WKU Biology Professor elected as Chair of Division M of the American Society for Microbiology - February 18, 2009

Dr. Rodney King, Associate Professor of Biology at WKU, has been elected to serve Division M of the American Society for Microbiology.  The members of Division M are interested in understanding the biology of bacteriophages; viruses that infect bacteria. 

As Division chair,Dr. King will help plan and organize the Division M symposium for the 2010 General Meeting of the ASM.  The American Society for Microbiology is the oldest and largest single life sciences organization in the world representing researchers, educators, clinicians and industry professionals engaged in all disciplines of the microbiological sciences.  ASM members support their science and their Society by volunteering their service.

Bowling Green, Ky. - Two Western Kentucky University biology faculty members have been invited to participate in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) National Genomics Research Initiative.

Dr. Rodney King (left), associate professor of biology and director of the WKU Biotechnology Center, and Dr. Claire Rinehart (right), professor of biology and director of the Bioinformatics and Information Science Center (BISC),  each have expertise in virology, biotechnology and bioinformatics and will use their experience to engage freshmen students in the yearlong HHMI program in scientific discovery. 

The genomics research program will start in the fall of 2009 and all entering freshmen who have an interest in science will have an opportunity to apply.

WKU is one of 12 college and universities selected this year to join HHMI’s Science Education Alliance (SEA) which was launched last year when 12 other colleges and universities joined the group in an education experiment with an ambitious agenda -- teach science to students by involving them in scientific discovery on a national scale.

“Interactive lab experiences are a key component of the WKU Biology Department curriculum and we are continually exploring new ways to engage students,” Dr. King said. “We recently implemented a new curriculum, Investigative Biotechnology, which introduces student-directed, problem-based learning at the introductory level. The HHMI science education program will expand our efforts to provide opportunities for our students to become engaged in meaningful original research at the introductory level. In addition, the national scope of the program will facilitate collaboration with other scientists/educators throughout the country.”

WKU’s Bioinformatics and Information Science Center (BISC) also is exploring the development of a certificate and a minor in Bioinformatics, Dr. King said. This is a cross-disciplinary initiative involving the departments of Biology, Mathematics and Computer Science. One course in Bioinformatics and several in statistics and data mining have recently been introduced into the curriculum to support this initiative and there are plans to add additional courses.

“The HHMI program will help us create an introductory pipeline to research experiences that will complement our existing and planned instructional programs and allow WKU freshman to engage in the thrill of discovery,” Dr. King said.

HHMI (www.hhmi.org) created the Science Education Alliance in 2007 in the hope that it would become a resource for science educators from across the nation. It allows faculty to work together to deliver innovative science education programs and bring the excitement of the doing of science directly to students in a novel, collaborative way. The Institute has committed $4 million over four years to the Alliance.

The SEA’s first project is the National Genomics Research Initiative, a two-part, year-long research course offered by colleges and universities selected through a national competition. The course is aimed exclusively at beginning college students, who make real discoveries by doing research on bacterial viruses, called phage. In the first term, the students isolate colonies of phage from locally collected soil samples. Given the diversity of phage, each one is almost certain to be unique, so the students get to name their newly identified life form. They then spend the rest of the term purifying and characterizing their phage and extracting its DNA.

Between terms, the purified DNA is sent to the Joint Genome Institute-Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where it is sequenced. In the second term, the students receive files containing their phage’s DNA sequence. The students then use bioinformatics tools to analyze and annotate the DNA from their phage.

WKU and the 11 other new SEA colleges and universities were chosen from among 33 applicants. The schools, ranging from small private colleges to large research universities, will start offering the course in fall 2009. HHMI provides research and laboratory materials and the support from the SEA’s director and a dedicated HHMI staff.

Another four colleges will join the Alliance as associate members. They will attend training sessions that will allow them to implement this research experience in laboratory classes on their campuses. Eventually, HHMI will select at least 36 schools to participate in the genomics research initiative as full members.

The first 12 schools, chosen in 2007, began offering the course in fall 2008. After one term of the course, many faculty who have been teaching the Alliance’s innovative genomics research course to freshmen are now realizing they may never again teach science courses the same way.

“When you visit these schools, you can see that institutional transformation is occurring,” said Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan, director of the SEA program at HHMI. “We have given these educators ammunition to show their colleagues that research courses are a viable way to engage students and possibly retain them in the sciences.”

