"All the news that people bother to send in"
BioSciNEWS Online
Volume 2, Number 3, March 2001
*This is a special undergraduate edition of the newsletter with undergraduates in red with a star.  Also, check out the Biological Sciences undergraduate research site at http://lsb380.plbio.lsu.edu/LabPersonnel/EmeritusUndergraduates.htm
Daniel Henk at LSU in 1999.
*Former Undergraduate Student is an NSF Predoctoral Fellow
The list of National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Awards for Fiscal Year 2001, issued March 20, 2001, includes Daniel Arthur Henk with the instiutional affiliations "Louisiana State U & A&M College and Duke U/NC."  Daniel has lots of LSU connections.  His parents are Cindy and Bill Henk, and while he was an undergraduate at LSU, Daniel worked on obligate fungi associates of termites. Two publications from that work currently are in manuscript form and being readied for publication.  His work was supported by the NSF REU program and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant. The study upon which his award was based will investigate the nutritional interactions and evolutionary relationships of species basidiomycete fungi in the genus Septobasidium, and the scale insects with which they are associated.  The group has not been studied seriously since 1938, when John N. Couch, University of North Carolina, published a taxonomic monograph of the group.  NSF Predoctoral Fellow Daniel will apply molecular methods in his study of the fungi and their hosts. See the entire list of NSF Fellows.  [See below for the scientific accomplishment of another biological sciences F1.]

