The Dollar Store, Duct Tape and Creativity: Maintaining an Undergraduate
Research Program on a Shoestring Budget
Anna Yeung-Cheung, Ph.D., Nancy Todd, Ph.D., and Wendy McFarlane, Ph.D.
Department of Biology, Biochemistry and Environmental Studies, Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York
Abstract
Abstract
Title
Manhattanville College is a small liberal arts college
founded in 1917. There is a strong emphasis on teaching at the
college, but faculty are also required to develop their scholarship
to achieve reappointment, promotion and tenure. The Biology
major incorporates a research sequence as its capstone project.
Each year, 10-25 students conduct research with their mentors
to produce potentially publishable papers, and many students
travel to conferences to present their research. Funding for
research has traditionally been limited, although more funds
have been allocated in recent years. As a result, the faculty
have had to be creative about developing, implementing and
conducting research projects. With such limited support, we
have been surprisingly successful at producing quality research
and well-trained graduates who have gone on to successful
careers of their own!
Examples of Research Activities and Projects
We try to reuse and recycle common everyday products
Food preference in the
Asian Shore Crab
Angelica Scaglione ‘10
Kept the crabs from
cannibalizing each other
by using baby food
containers collected by her
mentor Total Cost: $0.00
Nutrient Substrates and Development of Dermestes maculatus
Kirsten Betsill ’11
Nicole ‘11
Yasmin Reyes ’12
Glad plastic containers,
bridal tulle and duct tape
Total Cost: $200.00
Funded by TriBeta Grant
Manuscript in prep.
Background
Sometimes we build or create components of our research projects
Manhattanville College has an amazingly diverse mix of 1700
undergraduate students from more than 30 states and 50
countries, as well as ~1,000 graduate students.
The Department of Biology has 5 full time professors, several
adjunct professors, and 40-50 major students each year. Our
capstone experience includes a 3-semester research project in
which students work closely with a research mentor. This sequence
includes:
Bio 3099 Research Seminar (Junior Fall semester, 2 credits)
Bio 3499 Senior Research (Senior Fall semester, 2 credits)
Bio 3998 Senior Evaluation (Senior Spring semester, 2
credits)
At the end of this sequence, students write a potentially
publishable research paper and give a final presentation to their
mentors and peers.
Our current research budget for up to 25 seniors a year is
only $7000.00, and we have limited amount of funding for students
to present their work at conferences. Prior to 2008, we had no
research line in our budget.. We have had some success with
obtaining small research grants ($250-$3000), but the overall cost
of research in terms of materials and space is not completely
covered. As a result, we have had to be creative with our projects
and seek out alternative sources of materials for these projects.
Hand-made electromagnetic coil to
examine the effects of 60hz EM fields
on plant growth
Total Cost: Growlights, wire, seeds
Total Cost: $175.00
We have developed many relationships with nearby parks and
associations
We encourage “Field” studies to use the natural resources around our
location: Hudson River, Mamaroneck Harbor, Long Island Sound,
Appalachian Trail, Black Forest, Marshlands Conservancy, Sheldrake
Environmental Center to name a few.
We have an Environmental Park with Ecoclassroom and
Ecomachine for purifying water on campus
It provides an excellent area of research within Environmental Studies,
reducing the need to travel or pay for research permits for study
purposes.
The impact of water quality on early
embryonic development of the green sea
urchin (Strongylocentortus drobachiensis)
Stephen Corvini and Janyll Perez ’12
Stephen is studying Physical Therapy at NY
Medical College
Total Cost: $50.00
Maryke Van Leewen ‘01
B.S. and M.S. in Nursing,
Johns Hopkins University
Total Cost: $80.00
ENVIRONMENTAL/MICROBIOLOGY LAB
AFTER
Many students have the opportunity to present their research at
scientific conferences, and some projects are ultimately published.
