This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Support from the NSF MRI-R2 program has been awarded to Hamline University for the purchase of a BioRad CFX96 Multi-Color Real-Time PCR system and a NanoDrop 2000c spectrophotometer. Quantitative monitoring of gene expression, as enabled by these instruments, is central to many projects of Hamline Biology faculty. Research projects conducted by faculty of the Biology Department address a variety of questions about plant response to chromosomal imbalance and environmental stresses, plant-microbial interactions, cell biology, plant meristem development, molecular control of vernalization and flowering time, environmental microbiology, early Drosophila development, and genetic analysis of invasive species populations. The new instruments will increase the number of students and faculty using gene expression analysis and enhance the quality of the data produced during the studies. The Biology Department at Hamline strives to create an environment where students have multiple opportunities to learn, become interested in, and receive training to do research. Over 25% of Hamline University students are older students returning to school for an additional degree or certificate. After graduation, they pursue careers in a variety of fields, including graduate education, health profession programs, careers in industry, and as secondary school science teachers. Access to modern instrumentation ensures that these individuals will be competitive in their chosen careers. The Hamline Biology Department also runs a Summer Biotechnology Institute to address the urgent need to bring high school biology teachers up-to-speed on the rapid advancements in biological sciences. Teachers engaged by hands-on investigative laboratories involving modern instrumentation transfer their understanding of modern biology techniques and concepts and their excitement and engagement to the high school students, potentially enhancing science education and improving perception of science by high school students. Real-time PCR technology will be an important addition to a set of molecular biology applications currently in use in this program. Results from the research and outreach projects enabled by the new instrumentation will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, and by student and faculty presentations at regional or national meetings.
Support from the NSF MRI-R2 program has been awarded to Hamline University for the purchase of a BioRad CFX96 Multi-Color Real-Time PCR system and a NanoDrop 2000c spectrophotometer. Quantitative monitoring of gene expression, as enabled by these instruments, is central to many projects of Hamline Biology faculty. Research projects conducted by faculty of the Biology Department address a variety of questions about plant response to chromosomal imbalance and environmental stresses, plant-microbial interactions, cell biology, plant meristem development, molecular control of vernalization and flowering time, environmental microbiology, early Drosophila development, and genetic analysis of invasive species populations. During the duration of this project, over 20 undergraduate students conducted individualized research projects and received important training. Several of them continued their education in various graduate programs. Over 200 undergraduate students improved their research skills in four novel research-driven laboratory series developed as the result of this project. The new instruments increased the number of students and faculty using gene expression analysis and enhanced the quality of the data produced during the studies. The Biology Department at Hamline strives to create an environment where students have multiple opportunities to learn, become interested in, and receive training to do research. Over 25% of Hamline University students are older students returning to school for an additional degree or certificate. After graduation, they pursue careers in a variety of fields, including graduate education, health profession programs, careers in industry, and as secondary school science teachers. The various research activities of this project resulted in / contributed to publication of seven manuscripts, with two additional manuscripts pending, and multiple presentations at local and national meetings, both by faculty and undergraduate students.
