For the past several years the Department of Biological Sciences at BGSU has put together a Speakers Bureau. This Bureau lists faculty members and the topics they can present for seminars at local institutions. Please browse the list below. If you are interested in including any of these topics in your seminar program, feel free to contact the presenters.

Abstracts for 2008-2009 Faculty Seminars

Verner P. Bingman, Ph.D. (email: vbingma@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-2301)

ADMIRING BIRD BRAINS: THE AVIAN HIPPOCAMPUS AND THE EXTRAORDINARY MEMORY AND NAVIGATIONAL ABILITIES OF BIRDS

Brain organization and its relationship to behavior in any extant group of animals is a reflection of a long evolutionary history of adaptive change. Birds are the animal world’s supreme navigators, and aspects of their navigational and spatial memory ability are dependent on the integrity of the hippocampal formation of the brain. It follows, therefore, that the hippocampal organization of birds would be characterized by features adapted to their seemingly exceptional spatial navigational and memory capacities. Drawing on data from homing pigeons and other bird species, I will explore the often remarkable memory and navigational abilities of birds, and relate those abilities to the organization of the avian hippocampus. One important property of the avian hippocampus is that, like in humans, it appears to be functionally lateralized. For example, in freely moving homing pigeons, the spatial response properties of left hippocampal neurons differ from the response properties of right hippocampal neurons. Left and right hippocampal lesions can also have dramatically different effects on a variety of field and laboratory spatial behavioral challenges. The observed hippocampal lateralization is likely one adaptive property of avian hippocampal organization that contributes to the extraordinary spatial behavior of birds.

Juan L. Bouzat, Ph.D. (email: jbouzat@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-9240)

GENETICS, DEMOGRAPHY, AND THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF THE GREATER PRAIRIE CHICKEN

The extend to which a species has declined within its historical range is commonly used as an important criterion in categorizing the conservation status of wild populations. The greater prairie chicken has been extirpted from much of the area it once inhabited. However, within a large part of this area the species is not considered to be native, warranting no recovery effort of special protection. Provenance data and genetic information from museum collections provided insights into the historical distribution of the Greater Prairie Chicken. Our results suggest that the current status of the Greater Prairie Chicken should be re-evaluated within all areas where this species is now considered non-native. This study demonstrates the value of museum collections as stores of both ecological and genetic information fundamental for the conservation of natural populations.

PURGING DURING HISTORICAL INBREEDING CAN LIMIT THE THREAT THAT INBREEDING POSES TO POPULATION VIABILITY

An important issue in conservation biology is the extent to which inbreeding depression can be reduced by natural selection. If deleterious recessive alleles causing inbreeding depression can be purged by natural selection, outbred populations with a history of inbreeding are expected to be less susceptible to inbreeding depression. Using experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster, we show that the magnitude of inbreeding depression may be reduced by 66% in populations that had a history of inbreeding, and by 40% in populations with high levels of ancestral inbreeding. These results suggest that purging can limit the threat that inbreeding depression poses to population viability and persistence.

George S. Bullerjahn, Ph.D. (email: bullerj@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-8527)

STRESS RESPONSES IN BACTERIA

I am currently studying cyanobacteria as models for how bacteria and phototrophs adapt to changes in environmental conditions. We have identified several mechanisms that occur during adaptation to changes in light intensity, and we are also examining changes in gene expression resulting from nutrient (C, N, S, P) limitation. This project has identified gene products inducible during the transition to the stationary phase of growth. Such work may help define universal rules in the adaptation of bacteria to changing and extreme environments. Lastly, promoter-gene fusions employing environmentally-responsive promoters are being developed as environmental sensors for nutrient bioavailability.

BIOCHEMISTRY OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC ELECTRON TRANSPORT COMPLEXES

Another project examines the protein/protein interactions required for productive electron transport to photosystem I in photosynthesis. This work will help explain the reversible nature of redox catalyst (plastocyanin/cytochrome c) docking during biological electron transport reactions.

