Faculty Research Interests

One of the opportunities available to students in Biology at Trinity is a direct involvement in independent research with a faculty member. Many students do research as seniors and in the summer before their senior year; others initiate research as early as their first or second year at Trinity.

Students with interests in conducting research should talk to faculty members during the semester before initiation of the project; those who are seeking a paid position for the summer must arrange it with faculty in the preceding fall semester or early in the spring semester. If you are contemplating research, discuss it with the faculty member whose programs fit your interests; the research projects of the faculty are summarized below. Also keep in mind that some students engage in research programs in local hospital laboratories under the joint supervision of the Biology Department and the extramural laboratory. Please direct inquiries about these options to the Chair of Biology.

Prof. Daniel Blackburn (LSC 247) – Functional Morphology & Reproduction of Reptiles.
My research concentrates on the structure, function, and evolution of reproductive specializations associated with viviparity and oviparity in reptiles. This work draws heavily on microscopic anatomy, and students interested in working with me should gain experience by taking Electron Microscopy (Biol 211) and/or Histophysiology (Biol 206). These courses and our excellent EM facilities offer wonderful opportunities for Trinity students to learn techniques of great value to biologists.
Two major areas of research activity in ‘the Blackburn lab’ are:

1. Morphology and evolution of placentas and fetal membranes: In viviparous lizards and snakes, embryos develop inside the pregnant female, and are sustained by means of placental organs. Our research uses light and electron microscopy to analyze the structure, function, and evolution of these placentas, including how they provide oxygen, water, and nutrients to the fetus during gestation. On a related topic, we also study the morphology of “fetal membranes” in oviparous lizards and snakes. Fetal membranes are tissues that line the eggshell and provide for the respiratory and nutritional needs of the developing embryos of reptiles and birds. Data resulting from our work offer insight into important aspects of egg function and evolution. Further information and resultant publications are available at the following website: https://commons.trincoll.edu/blackbur/?page_id=13.
2. Yolk cellularization in reptiles and birds. The yolk of reptilian and avian eggs must be taken up into cells of the yolk sac and digested before its nutrients can be used to fuel embryonic development. Our recent research has used electron microscopy to reveal how this process is accomplished in oviparous snakes. We are expanding our focus to lizards, turtles, and birds to provide insight into the a key event in vertebrate evolution, origins of the terrestrial (amniotic) egg.

Click on the email link below to contact Prof. Blackburn if you are interested in pursuing research with him. Include the following information: Your name, Class year, cell phone number, your email, and please indicate 1) why you are interested in doing research with Prof. Blackburn and 2) what you hope to gain from the research. [email protected]

Prof. Kent Dunlap (LSC 245) – Electrocommunication & Physiology of Electric Fish
I examine environmental and hormonal influences on cell production in the adult brain. In the last few decades, it has become clear that adult mammals produce new cells at low rates in a two brain regions. I examine this phenomenon of neurogenesis in fish, which produce cells all over the brain and at rates 10-100 times greater than mammals. In past research, my students and I have demonstrated that social interaction and adrenal steroid hormones increase the production of brain cells in regions of the brain that regulate social behavior.

More recently, we have examined how predator exposure inhibits the production of cells in brain regions that regulate escape behavior. In future experiments we will also examine changes in brain cell proliferation are related to spatial learning. Our study animals are freshwater electric fish native to South America. These fish use weak electric discharges to communicate and to locate objects in their surroundings. Their brain has been thoroughly mapped and the behavioral function of certain brain regions is well understood. Thus, they provide an excellent model for examining how new brain cell production may influence the structure and function of the brain.