 
 *An Annual Tradition at the Basic Sciences Honor's Convocation: Undergraduate Students in Biological Sciences Win Many Awards
The College of Basic Sciences Convocation was held Monday 19 March at 4:30 in the Cotillion Ball Room of the LSU Union. The popular ceremony was attended by parents, friends, and faculty of the many students honored.  Mark Emmert, LSU Chancellor,  spoke to their excellence as he congratulated the assembled students; Daniel Fogel, Provost, congratulated each award winner individually.  A total of 340 Biological Sciences students with majors in Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Zoology were "Outstanding Scholars" with GPAs of 3.5 or better after a minimum 60 hours of college credit. Awards for the Outstanding Senior, Junior, and Sophomore in Basic Sciences went to students in the Department of Biological Sciences as did awards for the outstanding junior and senior students of the Honors College. One of two Hussey Awards also went to a biologist who received the award from the the hand of Greg Hussey, former associate dean for undergraduate students in the college or 29 years. Department of Biological Sciences were presented by Steven Hand, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.  Marion Socolofsky, emeritus professor of microbiology, was on hand to offer sage "remarks." [The Department of Biological Sciences currently has four majors: Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Zoology.]
Outstanding Senior in the College of Basic Sciences 
  • James Prempeh (Biochemistry), a native of Ghana, is a member of a number of honorary and volunteer organizations. James has carried out research in the laboratory of Sue Bartlett with support from LAMP and HHMI.  His project is the characterization of an Arabidopsis beta-carbonic anhydrase that is likely localized to the mitochondrion.  James plans to attend medical school.
    • Outstanding Junior in the College of Basic Sciences
  • Bryan Fillette (Zoology) does research in Evanna Gleason's laboratory. His study has focused primarily on calcium buffering mechanisms in retinal amacrine cells.  He has used calcium imaging techniques and confocal microscopy to elucidate the relative importance of the plasma membrane sodium-calcium exchanger and the calcium uptake mechansim employed by mitochondria. Bryan has been supported by a HHMI research award.  Last year he was named Outstanding LSU Sophomore.
    • Outstanding Sophomore in the College of Basic Sciences
    • Michelle Salassi (Biochemistry)
    Outstanding Senior in the Honors College
    • Sumeet Asrani (Biochemistry) was named the outstanding junior at LSU last year and has been named the outstanding senior in the Honors College this year.  He has served as president of several student organizations.  Last summer Sumeet participated in the SMART program at Baylor, and at LSU he is carrying out his honors thesis research in the laboratory of Sue Bartlett.  His project is characterization of a gamma carbonic anhydrase in Arabidopsis. In addition, he identified the site of insertion of a T-DNA that results in a petite phenotype.  Sumeet has been accepted for medical school at Baylor, Vanderbilt, Tulane, and Dartmouth. Sumeet's most recent award is a Phi Kappa Phi national scholarship for post-baccalaureate study (see below).
    Outstanding Junior in the Honors College
    • Ebony Antoinette Spikes (Biochemistry) works with Sung-Oui Suh in the mycology lab on yeasts from the gut of beetles that eat basidiocarp tissues.  In her honor's thesis research she determines patterns of carbon and nitrogen utilization in these fungi and helps to characterize them using DNA methodology. Ebony spent the summer of 2000 at Harvard School of Public Health where she did research on the potozoan parasite, Giardia. Ebony was awarded the Sternberg Award by the Honors College and a highly competitive Merck Scholarship at the national level.
    Hussey Award
    • Allyn Joy Schoeffler (Biochemistry) is a passionate poet in addition to her biological interests.  She spent a summer at the Universiy of Minnesota in an NSF-REU program.
    Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Award
    • Johnna Lyn Womack (Biochemistry), coauthor of a paper in Biochim. Biophys. Acta with Terry Bricker, has two more papers in preparation. She has been accepted into three PhD programs in biochemistry. 
        • Bricker, T.A., M. Prevost, V. Vu, S. Laborde, J. Womack, and L. K. Frankel. 2001. Isolation of lumenal proteins from spinach thylakoid membranes by Triton X-114 phase partitioning. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 1503 (3): 350-356.  Abstract: The proteins present in the thylakoid lumen of higher plant chloroplasts have not been rigorously examined. In this communication we present a simple and rapid procedure for the isolation of the soluble proteins and extrinsic membrane proteins present in the thylakoid lumen from spinach. Our procedure involves extensive washing of the thylakoid membranes followed by Triton X-114 phase partitioning. When analyzed by one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), we obtain results which are very similar to those obtained by Kieselbach et al. using more classical methods IT. Kieselbach, A. Hagman. B. Andersson, W.P. Schroder, J. Biol. Chem. 273 (1998) 6710-6716]. About 25 major proteins are observed upon Coomassie blue staining. Upon two-dimensional isoelectric focusing-sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE and either Coomassie blue or silver staining, however, numerous other protein components are resolved. Our findings indicate that the total number of proteins (soluble and extrinsic membrane) present in the lumen may exceed 150. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
    Outstanding senior in Biochemistry
    • Sumeet Asrani (See above, Outstanding Senior in the Honors College)
    • Zofia Banhegyi is a native of Hungary, has a 4.0 GPA.  She will attend medical school at UT-Southwestern Medical College in Dallas.  Zofia is in the Honors College and has been doing research in the laboratory of Dr. Sue Bartlett. Zofia has discovered a gene encoding a carbonic anhydrase in Arabidopsis that likely represents the second member of the beta-CA family to be localized in the chloroplast.
    • Paul Rogers has done research with Huangen Ding, searching for cellular factors that are responsible for repairing damaged iron-sulfur proteins when organisms are exposed to nitric oxide.  After he graduates, Paul plans to continue this research for a year before going to medical school. 
    Robert Amborski Award / Outstanding Senior in Microbiology
    • Heidi Marie Gilchrist has been working in the laboratory of Bryan Rogers on an honors thesis; she has been accepted to medical school.
    M.D. Socolofsky Scholarship /for excellence in Microbiology
    • Dallas Meacham Fleming, III, has been working on an honors thesis in the laboratory of Frederick Rainey; Beau was an author on a presentation at the American Society for Microbiology dealing with the diverse microbial flora of pitcher plant fluid.  It is hypothesized that bacteria are involved in nutrient cycling in this complex ecosystem.
    Charles S. McCleskey Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Excellence in Microbiology
    • Anita Arora has worked with Greg Jarosik on her honors thesis, and she has been accepted to several medical schools.
    • Alanna Michon Small works with the Microbiology Outreach Program (MOP).  She prepares materials and tests exercises that go out to middles schools and high schools as part of MOP.  Last year 3000 students did hands-on exercises in microbiology as part of her effort.  Alanna also has served as an instructor in the MOP workshops for middle school teachers and the Microbiology and Molecular Biology Outreach Program Workshop for high school teachers.
    • Erin Marie Weeden is an Honor's student in the laboratory of Eric Achberger.  She has received undergraduate research support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant for the past two years. She is using site-directed mutagenesis to explore a novel endonuclease activity associated with a fragment of the McrB endonuclease from Escherichia coli.  This endonuclease activity randomly nicks DNA and does not appear to require divalent metal ions. 
    An old friend to many in the department, Savitha Pinnepalli, currently an instructor in Computer Science, was the winner of a Tiger Athletic *Undergraduate Foundation Faculty Teaching Award.  We congratulate her too.  Several of us remember to a time even further back when her husband Sai was our computer expert. 

    *It's not really biology, but....
    The Outstanding Junior in Geology at the convocation was Melanie Thompson, daughter of Kathy and Bruce Thompson.  Her plaque comes with a $500 check!  Melanie will be attending the University of Wales in Swansea next year.  [See the green box above for the accomplishment of Daniel Henk, another biological sciences F1.]