Michael E. Geusz, Ph.D. (email: mgeusz@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-2433)

THE MAMMALIAN CIRCADIAN TIMING SYSTEM AND THE ROLE OF DAILY RHYTHMS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE

The tissues of mammals show daily rhythms in gene expression and protein synthesis. Circadian clock cells in these tissues are part of a circadian system regulating rhythms in physiology and behavior that are coordinated with 24-hour cycles of the environment. The rhythms of the organs and their timing relationships with each other affect the progression of diseases and the ability of the brain to function optimally. The circadian system is disrupted by work schedules, sleep loss, poor health, and stress acting though both neural and hormonal pathways. To understand how the circadian system becomes desynchronized, we are examining molecular changes in response to signaling between the nervous system and the circadian clocks in mouse pancreas, cornea, skeletal muscle, and other tissues. In addition, we are interested in how tumor cell growth is altered by the circadian system. By characterizing these coupling interactions at the cellular level, we expect to better understand how the circadian system of the whole animal is organized and how it can be corrected. The laboratory relies on molecular imaging of gene expression in cells and tissues of transgenic mice, histology, pharmacology, neural recording, and behavioral monitoring of circadian behavior.

Carol A. Heckman, Ph.D. (email: heckman@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-8218)

CANCER AND CELL MOTILITY

Cells undergo a choreographed sequence of cell shape changes after being treated with a tumor promoter, which presumably activates protein kinase C. Protein kinase C modulates aspects of cell differentiation and, in the nervous system, memory. Because numerous isoforms of this enzyme are present in eukaryotic cells, it has been difficult to draw a one-to-one correspondence between each isoform and its function. Since early changes in shape reflect ruffling activation and the disappearance of filopodia, small GTPases of the Rho family are implicated in the shape changes. Two such proteins, rac and cdc42, regulate ruffling and filopodia, respectively. The investigators seek to determine the role of protein kinase C isoforms in regulation of these GTPases. The Rho-family GTPases also have a function in regulating vesicle trafficking. The research will determine how the morphological features are related to vesicle trafficking defects of cancer cells. It will also confirm or deny that different GTPase functions are regulated by individual members of the PKC family.

Robert Huber, Ph.D. (email: lobsterman@caspar.bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-0341)

DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS OF BEHAVIOR AND AMINE NEUROCHEMISTRY DURING ACQUISITION AND MAINTENANCE OF SOCIAL RANK IN CRAYFISH

Fighting in crayfish is characterized by an apparent lack of diplomatic skills. Aggressive behavior is stereotyped and can be described as a sequence of decisions taken by each individual, e.g., who initiates a fight, whether attack is followed by retaliation, how quickly fights escalate, and whether or when an animal chooses to withdraw. The existence of a highly structured behavioral system in animals with relatively "simple" nervous systems enables us to explore the neurobiological basis of fighting motivation at levels, which are difficult to achieve in other systems.
Using this model system, we study the importance of brain chemicals in aggression. We have shown that the infusion of minute amounts of this substance reverses the natural dominance relationship -- larger animals no longer prevail. Interdisciplinary approaches are required to dissect out the processes underlying such decision-making. Using a combined behavioral, pharmacological, and molecular approach, we are now exploring the precise roles played by the amine, the dynamic processes which create and maintain social hierarchies, the signals underlying dominance, and the particular neuronal centers responsible.

Roudabeh J. Jamasbi, Ph.D. (email: rjamasb@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-8724)

CHARACTERIZATION OF TUMOR-ASSOCIATED ANTIGENS AND
RECEPTORS BY SPECIFIC MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES

Cell transformation and malignancy are often associated with the expression of tumor-associated antigens (TAA) that may serve as tumor markers. Tumor-associated antigens are rarely found to be tumor-specific. However, the expression of TAAs is often enhanced so that antibodies, particularly monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), produced against them can differentiate the tumor cells from the normal tissues. These MAbs are potentially useful in both cancer immuno-diagnosis and immunotherapy.
Currently, my laboratory is engaged in the production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against esophageal carcinomas of both human and experimental animals. One of the monoclonal antibodies produced recently reacts with an integrin molecule, which is over-expressed in carcinoma lines. The other monoclonal antibodies react specifically with glycolipid and/or glycoprotein ( integrin) molecules associated with cancerous cells. The diagnostic and/or therapeutic values of these monoclonal antibodies are under investigation. The effect of curcumin on cancer cell proliferation is also in progress.
The differential expression of several receptors (Cox1, Cox2, Cyclin D1, Cadherin, and -caterin) in cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines are also being investigated.
In addition, my laboratory is involved in production of monoclonal antibody to clinically significant microorganisms for the purpose of rapid diagnosis and epidemiological studies. The mechanisms of pathogenicity of these organisms are also being investigated.

