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September 6, 2011
(Last update: 09/07/11)
Handouts of the Graduate Faculty
Council
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Responsible Conduct
of Research (RCR)
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The Law
• The America COMPETES Act of 2007 requires
institutions applying for awards to include “a
plan to provide appropriate training and
oversight in the responsible and ethical
conduct of research to undergraduate
students, graduate students, and postdoctoral
researchers participating in the proposed
research project.”
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NSF Requirements for RCR Training
• Certification Regarding Responsible Conduct of
Research (RCR): Require certification that the
institution has a plan to provide appropriate training
and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of
research to undergraduates, graduate students, and
postdoctoral researchers who will be supported by NSF
to conduct research.
• While training plans are not required to be included in
proposals submitted to NSF, institutions are advised
that they are subject to review upon request.
• The following language specifies NSF’s implementation
of Section 7009.
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Institutional Responsibilities
• An institution must have a plan in place to provide appropriate
training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of
research to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral
researchers who will be supported by NSF to conduct research. As
noted in GPG Chapter II.C.1e, institutional certification to this effect
is required for each proposal.
• While training plans are not required to be included in proposals
submitted to NSF, institutions are advised that they are subject to
review, upon request.
• An institution must designate one or more persons to oversee
compliance with the RCR training requirement.
• Institutions are responsible for verifying that undergraduate
students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers
supported by NSF to conduct research have received training in the
responsible and ethical conduct of research.
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Sponsor Requirements
• The University certifies that students, faculty, and staff participating
in projects funded by NSF are receiving training in the responsible
conduct of research (RCR).
• Some NIH mechanisms require a plan for training in RCR to be
included in the proposal. NIH study sections evaluate the plans.
This training may not be completed entirely online. Applications
with unacceptable plans will not be funded.
• Both NIH and NSF indicate that contact hours must be substantive
(e.g. 8 contact hours) and training must occur at least once during
each career stage (not less than every 4 years)
• Other sponsors of research may have additional or different
requirements.
• The definition of “funded by” could include personnel who use
equipment purchased by funds provided by a sponsor.
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Sponsor Requirements (cont)
• RCR training includes
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Data acquisition, management, sharing and ownership
Conflict of interest and commitment
Human subjects
Animal welfare
Research misconduct
Publication practices and responsible authorship
Mentor/trainee responsibilities
Peer review
Collaborative science
Implications on society
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Observed need for training
• Students express interest in more training in feedback obtained by the
Graduate School at its seminars and orientation program. They express a
desire to know how to conduct research according to the “rules of the
road.”
• RCR training for graduate students has been inconsistent across campus.
Some students obtain substantial training, but others receive little. This
has caused problems for students, including research misconduct cases,
and delays in completing research.
• It is unreasonable to expect that every faculty mentor provide and track
training in Banner for each student performing research, and to certify
that every student supported by a federal grant has been trained before
they do any research.
• Therefore, the best option is to have training tracked centrally, and initially
offer University-wide program that satisfy sponsor requirements. This will
ensure compliance with sponsor requirements, and establish a framework
for more flexible options in the future.
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University Response
• Since fall semester 2008, the Graduate School has
incorporated basic aspects of RCR training into its
orientation program. Since 2008, all graduate students have
been required to attend orientation. Post-docs and others
are welcome to attend whenever space is available. Postdocs, faculty, and staff are invited to volunteer as copresenters and facilitators.
• Beginning spring semester 2012, all post docs and
supported graduate students will be required to complete
basic and advanced RCR training. Beginning spring
semester 2013, all unsupported graduate students will be
required to complete basic and advanced training. The
training will be tracked by the Graduate School as a service
to these scholars and their advisors:
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University response (cont)
– Basic RCR training requirements will be satisfied
by:
• Attendance at graduate student orientation (post-docs
may serve as facilitators, or participate in facilitator
training to receive credit for the training).
• Completion of an online CITI course. (This has been a
requirement for graduate students since fall 2008.)
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University Response (cont)
– Advanced RCR training requirements will be
satisfied by:
• Successful completion of UN0500 – Effective
Scholarship. This one credit course has a fee associated
with it, but tuition will not be assessed.
• Completion of a series of courses or modules that in
combination address at least six out the eight learning
objectives that make up the Advanced RCR training
program.
• Completion of advanced training modules through CITI
or other online source.
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University response (cont)
• Programs may submit a form (not yet available) to the
Graduate School to exempt graduate students from
participating in advanced RCR training for one of two
reasons:
– s/he is not in a research degree program and the
department/school/college does not feel that the student will
benefit from the training program and the student is not
supported by either internal or external funds and the student
will not ultimately complete a thesis or dissertation at Michigan
Tech,
• or
– the department/school/college offers an equivalent training
program and tracks students’ attendance and documents
students’ completion of the program in Banner.
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University Response (cont)
• The Graduate School hosts a web page that
describes the learning objectives of for the basic
and advanced programs and provides language
that can be used to aid in proposal preparation.
• Additional training must be handled by the
departments and programs that house students
or by another training method. For example,
human subjects training can be satisfied through
completion of an advanced part of the online CITI
course. This training is only required of scholars
who will be conducting human subjects research.
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Rationale for including all students
• All students are being required to complete basic and advanced RCR
training unless an exemption is requested as described in the
previous section, based on the following reasons:
• Faculty will be able to immediately have students begin work on
sponsored projects, will not need to wait to determine if they are
properly trained, and will know what training the students have
received.
• Additional training will reduce the number of students with
academic integrity and research misconduct issues, which will help
students make better progress toward their degrees and be more
productive in their research.
• Additional training will reduce the likelihood that a student’s thesis
or dissertation research will be unacceptable.
• The training is a key component of professional preparation of
students that falls outside of most disciplinary faculty members’
teaching interests.
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Proposing substitute courses and
workshops
• A committee of faculty and staff will be appointed by the
Vice President for Research and the Dean of the
Graduate School to consider courses and workshops as
possible substitutions for UN0500. Approved
courses/workshops will be listed on a website. Until such
time as there are courses/workshops that satisfy all of
the possible learning objectives, students who take a preapproved course or workshop will be exempted from the
part of UN0500 that covers the same content. In the
future, students may be able to satisfy all of the
advanced requirements by taking a series of courses and
workshops.
