Research Opportunities in Biology

The focus on investigative skills in Lewis and Clark's biology courses prepares students well to undertake independent research projects. Over half of all biology majors at Lewis and Clark become involved in research. Some students work as assistants to or collaborators with a Lewis and Clark faculty member for a summer, a semester or longer. Some students earn credit for this work (Biology 244 or 499) and others receive support from faculty research grants or from the John S. Rogers Undergraduate Summer Research Program. Other students carry out their own completely independent
projects, with a Lewis and Clark biology professor as their mentor. Some spend a summer doing research at another college, university, or research institution, e.g., through the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Students with strong research skills and a GPA of at least 3.5 are invited to conduct an honors thesis during their senior year, a year-long independent investigation that culminates in a written thesis, an oral presentation to the department, and a defense to department faculty.

All Biology faculty encourage undergraduate participation in their research programs. Undergraduates co-author faculty research publications and presentations at regional and national meetings.

Here are a few examples of recent senior theses and student-faculty collaborative research that have been published in scientific journals or presented at meetings (for additional examples of student-faculty research, please scroll through the program descriptions below):

• Schroeder, L.K.*, Kremer, S.*, Kramer, M.J*, Currie, E.*, Kwan, E.*, Watts, J.L., Lawrenson, A.L., Hermann, G.J. (2007) Function of the Caenorhabditis elegans ABC transporter PGP-2 in the biogenesis of a lysosome-related fat storage organelle. Mol. Biol. Cell 18:995-1008.
  
  
• Currie, E.*, King, B.*, Lawrenson, A.L., Schroeder, L.K., Kershner, A.M.*, Hermann, G.J. (2007) Role of the C. elegans multidrug resistance gene, mrp-4, in gut granule differentiation. Genetics 177:1569-1582.
  
  
• Rabbitts, B.M.*, Kokes, M.*, Miller, N.E.*, Kramer, M.*, Lawrenson, A.L., Levitte, S.*, Kremer, S.*, Kwan, E.*, Weis, A.M. and Hermann, G.J. (2008) glo-3, a novel Caenorhabditis elegans gene, is required for lysosome-related organelle biogenesis. Genetics 180:857-871.
  
  
• Robert M. Seiser, Alexandra Sundberg (’04)*, Bethany J. Wollam (’05)*, Pamela Zobel-Thropp, Katherine Baldwin (’05)*, Maxwell D. Spector (’06)* and Deborah Lycan Ltv1 is required for efficient nuclear export of the ribosomal small subunit in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics, 2006, 174, 679-691.
  
  
  
• Londi Tomaro '01. Apparent predation of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchuskisutch) by prickly sculpins (Cottusasper) is an artefact of trapping methodology. Marine and Freshwater Research, 2006, 57, 513–518.
  
  
• Renee Kruse '02, Eric Bend '02, and Paulette Bierzychudek, Ph.D. 2004. Native plant regeneration and introduction of non-natives following post-fire rehabilitation with straw mulch and barley seeding. Forest Ecology and Management, 196(2-3):299-310. (Note: 2.9 MB PDF download)
  
  
• Lena Schroeder '04, Caroline Hieb '03, Elizabeth Kwan '05, Nicole Kaupp '06, and Greg Hermann, Ph.D. 2003. Lysosome assembly and stability in C. elegans. Poster presented at the 2003 meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, San Francisco, CA.
  
  
• Midori Seppa '99, Danielle Dion '98, Sean Sweeney '95, Nora Foster, Rae Nishi, and C. Gary Reiness, Ph.D. 2001. Chick ciliary neurotrophic factor is secreted via a non-classical pathway. Mol. Cell. Neurosci., 17:931-944.
  
  
• Susan Mangels '99, Natasha Chappel '99, and Steven Seavey, Ph.D. 2000. Unfertilized ovules of Epilobium obcordatum (Onagraceae) continue to grow in developing fruits. American Journal of Botany, 87:1765-68.
  

Current Biology Research Programs:

Dr. Kellar Autumn

Our research focuses on biomechanics, physiology, and evolution of animal locomotion. A central project in the Autumn Lab is the study of adhesive setae in geckos and the design of biologically inspired adhesive nanostructures and climbing robots. In 2002 we discovered the molecular mechanism of adhesion in geckos and and in 2005 showed that the adhesive setae on their toes form the first known self-cleaning adhesive. We also study the effects of running speed, temperature, body size, and phylogeny on aerobic metabolism in geckos and other lizards. In 1999 we found that geckos have evolved metabolic fuel economy 2 to 3 times greater than that of other legged animals, which permits activity at very low temperatures. In 2005 we discovered that, contrary to predictions, all-female gecko clones have greater aerobic capacity, and can outperform their sexual relatives. Read student co-authored papers here, here, and here.