The new participants in the National Genome Research Initiative are: Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; Cabrini College, Radnor, Pa.; Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Georgia State University, Atlanta;  Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.; North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.; St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia;
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.; University of Montana, Missoula, Mont.; University of North Texas, Denton, Texas; University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, Puerto Rico; Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green.
The associate members are: Alabama A&M University, Normal, Ala.; City University of New York, Queen’s College; Culver-Stockton College, Canton, Mo.; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va.
(A news release about the project from HHMI is available online at http://www.hhmi.org/news/20090108sea.html)

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University’s Ogden College of Science and Engineering recognized its top students April 13th at the Ogden College 2008 Student Awards Ceremony held at the Knicely Conference Center at WKU’s South Campus. This year’s award recipients include:

Biology:

• Natalie Jones-Mountjoy of Owensboro, Outstanding Biology Graduate Student
• Mark Sandefur of Calhoun, Outstanding Biology Student
• Joseph Chavarria-Smith of Elkton, Outstanding Biotechnology Center Student
• Rachel Wigginton of Glendale, Outstanding Biodiversity Center Student
• Maria Clara Figueirinhas of Bowling Green, Dillard/Hoyt Graduate Scholarship
• Cabrina Hamilton of Springfield, Larry N. Gleason Scholarship Award
• Wes Brown of Bowling Green, L.Y. Lancaster Award
• Andrew Ebelhar of Owensboro, Dr. Dan Skean Award for Outstanding Microbiology Student
• Hajara Mahmood of Prospect Heights, Ill., Outstanding Biology Teaching Assistant.

WKU Biology Faculty Member Receives Research Award - April 03, 2008 - Dr. Michael Stokes, Professor of Biology at Western Kentucky University, has received the 2008 Special Research Award from the Kentucky Academy of Science.

KAS has awarded WKU a $9,891 grant in support of Dr. Stokes’ research proposal titled “Termitaria: Engineering Biodiversity in Semiarid Lands.” Dr. Stokes and his students will be conducting research into the poorly-described ecology of small animals in East Africa.

The KAS Special Research Award is awarded to faculty at Kentucky higher education institutions, public or private, involved in undergraduate education. Proposals are reviewed by a KAS panel and evaluated according to established criteria. The criteria includes significance of the proposed project within the context of the subfield of the proposed work, feasibility of the project, and measurable goals that can be assessed to verify progress of the investigation. Priority is given to research involving undergraduate students.

The Kentucky Academy of Science (www.kyscience.org) is a non-profit organization whose goals are to encourage scientific research, promote the diffusion of scientific knowledge, and unify the scientific interests of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Established in 1914, the Academy is an Affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of Academies of Science.

3 WKU Biology Students Honored By Kentucky Academy Of Science January 30, 2008

Bowling Green, Ky. - Three Western Kentucky University biology students have received awards from the Kentucky Academy of Science to support their research projects.

Margaret Mahan and Maria Figueirinhas, both graduate students from Bowling Green, are winners of the 2008 Marcia Athey Award. Jauan Burbage, a Paducah junior, received a 2008 KAS Undergraduate/Graduate Research Award.

Mahan received her award for her research proposal “Ecological Investigation of Vertebrate Use of Epigeal Termitaria in the Tasavo Region of Kenya.” She is working under the supervision of Dr. Michael Stokes, associate professor of biology.

Figueirinhas’ research proposal is titled “A phylogenetic study of the endangered species Podarcis carbonelli on a microgeographic scale.” Her work is supervised by Dr. Nancy Rice, assistant professor of biology.

Burbage was honored for his proposal titled “The Effects of Alcohol on Mate Choice Decisions in Limenitis Butterflies.” His faculty supervisor is Dr. Jeffrey Marcus, assistant professor of biology.

The Kentucky Academy of Science will award grants to WKU in support of the three research proposals. The Academy (www.kyscience.org) is a nonprofit organization whose goals are to encourage scientific research, promote the diffusion of scientific knowledge, and unify the scientific interests of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Established in 1914, the Academy is an Affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of Academies of Science.

WKU Biology Students Receive Awards At Kentucky Academy Of Science Annual Meeting

November 16, 2007 Several Western Kentucky University undergraduate and graduate students received awards recently at the Kentucky Academy of Science’s 93rd annual meeting.

