I would like to extend a very well-deserved congrats to everyone: You have officially survived the Fall 2011-2012 semester! From all the final projects and final examinations we had to complete, it must be quite a breath of fresh air to be out of the classroom for winter break, right? Hopefully everyone achieved the scores they hoped to achieve in all their classes and have settled in at home for the holidays.

 Although it’s less than a month away, the spring semester is upon us! I would like to extend a warm welcome to all those Biology/Chemistry/Biochemistry majors and minors, or even those simply interested in the sciences, to consider rushing Beta Beta Beta and/or Sigma Pi Epsilon!

 For those of us not in the know, Beta Beta Beta is Shepherd University’s nationally recognized and Sigma Pi Epsilon is the university’s chemistry fraternity. Every semester, each group will host a rush week, which is an entire week of various events dedicated to inviting interested students into the club. These events range from group breakfasts before labs to games of chemical jeopardy! Not only will interested students get to have the opportunity to join the organizations, but they will also get the chance to make friends with other students within their majors. 

BBB president Lauren Gates making apple-nutella-marshmallow mouth treats at Shep-O-Treat

Of course, the fun doesn’t end there! Throughout the year, members are encouraged to attend weekly meetings, where we discuss ideas for fundraisers, community service events, organizational unity events, and much more! For the upcoming semester, our biggest project to be discussed revolves around Relay for Life, the overnight fundraising event that is annually hosted at Shepherd. Usually, members look forward to hosting the annual Chili Cook-Off fundraiser for Relay!

 While each organization dedicates plenty of time to community service and fun events, Beta Beta Beta and Sigma Pi Epsilon take pride in their academic requirements and expect their members to uphold them. Because the majority of the members are science majors, it’s not difficult to find a friend or two to study with for upcoming exams in certain courses. 

This year’s Sigma Pi Epsilon Quiz Bowl representatives!

At the end of the year, each organization hosts their respective banquets where members, faculty, and alumni are invited to mingle and have a great time outside of the labs and classrooms. Throughout the course of the semester, members vote on the location, cost, and the menu for the end of the year banquets and members are encouraged to attend and have a good time. 

A lovely group picture from the 2011 SPE banquet.

 So if you are a science major, or simply have a passion for the sciences, and are interested in expanding your social and academic network, keep an eye open for various poster advertisements or whiteboard/chalkboard messages around Byrd and Snyder regarding each organization’s respective rush weeks! Beta Beta Beta and Sigma Pi Epsilon have several events planned for the upcoming semester and we’d love for you to be a part of our family!

My name is Ana Manzano and I am a Senior Biology major. I cannot believe I only have my Senior Research Presentation before completing my time here at Shepherd! It is definitely a joyous and bittersweet realization.

I will be sincerely sad to leave when I graduate, because I have grown to think of campus as a second home. However, I will be leaving with a degree that I worked hard for, and a huge sense of accomplishment.

I am in the process of visiting and applying to Graduate Schools. Like most of you, I am nervous of where I will be spending the next four years. When you are selecting a school, please be aware of what experiences you hope to accomplish. I chose Shepherd because I knew I would be fortunate to connect my two passions, biology research and community service.

One of the advantages directly related to the location of Shepherd University as student in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics are the many research facilities we have located within 50miles. Students in Beta Beta Beta and Sigma Pi Epsilon sometimes carpool to visit the research facilities, which sometimes offer internship opportunities.

Susan Kurian, Ana Manzano, and Lauren Gates visiting the Science Museum in Baltimore, Maryland with Beta Beta Beta

Currently, I serve as a Biology Aide in Molecular Biology at the United States Department of Agriculture at the Appalachian Fruit and Research Station in Kearneysville, WV. I am using Next Generation Sequencing for analyzing transgene insertions in plum. My main task is to use PCR techniques to identify the introduced or absented genes in the HoneySweet plum. If you have ever done PCR, you know how time-consuming it is!

Ana's USDA lab notebook, which must remain in the Molecular Biology lab at all times!

This technique is reliable but many complications do arise, such as multiple insertion sites, rearrangements or duplications of transgene sequences. If you are interested in research, you will have numerous facilities around campus where you can gain invaluable knowledge and put your laboratory background to great use!