Dr. Paulette Bierzychudek

My students and I have been collaborating with the Oregon Nature Conservancy to develop a plan for managing Oregon's Cascade Head preserve, which hosts one of the last remaining populations of the threatened Oregon silverspot butterfly. We've collected demographic data on Viola adunca, the butterfly's food plant, in order to evaluate how the violet population responds to mowing and prescribed burning. In addition, we've studied the movement patterns of caterpillars searching for food. We're using this information in a model to predict the likelihood of host-finding success in different densities and distributions of host plants. These predictions will guide the Nature Conservancy's management of the preserve. In independent projects, students are exploring patterns of genetic variation among the butterflies and their host plants. In addition to this project, we've been starting to explore conifer regeneration patterns in Portland's many urban parks.

Dr. Greta Binford

The chemical richness and diversity of spider venom cocktails make them interesting subjects for understanding how evolution generates novelty. My research program uses integrative, evolutionary approaches to better understand patterns of diversity in spider venoms. In my lab, students have the opportunity to participate in evolutionary analyses of spider venoms at all levels of the process. This includes collecting a range of spiders in the field, doing protein analyses of the venoms, and using molecular approaches to study the genes that code for the venom proteins. Students also analyze the effects of venoms on insect prey and observe spider foraging behavior. These data help to better understand the role venom plays in immobilizing prey and how that varies across spider species. My research has discovered that the toxin in brown recluse venom is also present in venoms of closely related Sicarius spiders. This means this toxin likely originated in an ancestor of these two types of spiders. This helps us better understand the range of species related to the brown recluse that is capable of causing lesions when these animals bite people and may help to facilitate development of broadly effective treatments.

Dr. Kenneth Clifton

My field studies of behavior examine the environmental and social determinants of dispersion: where do organisms occur, how do they interact, and does this influence the timing and intensity of reproduction? Working primarily in coral reef habitats, my students focus on species of fish and algae that show intermittent bursts of reproductive activity. This research provides insight into the ecological factors that ultimately generate patterns of distribution and abundance within tropical marine habitats. We are also examining the effects of greenhouse gasses on the ability of marine seaweeds to build their calcified skeletons.

Dr. Greg Hermann

Studies in my lab focus on two aspects of organogenesis: the formation of specialized organelles that in part define organ function and programmed cell death which sculpts organ morphology. We are studying these processes in the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans has emerged as a powerful system to identify and characterize genes controlling important evolutionarily conserved developmental processes. Students in my lab have discovered C. elegans genes controlling the formation of intestinal specific lysosomes whose homologues in humans are implicated in Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome. Further studies in the nematode C. elegans should lead to greater insights into the cause and treatment of this human genetic disease.

Dr. Peter Kennedy

Research on determinants of plant assemblage structure and diversity has traditionally focused on above-ground factors such as seed dispersal, light competition, and interactions with herbivores. While these factors are clearly important, a growing number of studies indicate that interactions with below-ground microorganisms also have a large effect on plant assemblages. Our lab studies microorganisms that provide plants with different resources in exchange for carbon derived from photosynthesis. Although these symbioses are very common, their ecological roles have only recently begun to be more fully understood. This is largely because breakthroughs in molecular biology have made it possible to ask more specific questions about these symbionts and their role in plant assemblage dynamics. We use molecular tools, in combination with field and laboratory experiments, to address a broad range of research questions.

Dr. Deborah Lycan

Our research focuses on how ribosomal subunits are assembled in higher cells. We use the yeast S. cerevisiae as a model organism to study this essential and highly conserved process. Ribosomes are among of the largest and most complex macromolecular machines assembled in cells. In eukaryotes, the 40S and 60S subunits are assembled in the nucleus from rRNA and over 80 ribosomal proteins that must be imported from the cytoplasm is a stepwise process that occurs co-transcriptionally. The subunits are processed and modified in the nucleoplasm and then exported through nuclear pores in a process requiring the nuclear export receptor, Crm1. Export of the large subunit is known to require an adapter protein and two additional export receptors besides Crm1. In contrast, no analogous adapter has been identified for the small subunit, nor have export receptors besides Crm1 been identified. Eight non-ribosomal proteins are added to the 40S subunit late in nuclear assembly and cycle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. We are working to understand how some of these proteins function in the final steps of 40S export and processing so that the subunit is competent for protein synthesis. You can read a student co-authored paper on this here.

Dr. Gary Reiness

My students and I study the processes that underlie development of the vertebrate nervous system, especially the formation of synapses. We have recently focused on the signaling molecule, ciliary neurotrophic factor or CNTF, a protein that is known to be involved in proper embryonic development of several parts of the chicken nervous system, and probably the nervous systems of mammals as well. Because signaling molecules carry information from one type of cell to another, they are normally secreted by the cells that synthesize them, but CNTF lacks the typical identifying features of secreted proteins. We have recently shown that CNTF is secreted by an unusual pathway, distinct from that used by most secreted proteins. We are now working to identify the portions of CNTF necessary for it to be secreted and to learn more about which intracellular structures participate in its release from cells.

Dr. Edwin Florance emeritus

Development and germination success of threatened endemic plant species.

Dr. Steven Seavey emeritus

Evolutionary implications of inbreeding by plants.