    Congratulations
    Brian Rash has been admitted to the Microbial Biodiversity Summer Course held each year at at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Because the course has a limited enrollment of only twenty students from throughout the country, it is extremely competitive. Course directors are Caroline Harwood, University of Iowa, and Alfred Spormann, Stanford University. The faculty includes Brian Palenik and Bianca Brahamsha, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, as well as visiting specialists. The intensive six-and-a-half-week course is designed for graduate or postdoctoral students, as well as established investigators, who want to become competent in working with a broad range of microbes. Emphasis is on recognizing the metabolic, phylogenetic and genomic diversity of cultivated and uncultivated bacteria. This course is supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Foundation for Microbiology.
    ...and congratulations once again

    Steve Pollock (left), PhD student of J.V. Moroney (right), is smiling because he passed his general exam 21 March 2001.
    Don't lose your money

    Vermar Hargrove has saved us from a lot reading by pointing out the following essential items from the Office of Accounting Services' March 2001 newsletter:

    If you have questions [e.g., what is the "COA on the COASPA screen"], contact our knowledgeable Assistant to the Chair, Vermar Hargrove (8-8483, email: btharg@lsu.edu) because she will know the answers. 
    *Fellowships Go to LSU Undergraduates
    Ebony Spikes has been chosen to receive a scholarship from Merck with a $35,000 ticket.  Only about ten such awards are given annually throughout the United States. The award would pay her tuition, room and board, and research support in a Merck laboratory for the next two summers. In addition Merck would make a contribution of up to $10,000 to the department for undergraduate research. Congratulations to Ebony!
    Sumeet Asrani has been awarded a prestigeous national scholarship for post-baccalaureate study by the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.  Phi Kappa Phi has  chapters on nearly 300 campuses throughout the United States and the Philippines and is one of America's oldest and largest academic honor societies. Administered by officers, who are primarily college
    and university faculty, administration and staff, these chapters are engaged in various programs and activities, one of which is awarding scholarships. 
    Write On Biologist *...and an undergraduate is first author on a paper that has been  accepted:
    Meeting Presentations
    Collins, B. S., and L. L. Battaglia. Linking patterns: Hydroperiod and Carolina bay vegetation. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Albuquerque, NM.
    Travel
    Meredith Blackwell recently presented seminars at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and the University of Oregon, Eugene.  Her invitation tro New York came from Mark Siddall, BS advisor of Jessica Light, and everyone was assured that Jessica is doing well in Louisiana. She also visited Oregon State University, where alum Joey Spatafora is making his mark as a charismatic teacher and outstanding researcher.  He already has had one PhD student go on to a post doc at Berkeley, and there is a lot of activity in his lab.  In addition to funding for his own research, Joey has obtained herbarium funding as well.  Elizabeth Rossi Spatafora just fought the hard fight for school board member, but with a $300 budget she, unfortunately lost out.  Elizabeth is a committed volunteer, working long hours in the Corvallis schools, so she will get the name recognition for success on a shoestring she needs soon. 
    $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
    The ichthyology group in the museum consisting of Mark McRae,  J. Michael Fitzsimons, James E. Parham, and Lori K. Benson are co-PIs on a  a study of  the biological assessment of Kahana stream, Island of Oahu. THe work has been funded with $99,926  from the state of Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources.

    Bill Wischusen reports two grants that will provide new equipment for the introductory labs for our biological sciences majors:

    John Fleeger and Dave Foltz are collaborating on a study of genetic and taxonomic diversity of harpacticoid copepods on the continental slope in the Gulf of Mexico.  The project will compare genetic diversity in sediment samples from post-production oil and gas platforms with that of reference sites at about 1100 m depth. Funding is provided by the US Minerals Management Service through a subcontract from Continental Shelf Associates, Jupiter, Florida. Other LSU subcontractors on this project include Drs. Paul LaRock (Oceanography) and Robert Carney (Coastal Ecology).

    Meredith Blackwell received an *REU (Research Experiences for Undergradautes) supplement of $10,000 from the National Science Foundation to support two students to do research this summer. The students will survey and use moleciular methods to characterize the wild yeats that inhabit mushrooms. The study will provide comparative data for the larger study of endosymbiotic yeasts of mushroom-feeding beetles to determine the origin of the endosymbionts.

