Research by Faculty and Students in Biology
In the Biology Department at Wheaton, students at all levels are encouraged to get involved in active research. Students have opportunities to work closely with faculty experts for academic credit in diverse fields of biology from environmental to organismal to cellular and molecular levels. With their faculty mentors, students make discoveries in areas of interest to them and have opportunities to present their work at regional, national, and international meetings. In addition, Wheaton holds its own Academic Festival annually to highlight and celebrate student research.
Student-faculty research continues year-round supported by a variety of Wheaton sources including Wheaton Foundation Awards as well as Mars Fellowships for Student-Faculty Research Collaboration which support student-faculty research projects over the summer.
Interested students should contact faculty directly about research opportunities in their laboratories. Work-study positions are also available in many labs.
Recent
Student Research ProjectsLeBlanc, M., G. Aspeslagh '00, N. Buggia '01, B. Dyer. 2000. An annotated catalog of inverted repeats of Caenorhabditis elegans chromosomes III and X, with observations concerning odd/even biases and conserved motifs. Genome Research 10:1381-1392. See the online abstract.
Campbell, J. '00. A study of the effects of 9- and 13- hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid on endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis on the chick chorioallantoic membrane. Senior Thesis research.
Dufort, F. '00. An investigation of kinesin II in ciliogenesis of sea urchin embryos. Senior Thesis research.
Nordberg, J. '00. Evidence that ciliogenesis in sea urchin embryos occurs in discrete steps. Senior Thesis research.
O'Sullivan, J. '00. Certification of vernal pools in Westborough, MA using aerial photointerpretation. Independent research.Tyszka, C. '00. Genetic markers in amphibians detected with RAPD PCR. Senior Thesis research.
Fahey, J. '99, Stevens, J. '98, and Mitchell, L. '98. Spotted salamander population dynamics in the Wheaton Woods vernal pool. Independent research.
Mitchell, L.H. '97. The differential growth of Solidago sempervirens along a marsh-dune gradient. Senior Thesis research.
Baptista, T.L. '96. Post-natal growth in Myotis lucifugus, the little brown bat. Senior Thesis research.
Funding Sources for Student Research Projects
Wheaton Foundation Awards
Tri Beta Biological Honor Society
Sigma Xi Grants-in-aid of Research
Summer Research Opportunities
Mars Faculty-Student Research Fellowship
Wheaton Summer Fellowship
Content by Scott Shumway (mailto:sshumway@wheatonma.edu)
and Bob Morris (mailto:rmorris@wheatonma.edu )
Design assistance by Dave Dudek '01, Academic Computing
Last update: 12/2001
