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Winter 2008, Vol. 4, No. 1 | Index
Research Briefs
From the Huber Laboratory
Bay Paul Center assistant scientist Julie Huber has been named a lecturer in the Ridge 2000 (R2K) Distinguished Lecturer Series, which brings recent mid-ocean ridge research to colleges and universities, concentrating on those without existing ocean-science programs. Julie was one of four scientists chosen by the R2K Steering Committee to participate in the program. She will deliver lectures at the University of Missouri in February, Indiana University of Pennsylvania in March, and Okaloosa-Walton College, University of West Florida, and Eckerd College in April.
From the BioCurrents Research Center
Shanta Messerli received the Neurofibromatosis (NF) Cure Japan award (2007-2008) for a project titled: “Development of effective NF therapeutics” from the Peterson Foundation, and funding from Yamada Bee Farm to determine whether Brazilian green propolis reduces growth of schwannomas in a mouse model of Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerve tissue, producing skin and bone abnormalities. Shanta was promoted to Assistant Research Scientist at the BioCurrents Research Center in December.
In November 2007, Leon Collis was promoted to Research Associate at the BioCurrents Research Center. Leon is studying the cellular energy metabolism of excitable cells and assessing the changes in metabolism that occur or induce various cellular pathologies. He employs both electrochemical techniques and imaging of fluorescent/luminescent indicators to assess metabolic parameters at the single cell level. His work has fueled a collaboration with Marc Gleichmann at the National Institute of Aging (NIH), studying the temporal metabolic changes in neurons associated with excitotoxicity, a phenomena associated with neuronal cell death prevalent during stroke and neural degenerative disorders. In contrast, he is also studying the metabolic basis to neuroprotection and the promotion of cell survival, a collaborative effort with Elizabeth Jonas at Yale University.
Pethig, R., A. Menachery, E. Heart, R.H. Sanger and P.J.S. Smith. 2008. Dielectrophoretic assembly of insulinoma cells and fluorescent nanosensors into three-dimensional ‘pseudo-islet’ constructs. IET Nanobiotechnology. In Press.
Twig, G., A. Elorza, A. Molinda, H. Mohamed, J. Wikstrom, L. Stiles, G. Walzer, S. Haigh, S. Katz, G. Las, J. Alroy, M. Wu, B.F. Py, J. Yuan, J.T. Deeney, B. Corkey, and O. Shirihai. 2007. Fission and selective fusion govern mitochondrial segregation and elimination by autophagy. EMBO. In Press
From the Kuzirian Laboratory
Sussman, Raquel, Shashi K. Sharma, and Alan Kuzirian. 2008. Catalytic activities of recA protein are dependent on the lattice length of the single-strand DNA ligand. Cell Cycle vol. 8 issue, 1 January 2008.
From the Bordenstein Laboratory
Science teachers from all around the country discovered the fascinating world of microbes and learned about MBL research, teacher resources, and training opportunities in the microbial world at a live web seminar presented by the MBL’s Sarah and Seth Bordenstein on January 8. Through the use of state-of-the-art web conferencing tools, Sarah, an MBL Education and Outreach Coordinator, and Seth, an Assistant Scientist in the MBL’s Bay Paul Center, directly interacted with teachers, introducing them to MBL research in microbial biodiversity, molecular biology methods, bioinformatics, and molecular evolution concepts and explore how to bring discovery-based research into their classrooms. Teachers also learned about a variety of MBL digital education resources including Microbial Life, micro*scope, and the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) and were acquainted with the MBL’s professional development opportunities for teachers. The seminar was sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association and the National Science Digital Library.
Bordenstein, S.R. (2007) Discover the microbes within: The Wolbachia project. Focus on Microbiology Education 14:1, Special Issue on K-12 Education.
Bordenstein, S.R. (2007) Evolutionary genomics: Transdomain gene transfers. Current Biology 17:R935-936
From The Ecosystems Center
Adjunct senior scientist Ivan Valiela was the 2007 Wiese Distinguished Lecturer at the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory in Alabama. The Wiese Lecture Series brings an eminent scientist to the University of South Alabama and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to interact with students and faculty and present a lecture for the public on a topic of general interest in marine science.
Marselle Alexander-Ozinskas completed her Master’s degree though the Brown-MBL Graduate Program in Biological and Environmental Sciences in the fall of 2007. She studied the effects of topography, landscape age, and climate change on biogeochemical nitrogen cycling in the Arctic and other arid ecosystems with Ecosystems Center senior scientist Gus Shaver of and Brown professor Osvaldo Sala. She was recently selected for a National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship in 2008. Marselle will begin working in Washington, D.C., office of Guam delegate Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources and chairwoman of Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, starting February 1, 2008. Marselle was a Semester in Environmental Science student in 2003 and is a graduate of Bates College.
