department of biology · 2019-11-05 · 1. cryobiology of sturgeon germplasm 5. effect of yolk and...
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Department of BiologyHonours Info Session
4 Nov, 2019
Important Notes on the Honours Programme:
• Honours is a privilege, not a right• Significant time commitment (summer and/or during semester)
Calendar Requirements:BSc requirements• 72 credits in Science, at least 30 at 3000 or 4000 level
Science Core• 6 credits MATH/COMP (note: MATH 1111 or 1151 is a prerequisite for BIOL
2701)• 3 credits physical science• 3 credits life science
Marks• min 3.0 CGPA in prescribed Honours work• min 3.0 CGPA in all coursework after first year• Thesis grade min “B”
Biology Department Honours (75 credits)
• 60 credits as in the Major, including 3 credits from Biol 2701 or 4711
• 9 credits from BIOL 4990, 4903
• 6 additional credits from Biology at the 3/4000 level
To apply for admission to honours:
• Complete our departmental form found on the Biology website
• Once accepted by a supervisor, complete the declaration to pursue honours on the Regsitrar’s office website.
Honours in Biology: FAQs
Q. What is it?A. Students work independently on an original research
question/problem in collaboration with a faculty member.
Q. Do I need to choose my own project?A. No, but you can certainly have input into your project. You need
to commit to a supervisor (and vice versa) and together you will come up with your project.
Q. Can I work on anything that interests me?A. Your project usually needs to fall within the realm of your supervisor’s research program.
Q. What is the first step?A. Students should make an appointment to visit potential supervisors and ask about their research. Be prepared to tell faculty members about yourself.
Q. What are the important considerations in deciding on a project/supervisor?A. You should keep an open mind. Once you take ownership of a project, you may be surprised about how much interests you. You should think about:- how much direct supervision you would like/require.- the working relationship you will have with your supervisor.- your goals. Are you interested in potentially publishing your work? Attending conferences?- the type of research you like to do (e.g. field, lab, behaviour, ecology, physiology,
biochemistry, molecular biology, a combination)
Q. What is the Time commitment?A. You may have the opportunity to begin research in May and work throughout the summer. Alternatively, some projects can start in September. You should expect to spend approximately 10 hrs/week on thesis-related work.
Q. How are supervisor-student decisions made?A. Once you have spoken to several potential advisors, you should let faculty
know if you would like to work with them. You should also let faculty know when you have made a commitment. Faculty talk to each other to try and place students appropriately. You must fill out a form by the final day of classes in December indicating your top three choices.
Q. What is BIOL 4903A. As an Honours student, you register in BIOL 4990 (Thesis = 6 credits) and
BIOL 4903 (3 credits). Both are year-long courses. BIOL 4903 (Current Advances) usually meets weekly for either class or a department seminar. You engage in thesis-related work (e.g. seminars, discussions).
Q. How am I graded?A. You receive a grade for 4903 from the 4903 instructor based on the work
you do in this course. Your 4990 grade comes from your written thesis (60% supervisor, 20% committee member) and a presentation you give on Honours Day in April (20%).
The following faculty members are taking honoursstudents in 2020-21
ISRG – Independent Student Research GrantApplications due ~ 31 January 2020
Biology Faculty Associate Members
Dr. Campbell Dr. MacCormack (Chem/Biochem)
Dr. Crosby Dr. Popp (Geog & Env)
Dr. Hamilton Dr. Waller (Chem/Biochem)
Dr. Kaczmarska
Dr. Liefer
Dr. Litvak
Dr. Lloyd
Dr. Morash
Brief summaries of faculty research interests:
2-4 honours possibilities 2020/2021Many research visitors & exchanges
Students gain transferable skills in -Quantitative thinking-Data management & Analyses (R)-Project management-Writing
Students usually publish
Recent students have progressed to:-graduate school-MBA-Public Health-instrumentation companies-health professions-environmental policy...
Grit valued over Grades
[email protected]@[email protected]
Remote Sensing of Mudflat Productivity
Photoperiods in the Arctic OceanOceanic Low Oxygen ZonesCoastal Eutrophication([email protected])
Reactive Oxygen Stress
Dr. Karen Crosby
Paxinos & Watson (2009)
Dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus
Neural Regulation of Appetite in Rats
Possible Research Questions
• How does stress affect synaptic function in the dorsomedial hypothalamus?
• Patch clamp electrophysiology using live rat brain slices
• How does the satiety hormone cholecystokinin suppress appetite?
• Recovery surgery in rats, injections of drugs into the brain
Honours Students
• I plan to take on 2-3 Honours students
• Highly motivated, hard-working, collaborative
• Funding opportunities:
• New Brunswick Health Research Foundation Summer Studentship
• Independent Student Research Grant
Research in the ACE (Aquatic Chemical Ecology) Lab
Cellular processes in microbes
Global BiogeochemistryAquatic Ecology
• The biochemistry and physiology of aquatic microbes
• The effect of microbial communities on aquatic consumers and global processes
• Microbial biotechnology to clean polluted waters and produce sustainable products
DNA
RNA
Phospholipids
Polyphosphate
Diatom cell
Surface P
Nucleus
Honours opportunities in the ACE Lab
Project 1: Phosphorus dynamics in marine phytoplankton• Using new methods to study polyphosphate, a globally
important and poorly understood molecule• Exploring how a variety of phytoplankton species use
phosphorus, the ocean’s ultimate limiting nutrient• New biotechnology for wastewater remediation
Project 2: Community ecology of mudflat microbial food sources (w/ Dr. Hamilton &Dr. Campbell)• Using chemotaxonomy to examine intertidal mudflat
biofilms that support migratory birds• Field sampling and manipulative experiments in Fundy
mud!
