News
PC Biology Professor Dr. Jim Wetzel receives an M.K. Pentecost Ecology Trust Fund grant.
Dr. Jim Wetzel recently received notice from the M.K. Pentecost Ecology Fund Committee of Savannah Presbytery that he has been awarded a matching grant to conduct research on pipefishes along the SC coastline. Along with this research Dr. Wetzel, the Pulaski L. Bealy Smith Professor of Biology will be traveling to Australia this summer, and to China in the Fall as a part of his upcoming sabbatical leave.
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Rising senior biology major Christina Randall accepted to the Summer 2005 STAR Program at MCG
The Summer STAR (Student Training And Research) program is designed to provide biomedical research experience for undergraduate students with a desire to pursue a graduate education in biomedical sciences. This program provides opportunities for highly motivated and talented undergraduate students to develop skills as young scientists and to explore further their interest in biomedical research. During the course of the ten-week program, students actively participate in a biomedical research project under the guidance of a MCG faculty member. In addition, students attend workshops, discussion groups and laboratory demonstrations that expose them to a broad range of biomedical research techniques, approaches and laboratory experiences available at the Medical College of Georgia. The Summer STAR program provides excellent preparation for students planning to pursue a PhD or MD/PhD in the biomedical sciences. Students are awarded a stipend for their participation in the program.
Our goal is for participants to leave the program with an understanding of their personal contribution to a particular laboratory project as well as with a comprehensive understanding of the broader scientific research area. Towards this aim, STAR participants, with the guidance of their faculty STAR mentor, are required to prepare a written report of their project in the form of a scientific paper and present their work in a short oral presentation at the end of the session. In addition, students are invited to return to MCG for MCG's Annual Graduate Research Day and showcase their research in a poster presentation.
Dr. Inman receives DHEC Grant
The Students for Environmental Education(SEE) will be conducting their recycling efforts with a little more help from a $5,160 grant from the Solid Waste Division of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). Aided by Dr. Inman’s Environmental Science class, SEE submitted the grant proposal last September and received notice of the approval by DHEC in November. The grant has four separate thrusts to enhance the recycling on campus, thirty additional bins for aluminum can recycling, twenty five “stackable bins for a pilot project on recycling plastics and glass in the townhouses and senior dorm, five large “event” type containers for campus activities (concerts, games, etc), and an educational program for recycling used motor oil.
Spring 2005: There are two Honors Research projects going on this Spring
Melissa Clare Beaty is working on the palynology of the Camelot Fauna (Dr. Rischbieter advisor). To have a look at her research proposal, click here.
Jennifer Corpening is looking at the biotoxicity of sewage effluent from secondary treatment systems in Clinton (Dr. Inman, advisor).
For more information on honor projects, click here.
PC Biology Department receives $1000 grant from the SCBRIN Program.
AIBS will oversee the SCBRIN Seminar Series over the course of the grant period. Dr. Rischbieter (Grant Proposal author and AIBS Faculty Advisor) will serve as the Seminar Chair, and newly elected Vice President Lauren Hayes will be the Seminar Coordinator. In a recent letter to PC, Dr. John W. Baynes, Carolina Distinguished Professor and Coordinator of the SCBRIN Program said:
"We are happy to approve your application for a SC-BRIN Network Seminar Award. Your Biology Club is a great venue for using these funds, and we are happy to help with your seminar program.
Please note that over 50 speakers are listed in the Speakers Bureau on the SC-BRIN web site, but you may also choose other researchers from South Carolina academic institutions, government agencies and industries".
The program will begin this Spring 2004 with 2 speakers. All are welcome, including, PC faculty, students, and Clinton community.
Dr. Hudson gives a presentation at recent Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meetings in Austin TX, (Nov. 9 - 13)
February 15, 2004. SETAC 24th Annual Meeting Abstract Book 112; 501 "Propagation and Culture
of Freshwater Mussels: Acquiring and Evaluating Early Lifestages."
Hudson, R.G.1, Milam, C.D.2, and Farris, J.L.3.
1 Presbyterian College,
Clinton, SC, USA. 2. EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc.,
Sparks, MD, USA. 3. Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, USA.
Juvenile unionid propagation in the United States began in the early
1900s employing techniques very similar to those used today.
