its own right in that its unusually high acidity has puzzled researchers for years. The proposed work aims to understand how this unusual acidity correlates with the strength of the C-H---N(O) hydrogen bond. Most important, however, Meldrum's Acid will serve as a model for understanding hydrogen bonding in more complicated systems such as proteins and biomolecules, thereby moving my research into the realm of modeling complex biological systems.

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: Cindy Samet

Mark Alan Hilfiker (1995)

Infrared Matrix Isolations Studies of Hydrogen bonds Involving C-H bonds: Cyclopentadiene with Selected Bases

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1994
Professor: Cindy Samet

Mark Alan Hilfiker (1995)

Infrared Matrix Isolations Studies of Hydrogen bonds Involving C-H bonds: Cyclopentadiene with Selected Bases

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1993
Professor: Cindy Samet

Russell Christopher Holz (2013)

Characterization and selection for association of the binding of BAG5 domains to potential molecular chemotherapeutic target, Hsp70

Targeted molecular therapies for cancer have revolutionized cancer treatment in the last twenty years. Potential molecular therapy target, Hsp70, has proved recalcitrant to small molecule inhibition. We propose to study the binding of Bcl-2 athanogene (BAG) domains to Hsp70 as a route to the development of a biological Hsp70 inhibitor. We plan to select through mutagenesis variants of BAG domains that bind more effectively to Hsp70 for the future design of multivalent Hsp70 inhibitor protein therapeutics.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Peter Graham Howard (2015)

High Resolution Genomic Sequencing of High Grade Urothelial Carcinomas

In the summer of 2014, I will be returning to the lab of Dr. William LaFramboise at UPMC Shadyside hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. The main topic of research in the lab is investigation into possible genomic markers for various types of cancer. The project that I will be taking part in will be an investigation into High Grade urothelial carcinomas (HGUC). Any data that I produce could be used in any publications that the lab publishes. In addition, because I worked in this lab last year and built up a report as a trustworthy and effective investigator, I will be working on the HGUC project with very little oversight from the other investigators in the lab. I will be responsible for analyzing my own data and producing it all from scratch. The work that I will be doing will be reinforcing my understanding of cancer and its roots in genetics, and my lab work will improve my general laboratory technique. The process that I will be following is a very sensitive one, so I will have to be professional in my care and focus in order to succeed.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Peter Graham Howard (2015)

Radar resistant and weather resistant aircraft coatings

During the summer of 2012, I worked in a coating formulation lab in Coraopolis, PA under the direction of Dr. David Vituccio. While on staff there, I was given the project of formulating radar resistant and weather resistant aircraft coatings.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Erik Jonathan Humbert (1994)

New Methods for Generating Organometallic Species

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1993
Professor: Michael Holden

Denise Marie Hurst (2003)

Effects of Nutrient limitation on phytoplankton-derived organic matter and consequences for bacterial community structure (Nutrient limitation effects on phytoplankton-derived organic carbon composition in the ocean)

Iron and/or nitrogen limitation constrains the amount of carbon fixed by phytoplankton over most of the surface ocean. A large fraction of this carbon is released into the dissolved organic pool, where it can either be quickly utilized by the microbial community, or stored in the vast oceanic reservoir of refractory dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Consequently, both nutrient limitation and DOC production are critically important components of marine carbon cycles. However, little is known about the relationship between these processes-that is, how iron and nitrogen limitation affect the composition and fate of phytoplankton-derived DOC. This proposal describes research that will explore the linkage between Fe and N limitation, and the composition of extracellular organic carbon released by phytoplankton. Our preliminary data demonstrate that Fe- and N-limited phytoplankton release dissolved carbohydrates with different monosaccharide compositions from those produced by nutrient-replete cells. These changes in phytoplankton exudate composition with Fe and N limitation have potentially large implications for bacterial growth and diversity. This project will be a collaborative partnership between the undergraduate analytical chemistry group of PI Witter, and the graduate biogeochemical and biological oceanography lab of PI Hutchins. The aim of this project is to begin to understand how phytoplankton iron and nitrogen limitation influence the flux and quality of labile DOM entering the microbial food web. This is a research area that remains virtually unexplored, despite the obvious potential consequences for biological production and community structure in coastal and oligotrophic regimes, and for carbon biogeochemistry throughout the world's oceans.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Amy Witter

Denise Marie Hurst (2003)

Electrochemical Investigations of Polysaccharide Metal Interactions in Aqueous Solutions

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Amy Witter

Denise Marie Hurst (2003)

Electrochemical Investigations of Polysaccharide Metal Interactions in Aqueous Solutions

The influence of the trace nutrient iron on bacterial growth and metabolism will be studied using high performance liquid chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPLC-PAD). Metabolic products and their concentrations will be measured and should allow for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of nutrient availability on carbon production in aquatic systems.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Amy Witter

Denise Marie Hurst (2003)

Effects of Nutrient limitation on phytoplankton-derived organic matter and consequences for bacterial community structure (Nutrient limitation effects on phytoplankton-derived organic carbon composition in the ocean)

Iron and/or nitrogen limitation constrains the amount of carbon fixed by phytoplankton over most of the surface ocean. A large fraction of this carbon is released into the dissolved organic pool, where it can either be quickly utilized by the microbial community, or stored in the vast oceanic reservoir of refractory dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Consequently, both nutrient limitation and DOC production are critically important components of marine carbon cycles. However, little is known about the relationship between these processes-that is, how iron and nitrogen limitation affect the composition and fate of phytoplankton-derived DOC. This proposal describes research that will explore the linkage between Fe and N limitation, and the composition of extracellular organic carbon released by phytoplankton. Our preliminary data demonstrate that Fe- and N-limited phytoplankton release dissolved carbohydrates with different monosaccharide compositions from those produced by nutrient-replete cells. These changes in phytoplankton exudate composition with Fe and N limitation have potentially large implications for bacterial growth and diversity. This project will be a collaborative partnership between the undergraduate analytical chemistry group of PI Witter, and the graduate biogeochemical and biological oceanography lab of PI Hutchins. The aim of this project is to begin to understand how phytoplankton iron and nitrogen limitation influence the flux and quality of labile DOM entering the microbial food web. This is a research area that remains virtually unexplored, despite the obvious potential consequences for biological production and community structure in coastal and oligotrophic regimes, and for carbon biogeochemistry throughout the world's oceans.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Amy Witter

Denise Marie Hurst (2003)

Electrochemical Investigations of polysaccharide-metal interactions in aqueous systems

The influence of the trace nutrient iron on bacterial growth and metabolism will be studied using high performance liquid chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPLC-PAD). Metabolic products and their concentrations will be measured and should allow for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of nutrient availability on carbon production in aquatic systems.

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Amy Witter

Denise Marie Hurst (2003)

Electrochemical Investigations of polysaccharide-metal interactions in aqueous systems

The influence of the trace nutrient iron on bacterial growth and metabolism will be studied using high performance liquid chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPLC-PAD). Metabolic products and their concentrations will be measured and should allow for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of nutrient availability on carbon production in aquatic systems.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Amy Witter

Tomoko Virginia Jensen-Otsu (1999)

DOE - F&M Holden

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: Michael Holden

Tomoko Virginia Jensen-Otsu (1999)

NSF Summer Seminar

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: Michael Holden

Tomoko Virginia Jensen-Otsu (1999)

NSF Summer Seminar

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: Michael Holden

Jun Jiang (2012)

Electron Microscopy of Nanoparticles Synthesized via Green Chemistry

Green chemistry methods for metal nanoparticle syntheses are less common than for other kinds of chemistry. Green chemistry ascribes to several principles, including use of less toxic reagents, reduced use of solvents, employment of energy efficient syntheses, and reduction of waste. The nanoparticle syntheses investigated by our work will use extracts derived from lemongrass and ginkgo leaves - both are nontoxic substances that are often ingested. All syntheses will be conducted in water, and most will be at or near room temperature. Waste is reduced by the small volumes required for analysis. Preliminary work has shown that lemongrass and ginkgo reduce gold, silver and copper ions to form spherical nanoparticles and nanoplatelets. In order to characterize the size and shape of our green nanoparticles, we must use transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a technique not available at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app. With CSE funding, we will access TEM through Penn State University facilities.

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Sarah St. Angelo

Meredith Johnson (2018)

Increasing the sensitivity of kinetoplastid parasites to oxidative stress

The goal of this project is to validate new drug targets in kinetoplastid parasites responsible for a number of neglected tropical diseases of poverty. These parasites rely on a unique and specific metabolic pathway that allows for the evasion of oxidative stress caused by the host's immune response. Central to this pathway is a number of multimeric enzymes, which only function properly when two separate proteins come together. By disrupting the association of these multimeric enzymes, the parasite's own detoxification mechanism can be inhibited, validating this new approach as a mechanism for druggability for these infections.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Jason Gavenonis

Philip Edward Joyce (1998)

An Organorhenium Approach to Amino Acids

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: Michael Holden

Alexander Jon Kasznel (2015)

Characterization of Proteins that Regulate Pre-mRNA Splicing

My research mentor, Dr. Tara Davis' biographical page (http://www.drexelmed.edu/Home/ºìÐÓÖ±²¥appourFaculty/TaraDavis.aspx) indicates that the research in which I will be participating will be focused on understanding and developing methods for the control of mRNA splicing in order to harness it in pharmaceutical applications. The three-dimensional crystal structure of the spliceosome is as of yet unknown. Thus, the goal of the research in which I will be participating in the Davis lab at Drexel University College of Medicine this summer is to begin to discern this three-dimensional structure. The knowledge gleaned from this research will ultimately help to determine the function of the spliceosome in a variety of biological and biochemical processes, particularly with regard to mRNA splicing.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Alexander Jon Kasznel (2015)

Mutational Analysis of PRPF4:PPIH Interactions

Last summer, I began work on an ongoing research project regarding the characterization of proteins that regulate pre-mRNA splicing in the Davis Lab at the Drexel University College of Medicine.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Matoli Vifansi Keely (2007)

Size-controlled synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles using biomatter

The primary goal of this project was the development of methods to prepare nanoparticles of gold, silver and gold-silver alloys of predictable size and shape using plant matter as the reducing and capping agent in an environmentally-friendly or green process. A longer term goal was to grow these nanoparticles on glass in order to take advantage of their optical properties in sensor technology. Although this latter goal remains to be completed, we have been able to prepare nanoparticles of varying size and shape using extracts of the Asian herb, lemon grass, and the more common herb, basil.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: R David Crouch

Richard Thomas Keiser (1990)

Kinetic and Equilibrium Studies of Isotope Exchange on the Hypophosphite Anion Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1988
Professor: Seth Roper

Margaret Mintz Kelly (2000)

Formal Synthesis of O-Methyljoubertiamine

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: Michael Holden

Danielle Marie Klinger (2002)

Electrochemical Investigations of Polysaccharide Metal Interactions in Aqueous Solutions

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Amy Witter

Douglas Allan Klinger (1990)

Kinetic and Equilibrium Studies of Base-catalyzed Deuterium Exchange on the Hypophosphite Anion

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1989
Professor: Seth Roper

Susan LaRusse Eckert (1994)

The Role of Thrombospondin in Proteglycan Processing

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1993
Professor:

Amanda Elizabeth Leicht (2002)

Desolvation Kinetics of the CpRe(CO)3(THF) (THF=tetrahydrofuran) Complex

When UV light interacts with the CpRe (CO)3 (Cp = C5H5) molecule in solution, one Re-CO bond is broken resulting in the generation of the CpRe (CO)2 complex. This complex is extremely reactive and the site vacated by the CO ligand is rapidly taken up by the solvent molecule. Before the resulting CpRe (CO)2S (S=solvent) species can participate in a chemical reaction, it is necessary to displace the solvent molecule from the E center. We will investigate the mechanism by which the solvent molecule is replaced by an incoming two electron donor ligand. In addition to determining the mechanism of this reaction, we will also attempt to obtain an estimate of the Re-solvent bond energy by studying the reaction at several temperatires.

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Yike Li-Eng (2014)

Matrix Isolation Studies

Term Funded:Year 2013
Professor: Cindy Samet

Yike Li-Eng (2014)

Matrix and Polymer Soft-Landing Isolation Studies

This summer, we will continue the hydrogen-bonding studies involving C-H---N and C-H---O linkages (the dashed line represents a hydrogen bond) that have been ongoing in my laboratory for the past 25 years. This work, however, represents a new direction in my research, one that began when we moved into Rector. In particular, the proposed studies, which involve hydrogen-bonding "matrix-isolated" molecules onto a polymer surface, provide a key link between my field of matrix isolation and the world of nanotechnology. The work I have completed over these past few years resulted in a very exciting publication (January 2012), which describes this new technique, titled "polymer soft-landing," that my students and I have pioneered. As stated in the paper, this work is "an exciting first step into using the matrix isolation laboratory to probe the building of nanostructures."

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Cindy Samet

Austin Reed Lieber (2017)

NSF 1413074: RUI: Electrophilic Modulation of the Heat Shock Response System

"This project is part of a long term research program studying the effects of electrophilic natural products on protein activity in human cells. Recently, interest in electrophilic natural products has increased due to promising chemotherapeutic candidates such as dimethylaminoparthenolide. Within this PI's research program, it has been shown that parthenolide derivatives covalently modify heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in vitro, suggesting that, like other organic electrophiles, parthenolide can modulate the heat shock response (HSR) in human cells. This proposal will decipher how parthenolide and similar electrophiles chemically affect the HSR through covalent modification of the chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 and the transcription factor, Hsf1. Peptide enrichment of affinity tagged parthenolide derivatives combined with MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis will identify the amino acids covalently adducted. Mutation of these residues as well as covalent adduction sites previously published in the literature will be used in combination with kinetic binding, protein refolding, co-immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic shift assays to build a complete picture of the effect of modification on heat shock protein (Hsp) function. The association/dissociation rates of mutant proteins both treated and untreated with electrophilic compounds will be measured against native members of the complex using biolayer optical interferometry (BLI), a recently developed optical method for the measurement of biomolecular interactions. In an approach complementary to the quantification of binding affinity for mutant and electrophile-modified Hsps, in vitro complex reconstitution will verify qualitatively the binding affinities observed using BLI. The effect of mutation and electrophile-modification on the protein refolding activity of chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 will be determined using luciferase and beta-galactosidase refolding assays. Any inhibitory or activating effect by mutation or electrophilic modification of Hsf1 will be determined using electrophoretic mobility shift assays."

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Jennifer Lynn Majchrzak (2004)

Application of Ionic Liquids to the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers.

That project which Jenn will focus on for the remainder of her time as a Beckman Scholar is the synthesis of cyclopropane-containing adrenergic agents. Although the synthetic scheme is relatively straightforward, the sequence of steps and the precise conditions for each of those steps needed to be worked out. Jenn focused on three specific steps: the Suzuki coupling needed to build the biaryl fragment of the target, the cyclopropanation reaction needed to convert an alkene into the desired cyclopropyl group and the formation of the imidazoline ring required for binding to the adrenergic receptor. By the end of the summer, Jenn had determined that cyclopropanation was best achieved through a "cycling" of the reaction mixture through multiple reactions. Since the reaction does not go to completion and the reactant alkene is nearly impossible to separate from the cyclopropanated product, the best result was gained by exposing the a quantity of alkene to diazomethane and Pd(II) catalyst three times. She also found conditions that will allow the coupling of arylboronic acid to bromobenzaldehyde in high yield. The imidazoline formation is the last piece of the puzzle and when that reaction is developed, Jenn should be able to begin preparing some of the analogs. At this stage of the project, it is difficult to determine how her lab experience as a Beckman Scholar will impact Jenn's future. Clearly, she is already thinking like a scientist, asking questions and beginning to come up with her own ideas about reactions such as why they sometimes fail and developing possible solutions to make them work. She is performing her own literature searches. Jenn has also grown considerably in the lab. She has become quite adept at separating the components of complex mixtures and handling relatively sensitive reagents.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: R David Crouch

Jennifer Lynn Majchrzak (2004)

Application of Ionic Liquids to the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers.

That project which Jenn will focus on for the remainder of her time as a Beckman Scholar is the synthesis of cyclopropane-containing adrenergic agents. Although the synthetic scheme is relatively straightforward, the sequence of steps and the precise conditions for each of those steps needed to be worked out. Jenn focused on three specific steps: the Suzuki coupling needed to build the biaryl fragment of the target, the cyclopropanation reaction needed to convert an alkene into the desired cyclopropyl group and the formation of the imidazoline ring required for binding to the adrenergic receptor. By the end of the summer, Jenn had determined that cyclopropanation was best achieved through a "cycling" of the reaction mixture through multiple reactions. Since the reaction does not go to completion and the reactant alkene is nearly impossible to separate from the cyclopropanated product, the best result was gained by exposing the a quantity of alkene to diazomethane and Pd(II) catalyst three times. She also found conditions that will allow the coupling of arylboronic acid to bromobenzaldehyde in high yield. The imidazoline formation is the last piece of the puzzle and when that reaction is developed, Jenn should be able to begin preparing some of the analogs. At this stage of the project, it is difficult to determine how her lab experience as a Beckman Scholar will impact Jenn's future. Clearly, she is already thinking like a scientist, asking questions and beginning to come up with her own ideas about reactions such as why they sometimes fail and developing possible solutions to make them work. She is performing her own literature searches. Jenn has also grown considerably in the lab. She has become quite adept at separating the components of complex mixtures and handling relatively sensitive reagents.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: R David Crouch

Jennifer Lynn Majchrzak (2004)

Application of Ionic Liquids to the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers.

That project which Jenn will focus on for the remainder of her time as a Beckman Scholar is the synthesis of cyclopropane-containing adrenergic agents. Although the synthetic scheme is relatively straightforward, the sequence of steps and the precise conditions for each of those steps needed to be worked out. Jenn focused on three specific steps: the Suzuki coupling needed to build the biaryl fragment of the target, the cyclopropanation reaction needed to convert an alkene into the desired cyclopropyl group and the formation of the imidazoline ring required for binding to the adrenergic receptor. By the end of the summer, Jenn had determined that cyclopropanation was best achieved through a "cycling" of the reaction mixture through multiple reactions. Since the reaction does not go to completion and the reactant alkene is nearly impossible to separate from the cyclopropanated product, the best result was gained by exposing the a quantity of alkene to diazomethane and Pd(II) catalyst three times. She also found conditions that will allow the coupling of arylboronic acid to bromobenzaldehyde in high yield. The imidazoline formation is the last piece of the puzzle and when that reaction is developed, Jenn should be able to begin preparing some of the analogs. At this stage of the project, it is difficult to determine how her lab experience as a Beckman Scholar will impact Jenn's future. Clearly, she is already thinking like a scientist, asking questions and beginning to come up with her own ideas about reactions such as why they sometimes fail and developing possible solutions to make them work. She is performing her own literature searches. Jenn has also grown considerably in the lab. She has become quite adept at separating the components of complex mixtures and handling relatively sensitive reagents.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: R David Crouch

Jennifer Lynn Majchrzak (2004)

Application of Ionic Liquids to the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers.

That project which Jenn will focus on for the remainder of her time as a Beckman Scholar is the synthesis of cyclopropane-containing adrenergic agents. Although the synthetic scheme is relatively straightforward, the sequence of steps and the precise conditions for each of those steps needed to be worked out. Jenn focused on three specific steps: the Suzuki coupling needed to build the biaryl fragment of the target, the cyclopropanation reaction needed to convert an alkene into the desired cyclopropyl group and the formation of the imidazoline ring required for binding to the adrenergic receptor. By the end of the summer, Jenn had determined that cyclopropanation was best achieved through a "cycling" of the reaction mixture through multiple reactions. Since the reaction does not go to completion and the reactant alkene is nearly impossible to separate from the cyclopropanated product, the best result was gained by exposing the a quantity of alkene to diazomethane and Pd(II) catalyst three times. She also found conditions that will allow the coupling of arylboronic acid to bromobenzaldehyde in high yield. The imidazoline formation is the last piece of the puzzle and when that reaction is developed, Jenn should be able to begin preparing some of the analogs. At this stage of the project, it is difficult to determine how her lab experience as a Beckman Scholar will impact Jenn's future. Clearly, she is already thinking like a scientist, asking questions and beginning to come up with her own ideas about reactions such as why they sometimes fail and developing possible solutions to make them work. She is performing her own literature searches. Jenn has also grown considerably in the lab. She has become quite adept at separating the components of complex mixtures and handling relatively sensitive reagents.

Term Funded:Year 2004
Professor: R David Crouch

Jennifer Lynn Majchrzak (2004)

Application of Ionic Liquids to the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers.

That project which Jenn will focus on for the remainder of her time as a Beckman Scholar is the synthesis of cyclopropane-containing adrenergic agents. Although the synthetic scheme is relatively straightforward, the sequence of steps and the precise conditions for each of those steps needed to be worked out. Jenn focused on three specific steps: the Suzuki coupling needed to build the biaryl fragment of the target, the cyclopropanation reaction needed to convert an alkene into the desired cyclopropyl group and the formation of the imidazoline ring required for binding to the adrenergic receptor. By the end of the summer, Jenn had determined that cyclopropanation was best achieved through a "cycling" of the reaction mixture through multiple reactions. Since the reaction does not go to completion and the reactant alkene is nearly impossible to separate from the cyclopropanated product, the best result was gained by exposing the a quantity of alkene to diazomethane and Pd(II) catalyst three times. She also found conditions that will allow the coupling of arylboronic acid to bromobenzaldehyde in high yield. The imidazoline formation is the last piece of the puzzle and when that reaction is developed, Jenn should be able to begin preparing some of the analogs. At this stage of the project, it is difficult to determine how her lab experience as a Beckman Scholar will impact Jenn's future. Clearly, she is already thinking like a scientist, asking questions and beginning to come up with her own ideas about reactions such as why they sometimes fail and developing possible solutions to make them work. She is performing her own literature searches. Jenn has also grown considerably in the lab. She has become quite adept at separating the components of complex mixtures and handling relatively sensitive reagents.