Project 3: Origins of harmful algal blooms in New Brunswick lakes (w/ Dr. Kurek)• Paleoecology of NB lakes to understand why toxic
blooms are increasing• Field work in remote NB lakes to sample
phytoplankton, zooplankton, and water quality and to develop new monitoring tools
Project 4: Ecosystem impacts of glyphosate herbicides (w/ Dr. Jesse Popp)• Exploring impacts of glyphosate spraying after logging
on terrestrial and aquatic communities• Collaborating with indigenous communities in Ontario
and applying traditional knowledge to field studies• Rugged fieldwork in Ontario forests
Honours opportunities in the ACE Lab
1. Cryobiology of sturgeon germplasm
5. Effect of yolk and lipid quality on visual development, larval growth and survival--Zebrafish
2. Xenotransplantation. 3. Development of sperm and eggs in
surrogates.4. Opens up ability to do more work on
sperm/egg interactions, sperm-to-egg ratios, tests of sperm quality and modeling
7. Spatial ecology of juvenile and Atlantic sturgeon
6. Stable isotopes—ecology and as a forensic tool to catch poachers and stop illegal trade in caviar
8. Sexual dimorphism in sturgeons
Litvak Lab
Comparative Physiology
Evolution of hypoxia/thermal tolerance
Mitochondrial physiology
Cardiac vs. skeletal muscle physiology
Dr. Andrea [email protected]
Possible projects• Shorebird movement, duration of stay and habitat use in
coastal NB • Capture, tag, radiotrack a variety of species, behaviour and diet work
• Primary productivity on mudflats• Quantify primary production and standing crop of diatoms, examine
aspects of ecology of biofilms (in conjunction with Drs. Campbell and Liefer)
• Intertidal community ecology• Examine top down and bottom up factors, including primary
production, influencing intertidal systems.
Helpful traits in honours students in my lab
• Interest in field ecology, lab analytical techniques, quantitative analyses, and publishing results.
• Comfort with strange hours, hard work, unpredictability.
• Happy working in groups.
• Good birding skills or interest in learning, fondness for mud and things that live in it.
If interested in working in my lab, please contact me. I will put you in touch with
current and former lab members.
Vett LloydTick-vectored diseases/Lyme diseaseZoonosesMolecular genetics
T101
O+F
+
T112
O+F
+
100bp
ladder
Potential honours projects:
- 2 honours positions- Summer funding likely available but either May or Sept.
start is acceptable- Projects all involve and molecular genetics (PCR and
friends). Some interaction with Lyme patients and/or the public may be required for some projects
- Independent studies students are also welcome
What pathogens are in our ticks? Molecular testing of tick bank specimens to find pathogens
Molecular ecology – molecular diet analysis of coyote, fox scat and cat (who’s lunch project)
Profiling of oncogenes in human and canine tissuesColorectal cancer – molecular histology (requires
summer internship in the Upper River Valley Hospital in Woodstock. Suitable for someone serious about a medical career).
Molecular histology and sequence analysis of human tissue
Projects
MacCormack Lab – Barclay [email protected], maccormacklab.com
• Fish (mostly) physiology and metabolism
• Natural environmental stressors: oxygen, temperature, pH
• Anthropogenic stressors: contaminants (nanoparticles)
• Whole animals, isolated organs, isolated cells, and protein level studies
• Fall 2020 projects: • Role of taurine in supporting cardiac function• Accelerated growth in salmon reared under hyperoxia (with Morash)• Cardiotoxicity of nanoparticles
• Students Publish!• Williams KJ, Cassidy AA, Verhille CE, Lamarre SG, MacCormack TJ. 2019. Diel cycling hypoxia enhances
hypoxia-tolerance in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): Evidence of physiological and metabolic plasticity. J Exp Biol 222: jeb 206045.
• Campbell LA, Gormley PT, Bennett JC, Murimboh JD, MacCormack TJ. 2019. Functionalized silver nanoparticles depress aerobic metabolism in the absence of overt toxicity in brackish water killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus. Aquat Toxicol 213: 105221.
• Callaghan NI, Williams KJ, Bennett JC, MacCormack TJ. 2018. Nanoparticulate-specific effects of silver on teleost cardiac contractility. Environ Pollut 237: 721-730.
• Henry EF, MacCormack TJ. 2018. Taurine protects cardiac contractility in Fundulus heteroclitus by enhancing sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+ cycling. J Comp Physiol B 188, 89-99.
MacCormack Lab – Barclay [email protected], maccormacklab.com