Here at Shepherd, service is the norm, not the exception. When you are a student here, you will find yourself participating in many service projects. Every spring semester, Beta Beta Beta and Sigma Pi Epsilon participate in Relay For Life and host the annual Relay For Life Chili Cook-Off. Shepherd’s Relay is #4 in the Nation!

Ana Manzano and Ben Hackett at a Shepherdstown Parade representing Relay for Life

 I am Relay For Life’s Advocacy Chair, I work closely with the WV American Cancer Society Lead Ambassador to provide a platform for cancer research at the community and state level. This opportunity has given me the ability to meet many representatives and state officials. I am looking forward to visiting and observing scientists at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD this spring.

If you are passionate about a subject, you should try to build upon it. Shepherd provides you with many opportunities in and out of the classroom. Time goes by fast, so take in everything Shepherd has to offer while you can! You will soon discover how great it is to be a Shepherd Ram!

Ana with Zan, the Shepherd Ram, at her last home football game

 I know that a lot of students are curious about college schedules, and wonder what being a science major looks like on a daily basis. Therefore, I’m sharing an example of one of my weeks at Shepherd University:

 On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Organic Chemistry class starts at 10:10 A.M. in Snyder Hall. Dr. Eugene Volker has been teaching this class for a number of years, and he enjoys punctuating his lectures with anecdotes and funny catchphrases. On Wednesdays at 4 P.M., I have a weekly lab with Dr. Volker, and students in my class perform distillations, mass spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and assemble models of carbon compounds. Every Friday in lecture we have a short quiz, which keeps students on their toes.

Dr. Volker and the GC-MS Spectrometer

 After Organic Chemistry in the morning, I go down the stairs to Microbiology with Dr. Adam Parks. Dr. Parks likes to ask questions during his lectures, and his powerpoints sometimes have sound effects or unexpected animations! He also expects us to ask at least one question while in lecture, so that he knows we were making connections while listening. My lab periods with Dr. Parks are on Tuesday and Thursday at 3 P.M., and we have lot of fun plating bacteria using aseptic technique and checking for growth under specific conditions.

 My schedule also includes a number of non-science classes, including Introduction to Art, Honors World History, and a literature seminar on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. I have each of these classes twice a week, and they involve a lot of reading and essay writing. Personally, I enjoy the fact that Shepherd University requires classes like these, because they make students well-rounded, and can be a nice break from science.

 There are other things about being a biology major in college besides the classes. For example, I am pre-med and in the MedSTEP program, and I hope to take my MCAT soon. I joined the science fraternities Sigma Pi Epsilon and Beta Beta Beta, which both meet on Monday afternoons in the Byrd Science Building.

Shepherd University’s Sigma Pi Epsilon 2010 Highlight Video from Joey Stevenson on Vimeo.

My advisor is Dr. Lidgerding, and I am in the Honors Program at Shepherd, along with a few other science majors in my year. I tutor Physics and Math at the Academic Support Center, and I live on campus with an economic major, a political science major, and another biology major.

Being a biology major, or any kind of science major, can be a lot of work, but at Shepherd there is a big focus on enjoying what you learn, balancing subjects, doing exciting extracurricular activities with friends, meeting people with diverse goals and interests, and planning for the future. Seriously, what’s not to like? No matter how busy my week gets I still love science, and I can’t wait to learn more!

1) What is your postion at Shepherd University? – Associate Professor of Biology

2) Where are you originally from? – Minnesota

3) What are your favorite hobbies? – Bicycling, racquetball, reading, cooking, and foreign travel

4) Where did you receive your undergraduate degree? – Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota

5) Your graduate degree? – Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon

6) How long have you been teaching at Shepherd University? – since 1991

7) Have you had any previous professions? – Yes, Post-doctoral position in cancer research at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY; Cell physiologist for the U. S. Department of Fish and Wildlife at the Fish Health Research Lab in Kearneysville, WV; Chief of Hybridoma Research and Cell Culture for the U. S. Department of the Army at Ft. Detrick in Frederick, Maryland

8) What courses do you teach at Shepherd University? – Cell biology, Principles of Biological Research, Virology, Immunology, and General Biology

An image taken during a recent cell biology lab. In In this cell biology experiment, chromatin was digested by nuclease and the histone-DNA component (nucleosomes) were separated by electrophoresis.

