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Biology News 2005-2006

Max Kowal simulates beach traffic in kiddy pools with sand and grunion eggs

Pomona grunion research in the LA Times

Pomona student researchers Caitlin Guthrie '08, Max Kowal '08, Sonia Fang '08, and Casey Williams '08 were featured in the June 19, 2006, Los Angeles Times. The four students, working with Prof. Nina Karnovsky, are studying whether human activity on beaches harms the eggs of grunion - unique Southern California fish that lay their eggs in the sand.

Duplicating genes is hard to do! (If they're in operons)

Although operons are common in bacteria, they are found in only a few higher organisms, one of which is the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. By analyzing the gene duplication in the C. elegans genome Prof. André Cavalcanti and colleagues at Princeton University found that genes in operons were less likely to be duplicated than other genes and that operons may interfere with the most common gene duplication mechanism in C. elegans. Their findings, published in the June, 2006, issue of the Journal of Molecular Evolution suggest that operons may constrain the evolutionary plasticity of genomes.

  • Cavalcanti, A.R.O., N.A. Stover, and L.F. Landweber. 2006. On the paucity of duplicated genes in Caenorhabditis elegans operons. J. Mol. Evol. 62: 765-771. [abstract]

A clue to the role of amyloid protein in memory loss with Alzheimer's?

Prof. Karen Parfitt presented the work of Pomona students Blaine Bisel '05 and Kristen Henkins '06 on an effect of the amyloid protein found in Alzheimer's disease on a memory-related process in the brain at a May 2006 conference on Imaging and the Aging Brain, co-sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences and the American Federation for Aging Research. Their poster was entitled, "The Alzheimer amyloid β-peptide A-β blocks an adenylate cyclase-mediated form of hippocampal long term potentiation (LTP)."

Biology showcased at Pomona Alumni Weekend

"Bio-Feedback: Science and Society in Dialogue" was the theme of Pomona College's 17th Annual Alumni Symposium, held during Alumni Weekend, April 28-29, 2006. The symposium took a close look at the challenges and opportunities presented by the veritable explosion of new scientific knowledge taking place today, exploring topics ranging from the impact of pandemics on human behavior to ethical standards for researchers and healthcare professionals. Prof. Cris Cheney presented a session titled "Teaching in the Midst of a Scientific Revolution," and a poster session featured biology student-faculty research.

Prof. Emeritus Sherwin Carlquist honored by Smithsonian Institution

Prof. Emeritus of Botany Sherwin Carlquist was awarded the 2006 José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in April 2006. The award recognized not only his contributions to wood anatomical studies of tropical plants, but also his work on the natural history of islands. The institution also noted the many books and journal articles published in his distinguished career.

Biology student Allison Moser coauthors study on ethical decision-making in biotechnology firms

Prof. David Finegold of the Keck Graduate Institute and biology major Allison Moser '06 coauthored a study on ethical decision-making in bioscience companies that was published in the March 2006 issue of Nature Biotechnology. They found that while many bioscience companies are devoting substantial attention to ethical issues, fewer than half of the companies surveyed have made any formal efforts to assess how well these approaches are working.

Molecular Biology major Laura Rosen wins prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Molecular biology major Laura Rosen '08 has received a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, designed to encourage top students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The two-year scholarship provides up to $7,500 per year to help pay tuition and other expenses. Laura is currently doing research with Prof. Len Seligman and intends to earn her doctorate in molecular biology.

Two biology students will explore cultures from the Tropics to the Arctic with prestigious Watson Fellowships

Biology major Megan Groth '06 and STS major Laurel McFadden'06 have been awarded prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowships, which provide $25,000 to support a year of independent study overseas. Megan will visit China, Japan, Costa Rica and Ecuador to study the art, culture and practice of bamboo construction and design, while Laurel will travel to Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia to document photographically how different cultures cope with the extremes of the Arctic. Laurel became interested in the Arctic after carrying out research there with Prof. Nina Karnovsky.

How nerves connect

Prof. Karl Johnson co-authored a review of how heparan sulfate proteoglycans - components of the extracellular matrix - can influence how neurons perceive their surrounding and shape how they form connections. The review was published in the February 2006 issue of Current Opinion in Neurobiology.

  • Van Vactor, D., D.P Wall, and K.G Johnson. 2006. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans and the emergence of neuronal connectivity. Current Opinion in Neurobiology 16: 40-51. [abstract | full text | pdf]

Water vapor absorption in mealworms

Prof. Jonathan Wright co-authored a paper in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Insect Physiology that investigated the metabolism and energetics of water vapor absorption in mealworms.

  • Hansen, L.L., P. Westh, J.C. Wright, and H. Ramlřv. 2006. Metabolic changes associated with active water vapour absorption in the mealworm Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae): A microcalorimetric study. Journal of Insect Physiology 175: 67-75. [abstract]

Genome Consortium for Active Teaching featured in Science

Prof. Laura Hoopes co-authored an article in the February 24, 2006, issue of Science about the Genome Consortium for Active Teaching, a group devoted to engaging undergraduates in genomics experimental design and data analysis.