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Recommended schedule
for completion
• Graduate students
– Basic training (Orientation) completed within first
two semesters of initial matriculation.
– Advanced training (UN0500 or other) completed
within second or third semesters of enrollment.
Enrollment in UN0500 will not be allowed in most
cases during the first semester of enrollment.
• Post docs
– Complete both segments of the training within the
first two semesters of employment
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Consequences for not completing
training
• Graduate students who do not complete
training will have a registration hold placed on
their account and will be unable to register for
classes until the training is complete.
• Post docs and graduate students who do not
complete the full training within the specified
time frame will not be eligible to be paid from
a sponsored programs account until the
training is completed.
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Proposal for a non-departmental Ph.D. Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB)
Submitted by the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Doctoral Planning Group
Contacts: P. Murthy (Chemistry), R. Wusirika (Biological Sciences), C.P. Joshi (Forestry and
Environmental Sciences)
March 21, 2011
There is a growing world-wide demand for scientists and engineers with advanced training in
biochemistry and molecular biology. In particular, there is a recognized need for society to understand and
respond to problems associated with human health, medicine, forestry and agriculture at the biochemical and
molecular levels. Powerful new research tools for understanding these complex processes, such as complete
genomes (of humans, animals, crop plants and trees), multi-scale computer models, and applications of “omics”
technologies including pharmacogenomics (designing specific therapies based on individual genomes) are being
rapidly developed. To successfully participate in these advanced research and development endeavors students
need graduate-level training in biochemistry and molecular biology. Furthermore, these research problems and
the techniques used to address them are inherently interdisciplinary in nature, and therefore span traditional
departmental boundaries.
Michigan Tech has a long and rich history of research in the exciting field of biochemistry and molecular
biology. Recent conceptual and technological advancements have widened the scope of what is possible to
study in these fields and correspondingly, many recent faculty hires in individual departments and through the
Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative have increased the ranks of those around campus (Biological Sciences,
Chemistry, Forest resources and Environmental Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering,
Mathematics) engaged in biomedical research, plant genomics and other health-related biochemistry and
molecular biology studies. Our ability to carry out cutting edge research in these areas will strongly benefit from
greater coherence and integrated graduate training. Here, we propose a new doctoral degree program in
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) which would consolidate our dispersed resources and expertise. This
would provide a more appropriate degree program for some of our current and future graduate students as well
as a stronger and more focused educational experience for all students involved in molecular level investigations
of life processes. Items required by the University Senate for proposing new academic programs (Proposal
108.1.1) are detailed in this proposal.
This program would be categorized within the one or both of the following two CIP codes:
• 26.0210 Biochemistry/Biophysics and Molecular Biology
• 26.0299 Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other
1. General description and characteristics of the program
A growing number of faculty and graduate students at Michigan Tech are working in the area of biochemistry
and molecular biology. These include members of the Departments of Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemical
Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences. Active
research programs, courses, and a growing number of graduate degrees based on work in this area already exist.
The current initiative is to build on the established and emerging research programs by developing a new,
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coherent, non-departmental Ph.D. program whose primary focus is the graduate education of students in the
interdisciplinary areas of biochemistry and molecular Biology (BMB).
A core group of 14 graduate faculty members will be involved in the BMB Ph.D. program (Table 1). The BMB
Core Faculty are those who likely would advise Ph.D. students in the program, teach relevant lecture and
laboratory courses, serve on qualifying exam committees, be elected to serve on the steering committee and
otherwise perform programmatic duties of graduate faculty. Current members are from the Departments of
Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences.
The BMB program is open to faculty and students with overlapping research and academic interests. Michigan
Tech faculty with close research interests include Drs. S. Bagley (BL), M.H. Song (BL), D. Shonnard (CM), C.-A.
Peng (CM), A. Minerick (CM), C. Heldt (CM),T. H. Donahue (MEEM), S.Donahue (BE), M. Frost (BE), R. Rajachar
(BE) and others. We expect that some of these faculty members will be interested in participating in the BMB
Ph.D. program by joining the BMB Core Faculty group and participating in associated teaching and service
duties. Other faculty members advise graduate students who will benefit from the new course offerings and
other educational activities resulting from this program as their research focus needs a detailed understanding
of biochemistry and molecular biology.
We anticipate that a coherent program in BMB will help to attract future faculty with diverse expertise in this
area into the above departments as well as other department such as the Departments of Chemical Engineering
and Biomedical Engineering.
Table 1. BMB Core Faculty
Department of Biological Sciences
Rupali Datta, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Plant Biochemistry, Environmental Remediation, Plant-Microbe Interactions
Office: 530 Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-1783; Email: rupadatta@mtu.edu
K. Michael Gibson, Ph.D., FACMG
Professor
Inherited human genetic disorders
Office: 740 Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-2025; Email: kmgibson@mtu.edu
Michael Gretz, Ph.D.
Professor
Carbohydrate biochemistry
Office: 730 Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-3175; Email: mrgretz@mtu.edu
Wan Jin Jahng, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Vision mechanism, retinal degeneration, functional proteomics
Office: 501 Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-2192; Email: wjahng@mtu.edu
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Ramakrishna Wusirika, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Plant Molecular Biology, Comparative Genomics, Bidirectional Promoters and Transposons
Office 505 Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-3068; Email: wusirika@mtu.edu
Thomas Werner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Evolution, Genetics, Toxicology, Developmental Biology, Insect Immunology, Virology
Office 523, Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-1209; Email: twerner@mtu.edu
Department of Chemistry
Tarun Dam, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Glycobiology; protein-glycan interactions in immune regulation and pathogen invasion
Office: 701C Chemical Science and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-2940; Email: tkdam@mtu.edu
Pushpalatha Murthy, Ph.D.
Professor
Phospholipid and Phosphoinositide metabolism and biochemistry
Office: 505 Chemical Science and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-2094; Email: ppmurthy@mtu.edu
Martin Thompson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Protein-protein interactions and design of small peptide-based inhibitors of protein-interactions
Office: 510C Chemical Science and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-3522; Email: thompson@mtu.edu
Ashutosh Tiwari, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Protein misfolding diseases’ with special emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases.
