Ashland biology senior conducts summer research at UC-Berkeley

Lindsey Knapp spent this past summer in California conducting research at UC Berkeley as part of a National Science Foundation funded research program.  Many of our students gain valuable experience in these REU programs, which typically accept applications starting in January or February of each year.  You can search these programs and learn more about applying here.  Lindsey wrote the following about her experience and provides some tips for a successful application:

My summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at University of California-Berkeley was a great experience that provided me with professional development skills, gave me a preview of my future career, and allowed me to network with a variety of biology students and professionals. I worked in David Weisblat’s Lab in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Department funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. My project focused on the gene piezo and its role in development and mechanotransduction in the leech Helobdella.

I found this REU on the NSF website along with other NSF funded programs. After applying to many programs, I was accepted into four great programs and chose Berkeley. I was in the Berkeley REU program with 10 other students from around the country and the world. My responsibilities were the same as a graduate student. I was given a project and a mentor who was familiar with the project and techniques needed to pursue it. I implemented experiments independently throughout the summer. At the end of the summer my cohort and I gave presentations on our projects including an introduction to the topic of research, the experiments we ran, and our results 

Throughout the summer there were a variety of professional development workshops on several topics including graduate school applications, science careers, scientific ethics, and public speaking. We also got to meet, interact with, and attend lectures from amazing scientists such as Tyrone Hayes, a world expert on fertilizers’ affect on the endocrine system, and Robert Full, a biophysicist who helped make movies such as “A Bug’s Life” and “Kung Fu Panda”. In addition, we were able to learn about hyenas at the Berkeley field station and go whale watching in the Pacific Ocean. 

This REU prepared me immensely for my future education and career. I am going to pursue a Ph.D. in Developmental Biology and go on to work in an industry or government lab. The experience of implementing my own experiments and troubleshooting for my own research project is invaluable. In graduate school I will essentially be working on a project of the same caliber, but with more freedom and independence. The skills I learned this summer will help me succeed in graduate school. Success in graduate school will ultimately help me procure a research focused job. 

During the application process, I would suggest that science majors apply for many different programs. There are hundreds to thousands of qualified applicants applying for each program. Make your application stand out by writing essays with personality and get good letters of recommendation from professors or professionals you have worked with. Be thorough but precise in your application, and do your best.

Lindsey presenting her summer research

Internship Opportunity for Chemistry Majors

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Julie Arko

Following graduation last spring, Julie Arko (ACS Chemistry ’12) began working as a Research Chemist at The Lubrizol Corporation in Wickliffe, Ohio.  She is currently looking for chemistry majors to fill summer intern positions.  Interested students should go to www.lubrizol.com/careers/student-learning.html and follow the link to Internships and Co-ops.  Julie's own summer internship experience contributed significantly to securing full-time employment.

Science scholarship students attend technology entrepreneurship event

On September 29th, members of Ashland University's Choose Ohio First (COF) scholarship program attended the Northeast Ohio Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Forum at Hudson High School. Our students and the scholarship program's faculty director, Dr. Steven Fenster, were on hand to represent Ashland University and heard presentations by academic and industry leaders. Speakers included: Dr. Luis Prorenza, the president of Akron University; Dr. Vinny Gupta, a member of the Ohio Board of Regents; Dr. Brian Davis, Department Chair of Biomedical Engineering at Akron University, and Dr. Katrina Cornish, Endowed Chair in Bio-based Emergent Material at Ohio State University. The goal of the Forum is to educate students about the importance of entrepreneurial thinking, and to engage them with the State's growing science and technology industry.

Microbiology professor edits a new book on bacteriophages

Dr. Paul Hyman, Assistant Professor of Biology/Toxicology, has edited Bacteriophages in Health and Disease with Dr. Stephen T. Abedon of the Ohio State University.  This book has just been published by CAB International.  The various chapters, including two chapters co-authored by Dr. Hyman, review the state-of-the-art in the role of bacteriophages in disease development and development of new therapies.

Bacteriophages, a type of virus that only infects bacterial cells, are typically thought to have no effect on human health since they cannot infect human cells. But they do have important roles in the evolution of new pathogens by carrying genetic material between bacterial cells.  There is also growing evidence that some bacteriophages have evolved mechanisms to avoid the human immune system so that they can attack bacteria that are part of the normal human microbiome – the collection of microbes that are found on and in a healthy person – thus altering the composition of the microbiome in ways that can also affect a person’s health.

In addition, the book contains chapters describing how bacteriophages are used in a variety of technologies for the discovery of new drugs and vaccines as well as the detection and identification of pathogenic bacteria.  Some of these are being marketed today including two anti-inflammatory drugs.  The final chapters review the long history and current study of bacteriophages as antibacterial drugs.  In some countries bacteriophage have been used for over 80 years to treat intestinal infections and wound infections among others.  This use of bacteriophages is designated phage therapy.  With the increasing levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria being seen around the world, phage therapy is seeing a resurgence in interest with dozens of treatments undergoing clinical trial.

New COF Students Welcomed to Campus

On September 9^th, members of Ashland University's Choose Ohio First (COF) scholarship program and other students and faculty gathered to hear talks from fellow Ashland students about their summer research and internship experiences.  Students talked about research conducted as far away as Berkeley, California (Lindsey Knapp), research performed right here in Ashland (Jared Baisden, Carly Young, Mary Brown, and Zack Haley), an internship experience at MetroHealth in Akron (Daiva Gerbec), or volunteer service at health clinics in Tanzania (Gina Laginya).  This year we welcomed 7 new students to the COF program including Maria Bon, Krista Lewis, Winifred Johnson, Tricia Martin, Kayla Prokopakis, Kylee Ziegler, and Dane Zunich.  Currently, we have 24 COF scholars (pictured above) majoring in Biochemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, or Toxicology.   The COF scholarships support students planning to pursue careers in the medical, agricultural, environmental, or related fields, either through continued education in graduate schools, health related professional schools or through direct employment in industry after completion of their degree.  The COF program at Ashland University is funded by the Ohio Board of Regents and directed by Dr. Steven Fenster.

Students and Faculty First to Use Newly Renovated Field Station at Dayspring Preserve

New-and-improved field station

Over the weekend, TriBeta, biology honorary, hosted the annual faculty/student camping trip to Dayspring Environmental Preserve.

This was the first use of the newly renovated field station and access bridge, both of which have been enormously improved over 2011-2012 due to a generous grant from the Schooler Family Foundation.  Additional improvements were funded by Ashland University and LG Electronics.

In 2004, Dr. Lewis Smith (AU'50) and his wife Ardeth (Kline, AU'52) donated 50 acres of land in Coshocton County for use as an Ashland University environmental preserve.

This property is located in an unglaciated area of Ohio, and thus contains different habitats and geological formations than are found in the other Ashland University preserves. Features include mature deciduous forest and a deep ravine with a healthy stream that flows across much of the property.  For additional pictures of the renovation, see the Ashland University Sciences facebook page (Camping at Dayspring photo album).

The view into the kitchen from the dining/meeting room.

Looking out toward the renovated bridge from the dining/meeting room.

Research Experience for Undergraduates in Warm-Water Ecology

The National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program has allowed many of our students to participate in great experiences doing real research jobs (for real $$) and getting professional development training.  There is a huge variety of programs offered all over the U.S. and at international sites. For those inclined toward field biology, this one run by groups at Auburn University interested in warm-water ecology might be of interest.  This group also hosts a Facebook page.