Biological Sciences Blog

Category: Research

Tang, Werner awarded Research Excellence Funds

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REF Awards Announced

by Natasha Chopp

The Vice President for Research Office announces the Research Execellence Fund Awards. Thanks to the volunteer review committees, as well as the deans and department chairs, for their time spent on this important internal research award process.

Infrastructure Enhancement Grants:

  • Stephen Kampe, IMP/MSE. Environmental Test Chamber
  • Sean Kirkpatrick, BRC/Biomed Eng. Repair and Upgrade Advanced Fluorescent Microscope
  • Will Cantrell, EPSSI/Physics. Acquisition of a Cloud Condensation Nucleus Counter
  • Cary Chabalowski, Chemistry. Acquisition of a DNA Synthesizer
  • Andrew Burton, ESC/SFRES. Remote Data Acquisition

Scholarship and Creativity Grants:

  • Joel Neves, VPA
  • Chelsea Schelly, SS
  • Marika Seigel, Humanities

Research Seed Grants:

  • Xiaoqing Tang, Bio Science
  • Feng Zhao, Biomed Eng
  • Snehamoy Chatterjee, GME
  • Loredana Valenzano, Chemistry
  • Thomas Werner, BRC/Bio Sci
  • Seyyedmohsen Azizi, SoT
  • Sunil Mehendale, SoT
  • Jingfeng Jiang, BRC/Biomed Eng
  • Tarun Dam, Chemistry
  • Amy Schrank, ESC/SFRES
  • Zhen “Leo” Liu, CEE
  • Don Lafreniere, GLRC/SS
  • Steve Elmer, KIP
  • Amber Roth, ESC/SFRES
  • Sigrid Resh, ESC/SFRES

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2015 SURF Awards recipients for Biology and BMB students

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The following students in Biological Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular are recipients of Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Recipients (SURF) Awards for 2015:

Student Name Student’s Major Advisor/Department Project Title
Peter Nouhan Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Thomas Werner / Biological Sciences Uncovering the Enhancers of the Pigmentation Gene Yellow
Ryan Van Goethem Biological Sciences Amy Marcarelli / Biological Sciences Impact of Stamp Sands on Aquatic Macrophyte Communities, Myriophyllum spicatum, and Myriophyllum spicatum x sibiricum Hybrids in the Portage Waterway
Virginia Van Vianen (HI) Biological Sciences Erika Hersch-Green / Biological Sciences The Effects of Increased Anthropogenic Nitrogen on Plant Characteristics and Pollinators

Additional University recipients can be found at: http://www.mtu.edu/research/archives/awards/surf/

This is the description of the award from the University web site:

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

SURFs are open to all Tech undergraduates who have at least one semester remaining after the summer.

Annual awards of up to $4,000 are available. Program requests for applications are announced in TechToday beginning in November, with applications for these annual awards due January 30, 2015.

Fellowship recipients will conduct a research project under the guidance of a Michigan Tech faculty mentor, during the summer semester.

Fellowship recipients are required to:

  • Submit interim reports of their progress through the summer
  • Attend meetings of SURF award recipients
  • Present their research
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Dr. Durocher recruiting for a study on the effect of diet or exercise on obesity

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Dr. Durocher is recruiting participants for a  study titled:

The effect of diet or exercise on visceral obesity, neural cardiovascular reactivity and arterial stiffness in obese humans.

If you are interested in participating (there is monetary compensation) and meet the requirements listed in the attached flyer please contact Dr. Durocher.

Durocher Seed Grant Flyer 2015

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In Print

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A publication based on research in Dr. Ramakrishna Wusirika’s laboratory.

An article authored by a current Michigan Tech graduate student and three past graduate students was recently published in an academic journal.

“Differential Regulation of Genes by Retrotransposons in Rice Promoters” was published in the journal Plant Molecular Biology, April 2015, Volume 87, Issue 6, pp 603-616.

The authors Surendar Reddy Dhadi, Zijun Xu and Rafi Shaik are past graduate students and Kyle Driscoll is a current graduate student.

Tech Today.

