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Student Research and Seminar in Biology
PtK2 cells (epithelial),
with focal adhesions (red)
and actin filaments (green)
 Biology majors at Susquehanna University learn
by doing. Experiencing biology first-hand is a central component of our
program. Majors have the opportunity to engage in collaborative research
with faculty on campus during the year or during the summer. Other students participate in a variety of internship
programs off campus. Students gain hands-on experience investigating
current unanswered biological questions while at the same time, developing
practical analytical skills. Biology majors gain valuable training through
close mentoring with faculty and unrestricted access to equipment. By the
end of their senior year, over 95% of biology majors have conducted original
research. Many students go on to present their results at professional meetings such as the National Council on Undergraduate Research Symposium (NCUR), Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences, and other conferences.
Some disseminate their findings through co-authored articles in professional
journals. Research areas are as diverse as the discipline of biology itself.
Major research topics include landscape ecology, microbiology, development,
genetics, cell biology, limnology, immunology, endocrinology, and animal
behavior.
ABSTRACTS OF SOME STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
Student names are followed with an asterisk
The effect of predator cue age on chemically-mediated antipredator behavior in the wolf spider Pardosa milvina (Araneae: Lycosidae). Mark Barnes* & Matt Persons.
Proximate mechanisms governing egg sac recognition in the wolf spider Pardosa milvina. Theresa Culley* , Jennifer Wiley*, & Matt Persons.
Analysis of mRNA Expression Patterns in Sea Urchin Primary Mesenchyme Cells.
Anna Dechtiaruk* & Margaret Peeler
A comparison of visually and chemically-mediated predator recognition in the wolf spider Rabidosa rabida (Araneae: Lycosidae). Ben Eiben* & Matt Persons
Comparison of species composition of epiphytic algae on emergent macrophytes from three lakes of different productivities. Todd Egerton* & Jack Holt
Physiological Identification of Thermophilic Bacteria Isolated from the Centralia Mine Fire. Kristy Gretzula*, Tom Lavella*, Michael Guilford* & Tammy Tobin-Janzen.
Determination of Stream Reaches in the Middle Creek System based on Diatom Periphyton Community Composition. Drew Hardick* & Jack Holt..
Do pheromones exist in the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber? Mandy Horner* & George Boone.
Web-based Learning Environment for the Instruction of Bioinformatics Applications.Tammy Tobin-Janzen & Michael Hudock*
Expression of MTA1 in sea urchin primary mesenchyme cells. Stacy Knepp*, Tanni Rase*, Debra Stone*, & Margaret Peeler
The effects of pedipalp autotomy on the courtship and mating behavior of Pardosa milvina(Araneae: Lycosidae). Erin Lynam*, J.C. Owens*, & Matt Persons.
The Effects of Climatological Variation on the Movement Patterns of a Deer Mouse Population (Peromyscus maniculatus) within a Fragmented Hedgerow. Erin Lynam* & George Boone.
Population Assessment and Movement Patterns of Peromyscus maniculatus Across Gaps within a Fragmented Fencerow . Jennifer E. Manning & George C. Boone.
Downstream effects of two small hypolimnetic-release dams as reflected by algal communities in Middle Creek, a third order stream in Central Pennsylvania. Charlotte Murray* & Jack Holt.
A comparison of locomotor responses of the field cricket, Gryllus pennsylvanicus, and house cricket, Acheta domesticus, to silk and excreta of the wolf spider Hogna helluo. J.C. Owens* & Matt Persons
The role of Calcineurin in the AII Signal Transduction Pathway in Cardiac Fibroblasts. Jennifer Rosenella*, Kate Sosnoski*, & Thomas Peeler
The Beginning Steps in the Sequencing of Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase from Didelphis virginiana. Maureen Stefaniak* & Tammy Tobin-Janzen.
Identification of Thermophilic Bacteria from Centralian Soil Based on 16S rRNA Gene Sequences.Katrina Whitehead*, Cassandra Keener* & Tammy Tobin-Janzen
Juvenile hormone synthesis by tissues other than
the corpus allatum during vitellogenic development in Drosophila melanogaster.
Dana M. Brannigan*, Stephen J. Fischer* and David S. Richard
Isolation and Identification of Soil Bacteria from
the Centralia Mine Fire AREA Jonathan Burgos*, Timothy Moseby* and Tammy
Tobin-Janzen
Ovarian nurse cell ring canal formation in wild type and insulin-signaling mutant female Drosophila melanogaster. Kristen Shilling* (David S. Richard)
Alternate splicing of the insulin-receptor substrate gene (chico) in ovaries during reproductive development in Drosophila melanogaster.Wade Znosko* and Julie Merkle* (David S. Richard)
Juvenile hormones regulate ovarian gene expression in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. Lindsay Dutko* (David S. Richard)
Adaptin and the Yolk Protein Receptor appear to localize
to Follicle Cells in Early Vitellogenic Oocytes in Drosophila melanogaster.
Deborah E. Cline *, Gina M. Zuretti* and David S. Richard
Cell fate determination in sea urchin embryos involves
multiple signal transduction pathways. Michael Cloud*, Ian Drummond*, Amy
Moyer*, Devon Slack*, Amanda Thistle*, and Margaret T. Peeler
Defining stream reach in Middle Creek using ecological parameters. Laura
Craig* and Jack R. Holt.
Prey
preference and associative learning of prey chemical cues in the wolf spider Pardosa milvina (Araneae: Lycosidae). Becky Kagan* and Matt Persons
Anti-predator
behavior of the wolf spider Pardosa milvina towards different sexes of the
predator Hogna helluo. Leilani Lehmann* and Matt Persons
Students present their research at the 2005 NCUR meeting
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