The 23rd Annual Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium
May 5, 2004

 

The symposium was held in the atrium outside of the Callahan Science Library between Swords and Haberlin Halls. Students from the Biology Department presented their original research in posters and trough discussion.

Below are some photos taken at the poster session, along with a listing of all of the titles and faculty sponsors.

A number of students also received Departmental and College awards.

Suzanne Loisel '04 explains her work to Drs. Robert Bertin and Mary Lee Ledbetter (her faculty sponsor and 2003 winner of the National Science Foundation's Director’s Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholars). Suzanne studied proteins associated with connections between cells and worked in Dr. Ledbetter's lab.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Yin Hung (Rex) explains his work on insect bioacoustics to another student and to Dr. Robert Bertin. Rex plans are fluid -- he will enter either medical or graduate school (or both!) after a year of research or volunteerism.

Rex is well-known in the Department not only for his interests in biology but also as an effective member of the Department's Student Advisory Committee and an active participant in department functions including faculty searches.

Congratulations go to Rex for being selected the 2004 recipient of the Department's Father Flavin Award, given to " the senior biology major who has shown excellence in scientific achievement, significant humanitarian service, or contribution to the vitality of the Biology Department and the College".

Caitlin Farrell ' 04 speaks with Dr. Michael Chapman of the UMass Medical School's Cell Biology Department. Cait's work was done at the UMass Medical School's Division of Diabetes and examined aspects of the biochemistry of diabetes mellitus in an animal model.
Special congratulations are in order to Cait as she is this year's winner of the College's Crompton Gold Medal for scientific writing.
Cait is headed for a career in research and medical practice.

Kate Freeman ' 05, plans to continue her work with Dr. George Hoffmann on mutagenesis next year as her College Honors Program thesis. Kate combines her classes and research with being a member of the varsity rowing team.


Missy Bleakney '04 explains the work she did with Ralph DeBiasi to Dr. Cara Constance. Missy and Ralph's work centered on urbanization and water quality of the Blackstone River. Missy will atttend graduate school.

Mark Marzinke '04 stands by his poster dealing with the role of a type of proteins found in muscles (syndecans) in transmitting force. Mark is headed for graduate school in biochemistry.

 

 

 

Mary Rose Campbell '04, and Departmental Secretary par excellenceLinda Walsh. Mary Rose's work was with Abbie Finger (see below). They examined the changes in the leaf litter of streams and the invertebrates that would be present as a function of the loss of Eastern Hemlock trees.
The Hemlock is threatened by an exotic insect, the Hemlock wooly adelgid.

 

Abbie Finger '04. Abbie plans to become a teacher. Here she presents the results of one of the two ecological studies she worked on during her senior year. This study, done with Christine Leimkuhler, '05, examined the use of macroinvertebrates as indicators of stream water quality.

   

Michael Alavian '04, explains his work dealing with protein interactions to Dr. Daron Barnard of UMass Medical School. Dr. Barnard will join the Department next year as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Mary Lee Ledbetter.

Sean Hagerty '04, talks to Dr. Madeline Vargas, Ms Cathy Dumas, and Mike DiGiacomo '06. Sean worked on mutagenesis in bacteria. He plans to attend graduate school in neuroscience after taking a year off.

 

 

Ralph DiBiasi '04 and Dr. Bill Sobczak. Ralph worked with Dr. Cara Constance on the molecular biology of biological clocks.

The Drs. Lingappa study a poster. Alumni and alumnae of the department will remember these beloved microbiologists and nutritionalists.

The scene near the end of the session at noon!

Rex Hung, this year's winner of the Flavin Award (see below)

Mike DiGiacomo, '06, winner of this year's Teresa Churilla Book Award.

 

Bridget Collins, '05, studies a poster. Bridget is commited to ecological studies. She was honored by the College as the winner of the Rev. John F. Redican Medal and the Thomas A. Fulham Environmental Studies Prize.