Ray A. Larsen, Ph.D. (email: larsera@bgsu.edu; phone (419) 372-9559)

ENERGY TRANSDUCTION IN GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is a diffusion barrier that hinders the passage of potential toxins soluble in typical membranes, while allowing entry of small hydrophilic nutrients by passive diffusion through aqueous channels formed by porin proteins. Although it is thermodynamically unlikely that the integrity of a structure as complex as the outer membrane can be maintained without energy, it is not energetically self-sufficient; porin channels preclude the establishment of significant ion gradients, while the phosphorylated molecules favored as energy currency do not frequent the adjacent periplasmic space. Thus, any energy-dependent process at the outer membrane must rely upon imports. The paradigm for energy delivery to the outer membrane is the TonB system. This set of proteins couple cytoplasmic membrane-derived energy to drive the active transport of ferric siderophores and cobalamin across the outer membrane. While the TonB system itself does not directly contribute to outer membrane integrity, it shares characteristics with a set of proteins that clearly does – the Tol system.
The focus of our ongoing research program is two-fold: First, we are using a biochemical and genetic approach to exploit similarities between the TonB and the Tol systems to dissect the mechanism by which these systems harvest the potential energy of the cytoplasmic membrane electrochemical gradient. Second, we are developing a genetic approach to identify the as yet uncharacterized proteins that the Tol system energizes to support outer membrane integrity.

Rex L. Lowe, Ph.D. (email: lowe@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-8562)

HOW MANY SPECIES DOES AN ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT? THE ALL TAXA BIODIVERSITY INVENTORY OF THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK.

For the past 11 years there has been a large international effort to discover every species of life in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This study has been compared to the ecosystem equivalent of the human genome project. Instead of mapping every gene in one species we are mapping every species in one ecosystem. Many surprising discoveries and many species new to science have been discovered thus far.

FRESHWATER ALGAL BIODIVERSITY ON PACIFIC ISLANDS: EXPLODING
THE MYTH OF COSMOPOLITAN DISTRIBUTION.

For many years scientists believed that for microbial life “everything is everywhere and the habitat selects what survives." Resent studies in Hawaii, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and elsewhere that there are an astounding number of endemic species restricted to specific habitats on specific islands. These discoveries and the reasons behind them are explored.

R. Michael McKay, Ph.D. (email: rmmckay@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-6873)

ASSESSING NUTRIENT BIOAVAILABILITY USING CYANOBACTERIAL BIOREPORTERS

For decades, our ideas on nutrient availability in aquatic ecosystems have been informed largely by chemical measurement of dissolved elements. While this provides a reasonable proxy, it tells us little about the bioavailability of a given nutrient. Distinguishing between biologically available, and refractory forms of a nutrient has been cited as a particular challenge by the oceanographic community.
The availability of key nutrients could be better understood if a biological system were to be used to estimate nutrient supply. Promising in this regard is the use of genetically-altered organisms as biological reporter systems to assess the bioavailability of a chemical compound. The development and use of freshwater cyanobacterial bioreporters by our group to assess the availability of iron, phosphorus and nitrogen has been met with interest by aquatic scientists due to the ability of these tools to offer insight into the availability of an element from the perspective of an important member of the endemic phytoplankton community.
Future work in the lab continues our development and characterization of luminescent cyanobacterial bioreporters to offer a rapid assessment of nutrient bioavailability from marine waters. Our recent success in developing a luminescent whole-cell cyanobacterial bioreporter for measuring Fe availability in diverse marine environments has provided important proof of concept. We are now ready to expand the use of bioreporters to the ocean milieu.