  • Campbell, A.M., T.T. Eckdahl, E. Fowlks, L.J. Heyer, L.L.M. Hoopes, M.L. Ledbetter, and A.G. Rosenwald. 2006. Collaborative Programs: Genome Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT). Science 311: 1103-1104. [abstract]

New discovery sheds light on mechanism of learning and memory

Prof. Karl Johnson and collaborators, including Pomona Biology Prof. Karen Parfitt and researchers at Harvard Medical School, working with the fruit fly Drosophila, have shown that two heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) Syndecan (Sdc) and Dallylike (Dip) control the function of synapses by binding to the receptor LAR. While Sdc-LAR binding increases synaptic strength, Dlp-LAR binding weakens synapses. Since synapses must be strengthened for learning and memory to take place, this discovery suggests that Sdc and Dip may be key building blocks for learning and memory. The article was published in the February 16, 2006, issue of Neuron.

Student Laurel McFadden wins prize for her research poster

Laurel McFadden '06 won the Best Student Poster Award at the 33rd Pacific Seabird Group annual meeting in Girdwood, Alaska, February 7-11, 2006, for her poster "Examining Dovekie (Alle alle) Chick Growth Rates as a Basis for Yearly Comparisons of the Effects of Changing Oceanographic Conditions." Her research advisor, Prof. Nina Karnovsky also gave a talk, "The Dynamics of Dovekie Dining in a High Arctic Polynya," at the meeting.

Prof. Levin's work cited in Science News

A January 28, 2006, Science News article on ensemble vocalizations in songbirds discusses Prof. Rachel Levin's seminal work on duetting in Panama's bay wrens. This work "reignited the excitement about duets,' according to the article.

  • Millius, S. 2006. Just duet – Biologists puzzle over birds' ensemble vocalizations. Science News 169: 58. [article]
Prof. Karnovsky as a PRBO intern

Prof. Karnovsky in The Observer

Prof. Nina Karnovsky was featured in an article on PRBO (Point Reyes Bird Observatory) interns in The Observer, the Quarterly Journal of PRBO Conservation Science. As a PRBO intern on the Farallon Islands in 1990, Prof. Karnovsky helped study Rhinocerous Auklets.

Prof. Hoopes in Project Kaleidoscope delegation to China

Prof. Hoopes in China

Prof. Laura Hoopes visited Wuhan University, China, in November 2005 as part of a 14-member Project Kaleidoscope delegation participating in the 'Sino-US Pro-Seminar Transforming Undergraduate Science Education,' which focused on improving the learning environment for science, engineering, and math. Prof. Hoopes was the only delegate from a liberal arts college.

Prof. Martinez awarded a National Science Foundation Tree of Life grant

The National Science Foundation has funded Prof. Daniel Martinez $69,590 for work that will contribute to constructing a phylogeny - or family tree - of Cnidarians, aquatic animals that include corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish. The collaborative $2.85-million project uses DNA sequence data to construct the tree, which will not only be a useful scientific tool, but will form the basis of educational projects and materials for teachers, students, hobbyists, and the general public.

Biology department welcomes two new professors

Two new professors joined the biology department in September 2005:

  • André Cavalcanti, Assistant Professor of Biology, is a bioinformaticist who is interested in the evolution of the universal genetic code. Prof. Cavalcanti will teach Introductory Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics, and Computing for Biologists. A native of Brazil, Prof. Cavalcanti's Ph.D. is from Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.
  • Karl Johnson, Sarah Rempel & Herbert S. Rempel Professor of Neuroscience and Assistant Professor of Biology, works on how simple nervous systems are built in fruit flies, as a stepping stone to understanding how humans learn and remember. He will teach Introduction to Cell Chemistry and Cell Biology and Vertebrate Sensory Systems. His Ph.D. is from Cambridge University, England.

Transgenic tobacco plants with altered photosynthesis and growth

Prof. David Becker and collaborators at Canisius College presented a poster on tobacco plants with altered steroid profiles at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists in Seattle. They found that the steroid content changes in these plants, which express a microbial enzyme, altered photosynthetic capacity and produced higher growth rates than control tobacco plants.

  • Bedard, M., D. Becker, M. Galante, J. Ruffino, B. MacLean, A. Fordyce, A. Nigam, M. Dewitt, and R. Grebenok. 2005. The effects of a microbial 3-hydroxysteroid oxidase enzyme on steroid content and function of the chloroplast in transgenic tobacco. [abstract]

How calcium gets into crustacean cuticles

Biology student Debra Ouyang '05 and Prof. Jonathan Wright published a study in the Journal of Crustacean Biology investigating the time-course and mechanisms of calcium uptake during isopod development. This accumulation is required for mineralization of the isopod cuticle.

  • Ouyang, D.M-W., and J.C. Wright. 2005. Calcium accumulation in eggs and mancas of Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda: Oniscidea). J. Crustacean Biol. 25: 420-426. [abstract]

Pomona College - Department of Biology
175 W. 6th Street, Claremont, CA 91711-6324
Administrative Aide: Gail Sundberg | Department Chair: Dr. Jonathan Wright
Phone: 909-607-2950 | Fax: 909-621-8878 | biology@pomona.edu