SUMMER  RESEARCH  2002

in the BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY,

and PHYSICS  DEPARTMENTS

Applications available from the Biology, Chemistry and Physics Department Offices and are

due FEBRUARY 22, 2002.  Please talk to a specific professor if you have questions about a project.

We reserve the right to make any necessary changes in projects.

BIO DEPARTMENT  

Diane Angell -- Addressing Conservation Issues with Common Organisms

        I am interested in an issue called fluctuating asymmetry.  "FA" is currently being explored as an assessment tool for populations and species at risk of extinction.  Fluctuating asymmetry is the magnitude of random deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry.  It seems to serve as an indicator of developmental instability.  Populations that are either environmentally stressed or genetically stressed often have higher levels of asymmetry than populations not under such stress.  Fluctuating asymmetry data are currently being explored for use in the conservation of endangered animals and plants.  Next summer I will continue growth chamber experiments with the fast growing Brassica plant to look at the role of environmental stress on fluctuating asymmetry.

      I am also interested in developing a local project on small mammals.  Voles are a common species in our natural lands.  I have a number of possible projects for students interested in trapping.  For either of these projects, I would prefer students that have had 125, 126 and either Ecology, Genetics or Conservation Biology.   

Mary Caroline Henry - Learning Ability of Flies  

      Although flies are not considered particularly "intelligent,"  there  are  some  species  which  appear  to  exhibit simple learning.   For example, drone flies (a type of hover fly which resembles the honeybee male, or drone) are pollinators of flowers, which implies an ability to visit and feed from a single species of flower during one feeding period.  How do the flies "learn" to stick to one species of flower?  Or do they?  This project would involve a little field work capturing and observing flies, and then a lot of laboratory time under more controlled conditions, raising, training, and testing them.  Patience and a love of, or at least tolerance for, insects are good qualifications.    

Kim Kandl - A Role for Actin in Translation  

      I am interested in using the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a model organism to look at the role of the actin cytoskeleton in translation.  Why would the actin cytoskeleton be involved in translation?  One idea is that this is a mechanism to localize protein synthesis, so that proteins are made where they are used in the cell.  During the past year, I have become particularly intrigued by the observation that some of our actin mutants show defects in translation fidelity.  One mutant in particular shows a very high rate of nonsense suppression and reads through stop codons at a very high rate.  Why would an actin mutant show an increase in nonsense suppression?  Does this mutant actin have a defective interaction with some component of the translation machinery?  Work this summer will focus on this mutant and its interactions with components of the translation machinery.  Additional projects might include a genetic screen for mutations in genes for proteins involved in translation that suppress the actin mutations, and further work on characterizing our mutant actin collection.  My research is open to students of all levels, but you must have a strong interest in genetics, biochemistry, cell and/or molecular biology.    

Henry Kermott - Behavioral Ecology  

      This summer I will continue my ongoing project on the mating system of the house wren, a project that will be in its 18th year and has resulted in some eighteen publications and about eight papers given at scientific meetings.  This research falls under the area of animal behavior, or more specifically behavioral ecology.  Currently I work with Tom Guy, a public school science teacher from Faribault and member of the Rice County Bird Club.  We will have room for up to two students for the summer of 2002.  Our study area is near Big Woods State Park, just 12 miles from Northfield, and consists of some 35 acres of woods.  In past years we have concentrated on general mating behavior, testing of various hypotheses for the evolution of polygyny in birds, and differences in reproductive success among individual wrens.  For the coming summer we will concentrate on the song of male wrens, how they communicate with each other and with females, and the function of the song. We may also look at the begging sounds of young in the nest.  This will involve tape recording and computer analysis of vocalizations.  Please see me for more information and procedures for applying.

Jean Porterfield - Fish Population Genetics  

      Students involved in this summer research project will spend time on both field and laboratory components of population genetic research.  As a newcomer to St. Olaf this year, I am interested in launching a research program that will provide students with training and experience in molecular genetics, yet will involve exposure to specimen collection and other field techniques.  Southeastern Minnesota offers this opportunity, with several widespread species reaching the northern limits of their ranges here.

