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The Biosciences department offers students opportunities to become involved in faculty-mentored research projects. Almost all of the faculty in our department have active research labs with ongoing, interesting projects. The following information is provided to help you understand a little bit about the research process in our department:

Why get involved in research?

- you'll learn how to apply what you learn in the classroom
- you'll learn how the knowledge we currently have was generated
- you'll learn how to formulate questions, collect and analzye data, and drawconclusions from that data
- you'll learn how to present the results of your research to your peers and to other scientists
- you'll strengthen your critical thinking and time-management skills
- you'll gain experience working as a member of a group
- you'll learn a variety of laboratory skills
- you'll learn how to teach others what you've learned
- you'll gain confidence in your academic and career goals
- you'll get to know your professors and others in the Biosciences department better and they will get to know you!
- you'll learn that there are many, many questions still to be asked!

How do you get involved?

The first thing you will want to do is ask yourself why you'd like to get involved in research. Is there something from the list above that appeals to you? Is there a particular question or project that interests you? What are your career goals and how do feel that a research experience might help you achieve your goals? Once you have thought about this a little, you should then set up appointments to talk with faculty about their research projects. Some questions you might want to ask her or him are:

- what projects are available in their lab for you to join?
- what is the time commitment required?
- will you be working with other students and if so, how many?
- what lab techniques/skills will you be learning?
- are the available projects long term (ie. more than 1 semester) or short term?
- what other expectations do they have? If you decide to get involved in a research project, then your faculty mentor will tell you about other details such as registration and meeting times. Do you need previous experience?
No. There is no requirement that you have previous research experience to become involved. It is also not required that you have specific plans such as graduate school, vet school, med school etc. In fact, becoming involved in research may help you solidify what you'd like to do (or not like to do) when you graduate.

Check out WebGURU - The Guide to Research for Undergraduates

Research Projects

 Dr. Ellen Brisch
I am interested in how organisms develop. Research projects in my group are focused around two critical areas of biology that are required for the proper development of any organism: cell division and cell movement. Projects focused on cell division include: (1) Mitotic spindle assembly in sea urchin eggs and (2) Mitochondrial replication and segregation in yeast cells. The project focused on cell movement (3) is centered on understanding motor protein function in slime mold cells.   Students working on these projects use a variety of scientific approaches and learn molecular biology, cell biology and biochemical techniques.

Dr. Chris Chastain
My background:
I received my Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. My thesis research was concerned with an area of photosynthesis called photosynthetic carbon metabolism. In short, this is the process by which plants convert carbon dioxide from the air into carbohydrates such as sugars and starch. For my two postdoctoral research stints, I became a molecular biologist and researched (i) how a gene in a bluegreen algae called Anabaena is regulated by transcription factors (Texas A&M) and (ii) genes encoding the process of C4 photosynthesis (The Commonwealth and Scientific Industrial Research Organization, Canberra, Australia).
My current research:
My current research concerns the study of a plant metabolic enzyme called pyruvate,orthophosphate dikinase, or PPDK for short. Specifically, I am investigating how the activity of this enzyme is up-regulated or down-regulated in the plant by another enzyme called the PPDK Regulatory Protein, or RP for short. Our experimental approach entails the use of molecular (DNA, RNA, -based) and biochemical tools. The plants we use in the study are maize and a small mustard plant called Arabidopsis. The information gained from this study will be useful to plant scientists who are seeking to improve productivity and yield in crop plants. Funding for this research is provided by a  $146,000, 3-yr research grant I received from the National Science Foundation in 2003.
Eligibility and requirements:
Each year I approximately 4-6 students participate in my research project. During the summers, I have had funds to hire 2-students for full-time research. We have also been joined by an additional one or two part-time unpaid student researchers. Qualifications are one-year of college chemistry and organismal biology. In most cases though, the ability to do research and to learn from this activity depends on the individual student's attitude and motivation rather than the number of relevant courses she or he has taken. I also ask that students commit to at least two semesters of research. This is because the learning curve involved in mastering techniques and concepts is not conducive for a single semesters effort. Finally, although every student will have their own goals for why they wish to participate in research, we all try to bring the years research activity to a conclusion by giving research presentations at a local or regional conference.
Some relevant research publications:
- Chastain CJ, *Heck JW, *Colquhoun TA, *Voge DG, Gu XY (2006) Posttranslational regulation of pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase in developing rice (Oryza sativa) seeds. Planta. Published online: 5 April 2006 (DOI: 10.1007/s00425-006-0259-3)
- Burnell JN, Chastain CJ (2006) Cloning and expression of maize-leaf pyruvate, Pi dikinase regulatory protein gene. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 345 (2): 675-80
- Chastain CJ, Chollet R (2003) Regulation of pyruvate,orthophosphate dikinase by ADP/Pi-dependent reversible phosphorylation in C3 and C4 plants. Plant Physiol Biochem 41: 523-532

