Research opportunities during both the summer and the academic year are available for Gonzaga students. In some cases, students must have completed BIOL202 to participate. Many professors support two or three students each summer. Some students are paid up to $3520 for 11 weeks of work (40 hrs/week), while others engage in research for academic credit (BIOL498). The free use of a dorm room during the summer is also sometimes available. If you are interested please speak to one of the professors listed below or see Dr. Glass, Director of INNRRC, for more information.

There are many opportunities for independent research with a faculty member in the Biology or Chemistry Departments. For the best information on funding sources and for current faculty research interests, please see Undergraduate Research.

Dr. Anders

My research is aimed at understanding how the gain or loss of a chromosome affects a eukaryotic cell. To study this question, we need a way to manipulate the copy number of a specific chromosome. Our strategy is to genetically engineer strains of yeast (a model eukaryote) in which we can cause the gain or loss of any chromosome of our choosing. Once the aberrant yeast strains are generated, their phenotypes will be assessed, their relative fitness will be measured by growth competitions with wild-type yeast, and the structure of their genomes will be analyzed using microarrays. This research will contribute to our understanding of genomic change during adaptive evolution--a phenomenon that occurs in long-term cultures of yeast as well as in mammalian cells that have become cancerous. See my lab web site for more information.

I am seeking two motivated students to participate in this research. Laboratory techniques will likely include: recombinant DNA manipulations, microbial genetics, microarray hybridization. Previous research experience is not necessary. Preference may be given to students who have completed (or are now enrolled in) Genetics (BIOL202), but all interested students are encouraged to apply.

Dr. Beckstead

My current research focuses on exploring the interactions between invasive plant species and their enemies. I am looking for two motivated students to work together on a lab-related ecology project. We will critically examine the ecological and evolutionary relations of an invasive plant, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), and a new enemy to cheatgrass, a fungal pathogen (Pyrenophora semeniperda) that kills cheatgrass seeds in the seed bank. Through laboratory experiments, this research will test hypotheses exploring how cheatgrass copes with this new pathogen through germination strategies to out-compete the pathogen for seed resources. Secondly, this research investigates the community level consequences of this new plant-pathogen relationship on the co-occurring native species and the implications for restoration of cheatgrass-infested land. The research work will involve basic microbiology skills (aseptic techniques, making various types of agars, isolation of fungus, and inoculation experiments) as well as fieldwork involving collection of seeds from different invaded sites in eastern Washington. Preference will be given to students who have completed BIOL 101 and are familiar with ecological concepts (BIOL 102).

Dr. Bertagnolli

As a cell biologist, I am interested in cell adhesion and migration, and how these processes are altered during tumorigenesis. Many individuals with colon cancer have mutations in the Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) gene, which can result in a truncated form of the APC protein. It has been shown that APC is important in regulating cytoskeletal structures. Mutations in the APC gene therefore affect cell adhesion and migration, both of which are cytoskeleton-dependent. To learn more about the role of APC in these important cellular functions, we have developed an in vitro system in which we express mutated APC in cultured epithelial cells. By wounding sheets of epithelial cells and monitoring the rate of wound closure, we can compare migration rates in normal cells and cells expressing the truncated form of the gene. In addition we are looking at the effects of truncated APC on the activity of Rac and Rho, small GTP binding proteins that are known to be important regulators of cytoskeletal function. These studies should help increase our understanding of the role of APC both under normal conditions and during the alterations that occur in tumorogenesis. Undergraduate students who participate in these projects become independent in the research laboratory and are exposed to basic laboratory skills as well as more advanced techniques such as cell culture and sterile technique, microscopy, gel electrophoresis and Western immunoblotting. Students typically take Cell Biology (BIOL 201) prior to working in my lab.

Dr. Boose

My current research is aimed at measuring genetic diversity in natural populations of vernal pool plants in Eastern Washington. Vernal pools are small temporary wetlands -- shallow depressions that fill with water in the spring and become completely dry by the early summer. The animals and plants that live in vernal pools have evolved life cycles and other adaptations that allow them to survive this drastic change in conditions. As a result, many of the plants and animals that live in vernal pools are found only in vernal pools.

Vernal pools also tend to occur in "clusters", with a small number of pools close together (a few tens of meters apart), then tens to hundreds of kilometers to the next cluster. Neither pollen nor seeds of vernal pool plants are likely to move great distances (although this is still mostly unknown), so there is the potential for a great deal of genetic differentiation both within and among these clusters of pools. As a result, vernal pools may contribute significantly to the biological diversity of the regions in which they occur, with different pools harboring different collections of alleles.

I'm looking at one particular group in the genus Navarretia, which includes about a dozen species and subspecies in vernal pools and other ephemeral wetlands throughout the western United States. Phylogenetic studies indicate that these taxa are closely related, that they diversified relatively recently, and that they probably evolved from a widespread upland species, Navarretia intertexta, which is found throughout the West. Currently, my students and I are focusing on local members of the group, trying to measure genetic diversity within and among a number of different pools in Eastern Washington.