      This summer we will begin work on the population genetics of the banded darter (Etheostoma zonale), a small colorful fish that is not only fun to observe and collect, but also exhibits quite a large geographic distribution for such a small organism.  I should mention that this fish has caused a taxonomic scandal as well!  We will observe and collect banded darters from streams throughout southeastern Minnesota, and obtain DNA sequence data for a mitochondrial gene. We will use these sequence data to explore genetic diversity within southeastern Minnesota populations, and also to compare local genetic diversity with genetic diversity throughout the large range of this fish.    

Kathy Shea - Forest/Restoration Ecology  

      Student research will involve studying various aspects of forest ecology.  A primary focus will be to continue a study on the growth and survival of tree seedlings planted as part of the forest restoration projects on the St. Olaf campus.  Other possible projects include a study of earthworms and their relationship to forest vegetation and a dendroecological (tree-ring) analysis of stands in Minnesoata and/or Colorado.  Students will learn a variety of techniques in terrestrial ecological sampling and data analysis.  I am looking for students interested in continued work on some aspect of the project as an independent research project during the school year. 

Charles Umbanhowar -  Effects of Climate Change on Lake and Terrestrial

Ecosystems over the Past 10,000 Years  

      This summer we will be working to further document the impacts of climate change on (1) lake productivity as measured by concentrations of biogenic silica and (2) fire frequency and vegetation in the Big Woods of Minnesota based on microscopic charcoal.  The major question driving the charcoal study is whether or not changes in climate cause changes in fire frequency directly or if fire changes in response to climate-driven changes in vegetation?

      The fire/charcoal work involves sieving charcoal fragments from lake sediments and then counting/imaging the charcoal under a dissecting microscope.  The biogenic silica work includes timed digestion of sediment samples and finally colorametric analysis of dissolved silica using a Flow Injection Analyzer.  Students working on this project will learn about the basic ecology of lakes, climate history and the basic techniques of paleoecology.  

Dave Van Wylen and Nathan Hellyer - Adenosine Receptor Overexpression and Cardioprotection  

      This summer, the two of us will work together as the cardiac research program shifts from whole animal and isolated heart work (DVW's previous work) to a cell culture system (NH's expertise) for studying strategies to protect the heart against oxidative stress.  Using cultured cardiac myocytes, we hope to establish a cell model of adenosine receptor overexpression and to determine if an abundance of adenosine receptors confers protection against oxidative stress in these cells.

CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT  

Jeff Dahlseid - Wild-type Gene Regulation Through mRNA Degradation  

      I am interested in engaging students in my quest to understand how the expression of genes is regulated, specifically by cell-mediated changes in the stability and translation of messenger RNA (mRNA).  Using bakers' yeast as a model system (that also smells pretty good!), the lab employs easily-accessible molecular and genetic approaches to understand the cellular biochemistry of specialized mRNA degradation pathway, the so-called nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD).  We are interested in NMD because it is part of the natural repertoire for regulating gene expression, given that 6-9% of the wild-type mRNAs in yeast accumulates when NMD is inactivated.  We have identified several wild-type mRNAs affected by NMD that are interesting because they encode proteins, which affect chromosome function at either the centromere or telomere.  These functions are important because they influence chromosome transmission and stability, which are important for normal growth and division, so NMD-mediated regulation of wild-type genes is important for essential cellular processes.

      I have several potential projects in the laboratory.  They include: 1) use quantitative methods for analyzing mRNA levels (Northern blot) and cell synchronization to investigate the possibility that NMD regulates mRNA levels during the cell cycle, 2) use genetic approaches to find genes that regulate centromere- and telomere-related genes and to identify those that encode mRNA substrates of NMD, and 3) use mRNA decay rate analysis (Northern blot) of wild-type and fusion mRNAs to investigate mRNA recognition by NMD.  A fourth project exists; 4) use enzymatic assays and growth tests to investigate the affects upon translation of mutations in a protein required NMD.  In addition, my laboratory meets regularly with the members of the Kandl group throughout the summer, so there is also opportunity to learn more about yeast and gene expression through projects underway in that laboratory.  