Lee A. Meserve, Ph.D. (email: lmeserv@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-8361)

INFLUENCE OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS ON THYROID STATUS, DEVELOPMENT, AND NEUROENDOCRINE CONTROL MECHANISMS

The alteration of thyroid status during mammalian development profoundly modifies the rate, and the ultimate completion, of development of a number of control mechanisms characterized by the interface of nervous and endocrine systems. For example, researchers in our lab have demonstrated that depressed thyroid status delays the development of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to stress. Appropriate maturation of this neuroendocrine axis and maintenance of its function are important to enable an animal to respond physiologically to environmental challenge. Our current work involves effects in their offspring of ingestion by pregnant animals of the environmental pollutant polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), which also induces hypothyroidism, and alters HPA axis development as well. Additionally, in young rats (15 days old) relatively large amounts of dietary PCB (e.g., 250 ppm) depress the activity of the enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), important in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, in the brain limbic areas: hippocampus and basal forebrain. While the activity of this enzyme returns to normal by 20 days of age, deficits in maze learning persist in these animals into adulthood. On the other hand, smaller amounts of PCB (e.g., 12.5 ppm) have less impact on thyroid status, but more long-lasting behavioral effects than do large amounts. Current studies are attempting to tease apart the proportion of PCB effect that is mediated through thyroid disruption, and the portion that is the result of other physiological alteration. This is being done through the use of individual PCB molecular species (congeners), and through mixtures of small numbers of congeners.

Helen Michaels, Ph.D. (email: hmichae@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-2644)

REPRODUCTIVE ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION GENETICS OF PERENNIAL LUPINE

Plants in small and sparse populations often have low reproductive success, often due to fragmentation of populations by human activities. We are examining the process of population decline in Perennial Lupine, a plant species which not only suffers from habitat loss and fragmentation, but also is an important indicator species for the imperiled Oak Openings savanna community of the Great Lakes ecosystem and the only host plant for three Endangered butterfly species. Studies currently include: 1) the reproductive biology and mating system 2) the effects of environmental factors on seedling establishment and 3) the effects of population size on reproductive success, pollinator services, loss of genetic diversity, and inbreeding depression.

MOLECULAR EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY OF ANTENNARIA

Evolutionary relationships within complexes of asexual polyploid plants are often difficult to resolve with traditional taxonomic approaches because of extensive overlap in morphological and ecological characteristics as a result of hybridization, polyploidy and asexuality. In addition, previously documented differences in ecological characteristics of sexual and asexual plants, which might be attributed to the adaptive advantages of the breeding system, could alternatively be ascribed to differences in evolutionary history. Phylogenetic relationships within two agamic polyploid complexes of the Eastern U.S., Antennaria Parlinii and A. howelli (Asteraceae: Inuleae), were examined using analysis of chloroplast and nuclear ribosomal DNA restriction site mutations in order to elucidate the origins of these plants and to understand the evolution of differences in correlated ecological charactersitics.

EVOLUTION OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN GERANIUMS

The geraniums endemic to the Hawaiian Islands have a number of unusual morphological adaptations that are distinc-tive within genus Geranium. This morphological uniqueness has obscured both the evolutionary origin of this group and the pattern of speciation of this small adaptive radiation. Molecular similarities and differences in chloroplast and nuclear genes are being used to detrmine the continental source and pattern of relationships for these unusual plants.

Jeffrey G. Miner, Ph.D. (email: jminer@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-8330)

INVADING SPECIES EFFECTS IN THE GREAT LAKES: DREISSENID MUSSEL AND ROUND GOBY EFFECTS ON MACROINVERTEBRATES AND SMALLMOUTH BASS

Invading dreissenid mussels have altered the Great Lakes community by shifting resources from the pelagic to the benthos, by clearing the water column increasing light penetration to the benthos, and increasing habitat structure. Invading round gobies have increased to the point that there are an estimated 10 billion in the western basin of Lake Erie. As the most productive region of the Great Lakes, understanding the mechanisms of community responses to these invasions are essential to predicting and managing the resource. I present a series of experiments my students, collaborators and I have conducted to quantify the benthic community responses to these species invasions and experiments in which we identify the life stage effects of round gobies on juvenile smallmouth bass, potentially affecting population dynamics.

OTOLITH MICROCHEMISTRY FINGERPRINTING: FISH BALANCING ORGAN PROVIDES INSIGHTS INTO BASIC FISH POPULATION BIOLOGY

In large aquatic systems like Lake Erie, it is difficult to monitor important fishery resources. Using laser ablation, inductively coupled mass spectroscopy (LA-ICPMS) on fish otoliths (calcium carbonate structures in balancing organs) we are able to track subpopulations of important sport fishes to their natal spawning sites (addressing philopatry), distribution seasonally throughout Lake Erie (migration tracking), and potentially address important management questions about relative subpopulation size. I present the conceptual framework for this research with questions that need to be addressed, explain a series of experiments we have conducted to determine the extent of philopatry in white bass and subpopulation identification in western Lake Erie, and finally address a new project to identify and track the steelhead trout stocks in Lake Erie using otolith microchemistry.