Term Funded:Year 2003
Professor: R David Crouch

Jennifer Lynn Majchrzak (2004)

Application of Ionic Liquids to the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers.

That project which Jenn will focus on for the remainder of her time as a Beckman Scholar is the synthesis of cyclopropane-containing adrenergic agents. Although the synthetic scheme is relatively straightforward, the sequence of steps and the precise conditions for each of those steps needed to be worked out. Jenn focused on three specific steps: the Suzuki coupling needed to build the biaryl fragment of the target, the cyclopropanation reaction needed to convert an alkene into the desired cyclopropyl group and the formation of the imidazoline ring required for binding to the adrenergic receptor. By the end of the summer, Jenn had determined that cyclopropanation was best achieved through a "cycling" of the reaction mixture through multiple reactions. Since the reaction does not go to completion and the reactant alkene is nearly impossible to separate from the cyclopropanated product, the best result was gained by exposing the a quantity of alkene to diazomethane and Pd(II) catalyst three times. She also found conditions that will allow the coupling of arylboronic acid to bromobenzaldehyde in high yield. The imidazoline formation is the last piece of the puzzle and when that reaction is developed, Jenn should be able to begin preparing some of the analogs. At this stage of the project, it is difficult to determine how her lab experience as a Beckman Scholar will impact Jenn's future. Clearly, she is already thinking like a scientist, asking questions and beginning to come up with her own ideas about reactions such as why they sometimes fail and developing possible solutions to make them work. She is performing her own literature searches. Jenn has also grown considerably in the lab. She has become quite adept at separating the components of complex mixtures and handling relatively sensitive reagents.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: R David Crouch

Jennifer Lynn Majchrzak (2004)

Application of Ionic Liquids to the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers.

That project which Jenn will focus on for the remainder of her time as a Beckman Scholar is the synthesis of cyclopropane-containing adrenergic agents. Although the synthetic scheme is relatively straightforward, the sequence of steps and the precise conditions for each of those steps needed to be worked out. Jenn focused on three specific steps: the Suzuki coupling needed to build the biaryl fragment of the target, the cyclopropanation reaction needed to convert an alkene into the desired cyclopropyl group and the formation of the imidazoline ring required for binding to the adrenergic receptor. By the end of the summer, Jenn had determined that cyclopropanation was best achieved through a "cycling" of the reaction mixture through multiple reactions. Since the reaction does not go to completion and the reactant alkene is nearly impossible to separate from the cyclopropanated product, the best result was gained by exposing the a quantity of alkene to diazomethane and Pd(II) catalyst three times. She also found conditions that will allow the coupling of arylboronic acid to bromobenzaldehyde in high yield. The imidazoline formation is the last piece of the puzzle and when that reaction is developed, Jenn should be able to begin preparing some of the analogs. At this stage of the project, it is difficult to determine how her lab experience as a Beckman Scholar will impact Jenn's future. Clearly, she is already thinking like a scientist, asking questions and beginning to come up with her own ideas about reactions such as why they sometimes fail and developing possible solutions to make them work. She is performing her own literature searches. Jenn has also grown considerably in the lab. She has become quite adept at separating the components of complex mixtures and handling relatively sensitive reagents.

Term Funded:Year 2004
Professor: R David Crouch

Gerard Steven Mattei (2012)

Reactivity of a Distamycin-Copper Conjugate with DNA

The goal of this project is to evaluate the chemical reactivity of an artificial nuclease designed to selectively bind to and cleave DNA. The compound of interest contains a distamycin DNA binding domain tethered to a copper(II)-containing catalytic domain. Preliminary reactivity studies with plasmid DNA will allow for evaluation of the DNA binding and cleavage abilities of the distamycin-copper conjugate. These studies will be followed by cleavage assays using 32P-radiolabeled oligonucleotides to determine the actual site of cleavage and possible mechanisms for the reaction. Finally, the compound will undergo cytoxicity assays with bacterial and mammalian cells. These tests will assess cellular uptake of the compound as well as its degree of interaction with DNA inside cells. Analyses of this type will ideally lead to a greater understanding of the factors responsible oxidative damage to DNA by copper and should aid in the design of new compounds with pharmaceutical potential.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Kristi Humphreys

Andrew Shriver McGowan (2016)

Electrophilic Modulation of the Heat Shock Response System

"This project is part of a long term research program studying the effects of electrophilic natural products on protein activity in human cells. Recently, interest in electrophilic natural products has increased due to promising chemotherapeutic candidates such as dimethylaminoparthenolide. Within this PI's research program, it has been shown that parthenolide derivatives covalently modify heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in vitro, suggesting that, like other organic electrophiles, parthenolide can modulate the heat shock response (HSR) in human cells. This proposal will decipher how parthenolide and similar electrophiles chemically affect the HSR through covalent modification of the chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 and the transcription factor, Hsf1. Peptide enrichment of affinity tagged parthenolide derivatives combined with MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis will identify the amino acids covalently adducted. Mutation of these residues as well as covalent adduction sites previously published in the literature will be used in combination with kinetic binding, protein refolding, co-immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic shift assays to build a complete picture of the effect of modification on heat shock protein (Hsp) function. The association/dissociation rates of mutant proteins both treated and untreated with electrophilic compounds will be measured against native members of the complex using biolayer optical interferometry (BLI), a recently developed optical method for the measurement of biomolecular interactions. In an approach complementary to the quantification of binding affinity for mutant and electrophile-modified Hsps, in vitro complex reconstitution will verify qualitatively the binding affinities observed using BLI. The effect of mutation and electrophile-modification on the protein refolding activity of chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 will be determined using luciferase and beta-galactosidase refolding assays. Any inhibitory or activating effect by mutation or electrophilic modification of Hsf1 will be determined using electrophoretic mobility shift assays."

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Benjamin Kyle Mezick (2005)

Investigating the Strangth and Reactivity of the Re-MenTHF Bond

This proposal is centered around a study of the factors that influence the strength and reactivity of weak metal-solvent bonds. The LnRe-MenTHF complexes will be generated photochemically and the strength of the resulting Re-MenTHF bond will be investigated by substitution kinetics. The weakly bound MenTHF solvent molecule will be displaced from the Re center by acetonitrile and the energetics of this substitution reaction is expected to yield insights into the strength of the Re-MenTHF interaction. The effect of systematically varying the donor and steric properties of the MenTHF ligand (by increasing n) on the strength of the Re-MenTHF bond will be studied. The influence of the steric and electronic properties of the metal on the strength of this interaction will be investigated by varying the ligands bound to the Re center. It is expected that the results of this experiment will allow us to better understand the role of the metal-solvent bond in important chemical reactions.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Benjamin Kyle Mezick (2005)

Investigating the Strangth and Reactivity of the Re-MenTHF Bond

This proposal is centered around a study of the factors that influence the strength and reactivity of weak metal-solvent bonds. The LnRe-MenTHF complexes will be generated photochemically and the strength of the resulting Re-MenTHF bond will be investigated by substitution kinetics. The weakly bound MenTHF solvent molecule will be displaced from the Re center by acetonitrile and the energetics of this substitution reaction is expected to yield insights into the strength of the Re-MenTHF interaction. The effect of systematically varying the donor and steric properties of the MenTHF ligand (by increasing n) on the strength of the Re-MenTHF bond will be studied. The influence of the steric and electronic properties of the metal on the strength of this interaction will be investigated by varying the ligands bound to the Re center. It is expected that the results of this experiment will allow us to better understand the role of the metal-solvent bond in important chemical reactions.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Kim E Mooney (1999)

A Mechanistic Investigation of the Reaction between Metal Carbonyls and Diazoesters

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1997
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Erin Ross Mysak (2001)

Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Hydrogen Bonds involving C-H Bonds

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Cindy Samet

Erin Ross Mysak (2001)

NSF 9501428 Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen and Oxygen Bases

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

Term Funded:Fall 1998
Professor: Cindy Samet

Erin Ross Mysak (2001)

NSF 9501428 Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen and Oxygen Bases

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: Cindy Samet

Alexis N Newton (2017)

NSF 085670: STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Cuong Van Nguyen (2019)

NSF 1413074: RUI: Electrophilic Modulation of the Heat Shock Response System

"This project is part of a long term research program studying the effects of electrophilic natural products on protein activity in human cells. Recently, interest in electrophilic natural products has increased due to promising chemotherapeutic candidates such as dimethylaminoparthenolide. Within this PI's research program, it has been shown that parthenolide derivatives covalently modify heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in vitro, suggesting that, like other organic electrophiles, parthenolide can modulate the heat shock response (HSR) in human cells. This proposal will decipher how parthenolide and similar electrophiles chemically affect the HSR through covalent modification of the chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 and the transcription factor, Hsf1. Peptide enrichment of affinity tagged parthenolide derivatives combined with MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis will identify the amino acids covalently adducted. Mutation of these residues as well as covalent adduction sites previously published in the literature will be used in combination with kinetic binding, protein refolding, co-immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic shift assays to build a complete picture of the effect of modification on heat shock protein (Hsp) function. The association/dissociation rates of mutant proteins both treated and untreated with electrophilic compounds will be measured against native members of the complex using biolayer optical interferometry (BLI), a recently developed optical method for the measurement of biomolecular interactions. In an approach complementary to the quantification of binding affinity for mutant and electrophile-modified Hsps, in vitro complex reconstitution will verify qualitatively the binding affinities observed using BLI. The effect of mutation and electrophile-modification on the protein refolding activity of chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 will be determined using luciferase and beta-galactosidase refolding assays. Any inhibitory or activating effect by mutation or electrophilic modification of Hsf1 will be determined using electrophoretic mobility shift assays."

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Minh Huu Nguyen (2011)

Assembling CHEM 131, 132, and 141 Labs for the 09-10 Academic Year

Work with three professors in Chemistry to develop laboratory courses in Chemistry 131, 132, and 141. Witter: Chemistry 141 (Accelerated General Chemistry) during Fall 2009; Crouch: develop some new experiments for the organic chemistry sequence; Humphreys: development of laboratory experiments for the new general chemistry sequence, CHEM 131 and CHEM 132

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Amy Witter

Minh Huu Nguyen (2011)

Conodoguinet Creek and Diesel Exhaust Markers

Conodoguinet Creek and Diesel Exhaust Markers

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: Amy Witter

Minh Huu Nguyen (2011)

Investigating the utility of nitro-PAHs and diesel exhaust markers in sediments from the Conodoguinet Creek, Cumberland County, PA

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Amy Witter

Amy Grunbeck Perea (2007)

The Transition Metal-Arene Bond: A Laxer Flash Photolysis Study

I am requesting supplemental funding for this project that is primarily supported through a grant from the American Chemical Society (PRF). As indicated on the PRF budget sheet, I will be hiring two students to conduct research with me this summer. Both will be responsible for setting up the experiment, acquiring and then analyzing the data. I will expect them to prepare a poster detailing the results and with the budgeted travel funds, we will present the results at a national American Chemical Society meeting. In the past, students have found that the projects they have worked on have been beneficial to their growth as scientists. The students are exposed to experiments that involve the use of equipment and techniques that are not formally introduced in the classroom and associated labs.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Amy Grunbeck Perea (2007)

Investigating the n2 bonding interactions between aromatic molecules and transition metal centers

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Emily Ann Peterpaul (2013)

Reactivity of a Distamycin-Copper Conjugate with DNA

The goal of this project is to evaluate the chemical reactivity of an artificial nuclease designed to selectively bind to and cleave DNA. The compound of interest contains a distamycin DNA binding domain tethered to a copper(II)-containing catalytic domain. Preliminary reactivity studies with plasmid DNA will allow for evaluation of the DNA binding and cleavage abilities of the distamycin-copper conjugate. These studies will be followed by cleavage assays using 32P-radiolabeled oligonucleotides to determine the actual site of cleavage and possible mechanisms for the reaction. Finally, the compound will undergo cytoxicity assays with bacterial and mammalian cells. These tests will assess cellular uptake of the compound as well as its degree of interaction with DNA inside cells. Analyses of this type will ideally lead to a greater understanding of the factors responsible oxidative damage to DNA by copper and should aid in the design of new compounds with pharmaceutical potential.

Term Funded:SummerSummer 2011
Professor: Kristi Humphreys

Emily Ann Peterpaul (2013)

Synthesis and Reactivity of Copper Nucleases

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Kristi Humphreys

Andrew John Piefer (1995)

New Oxidations Leading to Enantiomerically Pure Products

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1993
Professor: Scott Miller

Jamie McNeil Rausch (1989)

Computer Interfacing for Improved Laboratory Instrumentation

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1988
Professor: Robert Leyon

Karina Menconi Reed (2004)

Application of Ionic Liquids to the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers.

Deprotection of silyl ethers remains an important reaction in synthetic chemistry. One problem with protection/deprotection protocols is the addition of two steps to any reaction sequence. In industrial settings, this represents a problem in terms of expense and the handling of waste streams. Thus, the development of reagents that are non-toxic and reusable is highly desired. One possible solution is the use of ionic liquids. Ionic liquids are organic compounds which consist of a positive and negative ion and possess an unusual capacity for dissolving normally incompatible reactants. In recent years, this property has been used increasingly in organic synthesis with the added advantage that the ionic liquid can be easily separated from the reaction mixture, purified and reused. Thus, ionic liquids are growing in popularity in the chemical industry. Recently, a pair of ionic liquids that contain an acidic residue was described. These "combination" compounds can serve as both reagent and solvent. And, like other ionic liquids, they are reusable. This project proposes an examination of the potential application of acidic ionic liquids to the problem of desilylation of silyl-protected alcohols. We will investigate whether these acids can effect desilylation, whether selectivity is possible and whether the ionic liquids can be reused and, if so, the effectiveness of the recycled reagent.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: R David Crouch

Karina Menconi Reed (2004)

Application of Ionic Liquids to the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers.

Deprotection of silyl ethers remains an important reaction in synthetic chemistry. One problem with protection/deprotection protocols is the addition of two steps to any reaction sequence. In industrial settings, this represents a problem in terms of expense and the handling of waste streams. Thus, the development of reagents that are non-toxic and reusable is highly desired. One possible solution is the use of ionic liquids. Ionic liquids are organic compounds which consist of a positive and negative ion and possess an unusual capacity for dissolving normally incompatible reactants. In recent years, this property has been used increasingly in organic synthesis with the added advantage that the ionic liquid can be easily separated from the reaction mixture, purified and reused. Thus, ionic liquids are growing in popularity in the chemical industry. Recently, a pair of ionic liquids that contain an acidic residue was described. These "combination" compounds can serve as both reagent and solvent. And, like other ionic liquids, they are reusable. This project proposes an examination of the potential application of acidic ionic liquids to the problem of desilylation of silyl-protected alcohols. We will investigate whether these acids can effect desilylation, whether selectivity is possible and whether the ionic liquids can be reused and, if so, the effectiveness of the recycled reagent.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: R David Crouch

Alissa Resnikoff (2018)

Cleavage of fluoroaromatic thioethers

The goal of this project is to develop a new technique for the capture of high-value sulfur-containing molecules from biological systems. The short-term goal, this summer, is to develop a model system that allows for the optimization of this technique. Sulfur-containing organic molecules have a unique reactivity with aromatic fluorocarbons. This has been exploited to great effect by the Pentelute group at MIT for the labeling of peptides containing a specific sequence, but has yet to be used to selectively capture sulfur-containing molecules from complex mixtures. The gap in existing knowledge is whether this reaction is reversible. We will develop a model system that releases a colored dye when the carbon-sulfur bond is broken, allowing for the rapid screening of reaction conditions in a 384-well microplate. Promising reactions will be re-run on preparative scale to verify the selectivity and efficiency of this process. The second phase of this project is to determine whether solid-supported fluoroaromatics can be used to capture sulfur-containing organics from an aqueous or organic solution, and whether sulfurs labeled in situ with a fluoroaromatic tag can be separated efficiently from a complex mixture.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Jason Gavenonis

Nathaniel Marc Rickles (1991)

The Interaction between Theophylline and Antipyrine

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1989
Professor:

James August Ridenour (2014)

Assessing the Sonolytic Denaturation of the Enzyme Pepsin A

Medical procedures such as endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) use high frequency sound waves to produce images. To understand potential molecular effects of ultrasound, aqueous pepsin A (from porcine gastric mucosa) aqueous solutions will be sonicated in an ultrasonic bath. The data obtained will be used to assess pepsin degradation and to determine reactions with radicals (generated by the thermally breakdown of water during sonication) and/or hydrodynamic sheer stress resulting from acoustic cavitation are the principal causes of degradation. Calorimetry, biochemical, and spectroscopic techniques will be used to assess the protein structure and function changes as a function of sonication time.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Keith Krise

Kayla J Robinson (2013)

Investigations of Microwave Assisted Orthoester Claisen Rearrangements

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: R David Crouch

Jeffrey M Rodgers (2010)

Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of the Hydrogen Bonding Involved in Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Nanoparticles: Pyridine as a Hydrogen Bond Acceptor

Funding from R&D would support the continuation of hydrogen bonding studies that have been ongoing in my research laboratory for 20 years. In particular, I propose to study hydrogen- bonding interactions that are becoming important in the field of nanotechnology. In particular, the hydrogen bond formed between an organic acid (called a carboxylic acid) and an organic base (pyridine) is currently being used in the layer-by-layer assembly of monolayers containing nanoparticles. Such hydrogen bonding interactions are not well characterized, and thus scientists in the field of nanotechnology can learn much from the wealth of information that the matrix isolation technique can yield about the nature and strength of this important hydrogen bond.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Cindy Samet

Jeffrey M Rodgers (2010)

High Performance Liquid Chromatograph with fluorescence detection studies

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: Amy Witter

Jeffrey M Rodgers (2010)

SACP--Investigating the diversity of glycosylation in marine bacteria

Many secreted and cell-surface proteins in mammals and bacteria are glycoproteins. Glycoproteins are proteins in which multiple sugar residues are covalently attached to the protein backbone through an asparagine or serine residue. Because sugar attachment often occurs through a nitrogen atom, the sugars are referred to as N-linked glycans. The structures of N-linked glycans are complex and as a result, their biological functions were largely ignored until recently. This project involves teaching two undergraduates the analytical methods for characterizing N-linked glycans in a model organism, marine bacteria. Marine bacteria are chosen because they grow quickly, and because I have an on-going collaboration with a colleague who is an expert in marine microbiology. Additionally, their genomes have recently been sequenced, allowing us to ask broader questions based on preliminary results from these studies.

Term Funded:Summer 2007
Professor: Amy Witter

Demetria Ariadne Ruhl (2020)

In vivo reaction monitoring with a fluoride-sensitive riboswitch

The goal of this project is to determine if an RNA aptamer (riboswitch) may be used to monitor the progress of an unnatural chemical reaction occurring inside living cells. Peptides containing the uniquely reactive sulfhydryl group (-SH) will be expressed in E. coli. These sulfhydryl groups, when part of a particular amino acid sequence, are known to react with certain organic tag molecules in a manner that generates fluoride ions (F-). While this reaction has been successfully optimized in cell lysates and extracts, it has yet to be observed inside a living cell. Using a sequence derived from the fluoride-binding crcB RNA motif combined with red fluorescent protein (mRFP1), this will provide a simple colorimetric indication of reaction progress.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Jason Gavenonis

Matthew Joseph Sansevere (2016)

Development of new Trypanothione Reductase Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutics for Chagas Disease

This research aims to develop new treatments for Chagas Disease, a parasitic infection that affects approximately 300,000 Americans. Current drugs for Chagas have limited efficacy and numerous side effects. Trypanothione Reductase (TryR) is an enzyme unique to the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, that causes Chagas, and is essential for its survival. Inhibitors of TryR are an emerging class of new drugs for Chagas. This research will develop new TryR inhibitors that operate through a different mechanism than existing inhibitors. While current inhibitors target the active site of this enzyme, competing with its native substrate (trypanothione), inhibitors designed as part of this project will alter the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme, preventing both binding and reduction of trypanothione. Beyond Chagas Disease, TryR is found in other parasites such as those that cause African Sleeping Sickness and Leishmaniasis. Thus, new TryR inhibitors may have therapeutic value for multiple tropical diseases of poverty.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Jason Gavenonis

Robert Michael Sansevere (2014)

Microwave Organic Synthesis

Term Funded: 2013
Professor: R David Crouch

Chalise Saunders (2014)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Michael Holden

Michael Joseph Scanish (2001)

Desolvation Kinetics of the CpRe(CO)2S(S=Solvent) complex: A Laser Flash Photolysis Study

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Michael Joseph Scanish (2001)

Determination of the nature of the oxidizing species generated by the Fenton reaction and its rate and mechanism of formation in aqueous and non-aqueous media.