Bob Hanson - Design and Implementation of a Remotely Operable NMR Spectrometer  

            This coming summer we will be installing a new 400 MHz NMR spectrometer in the chemistry department. This robotic instrument stands to completely revolutionize how nuclear magnetic resonance experiments are done at St. Olaf. Our long-range goal is to put this instrument directly into the hands of students by making it available over the internet. As part of this program, I am planning to work with 2-3 students this summer do develop and test the software necessary to communicate effectively with the spectrometer over the internet. For a first look at what we are up to, see http://www.stolaf.edu/people/hansonr/nmr/24-7. Students working on the project need have no prior experience in computer programming-just an interest in web-based systems and applying their analytical skills to new problems. Subprojects will include design of a user management system, experiment setup and spectrometer/user communication, and web-based  spectral data processing and analysis.    

Research Opportunities with Paul Jackson  

      During the summer of 2002 there are numerous opportunities for interested students to work with me on projects related to separation science, environmental analysis, and organic synthesis. 

      Project 1:  Reversed-phase liquid chromatography  (RPLC) is used in over 2/3 of all liquid chromatographic separation protocols.  The chemical and physical processes that result in a RPLC separation are not completely understood.  The design and use of a novel stationary phase ligand chemically grafted onto porous silica particles would provide insights into the separations process.  Since the ligand has yet to be created, the project will involve some synthesis as well as lots of liquid chromatography to characterize the phase we create. 

      Project 2:  Wetlands play a vital role in the natural world; they provide an excellent water filtration system and a bridging habitat for both aquatic and terrestrial species.  Work on this project focuses on the development of analysis methods in which organic components in wetland waters may be surveyed and quantitated.  Complexities abound when analyzing natural samples; the sampling protocol as well as the sample matrix provide challenges to be overcome.  Samples will be taken from the Skoglund wetland, the city of Northfield, and throughout Rice County. 

      Project 3:  Pharmaceuticals and personal-care products contain numerous chemicals designed to illicit specific biological responses.  What happens to these unmetabolized or unreacted materials after we "flush" them down the drain?  This project will go "fishing" for these chemical species in an area of the Cannon River downstream from the Northfield Wastewater Treatment facility.  We want to begin to answer questions related to the environmental impact these chemicals may make.  

Gary Miessler - Organometallic Chemistry of Molybdenum  

      My main research interests are in organometallic chemistry.  Primarily I would like to develop syntheses of new compounds of molybdenum that contain dithiolene ligands in addition to organic ligands such as CO and h⁵-C₅H₅.  Some important molybdenum- and tungsten-containing enzymes have dithiolene ligands, and I hope to synthesize compounds that might serve as models for the metal sites in such enzymes.  In addition, I am interested in testing new ways to prepare transition metal complexes of the now well-known buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀, alias "buckyball") using both thermal and photochemical methods.

In the laboratory, students participating in this work will gain experience in vacuum line synthesis and purification techniques beyond the scope of our regular synthesis laboratory courses.  Students will also use a variety of instruments, especially the NMR, IR, and UV-vis, and will perform web-based searches of the chemical literature.  Opportunities to use our CAChe workstations for chemical calculations on the molecular orbitals of these types of metal complexes will also be included in this project. 

Summer Research with Mary Walczak  

      Work in my lab is focused on characterizing self-assembled amphiphillic structures and understanding the forces between molecules in such arrangements.  Amphiphiles are molecules with both hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-fearing) portions.  Such molecules (e.g., thiols, carboxylic acids) often arrange nearly spontaneously into minimal energy structures like monolayers, micelles or vesicles.  A fundamental question is whether reactivity of functional groups at the surfaces of these structures changes from reactivity of the isolated molecules.  If the molecule in question is a carboxylic acid, the pK_a of the acid is a meas­ure of it's reactivity.  We have prepared various structures and spectrophotometrically determined the pH of the resulting solution utilizing an acid/base indicator dye.  By treating the system as simultaneous equilibria, the pK_a of the carboxylic acid can be calculated and compared with the pK_a of the free acid. 

