Three undergraduates working in Adams Institute labs are among 35 KU students who have received Undergraduate Research Awards for summer and fall 2008 semesters. The awards support original, independent research by undergraduates enrolled on the Lawrence campus. Selection criteria included the quality of the proposal, the student’s academic record and ability to complete the proposed research project, the project’s potential contribution to knowledge and the educational value of the research to the student. The Adams students are listed below. A complete listing of recipients can be found in the KU News Release.
Casey Evan Gee, sophomore in chemistry, son of Rick and Ann Gee; Buhler High School; “Purification and Characterization of Bacterioferritin B from Pseudomonas Aeruginosa”; Mario Rivera, professor of chemistry.
Alan J. Schurle, junior in liberal arts and sciences, son of Bryan and Brenda Schurle; Manhattan High School; “Dewetting: Methods for Controlling the Phenomenon in Langmuir-Blodgett Films”; Robert Dunn, professor of chemistry.
Jamie Lyn Wenke, sophomore in chemistry, daughter of Corwyn Wenke and Sonya Purling; Washburn Rural High School in Topeka; “Recombinant Growth Hormone: The Effects of Forced Glycosylation & Endoglycosidase H on the Protein's Stability & Function”; Heather Desaire, associate professor of chemistry.
Four Kansas middle school science teachers will be working with Adams Institute research teams during the month of June in a professional development program funded by the Kansas Board of Regents. The Middle School Science Academy (MSSA), developed and run by the Center for Science Education at KU, has been working with Kansas middle school science teachers since the summer of 2005 to improve their content knowledge and teaching skills. This summer, 18 teachers from six Kansas school districts are being hosted by faculty research mentors for a 4-week research experience in the departments of Chemistry, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and Geography.
Esther Abellon and Todd Haag, science teachers at Jardine Middle School in Topeka, are working in the Sue Lunte research group. Dr. Lunte’s group focuses on the development of sensitive and selective analytical methods for the detection of peptides, amino acids, neurotransmitters, and drugs in biological fluids. Sharon Betzen has joined Bob Dunn’s research group, where she will be using high resolution techniques to probe the structure and dynamics of cell membranes. Sharon teaches earth science, biology, and physical science in the 6th 7th and 8th grades at Colwich Elementary School near Wichita. Sue Hicks, a seventh grade teacher at Eisenhower Middle School in Topeka, will be using microdialysis to study chemotherapeutic drug delivery with the researchers in Craig Lunte’s group. Next summer, the teachers will return to KU to incorporate their research experiences into activities that they and other teachers can use in their classrooms. Read moreabout the Middles School Science academy in this KU Connections article.
Presenting a research topic to scientists outside of the field and the general public can be a daunting task for a researcher. The concepts must be explained in terms accessible to a wide range of people while at the same time communicating the critical content. Courtney Kuhnline, 3rd year doctoral student in Sue Lunte’s research group, demonstrated her ability to effectively communicate her research and consequently won first place in the advanced graduate student division of the Sigma Xi Research Paper Competition held on April 12, 2008. Sigma Xi is an international, multidisciplinary research society whose programs and activities promote the health of the scientific enterprise and honor scientific achievement.
The title of her presentation was “The Development of Quantitative Analytical Techniques for Monitoring both Dynorphin A 1-17 and its Metabolites in the Brain and Peripheral Tissues”. Courtney will receive a one year Associate Membership in Sigma Xi for participating in the competition.
The University of Kansas Cancer Center received $2 million from the Morris Family Foundation to establish the Mark and Bette Morris Family Chair in Cancer Prevention, which will support a physician scientist specializing in breast cancer prevention.
The gift was given by Bette Morris in honor of her late husband, Topeka veterinarian Mark Morris Jr. Bette Morris said her husband was passionate about helping the KU Cancer Center become a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center because he knew it would bring the most advanced cancer treatment to the community. Full KU Press Release
April 8, 2008: Undergraduate Research the Focus of KU/Haskell Research Symposium
Haskell Indian Nations University and the Office for Diversity in Science Training at the University of Kansas are sponsoring the Eighth Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium this month. The Symposium will be held April 29, 2008 from 4:00-5:30 pm in Tecumseh Hall on the Haskell campus. Students from KU and Haskell will present the results of research projects completed with KU faculty mentors. For more information, contact:
Office for Diversity in Science Training
1200 Sunnyside Avenue
2040 Haworth
(785) 864-3641
odst@ku.edu
Tthe Adams Institute for Bioanalytical Chemistry and the International Association for Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Analysis (IAPBA) are sponoring a workshop this spring titled “Bioanalytical Sample Preparation: From Introductory to Automated Systems”. The workshop will be presented by Henk Lingeman, Associate Professor in the section of Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy within the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Dr. Lingeman’s research mainly concerns the development of automated procedures for the determination of all kinds of analytes, especially drugs, peptides and proteins, in biological and pharmaceutical samples. His emphasis is on sample preparation methods and procedures. He has presented over 100 workshops, courses, tutorials and industry training sessions, all over the world, about these topics. The workshop schedule appears below.
Dr. Lingeman will also be presenting a seminar titled “Selective (on-line) sample preparation for LC-MS analysis of biologically active compounds”, at 11:00 – 12:00, on Tuesday, April 15, in Simons Auditorium, Higuchi Biosciences Center, 2099 Constant Avenue. The seminar is open to the public.
Milos V. Novotny, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Lilly Chemistry Alumni Chair in the Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, was awarded the Ralph N. Adams Award in Bioanalytical Chemistry at PITTCON 2008 in New Orleans. The Award is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Conference and Friends of Ralph N. Adams. The Adams Award was established in 2005 to honor an outstanding scientist who has advanced the field of bioanalytical chemistry through research, innovation, and/or education. Dr. Novotny's research currently focuses on substantial improvement in resolution of complex biochemical mixtures and identification of the separated compounds through techniques such as electrospray mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.
Three graduate students affiliated with the Adams Institute have been selected to join the first cadre of Pfizer Scholars at KU. Courtney Kuhnline, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Eric Gorman, Pharm. Chem. and Carrie Wooden, Chemistry, will join Taryn Bagby, Pharm. Chem. in the first group of KU students to receive this fellowship. Courtney is in Sue Lunte’s group and her research involves peptide analysis and blood brain barrier (BBB) transport. Eric is in Eric Munson’s group, and is working on characterizing solid dosage forms of pharmaceuticals using various analytical techniques, with a focus on solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Carrie is in Bob Dunn’s group, and is conducting research involving study and characterization of recombinant Annexin 6 proteins, and structural analysis of type 3 secretion system proteins. Taryn is a student in Laird Forrest’s group.
The Pfizer Scholars will receive full tuition and a partial stipend from Pfizer to support their research. Congratulations to all four students for their success in earning this prestigious fellowship.
University of Kansas alumni figure prominently in a New York Times article this week. The article, in the Business section of the February 24 edition, is titled “Daring to Think Differently About Schizophrenia”, and highlights the achievements of Darryle D. Schoepp (at left), Senior Vice President and Head of Neuroscience Research at Merck. Dr. Schoepp was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Eli Michaelis’ lab in Pharmacology and Toxicology after receiving his doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology at West Virginia University.
Finally, the scientist that conducted much of the chemistry research on LY2140023, a prodrug that figures prominently in the article, is James Monn, another KU alumnus. Dr. Monn received his PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at KU in 1985. Although he is not cited in the NYT article, he was a major contributor to the research described in the article. The contributions of these three prominent scientists to drug discovery and development demonstrate the true multidisciplinary nature of research at University of Kansas. This tradition continues in the Adams Institute.
