Dear Alumni and Friends of Biology,

Greetings! I am completing the last year of my term as chair of Biology in August 2010, and I’m pleased to be passing the baton to a very capable teacher and scholar known to many of you, Rick Kesseli. Rick has been at the helm of the Biology graduate programs over the last three years, where he has revitalized our PhD and Masters Programs, instituted an award program to rec- ognize our top teaching assistants, and put forward a new Professional Science Masters degree in Biotech- nology. So he comes to the chair with a lot of energy and great ideas. For my part, I can hardly believe that three years have passed so quickly. It has been a time

of major change for the Department and the University, which certainly has made the chairmanship lively and challenging. This will continue even more so in Rick’s term.

Among the many new developments, the new Integrated Sciences Complex, a part of the UMass Boston Master Plan, is fully underway. The groundbreaking for construction is still on schedule for Fall 2010 and we hope to occupy our new building in Fall 2013. Other events that promise to enhance the Department’s teach- ing and research include several successful searches for new faculty. Two young scientists will join us in the upcoming academic year: Jennifer Bowen, a microbial ecologist from Princeton, and Liam Revell, an evolutionary bioinformaticist from the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) at Duke University (more on them inside). Also, we are negotiating to bring Roya Khosravi-Far, a senior scientist in Experimental Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and an Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School. We hope that she will fill the Brann Endowed Chair in Science and Mathematics and serve as an academic leader in work related to the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy (CPCT) to be established at UMass Boston as a joint effort with the UMB-Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center partnership.

Notes from the Chair

College of Science and Mathematics Department of Biology

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER 2010

University of Massachusetts Boston

Notes from the Chair, Cont’d

Also, thanks to your kind donations and support, we continue to

provide a rich science experience for our students. In particular, two years ago we established the Biology Alumni Fund to directly support under- graduate research activities in the Department. This Spring we awarded research grants in a competitive application process to several undergrad- uates to help support their independent research projects in the Depart- ment. Also we want to thank the family of Dr. Nancy Goranson for estab- lishing the graduate student research fund in her name. This year, for the first time, the endowment provided research funds to five graduate students working towards their MS and PhD degrees. We are indeed fortunate to have generous alumni like you, who remember the fine biology education that UMass Boston provides to its citizens. As always, we are proud of our alumni. We love to hear about where you are, what you are doing and your latest achievements. Please send us a letter or an email to share your news with us and your fellow alumni in the Alumni Newsletter and the updated Alumni page on the Biology Department Web site (www.bio.umb.edu).

Michael Shiaris Chairman, Biology Department

JENNIFER BOWEN, currently a postdoctoral fellow in the De- partment of Geosciences at Princeton University, will be joining the Department in Fall 2010. Her research addresses fundamen- tal questions regarding controls on the composition and func- tion of microbial communities critical to the biogeochemical cy- cling of carbon and nitrogen in coastal and oceanic environments. She is interested in developing a quantitative framework that links changes in gene expression, gene abundance, and commu- nity composition of microbes to the underlying geochemistry that structures the distribution of microorganisms in the environment.

LIAM REVELL, currently a postdoctoral fellow in the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) at Duke University, will be joining the Department in Spring 2011. His research interests include using phylogenies to make inferences about the evolution- ary process for continuous characters. In particular, he is interested in extending existing methods and developing new methods for the analysis of multivariate phenotypic data in a phylogenetic context.

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New Faculty

Departures

Garrison Wilkes: Advancing Knowledge for Human Well-Being

Professor Garrison Wilkes, a towering figure of the Biology Department, will retire this winter, after serving the University for more than 40 years. Dur- ing his academic career, Garrison taught a variety of courses, but the course he will be most remembered for is Nutrition - one of the most heavily enrolled courses in the sciences that benefited thousands of students. In this course, Garrison brought together his tremendous knowledge of plants, human health, and world cultures in a manner that intrigued and inspired all. Often called a walking encyclopedia or perhaps wikipedia now, Garrison is one of the few persons who have the wealth and the depth of knowledge to teach this type of course in a unique style.

Throughout his research career, Garrison had one passion that prevailed over all others-- his interest in the origin and evolution of maize. His doctoral degree from Harvard University was on the genetics of maize. He devoted his whole life to the study of maize and its wild relatives in Mexico and other parts of the world, becoming in the process, one of the world’s leading authorities on this crop that feeds hundreds of millions of people. He helped establish the world’s leading facility for conserving genetic resources of maize, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico, and is now regarded as a leading expert on conservation of crop genetic diversity. Professionals recog- nized his many contributions to the study of wild plants by electing him as President of the Society of Economic Botany in 1985, and to many other distinguished panels.

