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The biology department at Pepperdine University conducts a summer
research program geared specifically to undergraduate students at the
sophomore and junior levels. The faculty will conduct a 12-day
research orientation workshop (May 12 - May 24). During the workshop,
students will be introduced to the uses and limitations of specific
research tools and techniques. The workshop will culminate with a
visit to the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve near Idylwild,
California and the presentation of student proposals for summer
projects. Over the remainder of the summer, students will pursue
individual research projects under the direction of faculty. Visiting
scientists will hold special research seminars in each research area.
The research program will conclude with a student research symposium
in late July in the new Keck science facilities.
Research areas include:
Molecular Biology --
Dr.
Thomas L. Vandergon. The expression of most genes is regulated
spatially and temporally within organisms. Elucidation of the control
mechanisms responsible for regulated gene expression is a major focus
of molecular research. Hemoglobin is found in a wide variety of
organisms and may be expressed differentially in response to
developmental and environmental cues. We study the structure and
function of hemoglobins and examine the mechanisms involved in the
regulation of globin gene expression. Possible projects include:
isolation and characterization of hemoglobins, cloning and sequencing
globin genes, analyzing the regulatory regions of globin genes, and
analyzing phylogenetic relationships using molecular sequence data.
Conservation Biology of Amphibians --
Dr. Lee
B. Kats. Predators have both direct and indirect effects on prey.
Recent studies in predator-prey ecology have focused on the impact
that predators have on prey behavior (indirect effects) and the
stimuli that mediate these interactions. We have found that some prey
respond primarily to predators via visual stimuli while other prey
species respond to primarily chemical stimuli. Students will
investigate adaptations that prey have for dealing with both
introduced (non-native) and native predators. Possible projects
include: 1) investigation why some species of amphibians survive
better with introduced predators than other species; 2) examining how
the presence of alternative prey effects intraspecific predation
(cannibalism) in salamanders.
Physiological Plant Ecology --
Dr. Stephen D. Davis. Pepperdine's Malibu campus is nestled in
the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, providing easy access to
a natural laboratory of native plant communities. Most research
projects will focus on the physiological adaptation of chaparral and
coastal sage to wildfire and drought. Some possible projects are: 1)
the adaptive mechanisms of shrub species to survive periodic
wildfires--seed germination, seedling survival, and resprout success;
2) mechanisms of drought tolerance--stomatal regulation, osmotic
adjustment, and resistance of xylem to water stress-induced embolism;
and 3) mechanisms of avoiding freezing injury--supercooling,
extracellular freezing, and resistance of xylem to freezing-induced
injury.
For more information go to
Stephen Davis' Home Page
Ecophysiology of Marine Intertidal Animals --
Dr.
Karen L. M. Martin. Animals that live in the marine intertidal
zone are periodically exposed to air or sequestered in tidepools
during a low tide. Challenges for survival include desiccation,
changes in physical parameters such as temperature, salinity, and pH,
and absence of a liquid respiratory medium. Examples of research
projects include respiration in water and air by tidepool fishes,
salinity effects on intertidal invertebrates, bleaching of symbiotic
zooxanthellae in sea anemones, and metabolism during development of
grunion eggs.
For more information go to
Karen
Martin's Home Page
Mammalian Cell Biology -
Dr.
Jay L. Brewster. Multicellular systems display complex regulation
of cell division, differentiation, and even death. The removal of
damaged or unwanted cells is accomplished through activation of a
cellular apoptosis system, also known as programmed cell death.
Several genes have been discovered that are involved in activating or
resisting this cell death mechanism. Dad1 (defender against death)
encodes a small protein that has been shown to protect against cell
death in mammalian and nematode experimental systems. We are using
mouse modeling techniques to learn more about the function of Dad1 in
mammals. Projects available might include; 1) characterizing the gene
expression pattern of Dad1 in mice by analyzing a "reporter mouse"
(Dad1 promoter drives expression of a green fluorescent protein), or
2) analyzing a mouse which expresses large amounts of Dad1 protein in
T-cells (immune cells). Projects will employ techniques of molecular
biology (manipulating DNA and proteins in the laboratory), and the
genetics of mouse husbandry.
For more information go to
Jay Brewster's Home Page
Want to know more? Be sure to see:
SURB
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