Balshi, M. S., A. D. McGuire, Q. Zhuang, J. Melillo, D.W. Kicklighter, E. Kasischke, C.Wirth, M. Flannigan, J. Harden, J. S. Clein, T. J. Burnside, J. McAllister, W. A. Kurz, M. Apps, and A. Shvidenko. 2007. The role of historical fire disturbance in the carbon dynamics of the pan boreal region: A process based analysis. Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences. 112 (G2):
Art. No. G02029.
Bernhard, A. E., J. Tucker, A.E. Giblin, and D.A. Stahl. 2007. Functionally different communities of ammonia oxidizing bacteria along an estuarine salinity gradient. Environmental Microbiology 9: 1439-1447.
Bowen, J. L., J. M. Ramstack, S. Mazzilli, and I. Valiela. 2007. NLoad: An interactive, web-based modeling tool for nitrogen management in estuaries. Ecological Applications 12(5) Supplement, pp. S17-S30.
Cerri, C. E. P., G. Sparovek, M. Bernoux, W. E. Easterling, J. M. Melillo, and C. C. Cerri, 2007. Tropical agriculture and global warming: Impacts and mitigation options. Scientia Agricola 64 (1): 83-99.
Cornelissen, J. H.C., P. M. van Bodegom, R. Aerts, T. V. Callaghan, R. S. P. van Logtestijn, J. Alatalo, F. S. Chapin, R. Gerdol, J. Gudmundsson, D. Gwynn-Jones, A. E. Hartley, D. S. Hik, A. Hofgaard, I. S. Jónsdóttir, S. Karlsson, J. A. Klein, J. Laundre, B. Magnusson, A. Michelsen, U. Molau, V. G. Onipchenko, H. M. Quested, S. M. Sandvik, I. K. Schmidt, G. R. Shaver, B. Solheim, N. A. Soudzilovskaia, A. Stenström, A. Tolvanen, Ø. Totland, N. Wada, J. M. Welker, X. Zhao, and MOL Team. 2007. Global negative vegetation feedback to climate warming responses of leaf litter decomposition rates in cold biomes. Ecology Letters 10: 619-627.
Culbertson, J. S., I. Valiela, E. E. Peacock, C. M. Reddy, A. Carter and R. VanderKruik. 2007. Long-term biological effects of petroleum residues on fiddler crabs in salt marshes. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54: 955-962.
Deegan, LA. J. L. Bowen, D. Drake, J. W. Fleeger, C. T. Friedrichs, K. A. Galván, J. E. Hobbie, C. Hopkinson, J. M. Johnson, D. S. Johnson, L. E. Lemay, E. Miller, B. J. Peterson, C. Picard, S. Sheldon, J. Vallino, and R. S. Warren. Susceptibility of salt marshes to nutrient enrichment and predator removal. 2007. Special Issue Nutrient Enrichment of Estuarine and Coastal Marine Environments, M. Kennish, (ed.). Ecological Applications 17(5):S42-S63.
Douma, J.C., M.T. van Wijk, and G.R. Shaver. 2007. The contribution of mosses to the carbon and water exchange of arctic ecosystems: quantification and relationships with system properties. Plant, Cell, and Environment 30: 1205-1215.
McHorney, R. M., and C. Neill. Alteration of water levels in a Massachusetts coastal plain pond subject to municipal ground water withdrawals. Wetlands 27:366-380.
Neill, C. The challenge of managing disturbance regimes, terrestrial communities and rare species in a suburbanizing region: the Northeastern U.S. coastal sandplain. Biological Conservation 136: 1-3.
Neill, C., B. Von Holle, K. Kleese, K. R. Ivy, A. R. Collins, C. Treat and M. Dean. Historical influences on the vegetation and soils of the Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts coastal sandplain: Implications for conservation and restoration. Biological Conservation 136: 17-32.
Neill, C., W. A. Patterson, III and D. W. Crary, Jr. Responses of soil carbon, nitrogen and cations to the frequency and seasonality of prescribed burning in a Cape Cod oak-pine forest. Forest Ecology and Management 250: 234-243.
Shaver, G. R., L.E. Street, E. B. Rastetter, M. T. van Wijk, and M. Williams. 2007. Functional convergence in Regulation of net CO2 flux in heterogeneous tundra landscapes in Alaska and Sweden. Journal of Ecology 95: 802-817.
Sullivan, P. F., M. Sommerkorn, H. M. Rueth, K. J. Nadelhoffer, G. R. Shaver, and J. M. Welker. 2007. Climate and species affect fine root production with long-term fertilization in acidic tussock tundra near Toolik Lake, Alaska. Oecologia 153: 643-652.
Zhuang, Q., J. M. Melillo, A. D. McGuire, D. W. Kicklighter, R. G. Prinn, P. A. Steudler, B. S. Felzer and S. Hu. Net land-atmosphere exchanges of CH4 and CO2 in Alaska: implications for the region’s greenhouse gas budget. Ecological Applications 17(1):203-212.
The Collecting Net is an employee newsletter published by the Communications Office. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Call (508) 289-7423 or e-mail us at
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