Garrison’s love of plants indeed extends beyond wild plants. The biology office staff will miss bouquets of fresh flowers and veg- etables from his garden every summer. Garrison, a man with many talents, shows us how you can grow flowers, fruits, and vegeta- bles, fix a house, teach, and above all, be the spokesperson for the world’s food crops that sustain humanity - all at the same time!

Retirement for Garrison meansa renewed effort tocomplete 3 books: How the CIMMYT Maize Gene Bank Came to Be, Picture Atlas of Mexican Food Plants, & The Mexican Milpa as an Ecosystem/Ge- netic Advancement Model for Balanced Nutritional Achievement.

Garrison will be giving a Seminar Presentation summarizing key aspects of his career on Friday, April 22nd at 2:30pm in S-1-006.

Garrison was recognized at the Years of Service event this year. 3

Faculty Honors, Awards, and Distinctions

Alan Christian Sencer Leadership Fellow. Science Education for a New Civic Engagement and Responsibility.

Jeff Dukes Former Assistant Professor in Biology, was awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University.

Kenneth Kleene Recipient, Chancellor’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Scholarship

STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT TEACHING

Ruth Bennett is Professor Emerita of Biology at UMass Boston. Before retiring she taught at many levels, concentrating on neurobiology and physiology. Her research delved into mechanisms of color vision in insect eyes. Since her retirement she and her husband (Fuad Safwat) have traveled quite a bit, including to three sites that are connected with evolutionary biology: the Galapagos Islands, Darwin’s home in Downe, England, and the Darwin exhibition when it was in NYC and Boston. This course, Darwin, Evolution, and Biology Today has been offered three times, in the Fall of 2006, the Spring of 2007, and in the Spring of 2008. New materials get added each time, and this time around we will see that a lot has happened during the last couple of years, especially during the bicentennial year (2009) of Darwin’s birth. She taught the course at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UMass Boston:

Darwin, Evolution, and Biology Today

All of modern biology is based on an understanding of how living creatures have evolved over time, by natural selection. The origins of this understanding lie in the observations and perceptions of Charles Darwin during his voyage on HMS Beagle (especially his explorations in South America and the Galapagos Islands) in the 1830s. We will explore the origins of the idea of evolution by natural selection, discuss its development over time, and especially look at how modern work in genetics has solidified and amplified the understanding of evolutionary processes and the timeline of evolution. Many examples of evolution even during our lifetimes can be discussed. We will describe current thinking about the evolution of our own species (Homo sapiens) – there are many new findings here! Class discussions will, hopefully, be wide ranging -- e.g., they might focus on how scientists use their understanding of natural selection in their work – whether in developing new treatments for disease, or understanding how microbes evolve resistance to antibiotics.

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Professor Emerita Ruth Bennett

Publications, Research and Grants

BOOKS AND BOOK CHAPTERS PUBLISHED

Kamal Bawa Bawa, K.S., Primack, R., Oomen, M. Conservation Biology: A Primer for South Asia. Universities Press and orient Longmans (in press) 500 pp

Greg Beck Grant, S., Gisondi, A., Hortano, W., DeFilippo, J. and Beck, G. 2009. Isolation and Preliminary Characterization of Antimicrobial Proteins and Peptides From Ctenophores and Cnidaria. In: Com- pendium of Bioactive Natural Products Vol. 6. Gupta, V.K., Ed. Studium Press LLC, Houston, TX, pp 258-279.

John Ebersole Adams, A.J. and J.P. Ebersole. 2009. Chapter 6: Mechanisms affecting recruitment patterns of fish and decapods in tropical marine ecosystems. Pp.194-238 in I. Nagelkerken, ed., Ecological connec- tivity among tropical coastal ecosystems Springer.

Ron Etter Rex, M.A. and R.J. Etter. 2010. Deep-Sea Biodiversity: Pattern and Scale. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.

McClain, CR, MA Rex and R.J. Etter. 2009. Patterns in deep-sea macroecology. In Marine Macro- ecology. K. Roy and J Witman eds. University of Chicago Press.

Linda Huang L.S. Huang and C. Vaughn, Question Bank, New York: Garland Sciences, 2009, 471 pgs. For Essential Cell Biology, Third Edition, by Bruce Alberts, Dennis Bray, Karen Hopkin, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, and Peter Walter.

Michael Rex Rex, M.A. and R.J. Etter. 2010. Deep-Sea Biodiversity: Pattern and Scale. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.

