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A recent article in the prestigious magazine Science highlights genomics research being conducted by faculty and student research teams at Holy Cross and other institutions across the country.
Co-authored by Mary Lee Ledbetter, chair of the College biology department, the article chronicles the work being performed through the Genome Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT), an organization that pairs students with faculty to engage in microarray research and data analysis.
Microarray research can be very expensive. Through grant money, GCAT enables colleges and universities to incorporate the use of microarrays into undergraduate programs at an affordable price.
"We think this is an indispensable way to make available to undergraduates technology that would normally be far beyond the reach of our budgets," says Ledbetter, one of the founders of GCAT in 1999.
Ledbetter's research is supported by a National Science Foundation Grant for Distinguished Teaching Scholar.
A microarray is a collection of microscopic DNA spots attached to a surface, such as a glass slide or silicon chip, to form an arrangement of samples. Microarray researchers can measure the expression levels of large numbers of genes simultaneously or identify the specific genetic makeup of multiple regions of a genome.
Microarray analysis was used to identify the SARS virus within three weeks—a process that formerly took a much longer period of time. Microarrays are also used in cancer research, developmental biology, human genetic disease research, and in agriculture.
Daron C. Barnard, a postdoctoral fellow and visiting professor, has been working on the project with Ledbetter. Over the past three years, nine Holy Cross students have been involved in microarray research.
One of the main goals of GCAT is to encourage students to work with faculty as collaborators.
"We want students to take intellectual ownership of a project, to be in on the decision-making," Ledbetter says.
Jonathan Eskander '06, Patrick Jones '06 and Barnard worked as a research team, and the students made major contributions to the project.
"Most of the research is done by the students—with direction from me," Barnard says. "As they become more and more familiar with the research, they take a greater role, need less direction and become adept at thinking about the project themselves."
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