Office: 402B Chemical Science and Engineering Building
Phone: (906) 487-1840; Email: tiwari@mtu.edu
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences
Victor Busov, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Functional genomics of woody development
Office: 185, Noblet Building, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Phone: 906-487-1728; Email: vbusov@mtu.edu
Oliver Gailing, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Ecological genetics and genomics
Office: 167, Noblet Building, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Phone: (906-487-1615); Email: ogailing@mtu.edu
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Chandrashekhar Joshi, Ph.D.
Professor
Development of fast growing bioenergy trees for efficient cell wall deconstruction to biofuels
Office: 168 Noblet Building, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Phone: 906-487-3480; Email: cpjoshi@mtu.edu
Hairong Wei, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Plant systems biology and bioinformatics
Office: 176, Noblet Building, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Phone: 906-487-1473; Email: hairong@mtu.edu
Organizational Structure and Administration
The Biochemistry Ph.D. program, as an interdisciplinary, cross-department program, will be administered
through the Graduate School. Participating faculty will elect a three-member steering committee. The
committee will elect a Graduate Program Director who will work closely with the Dean of the Graduate School
and will be assisted by a staff member. Most biochemistry and molecular biology grants are affiliated with the
Biotechnology Research Center (BRC) so the staff member of BRC will provide some assistance.
The Graduate Program Director and the Steering Committee, with the help of BMB Core faculty, will review
applications, make admission decisions, determine whether or not changes to the program need to be made
(e.g., changing the “approved” curriculum or adding or removing faculty from participation). The home
departments of the core courses are committed to offering them on a regular basis. Students enrolled in the
program will be housed within the home department of their advisors. The home departments will provide
office space, computational resources, and necessary supplies and infrastructure support, and will consider the
students for departmental teaching assistantships when appropriate and available. All such students will be
counted as members of their home departments for the purposes of internal university accounting.
2. Rationale
The new program responds to a national and international need for more researchers to address problems in
the areas of human health, disease treatment and sustainable environment at a molecular level. Advanced
education in biochemistry, molecular biology and related fields is essential for creative and productive
approaches to these problems. This initiative is motivated by the following:
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This program provides a mechanism for recruiting more highly qualified graduate students by providing
a degree that encompasses the interdisciplinary nature of biochemical research better than existing
programs within individual academic departments. Currently, students interested in BMB must apply to
programs in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, or the School of Forest Resources and Environmental
Studies, which have their own curriculum and culture. This new BMB program would attract additional
Ph.D. students who wish to have a broader interdisciplinary academic experience focused on
biochemistry and molecular biology.
•
The new program builds on current strengths with a core group of 14 faculty in three different
departments committed to the BMB program. The program could be offered as soon as it is approved.
Several existing students are already interested in entering the program.
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Many graduate-level biochemistry and molecular biology courses are currently offered at Michigan Tech
in separate departments and this program would streamline existing faculty effort by helping to identify
and eliminate redundancies and increase enrollments in courses that are currently undersubscribed.
New graduate courses will be added to address existing deficiencies and serve the needs of students in
several disciplines. The new courses along with existing courses will be organized into a coherent
program.
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The Ph.D. in BMB is attractive to students as they will have a degree in their area of interest. In addition,
the area of expertise of students will be obvious to academic and private sector employers because it is
not currently apparent to employers that Michigan Tech students educated in Chemistry, Biological
Sciences, or Forest Resources and Environmental Studies have specialized Ph.D. – level training in
biochemistry and molecular biology.
•
The new program would enhance interdisciplinary research at Michigan Tech by bringing together
graduate students and faculty housed in different departments who are conducting related research.
•
The new BMB program will be housed in the Graduate School. It will be overseen by a Steering
Committee made up of BMB Core Faculty.
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Research in biochemistry and molecular biology is well funded and the new program could help with
efforts to increase external funding.
3. Discussion of related programs within the institution and at other schools
There are currently three biochemistry Ph.D. programs (The University of Michigan, Ph.D. in Biological
Chemistry; Michigan State University, Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Wayne State University,
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) in the State of Michigan. The character of the biochemistry degree
programs vary depending on the research emphasis of the faculty. The faculty involved in this program at
Michigan Tech form a unique and broad mix involving biological chemistry, molecular and cellular biology,
chemical biology, plant physiology, biomedical science and engineering, biochemical engineering, biomechanical
engineering, forest molecular biology and genomic sciences. This combination of subject areas spans the major
sub-disciplines of biochemistry and molecular biology. Job opportunities for Ph.D. graduates in BMB are
excellent and are expected to remain so as a result of national and international priorities in medicine, health,
agriculture, forestry and bioenergy fields.
4. Projected enrollment
We anticipate that 2-5 students will enter the program immediately and that within five years the program will
have between 15-20 students.
5. Scheduling plans
We are aiming for implementation by Fall Semester 2011. Participating departments have committed to offer
core courses on a regular basis.
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6. Curriculum design
Course requirements are designed to ensure that all students have a firm understanding of the fundamentals of
biochemistry and molecular biology, including the principles underlying biochemical structure, biochemical
dynamics, molecular biology, genomics and biotechnology. These principles will be covered in three core
courses BMB5010, BMB5020 and BMB5030. The set of core courses will be offered annually. This ensures that
students will be able to complete the core courses and be prepared to take the qualifying examinations during
their second year.
6.1 Required Core Courses
Three 5000-level courses (three credits each), a seminar course (BMB5040; one credit), and doctoral research
(BMB 6990) will form the core of the curriculum for the BMB doctoral program. The courses are BMB 5010:
Advanced Biochemistry, BMB 5020: Advanced Molecular Biology, and BMB5030: Modern BMB techniques,
descriptions in Section 7 below). These courses cover the fundamentals of biochemistry and molecular biology.
The three core courses will be developed and team taught by the BMB core faculty from the departments of
Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences. These courses
will provide the necessary background in the areas of biochemistry and molecular biology including genomics
and biotechnology. The Departments of Chemistry and Biological Sciences and the School of Forest Resources
and Environmental Sciences have agreed to support the creation of these new courses.