McClain, C.R., M.A. Rex and R.J. Etter. 2009. Patterns in deep- sea macroecology. in J.D. Witman & K. Roy (editors) Marine Macroecology. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

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Publications, Research and Grants

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Kamal Bawa Krishnaswamy, J., K.S. Bawa, K.N. Ganeshaiah, and M.C. Kiran. 2009. Quantifying and mapping biodiversity and ecosystem services: Utility of a multi- season NDVI based Mahalanobis distance surrogate. Remote Sensing of Environment 113: 857-867.

Greg Beck Beck, G., Miller, R. and Ebersole, J. 2009. Significance of Immunological Responses in the Black- Spined Sea Urchin, Diadema antillarum, to Caribbean-wide Mass Mortality. Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium.

Alan Christian Harris, J.L., W. R. Posey, C. L. Davidson, J. L. Farris, S. O. Rogers, J. N. Stoeckel, B. G. Crump, M. Barnet, H. C. Martin, M. W. Matthews, J. Seagraves, N. J. Wentz, R. Winterringer, C. Osborne, and A. D. Christian. In press. Unionoida (Mollusca: Margaritiferidae, Unionidae) in Arkansas, Third Status Review. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 63:1-37.

Martin, H. C., J. L. Harris, and A. D. Christian. In Press. A qualitative freshwater mussel survey of the South Fork Spring River, Missouri and Arkansas. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 63:1-8.

Matthews, M. W., F. Usrey, S. W. Hodges, J. L. Harris, and A. D. Christian. In press.Species richness, distribution, and relative abundance of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) of the Buffalo Na- tional River, Arkansas. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 63:1-19.

Wentz, N. J., J. L. Harris, J. L. Farris, and A. D. Christian. In Press. Mussel inventory and population status of the federally endangered Potamilus capax (Green 1832) in theTyronza River, Arkansas. Jour- nal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 63:1-8.

Adan Colón-Carmona Lui, H., D. Weisman, Y-B. Ye, B. Cui, Y-H. Huang, A. Colón-Carmona, and Z-H Wang. (2009) An oxidative stress response to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure is rapid and complex in Arabi- dopsis thaliana. Plant Science Journal, 176: 375–382.

Micallef, S., M. Shiaris, and A. Colón-Carmona. (2009) Influence of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions on rhizobacterial communities and natural variation in root exudates. Journal of Experimental Botany, 60:1729-42. Selected for special review within the journal. See: Biedzycki ML and Bais HP. (2009) Root secretions: from genes and molecules to microbial associations. Journal of Experimental Botany, 60(6):1533-4.

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Publications, Research and Grants

Micallef, S., S. Channer, M. Shiaris, and A. Colón-Carmona. Plant age and genotype impact the pro- gression of bacterial community succession in the Arabidopsis rhizosphere. Journal of Plant Signaling and Behavior. 4,8: 777-780.

John Ebersole Gregory Beck, Robert Miller, Aaron Adams, John Ebersole. 2009. “Significance Of Immunological Responses in The Black-Spined Sea Urchin, Diadema antillarum, To Caribbean-Wide Mass Mortality.” Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reefs Symposium. Fort Lauderdale, FL. July 2008.

Ron Etter Stuart C.T., Martinez Arbizu P., Smith C.R., Molodtsova T., Brandt A., Etter R.J., Escobar-Briones E., Fabri M.C., Rex M.A. 2008. CeDAMar global database of abyssal biological sampling. Aquatic Biology 4:143-145.

Katherine Gibson Gibson KE, Kobayashi, H and Walker GC. 2008. Molecular Determinants of a Symbiotic Chronic In- fection. Annu Rev Genet 42: 413-441.

Rick Kesseli Gammon, M and R. Kesseli. 2009. Haplotypes of Fallopia introduced into the US. Biological Inva- sions: 12: 421-427.

Grimsby, J and R. Kesseli. 2009. Genetic composition of invasive Japanese knotweed s.l. in the United States. Biological Invasions: (DOI 10.1007/s10530-009-9602-5).

Michael Rex Stuart, C.T. and M.A. Rex. 2009. Bathymetric patterns of deep-sea gastropod species diversity in 10 basins of the Atlantic Ocean and Norwegian Sea. Marine Ecology 30:164-180.

Stuart, C.T., P. Martinez Arbizu, C.R. Smith, T. Molodtsova, A. Brandt, R.J. Etter, E. Escobar-Briones, M-C. Fabri and M.A. Rex 2008. CeDAMar global database of abyssal biological sampling. Aquatic Biology 4: 143-145

Robert Stevenson Nadkarni, N. and R. D. Stevenson. 2009. Symposium 9: Linking Scientists with Nontraditional Public Audiences to Enhance Ecological Thought. Ecological Bulletin 90:134-137.

Michael Shiaris Micallef, S., M. Shiaris, and A. Colón-Carmona. 2009. Influence of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions on rhizobacterial communities and natural variation in root exudates. Journal of Experimental Botany 60:1729-42.