      Another fundamental question we have is about segregation in self-assembled structures.  If a monolayer or vesicle is composed of two different types of molecules (e.g., methyl- or acid-terminated alkanethiols or PC and sphyngomylein) are the compositions homogeneous or do molecules segregate?

      During the summer of 2002 we expect to address these questions using self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols on vapor deposited gold surfaces.  Students involved in this work will prepare gold and monolayer surfaces, perform electrochemical measurements of surface coverage, examine the solution pH spectrophotometrically.  Examining the structures using other techniques, such as infrared spectroscopy o r atomic force microscopy are also possible depending on student interest and research results.

PHYSICS DEPARTMENT  

James Cederberg, David Nitz and Duane Olson - Molecular Beam Spectroscopy  

      The molecular beam spectrometer in SC150-152 was obtained from Harvard University in 1981, and has been in use here at St. Olaf ever since.  The project involves using the spectrometer to record data on the molecules, and developing and using software for the analysis of the data.  The purpose is to measure molecular properties that quantify the interactions between the molecular and external electric and magnetic fields and the nuclei.  For example, during the summer of 1999 the students completed a study of the molecule CsF which was published (Journal of Chemical Physics, 8 November, 1999). 

      The molecule investigated during the summer of 2000, lithium-6 iodide, gave good data and is still being analyzed.  The purpose was to see whether it would show a value for the iodine hexadecapole interaction (a subtle effect related to the shape of the nuclear electric charge distribution) consistent with what we had earlier observed in lithium-7 iodide. 

      For the future, we will continue to observe hyperfine spectra in sequences of vibrational and rotational states in small molecules, such as alkali halides or hydroxides, using this high-resolution molecular beam electric resonance spectrometer.  These spectra will provide improved values for hyperfine interaction constants, to be compared with those obtained from theoretical calculations of electron wave functions.  Systematic variations of the interactions with isotopic substitution, and between the different alkali halide molecules will be examined.  Special emphasis will be given to the rubidium salts for which experimental work has already begun, and to ⁶LiI for confirmation of a nuclear electric hexadecapole interaction as previously reported for ⁷LiI.  The hydroxides of Rb and Cs, and the monohalides of In and Ga are additional possibilities for study.  Undergraduate physics majors will work with faculty as colleagues in all aspects of the project.  

Robert Jacobel and Brian Welch - Radar and Satellite Remote Sensing for Ice and Climate Studies (Environmental Studies)  

      Our research involves the use of geophysical remote sensing techniques in studies of the role played by ice in the global climate system.  Our summer work in 2002 will have several areas of focus.  We are involved in a collaborative project in West Antarctica called ITASE (International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition) using our radar to image the ice along an overland traverse route.  We have collected radar data during the past three seasons which now needs to be processed and analyzed.  This will involve working with commercial software packages, and some programming.  The goal of these studies is to answer questions about recent climate-related changes in the flow of ice from the interior of Antarctica to the ocean.

      In support of the ITASE project we will also be working with recently-acquired satellite imagery from RADARSAT and LANDSAT-7.  This work involves using commercial software packages to combine individual scenes into a mosaic, and to geolocate the images spatially and enhance them to identify features.  

      We also have a second project in Arctic Sweden where we will be deploying a new high-frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR) in studies of englacial water conduits.  This will involve field work during the month of July.

      I anticipate openings for one or two new people in the group this summer, probably from the class of 2004 or 2005 - (first-year and sophomore students please apply!).  Interest and expertise in working with computers is an essential criteria for applicants, along with a strong background in physical sciences and mathematics.  A desire to do field work is an obvious qualification, and expertise in programming for at least one of the positions is desirable.  I encourage you to visit our web site for more information and to contact me or any of the group members whose names appear there.  See us at http://www.stolaf.edu/other/cegsic.