The approach we use is direct sequencing of regions of the chloroplast genome. Using published 'universal' primers, we use the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify non-coding regions between genes in the chloroplast DNA. We then sequence these regions using an automated DNA sequencer the department purchased in May, 2005. By comparing homologous sequences in a number of individuals from a number of populations, we can estimate the amount of genetic variation in these populations, how that variation is distributed among populations, and the evolutionary histories of the populations.

Students working with me would have the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the research, from collecting plants in the field to extracting DNA, doing lots of PCR reactions and viewing the results on agarose gels, then setting up and carrying out the DNA sequencing process. Data analysis is done on the computer, using software to proofread and edit the sequences, align sequences from different individuals, and then perform statistical analyses of the observed variation. Course prerequisites for working in the lab include BIOL201 and 202.

Dr. Ettinger

Several different lines of evidence suggest that changes in calcium concentration in the chloroplast may have a role in regulating photosynthetic carbon fixation (dark reactions). To test this theory, Dr. Ettinger is in the process of measuring the levels of calcium inside different compartments of the plant chloroplast. Many different ion selective electrodes or fluorescent metal binding dyes lack the ability to effectively discriminate between calcium and magnesium ions. The calcium sensitive biolumenescent protein aequorin has been routinely used to measure calcium in biological systems. The protein emits photons in proportion to the calcium activity in solution. A recombinant DNA vector (pMAQ6) has been developed that directs the expression of aequorin in the plant chloroplast stroma. Dr. Ettinger and his students are transforming common wall cress Arabidopsis thaliana with pMAQ6 with the hopes of measuring calcium concentrations in the chloroplast stroma, and is developing other vectors to direct the expression of aequorin and direct its alternate localization to the thylakoid lumen and the plant cytosol. This research requires skills developed in quantitative analysis (CHEM310, or CHEM240), and genetics and evolution (BIOL202) or molecular biology.

Dr. Haydock

Dr Haydock's research focuses on cooperative breeding behavior in a color-banded population of acorn woodpeckers, which have been under study since 1971 at Hastings Reservation in central coastal California. Acorn woodpeckers are one of the few vertebrate societies that contain multiple cobreeder males and females (polygynandry). The general goal of the current project is to test theoretical models of optimal reproductive skew, which attempt to explain the degree to which reproduction is shared equally (low skew) or monopolized by a single individual (high skew) within groups. The work for the summer will involve a combination of fieldwork and work in the Hastings DNA laboratory. The fieldwork will mainly include censusing the study population and behavioral observations at nests. In the laboratory, we will use genetic markers to determine parentage. Completion of the biology core (through BIOL202) is a prerequisite for working in this program. For more information on Hastings, which is administered by the University of California and is part of the National Reserve System go to http://nrs.ucop.edu/reserves/hastings/hastings.html

Dr. Lefcort

Dr. Lefcort will be looking for two students to work on the effects of ultra-low doses of heavy metals on the growth, development, fitness, and behavior of aquatic snails. The student must have had Biol 102, and preferably Biol 202, and be prepared to work outside. The work will involve gathering snails from the field and setting up a field experiment. Outside work will occur during two weeks in May and again during two weeks in early August. The rest of the summer will be spent performing laboratory experiments to determine the ability of snails to detect heavy metals.

Dr. Staub

I study how new morphologies arise within evolutionary lineages-the origin of morphological novelties. Specifically I study a group of salamanders that shows unusual morphologies compared to their closest relatives. In recent years I have been focusing on studying very interesting exocrine glands of the skin, some of which show intriguing patterns of sexual dimorphism. Potential projects include: 1) examining the distribution and morphology of mucous glands within the salamander family Plethodontidae, 2) figuring out what male-like "courtship" glands are doing in female salamanders, 3) determining where courtship pheromones are produced in males that lack mental glands, and 4) examining mucous glands in caecilians and comparing them to frog and salamander mucous glands. Projects involve learning histological techniques (dissecting tissue, embedding it in paraffin, sectioning and mounting tissue on microscope slides, staining), analyzing and interpreting results, searching for and reading primary literature, and preparing a written report. As time allows, we will use immunocytochemistry (use of antibodies targeted at specific antigens) to help decipher gland contents. No previous research experience necessary. Preference may be given to students who have completed Genetics and Evolution (by summer 2006) but all interested students are encouraged to apply. Students interested in working for credit or volunteering are also welcome to apply.

I am looking for at least two motivated biology students interested in doing research during summer 2006.

Other faculty and staff not listed above may also be interested in supervising student research. Contact Dr. Glass for information about further research opportunities at Gonzaga.