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Publications, Research and Grants

Micallef, S., S. Channer, M. Shiaris, and A. Colón-Carmona. Plant age and genotype impact the pro- gression of bacterial community succession in the Arabidopsis rhizosphere. Journal of Plant Signaling and Behavior 4(8): 777-780.

Manickam Sugumaran Complexities of cuticular pigmentation in insects, M. Sugumaran. Pigment Cell and Melanoma Re- search. 2009 Aug In press.

Alexey Veraksa Lake, R.J., Grimm, L.M., Veraksa, A., Banos, A. and Artavanis-Tsakonas, S. (2009) In vivo analysis of the Notch receptor S1 cleavage. PLoS ONE 4(8), e6728.

Yelleswarapu, C.S., Tipping, M., Kothapalli, S.R., Veraksa, A. and Rao, D.V. (2009) Common path multimodal optical microscopy. Optics Letters 34, 1243-1245.

Garrison Wilkes Molecular Evidence of Gene Flow between Teosinte Species and into the Domesticated Maize Gene Pool. Marilyn L. Warburton, Garrison Wilkes, Suketoshi Taba, Alain Charcosset, Celine Mir, Claudia Bedoya, B. M. Prasanna, X. Xie, Sarah Hearne, and Jorge Franco. Paper accepted by both the Journal of Heredity and the American Journal of Botany. We are going with AJB.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Kamal Bawa NSF Workshops to Articulate and Disseminate Research Priorities in Forest Canopies $36,575.00 9/1/2009-8/31/2010.

Harvard University Sustainability Program. Harvard Mid-Career Fellowship in Sustainability Science $60,000.00 9/1/2009-1/31/2011.

Harvard Forest, Harvard University Charles Bullard Fellowship in Forest Research $40,000.00 1/1/2010- 12/31/2010.

Greg Beck PADI Foundation, Immunity and a Marine Epidemic: Mass Mortality of Diadema. $5,000.00 5/1/2010-4/30/2012.

Jennifer Bowen NSF: Environmental Control of Microbial N20 Fluxes and DIN Loss in Salt Marsh Sediments. $231,067. 01/01/2011 - 12/31/2013.

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Publications, Research and Grants

Solange Brault International Fund for Animal Welfare Feeding Specializations in Bottlenose Dolphins: Comparing Foraging Techniques to prey Density and Habitat Preferences $7,000.00 12/1/2009 – 11/30/2010.

Alan Christian URS Corporation Fayetteville Pipeline Express Project $17,035.00 6/1/2009-5/31/2011. Arkansas Game

Fish Commission Life History Research on the Special Concern Southern Hikorynut $8,418.00 08/01/2009-03/31/2011.

Adan Colon-Carmona NIH UMB/DFHCC Comprehensive Cancer Partnership Program (Supplement 1) $154,000.00 9/1/2009-8/31/2010.

NIH UMB/DFHCC Comprehensive Cancer Partnership Program (Supplement 2: John Perez) $304,990.00 9/1/2009 – 8/31/2010.

Jeffrey Dukes NSF REU Supplement to the Boston-Area Climate Experiment $29,000.00 6/1/2009 – 5/31/2011.

Ron Etter and Michael Rex NSF Ocean Sciences and Population Biology Programs, 2007-2010. Evolution in deep-sea molluscs. $592,000.00.

Linda Huang NIH ARRA SPO 71 Function in Morphogenesis During Spore Development $214,128.75 9/21/2009 – 8/31/2011.

Rick Kesseli, Adan Colon-Carmona, Michael Shiaris and Jeff Dukes NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems. Genetic Bases and Ecological Significance of Plant-Microbe Interactions in the Rhizosphere $695,545.00 7/15/2009-12/31/2012.

Rick Kesseli NSF Plant Genome (DBI 0820451): Comparative Genomics of Phenotypic Variation in the Compos- ite 3/1/20/09 to 2/28/2010 ($113,156.00 of $408,768.00 awarded to UMB within the $8,092,370.00 multi-university grant).

NSF REU supplemental VCA: Comparative Genomics of Phenotypic Variation in the Composite $13,500.00 3/1/2010 to 2/28/2011.

Michael Shiaris NIH Bunker Hill CC – Roxbury CC – UMASS Boston Bridges to the Baccalaureate Renewal $220,071.00 3/11/2010 – 2/28/2011 9

Publications, Research and Grants

Rachel Skvirsky NSF Research Opportunity Award (ROA) $25,000.00 6/1/2009 – 8/31/2010.