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Katrina Louise Schulberg (2001)

The Rate of Methoxide Addition of Substituted (cyclopentadienyliron)arenes

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Michael Holden

Andrew Ford Schwerin (2004)

Studies Towards the Synthesis of Metal-based Anti-malarial agents

Over the course of the last decade, a new subdiscipline of chemistry has emerged. This new field, given the name bioorganometallic chemistry, deals with the study of the biological chemistry of compounds containing metal carbon bonds. A number of systems have been studied, including an iron-containing tamoxifen derivative, envisioned as a possible treatment for breast cancer; a triosmium carbonyl-based cluster that has shown to be a useful telomerase inhibitor and technicium carbonyl-based compounds that are useful in biological imaging processes. Another interesting observation has been the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene (organoiron) moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity. The proposal details a project in which studies will be undertaken to move towards the synthesis of a metal-based derivative of the anti-malarial agent isoprophyl[(4-chlorophenyl)amino]iminomethylcarbamimidate.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Michael Holden

Andrew Ford Schwerin (2004)

Studies Towards the Synthesis of Metal-based Anti-malarial agents

Over the course of the last decade, a new subdiscipline of chemistry has emerged. This new field, given the name bioorganometallic chemistry, deals with the study of the biological chemistry of compounds containing metal carbon bonds. A number of systems have been studied, including an iron-containing tamoxifen derivative, envisioned as a possible treatment for breast cancer; a triosmium carbonyl-based cluster that has shown to be a useful telomerase inhibitor and technicium carbonyl-based compounds that are useful in biological imaging processes. Another interesting observation has been the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene (organoiron) moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity. The proposal details a project in which studies will be undertaken to move towards the synthesis of a metal-based derivative of the anti-malarial agent isoprophyl[(4-chlorophenyl)amino]iminomethylcarbamimidate.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Michael Holden

Amelia Rose Shillingsburg (1996)

A New Approach to the Asymmetric Baylis-Hillman Reaction

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: R David Crouch

Yurina Shim (2009)

Investigating the Interactions of Mononuclear Copper Compounds with Biomolecules

Several platinum and ruthenium metal complexes are in use clinically or undergoing testing as anticancer agents. The development of new compounds incorporating metals such as copper will increase treatment options and mitigate the effects of tumor cell resistance to current drugs. Two copper complexes have been identified that could advance this goal, but additional research is necessary to elucidate and capitalize on the source of their unique activities. Both complexes possess a critical, but poorly understood, ability to recognize and bind to specific regions on DNA. This proposal aims to investigate the interactions of small copper complexes with biomolecules such as DNA and serum proteins to gain an understanding of the fate of copper-based anticancer drugs during transport in the blood and at their final destination within tumor cells.

Term Funded:Summer 2008
Professor: Kristi Humphreys

Myungsun Shin (2014)

Exploring the mechanism of action of the anti-leukemic drug, parthenolide

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) occurs in about 1 out of 250,000 people and long-term survival with AML is poor. This project will study how a potential anti-leukemia therapeutic, parthenolide, interacts with cells and proteins. We will use compounds derived from parthenolide to identify the components of the original molecule that are required to maintain anti-leukemia activity. We will also identify the patterns of proteins within leukemia cells that are modified by parthenolide and our synthesized derivatives using activity-based protein profiling. Understanding how the component parts of parthenolide affect its anti-leukemic properties and interact with proteins in cancer cells can guide the development of new cancer therapeutics.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Myungsun Shin (2014)

Identification of Proteins Modified by Parthenolide Derivatives in Leukemia Cells

Some chemotherapeutic drugs are natural products of plants or microorganisms, such as taxol from the yew tree. Parthenolide is a molecule made by the plant, feverfew that has been shown to selectively kill leukemia stem cells; however, its mode of action is not fully understood. We have synthesized derivatives of parthenolide and we will use these derivatives to identify the proteins in leukemia cells targeted by this molecule. Through these experiments, we will gain an understanding of the action of parthenolide in biological systems and its potential targets in leukemic stem cells. It is the interaction with potential targets that gives rise to the potency of parthenolide and parthenolide derivatives as anti-cancer agents.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Myungsun Shin (2014)

Protein Modification by Parthenolide Derivatives

Term Funded:Year 2013
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Myungsun Shin (2014)

Investigation of the cellular action of the natural product, parthenolide.

Parthenolide, a natural product from the plant feverfew, has well documented chemotherapeutic properties. Water-soluble derivatives of parthenolide are currently undergoing clinical trials for treatment of leukemia. Despite these successes, the mechanism by which parthenolide and its derivatives interfere with celular processes in cancer cells is not well understood. Using derivatives of parthenolide synthesized in the lab, we plan to identify the action of parthenolide that contributes to its efficacy as a chemotherapeutic. We will use a chemoselective ligation reaction to label cellular targets of the drug with an affinity tag, biotin for subsequent detection and purification. Further understanding of the mecahnism of parthenolide action will pave the way for development of similar chemotherapeutic agents.

Term Funded:Fall 2011
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Ferrocenyl Analogs of Biologically Active Compounds

The proposed research encompasses a rather wide spectrum of chemistry with a goal of discovering one or several practical syntheses of biologically interesting compounds incorporating a ferrocenyl fragment. A primary area of interest is the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue of the anti-malarial agent proguanil. Recently, an emerging area of malaria research has been spawned by the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Studies Towards the Synthesis of Metal-based Anti-malarial agents

Over the course of the last decade, a new subdiscipline of chemistry has emerged. This new field, given the name bioorganometallic chemistry, deals with the study of the biological chemistry of compounds containing metal carbon bonds. A number of systems have been studied, including an iron-containing tamoxifen derivative, envisioned as a possible treatment for breast cancer; a triosmium carbonyl-based cluster that has shown to be a useful telomerase inhibitor and technicium carbonyl-based compounds that are useful in biological imaging processes. Another interesting observation has been the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene (organoiron) moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity. The proposal details a project in which studies will be undertaken to continue towards the synthesis of a metal-based derivative of the anti-malarial agent isopropyl [(4-chlorophenyl)amino]iminomethylcarbamimidate. To further our knowledge in this new field, a new direction of bioorganometallic chemistry will be investigated, namely the synthesis of ferrocenyl analogs of the biologically active dihydropyridines.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Ferrocenyl Analogs of Biologically Active Compounds

The proposed research encompasses a rather wide spectrum of chemistry with a goal of discovering one or several practical syntheses of biologically interesting compounds incorporating a ferrocenyl fragment. A primary area of interest is the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue of the anti-malarial agent proguanil. Recently, an emerging area of malaria research has been spawned by the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Ferrocenyl Analogs of Biologically Active Compounds

The proposed research encompasses a rather wide spectrum of chemistry with a goal of discovering one or several practical syntheses of biologically interesting compounds incorporating a ferrocenyl fragment. A primary area of interest is the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue of the anti-malarial agent proguanil. Recently, an emerging area of malaria research has been spawned by the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Ferrocenyl Analogs of Biologically Active Compounds

The proposed research encompasses a rather wide spectrum of chemistry with a goal of discovering one or several practical syntheses of biologically interesting compounds incorporating a ferrocenyl fragment. A primary area of interest is the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue of the anti-malarial agent proguanil. Recently, an emerging area of malaria research has been spawned by the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity.

Term Funded:Year 2006
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Studies Towards the Synthesis of Metal-based Anti-malarial agents

Over the course of the last decade, a new subdiscipline of chemistry has emerged. This new field, given the name bioorganometallic chemistry, deals with the study of the biological chemistry of compounds containing metal carbon bonds. A number of systems have been studied, including an iron-containing tamoxifen derivative, envisioned as a possible treatment for breast cancer; a triosmium carbonyl-based cluster that has shown to be a useful telomerase inhibitor and technicium carbonyl-based compounds that are useful in biological imaging processes. Another interesting observation has been the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene (organoiron) moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity. The proposal details a project in which studies will be undertaken to continue towards the synthesis of a metal-based derivative of the anti-malarial agent isopropyl [(4-chlorophenyl)amino]iminomethylcarbamimidate. To further our knowledge in this new field, a new direction of bioorganometallic chemistry will be investigated, namely the synthesis of ferrocenyl analogs of the biologically active dihydropyridines.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Ferrocenyl Analogs of Biologically Active Compounds

The proposed research encompasses a rather wide spectrum of chemistry with a goal of discovering one or several practical syntheses of biologically interesting compounds incorporating a ferrocenyl fragment. A primary area of interest is the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue of the anti-malarial agent proguanil. Recently, an emerging area of malaria research has been spawned by the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Ferrocenyl Analogs of Biologically Active Compounds

The proposed research encompasses a rather wide spectrum of chemistry with a goal of discovering one or several practical syntheses of biologically interesting compounds incorporating a ferrocenyl fragment. A primary area of interest is the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue of the anti-malarial agent proguanil. Recently, an emerging area of malaria research has been spawned by the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Ferrocenyl Analogs of Biologically Active Compounds

The proposed research encompasses a rather wide spectrum of chemistry with a goal of discovering one or several practical syntheses of biologically interesting compounds incorporating a ferrocenyl fragment. A primary area of interest is the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue of the anti-malarial agent proguanil. Recently, an emerging area of malaria research has been spawned by the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity.

Term Funded:Year 2006
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Ferrocenyl Analogs of Biologically Active Compounds

The proposed research encompasses a rather wide spectrum of chemistry with a goal of discovering one or several practical syntheses of biologically interesting compounds incorporating a ferrocenyl fragment. A primary area of interest is the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue of the anti-malarial agent proguanil. Recently, an emerging area of malaria research has been spawned by the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity.

Term Funded:Year 2006
Professor: Michael Holden

Natalie Sue Shwaish (2006)

Ferrocenyl Analogs of Biologically Active Compounds

The proposed research encompasses a rather wide spectrum of chemistry with a goal of discovering one or several practical syntheses of biologically interesting compounds incorporating a ferrocenyl fragment. A primary area of interest is the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue of the anti-malarial agent proguanil. Recently, an emerging area of malaria research has been spawned by the discovery of ferrocenyl-based anti-malarial agents. Several different anti-malarial compounds have been subjected to conditions in which a fragment of the carbon backbone has been replaced by a ferrocene moiety. A number of these organometallic species have demonstrated an enhanced anti-malarial activity.

Term Funded:Summer 2006
Professor: Michael Holden

Samuel Robert Silvershein (2014)

Mechanisms of CD14 Expression

CD14 is an immune system cellular receptor that plays a critical role in the defense against invading pathogens. It binds primarily to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of the outer wall of Gram negative bacteria. CD14 is found as two protein isoforms: a membrane protein (mCD14) and a soluble serum protein (sCD14). Aberrant expression of sCD14 has been associated with a number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Therefore, a deeper mechanistic understanding of CD14 expression and release from the cell is critical to understand its contribution to inflammatory diseases. Previous work has shown that treatment of immune cells with lovastatin, a drug primarily prescribed for cardiovascular disease that has anti-inflammatory properties, increases the expression of mCD14 while decreasing the release of sCD14 following LPS stimulation. Since lovastatin modulates CD14 expression, this project aims to use this drug as a tool to uncover novel mechanisms of this process.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Tiffany Frey

Zachary Adam Simmons (2016)

Development of new Trypanothione Reductase Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutics for Chagas Disease

This research aims to develop new treatments for Chagas Disease, a parasitic infection that affects approximately 300,000 Americans. Current drugs for Chagas have limited efficacy and numerous side effects. Trypanothione Reductase (TryR) is an enzyme unique to the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, that causes Chagas, and is essential for its survival. Inhibitors of TryR are an emerging class of new drugs for Chagas. This research will develop new TryR inhibitors that operate through a different mechanism than existing inhibitors. While current inhibitors target the active site of this enzyme, competing with its native substrate (trypanothione), inhibitors designed as part of this project will alter the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme, preventing both binding and reduction of trypanothione. Beyond Chagas Disease, TryR is found in other parasites such as those that cause African Sleeping Sickness and Leishmaniasis. Thus, new TryR inhibitors may have therapeutic value for multiple tropical diseases of poverty.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Jason Gavenonis

Jessica Kristine Sinchi (2014)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Brooke Leigh Slaton (1998)

DOE - F&M Holden

U.S. Dept of Education (FIPSE)

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: Michael Holden

Brooke Leigh Slaton (1998)

NSF 9501428 Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen and Oxygen Bases

Hydrocarbon-base matrix FTIR studies

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: Cindy Samet

Brooke Leigh Slaton (1998)

NSF 9501428 Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen and Oxygen Bases

NSF 9501428 Infrared Matrix Isolation Studies of Cyclic Hydrocarbons with Nitrogen and Oxygen Bases

Term Funded:Spring 1996
Professor: Cindy Samet

Rachel Whitehead Spector (1997)

Synthetic Organometallic Chemistry

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: Michael Holden

Rachel Whitehead Spector (1997)

Synthetic Organometallic Chemistry

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1995
Professor: Michael Holden

Matthew John Stachowiak (2005)

Molecular characterization of phytoplankton-derived extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced under nutrient-limited conditions

Phytoplankton nutrient limitation has been a major focus of oceanographic research for many years. Recent evidence suggests that macronutrients such as nitrate and phosphate, and micronutrients such as iron, may limit CO2 fixation over large areas of the world's oceans. Nutrients exert both direct and indirect effects in marine systems. Direct effects include lower growth rates, lower photosynthetic efficiencies, and smaller cell sizes. Indirect effects may include biochemically-induced changes to the organic carbon byproducts of CO2 fixation. For example, nutrient limitation may affect the composition and quantity of phytoplankton-derived exudates, called extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which may change its physical-chemical behavior. Because marine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is one of the largest storage reservoirs of carbon on earth, and EPS is a major component of the DOC pool, these results have important implications for the field of marine geochemistry. We propose to test this hypothesis by growing phytoplankton under nutrient-replete and nutrient-limited conditions, and characterizing the physical and chemical properties of the resulting EPS. Extracellular polymers will be chemically characterized using both bulk (i.e. colorimetric) and molecular (i.e. anion-exhange HPLC-IPAD) methods. Physical-chemical properties of phytoplankton-derived organic matter grown under these two nutrient regimes will then be examined using three techniques: 1) size-exclusion chromatography; 2) metal binding assays; and 3) bioassays with marine bacteria. A broader implication of this work is to examine the "molecular packaging" of atmospheric CO2 that is sequestered in marine systems.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Amy Witter

Matthew John Stachowiak (2005)

Flame atomic absorption spectrometer studies

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Amy Witter

Molly E Sternick (2020)

Mutation, expression and purification of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70)

"This project is part of a long term research program studying the effects of electrophilic natural products on protein activity in human cells. Recently, interest in electrophilic natural products has increased due to promising chemotherapeutic candidates such as dimethylaminoparthenolide. Within this PI's research program, it has been shown that parthenolide derivatives covalently modify heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in vitro, suggesting that, like other organic electrophiles, parthenolide can modulate the heat shock response (HSR) in human cells. This proposal will decipher how parthenolide and similar electrophiles chemically affect the HSR through covalent modification of the chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 and the transcription factor, Hsf1."

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Amie Marie Stewart (2005)

NSF 0406837 NUE: Incorporation of Nanoscience into the Chemistry Curriculum at the Introductory Level

This project sought to introduce nanoscience to a broad cross-section of ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app with outreach to local school systems. The project consisted of three key points, each targeting a different segment of the community: the development of a nanoscience course for non-science majors, the integration of laboratory exercises in nanoscience into chemistry courses required for the majority of science majors at Dickinson and the introduction of a summer workshop on nanoscience for secondary science teachers. The plan of action for this project involved a stepwise introduction of previously-published lab activities, allowing the introduction of newly developed experiments into upper level courses at a later in the project.

Term Funded:Spring 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Amie Marie Stewart (2005)

NSF 0406837 NUE: Incorporation of Nanoscience into the Chemistry Curriculum at the Introductory Level

This project sought to introduce nanoscience to a broad cross-section of ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app with outreach to local school systems. The project consisted of three key points, each targeting a different segment of the community: the development of a nanoscience course for non-science majors, the integration of laboratory exercises in nanoscience into chemistry courses required for the majority of science majors at Dickinson and the introduction of a summer workshop on nanoscience for secondary science teachers. The plan of action for this project involved a stepwise introduction of previously-published lab activities, allowing the introduction of newly developed experiments into upper level courses at a later in the project.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: R David Crouch

Amie Marie Stewart (2005)

NSF 0406837 NUE: Incorporation of Nanoscience into the Chemistry Curriculum at the Introductory Level

This project sought to introduce nanoscience to a broad cross-section of ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app with outreach to local school systems. The project consisted of three key points, each targeting a different segment of the community: the development of a nanoscience course for non-science majors, the integration of laboratory exercises in nanoscience into chemistry courses required for the majority of science majors at Dickinson and the introduction of a summer workshop on nanoscience for secondary science teachers. The plan of action for this project involved a stepwise introduction of previously-published lab activities, allowing the introduction of newly developed experiments into upper level courses at a later in the project.

Term Funded:Fall 2004
Professor: R David Crouch

Amie Marie Stewart (2005)

Use a Bismuth Salt--Silica Gel Mixture as a Reagent in the Deprotection of Silyl Ethers

This project involves the development of an extension of a method that we recently reported in Tetrahedron Letter. In our earlier work, we showed that some bismuth compounds can be used to remove silicon atoms attached to the oxygen atoms of alcohol groups. Such groups make the alcohol unreactive. In complex molecules, it is often necessary to perform a reaction on one alcohol and not another. So, the ability to selectively remove these silicon atoms (or silyl groups) is important. One drawback of our previously-reported method is the formation of a cloudy, white solid at the end of the reaction, making purification difficult. If, however, it is bound to a solid support, the bismuth reagent could still be available to perform the deprotection reaction but unavailable for reaction with water and base to form the milky white solid. The result would be a reaction that is much easier to perform.

Term Funded:Year 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Mike Stieff (1998)

Synthetic Routes to Enantiomerically-Pure Vicinal Ciols with C2 Symmetry

Synthetic Routes to Enantiomerically-Pure Vicinal Ciols with C2 Symmetry

Term Funded:Summer 1996
Professor: R David Crouch

Jerone Tyler Stoner (2015)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app - The Synthesis of 4-Ferrocenyl Pyrimidines

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Michael Holden

Candice Anne Stumbaugh (2003)

Viability of Bismuth Salts to remove silyl protecting groups

This proposal describes a project to test the viability of using bismuth salts to remove silyl protecting groups. The development of new methods for removing such groups has become increasingly important as the target molecules of synthetic chemists have become more complex. The need for environmentally-friendly methods such as the use of bismuth reagents is of particular importance. Literature precedent indicates that bismuth salts might serve as Lewis acids, facilitating the removal of silyl groups in much the same fashion that zinc bromide has in ongoing work in our laboratory. The goal of the proposed work is to establish conditions by which a bismuth salt will remove some, if not all, silyl groups and determine whether the method allows for selective removal of one silyl group without affecting another such group.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: R David Crouch

Candice Anne Stumbaugh (2003)

Viability of Bismuth Salts to remove silyl protecting groups

This proposal describes a project to test the viability of using bismuth salts to remove silyl protecting groups. The development of new methods for removing such groups has become increasingly important as the target molecules of synthetic chemists have become more complex. The need for environmentally-friendly methods such as the use of bismuth reagents is of particular importance. Literature precedent indicates that bismuth salts might serve as Lewis acids, facilitating the removal of silyl groups in much the same fashion that zinc bromide has in ongoing work in our laboratory. The goal of the proposed work is to establish conditions by which a bismuth salt will remove some, if not all, silyl groups and determine whether the method allows for selective removal of one silyl group without affecting another such group.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: R David Crouch

Trent Fredrick Stumbaugh (2003)

Substitution reactions of the CpARe(CO)2(THF) Complex

The substitution of the THF solvent molecule from the Cp*Re (CO)2(THF) complex by cyclohexene will be studied to elucidate the mechanism and energetics of this important reaction. By adding methyl substitutes to the THF solvent, the electronic and steric properties of the THF ligand will be systematically varied and the subsequent affect on the Re-THF bond strength will be mapped out.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Rehab George Tabchi (2003)

The Baylis-Hillman Reaction Utilizing Chromium-complexed Styrenes

Many organic reactions can be made to take place more efficiently if a temporary metal template is attached to an organic fragment. This proposal details the use of an organochromium system to allow the completion of the Baylis-Hillman Reaction on an unsubstituted styrene. In the absence of the chromium fragment, the reaction will not take place, but the electron-withdrawing nature of the chromium moiety should permit successful completion of the reaction. This project will extend the Baylis-Hillman reaction to a new family of compounds, and will also add to the synthetic repetoire of organochromium compounds.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Michael Holden

Rehab George Tabchi (2003)

The Baylis-Hillman Reaction Utilizing Chromium-complexed Styrenes

Many organic reactions can be made to take place more efficiently if a temporary metal template is attached to an organic fragment. This proposal details the use of an organochromium system to allow the completion of the Baylis-Hillman Reaction on an unsubstituted styrene. In the absence of the chromium fragment, the reaction will not take place, but the electron-withdrawing nature of the chromium moiety should permit successful completion of the reaction. This project will extend the Baylis-Hillman reaction to a new family of compounds, and will also add to the synthetic repetoire of organochromium compounds.