Understanding the life history of this unique group of invertebrates
continues to require knowledge of specific host fish. The successful
development of an artificial culture medium (in vitro technique) in the
early 1980s provided information about specific requirements for
nutrients that supported development and growth. Techniques that
support juvenile transformation continue to be used with declining
populations, including federally threatened and endangered species
identified in federal recovery plans. Techniques ranging from use of
host fish to in vitro- have generated viable juveniles for various
objectives including toxicity testing, in situ monitoring, and
reintroduction efforts into recovering streams. Monitoring juvenile
responses and survival has furnished evidence of differential
sensitivity to various contaminants, holding conditions, and feeding
regimes. Effective propagation has supported determination of possible
impacts on early lifestages (glochidia and juvenile), where thresholds
of effect can be calculated and more accurately compared to existing
water quality criteria and habitat assessments. Such information helps
clarify reasons for declining populations and allows more accurate and
effective evaluation of mitigation efforts.
Honors Project (Laurel L. Delaney & Mary Douglass Hayne) - A Floral Analysis of the Pleistocene Camelot Fauna
 Click here to view Laurel's and Mary's research proposal (Word document)
November 30, 2003. The Pleistocene spanned from 1.8 million to 11,000 years ago and was characterized by drastic environmental changes and the expansion of the polar icecaps. Animal remains such as the Glyptodont, Mammoth, and Giant Beaver have been found and examined from a site near Harleyville, SC called “Camelot.” However, the floral remains have not yet been studied. Layers of carbonized plant remains have been found, including pollen, seeds, leaves, twigs and nuts. The first part of the study will use dissecting and light microscopes to study the stems, leaves, and reproductive portions of the plants found at the site. The second part of the study will examine the pollen using the scanning electron microscope, comparing it to contemporary pollen.
Jeremy Poirier. PC Biology Alum ('96) gave seminars to Dr. Rischbieter's and Dr. Hudson's classes
Jeremy is currently employed by International Paper Company in Bainbridge , Georgia , where he manages the restoration efforts associated with Red Cockaded Woodpecker in their longleaf pine-wiregrass sanctuary.
Kim Munkers, rising senior Biology major, will be
working this summer at the NSF-sponsored Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
run by the University of Georgia
There is a web site for the program at the following:
http://www.uga.edu/srel/REU/index.htm
Kim will be working with Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin, Jr.
Senior Research Ecologist.
From the web site:
Current Research Interests:
Ecological cycling processes, vertebrate ecology and the toxicology and
radioecology of fish, waterfowl and other wildlife on the SRS; conservation
biology of the wood stork and bald eagle; ecological relationships of feral
domestic animals on the SRS and throughout the world; studies of canine
behavior and olfaction, particularly as related to forensic applications.
Senior Biology major Matt Madden gives presentation
at the recent South Carolina Academy Sciences Meetings at Clemson University
March 28, 2003. X-linkage in mental retardation (MR) was first suspected
during the 1970s with the identification of fragile X and predictions now
estimate that as many as 200 X-Linked MR genes may exist The purpose of
this research then is to explore GPR50, a gene located in chromosomal region
Xq28, for its possible involvement in X-Linked Mental Retardation (XLMR).
GPR50, which consists of only two coding exons, encodes for H9, a novel
member of the G protein-coupled melatonin receptor family thought to be
involved in neurological signal transduction. An attempt to locate mutations
within the GPR50 gene was then made using a pool of approximately 550 males
with mental retardation of unknown etiology. In exon 1, a nested PCR was
first performed to amplify the region followed by amplicon sequencing using
a MegaBACE sequencer. Exon 2 still awaits investigation. To date, around
300 of the 550 male genetic samples have been examined for variations within
exon 1. Variations indicating the possibility of a mutation have been found
in 9 of the 300 individuals including suspected base pair substitutions
and insertions. These variations now await further confirmation through
both restriction endonuclease digest results and more complete MegaBACE
sequencing results using both a forward and reverse primer. Clearly, much
more analysis is needed to ascertain whether these potential variations
point to a role of GPR50 in XLMR
Putting the 'wow' in world of wonder - Science
technology at PC reveals hidden beauty of the 'invisible world' to students
A pipefish embryo
Head of a jumping spider
Scales of a shark |
March 10, 2003. By Katy Falk - Critics of liberal arts
colleges typically claim that liberal arts institutions offer little “hands-on”
applications of skills, especially regarding the use of advanced technology.
But that’s only because they haven’t been to Presbyterian College.
Dr. Jim Wetzel, associate professor of biology, offers proof that the liberal
learning and advanced technology don’t have to be strangers. In fact,
as a frequent contributor of digital microscopic images to scientific journals
– including the recent publication of several images in the online
scientific journal Micscape Magazine – Wetzel opens the door for students
to appreciate not only the educational value of the “invisible world,”
but also their aesthetic beauty. And he does it using nothing that is not
already available every day to students in PC’s science department.