Robert Stevenson NSF Fine-Grained Semantic Markup of Descriptive Data for knowledge applications $158,380.09 7/1/2009 – 6/30/2012.

Alexey Veraksa NSF - Molecular scaffolds in Drosophila signal transduction. $390,000 06/01/07-05/30/10.

Brian White Tufts/National Institute of General Medical Sciences Training in Education and Critical Research Skills $ 9,310.00 3/1/2010 – 2/28/2013

NSF: NOYCE Scholars Phase II: Teach Next Year in Boston and Randolph $749,996.00 10/01/2010 - 9/30/2015

Anam Ahmad who graduated with Honors in 2009 now works as a Quality Control Analyst with ETEX Corporation, a small bio-materials company producing Bone Substitute Material.

Olayemi (Yemi) A Ajayi who graduated with Honors and was awarded the Biology Service Award in 2009 will be starting an MD/PhD program at the University of Connecticut this fall.

Rony Barbara, who received Honors and Distinction awards at UMB in 2007, has been working in various research labs including Harvard-Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Rony will be starting the MD program at UMass Worcester this fall.

Tim Menz who graduated with honors and distinction from UMB in 2005 just finished his 3rd year at UMass Worcester Medical School. He has chosen pediatrics as his specialization but will be extend- ing his program for another year, to continue with a research program. His first publication as a co-author is just out; C., Keeler, A., Braag, S., Menz, T., Tang, Q., Flotte, TR. “Modulation of Exaggerated-IgE Allergic Responses by Gene Transfer-mediated Antagonism of IL-13 and IL-17e.” Molecular Therapy. 2010 Mar;18(3):511-8.

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Alumni Corner

Alumni Corner

Trevor J. Morin, PhD U Mass Medical School, student commencement speaker 2010 staff scientist MassBiologics.

Emmanuel Obusez (Case Western Reserve University, Medical School) received the 2009 Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) Student Research Fellowship Award.

Dr. Jennifer Forman Orth who earned her PhD in Environmental Biology from UMB in 2003 is the State Plant Pest Survey Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. She has been involved with efforts to eradicate or manage several new invasive species in the state includ- ing the Asian Long-horned Beetle, Mile-a-Minute and Pepperweed.

Dr. Ellen Pritham who graduated with a PhD in Molecular Cell and Organismal Biology from UMB in 2002 is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, Arlington. She returned this past spring to give a wonderful seminar entitled “Mobile DNA and the Dynamic Genome.” She also has her own new (15 mo.) “mobile element” son by the name of Remy.

Deepa Ramaswami who was part of our REU programs and graduated with honors and was awarded the Biology Research Award from UMB in 2009 will be starting a Graduate Program at the Mt Sinai School of Medicine in NYC this fall.

Dr. Patty Szcsys who graduated with a PhD in Environmental Biology from UMB in 2004 is an As- sistant Professor at Eastern Connecticut State University. Patty has had a busy summer. Along with leading her annual field trip for students to Costa Rica, Patty also welcomed a new member, Asa, to her family in July. Congratulations Patty!!!

Tomoko M. Tabuchi co-authored the following: Gheldof N, Smith EM, Tabuchi TM, Koch CM, Dunham I, Stamatoyannopoulos JA, Dekker J. (2010) Cell-type-specific long-range looping interac- tions identify distant regulatory elements of the CFTR gene. Nucleic Acids Res. 38(13):4325-36.

Mei Tong, who graduated in Spring 2010, is now a PhD student at UMass Worcester Medical School.

Manuel Valdes, who graduated in Spring 2010 and worked for the IMSD program, entered a PhD program at Duke University.

William A. Woods is now Assistant Research Professor at Tufts University, and is working on Caterpillar Locomotion. He co- authored the following article, which was also featured on NPR: Simon Michael A, Woods William A Jr, Serebrenik Yevgeniy V, Simon Sharotka M, van Griethuijsen Linnea I, Socha John J, Lee Wah-Keat, Trimmer Barry A. Visceral-locomotory Pistoning in Crawling Caterpillars (Manduca sexta). Current Biology, 2010.