In addition to the nine core course credits above, students, depending on their academic background, may be
required to take additional courses to provide the breadth and depth necessary for graduate research. The
necessary courses will be suggested by the student’s Advisor in consultation with the Advisory Committee. The
courses may be at the 3000-, 4000- or 5000- level. A partial listing of 5000 level courses is included below (7.2).
Courses used to satisfy the requirements for a degree will conform to Graduate School policies regarding
required grades, overall GPA, and academic level.
Students will be required to complete a seminar course (BMB5040, 1 credit). Instead of duplicating seminar
courses offered by other departments, BMB5040 may include elements of graduate level seminar courses
currently offered by other departments such as Biological Sciences (BL5503), Chemistry (CH5900) and the School
of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences (FW5800) and others.
Students conducting research will enroll in (BMB6990).
Students will need a total of 60 credits beyond a Bachelor degree or 30 credits beyond a Master degree, per
Graduate School requirements.
6.2 Qualifying Examination
Each student must pass a written qualifying exam followed by an oral exam no later than the end of the second
year of graduate study (Spring semester of second year). This examination will cover topics covered in the core
courses BMB 5010, BMB 5020 and BMB 5030. The purpose of the examination is to determine the student’s
mastery of knowledge in biochemistry and molecular biology and the ability to apply this knowledge. Each
examination will be written by a committee of four faculty members who have been involved in teaching
BMB5010, BMB5020 and BMB5030. All students in the program will take the same qualifying exam. The
committee will grade the qualifying exam and conduct the oral examination. On the basis of the student’s
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performance, the committee will decide whether or not each student passes; a student will pass if a majority of
committee members vote in the affirmative. Students who do not pass the examination will be allowed a
second attempt. Failure to pass the Qualifying examination in two attempts will result in dismissal from the
Ph.D. program; both attempts must be completed by the end of the second year.
6.3 Proposal defense
The student will present a proposal followed by an oral defense of the research plan to his/her Advisory
Committee. The proposal should be submitted within one year of successfully completing the qualifying
examinations above (6.2) and no later than the completion of the third year in the Ph.D. program. The student's
advisory committee must unanimously agree that the research plan is acceptable. The oral proposal is open to
the University community.
6.4 Doctoral dissertation and final oral examination
The research conducted by the student will be presented to the Advisory Committee as a written dissertation.
An oral presentation of that dissertation will be made following the completion of the written work. The
committee will consist of at least four members of the graduate faculty. At least one of these will be from
outside the student's administrative home department or school. The dissertation is acceptable if the advisor
and at least two of the remaining three members of the Advisory Committee concur on its acceptance. The oral
defense is open to the University community.
7. New course descriptions
BMB5010 Advanced Biochemistry This course will focus on the relationships between structure and
function of proteins, nucleic acids lipids and carbohydrates. Specific topics include enzyme catalysis, binding and
allosterism, protein-protein interaction and protein-nucleic acid interaction, membrane function and signal
transduction. Classic and current papers may accompany the lecture material.
Foundations in basic biochemistry and molecular biology are required for this course. Credits: 3.0. Lec-Rec-Lab:
(3-0-0). Semesters Offered: Fall.
BMB5020 Advanced Molecular Biology This course will focus on the gene structure, gene duplication gene
expression, gene regulation, DNA recombination, DNA repair and transposition. Comparison between
prokaryotes and eukaryotes will be drawn. Genomics and modern biotechnology methods will be discussed.
Classis and current papers may accompany the lecture material. Foundations in basic biochemistry and
molecular biology are required for this course. Credits: 3.0. Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0). Semesters Offered: Fall.
BMB5030 Modern BMB Laboratory This is an intensive laboratory course that focuses on protein chemistry,
nucleic acid chemistry, genomics and biotechnology. Students will rotate between research labs of four faculty
where they will gain in-depth laboratory experience in modern biochemistry and molecular biology. Credits: 3.0.
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-3). Semesters Offered: Spring.
BMB6990 Doctoral Research Original research that culminates in a PhD dissertation. Credits: Variable to
12.0.May be repeated; Graded Pass/fail only. Semesters offered: Fall/Spring. Restrictions: Permission of
instructor required. Must be enrolled in one of the following level(s): Graduate
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7.1 Courses currently offered in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the 5000 level
•
BL5030 - Molecular Biology Molecular biology of gene structure, expression and regulation. Molecular techniques
and their application to biotechnology and genomes are covered. Credits: 3.0. Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0). Semesters
Offered: Fall; Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate.
•
BL 5035 – Bioimaging Current concepts in light and electron microscopy and scanning probe techniques. Theory
and practice of fluorescence (including confocal and multi-photon), atomic force, scanning and transmission
electron, and video microscopy as applied to biological specimens with an emphasis on sample preparation.
Emphasis will be placed on application of advanced techniques. Half semester course. Credits: 2.0. Lec-Rec-Lab:
(0-4-0). Semesters Offered: Fall - Offered alternate years beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year.
Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore, Junior
•
BL 5042 - Scanning Electron Microscopy of Biological Specimens Hands-on training in operation of the scanning
electron microscope (SEM). Students prepare biological specimens of their choice for observation. Emphasis will be
placed on application of advanced techniques. Successful completion of course is prerequisite to becoming a
certified SEM operator in the ACMAL. Half semester course. Credits: 2.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-2-6) Semesters Offered:
Fall - Offered alternate years beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one
of the following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore, Junior. Pre-Requisite(s): BL 5035
•
BL 5052 - Fluorescence and Video Microscopy of Biological Sciences Hands-on training in fluorescence
microscopy and video microscopy. Students prepare biological specimens of their choice for observation. Emphasis
will be placed on application of advanced techniques. Half semester course. Credits: 2.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-2-6)
Semesters Offered: Spring - Offered alternate years. Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following
Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore, Junior . Pre-Requisite(s): BL 5035
•
BL 5062 - Transmission Electron Microscopy of Biological Specimens Hands-on training in operation of the
transmission electron microscope (TEM). Students prepare biological specimens of their choice for observation.
Emphasis will be placed on application of advanced techniques. Successful completion of course is prerequisite to
becoming a certified TEM operator in the ACMAL. Half semester course. Credits: 2.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-2-6).