“Here at PC, we have an amazing amount of technical equipment for
a school of this size,” he said. “The two electron microscopes
alone are impressive.” The scanning electron microscopes (SEM) are
quite expensive, but they allow researchers and PC biology majors to see
objects 100,000 times their actual size. Wetzel estimates this magnification
scale is comparable to a human eyelash being as long as the distance from
McDonald’s on Broad Street to PC’s Social Court. Without the
SEM equipment, the study of embryos would be impossible.
After images are captured, they are usually slightly manipulated through
a photo workshop program on the computer. Color and informational labels
are added so that the images quickly become powerful teaching tools. According
to most scientists, including Wetzel, these pictures are more vivid and
accurate then ordinary lab sketches. He also suggests that students attain
a more solid grasp of the content matter when they capture these images
independently. “We’re all visual learners, at least to some
degree, and students will never forget the experience of capturing their
own images,” he said.
Occasionally, the images are used in ways not relating directly to education.
The colorful, intricate patterns of these early life forms enthrall nature
enthusiasts, scientists, and modern artists alike. Thus, it is not unusual
to find these magnified pictures in coffee table books, image banks, and
calendars. Micscape Magazine publishes work like Wetzel’s for both
educational and artistic purposes.
More than anything, this paraphernalia is at PC to benefit students. Senior
biology major Amanda Brinson has been pleased with her opportunity to work
with this high-tech equipment while studying at PC. “It provides a
really good preparation for my future graduate studies,” she said.
“Not everyone can have the opportunity to work with such expensive
equipment. And, actually, it’s fun!”
Dr. Hudson to present paper at the third annual meeting of
the Freshwater Mussel Conservation Society in Durham, NC.
March 10, 2003. EFFECTS OF DRILLING AGENTS ON THE GROWTH AND
SURVIVAL OF JUVENILE MUSSELS, Robert G. Hudson,1 David A. McKinney,2 James T.
Wetzel,1 Jason Griner,1 Amanda Brinson,1 and Jay Hinesley.1 1 Department of Biology,
Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC 29325; 2Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency,
Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, TN 37204.
 Two
common drilling agents used for directional boring (bentonite clay and EZ Mud®
) were tested for chronic and acute effects on juvenile mussels, Utterbackia imbecillis.
Juveniles placed in increasing proportions of bentonite clay in sediment (3.125%,
6.25%, 12.5%, 25%, 50% and 100%) did not demonstrate a lethal effect when compared
to control mussels in a 90-day chronic test; however, SEM and light microscopy
revealed permanent shell deformities and growth retardation with increasing levels
of bentonite in sediment (r= -0.78). Because the second agent, EZ Mud®, was
water soluble, it could be used in 9-day acute tests with varying concentrations
in water. The initial acute test had a wide range of 1.56%, 3.12%, 6.25%, 12.5%,
25% and 50% EZ Mud®, whereas subsequent acute tests were narrowed to a range
between 0.312% and 5%.
These acute tests demonstrated that EZ Mud® in solution was toxic at concentrations
of 0.5 - 1.6%. These tests were run using fish-transformed and artificially transformed
juveniles. Data produced from these comparisons indicate that the size of the
mussels rather than their mode of transformation was responsible for observed
mortality variations. Unlike bentonite which could be part of the sediment itself,
the EZ Mud® chronic test contained control sediment which had been soaked
in solutions containing 3.125%, 6.25%, 12.5%, 25%, 50% and 100% EZ Mud®. Chronic
lethal effects could be seen above 18% EZ Mud® for days 27 - 41 and growth
gain was inversely proportional to the concentration of EZ Mud® in sediment
(r = -0.93). Funding for this project came from the Tennessee Wildllife Resource
Agency.
Honors Project (Matt Madden) - Analysis of the GPR50 Gene’s
Involvement in X-Linked Mental Retardation in Chromosomal Region Xq28
 February 2, 2003.