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Graduate Student Corner

The following students submitted theses for their PhD and Master’s degrees:

Ph.D Degrees

Jana Bagarova, Translational Regulation of the Sperm Mitochondia-Associated Cystein-Rich Protein (Smcp) mRNA by CIS-Elements in Both UTRS Advisor: Kenneth Kleene

Jonna Grimsby, Invasive and Endangered: Population Genetics of Plant Species at Both Extremes, Japanese Knotweed and Eastern Silvery Aster Advisor: Rick Kesseli

Reinmar Seidler, Biodiversity Conservation as a Driver of Development in the Populous Tropics Advisor: Kamal Bawa

Stephanie Wood-Lafond, Dynamics of Recolonization: A Study of the Gray Seal (Halichoerus gry- pus) in the Northeast U.S. Advisor: Solange Brault

Master’s Degrees

Crystal Baker, SPO71 is Required for Proper Prospore Membrane Size in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Advisor: Linda Huang

Jonathan Drake, Abnormal Involuntary Movement Expression upon D2 Dopamine Agonist Chal- lenge is Determined by the Nature of Prior Dopamine Receptor Stimulation (priming) in 6-Hydroxy- dopamine-lesioned Rats Advisor: Alexia Pollack

Renee Eriksen, Morphological and Genetic Variation in Populations of Yellow Starthistle (Centau- rea solstitialis). Evidence for Rapid Evolution in the Invasive Weed Yellow Star Thistle Advisor: Rick Kesseli

Bruce Kline, Distribution Dynamics of Enterococci in Ma- rine Intertidal Sediments and Coastal Waters at an Urban Beach, Wollaston, Quincy, MA Advisor: Michael Shiaris

Nicholas Faiella, Interactions Between ColV-Producing and Non-Producing Bacterial Strains in a Nutrient-Rich Liquid Environment Advisor: Rachel Skvirsky 12

Graduate Student Corner

Jaymie Lowe Czornyj, The Effect of Residual Moisture on Lyophilized Proteins Advisor: Steven Ackerman

Katherine McHenry, The Impact of Dry Stone Walls on the Distribution of The Red-Backed Sala- mander (Plethodon cinereus) Advisor: John Ebersole

Landon Merrill, HSP70 genes, L254 and L393, in the Mimivirus Genome Advisor: Michael Shiaris

Thao Nguyen, Canine Reticulocyte Quantification: Comparison of Two Automated Hematology Ana- lyzers and a Manual Counting Method Advisor: Kenneth Campbell

Tobias Stover, Methyl Mercury Measurement in Lepomis Sun- fish (Enzyme Assay vs. Direct Method) Advisor: William Hagar

William Walker, Early Progressive Renal Function Decline Among Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus is Influenced by Two Distinct Forms of the Soluble TNFR1 Protein Advisors: Rick Kesseli and Kenneth Kleene

Aimee Young, Undergraduate Biology Students Abilities to Construct Phylogenetic Trees Advisor: Brian White

Grants Awarded

Anna Aguilera - National Science Foundation Pre-doctoral fellowship. 2007-2009

Emelia DeForce - Nancy Goranson Research Award $1000.00 Spring 2010

Stefanie Gazda - Nancy Goranson Research Award $1000.00 Spring 2010 - National Geographic Society/Waitt Grant Individual Niche Specialization in a Top Marine Predator:

Using the Bottlenose Dolphin to Study the Niche Variation Hypothesis $14,520.00 4/1/10–8/31/10. Suzanne Grant - Graduate Student Research Award $1500.00 Fall 2009

Anastasia Mozharova - Fulbright Fellowship. 09/2008-08/2010

Christian Slubowski - Nancy Goranson Research Award. “An evolutionarily conserved motif in the GCK-family Kinase Sps1p is required for function during sporulation.” $600 Fall 2009

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Graduate Student Corner

James Stark - Nancy Goranson Research Award. “The role of the SHY2 Gene in the Control of Root System Architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana.” $600 Fall 2009

James Stark - Doctoral Dissertation Grant “The role of the SHY2 Gene in the Control of the Root System Architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana” $2,000.00 Fall 2009

Marla Tipping - Nancy Goranson Research Award. “The role of Drosophila beta-arrestin kurtz in regulating developmental signal transduction.” $800 Fall 2009

Daniel Trask - Graduate Student Research Award $2,000.00 Spring 2010

Scholarships Awarded

Jenn Kerry was awarded the Hank Emory Scholarship for 2010 by the New England Chapter of the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA). GITA is a nonprofit educational association serving the global geospatial community. Each year the New England Chapter awards $2,000 scholar- ships and internship opportunities to students who have made a commitment to study disciplines related to geospatial technology and to obtain practical experience in this field from a competitive pool of ap- plicants.

Congratulations to all of our 2010 Biology and Biochemistry Graduates!