Paul A. Moore, Ph.D. (email: pmoore@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-8556)

ODOR TRAILS, BEHAVIOR, AND NEURONS: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY
APPROACH TO STUDYING CHEMICAL ORIENTATION

All organisms must forage, avoid predation, and reproduce. In a number of organisms, these decisions are guided by sensory information gathered through smell and taste. By studying a variety of different organisms (such as lobsters, blue crabs, copepods, crayfish, catfish and starfish) that live at different spatial and temporal, we have begun to find general patterns on how organisms use sensory information in chemical signals to make decisions on how to locate odor sources in natural habitats.

THE DETERMINANTS OF DOMINANCE

Many organisms exhibit varying degrees of social behavior in laboratory or natural settings. By using the crayfish as a model system, w have investigated the external and internal factors that lead to the structure and organization of social hierarchies. In crayfish systems, chemical signals play an important role in providing information on the identity of individuals, their past history, reproductive state and social status. These signals have the potential to alter or control subsequent social behavior exhibited by other individuals. This talk will cover the role that sensory signals play in structuring social dynamics in this system.

DARWIN MEETS NEWTON: DESIGN CONSTRAINTS ON SMELLY APPENDAGES

The laws of physics are like the rules to the game of life. Organisms participate in this game and are constrained by these physical rules. By understanding the interplay between physics and evolution, we can gain insight into the adaptation of structures and behaviors. This talk outlines how physics and evolution have interacted to help design the "noses" of different organisms.

C. Lee Rockett, Ph.D. (email: clrocke@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-2834)

BACTERIA AS OVIPOSITIONAL ATTRACTANTS FOR AEDES AEGYPTI (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE)

The effectiveness of selected bacterial species as ovipositional attractants for Aedes aegyptiI,, Culex pipiens, and other mosquitoes is being examined. Selected bacterial washes are utilized as ovipositional substrates and subsequent egg counts determine the degree of ovipositional attractiveness. Among others, Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been noted as being effective attractants. A. aegypti and other mosquitoes appear to display discriminatory behavior in selecting individual bacterial species for oviposition.
Work in the laboratory and field is being conducted to fully delineate the role of bacteria as ovipositional attractants for gravid mosquitoes. It is tempting to speculate that, in the future, bacteria might be utilized as ovipositional "lures" for mosquito control purposes.

Scott O. Rogers, Ph.D. (email: srogers@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-2333)

LIFE IN ANCIENT ICE: GENOME RECYCLING AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

We have isolated and characterized hundreds of microbes (fungi, bacteria, and viruses) from Greenland and Antarctic ice cores that are up to two million years old. Many of the microbes remain viable and can be cultured. We have characterized the organisms using morphological and molecular methods. Many of the microbes are very similar to contemporary species, while others are different from any organism described to date. We are investigating whether the ancient organisms interact genetically with the contemporary members of the same species. We have termed this process "genome recycling." This interaction has evolutionary implications, as well as important ramifications for the hosts of pathogenic organisms. For example, if a virulent form of a disease is released from a glacier, it may be capable of infecting a population of humans that lack immunity to this organism. We are studying short-term cycles of influenza A virus preservation by assaying polar and sub-polar lake ice for subtypes of this virus. Long term survival in ice could be an effective evolutionary strategy for microbes on earth, as well as those that may be present on other bodies within the Solar System and beyond. One related project involves characterizing microbes from ice above subglacial Lake Vostok (a lake as large as Lake Ontario). This lake lies beneath 3700m of glacial ice and has been isolated from the atmosphere for approximately 10 million years. We have found DNA and viable microbes in ice that originated in Lake Vostok.

