by Drake Bishop ’14, Alan Fish ’14, and Christian Lehman ’14:

This summer we worked on research projects at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, New Hampshire (recently named in honor of Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, Dartmouth 1925).  We worked on these projects with Dr. Mike Wolyniak from H-SC while the facilities and lab we worked in were that of Dr. Chuck Cole of the medical school’s Biochemistry and Genetics Department. This lab had many of its own projects with other undergraduate students from Dartmouth College, a postdoctoral researcher and a lab manager, all of whom were good company and helpful on several occasions.

Alan Fish and Christian Lehman

Drake Bishop

One major project we worked on involved plant genetics with Arebisopsis thaliana.  The project is part of a collaboration sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The consortium is with three other schools across the country: Barnard College of New York, the College of Charleston of South Carolina, and the University of Georgia.  Our H-SC group is part of the collaborative’s genotype group. Our goal is extract DNA from different strains of Arabidopsis thaliana grown by the collaborative then quantify the number of inserts of T-DNA in each sample. The information we compile about each sample, of which there are thousands, will help lead to a standardized database of which strains could be used for certain genetic modeling research. Our day to day work consisted of grinding up leaf samples and extracting usable DNA, running PCR reactions to exponentially multiply the amount of extracted DNA.  We then run  gel electrophoresis on the samples to separate the extracted DNA in to 500 and 600 base pair bands, the first band being our standard and the second band being what we observe and quantify. To quantify the band we take a photo of the using a UV camera and then a computer program to assign a value to the brightness of the band.    We have also run quantitative PCR reactions on select samples to verify out results and have started growing about 80 additional plants for later study.

Tending the plants in Dartmouth’s greenhouse

A happy and healthy Arabidopsis thaliana

In a separate project, we worked with some strains of yeast with point mutations in the brr-6 gene, which has been theorized to affect changes in the nucleus and cell division. We wanted to observe and study mitotic malfunctions in these mutated strains of cells.   We have also begun work on some new crosses of yeast which also include mutations of the brr-6 gene and which have tubulin labeled with GFP.  This will allow us to look at the way microtubules behave in cells with the brr6-1 mutation.

Hard at work in the lab

There was also plenty to do outside of the lab in Hanover, where the college and medical school resides, and the neighboring towns. There were lectures by post docs, art galleries, and Dartmouth’s Hood Museum along with the rest of the campus to explore. The college’s proximity to the city of Boston also allowed us a couple of day trips to explore the city’s rich history and food.

Touching John Harvard’s foot in Cambridge, Massachusetts for good luck!

From Nick DeProspero ’13:

 This summer I have had the opportunity to intern for the education department at NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island in Manteo, NC. I not only help educate the public through programs and outreach, but I also have learned to handle all types of animals and have learned about a large array of different organisms through this experience. I’ve handled corn snakes, Eastern king snakes, rat snakes, Vietnamese mossy frogs, poison dart frogs, tiger salamanders, marine toads, southern toads, waxy monkey frogs, tarantulas, scorpions, box turtles, snapping turtles, diamondback terrapins, softshell turtles, musk and mud turtles, American alligators, African pygmy hedgehogs, blue tonged skinks, and my favorite, loggerhead sea turtles.

Nick with one of the aquarium’s alligators

 I’ve had practice or even live animal encounters with the public with all these animals!

Interacting with aquarium visitors

I am also writing a public program on bycatch and Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) for the aquarium, while also trying to put together a replica TED.   On top of all the stuff I do at the aquarium, I’ve also taken part in composting, husbandry training, sea turtle nest crawl training, attended a dolphin necropsy and even went pelican banding on Pelican Island by Oregon Inlet; it’s the single largest breeding colony for brown pelicans in the United States. 

Pelican banding trip

From Yonathan Ararso ’13:

This summer I am in New York City working for a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) summer research program at Weill Cornell Medical College. The experience has been great thus far. My department, Ansary Stem Cell Institute, is led by Dr. Shahin Rafii whose work encompasses stem cell, vascular, and cancer biology. In addition to several Ph.D. and M.D. students, the lab consists of post docs, traveling physicians, and researchers from all over the world including China, France, Russia, and Israel. Though the first couple of weeks of my stay heavily focused on learning experimental and instrumental techniques relevant to my project, I have finally gotten more independent and started to work on my own.

My project deals with recent evidence that has pointed to the heavy correlation between human cancers and cells displaying stem cell-like properties that promote and maintain the successful growth of tumors. Commonly known as cancer stem cells (CSC), these cells have been shown to secret angiogenic factors like vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) responsible for activating the growth and formation of endothelial cells (EC). These EC are in turn responsible for the formation of vascular structures including blood vessels that promote and further aid the growth and expansion of tumors. One proposed mechanism for activation of CSC is the Notch signaling pathway, which is heavily linked with regulating cell fate determination especially in stem cells.

Yonathan in the lab

Multiple studies have linked aberrant Notch signaling with tumorigenesis. However, the specific role of the pathway in the context of angiogenesis, tumor growth, and proliferation remains elusive. My project, therefore, aims to further investigate specific role of Notch ligands expressed on the EC in breast cancer cells by examining how the inhibition of Notch ligand Jagged 1 affect tumor growth and metastasis. Our experimental hypothesis predicts that selective silencing of Notch ligands such as Jag1 will heavily interfere with the function of ECs and severely compromise the growth and proliferation of breast cancer cells both and in vivo and in vitro models. If so, the study will open doors for more targeted chemotherapeutic treatments with more successful tumor inhibition outcomes.

Doing mammalian cell culture

Outside of lab, I enjoy attending journal club meetings, lectures from traveling scientists, and conferences. I also try to take advantage of concerts, museums, restaurants, and the company of students from all over the country participating in summer programs like ACCESS, Gateways, and Travelers.

Francis Polakiewicz  (’14) and Dr. Rachel Goodman recently wrapped up an experiment investigating interactions between chemical exposure and a wildlife disease on the health and survival of turtles.  The two were awarded a Hampden-Sydney Student Faculty Summer Research grant for the project, and Polakiewicz  was also awarded a Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Summer Undergraduate Science Research Fellowship Award.  In their experiment, juvenile red-eared slider turtles were exposed to combinations of the emerging infectious disease ranavirus and four commonly used herbicides: Roundup, ShoreKlear, 2,4-D, and Atrazine.  Polakiewicz  and Dr. Goodman studied the growth and survival of turtles in these treatments for 5 weeks.  Collaborator Dr. Debra Miller at the University of Tennessee Knoxville is currently examining tissues for evidence of infection and organ deterioration.  Results of this study will help determine why some wild turtle populations carry the virus symptomatically, while others experience virus-associated dieoffs.  If certain herbicides cause increased morbidity and mortality, this information could inform application practices of land managers.

Turtle showing swollen neck, a symptom of ranavirus infection

UNPAK (Undergraduate phenotyping of Arabidopsis knockouts), the collaborative research network between Hampden-Sydney, the College of Charleston, Barnard College, and the University of Georgia, is making the first public presentation of its progress this month at the First Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology, an international gathering of the world’s preeminent evolutionary biologists in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  The work features several students authors from each institution, including six Hampden-Sydney students.  Click on the link below to get a closer look at the poster presented at this meeting and learn more about UNPAK’s efforts:

Evolution 2012 Final unPAK Poster