GRANTS & AWARDS Denise Butler Alumni Donor Student Research Fund $452.75. Mentor Dr. Colon-Carmona 2/1/2010

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Undergraduate Student Corner

Undergraduate Student Corner

Abigail Duffy “Environmental Ecoli train differences in adhesion to sediment particles in water” Un- dergraduate Research Funds $500.00. Mentor Dr. Shiaris 2/1/2010

Keith Ferguson “ID of Microbes in Urine Sediments by a PCR/reverse line blot technique” Under- graduate Research Funds $500.00. Mentor Dr. Campbell 2/1/2010

Erik Holzwanger “Spatial patterns and relatedness of Lampsilis radiata in a New England pond” Un- dergraduate Research Funds $500.00. Mentor Dr. Christian 2/1/2010

Paulina Kocjan “Spatial patterns and relatedness of Ellipotio complanata in a New England pond” Undergraduate Research Funds $500.00. Mentor Dr. Christian 2/1/2010

Raina Milne Undergraduate Reseach Funds $500.00. Mentor Dr. Campbell 2/1/2010

Mariam Monem Alumni Donor Student Research Fund $450.00 2/1/2010

Lauren Mullin “Microbial community analysis of Arabadopsis thaliana rhizosphere in treated soils” Undergraduate Research Funds 370.00. Mentor Drs. Dukes and Kesseli 2/1/2010

McCone Recipient $225.00. Mentor Drs. Dukes and Kesseli 2/1/2010 Alumni Donor Student Research Fund $149.40. Mentor Drs. Dukes and Kesseli Special Departmental Award in Biology. Mentor Drs. Dukes and Kesseli 6/1/2010

Katarzyna Plotrowska Alumni Donor Student Research Fund $472.00. Mentor Dr. Colon-Carmona 2/1/2010

Henry Rogalin “Chimeric Receptor Protein Generation” Undergraduate Research Funds $500.00. Mentor Dr. Colon-Carmona 2/1/2010

Mei Tong Special Departmental Award in Biology. Mentor Dr. Veraksa 6/1/2010

Chiedozie Uwandu “Orphan kinesin in regulating cell division and growth” Undergraduate Research Funds $500.00. Mentor Dr. Colon-Carmona 2/1/2010

Attended the American Society For Microbiology Conference Travel Fellowship $700.00 1/6/2010. Mentor Dr. Adan Colon-Carmona

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Undergraduate Student Corner

Max Viner Undergraduate Research Funds $500.00. Mentor Dr. Gibson 2/1/2010

Dana Williams “Characterization of Antimicrobial Peptides from Ctenophores and Coelenterates” Undergraduate Research Funds $475.00. Mentor Dr. Beck 2/1/2010

RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES (REU)

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) in Integrative and Evolutionary Biology, is a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that offers undergraduate students the opportunity to work closely with a faculty advisor and a research group to carry out independent research projects in Biology. This summer, 13 students, from different parts of the country, were ac- cepted from a highly competitive pool of over 300 applicants. The participants spent 10 weeks researching topics pertaining to Biodi- versity, Bioinformatics, Cell Morphogenesis, Cell Signaling, Con- servation Biology, Genetics, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Gene Regulation, Microbiology, Microbial Ecology, Molecular Evolution and Population Biology. They presented the results of their studies during a Poster Symposium on August 13th.

BRIDGES 2010

The University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB), in partnership with Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) and Roxbury Community College (RRC), runs the Bridges to Baccalaureate Program, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The objective of the Bridges Program is to ad- vance the careers of community college students interested in pursuing a biomedical research career. Through facilitated discussion courses, pre-calculus and molecular biology methods workshops, in- tensive advising/mentoring, and research oppoortunities, the program helps minority students succeed in obtaining 4-year degrees in the Biomedical Sciences.

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CSM Freshmen Success Communities

At the College of Science and Mathematics, we’re creating new teaching and learning en- vironments to increase student success. It’s critically important that freshman have the resources to become confident and engaged learners. In helping them achieve their potential, we’re also develop- ing more and better-prepared scientists.

-- Dean Andrew Grosovsky, College of Science and Mathematics

Launched in Fall 2009, the Freshman Success Community (FSC) program began with two communities each with 24 freshmen connected to departmental faculty members. The students were assigned to the same sections of math, chemistry, and biology as well Science Gateway Semi- nars led by the CSM Dean Andrew Grosovsky and Associate Dean Bill Hagar. Due to its success and popularity, the program has tripled in size for the 2010-2011 academic year, with six Commu-

nities suitable for all CSM majors serving approximately 140 first-time/full-time freshmen, and each anchored by a Science Gateway Seminar led by a tenure/tenure track CSM faculty member.

As the FSC program has garnered attention across campus and beyond, the support of the Biol- ogy department has been key to its development and success. Biology faculty members are leading 3 of

the 6 seminars this year, ensuring that a significant portion of freshman Biology majors start off college on the right track. Selina Imboywa, a senior Biology major, initiated the role of FSC peer mentor, pro-

viding academic and personal support to participants as they navigate through their first year of college. Several students from last year’s Biology FSC have gone on to assume leadership roles in this year’s community, either as Dean’s Ambassadors, Community Assistants, or peer mentors for the new stu- dents. Graduate students have contributed as well: current PhD student Mandi Cass is serving as the TA for Dean Grosovsky’s community after Aimee Young (M.S. Biology, ’10) worked with him on the pilot.