WKU students, faculty and staff members in the Ogden College of Science and Engineering presented research papers and posters during the Nov. 8-10 meeting in Louisville. The event was hosted by the University of Louisville and Bellarmine University.

Undergraduate award winners from WKU Biology included the following:

• Joseph Chavarria-Smith of Elkton, first in Cellular and Molecular Biology, “Identification and characterization of a novel phosophorylase kinase g variant”
• Reagan Gilley of Pineville, first in Physiology and Biochemistry, “Testing the Equal Energy Hypothesis in Noise-Exposed Fishes”
• Amanda Webb of Rockfield, first in Zoology, “Sound production in two loricariid catfishes”
• Cabrina Hamilton of Springfield, second in Ecology and Environmental Science, “Influences of Pastures and CREP Tall Grass Plantings on Avian Community Composition” and “A Comparison of the Vegetation Communities of Hayfields, Barrens, and Restored Grasslands in the Upper Green River Watershed”
• Meridith Bartley of Crestwood, third in Ecology and Environmental Science, “To Detritus You Shall Return”
• Jeffrey Davis of Louisville, fourth in Botany, “Monophyly and putative hybrid origin of Rubus subgenus Orobatus (Rosaceae)”
• Annesia Lamb of Bowling Green, third in Botany, “Somatic Embryogenesis and Gene Expression in a Fabaceous Shrub of Environmental Importance”
  
  Graduate award winners from WKU Biology included the following:

• Maria Clara Figueirinhas of Bowling Green, first in Zoology, “Comparison of thermoregulation in Podarcis carbonelli berlengensis under mild and extreme environmental conditions”
• Julie Schuck of Glasgow, first in Physiology and Biochemistry, “Zebrafish: A potential model of gene expression during auditory hair cell regeneration”
• Jonathan Bowers of Northridge, Calif., third in Ecology and Environmental Science, “Eigenvector Analysis of Connectivity in Food Webs
• Christa Gaskill of Bowling Green, third in Cellular and Molecular Biology, “A New Algorithm for Analysis of Circadian Rhythms Data Generated by a New Phototaxis Machine”
  
  Other presentations by WKU Biology students included the following:

• Daniel Byrd of Bowling Green, Cellular and Molecular Biology, “Localizing mutations in Chlamydomonas insertional mutants defective in circadian transcription”
• Laura Claus of Bowling Green, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, “Watershed and reach-scale influence on macroinverebrate assemblages in the Upper Green River”
• T. Michelle Dodson of Westmoreland, Tenn., Cellular and Molecular Biology, “Creation of an EST (Expressed Sequence Tag) Library from the Developing Wings of a Butterfly”
• Kerstin Edberg of Hardyville, Zoology, “Life History aspects of the Southern Studfish, Fundulus stellifer (Actinopterygii: Fundulidae) in North Georgia”
• Chad Groce of Glasgow, Zoology, “Trypanosoma cruzi isolated from raccoons trapped in Kentucky”
• Margaret M. Mahan of Bowling Green, Ecology and Environmental Science, “Ecological Investigation of Vertebrate Use of Epigeal Termitaria in the Tsavo Region of Kenya”
• Pamela Manning of Auburn, Cellular and Molecular Biology, “Intense, Specific, and Stable Labeling of Intracellular Stages of Toxoplasma gondii Using Quantum Dot Immuo-conjugates”
• Joseph R. Marquardt of Bartlett, Tenn., Zoology, “Phylogenetics and hybridization in the butterfly genus Limenitis (Nymphalidae) and the origins of the aberrant Limenitis form rubidus (Strecker)”
• Steven Mavis of Franklin, Zoology, “Effects of Dams on Diets of Stream Fish Upstream of the Reservoir”
• Ashley Mefford of Hendersonville, Tenn., Cellular and Molecular Biology, “Muscle Adaptation in Response to Voluntary Exercise”
• Brian Payne of Hendersonville, Tenn., Ecology and Environmental Science, “Diversity Comparison of Dung Beetle Communities in Ghana and their Use in Monitoring Ecosystem Health”
• Brian D. Rogers of Woodburn, Zoology, “The auditory anatomy of the loricariid catfish Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps”
• Bjorn Schmidt of Bowling Green, Ecology and Environmental Science, “Fish assemblage patterns in relation to environmental parameters in the Upper Barren River Basin of Kentucky, with emphasis on the distribution of Etheostoma kantuckeense”
• Matthew G. Skaggs of Leitchfield, Ecology and Environmental Science, “Influences on Landscape Effects on Birds Calling”
• Patrick C. Stewart of Summer Shade, Zoology, “Sound localization in the Otocinclus” and “Testing sound localization in Otocinclus affinis using classical conditioning”
• Mario Sullivan of Bowling Green, Zoology, “Upstream Effects of Barren River Lake on Fish Communities in the Barren River System”
• Jason T. Taylor of Mammoth Cave, Ecology and Environmental Science, “Environmental effects on the restoration of American chestnut to the forests of Mammoth Cave National Park”
• Shannon R. Trimboli of Franklin, Ecology and Environmental Science, “Color Preference of Adult Male Crab Spiders”
• Josh Wilsey of Bowling Green, Ecology and Environmental Science, “Longitudinal variation in fish community along the Upper Green River below the Green River Lake: Assessing the influence of habitat and thermal variability”
• Matthew Young of Elkton, Cellular and Molecular Biology, “Determining the involvement of plant-like cryptochrome in circadian clock entrainment in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii”
  