Term Funded:Summer 2001
Professor: Michael Holden

Pamela Gulden Thompson (1991)

investigating the use of computers in chemistry

n/a

Term Funded:summer 1990
Professor: Cindy Samet

Rebecca Sarah Katherine Thompson (2013)

Organic Research

Term Funded:Spring 2011
Professor: Michael Holden

Andrew Harper Tolbert (2015)

Applied Research and Photonics

Research internship

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Sarah St. Angelo

Elizabeth Barbara Trost (2021)

Mutation, expression and purification of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70)

"This project is part of a long term research program studying the effects of electrophilic natural products on protein activity in human cells. Recently, interest in electrophilic natural products has increased due to promising chemotherapeutic candidates such as dimethylaminoparthenolide. Within this PI's research program, it has been shown that parthenolide derivatives covalently modify heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in vitro, suggesting that, like other organic electrophiles, parthenolide can modulate the heat shock response (HSR) in human cells. This proposal will decipher how parthenolide and similar electrophiles chemically affect the HSR through covalent modification of the chaperone proteins Hsp70 and Hsp90 and the transcription factor, Hsf1."

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Alexander Kevin Tucker-Schwartz (2005)

Ionic Liquids in theDeprotection of Silyl Ethers

Deprotection of silyl ethers continues to be an important step in many organic synthetic schemes. One problem with protection/deprotection protocols is the addition of extra steps to already long reaction schemes and, in industrial settings, the problem is exacerbated by large waste streams and the cost of their handling. So, the development of environmentally-friendly reagents and solvents that can be reused is very desirable. Ionic liquids are organic compounds consisting of a positive and negative ion and possess the unusual characteristic of being liquids near room temperature. In recent years, these chemical oddities have been used as solvents in organic reactions with the added advantage that they can be recovered, purified and reused in subsequent reactions. This explains the growing popularity of ionic liquids as solvents in organic chemistry. Recently, the role ionic liquids in organic systhesis has been expanded with the introduction of ionic liquids bearing reactive groups such as acids. These combination compounds serve as a solvent and a reactant in organic reactions and, like other ionic liquids, they can be recycled. This proposal describes some preliminary results obtained last summer that show that ionic liquids can effect deprotection of silyl ethers. It also suggests some approaches to solve the seemingly competitive issues of obtaining high chemical yields in the deprotection reaction and recovering and reusing the ionic liquid.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: R David Crouch

Alexander Kevin Tucker-Schwartz (2005)

Ionic Liquids in theDeprotection of Silyl Ethers

Deprotection of silyl ethers continues to be an important step in many organic synthetic schemes. One problem with protection/deprotection protocols is the addition of extra steps to already long reaction schemes and, in industrial settings, the problem is exacerbated by large waste streams and the cost of their handling. So, the development of environmentally-friendly reagents and solvents that can be reused is very desirable. Ionic liquids are organic compounds consisting of a positive and negative ion and possess the unusual characteristic of being liquids near room temperature. In recent years, these chemical oddities have been used as solvents in organic reactions with the added advantage that they can be recovered, purified and reused in subsequent reactions. This explains the growing popularity of ionic liquids as solvents in organic chemistry. Recently, the role ionic liquids in organic systhesis has been expanded with the introduction of ionic liquids bearing reactive groups such as acids. These combination compounds serve as a solvent and a reactant in organic reactions and, like other ionic liquids, they can be recycled. This proposal describes some preliminary results obtained last summer that show that ionic liquids can effect deprotection of silyl ethers. It also suggests some approaches to solve the seemingly competitive issues of obtaining high chemical yields in the deprotection reaction and recovering and reusing the ionic liquid.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: R David Crouch

Katelyn Ann Uribe (2012)

Electron Microscopy of Nanoparticles Synthesized via Green Chemistry

Green chemistry methods for metal nanoparticle syntheses are less common than for other kinds of chemistry. Green chemistry ascribes to several principles, including use of less toxic reagents, reduced use of solvents, employment of energy efficient syntheses, and reduction of waste. The nanoparticle syntheses investigated by our work will use extracts derived from lemongrass and ginkgo leaves - both are nontoxic substances that are often ingested. All syntheses will be conducted in water, and most will be at or near room temperature. Waste is reduced by the small volumes required for analysis. Preliminary work has shown that lemongrass and ginkgo reduce gold, silver and copper ions to form spherical nanoparticles and nanoplatelets. In order to characterize the size and shape of our green nanoparticles, we must use transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a technique not available at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app. With CSE funding, we will access TEM through Penn State University facilities.

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Sarah St. Angelo

Katelyn Ann Uribe (2012)

Electron Microscopy of Nanoparticles Synthesized via Green Chemistry

Green chemistry methods for metal nanoparticle syntheses are less common than for other kinds of chemistry. Green chemistry ascribes to several principles, including use of less toxic reagents, reduced use of solvents, employment of energy efficient syntheses, and reduction of waste.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor:

Caitlin Mary Usavage ()

Developing New Bioluminescent Sensors for Monitoring Intracellular Interactions

Bioluminescent proteins derived from deep sea shrimp have proven broadly useful in the fields of preclinical imaging and biological sensors. One class of such proteins has been engineered to emit light in response to cross-talk between molecules of interest in cells. Though useful, the current sensors cannot detect multiple signals simultaneously. Researchers in the Rathbun lab will seek to expand the utility of this tool through a process called directed evolution. This project will begin by first accumulating collections of peptide binders and mutant proteins. Peptides will be chemically synthesized, and proteins will be produced in bacteria. Second, each peptide binder will be tested (for bioluminescent light emission) with each mutant protein. Finally, machine learning techniques will be employed to predict the best binders, and the process will repeat until the desired performance is attained. Initially, we will seek to develop two sets of binding proteins that operate orthogonally, to enable detection of multiple interactions in cells simultaneously.

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: Colin Rathbun

Leah M Wachsmuth (2019)

Identification of potential new drug targets for Neglected Tropical Diseases

This research aims to Identify new drug targets for neglected tropical diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the class kinetoplastida. These parasites are responsible for a number of diseases of poverty, such as Chagas Disease, Leishmaniasis, and African Sleeping Sickness. This project will involve computational analysis of known protein structures in these organisms to identify potentially druggable regions that have yet to be examined by conventional synthetic methods. Another project in our lab is currently dedicated to synthetic validation of one new potential target; we are curious as to how many more we can find.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Jason Gavenonis

Jennifer Burger Walker (2001)

Selective Protection of Alcohols in the Presence of beta- and gamma-hydroxyethers

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: R David Crouch

Heather Grace Ward (2002)

n/a

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2000
Professor: Joyce Whitehead

Xiang Wei (2017)

NSF 085670: STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Grant Braught

Jodi Elaine Wiegand (1999)

A Kinetic and Mechanistic Investigation of the Reacion Between CpMn(CO)2 and Diphenyl Diazomethane

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1998
Professor: Ashfaq Bengali

Olivia Harper Wilkins (2015)

Quantitative Analysis of Resveratrol Using UV-vis and HPLC

Term Funded: 2013
Professor: Amy Witter

Olivia Harper Wilkins (2015)

HI Absorption against Pulsars

Pulsars are constant electromagnetic radiations from neutron stars, which are highly magnetized stars that rotate very quickly. Information from pulsars is collected in waves, which have periods equivalent to the neutron star's periods of rotation. This has been used to confirm gravitational radiation indirectly within the discipline of physics. In general, astronomical research allows scientists to learn more about the universe. This can be beneficial in a variety of ways helping scientists learn more about our own solar system and predicting astronomical events that may affect the future of Earth. At the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) data will be collected on site and analyzed at the Jansky Lab from the Robert C. Byrd Radio Telescope, the largest radio telescope in the world and one of the largest moveable structures on Earth. The pulsars will be analyzed to considering galactic HI (atomic hydrogen) emissions from the neutron star. Using various spectra, the absorption of HI will be used to determine properties such as the temperature of the star. More information regarding significance, methods, and the research question will be received upon arrival at the NRAO facility. This complements both of my majors of Chemistry and Mathematics. In terms of Chemistry, this research project considers atomic hydrogen. It also involves analysis of temperature, a property often considered in chemical analyses and experiments. The data analysis and modeling, while not strictly chemical in nature, involves the same critical thinking and general criteria as Chemistry. There will also be write-ups and reports, which will be similar to those in the Chemistry major. In terms of Mathematics, this experience at the NRAO involves a lot of applied mathematics and statistics. It may also involve algorithms that are fundamentally linear algebra. While this research is Physics and Astronomy in nature, it will be helpful in the greater sense of conducting research and critical analysis. Furthermore, physicists have implemented many of the theories and have made many of the discoveries relevant to chemistry. During this experience at the NRAO, I will have the opportunity to visit NRAO headquarters at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to meet with other research assistants where I will discuss my own research and learn more of the scope of what the NRAO does. Furthermore, I will be required to present my research at a luncheon to other researchers at Green Bank. Finally, if my research results in significant findings, it may result in publication or even the opportunity to present my research at the American Astronomical Society 223rd meeting in the winter of 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor:

Olivia Harper Wilkins (2015)

Carbon Chains during Low-Mass Star Formation

The study of organic species in interstellar and stellar bodies is important in understanding prebiotic chemistry in the formation of stars and planetary systems. This includes the study of protostars, which are clouds of gas on the path of becoming stars. Complex organic molecules (COMs) which in astrochemical terms refer to carbon-containing species with five atoms or more are particularly interesting because large molecules often dissociate in the extreme conditions of our Galaxy. Hence the presence of such large molecules is relatively uncommon. By assessing the abundances of COMs and unsaturated organic molecules generally, the chemical and physical structures of protostars can be studied.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Anna Beatrice Williams (2006)

Organic Synthesis on Solid Supports: Application to the preparation of a new adrenergic agonist

One of the challenges in organic synthesis is isolation of the product from complex reaction mixtures. In recent years, methods have been developed in which a small organic molecule can be attached to a polymer bead and after a reaction on the organic molecule, the product can be isolated as a solid. We wish to begin to apply this method - Solid Phase Organic Synthesis - to a project in which a new series of compounds that may have activity as an agonist of the a1A receptor in the human bladder neck. This project is supported by funds from the Research Corporation.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Anna Beatrice Williams (2006)

Design, synthesis and assay ofcyclopropane-containing agonists of a-adrenergic agents

In our previous report, we described work toward the coupling of aromatic rings, formation of the cyclopropyl group from an cz4S-unsaturated nitrile and the conversion of the nitrile into an imidazoline ring. During the summer of 2006, our work on this project focused on two primary areas: completing the study of the microwave-mediated Suzuki couplings with aryltrifluoroborate salts and bringing the individual transformations together into a complete synthetic pathway leading to the target molecules.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Anna Beatrice Williams (2006)

Design, synthesis and assay ofcyclopropane-containing agonists of a-adrenergic agents

In our previous report, we described work toward the coupling of aromatic rings, formation of the cyclopropyl group from an cz4S-unsaturated nitrile and the conversion of the nitrile into an imidazoline ring. During the summer of 2006, our work on this project focused on two primary areas: completing the study of the microwave-mediated Suzuki couplings with aryltrifluoroborate salts and bringing the individual transformations together into a complete synthetic pathway leading to the target molecules.

Term Funded:Summer 2005
Professor: R David Crouch

Hanzhi Zhao (2017)

Investigation of the effects of parthenolide on the heat shock response system

Parthenolide, an electrophilic natural product from feverfew, reacts with biological nucleophiles and exhibits many cellular effects. Through covalent adduction of proteins NFinflammatory drug and a potential chemotherapeutic. Nonetheless, parthenolide also adducts other κB and IKK, parthenolide acts as an anti proteins in cells, which can lead to modification of many cellular processes. Using a reactive parthenolide derivative, we have evidence that heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) can also be adducted. The effect of parthenolide on heat shock response has not been fully explored and we propose to evaluate the interaction of parthenolide with the heat shock response system in human leukemia cells. We hypothesize that adduction of heat shock proteins results in disruption of their ability to form the heat shock chaperone complex, and thus activates the heat shock response. In order to evaluate our hypothesis, we will (1) measure the effect of parthenolide treatment on heat shock transcription, (2) identify adducted heat shock proteins and individual sites of adduction using a reactive parthenolide derivative, immunoblotting, and mass spectrometric analysis, and (3) determine the effect of parthenolide on the chaperone activity of heat shock proteins and on the in vitro reconstitution of the heat shock chaperone complex.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Rebecca Connor

Tianju Zhou (2012)

Linking Antimetastatic Acitivity to Reduction Potential and Rate of Hydrolysis in a Series of N-alkyl substituted NAMI-A derivatives

NAMI-A is a ruthenium containing compound currently undergoing phase II clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic tumors. This project will attempt to correlate the anticancer activity of a range of ruthenium containing compounds derived from NAMI-A with properties such as reduction potential, rate of hydrolysis, and energies of frontier orbitals. Prior research indicates that the first two properties may be linked to increased cytotoxicity. However, no direct correlation has been made that would facilitate the design of new drugs to take advantage of this effect.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Kristi Humphreys

Elizabeth Harrity de la Reguera (2014)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Michael Holden

Prerana Y Patil ()

Renewable Agriculture: Biogas Digestor, Compost, and Resultant Fertilizer Effects on Crop Growth and Nutritional Content

This Dana Assistantship is proposed to support the EPA grant, Co-digestion of Food Residues and Dairy Manure on a Diversified Small Farm, awarded to Principal Investigator Matt Steiman at the College Farm and Professor Sarah St. Angelo in Chemistry. The Dana student would work primarily at the Farm for the summer under the guidance of Matt Steiman. Daily responsibilities will include running small batch digestion trials, maintenance of the biogas digestor and associated research compost piles. The student will work with Professor St. Angelo on the design and execution of experiments related to digestor effluent and crops treated with various fertilizers. The student will collect metrics throughout the summer for the biogas digestor and compost. Crop experiments will require regular maintenance, timely measurements, and collection/preservation of samples for laboratory analysis.

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: Matthew Steiman, Sarah St. Angelo

Maxwell Lee (2019)

Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals

Term Funded:Fall 2019
Professor: Sarah St. Angelo

Lars Patrick Arnesen (2015)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Development of database of grammatical structures in Caesar's Gallic War.

Development of online text and commentary series for intermediate classical language learners, the Dickinson Commentaries.

Term Funded:Fall 2014
Professor: Christopher Francese

Kaylin Marianne Bednarz (2015)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Digitization of Allen & Greenough's Latin Grammar

Digitizing the index to Allen & Greenough, and editing of Perseus XML of Allen & Greenough.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Christopher Francese

Kaylin Marianne Bednarz (2015)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Digitization of Allen & Greenough's Latin Grammar

Digitization of Allen & Greenough's Latin Grammar

Term Funded:Spring 2014
Professor: Christopher Francese

Brendan M Boston (2011)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Editing notes and commentary for Caesar, Selections from the Gallic War, multimedia edition.

Brendan Boston ('11) helped select comments for Caesar Gallic War selections, drawing from existing sources in the public domain; edited the Latin text to conform with the OCT; created first draft of vocabulary lists for Caesar commentary; and digitized many maps from older school editions of the Gallic War.

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Christopher Francese

Joelle Taylor Cicak (2016)

Dickinson Commentaries: 4 original illustrations for Nepos commentary.

Joelle Cicak (Dickinson '16) drew 4 original illustrations for Nepos commentary.

Term Funded:Spring 2013
Professor: Christopher Francese

Hugh Downs (2019)

Critical Edition of Maffei's Historiarum Indicarum libri XVI (1588)

This scholarly project is the first modern critical edition of the Latin work Historiarum Indicarum libri XVI (History of the Indies in 16 Books) by Giovanni Pietro Maffei. First published in 1588, it tells the story of the pioneering Portuguese voyages of the late 15th and 16th centuries, around the coast of Africa, to Brazil, along the Malabar Coast of India, to Malaysia, China, and Japan. It provides a detailed and admiring description of Chinese civilization, and the first substantial reports about Japan read in Europe. Maffei was a renowned Jesuit humanist, one of the most talented and learned writers of his day, and had unique access to Portuguese archives and informants. The work was widely published and read all over Europe for a hundred years or more, but remains without any modern edition or translation.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Christopher Francese

Christina Marie Errico (2015)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Digitization of Thomas Dwight Goodell's Greek Grammar for Schools

Christina Errico (Dickinson '15) worked on the digitization of Thomas Dwight Goodell's Greek Grammar for Schools

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Christopher Francese

Alice Florence Ettling (2012)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Creation of initial drafts of the core Greek and Latin vocabulary lists, making of map animations for Caesar commentary, adding Allen & Greenough references to Ovid commentary

Alice Ettling (Dickinson '12) created the initial drafts of the core Greek and Latin vocabulary lists, made map animations for Caesar commentary, added Allen & Greenough references to Ovid commentary

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Christopher Francese

Alice Florence Ettling (2012)

Dickinson Commentaries: Creation of Google Earth map animations to go with the Caesar Gallic War selections. Adding of links to Allen & Greenough's Latin grammar.

In this project the student will help to develop the innovative online text and commentary series for intermediate classical language learners, the Dickinson Commentaries. Alice Ettling ('11) created the Google Earth map animations to go with the Caesar Gallic War selections. She added links to Allen & Greenough's Latin grammar.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Christopher Francese

Kristin Elaine Fanciullacci (2009)

Emotional display in Roman elegy

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Meghan Reedy

Lara T Frymark (2012)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: editing of core vocabularies, running lists for Cicero Pro Caelio, uploading and formating of content for Ovid, Amores 1

In this project the student will help to develop the innovative online text and commentary series for intermediate classical language learners, the Dickinson Commentaries. Derek Frymark (Dickinson '12) edited core vocabularies, worked on running lists for Cicero Pro Caelio, and uploaded and formatted content to Ovid commentary

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Christopher Francese

Lara T Frymark (2012)

An index for "Ancient Rome: An Anthology of Sources" by Christopher Francese

Derek Frymark (Dickinson '12) made spreadsheets for the core vocabularies, including frequency data, compiled index for Francese's book Ancient Rome: An Anthology of Sources.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Christopher Francese

Lara T Frymark (2012)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentary: Digitization of Henry Frieze's Vergilian Dictionary

Classics Summer Research Assistantship •Derek Frymark (Dickinson '12) worked on the digitization of Henry Frieze's Vergilian Dictionary.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Christopher Francese

Lara T Frymark (2012)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: creation of vocabulary lists for the Sulpicius Severus' Life of St. Martin; adding satellite map imagery.

In this project the student will help to develop the innovative online text and commentary series for intermediate classical language learners, the Dickinson Commentaries. Derek Frymark ('11) created the first draft of the vocabulary lists for the Sulpicius Severus' Life of St. Martin, and added satellite map imagery.

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Christopher Francese

Sai R S M Grandhi (2017)

Creation of module in Drupal 8 that allows for the use of Annotator by Hypothesis.

A third student will work under Todd Bryant to create module in Drupal 8 that allows for the use of Annotator by Hypothes.is in the Drupal platform. This module will allow for a sustainable, customizable vehicle for your project and for other text annotation projects at Dickinson and beyond.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Todd Bryant

Catalina Teodora Ionescu (2019)

The Rise of the Roman Republic: A Gaming Simulation

We propose to create a simulation of the expansion of Rome throughout the Italian peninsula using the game Civilization VI. Grounded on thorough research into the primary literary sources, the material record, and recent scholarship, the finished simulation will present the gamer with a historical simulation - accurate as far as the technology allows - in which players will have to consider social, economic, and technological factors of Rome's expansion while trying to replicate their rise to dominance. To create the simulation the students will need to modify the historical simulation and evaluate how accurately the resulting modification illustrates our best understanding of history. I will direct the students' research, and Todd Bryant will supervise their creation and modification of the simulation. We expect several concrete outcomes from the project.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Scott Farrington

Seth Andrew Levin (2019)

Latin-Chinese Dictionary Project

The students will begin digitization of the Latin-Chinese dictionary of Joaquim-Affonso Gonçalves (Lexicon magnum: latino-sinicum 1841), which will eventually result in a mobile application, and a database that will form an essential part of the infrastructure of the project Dickinson Classics Online (dco.dickinson.edu). Begun in 2015, DCO is intended to provide better access to the Greco-Roman classics to Chinese speakers. One student will edit Gonçalves Chinese definitions to make sure they are properly transcribed and modernized; the other will edit the Latin headwords to make them correspond to those of the base dictionary published by the Laboratoire d'Analyse Statistique des Langues Anciennes (LASLA). In many cases Goncalves' headwords will have to be split or combined to conform to the LASLA headwords, and in every case the format of the Latin headwords will have to be expanded to meet modern lexicographical standards. This means that the Chinese definitions, too, will often have to be split and combined, and the expertise of two students, one with excellent Chinese, the other with excellent Latin, will be essential.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Christopher Francese

Seth Andrew Levin (2019)

Critical Edition of Maffei's Historiarum Indicarum Libri XVI (1588)

This scholarly project is the first modern critical edition of the Latin work Historiarum Indicarum libri XVI (History of the Indies in 16 Books) by Giovanni Pietro Maffei. First published in 1588, it tells the story of the pioneering Portuguese voyages of the late 15th and 16th centuries, around the coast of Africa, to Brazil, along the Malabar Coast of India, to Malaysia, China, and Japan. It provides a detailed and admiring description of Chinese civilization, and the first substantial reports about Japan read in Europe. Maffei was a renowned Jesuit humanist, one of the most talented and learned writers of his day, and had unique access to Portuguese archives and informants. The work was widely published and read all over Europe for a hundred years or more, but remains without any modern edition or translation.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Christopher Francese

James Michael Martin (2013)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Editing of core vocabularies, running lists for Caesar and Ovid commentaries

In this project the student will help to develop the innovative online text and commentary series for intermediate classical language learners, the Dickinson Commentaries. James Martin (Dickinson '13) edited core vocabularies, worked on running lists for Caesar and Ovid commentaries.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Christopher Francese

Lucy Anne McInerney (2015)

Dickinson Commentaries: Editing of notes for Aeneid Book 1; uploading and annotating of Eimmart's illustrations for the Aeneid; creation of the bibliography of Aeneid editions.