Analysis of the GPR50 Gene’s Involvement in X-Linked Mental Retardation
in Chromosomal Region Xq28. X-linkage in mental retardation (MR) was first suspected
during the 1970s with the identification of fragile X and predictions now estimate
that as many as 200 X-Linked MR genes may exist The purpose of this research then
is to explore GPR50, a gene located in chromosomal region Xq28, for its possible
involvement in X-Linked Mental Retardation (XLMR). GPR50, which consists of only
two coding exons, encodes for H9, a novel member of the G protein-coupled melatonin
receptor family thought to be involved in neurological signal transduction. An
attempt to locate mutations within the GPR50 gene was then made using a pool of
approximately 550 males with mental retardation of unknown etiology. In exon 1,
a nested PCR was first performed to amplify the region followed by amplicon sequencing
using a MegaBACE sequencer. Exon 2 still awaits investigation. To date, around
300 of the 550 male genetic samples have been examined for variations within exon
1. Variations indicating the possibility of a mutation have been found in 9 of
the 300 individuals including suspected base pair substitutions and insertions.
These variations now await further confirmation through both restriction endonuclease
digest results and more complete MegaBACE sequencing results using both a forward
and reverse primer. Clearly, much more analysis is needed to ascertain whether
these potential variations point to a role of GPR50 in XLMR. Click
here to view Matt's research proposal.
 Honors
project (Christina Ball and Beth Bailey) - Isolating fish chromosomes from the
Sunfish family, Centrarchidae
January 23, 2003. Senior Biology Majors Christina Ball and Beth Bailey
are isolating fish chromosomes from the Sunfish family, Centrarchidae, in
order to compare the different banding patterns in an effort to compare
the evolution of the different genera. Kidney cells will be cultured and
slides will be viewed using a technique called q banding with fluorescent
microscopy to identify banding patterns of the chromosomes. Although these
fish have had their phylogeny described by hybridization experiments as
well as morphological characteristics, chromosome rearrangements and their
role in
the evolution of this group has never been elucidated.
 Honors project (Dawn Oxner & Amanda Brinson) - Isolation and Characterization of Antibiotics from Chitin Amended Soils
For an updated desciption of the research project, click here (Word document, 19.0KB).
January 16, 2003. Using a soil enrichment technique to enhance the growth and recovery of Actinomycetes in soils, we will seek to uncover novel antibiotics from
this unique group of bacteria. Following isolation of antibiotic producing strains we will characterize and attempt to identify the biologically active compounds.
-- Dawn Oxner & Amanda Brinson --
Colleagues, alumni gather to honor the late Dr. Fred James
November 1, 2002. More than 150 PC alumni who were students
of the late Dr. Fred James gathered with his colleagues in a tribute last Saturday
in Richardson Science Hall. After the ceremony, the group gathered in the halls
where James worked for more than 30 years to remember him amidst pictures and
"Fred memorabilia".
Click here to read the original article in the
Bagpipeline Newsletter.
| Last summer, the biology department – though reeling from the
July death of their colleague Dr. Fred James – decided to organize a tribute to
their dear departed friend. The life and work of James, a mainstay of the biology
department and faculty for more than three decades, inspired them to stage a gathering
to remember and recapture his incredible contributions to PC and to include those
who benefited the most – James’ beloved students. They send letters to more than
600 alumni who graduated with degrees in biology and were undoubtedly influenced
by James from the time he arrived on campus in the early 1970s. More than 150
of them crammed themselves into Richardson Science Hall’s Whitelaw Auditorium
during Homecoming Weekend last week. They saw a video of slides showing James
in a variety of activities spanning his career in and out of the classroom. They
heard tributes from his colleagues – Dr. George Ramsey, Dr. Bob Hudson, Dr. Jane
Holt – and students like Kim Purcell, a teacher at Thornwell High School, and
Susan Galloway. |
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They heard resolutions drafted by the PC Board of Trustees, including
an announcement that the greenhouse at the college would bear his name and that
a scholarship was being established to allow students to participate in the biology
flexicourse program. They reminisced over food and drinks afterward and amidst
"Fred memorabilia" set up on the second floor of Richardson. And they healed together
– if just a little. "This gave us all the opportunity to reminisce about Fred
and maybe begin the healing process and to find some peace in this tragic loss,"
said Dr. Mike Rischbieter. "I think having all the alums back really helped us
here in the department see not only how important Fred was to the lives of these
people but also to us – especially for me.
"This (tribute) really helps put into perspective why my role is here at PC and
what is really the most important thing I can do, which is to give everything
I have every day to my students." |
Students to go west this Maymester
October 18, 2002.
Click here to read the original article in the Bagpipeline
Newsletter.
By Hal Milam. Go west, Blue Hose.