Click on the email link below to contact Prof. Dunlap if you are interested in pursuing research with him. Include the following information: Your name, Class year, cell phone number, your email, and please indicate 1) why you are interested in doing research with Prof. Dunlap and 2) what you hope to gain from the research. [email protected]

Prof. Robert Fleming (LSC 238) – Cell- to- Cell Signaling and Developmental Controls
As an organism develops, cells differentiate into specialized types and adopt specific patterns of gene expression. Using molecular and genetic techniques in the fruit fly, my laboratory is attempting to understand the mechanisms that control cell differentiation in embryonic and adult tissues. The focus of our work is on the Serrate gene, which encodes an evolutionarily conserved, trans-membrane protein capable of physically binding to and activating the Notch receptor. This interaction forms the basis of a signaling system that controls the differentiation of various types of cells during development. The Notch signaling system is evolutionarily conserved in multicellular animals and defects in this signaling pathway are linked to numerous developmental defects in humans as well as with many forms of human cancer.

The Notch signaling system is unusual in that the Serrate ligand can work to either activate or inhibit the Notch receptor to control cellular signals. We employ a battery of techniques from genetic selection through in vitro mutagenesis and germ-line microinjection to specifically address structure and function relationships in various regions of protein structure of the Serrate molecule. Specifically, our studies focus on the identification of regions within the Serrate protein that are used to separately control its activation and inhibition properties.

In addition to the molecular approach of altering the structure of Serrate via the introduction of specific mutations within the protein, we also look for other, previously unidentified genes that help to regulate the Notch signaling system. We use traditional genetic approaches to find mutations in genes that can modify the outcome of the interactions between the Serrate ligand and the Notch receptor. These studies are aimed at generating a more complete understanding of how the Notch signaling system functions to control cell fate decisions.

Click on the email link below to contact Prof. Fleming if you are interested in pursuing research with him. Include the following information: Your name, Class year, cell phone number, your email, and please indicate 1) why you are interested in doing research with Prof. Fleming and 2) what you hope to gain from the research. [email protected]

Prof. Lisa-Anne Foster (LSC 236) – Molecular Microbiology and Host-Pathogen Relationships
The human body is colonized with bacteria that help protect us from disease. This “normal flora” also plays a role in regulating how the immune system responds to disease causing organisms and other insults. The lab has focused on studying the composition of the bacterial population colonizing the mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal tract.
The upper respiratory tract is an important portal of entry to the human body and is heavily colonized with bacteria making this an interesting anatomical location to study. In this location the protective role of the normal flora is due to its presence interfering with the colonization of the mucosal surface by bacteria capable of causing disease. The flora at this site has also been found to play a role by regulating the inflammatory response in the tissue. The lab has investigated the differences in normal flora in between individuals with differing health conditions (asthma) and behaviors (smoking).
The differences in the flora colonizing the GI tract and how that may be associated with various digestive conditions has been well-studied; hence the growth of probiotics to treat various digestive ailments. It has also been demonstrated that the normal flora colonizing the GI tract have far reaching effects, potentially even impacting behavior and mood. The lab is currently investigating the differences in the composition of the normal flora colonizing the GI tract of mice used as a model of autism when those mice are fed different diets.

The lab employs molecular tools extensively in our studies of normal flora. These techniques are transferrable to many areas of research and provide a significant advantage in our studies. The molecular approach to the detection and characterization of bacterial populations does not rely on previous knowledge of what species of bacteria might be present allowing for an unbiased study and therefore provides a more complete examination of the bacterial community colonizing various body sites.

Click on the email link below to contact Prof. Foster if you are interested in pursuing research with her. Include the following information: Your name, Class year, cell phone number, your email, and please indicate 1) why you are interested in doing research with Prof. Foster and 2) what you hope to gain from the research. [email protected]

Prof. Claire Fournier (LSC 331) — Protein Synthesis
I am interested in looking at the products of protein translation, proteins, in an attempt to understand how mRNA molecules are read by ribosomes in eukaryotic cells. In doing so we can seek to understand how cellular processes can be regulated at the level of protein translation. Specifically, can we make “alternative” proteins from the same mRNA message used during normal cellular function. A time when one could imagine the need for an alternative protein would be in times of stress when the cell needs to redirect its attentions away from normal function to survival. In Budding Yeast, and mammalian cells, stressful conditions result in the production of granules that act as hubs for mRNAs and proteins useful in these times of cell distress. With the help of undergraduates, I am interested to mine these granules in search of alternative protein products using protein purification and peptide mass spectrometry.