Development of online text and commentary series for intermediate classical language learners, the Dickinson Commentaries.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Christopher Francese

Michael Joe-Sheng Niu (2017)

Latin-Chinese Dictionary Project

The students will begin digitization of the Latin-Chinese dictionary of Joaquim-Affonso Gonçalves (Lexicon magnum: latino-sinicum 1841), which will eventually result in a mobile application, and a database that will form an essential part of the infrastructure of the project Dickinson Classics Online (dco.dickinson.edu). Begun in 2015, DCO is intended to provide better access to the Greco-Roman classics to Chinese speakers. One student will edit Gonçalves Chinese definitions to make sure they are properly transcribed and modernized; the other will edit the Latin headwords to make them correspond to those of the base dictionary published by the Laboratoire d'Analyse Statistique des Langues Anciennes (LASLA). In many cases Goncalves' headwords will have to be split or combined to conform to the LASLA headwords, and in every case the format of the Latin headwords will have to be expanded to meet modern lexicographical standards. This means that the Chinese definitions, too, will often have to be split and combined, and the expertise of two students, one with excellent Chinese, the other with excellent Latin, will be essential.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Christopher Francese

Elizabeth Marie Parker (2009)

Prudentius' Psychomachia

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Marc Mastrangelo

Daniel Plekhov (2014)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Pleiades/Pelagios/DCC integration, created Arc GIS maps for the Caesar commentary, created table of contents for the Callimachus, Aetia

Pleiades/Pelagios/DCC integration, created Arc GIS maps for the DCC Caesar commentary, created new table of contents for the Callimachus commentary.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Christopher Francese

Katherine Ruth Purington (2015)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Adding of image content to Aeneid commentary.

Development of online text and commentary series for intermediate classical language learners, the Dickinson Commentaries.

Term Funded:Fall 2014
Professor: Christopher Francese

Nicholas Walter Stender (2015)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: editing of vocabulary lists for Callimachus, Aetia and Lucian, True Histories.

Development of online text and commentary series for intermediate classical language learners, the Dickinson Commentaries.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Christopher Francese

Qingyu Wang (2014)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Mandarin Chinese translations for words in the Core Greek and Latin vocabularies.

Qingyu Wang (Dickinson '14) worked on Pleiades/Pelagios/DCC integration, created databases for core vocabularies, worked on new interface for Allen & Greenough's Latin Grammar.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Christopher Francese

Qingyu Wang (2014)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: Pleiades/Pelagios/DCC integration, creation of databases for core vocabularies

Qingyu Wang (Dickinson '14) worked on Mandarin Chinese translations for words in the DCC Core Greek and Latin vocabularies.

Term Funded:Spring 2014
Professor: Christopher Francese

Ian Richard White (2019)

The Rise of the Roman Republic: A Gaming Simulation

We propose to create a simulation of the expansion of Rome throughout the Italian peninsula using the game Civilization VI. Grounded on thorough research into the primary literary sources, the material record, and recent scholarship, the finished simulation will present the gamer with a historical simulation - accurate as far as the technology allows - in which players will have to consider social, economic, and technological factors of Rome's expansion while trying to replicate their rise to dominance. To create the simulation the students will need to modify the historical simulation and evaluate how accurately the resulting modification illustrates our best understanding of history. I will direct the students' research, and Todd Bryant will supervise their creation and modification of the simulation. We expect several concrete outcomes from the project.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Scott Farrington

Meredith Ashley Wilson (2013)

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Commentaries: editing of core vocabularies, running lists for Ovid commentary, Google Earth maps for Ovid and Sulpicius Severus commentaries.

In this project the student will help to develop the innovative online text and commentary series for intermediate classical language learners, the Dickinson Commentaries. Meredith Wilson (Dickinson '13) edited core vocabularies, worked on running lists for Ovid commentary, and made Google Earth maps for Ovid and Sulpicius Severus commentaries

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Christopher Francese

Siyun Yan (2018)

Latin-Chinese Dictionary Project

The students will begin digitization of the Latin-Chinese dictionary of Joaquim-Affonso Gonçalves (Lexicon magnum: latino-sinicum 1841), which will eventually result in a mobile application, and a database that will form an essential part of the infrastructure of the project Dickinson Classics Online (dco.dickinson.edu). Begun in 2015, DCO is intended to provide better access to the Greco-Roman classics to Chinese speakers. One student will edit Gonçalves Chinese definitions to make sure they are properly transcribed and modernized; the other will edit the Latin headwords to make them correspond to those of the base dictionary published by the Laboratoire d'Analyse Statistique des Langues Anciennes (LASLA). In many cases Goncalves' headwords will have to be split or combined to conform to the LASLA headwords, and in every case the format of the Latin headwords will have to be expanded to meet modern lexicographical standards. This means that the Chinese definitions, too, will often have to be split and combined, and the expertise of two students, one with excellent Chinese, the other with excellent Latin, will be essential.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Christopher Francese

Kalyn Laurel Campbell (2010)

Teaching Garden at the College Farm

Teaching Garden at the College Farm

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Jennifer Halpin

Deanna Victoria Findlay ()

Burpee Foundation: Community Garden Research

Burpee Foundation: Community Garden Research

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: Jennifer Halpin

Katelyn Hollie Repash (2011)

Seasonal Menu Specialist

Seasonal Menu Specialist

Term Funded:Fall 2010
Professor: Jennifer Halpin

Anna Maeve Thistel ()

Burpee Foundation: Community Garden Research

Burpee Foundation: Community Garden Research

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: Jennifer Halpin

Samuel George Wheeler (2010)

Solar Power Vehicle Design: The Solar Wheeler

Solar Power Vehicle Design: The Solar Wheeler

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Matthew Steiman

Todd Matthew Derkacz (2004)

Editorial Assistant for Dickinson Magazine

Editorial assistant for Dickinson Magazine. Student will assist magazine editor in production of the quarterly alumni magazine. The intern also will have the opportunity to write campus news stories, features stories and alumni profiles, and do background research for more comprehensive stories. The student will have the chance to polish interviewing skills-by speaking with story sources face to face and over the phone-and improve his or her newswriting and feature-writing skills. The student also may assist with gathering and writing of class notes and obituaries. The intern will have the opportunity to work with the World Wide Web, since the magazine is continuing to upgrade its Web site. For example, the student will learn to scan alumni photos that will then be posted on the Web. In addition, the student will accompany the editor to a press check and observe the printing of the magazine. The student will be taught the importance of accurate and thorough reporting, clear writing, adherence to deadlines and diligent proofreading. He or she also will be taught to use a stylebook and to use proofreading symbols.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Catherine Kimmel

Kathryn Benner Vadell (2005)

Editorial Assistant for Dickinson Magazine

Editorial assistant for Dickinson Magazine. Student will assist magazine editor in production of the quarterly alumni magazine. The intern also will have the opportunity to write campus news stories, features stories and alumni profiles, and do background research for more comprehensive stories. The student will have the chance to polish interviewing skills-by speaking with story sources face to face and over the phone-and improve his or her newswriting and feature-writing skills. The student also may assist with gathering and writing of class notes and obituaries. The intern will have the opportunity to work with the World Wide Web, since the magazine is continuing to upgrade its Web site. For example, the student will learn to scan alumni photos that will then be posted on the Web. In addition, the student will accompany the editor to a press check and observe the printing of the magazine. The student will be taught the importance of accurate and thorough reporting, clear writing, adherence to deadlines and diligent proofreading. He or she also will be taught to use a stylebook and to use proofreading symbols.

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Catherine Kimmel

Mariel Carmen Fernandez (2015)

La Calle Habla: Exploring Street Art in Lima, Peru

Mariel's research examined the way street art and graffiti function as expressions of youth migrant identity and resistance in Lima, Peru. Despite Lima's long history of rural to urban migration, rural indigenous migrants are often harshly discriminated against and marginalized within the urban space. Street art opens a space for young first and second generation migrants to carve an identity and space for themselves within the city. The four artists featured in this project, Elliot Tupac, Mome RC, Qarla Quispe and Choco Car, illustrate the diversity of Lima's street art movement as well as the ways in which street art functions to express migrant identity, resistance and social consciousness. Her research was the culmination of a total of 8 weeks of fieldwork in Lima during two research trips in May 2014 and January 2015.

Term Funded:Winter 2015
Professor: Marcelo Borges

Virginia Kopacki (2017)

Passing Muster: Negotiating the Racialized and Gendered "Mythology" of Reenactment

Historical reenactment, also called living history, involves the replication of a period in history with varying degrees of accuracy through dress, events, and research. In spite of its enduring popularity, however, women and people of color have been underrepresented within the ranks of living history. Even as mainstream historical interpretation begins exploring more hidden histories of race, gender, and sexuality, reenactors who fall outside the boundaries of normative reenactment continue to feel displaced and underrepresented. With funding from the Community Studies Center of ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app, and based on nine months of field research, participant observation, and twenty-five interviews with Civil War reenactors, this project explores the question of how and why reenactors navigate the tensions they encounter while reenacting. In particular, reenactors claim "authenticity" in order to police the boundaries of the hobby and keep undesirable groups invisible. Authenticity, although a key tenet of reenactment, carries diverse meanings. Reenactors claim authenticity in order to keep women out of military ranks and to rewrite history through a Southern heroism lens, alienating many reenactors. Reenactment is a space where these struggles of inclusion and exclusion come to the fore, allowing for some voices to be heard through the silencing of others. This segregation and lack of representation has stunted the growth of the reenactment and is a major factor in its negative perception. If reenactors wish for living history to continue and flourish, they must take a progressive approach to history by welcoming women and people of color's contributions in the field.

Term Funded:Fall 2016
Professor: Kjell Enge

Jessica A Lizardo (2017)

No Longer Silenced: Anti-Haitianism in the Dominican Republic's Educational System and Second Generation Haitian Children

After nine years of not stepping foot in the Dominican Republic, I had the opportunity to reconnect with my country in December of 2015. With an aware and conscious mind through my education at Dickinson, I was shocked because I experienced anti-Haitianism in many aspects, and I was able to analyze such issues from a sociological viewpoint. I saw anti-Haitian signs in the streets saying "Fuera los Haitianos"- "Get out Haitians," segregated communities and schools, and other forms of explicit inequalities that Haitians faced. Using a phenomenological approach, I conducted ethnographic research, using participant observation and in-depth interviews with elementary school students to explore the ways in which their personal lives were affected by the blatant and unapologetic forms of discrimination and racism in the Dominican Republic. My findings show that students of Haitian descent are being discriminated against in their school on a daily basis in multiple ways and the emotional and psychological resources that these students need to cope with such discrimination is almost non-existent.

Term Funded:Winter 2017
Professor: Amy Steinbugler

Jiyeong Park (2016)

Family Planning and Contraception Among the Cameroonian Women in Polygamous Households in M'muock Leteh, Cameroon

Cameroon is located in Sub-Saharan Africa and has been facing various problems with maternal health; it has one of the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. In 2011, approximately 782 women died due to pregnancy or delivery related causes per 100,000 live births. Furthermore, the infant mortality rate was relatively high, noting 61 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012. Additionally, a problem in Cameroon exists with large numbers of unwanted pregnancies due to lack of access to quality family planning services. Faith's research on family planning and contraception focused on Cameroonian women in both urban and rural areas. She collected data through surveys and interviews to study the attitudes, knowledge and perceptions on family planning and contraception among these women. Her research aims to raise awareness on family planning and contraception in Cameroon.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Susan Rose

Nalani Noel Saito (2017)

Whole of Happa: An Intergenerational Study of Japanese Hawaiians

I brought my identities as a hapa, or multiracial, Japanese American into critical dialogue. I conducted ethnographic research, consisting of participant observation and semi-structured interviews with Japanese American men and women, ranging in age from 21-90, and all local to Hawai'i. The most pertinent theme to emerge from my interviews was the significance of familial ties across generations for Japanese Americans in Hawai'i. They were well versed in their ancestors' immigration histories, with the initial push for most informants' ancestors to immigrate to Hawaii being to work on the sugarcane plantations established by American expatriates post-emancipation. The relationship between Hawai'i Japanese Americans and Japan-as both the static ancestral homeland of one's ancestors and as a contemporary, foreign nation-state-is continually re-invented and redefined. I contend that this constant redefinition-of Hawai'i Japanese American identity, relationships to plantation history, and ties to Japan-takes shape through continual movement; from initial crossings of the Pacific, to the planting, cutting, and hauling of sugarcane, to the dances performed at the festival Obon in Hawai'i, which mimic journeys and labor

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Ann Hill

Julia Sanguinetti (2014)

Multiple Immigration Narratives from Patagonia: Re-visiting Argentina´s Immigration Paradigm

This project uses oral history narratives to analyze the ways in which migrants from different origins position themselves in the dominant narrative of Argentina as a country made by (European) immigrants. The variety of immigrants to the Patagonia city of Comodoro Rivadavia and its surrounding company towns interviewed by faculty and students during the Patagonia Mosaics-including European, Latin American, and internal migrants-makes it a unique opportunity to challenge dominant views about immigration and nation-building in Argentina. The Dana Research Assistant will work on interview transcriptions.

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Marcelo Borges

Gabriela Uassouf (2010)

Living Positive in South Central Pennsylvania

Since the introduction of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV, those who are HIV-positive are living longer, and with fewer acute medical complications, than ever before. However, with this increased life expectancy comes a new set of economic, social, and political issues that those who contracted HIV prior to 1996 largely did not have to confront. Based primarily on oral history research conducted during the last two years, the proposed student-faculty summer research will be transcribing and coding already existing interviews, conducting new interviews, and working on three documentary films that address these life issues. Research on living long-term with HIV has been done in conjunction with the AIDS Community Alliance of South Central Pennsylvania. One of the films will be designed for use by ACA with new clients. The second will be designed for use by ACA as a fund-raising tool. The final film is will combine my work on HIV with my work on adults living with cystic fibrosis, and will address what it means to live beyond life expectancy.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: J Daniel Schubert

Frank Charles Vitale (2016)

Carlisle Industrial Indian School Project

To develop a comprehensive digital resource for the study of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) by bringing together widely dispersed materials to aid research, and by serving as a virtual home for the ongoing work of an active CIIS community of memory and inquiry. The CIIS is a major site of memory for many Native peoples. The CIIS and the indigenous boarding school movement represent a very active area of research among scholars, teachers, students (both native and non-native), area residents, and descendants across the U.S. and the world. Scholars are working with descsendants of CIIS students who are learning from and contributing to this research. In the last decade, not only have many scholarly and popular books, articles, and documentaries related to the CIIS been produced, but also a number of symposia and community events have been organized. One example is the "Carlisle, PA: Site of Indigenous Histories, Memories, and Reclamations" Symposium held at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app in October 2012. This summer's goals: To digitize research material from the National Archives. Make the digitized materials accessible via a dedicated website utilizing appropriate content management tools.

Term Funded:summer 2013
Professor: James Gerencser

Frank Charles Vitale (2016)

Carlisle Indian Industrial School Project

To develop a comprehensive digital resource for the study of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) by bringing together widely dispersed materials to aid research, and by serving as a virtual home for the ongoing work of an active CIIS community of memory and inquiry. The CIIS is a major site of memory for many Native peoples. The CIIS and the indigenous boarding school movement represent a very active area of research among scholars, teachers, students (both native and non-native), area residents, and descendants across the U.S. and the world. Scholars are working with descsendants of CIIS students who are learning from and contributing to this research. In the last decade, not only have many scholarly and popular books, articles, and documentaries related to the CIIS been produced, but also a number of symposia and community events have been organized. One example is the "Carlisle, PA: Site of Indigenous Histories, Memories, and Reclamations" Symposium held at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app in October 2012. This academic year's goals: • Make previously digitized materials accessible via a dedicated website utilizing appropriate content management tools. Intern will edit image files; will evaluate, decipher, interpret and describe file contents; will transcribe select information; and will upload files to online resource and enter appropriate metadata. See attached project description.

Term Funded:summer 2013
Professor: James Gerencser

Xueyin Zha (2016)

Carlisle Industrial Indian School Project

To develop a comprehensive digital resource for the study of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) by bringing together widely dispersed materials to aid research, and by serving as a virtual home for the ongoing work of an active CIIS community of memory and inquiry. The CIIS is a major site of memory for many Native peoples. The CIIS and the indigenous boarding school movement represent a very active area of research among scholars, teachers, students (both native and non-native), area residents, and descendants across the U.S. and the world. Scholars are working with descsendants of CIIS students who are learning from and contributing to this research. In the last decade, not only have many scholarly and popular books, articles, and documentaries related to the CIIS been produced, but also a number of symposia and community events have been organized. One example is the "Carlisle, PA: Site of Indigenous Histories, Memories, and Reclamations" Symposium held at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app in October 2012. This summer's goals: To digitize research material from the National Archives. Make the digitized materials accessible via a dedicated website utilizing appropriate content management tools.

Term Funded:summer 2013
Professor: Susan Rose

Wendy Lorena Gomez (2015)

Everyday Energy Justice in Bangladesh

The new forms of energy extraction in Bangladesh alter the national energy debates, and provide an emerging landscape to examine confluences and contradictions related to energy procurement, environmental protection, social justice, human rights and climate change (Bedi 2014). While Bangladesh continues to extract, energy deficits remain an enduring challenge for a large portion of the population. This study aims to examine the everyday energy justice in Bangladesh through applying an energy justice framework developed by Sovacool and Dworkin (2014). Through analyzing the mechanics of energy justice in Bangladesh this projects seeks to understand the availability, affordability of energy, sustainability, energy decision-making, and human rights issues in relation to energy systems and extractions. The summer research will analyze the ways these energy extraction and broader political/societal narratives. With this context we will conduct research on how energy impacts the everyday lives of communities and the general public.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Heather Bedi

Julia Bray (2019)

Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center

The Carlisle Indian School is a major site of memory for Indian nations across the country and for those interested in the history of American education. From 1879 to 1918, over 8000 students were taken to Carlisle in an attempt to assimilate them to the dominant Euro-American culture. The first school of its kind, Carlisle served as the blueprint for off-reservation Indian boarding schools throughout the United States and much of Canada. The lasting and often traumatic impact of Carlisle and the Indian boarding school movement is an important part of American history that warrants continued exploration, interrogation, discussion, and dissemination. For this summer (2018), I am requesting a Dana Assistant to help with the transcription and analysis of correspondence sent by Carlisle Indian School (CIS) alumni back to the school. These letters have just been uncovered by the CISDRC research team that has been scanning documents related to the school at the National Archives in Washington, DC. These letters were found in boxes at NARA that had not been filed or looked at for over 100 years, and therefore have not been seen by other researchers. We will write an analytical/methodological introduction that will be uploaded to the CISDRC site with all of the correspondence (both the original documents in alumni's handwriting and the transcriptions) so that they will be available to others.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Susan Rose

George Harlon Fitzpatrick Gilbert (2019)

Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center

The goal of this project is to create a comprehensive digital resource for the study of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) by bringing together widely dispersed materials to aid research and discovery, and by serving as a virtual home for the ongoing work of an active CIIS community of memory and inquiry. The school operated from 1879 to 1918, and it became the model for other schools of its type. Today the school is an active area of research by scholars in various disciplines as well as living descendants seeking information about their ancestors. Our work in developing this resource center continues to support those research activities, aids in teaching about the school and its legacy, and serves communities of Native Americans across the U.S. Activities for this coming academic year for the 3 interns would include: researching the nearly 200 CIIS students who are buried in the local cemetery, as well as other students who died while in attendance but whose remains were sent home; researching and describing files of student athletes, in support of the Carlisle Journeys symposium scheduled for October at the Cumberland County Historical Society (partners on the resource center project); analyzing and describing in detail the Central Classified Files (CCF) of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to allow for online posting; analyzing and describing the content of CIIS publications for online posting; analyzing information regarding the CIIS Outing program (a kind of internship/work training program) for possible development of some online visualizations of student movements during their time at the school.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: James Gerencser, Susan Rose

Ida Lilia Moussavi (2017)

Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center

The goal of this project is to create a comprehensive digital resource for the study of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) by bringing together widely dispersed materials to aid research and discovery, and by serving as a virtual home for the ongoing work of an active CIIS community of memory and inquiry. The school operated from 1879 to 1918, and it became the model for other schools of its type. Today the school is an active area of research by scholars in various disciplines as well as living descendants seeking information about their ancestors. Our work in developing this resource center continues to support those research activities, aids in teaching about the school and its legacy, and serves communities of Native Americans across the U.S. Activities for this coming academic year for the 3 interns would include: researching the nearly 200 CIIS students who are buried in the local cemetery, as well as other students who died while in attendance but whose remains were sent home; researching and describing files of student athletes, in support of the Carlisle Journeys symposium scheduled for October at the Cumberland County Historical Society (partners on the resource center project); analyzing and describing in detail the Central Classified Files (CCF) of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to allow for online posting; analyzing and describing the content of CIIS publications for online posting; analyzing information regarding the CIIS Outing program (a kind of internship/work training program) for possible development of some online visualizations of student movements during their time at the school.