Semesters Offered: Spring - Offered alternate years. Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following
Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore, Junior. Pre-Requisite(s): BL 5035
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BL 5145 - Plant-Microbe Interactions Interactions between plants and microorganisms in the environment. Topics
include microbial virulence, signaling, gene expression, beneficial interactions and disease resistance in plants.
Laboratory will focus on plant biochemical and microbiological methods as they relate to environmental problems.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-0-2) Semesters Offered: Fall Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following
Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore, Junior
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BL 5503 - Graduate Research Seminar Seminar is designed to facilitate critical discussions of student research
projects at various stages of their development. The presenter will provide a seminar on their project and research
goals, which will establish the foundation for the discussion thereafter. Credits: 1.0; May be repeated. Lec-RecLab: (0-1-0). Semesters Offered: Fall
•
CH 5110 - Pharmaceutical Chemistry: Drug Action Focuses on structural and mechanistic approaches to
pharmaceuticals and drug action. General principles of absorption, distribution, action, metabolism, and toxicity of
drugs will be presented followed by action of drug classes such as antibiotics, cardiovascular, and antiinflammatory drugs. Credits: 3.0. Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0). Semesters Offered: Spring. Restrictions: Must be enrolled in
one of the following Level(s): Graduate
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CH 5120 - Pharmaceutical Chemistry: Drug Design Focuses on the important concepts in the design and synthesis
of drugs. Rational basis for drug design including synthetic, computational, and biochemical concepts will be
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discussed. Topics include structure-activity relationships, synthesis and reaction mechanism, and case studies of
drugs. Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the
following Level(s): Graduate
•
CH 5210 - Analytical Separations Covers theory and applications of modern gas chromatography, high
performance liquid chromatography, and ion chromatography as well as instrumentation for these techniques.
Studies trace organic analysis and environmental problems. Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0) Semesters Offered:
Spring. Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore, Junior
•
CH 5230 - Mass Spectrometry and Fluorescence Fundamentals and applications of gas chromatography-mass
spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and fluorescence spectroscopy. Credits: 3.0. Lec-RecLab: (3-0-0). Semesters Offered: On Demand Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Freshman, Sophomore, Junior
•
CH 5570 - Advanced Biophysical Chemistry A discussion of experimental techniques and applications of physical
chemistry principles to the study of the structure, dynamics, and chemical reactions of proteins, nucleic acids, and
other biopolymers. Credits: 3.0. Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0). Semesters Offered: On Demand. Pre-Requisite(s): CH 3520
•
FW 5070 - Developmental and Ecological Genetics Course will provide current knowledge on signal perception,
transduction and response pathways in higher eukaryotes with most examples primarily from but not limited to
plants in a lecture and colloquium format. Topics will cover major developmental pathways, and molecular bases
of adaptation to biotic and abiotic factors. Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (1-2-0) Semesters Offered: Fall PreRequisite(s): BL 5030
•
FW 5076 - Molecular Techniques in Ecology The course provides knowledge on molecular techniques used in
ecology, population biology, and evolutionary studies. Credits: 3.0; Graded Pass/Fail Only Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall - Offered alternate years beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year
•
FW 5082 – Gene Expression Data Analysis Students will learn statistical methods and skills for analyzing largescale gene expression data resulting from high-throughput technologies, become familiar with various
bioinformatics tools and resources, and develop useful working knowledge of how to analyze genetic data. Credits:
3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0) Semesters Offered: Spring - Offered alternate years beginning with the 2010-2011
academic year
•
FW 5089 - Tools of Bioinformatics Computer applications in molecular biology. Hands-on experience with using
popular computer programs for DNA, RNA and protein sequence analysis, database management, data editing,
assembly, and organization, multiple sequence comparisons, protein structural analysis, evolutionary relationships
of genes, use of Internet for data retrieval, comparison and analysis. Credits: 4.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-1-2) Semesters
Offered: Fall - Offered alternate years beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year Restrictions: Must be enrolled
in one of the following Level(s): Graduate
•
FW 5413 - Sustainable Biomass Production and management systems involving biomass for bioenergy and biofuels
applications in native forests and energy plantations. Emphasis on integration across systems and values in the
context of environmental sustainability. Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall - Offered
alternate years beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the
following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore, Junior
•
FW 5413 - Sustainable Biomass Production and management systems involving biomass for bioenergy and biofuels
applications in native forests and energy plantations. Emphasis on integration across systems and values in the
context of environmental sustainability. Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall - Offered
alternate years beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the
following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore, Junior
28
•
FW 5800 - Master's Graduate Seminar Presentation by students of current forest resource- related problems and
research. Some instruction on presentation skills. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate
•
FW 5850 - Effective Grantsmanship Workshop Ability to write successful grant application is an important part of
graduate education. Students will learn basic techniques of grant writing for federal, industrial, and international
funding agencies and will submit a well-organized proposal for peer review in the class. Credits: 2.0 Lec-Rec-Lab:
(1-1-0) Semesters Offered: Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman,
Sophomore, Junior
7.2 Potential additional courses
New courses will be offered based on the needs of graduate students and the expertise and availability
of affiliated faculty. Potential new courses include, Bioremediation; Cancer/tumor metabolism; and
Metabolic impact of pollutants.
8. Library and other learning resources
The program builds on existing resources, so it is not anticipated that new library or other learning
resources will be required.
9. Computing Access Fee
Initially each student will pay the Computing Access Fee appropriate to the advisor's home
department. The program will revisit this issue as circumstances dictate.
10. Faculty resumes
Attached below.
11. Description of available/needed equipment
Faculty listed in Table 1 have fully functioning laboratories with the necessary equipment and
computers. No new equipment is required to startup this program.
12. Program costs
No new resources are requested, and costs associated with recruiting and other program
administration will be handled through the Graduate School and the departments of Biological
Sciences, Chemistry, and Forest resources and environmental sciences and the BRC.
13. Space
No new space is required
29
14. Policies, regulations and rules
Described in Section 1 (faculty participation) and Section 6 (curriculum requirements) above.