These exciting partnerships have resulted in the program making a serious im- pact on both retention and student satisfaction: 90% of the 09-10 FSC participants have con- tinued onto their sophomore year, with 60% earning a GPA of 3.0 or better. Based on stu- dent essays, focus groups, and surveys from last year’s group, students indicated they felt more connected to their fellow peers, their professors and ultimately, their university.

For more information about the Freshman Success Community program, please contact the Student Success Center at 617-287-3974 or studentsuccess@umb.edu. 17

Staff Corner

STAFF ADDITIONS The Biology Department is pleased to mention that we have three new members, all of whom are con- tributing in many ways to the success of our programs.

Alexa MacPherson was an undergraduate Biology major here sev- eral years ago. She left the program and is “the proud mommy of two girls, Heavenne, 6 years old and Gabrielle, 3 years old.” She came back to work as a staff member in the Biology Department office in August of 2008 and is currently managing the Graduate Programs in Biology among other activities. Somehow while do- ing a great job in the office and raising her two very cute girls, she was able to complete her double major in Biology and Psychology in 2010. Alexa would like to eventually get into a PhD program in Neurobiology.

Anshika Verma also recently joined the Biology Department office staff in November 2009. She is working on payroll activities in the department and dealing with the many undergraduates who walk into our office each day with new and complex issues. She too has amaz- ing perseverance. Anshika is double majoring in Psychology and So- ciology and earning a minor in Women’s Studies. She will probably need all of her psychological and sociological skills to deal with the constant “excitement” in the Biology Department office. She plans to graduate in June 2012.

Finally we have a new research technician in the department. Dina Tsirelson, was a Biology major at UMass and graduated in 2007. She has worked as a part-time research assistant in Rick Kesseli’s lab for the last couple years and was recently hired full time in the department. She will support various research projects within the department over the next couple years. She is also in the process of apply- ing to PhD programs and has developed a keen interest in plant-insect interactions and genetics.

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Staff Departure

JESSICA THOMAS

After ten years of dedication and service, Jessica Thomas has decided to leave the Biology Department to go on to new adventures. Jes- sica was admitted to the University in 2000, and as a biology major, studied under the direction of Dr. William Hagar. She was extremely interested in taking science classes and studying vernal pools. She quickly adjusted to campus life and became involved with the Bi- ology Club, serving as Club President from 2002 to 2004, during which she participated in fund-raisers and club trips to Nantucket.

Additionally, Jessica worked in the Biology Department as a student employee under the direction of Charlie King where she uti- lized her purchasing and clerical skills. She helped Charlie to keep the

teaching and research labs filled with necessary supplies and equip- ment. In 2005 she was hired as the Administrative Assistant in the Bi-

ology office before she decided to leave and go to California to study on a research vessel and collect data on marine life. To the Biology Department’s good fortune, Jessica returned in the summer of 2006

during a staffing crisis, which helped out the Department greatly. With all the skills and experience she gained over her years of service, Jessica was hired in 2008 as the full-time coordinator for Ini- tiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD). In collaboration with Drs. Rachel Skvirsky and Adán Colón-Carmona, Jessica was extremely helpful in establishing this NIH funded training program with the college. Jessica helped organize and coordinate student activities in the areas of the biomedi- cal sciences, including IMSD-Biology seminars, student participation in local and national confer- ences, professional development workshops, course enrichment study sessions for key courses Biology majors take, and facilitated interactions between IMSD and other training programs. In addition, as an alumna of the Biology program herself, she served as a mentor and counselor to IMSD Fellows.

Through her years at UMass Boston, Jessica interacted with many different people across nu- merous offices on this campus and is looked upon as not only a valued employee, but also as a friend. She will be greatly missed and we wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors.

Department Staff: Anshika Verma, Charlie King, Laney Digiovanni, Yvonne Vaillancourt,

Michie Yasuda, Maria Mahoney, Jessica Thomas, & Maureen Kelly take time out to pose during set up

for June 2010 Graduation. 19

University of Massachusetts Boston 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125-3393

Phone: 617-287-6600 Web: www.bio.umb.edu

Fax: 617-287-6650 Email: Anshika.Verma@umb.edu

Dear Alumni, 2009/ 2010 Graduates, Faculty, Staff and Students,

We would love to hear from you! Please keep us updated by emailing Alexa or Anshika.

Alexa.MacPherson@umb.edu Anshika.Verma@umb.edu

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