Following the spring 2003 semester, the biology department is sponsoring a Maymester trip to study the flora, fauna and terrain of the Colorado Plateau, including a visit to the Grand Canyon. The May 12-30 course will include travel to Utah, Arizona, and Colorado, where students will engage in a wide variety of activities, including rafting on the Colorado River; touring national parks; hiking and camping; digging for trilobite fossils and studying paleontology of the area; studying plants, animals and geology – all while earning three hours of biology credit. According to biology professor Dr. Michael Rischbieter, stops along the way include the Hoover Dam; the Sunset Crater National Monument near Flagstaff, Ariz.; the archeological findings of
Native American culture at Wupatki National Monument; and atour of the Grand Canyon.
The group also will see and study dinosaur fossils and learn about the Anasazi
Indians at the Navajo National Monument and do some horseback riding or hiking
through Bryce Canyon in Utah. Rischbieter said students will be asked to keep
a journal of their many field stops along the way and should gain a deep appreciation
of the "incredible beauty, majesty, and history that is the Colorado Plateau."
The group will also experience firsthand what natural science in the field is
all about and learn in a way that classrooms can’t offer." I don’t really think
there is a better way to learn the biology or geology of an area," Rischbieter
said. |
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PC students and professors ride down the Colorado River
during a Maymester course to see and study the animals, birds, plants and geology
of the Colorado Plateau. This May will feature another trip out west planned by
the biology department.
"You really have to be right there, in an amongst the rocks and living organisms
to appreciate the complex relationship that are there. "Classroom learning can
only take you so far … what the beauty and wonder of the outdoors does to the
human spirit is something extra special that (Dr.) Ron (Zimmerman) and I love
to expose PC students to in this Flexicourse." For more information, contact Rischbieter
at ext. 8403 or Zimmerman at ext. 8418. |
Paleontology class goes back in time
October 11, 2002. Student discovers track that could prove
to be ‘significant’ find.
Click here to read the original article in the
Bagpipeline Newsletter.
| By Hal Milam. It could easily have gone unnoticed – a single
footprint planted hundreds of millions of years ago in a prehistoric swamp by
a creature probably not much longer than a stick of gum. Instead, its discovery
may prove something much larger. Last weekend, members of Dr. Michael Rischbieter’s
paleontology class traveled to Alabama on a field trip to look for and collect
fossils from a variety of sites, including one active and one abandoned coalmine
near Birmingham. During their field research, PC junior James Stetson came across
fossil evidence that could challenge previous assumptions regarding animal life
during the Pennsylvanian Period in Alabama. The track – a small indentation –
could very well be evidence of the oldest reptile of that age of Pennsylvanian
Period rock some 310 million years ago. Ironically, Stetson said he wasn’t really
looking hard for what he found. "We were all scattered about at the site," he
said. "It allowed me to be in the right place at the right time. I noticed what
looked like foot tracks but I wasn’t sure at first. I think I found them because
I wasn’t really looking for them." Rischbieter explained that what distinguishes
this print from other prints of amphibians are marks that looks like claws at
the end of toes that could only be evidence of a reptile where none – or when
none, to be exact – existed." It could be huge," Rischbieter said. "It could be
a significant find – the first report of a major class of animal." In the meantime,
the fossil is in the care of the group’s host for the weekend – author and professor
Dr. Jim Lacefield of the University of Northern Alabama – while he tries to verify
and catalogue the discovery. Equally important for the class, though, was the
experience itself. "Ben Thomas told me that he got a whole semester’s worth of
learning in one weekend," said Rischbieter. "Being in the field allowed them to
make connections you really can’t make in a classroom." He added that merely standing
in what was once a beach on a prehistoric ocean was a very real way of understanding
how much the earth has changed over the millennia. Geoffrey Stafford, a sophomore,
agreed. "We’re in the labs learning as much as we can from samples and |
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Photo by Dr. Rischbieter. This tiny fossil track,
discovered at an abandoned coal mine by PC junior James Stetson during a field
trip to Alabama, may prove to be the earliest known evidence of reptiles living
in the area during the Pennsylvanian Period hundreds of millions of years ago.
Small indentations at the tips of the toe pads may have been left by claws, thus
indicating that the creature was a small reptile instead of an amphibian.
pictures but until you actually go out there and dig in the dirt, it just isn’t
the same learning experience," he said.
"Being there and actually finding things – you get a feel for how old this stuff
really is." The class also got an opportunity to spend time with a firstclass
rockhound – Lacefield – whose knowledge and hospitality were seemingly without
bounds. He and his wife, Fay, allowed the group to camp on his property and spent
much of his time helping the group make discoveries in the field.
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