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1. Integrating neuroscience into a new freshman research initiative at a regional comprehensive university: The Research Immersive Scholastic Experience in Biology Program

   Cohen, Rachel E; Land, Allison M; Martensen, Brian F; Sharlin, David S; Smith, Brittany A (November 2018, Abstracts - Society for Neuroscience)

   The Department of Biological Sciences at Minnesota State University, Mankato, a primarily undergraduate institution, is developing and implementing the “Research Immersive Scholastic Experience in Biology” (RISEbio) program. RISEbio is a National Science Foundation-funded scholarship and support program that is targeting incoming Biological Sciences freshmen with demonstrated financial need and academic potential. The overall goal of RISEbio is to increase student academic success through: (1) Increasing student social integration and support, (2) developing student technical and professional skills, and (3) implementing a freshman immersive research program. To form a social support network, scholars will be part of a RISEbio learning community. A unique, core component of RISEbio is to provide scholars with an authentic real-world research experience by modifying freshman research initiatives utilized by research-intensive universities to fit within the available infrastructure at Minnesota State University, Mankato. During a scholar’s first year, they exchange their Introductory Biology 1 lab for an applied course, Foundational Methods in Biology. In their second semester, scholars join a research stream in exchange for their Introductory Biology 2 lab. The stream research continues on to their third semester. One of two initial research streams is focused on neuroscience and is titled “Brain and Behavior.” Students in this stream examine the neural control of reproductive behavior by examining gene expression in the brain of the seasonally breeding green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis). Students will extract RNA from the hypothalamus of breeding and non-breeding lizard brains, then design primers and use quantitative PCR in conjunction with bioinformatic analysis to identify genes that are differentially expressed in the brain between seasons. If differentially expressed genes are found, students will learn how to design and perform in situ hybridizations to examine the localization of these genes within the brain. Following the third semester, scholars enter the “next steps” stage which offers support to identify additional opportunities on and off campus, including mentoring the next group of RISEbio Scholars or joining research labs to continue conducting undergraduate research. RISEbio will also provide a platform to test how this program translates to student persistence and academic success. To our knowledge, this is the first freshman research initiative developed at a regional comprehensive university. 

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2. Localization and quanti cation of kisspeptin and gonadotropin inhibitory hormone in green anole lizards (anolis carolinensis)

   TALWAR, S; COHEN, R.E. (November 2018, Abstracts - Society for Neuroscience)

   It has been well supported among mammalian species that the hypothalamicpituitary- gonad (HPG) axis is regulated positively by kisspeptin and negatively by gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH). Studies with seasonal breeding models have generally shown higher levels of kisspeptin in areas of the hypothalamus associated with reproduction, such as the preoptic area (POA) and arcuate nucleus, during the breeding season. Conversely, when examining models during the non-breeding season, studies have indicated GnIH to be higher in hypothalamic nuclei, such as the POA. However, kisspeptin’s role in regulating reproduction may not be consistent among all vertebrate groups. While kisspeptin has been shown to upregulate reproduction in mammals, this peptide has not been detected in avian species and recent work in 􀃕sh has suggested that kisspeptin may not play a regulatory role in reproduction. Relatively little is known about these peptides in reptiles and the seasonal regulation of kisspeptin and GnIH has not been investigated in this group. Green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) have a distinct breeding and nonbreeding season, and during the breeding season, steroid hormone levels in the plasma are elevated, males are more territorial, and display reproductive behaviors at a higher frequency. Previous work in this species has demonstrated that, in non-breeding anoles, kisspeptin-positive neurons were present in the POA and the dorsomedial hypothalamus. It is currently unknown whether kisspeptin expression is altered in breeding lizards and there is no data available on GnIH expression in this species. We hypothesize that there is a seasonal effect on kisspeptins and GnIH in green anole lizards, with kisspeptins more highly expressed in the breeding season, while GnIH is more highly expressed in the non-breeding season. Preliminary data using quantitative PCR has revealed no signi􀃕cant di􀃠erence between seasons in the expression of kiss1, kiss2, and Gnih mRNA from a dissection of the brain that contained the hypothalamus (F ≤ 4.35, p ≥ 0.053, n = 4-6 per group). Although we did not detect a significant difference between seasons, expression in specific regions may differ. Therefore, using fluorescent in situ hybridization, we aim to determine the localization and expression levels of kiss1, kiss2 and Gnih expression throughout the hypothalamus. This study expands upon available data and bridges the evolutionary gaps in the roles of kisspeptin and GnIH in regulating reproduction. 