9) How many students do you teach per semester? Between 100 – 120.

10) What particular field of science interests you most? I would say Cell Biology and Virology. I’m also interested in the history of science and the interaction of science and society.

11) What has been your most exciting science experience or Shepherd experience? Developing the virology and immunology courses.

12) What advice would you give incoming students interested in going into the field of Biology? If they don’t have a passion asking and answering questions then perhaps biology and science in general is not the career for you. Science should become a “habit of mind” or “a way of thinking” not merely a job or profession.

13) What about to a student interested in taking your courses? Again, they need to want to learn not merely attend class, memorize material and pass the course.

14) 5 things or as many as you can list that students don’t know about you?

- My wife is a graduate of Shepherd in biology

- My father never completed high school

- I have no brothers or sisters

- My first experience in research was living in Alaskan Tundra in 1967 and trapping small mammals as part of studies in preparation for the Alaskan pipeline.

- My first scientific publication was in the Minnesota Academy of Sciences Journal in 1968

This semester the biology dept. has started a new program that I really hope they continue. They are having seminar speakers come in and give a talk about their current research. We have had two this semester and they have been really exciting. This first seminar was hosted by a man named Dr. Daniel Terlizzi. His research is on Harmful Algae in the Chesapeake Bay.  This was a very interesting talk to go to because it addressed multiple subjects and audiences. Since he is based in Baltimore, it was also cool to see things on a local scale. Science is so often from some lab that you’ve never been to or heard of but this was only an hour away from Shepherd. He talked about different organisms including Pfiesteria piscicida and Karlodinium veneficum. These are different species of harmful algae and dinoflagellates. He talked about how these algae were causing massive fish kills in theChesapeake and other local areas. It was nice to see the data presented in a biological way but it played very well into the environmental science field.

The second seminar which happened this past Monday was presented by a woman named Dr. Bonny Dickinson from The School of Osteopathic Medicine inLewisburg,WV. She talked about her research on dendritic cells and immunosuppressive enzymes. She was very interesting to listen to. Her presentation was much more medically based as would be expected than the last speaker which really captured my attention. As a Pre-med concentration and medical school hopeful I was very eager to hear what she had to say. As her presentation continued we saw how much of what we are currently learning was actually being used in the real world. Understandings of biochemistry, cell biology, and immunology were needed to work on the research she was doing. It was so intriguing that I wish she had talked for more than the hour she was given.

These seminars are a great way for students to see what real scientists and researchers do in the real world. It can give you an idea of what’s out there and might even lead you to a topic you want to research. Now ok so as a student you might be thinking, “Ok but who is really going to give up their time to go sit through some lecture?” While this is an excellent question you might be surprised by the answer. The truth is that the room we hold these seminars in has been packed to the top every time. We have biology and chemistry students from every year come out to listen. We also have almost every single biology professor come out to hear what’s to be said. Here at Shepherd we really take an interest in learning about the sciences and do everything that we can to increase our knowledge and understanding of how and why our fields work.

Well that’s all for now. Hope you guys reading this are enjoying it so far (I hope someone’s reading this). Keep looking for what’s new from the world of Shepherd science. 

The second thing going on in my environmental life is my Brita Water Filter for Good ambassadorship. Being an ambassador for Brita has been so fun this year! I received 7 boxes in the mail from them (which I stacked in my living room, haha) full of water bottles and large filters to pass out to Shepherd Students.

Currently I am passing them out to different majors and sporting teams and am loving seeing my bright green bottles around campus! I have learned so much such as the following:

Did you know?

• In spite of having easy access to clean water, the United States is the world’s largest bottled water consumer.1 In 2008, the U.S. used enough plastic water bottles to stretch around the Earth more than 190 times. (Brita)

• Many people intend to recycle disposable water bottles; however, 69% of bottled water containers end up in the trash and not in a recycling container. (Brita)

• Many people think bottled water is cleaner than tap water … BUT:  In the U.S., public water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which requires multiple daily tests for bacteria and makes results available to the public. The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water, only requires weekly testing and does not share its findings with the EPA or the public. (Brita)

I truly love the environment and am out to protect it as much as I can! I am learning so much here at Shepherd and am exposed to so many great things. Keep checking the blog to see my Sustainable Development class’s progress with our grant, and to see what I am doing next with Brita! Have a wonderful day!