Click on the email link below to contact Prof. Fournier if you are interested in pursuing research with her. Include the following information: Your name, Class year, cell phone number, your email, and please indicate 1) why you are interested in doing research  with Prof. Fournier and 2) what you hope to gain from the research. [email protected]

Prof. Hebe Guardiola-Diaz (LSC 242) – Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Nuclear Receptors in the Nervous System.
Oligodendrocytes are extraordinary cells that form the myelin sheath that increases the speed of communication between neurons in the brain. In order to produce myelin, oligodendrocytes must make great amounts of lipids and proteins in their endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Therefore, a healthy endoplasmic reticulum is essential for myelin formation and maintenance. Myelin diseases display accumulation of unfolded proteins that may arise, in part, from failure to adapt to ER stress. I am investigating the interaction between ER function and signaling pathways known to be active in oligodendrocytes. I am especially interested in the signaling protein mTOR, which controls protein synthesis in response to hormones, nutrients and energy levels in the cell. These studies will further our understanding of the endogenous mechanisms that make oligodendrocytes resilient and therefore able to establish a robust myelin sheath in dynamic association with its axon.

Click on the email link below to contact Prof. Guardiola-Diaz if you are interested in pursuing research with her. Include the following information: Your name, Class year, cell phone number, your email, and please indicate 1) why you are interested in doing research with Prof. Guardiola-Diaz and 2) what you hope to gain from the research.  [email protected]

Prof. Amber Pitt (LSC 230) — Conservation Biology
My interdisciplinary, conservation-driven research focuses on elucidating patterns and causes of biodiversity loss and alteration across spatial and ecological organizational scales. I primarily examine aquatic systems and herpetofauna (i.e., reptiles and amphibians) due to the inherent sensitivity of these ecosystems and taxa to pervasive stressors (e.g., habitat degradation, climate change), and their rapid global decline. Current and recent research has

1. examined the relative influence of landscape-scale and within-stream habitat variables on hellbender salamander population extirpation and persistence,
2. elucidated how small and ephemeral wetlands function ecologically and hydrologically in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge ecoregions of the southern Appalachian Mountains,
3. evaluated the effects of forest management techniques (e.g. prescribed fire) on amphibian movement, habitat selection, and behavior, and
4. examined long-term changes in river turtle communities and their habitat. All of my research is conducted with the goal of providing conservation practitioners, land managers, and policy makers with necessary information for the effective management and conservation of functional ecosystems and wildlife.

More information about my research can be found on my website: http://commons.trincoll.edu/apitt/

Click on the email link below to contact Prof. Pitt if you are interested in pursuing research with her. Include the following information: Your name, Class year, cell phone number, your email, and please indicate 1) why you are interested in doing research with Prof. Pitt and 2) what you hope to gain from the research. [email protected]

Prof. Ben Toscano (LSC 302) – Ecology of animal personality and species interactions
Research in the Toscano Lab challenges a core assumption of community ecology theory: that populations function as homogenous units in their interactions with one another and the abiotic environment. We study how individual-level phenotypic trait variation (e.g., behavior, size, morphology), the raw material for natural selection, scales up via species interactions to influence population- and community-level dynamics. Our research relies heavily on the use of mathematical theory to develop conceptual frameworks that guide lab and field experiments. We utilize model aquatic crustacean systems that allow unique insight into the mechanistic basis of effects or permit scaling to higher organizational levels.

More information about my research can be found on my website: http://toscanolab.domains.trincoll.edu/research-projects/

Click on the email link below to contact Prof. Toscano if you are interested in pursuing research with him. Include the following information: Your name, Class year, cell phone number, your email, and please indicate 1) why you are interested in doing research  with Prof. Toscano and 2) what you hope to gain from the research. [email protected]