Senior Research Projects 2008-2012
99 Papers and Presentations
Presentations at National Science Conferences 2008-2012
19 presentations
Presentations at Undergraduate Conferences 2008-2012
51 presentations
Scientific Publications by Undergraduates 2007-2012
9 publications
3 manuscripts currently in review
2 currently in preparation
On many occasions, the student’s research project has been the
deciding factor in their admission to graduate and medical schools.
Our graduates have been very successful in their careers, and we
have been able to keep track of 111 graduates since 1999.
Total Cost: $200.00
A Mini-Gunderboom filter to test efficacy of
Gunderboom technology for filtering water in the
lab, built in Hong Kong
1 gallon milk jugs, panty hose,
paperclips and an airstone
ENVIRONMENTAL/MICROBIOLOGY LAB
BEFORE
Graduate Activities 1999-2012
Jake Fried ‘08
Completed NYU College of Dentistry
Used an old refrigerator to keep urchin
larvae alive, developed new method for
oxygenation in the unit
GENERAL BIOLOGY LAB
AFTER
GENERAL BIOLOGY LAB
BEFFORE
Undergraduate Scholarship
Alyssa is teaching 6
Grade Life Science in
the Bronx, NY
New egg collecting
apparatus
Total Cost: $50.00
Recent renovations and lab upgrades have
resulted in a well-equipped tissue culture
laboratory to conduct in vitro lab projects
Cell lines are frozen to save for future use
rather than additional purchases, and some
cell lines are donated from local research
laboratories.
Renovations of the teaching laboratories have also provided additional
space for research
Yeung-Cheung, A. K., N. M. Benevento and D. M. Pavel. 2009. An evaluation of the
effectiveness of the Gunderboom® in protecting waters from bacteria. Journal of
Environmental Health 71(8) 42-27
A new breeding and egg collection protocol for Danio rerio, with notes on
variability in hatching time
Nancy Todd, Hiroshi Osaka and Alyssa Fico ‘12
Paper under review in Zebrafish
th
Sometimes, we reuse/recycle
items from home or other
projects!
Total Cost: $30.00
Teamwork
There are often pairs or teams of
students working on different aspects of
the same project.
The effect of the Gunderboom® water filter in bacteria levels in
Mamaroneck Harbor – Total Cost: $2000.00, funded by a grant from
Gunderboom®
Nicole Benevento, Pretima Persad and Donatella Pavel ’10
Crystal Noujaim ’07
Ph.D. in Physical Therapy from New
York Medical College, 2010
How do we do it?
We find and purchase nonchemical supplies through
local retail stores or on EBAY.
Some research projects are collaborations
between 2 professors and another institution
Mame Cisse ’12
NY Medical College and Manhattanville
Total cost to us: $0.00
Recent Improvements
Exercise stress and
muscle physiology
Students exercised
mummichog fish to
exhaustion in a bucket,
then froze tissues for
biochemical analysis
Tara Pisano & Alex Braverman ’11
Tara is at Wagner College of Nursing
Thomen, A. ‘08, W.J. McFarlane, and N.E. Todd. Testing the efficacy of a small-scale
Ecomachine
to improve water quality and allow for wetland restoration. Manuscript in prep
Total Cost: $300.00
Acknowledgements
We recently started a composting project with reused wood pallets and
food scraps from the campus cafeteria which was used to start an
organic garden on campus.
Organized by Dr. Christopher Pappas and students
Environmental Jobs in the field
Health Science Jobs in the field
Research Labs
Teachers
Actress
Medical School
Dental School
Osteopathic School
Optometry School
5
18
10
11
1
7
5
3
2
Physicians Assistant Programs
Nursing Programs
Speech Language Pathology Programs
Chiropractic
Homeopathic Medicine
Ph.D. Programs
Ph.D. Programs in Molecular Biology
Ph.D. Physical Therapy
M.S. Programs
Bioinformatics
Education
Cell and Molecular Biology
Biomedical Sciences
Nutrition
Special Education
Public Health
Epidemiology
Environmental Studies
2
7
1
1
1
4
2
4
1
6
2
3
2
2
5
1
1