Departmental and College Awards

Yin P. (Rex) Hung '04
The Rev. John W. Flavin, S.J.,
Award in Biology
"for the fourth-year biology major who has shown excellence in scientific achievement, significant humanitarian service, or contribution to the vitality of the Biology Department and the College"


Michael B. DiGiacomo '06
The Teresa Churilla Book Award in Biology
to the second-year biology major who best exemplifies the ideals of intellectual curiosity, academic excellence, and scientific promise. We also congratulate the winner of this year's College

Caitlin A. Farrell '04
Crompton Gold Medal Award
for the best scientific essay or research paper submitted during the school year among the departments of biology, chemistry and physics


Bridget M. Collins '05
The Rev. John F. Redican Medal
given to the third-year student who has made a unique contribution to the College's intellectual life
and
The Thomas A. Fulham
Environmental Studies Prize
given to a third-year student in recognition of his or her work in safeguarding our physical environment

Presentations

Michael Alavian: "Microscopic and Biochemical Exploration of the Potential Merlin and Syndecan-1 Interaction"
Dr. Robert Bellin, faculty sponsor

G. Kenton Allen: "Global Genomic Analysis of a Carbon Source Shift under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae"
Dr. Mary Lee Ledbetter, faculty sponsor

Melissa Bleakney and Ralph DeBiasi: "Does Urbanization of the Blackstone River Affect Water Quality? Comparing Stream Biofilms in Forested vs. Urban Reaches"
Dr. William Sobczak, faculty sponsor

Mary Rose Campbell and Abbie Finger: Predicted changes in leaf litter decomposition and macroinvertebrate colonization
following Eastern Hemlock mortality in stream riparian zones"
Dr. William Sobczak, faculty sponsor

Ralph M. DeBiasi: "Circadian Clock Gene Expression in Xenopus tropicalis"
Dr. Cara Constance, faculty sponsor

Caitlin A. Farrell: "ART2 in an Animal Model of Diabetes"
Dr. Rita Bortell of UMass Medical School and Dr. MaryLee Ledbetter, faculty sponsors

Abbie Finger and Christine Leimkuhler: "Using Macroinvertebrates as Biotic Indicators of Water Quality in the
Blackstone River"
Dr. William Sobczak, faculty sponsor

Kate Freeman: "Frequencies of simultaneous genetic events in Saccharomyces cerevisiae"
Dr. George Hoffmann, faculty sponsor

Jaclyn Gareau: "Development of a Positive Screening System for Protein Trans-Splicing"
Dr. Kenneth Mills, Department of Chemistry, faculty sponsor

Sean Hagerty: "Entozon mutagenesis in the lacZ reversion assay in Escherichia coli strains differing in permeability, acetyltransferase activity, and SOS repair"
Dr. George Hoffmann, faculty sponsor

Yin P. (Rex) Hung: Efficiencies and Phase Correlations of Calling Songs of Crickets and Katydids
Ken Prestwich, faculty sponsor

Kathleen Leahy: "The Role of Flt3/Flk2 in Early B Cell Development"
Dr. Kenneth Mills, Department of Chemistry, and Dr. Rachel Gerstein, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, UMass Medical School, faculty sponsors

Katherine Lewandowski: "A Study of the Autoprocessing Mechanism of Sonic Hedgehog Proteins"
Dr. Kenneth Mills, Department of Chemistry, faculty sponsor

Suzanne Loisel: "Connexin 43 levels in M-1, mIMCD-3, and 293T/17 cells as determined by Western blot and verified through actin staining"
Dr. Mary Lee Ledbetter, faculty sponsor

Michael Lucke: "Analysis of the Characteristics of mIMCD-3 Cells and Induction of Connexin43 Expression through Transfection and Selection"
Dr. Mary Lee Ledbetter, faculty sponsor

Mark Marzinke: "The Role of Syndecan Proteins in Mechanotransduction"
Dr. Robert Bellin, faculty sponsor

Timothy D. Quinn: "A Study of the Autoprocessing Mechanism of Warthog and Groundhog Proteins in C. elegans"
Dr. Kenneth Mills, Department of Chemistry, faculty sponsor

David Rancourt: "Effects of Ouabain and Aldosterone on Connexin 43 of 293T/17 Human Kidney Cells"
Dr. Mary Lee Ledbetter, faculty sponsor

Stephen Tedesco: "Distribution of flagellar membrane proteins in non-gliding mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii"
Drs. Michael Chapman and G. B. Whitman, Department of Cell Biology, UMass Medical School, faculty sponsors

 

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