June 28, 2007

Western Kentucky University will expand its international reach next summer with a medical program in Kenya.

Dr. Nancy Rice, an assistant professor in WKU’s Department of Biology, is working in collaboration with the University of Nairobi to develop “Partners in Caring: a Medical Service-Learning Exchange between Kenya and Kentucky.” The course is scheduled to begin in summer of 2008.

“We have a large number of pre-professional students in pre-medicine and pre-dental and this program is designed with them in mind to get service learning,” Dr. Rice said.

“Partners in Caring” builds on a memorandum of understanding between WKU and the University of Nairobi. WKU has been working with the Kenyan school in recent years on a biodiversity and conservation project.

The course will be taught with the support of Dr. Michael Collins and Dr. Richard Clouse, both family practitioners, and Dr. Kelly Kries, a pediatrician. The program’s objective is to develop a partnership among WKU pre-medical students, local physicians, University of Nairobi medical students and Kenyan physicians in order to enhance health in the Kasigau region of Kenya.

“Students, though participation in rural medical clinics led by our partnering physicians, will gain an appreciation of Kenyan culture and medicine and learn about the epidemiological challenges facing a third-world country while having a substantive, engaged international learning experience,” Dr. Rice said. “This is a unique opportunity for our students,”

In December, Dr. Rice, Dr. Collins and Dr. Clouse visited Kenya to establish formal ties with the University of Nairobi Medical School and to perform a needs assessment of the Kasigau area.

Residents of the region are poor and have no electricity or water. Access to medical facilities is limited to just three communities in the region.

And those facilities are “very primitive,” Dr. Clouse said. “They’ve made use of what they have.”
The group did surveys to get basic information and history of the villages and determine their health needs, which include childbirth education, HIV education, proper use of medications and use of mosquito nets to prevent malaria.

While the physicians will provide medical treatment, the students will take vital signs and medical histories of patients. “What we found out was that we can do a lot of good,” Dr. Rice said. “We’d like to make this a sustainable program.”

Once the program is established, the goal will be to make trips every six months during summer and winter terms. The program also will include opportunities for Kenyan students and physicians to visit WKU and the Bowling Green region.

“We don’t want to go in and change their culture; we’d also like to foster concern among the Nairobi students for their own people,” Dr. Rice said. “There is such poverty that if you make it to medical school you face a difficult choice in going back to an impoverished area.”

The first group of WKU students in the “Partners in Caring” course will be selected this fall. The selection process will be intensive because students will have to be prepared for the living conditions in the rural region, Dr. Rice said. “It’s a life-changing experience,” she said.

Once students are selected, they will complete a seminar course next spring on Kenyan culture, herbal medicine and health care in the Third World and will receive some basic medical skills training from the partner physicians.
In the summer of 2008, the medical group will travel to Kenya along with WKU’s biodiversity group.

“This program will be a win-win for the students and the university,” Dr. Clouse said. “If I was 18 again, I might have done it because it’s something you don’t get to do every day.”

Dr. Clouse and Dr. Collins are looking forward to working with the pre-professional students.

“I’ve always liked to work with students,” Dr. Collins said. “The pre-med students will really get a benefit from this course.”

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Nancy Rice at (270) 745-5995.