Popcorn day is an event that my fraternity, Sigma Pi Epsilon, hosted; we made a whole bunch of popcorn and sold it to students in Snyder and Byrd (the science buildings at Shepherd). The event went rather well; we sold about 20 bags of popcorn!

The other event that was held today was hosted by Shepherd University; hep-o-reat is an event where kids from around the area go and trick-or-treat on Shepherd’s campus. The students at the residence halls sit and give out candy! The fraternities are able to get involved by setting up tables in the student centerto hand out candy and entertain the kids in some way. Sigma Pi Epsilon, being the chemistry fraternity, made “gloop” and a little (vinegar and baking soda) volcano for the kids! “Gloop” is a silly putty-like substance that is made from glue, water, and borax; the kids really seemed to enjoy the slimy texture of the gloop, and they thouroghly loved the fact that it turned into a bouncy ball after it dried! The kids also liked the little volcano we did; they were so captivated by it! All of the kids, in their cute little costumes, were so adorable! The kids really made the night fun; and everyone was so nice–it was turly a great experience! Shepherd hosts a bunch of events like this; you get to meet new people, and have fun doing it! 

Like many students, before starting the internship I was a little apprehensive about being faced with unfamiliar research equipment and protocols, but thankfully I discovered that my research background from labs at Shepherd was quite thorough and everyone in the lab at WVU was quite happy to answer my questions. Specifically, my project was to test if the novel antibiotic LL-37 could eliminate the intracellular bacteria in osteoblasts as a model for treatment of recurrent bone infections. Through this project I learned some new techniques such as co-culturing Staphylococcus aureus and osteoblasts, and was also able to incorporate some of the techniques I learned at Shepherd like determining concentrations with a hemocytometer and plating and counting bacterial colonies. Besides my mentor, I also worked with several graduate students and medical students in the lab, so as a pre-med student I was quite glad to have the opportunity to learn what to expect during medical school and some first-hand tips for success. Thus to end, I would just like to leave you with some tips for your internship experience.

5 Simple Tips for a Successful Internship Experience:

1. Start looking for research internships at least a semester in advance, as many of them have deadlines that are quite early.
2. Get some research experience to build up you application. It is often a good idea to work on a research project with one of your professors to show your commitment to research.
3. Research the projects currently under investigation at the prospective institution and be able to relate them to your research interests.
4. During the internship, don’t be afraid to ask questions and talk to new people. Graduate students as well as faculty members are a great source for information on things such as what to expect during graduate school. Also many internship programs offer seminars throughout the summer that are also great opportunities to ask questions and learn new information.
5. While working on your research project, keep very detailed notes and make sure you understand why you are doing each step. Thorough notes really come in handy when you have to prepare a written report or poster on your project, especially if this occurs several months after you do the actual research. Also, knowing why you did each step will help you successfully explain your project and answer questions during presentations.

Last year was an exciting one in our school.  A number of faculty were recognized for their hard work and dedication.  Dr. Edward Snyder of the Institute of Environmental and Physical Sciences was named the West Virginia Professor of the Year and a Distinguished University Professor.  Dr. Carol Plautz of the Biology Department was recognized by the Council on Undergraduate Research Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year (only one of three in the nation) and she was named the Outstanding Teacher at Shepherd University.  The Department of Computer Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering held the first ever ShepRobo Fest and students in the robotics club placed third in a competition in Trinity College International Fire Fighting Home Robot Contest and RoboWaiter Competition in Hartford, Connecticut, on April 9 and 10 and were the only U.S. team to place in the senior division of the fire fighting category.  The School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics has finished the first year of a three year grant to provide stipends for undergraduate students to conduct research with faculty and many of the school faculty were successful in receiving grants to support research activities.

This year we have welcomed four new faculty – two in mathematics, one in biology and one in physics.  We have developed first year experience courses for students majoring in biology, environmental studies and computer sciences, mathematics and engineering.   On behalf of the students, faculty and staff of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics I hope you check back often to read about our activities for this year.