* denotes undergraduate MSUM student co-authors

Dr. Linda Fuselier
Students conducting research with me as part of their own, independent projects or as students of Biol 497 are working on a variety of field and lab questions. We work in the field to document sexual dimorphism in dragonflies in Minnesota marshes, explain population dynamics of streamside plants, and examine impacts of fishes and invertebrates in aquatic systems. Students also use state-of-the-art techniques to develop DNA fingerprints of plants and study environmental causes of DNA damage. It’s never too early or too late to Get Involved with a research team!

Dr. Michelle Malott
My main research interest is the population genetics of organisms. A secondary interest in in the regulation of DNA replication in eukaryotic cells. Students involved in research projects with me will attend weekly lab meetings and obtain both field biology and molecular biology techniques such as DNA isolation, gel electophoresis, PCR, cloning and sequencing. Students should be willing to commit a block of 3-4 hrs/week on their projects and be willing to work in small groups of 2-3.

Dr. "Mazz" Marry
The Plant Primary Cell Wall is critical to plant cell growth, differentiation, and response to biotic and abiotic stress.  It should be remembered that the appearance of any induced change to the “basal” biology of higher plants is ultimately manifested within the plant Primary cell wall matrix. This section of my research involves alterations to the primary cell wall following the abiotic (chemical) induction of systemic acquired resistance (SAR).  This is the activation of plant defenses in unaffected areas of the plant, which gradually spreads throughout the entire plant, resulting in a long-lasting unspecific immunization against viruses, bacteria and fungi. A typical induced resistance results in the ligninification of plant material, the expression of many types of proteins, the activation and induction of anodic peroxidase isozymes, and the chemical alteration of the structural carbohydrates of the plant primary cell wall.
Project outline: We are going to investigate many different aspect of the induction of SAR in tomato seedlings by the application of Salicylic acid (SA) onto cotyledons and study the alterations produced in the real leaves.  Our main goal is to determine the timing of events which lead to the induction of SAR

Dr. Donna Bruns Stockrahm
Small mammal ecology including past studies on grasshopper mice, prairie voles, tree squirrels and praire dogs. We are currently working on a long-term field project on painted turtles in Minnesota. In addition, we are gathering data from a survey of Red River land owners on wild turkey sightings and reports of human-turkey interaction in urban areas.
Requirements for participation: Prefer that students volunteer on a project of interest prior to being accepted as an undergraduate research student in the lab. Students must have some coursework in biology and have a strong interest in animals. Students should register for one credit/semester for a minimum of one year. Time commitment is 3-4 hrs/week, but this fluctuates and may be greater prior to scientific meetings and peak field season times.

Dr. Mark Wallert
The regulation of intracellular pH in cardiac ventricular muscle cells, and kinetic characteristics of different isoforms of the Na-H exchange in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells (CHO).

Dr. Brian Wisenden
Behavioral ecology of chemically-mediated predator-prey interactions. Research projects with me study how aquatic animals adapt to their environment using behavior. In aquatic environments, chemical cues are an important source of environmental information. Recent research emphasis focuses on how aquatic animals use chemical cues for detecting and avoiding predation risk. These projects can go in many different directions, depending on the specific interests of each student. Study can involve lab and/or field work.