15. Accreditation requirements
Not applicable
16. Internal status of the proposal
Approved by the Department Chairs and the Deans of the College of Sciences and Arts and the School
of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences (See attached signature sheet). Preliminary review by
the Dean of the Graduate School completed. Reviews by the Provost, Dean’s Council, Graduate Faculty
Council, and University Senate are pending.
17. Planned implementation date
There are students currently attending Michigan Tech who are interested in the BMB PhD program so
we are aiming for implementation by Fall Semester 2011.
30
Biographical Sketch
Victor B. Busov
Associate Professor
Michigan Technological University
School of Forest Resource Environmental Science
185 Horner Hall
Phone:906-487-1728
Fax:906-487-2915
Houghton, MI 49931
E-mail: vbusov@mtu.edu
Education
Oregon State University
North Carolina State University
Southern Illinois University
Bulgarian Higher Forestry Institute
Appointments
05/08-present
03/04–05/08
12/01—01/04
08/96--12/01
08/94--01/96
01/96--06/96
11/90--08/94
Molecular biology
Genetics
Forestry
Forestry
Post-doc., 2004
Ph.D.,2001
M.S., 1996
B.S., 1990
Associate Professor. Michigan Technological University. Functional genomics of adaptation and
development in trees.
Assistant Professor. Michigan Technological University. Functional genomics of adaptation and
development in trees.
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Oregon State University
Activation tagging for gene discovery in poplar.
Graduate Research Assistant. North Carolina State University.
Microarray analysis of auxin-regulated gene expression in loblolly pine.
Graduate Research Assistant, Southern Illinois University
Allozyme analysis of diversity and genetic structure of black walnut in central U.S.
Intern (during M.S. work), Westvaco Corporation (now MeadWestvaco)
Clonal propagation of loblolly pine and cottonwoods.
Research Associate. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Breeding, propagation and conservation of Fagus species in southeastern Europe.
Selected Publications
1)Gou, J., Strauss, S.H., Tsai, C.J., Fang, K., Chen, Y., Jiang, X., and Busov, V.B. (2010) Gibberellins Regulate Lateral Root
Formation in Populus through Interactions with Auxin and Other Hormones. Plant Cell 22:623-639.
2)Busov, VB, Yordanov, Y Gou, J, Meilan, R, Ma, C, Regan, S and Steven Strauss (2010) Activation tagging is an effective gene
tagging system in Populus. Trees Genetics and Genomes. DOI: 10.1007/s11295-010-0317-7
3)Xiaoqi Cui, Tong Wang, Huann-Sheng Chen, Victor Busov and Hairong Wei (2010) TF-finder: A Software Package
for Identification of Transcription Factors Involved in a Biological Process Using Microarray Data and Existing Knowledge.
Bioinformatics. 11: 425
4)Katherine M. Han, Palitha Dharmawardhana, Renee´ S. Arias, Cathleen Ma, Victor Busov and Steven H. Strauss. (2010)
Gibberellin-associated cisgenes modify growth, stature and wood properties in Populus. Plant Biotech J. p 1–17.
4)Busov VB, Brunner AM, Strauss SH. 2008. Genes for control of plant stature and form. New Phytologist 177: 589-607.
5)Tuskan GA, …Busov V et al.. 2006. The genome of black cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray). Science. 313,
1596-1604.
6)Busov VB, Brunner A, Meilan R, Filichkin, S, Ganio, L, Gandhi, S, Strauss, SH. 2005. Genetic transformation: A powerful
tool for dissection of adaptive traits in trees. New Phytologist.167: 9-18.
7)Brunner, AM, Busov VB, and Strauss SH. 2004. The Poplar Genome Sequence: Functional Genomics in a Keystone Plant
Species. Trends in Plant Science 9: 49-56
31
8)Busov VB, Meilan R, Pearce DW, Ma C, Rood SB, Strauss SH. 2003. Activation tagging of a dominant gibberellin catabolism
gene (GA 2-oxidase) from poplar that regulates tree stature. Plant Physiology. 132: 1283-1291.
Synergistic Activities
1)Member of IUFRO Working Party S3. 02-03
2)Member of American Society of Plant Biologist
3)American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
4)Namkoong’s Family Fellowship for Academic and Teaching Excellence, 2000
5)North Carolina Biotechnology Consortium Travel Award, 2001.
6)Ad Hoc reviewer: NSF Multiple Directorates and Programs, USDA-NRI Competitive Grants Program.
7)Ad Hoc manuscript reviewer: Transgenic Research, Plant Science, Tree Physiology, Plant Molecular Biology, New
Phytologist.
8)Invited participant in the Populus genome sequence annotation jamboree. Dec 6-10, 2004, Joint Genome Institute,
Walnut Creek, CA
Collaborators
Allen, N., NCSU; Brunner, A.M., OR State U; Davis, J., DOE; DiFazio, S.P., DOE, ORNL; Garcia, C., NCSU; Goldfarb, B., NCSU;
Johannes, E., NCSU; Kung, F., S. Illinois U.; LeBude, A., NCSU; Pearce, D., U. of Lethbridge, CAN; Pregitzer, K., MTU; Rink, G.,
U.S. Forest Service; Rood, S.B., U. of Lethbridge, CAN; Sambeek, J.V., U.S. Forest Service; Sederoff, R.R., NCSU; Spiker, S.L.,
NCSU; Strauss, S.H., Oregon State U.; Sun, Y., NCSU; Swain, S., CSIRD, Austrailia; Tsai, C.-J., MTU; Tschaplinski, T.J., ORNL
Oakridge, TN; Tuskan, G.A., ORNL, Oakridge; Whetten, R.W., NCSU; Woeste, K.E., Purdue University
Graduate and Post-Doctoral Advisors
M.S. Advisor:
Kung, F., Southern Illinois University
Ph.D. Advisor:
Goldfarb, B., NC State University; Spiker, S.L., NC State University
Post-doctoral Advisor:
Strauss, S.H., Oregon State University
Advisor and Postgraduate-Scholar Sponsor
Hao Wei (OSU); Rewati Potkar (MTU); Zhan Ye (MTU); Trisha Colling (MTU); Chamini Geethenjalee (MTU); Shiv
Thammannagowda (MTU); Fuyu Xu (Ph.D., MTU); Christine Zawaski (MTU); Elizabeth Etherington (OSU); Rama Joshi (MTU)
Mahita Kadmiel (MTU); Rajinikanth Mohan (MTU)
32
Biographical Sketch
Tarun K. Dam
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931
Phone: 906 487 2940
Email: tkdam@mtu.edu
Education
University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India
Indian Institute of Science, India
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY
Protein Biochemistry
Protein Biochemistry
Protein Biophysics
Ph. D. 1994
Trainee, 1993-1995
Postdoc, 1996-2000
Appointments
2010- Assistant Professor, Michigan Technological University, MI
2000-2010 Instructor (Full time Faculty), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY
Selected publications
1) Dam, T. K. and Brewer, C. F., Maintenance of cell surface glycan density by lectin-glycan
interactions: a homeostatic and innate immune regulatory mechanism. Glycobiology 20, 1061
1064 (2010). http://glycob.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/9/1061.full.pdf+html
2) Dam, T. K. and Brewer, C. F., Lectins as pattern recognition molecules: the effects of epitope density in innate immunity
Glycobiology 20, 270-279 (2010).