Term Funded:Year 2017
Professor: James Gerencser, Susan Rose, Malinda Triller-Doran

Joelle Leiter Paull (2017)

Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center

The goal of this project is to create a comprehensive digital resource for the study of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) by brining together widely dispersed materials to aid research and discovery, and by serving as a virtual home for the ongoing work of an active CIIS community of memory and inquiry. The school operated from 1879 to 1918, and it became the model for other schools of its type. Today the school is an active area of research by scholars in various disciplines as well as living descendants seeking information about their ancestors. Our work in developing this resource center continues to support those research activities, aids in teaching about the school and its legacy, and serves communities of Native Americans across the U.S. Activities for this coming academic year for the 3 interns would include: researching the nearly 200 CIIS students who are buried in the local cemetery, as well as other students who died while in attendance but whose remains were sent home; researching and describing files of student athletes, in support of the Carlisle Journeys symposium scheduled for October at the Cumberland County Historical Society (partners on the resource center project); analyzing and describing in detail the Central Classified Files (CCF) of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to allow for online posting; analyzing and describing the content of CIIS publications for online posting; analyzing information regarding the CIIS Outing program (a kind of internship/work training program) for possible development of some online visualizations of student movements during their time at the school.

Term Funded:Year 2017
Professor: James Gerencser, Susan Rose, Malinda Triller-Doran

Linda Rosemary Genser (2017)

Carlise Indian School Digital Resource Center

The goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive digital resource for the study of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) by bringing together widely dispersed materials to aid research, and by serving as a virtual home for the ongoing work of an active CIIS community of memory and inquiry. This summer's goals: • To digitize research material from the National Archives • Make the digitized materials accessible via a dedicated website utilizing appropriate content management tools. See the attached project description and progress report for more information about the successful progress of this project to date. Through this proposal, we wish to provide funds for the salary and housing for two undergraduate researcher interns to continue work on the project. We already secured funding for travel expenses for these undergraduate interns and the Friends of the Library Intern to spend two weeks at the National Archives in Washington, DC digitizing material for further processing and upload. We estimate that 34 boxes of material (roughly 15,000 individual pages of content plus 3 boxes of quarterly reports) could be scanned during that time. This adds to a corpus of material of more than 150,000 pages of content digitized to date, serving a global user community that includes both scholars and living descendants of Carlisle students.

Term Funded:Year
Professor: James Gerencser, Susan Rose, Malinda Triller-Doran

McKinley Knoop (2018)

Regional Exceptionalism and Identity Formation in Northern Morocco

Since the early 1900s, both foreigners and Moroccans have characterized Northern Morocco as distinct from the rest of the country, in part due to its history, geographical location, and indigenous make-up. Sarah Sloan and McKinley Knoop traveled to Tetouan, in northern Morocco, and conducted oral history interviews centered on regional exceptionalism and identity formation. After conducting sixteen interviews with local leaders and identity entrepreneurs, they analyzed individual identity markers and how intersectionality in Tetouan contributes to perceptions of exceptionalism in the region.

Term Funded:Winter 2018
Professor: David Commins, Shalom Staub

Sarah Isabela Sloan (2018)

Regional Exceptionalism and Identity Formation in Northern Morocco

Since the early 1900s, both foreigners and Moroccans have characterized Northern Morocco as distinct from the rest of the country, in part due to its history, geographical location, and indigenous make-up. Sarah Sloan and McKinley Knoop traveled to Tetouan, in northern Morocco, and conducted oral history interviews centered on regional exceptionalism and identity formation. After conducting sixteen interviews with local leaders and identity entrepreneurs, they analyzed individual identity markers and how intersectionality in Tetouan contributes to perceptions of exceptionalism in the region.

Term Funded:Winter Break 2018
Professor: David Commins, Shalom Staub

Ashir Aseesh Borah (2019)

Security in the Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology and is expected to connect billions of objects to the Internet that were never envisioned to be connected before. IoT devices can generate, exchange, and use information with minimum human participation. These devices are generally constrained in their memory, power supply, processing power and communication bandwidth. Given the constraints of IoT devices, protocols used for communication or security in the traditional Internet cannot be directly utilized in an IoT network. New protocols such as the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) and the Message Queuing Telemetry protocol (MQTT) have been standardized to support data transmission between constrained devices in the IoT. However, these protocols do not implement security. The goal of this project is to determine potential security issues in IoT networks and propose a solution to achieve end-to-end security. The proposed solutions will be experimentally evaluated in a real IoT testbed.

Term Funded:Spring 2018
Professor: Farhan Siddiqui

Ashir Aseesh Borah (2019)

Self-Adaptive Chaotic Mutation Operators in Evolutionary Computation

Evolutionary computation (EC) uses models of natural evolutionary processes to find solutions to difficult computational problems. Traditional EC methods use Gaussian distributed pseudo-random numbers to simulate the mutations that occur during reproduction. Research by others has shown that the performance of EC can be improved both by using self-adaptive mutation, which allows evolution to modify the way mutation are performed over time, and by using values generated by chaotic mathematical functions in place of Gaussian distributed pseudo-random values. This project aims to combine those approaches. We will design a variety of novel self-adaptive mutation operators based on chaotic mathematical functions and compare the performance of EC algorithms using them to that of more traditional EC algorithms.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Grant Braught

Boosung Kim ()

Visualization techniques for deep neural networks

We examine methods of visualizing deep neural networks, especially convolutional neural networks. We visualize both of the filters employed in various network layers and image patches from which strong responses for these filters were derived. The goal is to improve public understanding of recent developments in artificial intelligence by explaining certain aspects of deep neural networks to a general audience.

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: John MacCormick

James David Midkiff (2017)

Investigating the Effects of Tool Design on Student Unit Testing Behavior

In software development unit testing refers to the practice of iterative software development in which small tests are created for each small piece of code that is written. My CS colleagues and I integrated unit testing into our introductory computer science course (COMP131) as part of an NSF funded project (DUE-0511264). We adopted two excellent and widely used tools that support unit testing: BlueJ and Web-CAT. BlueJ is a programming environment designed for use by beginning students. Web-CAT provides students with on-demand feedback about the quality of their code and tests. While, we have found BlueJ and Web-CAT to be excellent tools, we have also observed elements of their operation that allow or even reward poor or unproductive testing behaviors. This project aims to make and assess the effectiveness of modifications to BlueJ and Web-CAT that better encourage students to use effective unit testing behaviors.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Grant Braught

James David Midkiff (2017)

Investigating the Effects of Tool Design on Student Unit Testing Behavior

"Professsor Braught and I completed two main projects this summer: we analyzed the effects of a modification to BlueJ, a java learning environment, on student coding behavior and created a plugin for Web-CAT, a grading software. Both applications are used in the introductory computer science course (COMP131). We coded and ran tools that collected data on a year of student work submitted through BlueJ. Professor Braught continued to analyze the data using R, a statistical computing language. Our preliminary analysis led us to three significant findings. First, students using the new, modified BlueJ are less likely to use incorrect test assertions on the initial submission of test methods on Lab Exams. Second, students using the new, modified BlueJ write, on average, 10 percent less code than unmodified BlueJ users while reaching the same code correctness and test coverage levels. And lastly, students using the new BlueJ have a higher percentage of correct tests in their first and final submissions. These findings support the use of the modified BlueJ, but we believe another semester of data, using the new grading software, will lead us to more conclusive answers. Also, we collaborated on a grading plug-in for Web-CAT. This plug-in was designed to give students better feedback on their code and better fit their work flow. We compiled information based on their tests, coverage information, and code correctness and created three tables to display the information for each student submitted class. We hope to implement this plugin into the fall 2016 semester. "

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Grant Braught

James David Midkiff (2017)

Investigating the Effects of Tool Design on Student Unit Testing Behavior

This project is a continuing effort to measure the effectiveness of modifications to Web-CAT in encouraging students to use effective software testing behaviors. Web-CAT is an on-line tool that provides introductory CS students with frequent and on-demand feedback about the quality of their code and tests. My CS colleagues and I integrated Web-CAT into our introductory course (COMP131) in 2006 as part of an NSF funded project (DUE-0511264). Supported by a Summer '15 Dana Research Assistant, James Midkiff, we have produced a modified version of Web-CAT that we believe will encourage students to adopt more effective testing behaviors. This Dana Research Assistantship will support deployment of our modified Web-CAT in COMP131. James, as the primary coder of the modified Web-CAT, will troubleshoot, maintain and enhance his implementation. In addition, James and I will plan data collection and analysis (to occur in Summer '16) to assess the effectiveness of the modified Web-CAT in comparison to the original.

Term Funded:Year 2015
Professor: Grant Braught

Hoang Viet Vo ()

An analysis of object recognition systems for the automatic detection and localization of basking rattlesnakes

We perform automatic detection of basking rattlesnakes from a set of images taken daily over a year at a site in Colorado, United States. The goal is to explore different object recognition and localization models such as YOLO and Mask-RCNN and determine which one will produce the highest accuracy on the given data set. We also perform a statistical analysis of the snake recognition model as a baseline for predicting the number of basking rattlesnakes and the time of the day that they appear.

Term Funded:Spring, Fall 2021
Professor: John MacCormick

Gregory Vance Poff (1993)

Program Development Issues on Diversity

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1992
Professor:

Hiba Aoid (2021)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Evan Sebastian Bechtel ()

NSF Collaborative Research: Network Cluster: Bedrock controls on the deep critical zone, landscapes, and ecosystems

NSF Collaborative Research: Network Cluster: Bedrock controls on the deep critical zone, landscapes, and ecosystems

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: Jorden Hayes

Kendra Elizabeth Bonsey (2019)

Investigation of Lead Isotopes as Chronostratigraphic Markers for Lake Sediments in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Lake sediments are an important, high-resolution archive of past changes in local, regional, and global atmospheric lead (Pb) deposition. In this study, we propose to reconstruct historical changes in the sources of Pb to Lake Lacawac and Lake Giles in northeastern Pennsylvania using Pb isotopes. We will use Pb isotopes to quantify historical changes in the source(s) of Pb pollution to these lakes including ore smelting, coal combustion, and the use of leaded gasoline. Additionally, we will examine these cores for isotopic evidence of Pb pollution derived from the smelting of lead ores from the Upper Missisippi Valley (UMV), an activity that peaked around 1850. If sediment cores from these lakes contain an isotopic excursion consistent with the signature of UMV ores, this excursion can be used as a chronostratigraphic marker to better estimate the deposition dates for 19th century sediments in these lakes. Thus, if present, the UMV marker may be used to better constrain the history of not only Pb pollution, but also the chronology of other environmental changes recorded in the sediments of Lake Lacawac and Lake Giles.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Barry Tesman

Kendra Elizabeth Bonsey (2019)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Alexandria Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Natalie Schaefer Cist ()

NSF Collaborative Research: Network Cluster: Bedrock controls on the deep critical zone, landscapes, and ecosystems

NSF Collaborative Research: Network Cluster: Bedrock controls on the deep critical zone, landscapes, and ecosystems

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: Jorden Hayes

Ethan James Collins (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Allison Nicole Curley (2019)

Investigation of Lead Isotopes as Chronostratigraphic Markers for Lake Sediments in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Lake sediments are an important, high-resolution archive of past changes in local, regional, and global atmospheric lead (Pb) deposition. In this study, we propose to reconstruct historical changes in the sources of Pb to Lake Lacawac and Lake Giles in northeastern Pennsylvania using Pb isotopes. We will use Pb isotopes to quantify historical changes in the source(s) of Pb pollution to these lakes including ore smelting, coal combustion, and the use of leaded gasoline. Additionally, we will examine these cores for isotopic evidence of Pb pollution derived from the smelting of lead ores from the Upper Missisippi Valley (UMV), an activity that peaked around 1850. If sediment cores from these lakes contain an isotopic excursion consistent with the signature of UMV ores, this excursion can be used as a chronostratigraphic marker to better estimate the deposition dates for 19th century sediments in these lakes. Thus, if present, the UMV marker may be used to better constrain the history of not only Pb pollution, but also the chronology of other environmental changes recorded in the sediments of Lake Lacawac and Lake Giles.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Barry Tesman

Allison Nicole Curley (2019)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Alexandria Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

William H Dougherty (2018)

Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Nicola Virginia Durham (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Benjamin Julius Eppinger (2020)

Deep Critical Zone Architecture and Anisotropy of Valleys and Rivers in a Northern Maryland Piedmont Catchment as Imaged by Seismic Methods

The critical zone is the thin layer of Earth's surface where rock, water, soil, and atmosphere interact in a myriad of complex processes which support life. The critical zone is hydrologically important because it provides space for groundwater to be stored and pathways for water to move through the subsurface. Below the surface the critical zone is often characterized as a sequence of progressively altered material that starts with unweathered bedrock at depth overlain with zones of fractured bedrock, saprolite, and soil at the surface. Porosity varies greatly within these materials in the critical zone. We seek to learn what controls critical zone thickness and how this thickness varies throughout the landscape of Pond Branch Maryland. We use radial seismic anisotropy surveys to characterize this landscape and distinguish how inherited bedrock textures and structures impact weathering in the critical zone.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Jorden Hayes

James Andrew Fisher (2018)

Unraveling the central Appalachian fold-thurst belt, Pennsylvania

Collaborating with ERSC junior James Fisher '18 we will develop a kinematic model for the sequential development of the Appalachian fold-thrust belt across a classic transect through the Pennsylvania salient. New map and strain data will be used to create a balanced geologic cross section from the southern edge of the Valley and Ridge Province to the northern Appalachian Plateau. This region of the central Appalachian fold-thrust belt is an ideal location to illustrate incorporating strain data in balanced cross sections, because it cannot be balanced without quantifying grain scale strain.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Peter Sak

James Andrew Fisher (2018)

Documenting modern and ancient climate change in British Columbia, Canada

We will study climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on glaciers, soil and glacial deposits, and Hoodoo Mountain volcano. We will use GPS and photogrammetry to measure the locations of distal portions of Twin Glacier and of the Hoodoo Mountain ice cap. These measurements will be compared to previous ones made via satellite images and aerial photos to continue to document rates of ice recession in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. We will complete field characterizations and collect samples from sediments on the north side of Hoodoo Mountain, to look for Holocene ash layers and evidence for soil formation. Finally we will also examine several deposits previously identified as having forming during eruptions beneath ice, to learn how to recognize and characterize these deposits, and use them to help constrain the elevations of surrounding glaciers over the past 100,000 years.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Lydia Kottcamp Fox (2019)

Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Phoebe Joelle Galione (2021)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Ivy Joan Gilbert (2018)

Porosity generation in the critical zone

The critical zone is the life-sustaining veneer of planet Earth where rocks, water, atmosphere, and biota interact. In the deep critical zone, physical and chemical weathering liberates nutrients for organisms and generates porosity for storage and flow of groundwater. Geochemical measurements provide high-resolution 1D profiles of the subsurface and can be used to disentangle the contributions of chemical and physical processes to the generation of porosity. Geophysical measurements can provide 2D and 3D maps of subsurface porosity, but cannot distinguish between chemical and physical processes. By combining geochemical and geophysical measurements, this work extrapolates 1D geochemical measurements of chemical and physical weathering along landscape scale geophysical surveys. This study also tests hypotheses related to the dominance of physical or chemical processes in the generation of porosity in two critical zones with different climate and vegetation.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Jorden Hayes

Alyssa Teresa Greco (2018)

Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Amanda Jean Haddock (2019)

Documenting modern and ancient climate change in British Columbia, Canada

We will study climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on glaciers, soil and glacial deposits, and Hoodoo Mountain volcano. We will use GPS and photogrammetry to measure the locations of distal portions of Twin Glacier and of the Hoodoo Mountain ice cap. These measurements will be compared to previous ones made via satellite images and aerial photos to continue to document rates of ice recession in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. We will complete field characterizations and collect samples from sediments on the north side of Hoodoo Mountain, to look for Holocene ash layers and evidence for soil formation. Finally we will also examine several deposits previously identified as having forming during eruptions beneath ice, to learn how to recognize and characterize these deposits, and use them to help constrain the elevations of surrounding glaciers over the past 100,000 years.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Paige Marie Garner Hollenbeck (2012)

NASA GCCE Grant: Developing New Proxy for Quantifying Paleoseasonality

Developing New Proxy for Quantifying Paleoseasonality

Term Funded:Spring 2012
Professor: Marcus Key

Paige Marie Garner Hollenbeck (2012)

Stable isotope profiling in modern marine bryozoan colonies across the Isthmus of Panama

Term Funded:Fall 2012
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

William Robert Irving (2019)

Documenting modern and ancient climate change in British Columbia, Canada

We will study climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on glaciers, soil and glacial deposits, and Hoodoo Mountain volcano. We will use GPS and photogrammetry to measure the locations of distal portions of Twin Glacier and of the Hoodoo Mountain ice cap. These measurements will be compared to previous ones made via satellite images and aerial photos to continue to document rates of ice recession in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. We will complete field characterizations and collect samples from sediments on the north side of Hoodoo Mountain, to look for Holocene ash layers and evidence for soil formation. Finally we will also examine several deposits previously identified as having forming during eruptions beneath ice, to learn how to recognize and characterize these deposits, and use them to help constrain the elevations of surrounding glaciers over the past 100,000 years.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

William Robert Irving (2019)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Bianca Kapur (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

William Hardy Kochtitzky (2016)

Volcano-Ice Interactions in Iceland

This project aims to use field photographs to address questions at two different sites in southern Iceland. Structure from Motion (SfM) software has allowed users to create 3-dimensional models of structures from photographs. In 2010 the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted in southern Iceland, causing thelower part of Gigjokull glacier on the north side of the ice cap to be essentially destroyed. Using previously obtained photographs and satellite imagery in addition to 2016 field photographs we propose to quantify the glacial change in this location from loss due to the eruption and ensuing accumulation. The second part of this project will be to quantify pillow lava and tephra volumes, also using SfM to determine impact of an eruption on the ice thickness of an ancient, no longer extant ice sheet. These two related studies will provide new insights into past and present volcano-ice interactions.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

William Hardy Kochtitzky (2016)

Short-term Climate Cycles, Recent Climate Changes, and Volcano-Ice Hazards: Nevado Coropuna, Peru

Nevado Coropuna is a large volcanic complex in southern Peru (15.56 degrees S, 72.62 degrees N; 6,425 m). The complex is approximately 12 km east-west and 8 km north-south with elevation from approx. 4,500 m at the base to over 6,000 m at the highest points. Previous workers have predicted that the Coropuna ice cap will completely melt by 2050. We present a new analysis of historic satellite imagery to test this hypothesis. In this study, ice and snow are classified based on unique spectral signatures including spectral band thresholds, Normalized Difference Snow Index, and Band 4/5 ratio. Landsat scenes (L2, 4, 5, 7, and 8) from 1975 to present in addition to one SPOT scene (2013) are used. Previous workers used images from June and July, which are peak snow periods in southern Peru, leading to overestimates of ice area. This study uses November and December images when snow is at an annual minimum. Annual equilibrium line altitudes are calculated for each end of year image (November/December). The glaciers of Nevado Coropuna were found to be shrinking at approx. 0.5 km2/yr, which is some 1/3 the rate previously published. While this study suggests that the ice cap of Coropuna will persist until 2100 given current rates, water quantity and security remains a concern for Peruvian agriculture. Coropuna is an active volcano, so it poses great risk to surrounding inhabitants from lahars, flooding, and debris avalanches. Our new data suggest that these will continue to be risks late into this century.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

William Hardy Kochtitzky (2016)

Using lake sediments to investigate climate change at the Coropuna volcanic complex, Peru

We propose to test the hypothesis that lake sediement from a small lake on the western flank of the ice-capped Coropuna volcanic complex in south-central Peru preserve a record of changing climate conditions over the past several thousand years. When the ice-cap was larger in the recent past, it likely was supplying water and sediment to the lake. As the ice has retreated, the sudiment input from direct ice melting should have decreased, resulting in a diminished amount of sediment directly from the ice. Specifically, we anticipate that the ice would have contributed fresh volcanic ash to the sediment input, as many glaciers on top of volcanoes are places where the largest amounts of ash collect during eruptions. We will collect sediment cores from the lake, as well as samples from the present day drainage basin for the lake and from the glacier for comparison to determine if the source of sediments has changed over the life-span of lake's sediment record.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

William Hardy Kochtitzky (2016)

NSF 1220403 Collaborative Research/RUI: Testing Hypotheses on Pillow Lava Production During Glaciovolcanic Eruptions - Field Investigations of Pillow Lava Formations in Northern British Columbia

The major goals of the project are to use a range of basaltic compositions to test hypotheses about the formation of subglacial pillow lavas, including models for lava transport within a growing pillow­dominated volcano and the potential for sudden transitions between explosive versus effusive eruption styles. To this end, we are conducting a high­resolution multifaceted study of two different pillow ridges with exceptional three­dimensional exposures: (1) open­pit rock quarries along a single fissure segment on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland and (2) the crest of Pillow Ridge in northern British Columbia. We are documenting the three­dimensional structure, stratigraphy and geochemistry of these exposures to improve our understanding of the formation of subglacial pillow lavas and the hazards associated with pillow­dominated glaciovolcanic eruptions. We seek to address four specific questions about subglacial pillow lava formation: (1) Is the initiation of pillow lava emplacement preceded by an explosive phase?; (2) How is lava distributed along and across the ridge structure?; (3) What are effusion rates during subglacial pillow­dominated eruptions?; and (4) Are multiple eruptive centers active along a fissure segment during a single eruptive episode?

