Summer Research Fellowships
Fellowships for 2012 are full.
Every summer, four high school teachers have the opportunity to do research with Franklin & Marshall College faculty. The six-week research experience will happen in Franklin & Marshall College laboratories or at the Clinic for Special Children. Participating teachers will receive a $5,000 stipend and $500 of materials for their classrooms. Teachers are chosen on the basis of demonstrated commitment to teaching, creativity, and resourcefulness.
2012 Fellowship Brochure
Participating Faculty
Jaime Blair (Biology): Working with Professor Jaime Blair, you will use a variety of bioinformatics tools to study the evolution of disease-causing organisms. You will take advantage of the complete genome sequences currently available from fungi, oomycetes, and other eukaryotes to explore phylogenetic relationships. Traditional "wet lab"approaches will be used to generate new data. You will also associate genomic changes with patterns of host specificity, virulence, and speciation.
Dr. Morton, Puffenberger, and Strauss (The Clinic for Special Children): Take advantage of the unique opportunity to work with pediatricians Dr. Holmes Morton and Dr. Kevin Strauss as they provide comprehensive medical care for children with chronic, complex medical problems due to inherited disorders. You will work with geneticist Dr. Erik Puffenberger to characterize the genetic basis of diseases found in the Old Order Amish and Mennonite communities in Pennsylvania. Utilize the tools of bioinformatics and genomics in an effort to improve treatment and outcomes for children who suffer from rare inherited disorders.
Rob Jinks (Biology): Come work with Professor Rob Jinks to investigate how mutations in genes cause human disease. Working with several disease-causing gene variants identified at the Clinic for Special Children, you will clone the genes and investigate their function with a variety of techniques. You may study gene expression in tissue culture. You may investigate where the genes are expressed using physiological or localization studies. You may study the protein-protein interactions involved in a gene's biochemistry. You will use the databases and tools of bioinformatics to understand the location, diversity and function of the genes you investigate.
Daniel Ardia and Ellie Rice (Biology ): What ails the birds? You will utilize genomic tools to identify pathogens carried in the blood of swallows while working with Professor Dan Ardia and Ellie Rice. You will test hypotheses relating to whether disease exposure varies geographically and use lab techniques-including DNA extraction and PCR gel electrophoresis-to investigate swallow species from all over the world. You will also use computer-based tools to mine public databases in order to design PCR primers that will identify bird pathogens.
David Roberts (Biology) Working with Professor David Roberts, you will investigate the genetic cause of colon cancer. A particular gene is mutated in greater than 80% of all colon cancer cases, but how do mutations in this gene actually cause uncontrolled growth? You will work with human cell lines and systematically mutate individual amino acids to see which are critical to the protein. Tools and techniques will include PCR, gel electrophoresis, and database tools like BLAST and sequence alignments.
Beckley Davis (Biology) Working with Professor Beckley Davis, you will explore protein interactions involved in immune response and inflammation. The MHC (Major Histocompatibility) genes are the most highly polymorphic genes in vertebrates. The proteins encoded by these genes are responsible for transplant rejection and immunological memory. Using bioinformatics, PCR, and phylogenetics you will explore the evolution of these genes in mice. Or you could use site-specific mutagenesis to explore hoe NOD2, an important gene for inflammation, functions normally and during dysregulation as seen with Crohn’s disease and Blau syndrome. A third option would allow you to screen for proteins that bind to NLRC5, another important immune-related protein, using a large-scale yeast two-hybrid screen.
Peter Fields (Biology) In Professor Peter Fields’ lab, you will have the opportunity to combine classical “wet-bench” biochemical techniques with bioinformatics tools to explore how marine invertebrates respond to environmental stress. You will use lab techniques like electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to discover proteins and metabolic pathways important for stress protection. You will use gel image analysis software to quantify changes in protein expression in tissues, as well as bioinformatics software to identify proteins from nucleotide and amino acid sequence databases.