http://glycob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/20/3/270?view=long&pmid=19939826
3) Dam, T. K., Gerken, T. A. and Brewer, C. F. Thermodynamics of multivalent carbohydrate-lectin cross-linking interactions:
importance of entropy in the bind and jump mechanism. Biochemistry, 48, 3822-3827 (2009).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19292456
4) Dam, T. K., Torres, M., Brewer, C. F. and Casadevall, A., Isothermal titration calorimetry reveals differential binding
thermodynamics of variable region-identical antibodies differing in constant region for a univalent ligand. J. Biol. Chem.
283, 31366-31370 (2008).
http://www.jbc.org/content/283/46/31366.long
5) Dam, T. K., and Brewer, C. F., Effects of clustered epitopes in multivalent ligand-receptor interactions. Biochemistry, 47,
8470-8476 (2008).
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bi801208b
6) Dam, T. K., Gerken, T. A., Cavada, B. S., Nascimento, K. S., Moura, T. R., and Brewer, C. F., Binding studies of -GalNAc
specific lectins to the -GalNAc (Tn-antigen) form of porcine submaxillary mucin and its smaller fragments. J. Biol. Chem.
282, 28256-28263 (2007).
http://www.jbc.org/content/282/38/28256.long
7) Dam, T. K. and Brewer, C. F. Fundamentals of lectin-carbohydrate interactions, in Comprehensive Glycoscience,
(Kamerling, J. P., ed.), Elsevier Ltd., Vol. 3, pp. 397-452 (2007).
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=RefWorkIndexURL&_idxType=TC&_cdi=48257&_refWorkId=3687&_explode=5
584000008,5584000010&_alpha=&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_userid=10&md5=48905b7cd1c795793063a99d0dce5
1b6&refID=5584000010#5584000010
8) Dam, T. K., Gabius, H.-J., André, S., Kaltner, H., Lensch, M., and Brewer, C. F. Galectins bind to the multivalent
glycoprotein asialofetuin with enhanced affinities and a gradient of decreasing binding constants. Biochemistry, 44, 1256412571 (2005).
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bi051144z
33
9) Dam, T. K., Oscarson, S., Roy, R., Das, S. K., Page, D., Macaluso, F. and Brewer, C. F. Thermodynamic, kinetic and electron
microscopy studies of concanavalin A and Dioclea grandiflora lectin cross-linked with synthetic divalent carbohydrates. J.
Biol. Chem. 280, 8640-8646 (2005). http://www.jbc.org/content/280/10/8640.long
10) Dam, T. K. and Brewer C. F. Carbohydrate-lectin cross-linking interactions: structural, thermodynamic, and biological
studies. Methods in Enzymology (Recognition of Carbohydrates in Biological Systems; Y.C. Lee & R. T. Lee, ed.), 362, 455486 (2003).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12968382
11) Hegde, S. S., Dam, T. K., Brewer C. F. and Blanchard, J. S. (2002), Thermodynamics of aminoglycoside and acyl-coenzyme
A binding to the Salmonella enterica AAC(6’)-Iy aminoglycoside N-acetyltransferase. Biochemistry 41, 7519-7527 (2002).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12044186
12) Dam, T. K. and Brewer, C. F. Thermodynamic studies of lectin-carbohydrate interactions by isothermal titration
calorimetry. Chemical Reviews 102, 387-429 (2002).
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/cr000401x
13) Dam, T. K., Roy, R., Page, D. and Brewer, C. F. Negative cooperativity associated with binding of multivalent
carbohydrates to lectins. Thermodynamic analysis of the “Multivalency Effect”. Biochemistry 41, 1351-1358 (2002).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11802737
14) Dam, T. K., Roy, R., Das, S. K., Oscarson, S. and Brewer, C. F. Binding of multivalent carbohydrates to concanavalin A and
Dioclea grandiflora lectin. Thermodynamic analysis of the “Multivalency Effect”. J. Biol. Chem. 275, 14223-14230 (2000).
http://www.jbc.org/content/275/19/14223.long
15) Dam, T. K., Bachhawat, K., Rani, P. G. and Surolia, A. Garlic (Allium sativum) lectins bind to high mannose
oligosaccharide chains. J. Biol. Chem. 273, 5528-5535 (1998).
http://www.jbc.org/content/273/10/5528.long
Synergistic Activities
1) Received Young Scientist Award for “outstanding accomplishments and contributions in the field of microcalorimetry”
given at ‘Biocalorimetry 2001 Conference: Philadelphia, PA.
2) Developed educational materials, which have been published in several books, such as Animal Lectins: A Functional View,
(Vasta and Ahmed ed., Taylor and Francis); Comprehensive Glycoscience, (Kamerling, J. P., ed., Elsevier Ltd) and Lectins:
Analytical Technologies, (Nilsson, C., ed., Elsevier B.V. Elsevier B.V).
3) Reviewed manuscripts for scientific journals, namely, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biophysical
Journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, Glycobiology, Glycoconjugate
Journal, Journal of the American Chemical Society, European Journal of Biochemistry, Phytochemistry, Analytical
Biochemistry.