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Sophia Katerina Larson (2017)

"NSF 1251969 Collaborative research/RUI: Quantifying weathering rind formation rates using U-series isotopes along steep gradients of precipitation, bedrock ages, and topography in GuadeloupeNSF 1251969 Collaborative research/RUI: Quantifying weathering rind formation rates using U-series isotopes along steep gradients of precipitation, bedrock ages, and topography in Guadeloupe"

Quantifying weathering rind formation rates using U-series isotopes along steep gradients of precipitation, bedrock ages, and topography in Guadeloupe

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Peter Sak

Gregory Everett Lasher (2011)

Climate Implications for Legacy Sediment Remobilization

Climate Implications for Legacy Sediment Remobilization

Term Funded:Summer 2010
Professor: Jeffrey Niemitz

Muhajir Subuur Lesure (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Alexandria Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Spencer Benjamin Lieber (2015)

NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU): Determining Igneous or Metamorphic Locality Source Rock from Hornblende Samples

I will be working during the summer in the Gems and Minerals Department under the current director Marc Wilson at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History who is the first classically trained mineralogist to work for the museum in many years. They have recently acquired two collections totaling some 7700 specimens from only Pennsylvania. With this collection they have a sample of every mineral in the state. Being that there are only two people working in the department full time now, there is a great deficit in the manpower to help catalogue and inventory the specimens. As part of my responsibilities I will be assisting with this process. This task will increase my knowledge of my states minerals it is not research, the need then remains to structure a research opportunity from the one I have been given. In the collection are about 70 samples of amphiboles with groups of specimens from localities within North America. My hypothesis is that each regional group will have specific characteristics that will be shared by each of the specimens from that region. The characteristics that will be tested will be the Optical and Physical Properties and analysis via SEM-BEI, SEM-EDS, and XRD. These results will also be compared to previous research conducted on the traits of different amphiboles. I wanted to study amphiboles because there are a lot of modern applications for amphiboles along with the chance to gain a better understanding about how mineral compositions can vary amongst the same types of rocks.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor:

Kyle Robert Long (2014)

NASA GCCE Grant: Implications of Increasing Extreme Climate Events on Nutrient Inputs from the Chesapeake Watershed to the Bay

Major and Trace element geochemistry of sediment cores of "legacy" deposits from behind former mill dams in different land use and bedrock type sub-watersheds surrounding Chesapeake Bay provide insight into the origins of elements with multiple natural and anthropogenic sources. In comparing forested with agricultural and urban land-use impacted watersheds, we find similar Al normalized elemental ratios for pre-settlement and early legacy sediments but increasing trends of nutrient elements and select trace metals through time in the urban and agriculturally impacted legacy deposit. Likely sources of 'excess' P, Cu, and Pb over background are fertilizer, pesticides, and other soil amendments. Pb trends show smaller increases over time in the forested land-use sub-watershed mostly due to the input of leaded gasoline emissions to the atmosphere and ubiquitous fallout to all watersheds. The agriculturally impacted sub-watershed cores show significantly more Pb suggesting multiple sources. Statistically significant increases in magnitude and frequency of peak rain events in the Chesapeake Bay watershed possibly due to change of phase in the North Atlantic Oscillation over the past 40 years may have the unintended consequence of increased remobilization of legacy sediments and their included pollutants from thousands of mill ponds into the Bay. This non-point source of nutrients may be unaccounted for in measurements and models of total N and P fluxes to the Bay, a flux that may well increase over time.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Jeffrey Niemitz

Cecilie Olrik Macpherson (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Alexandria Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Allison Marie Miller (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Alexandria Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Rachael Mae Moore (2018)

Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Mariah Elizabeth Murphy (2015)

NSF 1251969 Collaborative research/RUI: Quantifying weathering rind formation rates usingU-series isotopes along steep gradients of precipitation, bedrock ages, and topography inGuadeloupe

NSF 1251969 Collaborative research/RUI: Quantifying weathering rind formation rates using U-series isotopes along steep gradients of precipitation, bedrock ages, and topography in Guadeloupe,

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Peter Sak

Thomas Joseph O'Donnell (2019)

Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Jack Olsson (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Michelle Chloe Orden (2017)

Physical Characteristics of Glaciovolcanic Pillow Lavas from Undirhlidar, SW Iceland

Professor Edwards and I traveled to the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland to conduct field research on the Undirhlídar ridge through the Keck Geology Consortium. Our research group's goal was to create a geologic map to describe the ~3 km-long glaciovolcanic ridge that lies between the Undirhlidar and Vatnsskard quarries. My individual project focused on the fracture mechanics present in the cross-sections of thousands of pillow lavas found in the Undirhlidar quarry. Pillow lavas are bulbous structures that form when molten lava comes in contact with water or ice. This interdisciplinary project has implications in both the engineering as well as other geoscience fields.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Michelle Chloe Orden (2017)

Collaborative Research/RUI: Testing Hypotheses on Pillow Lava Production During Glaciovolcanic Eruptions

Pillow lavas are one of the most common types of lava morphologies on Earth, yet compared to subaerial lava flows, the emplacement dynamics of pillow-dominated eruptions are less understood simply because of their relative inaccessibility. The main goals of the proposed study are (1) to establish a comprehensive database of subglacial pillow characteristics for comparison to pillow lavas produced in other environments (e.g., marine), and (2) to test and potentially revise existing models for the construction of subglacial volcanoes. Modern field and analytical techniques will be used to document the three-dimensional structure, stratigraphy, and geochemistry of two different subglacial pillow ridges with excellent exposures: (1) aggregate quarries in pillow ridges on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, and (2) natural exposures of Pillow Ridge in northern British Columbia. A broad-based research team has been established, comprising US, Icelandic and Canadian scientists working in full collaboration. To better understand the eruptive processes that control the development of subglacial pillow mounds, this study will combine field observations with geochemistry and cooling rate modeling. Field work will focus on detailed structural mapping of lithofacies and measurement of pillow lava characteristics to describe local effusion rates and determine how magma is distributed in the pillow mound. Lab work will characterize the compositions of glasses, bulk rocks, and mineral phases for use in correlating units and constraining physical emplacement conditions (e.g., ice thickness). Independent estimates of cooling rates will be obtained from DSC and CSD measurements to distinguish the origin of the tuff-breccia units (e.g., non-explosive collapse of pillow mounds or explosive fragmentation). The resulting dataset will be a comprehensive summary of the physical characteristics of subglacial pillows lavas that will be used to evaluate current models for subglacial pillow-dominated eruptions.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Katherine Marie Overstrum (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Robert Francis Page (2017)

Evaluation of Effects of Tillage on Soil Tithe and the Dickinson Farm

Evaluation of Effects of Tillage on Soil Tithe and the Dickinson Farm

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Aleksander Perpalaj (2014)

NSF 122017 RUI: Testing Hypotheses on Pillow Lava Production During Glaciovolcanic Eruptions

Pillow lavas are one of the most common types of lava morphologies on Earth, yet compared to subaerial lava flows, the emplacement dynamics of pillow-dominated eruptions are less understood simply because of their relative inaccessibility. The main goals of this study are (1) to establish a comprehensive database of subglacial pillow characteristics for comparison to pillow lavas produced in other environments (e.g., marine), and (2) to test and potentially revise existing models for the construction of subglacial volcanoes. Modern field and analytical techniques will be used to document the three-dimensional structure, stratigraphy, and geochemistry of two different subglacial pillow ridges with excellent exposures: (1) aggregate quarries in pillow ridges on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, and (2) natural exposures of Pillow Ridge in northern British Columbia. A broad-based research team has been established, comprising U.S., Icelandic and Canadian scientists working in full collaboration.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Niomi Juliet Phillips (2018)

Comparing methods of pre-treatment for removal of organic material for C and O isotope analysis of carbonate shells

Carbon (C) and Oxygen (O) stable isotopes are commonly used to quantify past climate change in order to predict future climate change. For example, the ratio of O isotopes in a shell can be used to calculate the temperature of the environment in which the animal that made said shell lived. Carbonate shells from marine animals are the usual source for this type of isotope analysis. Before analyzing the isotopic ratios, the organic matter from the shell must first be removed. We will test which of the commonly used pretreatment methods to remove organic matter (i.e., roasting, bleaching, and hydrogen peroxide) do not affect the isotope values from the shells. We will use shells from 16 marine species. The results will be of broad interest to scientists measuring C and O isotopes in shells. We will make recommendations on the best pretreatment to use and which are to be avoided.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Marcus Key

Elizabeth Ann Plascencia (2016)

NSF 085670 STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app - Pillow Lava Formations in Iceland

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Elizabeth Ann Plascencia (2016)

Glaciers, Volcanism, and Climate Change: Nevado Coropuna Research

Lago Pallarcocha (15.57 degrees S/ 72.72 degrees W; 4,740 m a.s.l.) is a small (15 ha) alpine lake located on the western flank of the Nevado Coropuna volcanic complex in southern Peru. The lake is at least some 20 m deep and has a surface conductivity of 34.8 [mu]S. In June 2015 we collected two gravity cores, 21.5 cm and 26.5 cm in length, from the lake; each was sampled at 0.5 cm intervals in the field and selected intervals are being processed to identify diatom communities and to measure grain-size, both of which will be used as paleoclimate proxies for documentation of local climate conditions. Both cores have distinct light grey horizons between 5.5 cm - 6.5 cm and 3.0 cm - 6.0 cm respectively, which are tentatively interpreted as water deposited, air-fall ash. The ash is suspected to be from the February 19th to March 6th 1600 eruption of Volcan Huaynaputina, which is located 230 km to the southeast in Peru. This eruption is the largest known explosive eruption in the Andean region during the Common Era. The Plinian style eruption had an estimated Volcanic Explosivity Index of 6 and deposited ash over approximately 300,000 km2 in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile (de Silva and Zielinski, 1998). Preliminary SEM/EDS analysis of the ash interval identified minerals consistent with intermediate composition ash (Na-plagioclase) as well as possible glass shards. Assuming that our preliminary identification of the ash source is correct, the implied rates of sedimentation are very low (0.13 mm per yr and 0.075 mm per yr), at least for the upper section of the cores. Ongoing work will focus on using the cores to investigate recent changes to the area's local climate in order to inform regionally vulnerable populations that are highly susceptible to fluctuation in water resources from the mass ice loss of Nevado Coropuna. Analysis of sediment cores from this unique location (i.e. remote area, proximity to ice cap) will help inform the limited number of climate records in this region.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Elizabeth Ann Plascencia (2016)

NSF 085670: STEP Program at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app

Through this program, Dickinson intends to recruit and matriculate a "science posse" cohort in each of three years beginning in the fall of 2009. The science posse program will have three major components: 1) a four-week summer pre-matriculation program in which students will participate in lab research and a series of enrichment workshops in chemistry and mathematics; 2) a second eight-week summer of research with Dickinson faculty members using our successful model of student/faculty research; and 3) a capstone eight-week summer research experience at off-campus laboratories in major research universities. The program will provide a strong mentoring experience for underrepresented students to support their pursuit of a science major. The successful implementation of this plan will result in the establishment of a cohort of science major role models for future students among our underrepresented minority groups. Results of the program will be disseminated widely within the broader scientific education community so that they may serve as a model for other institutions.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Elizabeth Ann Plascencia (2016)

NSF 1220403 Collaborative Research/RUI: Testing Hypotheses on Pillow Lava Production During Glaciovolcanic Eruptions

The major goals of the project are to use a range of basaltic compositions to test hypotheses about the formation of subglacial pillow lavas, including models for lava transport within a growing pillow­dominated volcano and the potential for sudden transitions between explosive versus effusive eruption styles. To this end, we are conducting a high­resolution multifaceted study of two different pillow ridges with exceptional three­dimensional exposures: (1) open­pit rock quarries along a single fissure segment on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland and (2) the crest of Pillow Ridge in northern British Columbia. We are documenting the three­dimensional structure, stratigraphy and geochemistry of these exposures to improve our understanding of the formation of subglacial pillow lavas and the hazards associated with pillow­dominated glaciovolcanic eruptions. We seek to address four specific questions about subglacial pillow lava formation: (1) Is the initiation of pillow lava emplacement preceded by an explosive phase?; (2) How is lava distributed along and across the ridge structure?; (3) What are effusion rates during subglacial pillow­dominated eruptions?; and (4) Are multiple eruptive centers active along a fissure segment during a single eruptive episode?

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Hayat Nazra Rasul (2019)

Documenting modern and ancient climate change in British Columbia, Canada

We will study climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on glaciers, soil and glacial deposits, and Hoodoo Mountain volcano. We will use GPS and photogrammetry to measure the locations of distal portions of Twin Glacier and of the Hoodoo Mountain ice cap. These measurements will be compared to previous ones made via satellite images and aerial photos to continue to document rates of ice recession in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. We will complete field characterizations and collect samples from sediments on the north side of Hoodoo Mountain, to look for Holocene ash layers and evidence for soil formation. Finally we will also examine several deposits previously identified as having forming during eruptions beneath ice, to learn how to recognize and characterize these deposits, and use them to help constrain the elevations of surrounding glaciers over the past 100,000 years.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Madaline Boardman Ritter (2019)

Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Madaline Boardman Ritter (2019)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Alexandria Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Rebecca Katherine Rossi (2013)

Testing a new paleoclimate proxy on a temperate bryozoan from New Zealand

The goal of this project is to develop a method to quantify the amount of seasonal temperature variation in the past. This information will be useful to climate modelers who want to know not just what the mean temperature in the future will be due to global warming, but to be able to predict the future seasonal extremes from summer to winter. The method will be tested off the coast of New Zealand where there are maximum seasonal seawater temperature variations. We will use the shape and chemistry of marine bryozoans (they form coral-like colonies) as proxies for temperature. The sizes of the animals in the colonies as well as the ratio of oxygen 16 to 18 atoms in the skeleton's minerals should allow us to independently quantify the seasonal range in temperatures. The student will learn valuable new lab, analytical, international team work, writing, and oral presentation skills.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Marcus Key

Rebecca Katherine Rossi (2013)

NSF 1039461 RAPID-RUI: Constraints on Fragmentation and Lava-Ice Contact From Ongoing 2010 Eyjafjallajokull Eruption, Southcentral Iceland

Constraints on fragmentation and lava-ice contact from ongoing 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption, southcentral Iceland

Term Funded:Summer 2011
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Karuna Mira Sah (2019)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Amanda Grace Santilli (2017)

NSF-1220403: Collaborative Research/RUI: Testing Hypotheses on Pillow Lava Production During Glaciovolcanic Eruptions

The major goals of the project are to use a range of basaltic compositions to test hypotheses about the formation of subglacial pillow lavas, including models for lava transport within a growing pillowdominated volcano and the potential for sudden transitions between explosive versus effusive eruption styles. To this end, we are conducting a high resolution multifaceted study of two different pillow ridges with exceptional threedimensional exposures: (1) openpit rock quarries along a single fissure segment on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland and (2) the crest of Pillow Ridge in northern British Columbia.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Amanda Grace Santilli (2017)

Testing Hypotheses on Pillow Lava Production During Glaciovolcanic Eruptions

The main research points that I focused on over the summer were to create stratigraphic images and analyze the mineral compositions found in pillow lava ridges and quarries in Iceland and British Columbia. I completed the images by using panoramic GigaPan images and Adobe Illustrator to trace out stratigraphic layers and individual pillow lavas in the quarries of Vatnsskard and Undirhlidar. I completed a total of three images that are presumably the most detailed images of this pillow lava ridge and these quarries. This is extremely helpful for analyzing sizes of stratigraphic units as well as individual pillow lavas. The second section of my research was examining thin sections of pillow lavas and determining mineral composition. I examined the thin sections under a microscope and color-coded a separate copy of the thin section based on the minerals on the slide. I then selected points of interest that I later visited with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Unfortunately I only had the opportunity to examine two of the thin sections on the SEM. However, I was able to confirm or question and then confirm the minerals I saw in the initial microscope. I also took the data one step further and analyzed exact mineral compositions using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The data I collected on the EDS will be written into a paper detailing what is in the quarries and what has happened to the quarries in the past relating to their formation.

Term Funded:Summer 2015
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Marisa Schaefer (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

William Lyle Seward (2012)

NSF 1039461 RAPID-RUI: Constraints on Fragmentation and Lava-Ice Contact From Ongoing 2010 Eyjafjallajokull Eruption, Southcentral Iceland

Constraints on Fragmentation and Lava-Ice Contact From Ongoing 2010 Eyjafjallajokull Eruption, Southcentral Iceland

Term Funded:fall 2011
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Karan Sunder Shakya (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Dante Angelo Suyosa Tarzona (2021)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Alexandria Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Ellen Hope Was (2014)

National Geographic Society: Field documentation of water-ice-lava interactions in the 2010 Gigjokull lava flow

The 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption made global news as ash from the eruption disrupted air traffic throughout much of Europe. The eruption had three distinct products: (1) basaltic lava flows erupted to the east of the main summit at Fimmvorduhals; (2) tephra erupted from the main summit vents; and (3) a lava flow that traveled down the edge of Gigjokull glacier. While the first two products have been extensively studied (e.g. Edwards et al, in review; Thordarson et al, in review), the Gigjokull lava flow has not been documented in detail. The PI and two student collaborators made two recognizance visits via helicopter and alpine trekking in 2011. These visits, while brief, discovered evidence for dynamically changing environments while the lava flow traveled along the edge and through the western side of Gigjokull glacier. We propose to spend 5-7 days in late summer/early fall 2012 to test hypotheses for mechanisms by which intermediate composition lava flows can advance through glaciers. Hypotheses to be tested include: (A) that lava flow paths are largely constrained by syn-eruption meltwater drainage channels; (B) that water-filled cavities can persist as lava moves through the ice; and (C) that evidence for initial water emplacement can by 'hidden' by subsequent subaerial lava flows that effectively bury earlier, subaqueous lava flow phases.

Term Funded:Summer 2012
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Ellen Hope Was (2014)

NSF 122017 RUI: Testing Hypotheses on Pillow Lava Production During Glaciovolcanic Eruptions

Pillow lavas are one of the most common types of lava morphologies on Earth, yet compared to subaerial lava flows, the emplacement dynamics of pillow-dominated eruptions are less understood simply because of their relative inaccessibility. The main goals of this study are (1) to establish a comprehensive database of subglacial pillow characteristics for comparison to pillow lavas produced in other environments (e.g., marine), and (2) to test and potentially revise existing models for the construction of subglacial volcanoes. Modern field and analytical techniques will be used to document the three-dimensional structure, stratigraphy, and geochemistry of two different subglacial pillow ridges with excellent exposures: (1) aggregate quarries in pillow ridges on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, and (2) natural exposures of Pillow Ridge in northern British Columbia. A broad-based research team has been established, comprising U.S., Icelandic and Canadian scientists working in full collaboration.

Term Funded:Summer 2013
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Ellen Hope Was (2014)

NSF1220176 RUI: Testing Hypotheses on Pillow Lava Production During Glaciovolcanic Eruptions

Pillow lavas are one of the most common types of lava morphologies on Earth, yet compared to subaerial lava flows, the emplacement dynamics of pillow-dominated eruptions are less understood simply because of their relative inaccessibility. The main goals of this study are (1) to establish a comprehensive database of subglacial pillow characteristics for comparison to pillow lavas produced in other environments (e.g., marine), and (2) to test and potentially revise existing models for the construction of subglacial volcanoes. Modern field and analytical techniques will be used to document the three-dimensional structure, stratigraphy, and geochemistry of two different subglacial pillow ridges with excellent exposures: (1) aggregate quarries in pillow ridges on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, and (2) natural exposures of Pillow Ridge in northern British Columbia. A broad-based research team has been established, comprising U.S., Icelandic and Canadian scientists working in full collaboration.

Term Funded:summer 2012
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Alexander Philip Wattles (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Alexandria Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on soils, permafrost, and modern glaciers. We will measure chemical and physical properties of soils to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in the Canadian High Arctic. We will use ground- and aerial-based surveying techniques to record positions of glacier termini and foreland geomorphology, as well as general topographic variations. We will also investigate permafrost deposits to better understand how changing climate maybe impacting frozen ground.

