The Biology
Department is offering Research Fellowships for qualified undergraduates who are
interested in work experience in a research environment during the Summer of
2002. The selection committee will give preference to sophomore Biology and
Biochemistry majors.
* Fellowship
Award $300/week
plus $250 travel allowance
* Research
Period
10 weeks (May 13 through July 19)
*
Room and Board Provided by the Arnold T. Borer
Fellowship
Fund and St. Bonaventure University
*
Qualifications Minimum GPA of
3.0 in science and math courses
*
Application
Submitted to Dr. Kupinski no later
than
Feb. 4th
Application Form:
Name:
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Local Address:
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Local Phone Number:
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Parent or Guardian:
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Address:
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Phone:
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SS#:
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Major at SBU:
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Science and Math Courses
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If selected for this
award, I agree to abide by the conditions of the fellowship and to be available
during the 10 week research period.
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Signature Date
Project #1
(Dr. Ted Georgian) I am interested in either of the 2 following projects:
A. A small stream near
campus, Bowers Hollow, supports large populations of a case-making caddisfly, Pycnopsyche
sp. These insects develop as
larvae from late fall to early spring, then pupate during the summer.
They are typically found in small, mountainous streams that occasionally
dry up during the late summer to early fall months.
I am interested in knowing how life in isolated, sometimes temporary
habitats has affected the population genetics of Pycnopsyche.
The project would involve field work to determine the geographical
distribution and population biology of Pycnopsyche, combined with an
attempt to develop molecular markers that would enable us to estimate how
genetically isolated different populations of Pycnopsyche are.
or
B. Dr. Matt Becker (Dept. of Geology, University at Buffalo) and I spent last summer developing techniques for mapping the flow of groundwater into a local stream, Ischua Creek. These techniques are being used by Dr. Becker and his students to predict pathways along which chemical contaminants, such as those from a proposed landfill at Farmersville, NY, might enter Olean’s drinking water supply. Groundwater flow into streambeds also affects water temperature and therefore the success of cool-water fisheries such as native brook trout. I am interested in applying these techniques to other streams in our area. There also exists a possibility of tying this research in with fishery biologists from the Region 9 Department of Environmental Conservation office, which is located adjacent to campus.
Project #2
(Dr. John Kupinski)
Despite extensive
epidemiological investigation and the identification of numerous risk factors
the cause of ovarian cancer remains unknown.
As techniques for the identification of microorganisms have improved
evidence is beginning to suggests that chronic infectious states may contribute
to the onset of cancer. For example, chronic infection by hepatitis B virus and
the bacterium Helicobacter pylori contribute to the pathogenesis of liver
cancer and stomach cancer respectively. Although the ovaries are generally
believed to be microbiologically sterile, a wide range of microbes are known to
establish both acute and chronic infections of the female upper genital system.
In collaboration with Dr. Jeff Quirk of the Roswell Park Memorial Institute we
will use sensitive molecular techniques in an attempt to identify the presence
of bacterial DNA in cancerous ovarian tissue. Techniques used in this study will
include polymerase chain reaction, DNA cloning, plasmid isolation and DNA
sequencing.