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David S. Bruce Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award

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travisTravis Wakeham, an undergraduate researcher in Dr. John Durocher’s Clinical and Applied Human Physiology Laboratory, received a prestigious David S. Bruce Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award at the Experimental Biology Conference in Boston, MA last week. Prior to the conference Travis had already received a David Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract Award which included $100 and a 2-year complimentary membership to The American Physiological Society. Travis will receive an additional $400 and a certificate for the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award. This award was based on the quality of his poster and his oral presentation to the David Bruce Award Selection Committee. The title of Travis’ poster was “Obesity and neural cardiovascular responses to mental stress in humans.” Travis was mentored by both Dr. John Durocher of Biological Sciences and Dr. Jason Carter of Kinesiology & Integrative Physiology during this research project.

 

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Biotechnology Research Center Spring 2015 Travel Grant Recipients

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Biotechnology Research Center Spring 2015 Travel Grant Recipients

The Biotechnology Research Center has announced its Spring 2015 Travel Awards. The award recipients follow:

Post-doctoral Research Scientist Presentation

  • Qi Xing (Biomed), TERMIS–AM 2014 (poster)

Graduate Student Presentations

  • Andrew Chapp (KIP), Experimental Biology 2015 (poster)
  • Faten Dhawi Almuhanna (Biology), Experimental Biology 2015 (poster)
  • Ida T. Fonkoue (KIP), Experimental Biology 2015 (podium)
  • Michael Huber (KIP), Experimental Biology 2015 (poster)
  • Haiping Liu (Biology), 20th Annual Meeting of the RNA Society (poster)
  • Zichen Qian (Biomed), Gordon Research Conference (poster)
  • Lina Shi (Biology), 20th Annual Meeting of the RNA Society  (poster)

    Undergraduate Student Presentation

  • Travis Wakeham (Biology), Experimental Biology 2015 (poster)
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Winners of the ESC 11th Annual Student Research Forum

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Jade OrtizThe Members of the Ecosystem Science Center would like to congratulate the winners of the 11th Annual ESC Student Research Forum:

Grand Prize winner of the Graduate Student submissions :
Alex Bales (Bio Sci, Advisor: Erika Hersch-Green) for the poster “Polyploidy Influences Plant Carbon/Nitrogen Balance and Resistance to Insect Herbivory in Chamerion angustifolium“
The Two Merit Prize winners of the Graduate Divisions were:
Alida Mau (SFRES, Advisor: Molly Cavaleri) for the poster “Photosynthetic Temperature Responses Within Temperate and Tropical Forests”

Mickey Jarvi (SFRES, Advisor: Andy Burton) for the poster “Below-ground C Allocation Responses to Climatic Variation across Sugar Maple’s Native Range”

The Grand Prize winner of the Undergraduate Student submissions:
Jade Ortiz (Bio Sci, Advisors: Amy Marcarelli, Casey Huckins and Kevyn Juneau) for the poster “Invasive Myriophyllum Spicatum and Nutrients Interact to Influence Phytoplankton Communities in the Portage Waterway”
The ESC would like to thank all the participants and our judges for a good forum. The posters will remain on display in the atrium of the Noblet building for the next two weeks.
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The End of HPV

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Dr. Ebenezer Tumban. Undergoing a Pap smear—a simple test to detect cervical cancer—is a regular health habit for most American women. But in many other parts of the world (and some under-served populations in this country), women lack access to cervical cancer screening and treatment. As a result, some 275,000 women—80 percent of them in developing countries—die each year from the disease, which is caused by the sexually-transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).

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In Print

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Huan Yang (Post-Doc Harvard), Assistant Professor John Durocher (Bio Sci), Robert Larson (Bio Sci) and Professor Jason Carter (KIP) published the paper “Role of the Ovarian Cycle on Neutral Cardiovascular Control in Sleep-deprived Women,” in the American Physiological Society’s Journal of Applied Physiology, 15 Feb. 2015, Vol. 118, No. 4, 419-426. Yang earned her PhD in Biological Sciences at Michigan Tech, her advisor was Jason Carter.

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