There are two additional projects ongoing in my lab. The first is a study of an extremely small (67 nucleotides) group I intron located in the ribosomal RNA small subunit gene of the pathogenic fungus Phiolaphora americana. The intron has been cloned and in vitro splicing has been demonstrated. We are now dissecting the intron and studying its function by mutating selective nucleotides. Also, the intron has been crystalized and its structure is being determined by x-ray crystallographic methods, The second project is a molecular analysis of hospital patients' blood to determine whether fungi are present. Often, patients have infections that cannot presently be diagnosed because the organisms cannot be clinically identified. Our molecular approach will afford doctors another diagnostic tool to quickly identify all fungi present in a patient's blood sample, so that treatment can be selected appropriately and rapidly.

Karen V. Root, Ph.D. (email: kvroot@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-8559)

A MULTISPECIES APPROACH TO ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND CONSERVATION

The conservation of ecosystems focuses on evaluating individual sites or landscapes based on their component species. I have developed methods to compute the community-level risk of extinction for a site and assign a multispecies conservation value. These methods have been applied to several case studies in California, Florida, and Ohio to create a series of multispecies conservation value maps. The multispecies conservation value provides an independent measure of the value of a particular site based on its ecological components using both the habitat suitability and risk of extinction for each these species. The resulting maps highlight areas that are of greatest importance to the most vulnerable species, such as the remaining forested habitat and critical wetland areas. These methods are very flexible and can accommodate the quantity and quality of data available for each individual species both in the development of the habitat suitability maps and the estimation of the extinction risks. This method provides an important tool to prioritize conservation and recovery actions, such as the ongoing Everglades restoration, and evaluate land preservation alternatives.

ASSESSING THE VIABILITY AND POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR THE ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES

Many animal species are becoming vulnerable to extinction as they face rapid human population growth and the accompanying pressure for development and land conversion in this country. My research uses detailed habitat suitability and demographic data to build stochastic, spatially-explicit, stage-based models for a number of endangered and threatened species, including the Florida panther, desert tortoise, shortnose sturgeon, and Florida Scrub-Jay. Using these models, we explore the long-term viability of the species, the effects of habitat loss, and potential recovery options such as natural dispersal and translocation to increase the number of populations. This ecological risk analysis provides valuable guidelines for the protection and recovery of these vulnerable species.

Karen L. Sirum, Ph.D. (email: ksirum@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-3877)

SCIENTIFIC TEACHING LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Although there is a need for continued pedagogical advancement in biology undergraduate education, what is needed more urgently is more widespread adaptation of pedagogical practices that research has already shown promote learning in biology. Those practices includes interactive engagement pedagogies such as active learning and inquiry based learning, technology integration in the classroom to promote learning, authentic learning experiences and assessment, and the importance of introductory level courses in recruitment, retention, and diversity of biology majors. The need now is to find ways to integrate and institutionalize these evidence-based strategies for teaching science and to help biology faculty learn about and implement them.
Scientific teaching is analogous to the way scientists approach their experimental research and is teaching based on evidence about what best promotes learning. In Scientific Teaching Learning Communities (STLCs), faculty and future faculty meet in collaborative, interactive sessions to discuss the design and implementation of interactive teaching strategies that promote student learning and teaching scientifically. A web-based survey was designed and implemented to assess the impact participation in STLCs had on faculty participants. This survey reveals not only which aspects of the professional development program the faculty found valuable, but also how the program impacted student learning in the faculty member’s classroom.

PROMOTING AND ASSESSING SCIENTIFIC THINKING IN GATEWAY BIOLOGY COURSES

Undergraduate science education goals include development of students’ scientific thinking skills, valuing evidence, and the propensity to use these skills and values in everyday decisions. An integrated assessment approach, including the design and implementation of a new instrument called the Experimental Design Ability Test (EDAT), is being used to assess learning in biology courses that aim to bring these skills and values to all students. The EDAT measures gains in students’ understanding of the criteria for good experimental design through their open-ended response to a prompt grounded in everyday life science problems. A simple and specific scoring rubric is used to analyze student responses and provides for consistent and rapid evaluation. In addition to the EDAT, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory is used to assess gains in students’ disposition to use critical thinking and the Student Assessment of Learning Gains survey is used to determine students’ self-reported gains in knowledge, skills, and attitudes in science. Further refinement of the EDAT will provide a new scientific thinking skills test that may help provide an answer to the question “How do we know there is learning?”