    Ornithology students from the Museum of Natural Sciences have seized the following funding opportunities:

    Birds, Science, and Alumni News (COVER Male and female American redstarts migrate from tropical wintering quarters to breeding areas in the United States and Canada each spring. Carbon isotope signatures from birds in the tropics provide a way to link events occurring during these two geographically distinct periods of the annual cycle. See Marra below, page 1884 . [Painting: John P. O'Neill, Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University] )

    Van Remsen's students continue to evoke pride. Three of his former student have been lead authors in papers in the journal Science in the last two years.  however, he did have an earlier streak of three papers in the prestigious journal by Scott Lanyon, Gary Graves, and Shannon Hackett, all in 1992.  Coincidentally, Gary has been here on a research visit and gave a special seminar in the museum Tuesday 19 March.

    Chris Witt announces the 2001 BIRDATHON! The Birdathon has provided a reliable source of research funds for LSU ornithology students for fifteen consecutive years.  This year students have stepped up the fund-raising efforts and expanded their mailing list.  They expect a record fund-raising year.  The following information and form are included here in case you are interested in aiding in the effort:
    ANNOUNCING THE 15TH ANNUAL LSU ORNITHOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENTS’ BIRDATHON!!!
    Dear Friend,
             We are writing to ask for your support of the LSU Museum of Natural Science Birdathon event for the year 2001.  This event raises much-needed funds to support graduate student research on birds.  We ask you to make a pledge for each species of bird that we are able to find during a single day in Louisiana.
             Here in Baton Rouge, Mardi Gras has passed, and Northern Parulas and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have begun to return from their tropical wintering grounds.  These are sure signs that Birdathon is right around the corner.  We have modified our route based on our previous years’ experiences, and this year we believe we'll be able to find more species in the state of Louisiana than have ever been found before in a single day.  Between April 18th and 30th, we will watch the weather and wait until the conditions are perfect for bringing migrant birds to coastal Louisiana (north winds and light rain are best).  Once we have chosen a day, everyone will go into action, juggling their schedules and coordinating plans to tally as many species as possible within 24 hours.
             Our goal this year is to raise more money than has ever been raised before in the history of the LSU Museum Birdathon æ over $5000.  This is an ambitious goal, to be sure, but you can help us make it happen!!  For our part we expect that we will be able to compile a three-team combined species count of about 200 species.  As always, our secondary goal will be to break the elusive, long-standing, single-team Louisiana record of 202 species, currently held by Van Remsen, Donna Dittmann, Steve Cardiff, and Ted Parker.
             Ornithology graduate students are doing exciting things this year at the Museum:  Rob Moyle is studying the genetic relationships of the barbets of the world; Jason Weckstein is studying the shared evolutionary history of toucans and their feather lice; Alison Styring is studying foraging ecology and effects of logging on Southeast Asian woodpeckers; Daniel Christian is studying the differences in reproductive ecology of tropical and temperate birds; Alex Aleixo is studying systematics, population genetics, and biogeography of a taxonomically challenging woodcreeper group; Chris Witt is working on the molecular systematics and evolution of the puffbirds and jacamars;  Kazuya Naoki is studying community ecology and evolution of foraging behavior in tanagers; Josie Babin is continuing her research on the genetics of the Rough-winged Swallow complex; Tomas Valqui and Dan Lane (now a Museum Research Associate) will be embarking on an expedition to a little known area in the Peruvian Amazon this summer; finally, we welcome new student Ben Marks, who is launching a project on patterns of genetic differentiation and speciation in African forest birds.
              Most current graduate student projects are funded by small grants from a variety of sources, and adequate funding is difficult to find.  We feel that our projects and our budding scientific carriers are worthy of support.  As friends of the Museum Graduate Students, we urge you to make a per-species pledge or a flat donation in support of our birdathon effort.  Together we will proudly maintain the long-standing tradition of ornithology at LSU. All donations are tax deductible.  Return this sheet with your pledge (it can be re-folded and taped, or put in another envelope).  After the "big day" we will mail out a summary of the day’s events and the final species total.  Be sure to check with your employer about matching funds. Thanks for your support!
    Send to Chris Witt, Museum of Natural Science, Foster Hall, LSU
    I hereby offer my pledge to support the LSU Ornithology Birdathon.  I understand that the proceeds will go to the LSUMNS Tropical Bird Research Fund.

    I wish to pledge (circle one): 10¢___   25¢___   50¢___   $1.00___  other________per species (ca. 200 species are expected).

    If you wish to make a general donation, make checks payable to "LSU Foundation" with "Tropical Bird" on the memo line.
    We now accept VISA, Mastercard, and Discover.  To make a credit card donation fill in the information below:

    Type of card___________
    Name as it appears on card:__________________________
    Card #:__________________________________________
    Expiration:________________

    Name &  ___________________________
    Billing address ___________________________
                            ___________________________
                            ___________________________

    3 April 2001
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