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3. To hum or not to hum: Neural transcriptome signature of male courtship vocalization in a teleost fish

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gbb.12740  

   Tripp, Joel_A; Feng, Ni_Y; Bass, Andrew_H (June 2021, Genes, Brain and Behavior)

   Abstract For many animal species, vocal communication is a critical social behavior and often a necessary component of reproductive success. Additionally, vocalizations are often demanding motor acts. Wanting to know whether a specific molecular toolkit might be required for vocalization, we used RNA‐sequencing to investigate neural gene expression underlying the performance of an extreme vocal behavior, the courtship hum of the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus). Single hums can last up to 2 h and may be repeated throughout an evening of courtship activity. We asked whether vocal behavioral states are associated with specific gene expression signatures in key brain regions that regulate vocalization by comparing transcript expression levels in humming versus non‐humming males. We find that the circadian‐related genesperiod3andClockare significantly upregulated in the vocal motor nucleus and preoptic area‐anterior hypothalamus, respectively, in humming compared with non‐humming males, indicating that internal circadian clocks may differ between these divergent behavioral states. In addition, we identify suites of differentially expressed genes related to synaptic transmission, ion channels and transport, neuropeptide and hormone signaling, and metabolism and antioxidant activity that together may support the neural and energetic demands of humming behavior. Comparisons of transcript expression across regions stress regional differences in brain gene expression, while also showing coordinated gene regulation in the vocal motor circuit in preparation for courtship behavior. These results underscore the role of differential gene expression in shifts between behavioral states, in this case neuroendocrine, motor and circadian control of courtship vocalization. 

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4. High-Impact Practices in Materials Science Education: Student Research Internships Leading to Pedagogical Innovation in STEM Laboratory Learning Activities

   https://doi.org/10.1557/adv.2017.106  

   Porter, Lon A. (January 2017, MRS Advances)

   ABSTRACT Traditional lecture-centered approaches alone are inadequate for preparing students for the challenges of creative problem solving in the STEM disciplines. As an alternative, learnercentered and other high-impact pedagogies are gaining prominence. The Wabash College 3D Printing and Fabrication Center (3D-PFC) supports several initiatives on campus, but one of the most successful is a computer-aided design (CAD) and fabrication-based undergraduate research internship program. The first cohort of four students participated in an eight-week program during the summer of 2015. A second group of the four students was successfully recruited to participate the following summer. This intensive materials science research experience challenged students to employ digital design and fabrication in the design, testing, and construction of inexpensive scientific instrumentation for use in introductory STEM courses at Wabash College. The student research interns ultimately produced a variety of successful new designs that could be produced for less than $25 per device and successfully detect analytes of interest down to concentrations in the parts per million (ppm) range. These student-produced instruments have enabled innovations in the way introductory instrumental analysis is taught on campus. Beyond summer work, the 3D-PFC staffed student interns during the academic year, where they collaborated on various cross-disciplinary projects with students and faculty from departments such as mathematics, physics, biology, rhetoric, history, classics, and English. Thus far, the student work has led to three campus presentations, four presentations at national professional conferences, and three peer-reviewed publications. The following report highlights initial progress as well as preliminary assessment findings. 

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5. A research program-linked, course-based undergraduate research experience that allows undergraduates to participate in current research on mycobacterial gene regulation

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1025250  

   Roberts, Louis Anthony; Shell, Scarlet S. (January 2023, Frontiers in Microbiology)

   Undergraduate instructional biology laboratories are typically taught within two paradigms. Some labs focus on protocols and techniques delivered in “cookbook” format with defined experimental outcomes. There is increasing momentum to alternatively employ student-driven, open-ended, and discovery-based strategies, oftenviacourse-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) using crowd-sourcing initiatives. A fraction of students also participate in funded research in faculty research labs, where they have opportunities to work on projects designed to expand the frontiers of human knowledge. These experiences are widely recognized as valuable but are not scalable, as most institutions have many more undergraduates than research lab positions. We sought to address this gap through our department’s curriculum by creating an opportunity for students to participate in the real-world research process within a laboratory course. We conceived, developed, and delivered an authentic, guided research experience to students in an upper-level molecular biology laboratory course. We refer to this model as a “research program-linked CURE.” The research questions come directly from a faculty member’s research lab and evolve along with that research program. Students study post-transcriptional regulation in mycobacteria. We use current molecular biology methodologies to test hypotheses like “UTRs affect RNA and protein expression levels,” “there is functional redundancy among RNA helicases,” and “carbon starvation alters mRNA 5′ end chemistries.” We conducted standard assessments and developed a customized “Skills and Concepts Inventory” survey to gauge how well the course met our student learning outcomes. We report the results of our assessments and describe challenges addressed during development and execution of the course, including organizing activities to fit within an instructional lab, balancing breadth with depth, and maintaining authenticity while giving students the experience of obtaining interpretable and novel results. Our data suggest student learning was enhanced through this truly authentic research approach. Further, students were able to perceive they were participants and contributors within an active research paradigm. Students reported increases in their self-identification as scientists, and a positive impact on their career trajectories. An additional benefit was reciprocation back to the funded research laboratory, by funneling course alumni, results, materials, and protocols. 

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