Term Funded:Summer 2019
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Jessica Lia Wolfman (2017)

Rates and trends of in situ chemical weathering in a tropical soil, Basse Terre Island, Guadeloupe

The weathering of volcanic rocks contributes to the regulation of the global carbon cycle, the release of nutrients to terrestrial ecosystems, and the sculpting of landscapes. Despite the fundamental importance, we still lack effective tools and key observations to quantify the weathering rates of volcanic rocks and to understand how they respond to changes in landscape, climate and tectonic regime. During chemical weathering, rock fragments in soils commonly form weathering rinds. These rinds can provide an ideal long term record of chemical weathering if the controls on their formation are understood. By comparing weathering rinds from a single watershed, we will understand the controls on weathering rind formation at the micro-scale. In addition, the field setting at Basse-Terre Island provides a superb natural laboratory with large environmental variables, allowing us to study rind formation along steep gradients of precipitation, bedrock ages and relief at the watershed scale. Our combined analysis of weathering rinds will provide a method to directly determine chemical weathering rates, which is of broad interest. This approach provides a direct means to understand the controls on chemical weathering across different spatial scales, by combining weathering rates measured in rinds, soil profiles and watersheds. The gained insights will also help to understand how changes in precipitation affect the mineral dissolution and reaction surfaces in rinds and soils, and how these processes control river chemistry over long time scales.

Term Funded:Summer 2016
Professor: Peter Sak

Anna Elizabeth Zaremba (2020)

Arctic and Alpine Climate Changes Research Experience (AACCRE): Field research methods to document modern and ancient climate change in Iceland

We will learn a variety of field techniques for studying climate change from a variety of temporal scales, focusing on lakes, modern glaciers, and ancient volcanoes. We will measure chemical properties of modern lakes to document possible indications of changes due to ongoing global warming in Iceland. At selected lakes we will also collect sediment cores from the lake bottoms to be studied as longer-term changes in climate (century-scale). We will also investigate deposits used to determine the age of glacial retreat at Gigjokull glacier via tephrochronology and lichenometry, and we will use photogrammetry to estimate the thickness of Gigjokull glacier near its terminus where it was damaged by a lava flow during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. We will continue mapping and documentation of ancient climate change at Undirhlidar ridge, which formed in the last 50-100,000 years during eruptions beneath an expanded Icelandic icesheet.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Benjamin Edwards

Rachel M Chen (2000)

Chinese Women at the Turn of the Millenium

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1999
Professor: Rae Yang

Kimberly Fairfield (2006)

Project that explores the nature of patriotism and rights consciousness in China

I have been engaged in this project since 1998, by attempting to gauge how ordinary citizens and officials in China treat, in terms of job allocation, access to state institutions, entitlements, and accommodations for physical disabilities, those individuals who have been officially designated as "patriotic exemplars" - mainly veterans and family members of 'revolutionary martyrs' and mobilized soldiers. I have attempted to incorporate some of the more theoretical and comparative literature into my Freshman Seminar, "Patriotism in Politics, Culture and History." I am applying for a Dana Research Assistant to help me accomplish the following tasks: 1) develop the Freshman Seminar into a full-fledged course that I will teach on a regular basis; 2) prepare, by February 2004, a grant proposal to the Fulbright Scholarship Board, which awards up to $20,000 to alumni of the Fulbright program to continue their scholarly activities at their home universities; 3) prepare the literature review for my manuscript, currently titled, "Hollow Glory: the Politics of Everyday Patriotism in China."

Term Funded:Year 2004
Professor: Neil Diamant

Shogo Nishikawa ()

Robotics and Japan's Aging Society

Opted out of public posting.

Term Funded:Fall 2015
Professor: Shawn Bender

Carol Ann Rynar (2017)

German Users of the Hybrid Assisted Limb

German Users of the Hybrid Assisted Limb

Term Funded:Fall 2017
Professor: Shawn Bender

Jiacheng Wang (2017)

China at the Revolutionary Crossroads: Observing Politics and Society through the Constitutional Discussions in 1954 and 1982

In 1954, and again in 1982, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mounted country-wide political campaigns to discuss the draft versions of its constitutions. The 1954 "all- people discussion" occurred only five years after the Communists took over power; the 1982 discussion took place four years after Deng Xiaoping gave his imprimatur to China's "reform and opening up policy." Both of these discussions, I argue, provide us with a unique, and heretofore unexplored, window to observe how ordinary people understood the rapid political, economic and social changes at the time. During the constitutional discussions ordinary people were asked about the state's institutional arrangements, official ideology, citizen rights and obligations and even state symbols. I have been collecting materials about these discussions over the last two years, with far more success for the 1954 materials, which are already archived, than the 1982 documents, which are not. I plan to hire a Dana RA to accomplish three tasks. First, I want to digitize all of the materials I have collected thus far, including hand-written materials from the archives. Second, I have several books in Chinese about early 1950s campaigns that may mention constitutional rights, but I have not had enough time to read them all; third, my RA will plumb internet based sources to find more materials, particularly on 1982. Joanna Wong, a Computer Science major and native Chinese speaker, is the perfect RA for these tasks. Joanna participated in my seminar on "The Consequences of China's Economic Reforms" in 2013. I anticipate that this work will occupy 8 hours a week throughout the year.

Term Funded:Year 2015
Professor: Neil Diamant

Timothy Phelan Bender (2004)

Revised Ten Year Plan for the Hope Station Neighborhood of Carlisle; and Economic Impact and Demand for the Carlisle Theater

This summer research project involves the completion of two research projects requested by members of the Carlisle community. The first involves a report which will update the needs and public policy goals for the Hope Station-Memorial Park neighborhood of Carlisle in light of 2000 census data. It was requested by Chris Gullatta, head of the Cumberland County redevelopment authority. The second includes the writing of a final report regarding the demand for and economic impact of the Carlisle Theatre. Both reports will be based on original research conducted with my Economic Analysis of Policy course this spring, and my co-author probably will be an outstanding current member of that class. As with previous projects of this type, including last year's economic impact study of ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app and a previous study of the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg, significant editing, further data collection, and additional analysis will be needed in order to make these reports valuable to the Carlisle constituencies who requested them.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: William Bellinger

Alexander Patton Bloom (2011)

Book Manuscript on Cuban Urban Agriculture

As the R/D committee already knows, after spending a sabbatical semester in Cuba in the Spring of 2007 studying urban agriculture, presenting several papers at conferences and publishing three articles, I decided to write a book on the subject. The subject itself is both fascinating and timely. It is fascinating because it tells the story of an already besieged, small island country, at least in part, successfully responding to a massive economic crisis (including a food production crisis). The massive economic crisis was brought about by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ending of an economic lifeline [especially petroleum] for Cuba that had for decades been used to compensate for the economic isolation imposed on the island by the United States of America. It was as if Cuba had been pushed of a cliff and had to come up with a parachute on the way down. As the R/D committee already knows, after spending a sabbatical semester in Cuba in the Spring of 2007 studying urban agriculture, presenting several papers at conferences and publishing three articles, I decided to write a book on the subject. The subject itself is both fascinating and timely. It is fascinating because it tells the story of an already besieged, small island country, at least in part, successfully responding to a massive economic crisis (including a food production crisis). The massive economic crisis was brought about by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ending of an economic lifeline [especially petroleum] for Cuba that had for decades been used to compensate for the economic isolation imposed on the island by the United States of America. It was as if Cuba had been pushed of a cliff and had to come up with a parachute on the way down.

Term Funded:Summer 2009
Professor: Sinan Koont

Woo Jae Byun (2019)

Natural Disasters, Household Debt, and Inequality: County-Level Evidence from the United States

This project investigates three related questions: 1) what effect do natural disasters have on household debt; 2) are these permanent or temporary shocks to household wealth; and 3) what role, if any, do these effects have on income and wealth inequality in the United States (U.S.)? This is a data-intensive project. In order to address these questions, we will need to collect, organize, process, and combine data on income inequality, the timing, location, and severity of natural disasters, and detailed data on household debt and its composition, among other things.

Term Funded:Summer 2018
Professor: Emily Marshall

Mengting Chao (2020)

Entrepreneurship, Minority Games, and the Impossibility of Economic Equilibrium

One of the most important open questions in economics is how to think about economic processes. The vast majority of economic theory uses an equilibrium framework which only predicts the end state of affairs. But how does the system move towards this equilibrium? How stable is this assumed equilibrium? One of the main proposals about how to model economic processes is a theory of entrepreneurship proposed by Israel Kirzner in the 1970s and subsequently developed by him and others over the next decades. We further develop this theory by placing it in a game theoretical framework by using a particularly interesting game called a "minority game" - discovered by complexity theorist and economist W. Brian Arthur, but so far ignored in the entrepreneurship literature. This helps (1) clarify some of the more controversial aspects of Kirzner's theory, and (2) give further structure to the empirical applications of Kirzner's theory.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Vlad Tarko

Tessa Sierra Cicak (2013)

Innovation by London's Water Companies: Internalizing public health externalities

In presenting my research on the history of London's water supply, the audience has always wanted a better picture to help them understand the location of the companies and the extent of competition between them. My intern Tessa Cicak developed GIS maps of London districts and sub-districts with water company and cholera data.

Term Funded:fall 2012
Professor: Nicola Tynan

Patrick James Connolly (2005)

Hilaire Belloc's "The Servile State" and the Political Economy of G. K. Chesterton

This is a continuation of my previous Dana projects studying G. K. Chesterton's political economy and the role he played in the eugenics debates in the early 20th century. This project has expanded in a number of directions. In addition to Chesterton, I am now exploring the economic thought of Hilaire Belloc. Belloc provides a unique insight into Chesterton's own political economy since Belloc's "The Servile State" provides the analytical foundation for a number of Chesterton's arguments. Thus far my intern and I have digitized all of The Eyewitness, all of Chesterton's contributions to GK's Weekly, and some of his work in The New Witness. Now I wish to finish with Chesterton's contributions to The New Witness and, if the opportunity arises, to digitize all of the non-Chesterton articles from GK's Weekly and The New Witness. My goals are to continue mining this digital library for my own research, as well as working to bring it to the web. With the assistance of Robert Cavanaugh's shop and Brenda Landis in particular, steps have already been made in the direction.

Term Funded:Summer 2004
Professor: Edward McPhail

Patrick James Connolly (2005)

Eugenics and Other Evils: G.K. Chesterton's Argument against the Scientifically Organized State Part II

Gilbert Keith Chesterton's reputation as a novelist, essayist, and critic is secure. His Father Brown mysteries are widely recognized as some of the cleverest in the English language and his literary biographies, especially that of Dickens, are still considered essential reading. On the other hand, his voluminous writings on the social and economic ills of his day are treated with indifference by many and even scorn by others. Yet, in Chesterton's own lifetime he was regarded as a social thinker to be reckoned with. He regularly took to the podium against the leading intellectuals of his day. H.G. Wells, Bertrand Russell, and his close friend and frequent sparring partner, George Bernard Shaw, were but a few of his intellectual adversaries. Out of the many controversies in which Chesterton participated, his role in the pre-WWII debates on eugenics ought to be of particular interest to political economists. Not only does Chesterton demonstrate an uncanny prescience regarding the expansion of the "scientific state" and consequent loss of liberty under Nazi Germany, he was well aware of the seductive quality of eugenical arguments that combined a sense of superiority (due to either race, economic status, or lineage) with the theory of evolution backed by the full power of the state. Particularly illuminating is Chesterton's economic sociology, his defenses of the family and economic liberty, his recognition of the roles institutions and traditions play, his novel explanation of tradition as democracy extended through time and his claim that tradition and democracy are mutually reinforcing. All of these arguments provide the groundwork for understanding the contested terrain of the early 20th century eugenics debates.

Term Funded:Year 2003
Professor: Edward McPhail

Patrick James Connolly (2005)

Eugenics and Other Evils: G.K. Chesterton's Argument against the Scientifically Organized State Part II

This is a continuation of my previous Dana projects (please see the attached copy of my summer 2002 and fall 2002 Dana project proposals) studying G.K. Chesterton's political economy and the role he played in the eugenics debates in the early 20th century. The project this year has faced some set backs. In the fall I had to bring a new intern on board. My previous intern was unable to dedicate a sufficient number of hours to the project. This put the project behind schedule since we had already spent a number of hours in training and it meant that training time would have to be devoted to a new intern. Additionally, I had some difficulty getting good quality source material. The degraded material meant poor quality scans and, hence, poor quality text conversion that required more hands on correction. In spite of all the setbacks, my present intern, Patrick Connolly and I have found new supplies of original source material and have developed a very good working relationship. The project has born fruit thus far and I hope to continue the job of digitizing the rest of Chesterton's contributions to the Eyewitness and the New Witness. This summer I will present results of my on going research at David Levy's summer seminar and prepare papers for presentation at conferences next year. Please see goals given in the previous proposals listed below for more detail. For additional information about my G.K. Chesterton project please see the following Dana requests from the summer of 2002 and the fall of 2002.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Edward McPhail

Patrick James Connolly (2005)

Eugenics and Other Evils: G. K. Chesterton's Argument against the Scientifically Organized State Part III

This is a continuation of my previous Dana projects (please see the attached copy of my summer 2002 and fall 2002 Dana project proposals) studying G.K. Chesterton's political economy and the role he played in the eugenics debates in the early 20th century. The project this year has faced some set backs. In the fall I had to bring a new intern on board. My previous intern was unable to dedicate a sufficient number of hours to the project. This put the project behind schedule since we had already spent a number of hours in training and it meant that training time would have to be devoted to a new intern. Additionally, I had some difficulty getting good quality source material. The degraded material meant poor quality scans and, hence, poor quality text conversion that required more hands on correction. In spite of all the setbacks, my present intern, Patrick Connolly and I have found new supplies of original source material and have developed a very good working relationship. The project has born fruit thus far and I hope to continue the job of digitizing the rest of Chesterton's contributions to the Eyewitness and the New Witness. This summer I will present results of my on going research at David Levy's summer seminar and prepare papers for presentation at conferences next year. Please see goals given in the previous proposals listed below for more detail. For additional information about my G.K. Chesterton project please see the following Dana requests from the summer of 2002 and the fall of 2002.

Term Funded:Summer 2003
Professor: Edward McPhail

Heather Brianne Davis (2004)

The Economic Impact of the U.S. Army War College

The U.S. Army War College is a unique combination of military base, educational institution, think tank, and historical site. As such, the analysis of its economic effects proved very challenging- One unique aspect of the post is its dual identity. In this paper the terms Carlisle Barracks and U.S.. Army War College will be used interchangeably, although the two have been synonymous for just over 50 years, a relatively short time in the long history of the Barracks.. Another unique aspect is its educational function, which significantly affects the post's personnel profile. Compared to most military bases, the Carlisle Barracks' employees include a large percentage of officers among the military and a very high percentage of civilian employees if local contractors are included. At less than 3%.of a square mile, it is also among the smallest military bases in the nation. This paper analyzes the economic impact of the U.S Army War College through a combination of statistics provided by War College Officials, results from a survey of barracks residents, general statistical information, and models of regional and county economies provided by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The results are impressive, particularly for a smaller facility. For example, the post directly or indircctly provides about 10 percent of the total income and earnings and nearly 8 percent of the total jobs in the Carlisle area.

Term Funded:Spring 2004
Professor: William Bellinger

Trang Ha Do ()

Measuring the Size of the U.S. State Shadow Economy Using a Dynamic General Equilibrium Model with Trends

he objective of this project is to measure the size and properties of the U.S. state-level shadow economy using a dynamic deterministic general equilibrium (DGE) model. This paper will build on the work of Solis-Garcia and Xie (2018) who perform a similar analysis for international economies. The model has two sectors: a formal economy and a shadow economy. Importantly, the model allows for trends in four key economic variables: hours worked, investment-specific productivity, formal productivity, and shadow productivity. This innovation in modeling will provide estimates that more accurately reflect transitions and magnitude differences in the business cycle. Importantly, the size of the shadow economic activity varies based on the phase of the business cycle. After calculating estimates of the state-level shadow economy, this work will discuss the evolution of shadow economy sector output relative to that in the formal sector. In addition, this project will compare this new measure to existing estimates.

Term Funded:Summer 2021
Professor: Emily Marshall

Chris Aaron Dumbroski (2007)

The Political Economy of Charles Nisbet

As the first president of ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Charles Nisbet is primarily known for his role as an early educator in America not for his economic thought. Although unknown to the economics profession, Nisbet's unpublished lectures on economics are of interest not only because of their novelty, but also because they serve to demonstrate the fluidity of ideas. They provide yet another piece of evidence helping to map out the complex web of ideas linking Scotland and America. From my research thus far it is clear that Nisbet was sympathetic to the Common Sense tradition of Thomas Reid and shows all the earmarks of a scholar who moved in the intellectual circles of 18th century Edinburgh. His letters and lectures demonstrate that he was well versed in the writings of the leading thinkers of his day. I propose to produce a text searchable version of his lectures and write a paper assessing his political economy.

Term Funded:Year 2007
Professor: Edward McPhail

Gerald Anthony Fennemore (1993)

Textbook for Introductory Economics Courses

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 1992
Professor: Gordon Bergsten

Michael James Franks (2005)

Eugenics and Other Evils: G.K. Chesterton's Argument against the Scientifically Organized State

n/a

Term Funded:Summer 2002
Professor: Edward McPhail

Jason Allen Gates (2015)

Economic Analysis of Public Policy, 2nd edition.

Routledge Publishing has requested that Prof Bellinger undertake a second edition of my undergraduate textbook, "The Economic Analysis of Public Policy." This project will involve substantial revisions and updates to all chapters and the development of on-line materials for instructors. The student's role will be to aid with literature review and statistical updates in several areas of public policy, review questions and answers for on-line and in-text locations, and check the clarity and quality of all chapters from the student's point of view.

Term Funded:Summer 2014
Professor: William Bellinger

Evgeniya Marinova Gencheva (2008)

Carlisle Area Homelessness and Income Density in Small Pennsylvania Towns

This Dana Research Assistant will aid in the completion of a research report on the characteristics and services provided to the homeless and shelter population of the Carlisle area. This project was originally undertaken as a senior seminar class project in the Spring of 2006 at the request of the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County. Some new analysis. When the final report on local homelessness is submitted, the Dana assistant can then participate in an ongoing study of income density (income per unit of geography) in small towns, which has a very different pattern than median household income. For example the richest neighborhood in Carlisle measured by income density surrounds Memorial Park. This project will involve mapping contiguous areas of high income density for the 18 Pennsylvania boroughs for which data has been collected and analyzing market areas and retail prospects for these areas. Some travel to selected towns may be required. I am requesting 500 miles and two overnight stays as a type of declining balance.

Term Funded:Year 2007
Professor: William Bellinger

Luke David Hanselman (2018)

Household Energy Use and Emissions in Carlisle: The Impact of Residential Density

In this project we compile expenditure, housing structure, and demographic data with very fine spatial clarity for the Carlisle area in in partnership with the Center for Survey Research (CSR) at Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg. Using this data we describe how household energy expenditures and the greenhouse gas emissions embodied in those expenditures vary by residential density. The environmental impact of urbanization and urban density are somewhat mixed in the existing literature, with urbanization often increasing emissions and urban density reducing emissions. This local geo-coded expenditure and energy use data will help to reconcile this disagreement in the literature. Therefore, the objectives of this project are three-fold: to (1) generate detailed expenditure and energy use data for the Carlisle community to aid in development plans consistent with community revitalization and environmental stewardship; (2) provide opportunities for ongoing community engagement for myself and my students; and (3) address a serious limitation in existing empirical research regarding the environmental impacts of urbanization and urban density.

Term Funded:Summer 2017
Professor: Anthony Underwood

Duyen M Le (2020)

Temporal Effects in Standard Evaluations of Teaching

This study investigates the effects of varying timing throughout the semester of Standard Evaluations of Teaching (SET) in principles of economics classrooms. Employing sample data from the classrooms of six economics instructors at intuitions of differing size, focus, and culture, this paper analyzes whether students rate their professors more favorably at certain times during the semester. Instructor evaluations are administered at three points throughout the semester: at the end of the first day of class, after the first exam is returned, and on the day of the final exam. This research also examines the prevalence of an asymmetric effect of professor gender on the temporal trend in student ratings. In response to many higher-education institutions searching for methods to reduce or address gender bias in SET results, we compare temporal differences in ratings by instructor gender. It is hypothesized that the gender effect will vary in degree throughout the semester. Finally, we examine online versus traditional classes to examine whether a gender bias is still prevalent and the magnitude at which it persists. This study will identify, based on a field experiment and econometric analysis, at what point gender bias in evaluations is most prevalent, and whether it might be minimized by altering the timing of course evaluations.

Term Funded:Spring 2018
Professor: Emily Marshall

Alexandra Shaw Medeiros (2018)

Temporal Effects in Standard Evaluations of Teaching

This study investigates the effects of varying timing throughout the semester of Standard Evaluations of Teaching (SET) in principles of economics classrooms. Employing sample data from the classrooms of six economics instructors at intuitions of differing size, focus, and culture, this paper analyzes whether students rate their professors more favorably at certain times during the semester. Instructor evaluations are administered at three points throughout the semester: at the end of the first day of class, after the first exam is returned, and on the day of the final exam. This research also examines the prevalence of an asymmetric effect of professor gender on the temporal trend in student ratings. In response to many higher-education institutions searching for methods to reduce or address gender bias in SET results, we compare temporal differences in ratings by instructor gender. It is hypothesized that the gender effect will vary in degree throughout the semester. Finally, we examine online versus traditional classes to examine whether a gender bias is still prevalent and the magnitude at which it persists. This study will identify, based on a field experiment and econometric analysis, at what point gender bias in evaluations is most prevalent, and whether it might be minimized by altering the timing of course evaluations.

Term Funded:Fall 2017
Professor: Emily Marshall