Eileen M. Underwood, Ph.D. (email: eunderw@bgnet.bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-8564)

ALL THAT SLITHERS IS NOT SLIMY
REPTILES ARE "COOL"

A lightweight introduction to the world of reptiles, utilizing a variety of commonly-kept lizards and snakes to demonstrate the biology and husbandry of these intriguing animals. A mixture of native species and exotic pets are used to help dispell common myths and fears of this unique group of organisms. Animals utilized will vary depending upon who is "preshed" and therefore less predictable in mood, but may include: corn snakes, royal python, rainbow boa, grey-banded kingsnake, eastern fox snake, Dumeril's boa, red-tail boa, leopard gecko, crested gecko, bearded dragon, blue-tongued skink, box turtle. The subject matter lends itself to a "hands on" presentation, if desired.

GENETICS AND THE COMMON CORNSNAKE

Corn snakes come in a plethora of colors and patterns: "red albinos," "black albinos," ghost and snow corns, striped and motley corns. This seminar provides an introduction to the world of Mendellian genetics utilizing the phenotypic differences seen in these commonly kept pet snakes.

Moira J. van Staaden, Ph.D. (email: mvs@caspar.bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-0341)

SENSORY PROCESSES AND SPECIATION

Communication between individuals determines the formation of mating pairs, the genetic structure of populations, and ultimately, the direction of evolution of both populations and species. Successful communication depends, in turn, on complex interactions between the environment, signaling, and sensory systems. My research examines the proximate neural and behavioral mechanisms, as well as the ultimate genetic and evolutionary result of communication, using a unique family of bladder grasshoppers that communicate acoustically over distances greater than a mile. What selective pressures drove the origin of the dozen ears these animals possess, and what impact did this have on the adaptive radiation of the family as a whole? The evolution of complex structures from simple precursors remains one of the primary challenges for evolutionary biology today. Combined approaches using species with highly exaggerated characteristics provide support for this, as well as insight into aspects of neural evolution, and the processes by which species become differentiated.

Ron C. Woodruff, Ph.D. (email: rwoodru@bgsu.edu; phone: 419-372-0376)

PREMEIOTIC CLUSTERS OF NEW MUTATIONS IN THE EVOLUTIONARY LANDSCAPE

Unlike what is usually assumed, new mutant alleles do not always arise in natural populations as single events. Premeiotic clusters of mutation, which give rise to a number of new, identical mutant alleles in an individual, alter many assumptions of the role of mutation in evolution. For example, they increase the probability of fixation of new mutations, and influence the overdispersed molecular clock, the cost of natural selection, mutation meltdown and the rate of substitutions. In addition, these clusters should be included in estimations of mutation rates and may increase the chance of prezygotic reproductive isolation. Premeiotic clusters of mutation have been observed in every higher organism studied, including humans, and give an increased role for mutation in evolution and human health.

Jill H. Zeilstra-Ryalls, Ph.D. (email: jzeilst@bgsu.edu; phone 419-372-2872)

GENE REGULATION IN THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIUM RHODOBACTER SPHAEROIDES

The a-Proteobacterium R. sphaeroides has the ability to harvest both chemical and photonic energy. This remarkable metabolic versatility is enabled by its ability to synthesize and assemble the various molecular machineries that are required for these different catabolic processes, including respiratory chains and (anoxygenic) photosynthesis complexes. We are investigating at the level of gene transcription how the cells sense and respond to changes in their environment, using as our model genes those whose products catalyze the biosynthesis of the tetrapyrroles heme and bacteriochlorophyll. These "colors of life" provide us with a window into the cell's physiology, since hemes complexed with cytochromes are essential components of respiratory chains that support aerobic energy production, while bacteriochlorophyll is indispensable for photosynthesis, the means by which these cells obtain energy in the absence of oxygen and the presence of light. We know that oxygen is a key environmental input controlling which catabolic pathway is deployed, and we know that this is mediated by the action of three DNA binding proteins. Our current efforts are directed towards understanding how these transcription factors work singly and in combination to achieve the correct and coordinated transcriptional response to changes in oxygen availability. We have also recently begun to examine the means by which the cell responds to changes in other parameters, such as light intensity, nutrient availability, and so on. Ultimately, we hope to build a comprehensive picture of how the cell integrates all regulatory events to establish the metabolic state that is best suited to prevailing conditions.