4) Published a book review in the journal Carbohydrate Research. 325, 233-234 (2000).
5) Received invitation to deliver oral presentation at national scientific meetings and universities.
Collaborators
Thomas Gerken (Case Western Reserve University, Ohio)
Arturo Casadevall, John Blanchard (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York)
Benildo Cavada (FederalUniversity of Ceará, Brazil)
Marit Sletmoen (The Norwegian University of Science andTechnology, Norway)
Hans-J Gabius (Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Germany)
René Roy (Université du Quebec à Montréal, Canada)
Stefan Oscarson (Stockholm University, Sweden)
Membership
Society for Glycobiology
American Chemical Society
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
34
Biographical Sketch
Rupali Datta
Assistant professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI-49931
Phone: (906) 487-1783
Email: rupdatta@mtu.edu
Education
Osmania University, India
University of Hyderabad, India
University of Hyderabad, India,
Appointments
2008-present
2004-2008
2003-2004
2002-2003
1998-2001
1997-1998
Honors
1991-96
1992
1994
1996-97
1997-98
2004
2005
2005
Biology and Chemistry
Life Sciences
Life Sciences
B.S., 1987
M.S. 1989
Ph.D. 1997
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton,
Michigan
Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio,
San Antonio, Texas
Research Assistant Professor and Senior Lecturer, Earth and Environmental Science Department,
University of Texas at San Antonio,
Post-doctoral Fellow and Lecturer-I, Earth and Environmental Science Department, University of Texas at
San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Post-doctoral Associate, Plant Pathology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Visiting Research Fellow, Japanese Society for Promotion of Science Fellowship) Niigata University,
Niigata, Japan
Junior and Senior Research Fellowships from the University Grants Commission, Govt. of India
American Society for Plant Physiologists (ASPP) fellowship for Plant Biochemistry course at the University
of California, San Diego
Young Scientist Fellowship by 16th International Union of Biochemistry and Plant Molecular Biology
Congress
Senior Research Fellowship in project funded by Department of Science and Technology (Govt. of India)
JSPS Research Fellowship by the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science
Outstanding Young Scientist Award, 2004 Association of Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin (AASIO)
University of Texas at San Antonio Faculty Research Award.
Early Career Award in Research. Southern Branch of the American Society of Agronomy
Selected Research Support
United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2002, $391,473/2y (Total): Biogeochemistry of arsenic in contaminated
soils of Superfund sites
National Institutes of Health
35
1) 2007, $414,550 (Direct): Novel Remediation Methods to Lower Human Health Risk from Exposure to ArsenicEnriched Soils
2) San Antonio Life Sciences Institute - REF, 2004-05, $199,990 (Direct): A multi
disciplinary approach to reduce human bioavailability and carcinogenicity of soil arsenic
3) Department of Housing and Urban Development - Lead Technical Studies Program, 2004 - 2006, $372,767 (Total): A
novel phytoremediation method using vetiver grass to cleanup lead-based paint-contaminated soils (Joint-PI)
4)Department of Defense – Small Business Innovative Research, Phase-I, 2006-2007, $100,000 (Total): A new method to
clean up chromium and metal enriched stormwater in Naval shipyards (Principal)
5) Department of Defense – Small Business Innovative Research, Phase-II, 2008-2010, $750,000 (Total): A new method to
clean up chromium and metal enriched stormwater in Naval shipyards (Principal)
Selected Refereed Publications (out of >160 refereed publications):
1) Sarkar, D. and R. Datta (2003). A modified in-vitro method to assess bioavailable arsenic in pesticide-applied soils.
Environ. Polln. 126: 263-266.
2) Sarkar, D. and R. Datta (2004) Health Risk from Soil Arsenic: Does one size fit all. Arch. Environ. Health, 59(7): 337-341.
3) Datta, R. and D. Sarkar (2005) Consideration of soil properties in assessment of human health risk from exposure to
arsenical pesticide appl. soils. Integr. Env. Assess. Mgmt. 1 (1): 55-59.
4) Sarkar, D., R. Datta, and S. Sharma (2005) Fate and bioavailability of arsenic in organo-arsenical pesticide applied soils.
Part-I. Incubation Study. Chemosphere, 60: 188-195.
5) Sarkar D., R. Datta, S. Sharma and K. Sand (2006) Arsenic biogeochemistry and human health risk assessment in organoarsenical pesticide applied acidic and alkaline soils - Incubation study. Sci. Total Environ. 372 (1): 39-48.
6) Makris K.C., D. Sarkar and R. Datta (2006) Evaluating a waste by-product as a
novel sorbent for arsenic. Chemosphere 64(5): 730 – 741.
7) Makris K.C., S. Quazi, R. Nagar, D. Sarkar, and R. Datta and V.L. Sylvia (2008) Invitro model improves prediction of soil arsenic bioavailability: Worst-case scenario.
Environ. Sci. Technol. 42: 6278-6284.
8) Nagar R., K. Makris, D. Sarkar, R. Datta and Sylvia V (2009) Bioavailability and
Bioaccessibility of arsenic in a soil amended with drinking water treatment residuals. Arch.
Environ. Contamin. Toxicol. 57(4): 755-766.
9) Andra S, Datta R, Sarkar D, Bach S, Mullen C (2010) Synthesis of phytochelatins in vetiver grass upon lead exposure in the
presence of phosphorus. Plant and Soil 326: 171-185.
10) Das P, Datta R, Makris K, Sarkar D (2010). Vetiver grass is capable of removing TNT from soil in the presence of urea.
Environmental Pollution 158: 980-983.
11) Makris K, Sarkar D, Salazar J, Punamiya P, and Datta R (2010) Alternative amendment for soluble phosphorus removal
from poultry litter. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 17(1):195-202.
12) Nagar R, Sarkar D, Makris K, and Datta R (2010) Effect of solution chemistry on As sorption by Fe- & Al-based drinkingwater treatment residuals. Chemosphere. 78(8): 1028-1035.
13) Andra S, Datta R, Sarkar D, Bach S, Mullen C (2010). Synthesis of phytochelatins in vetiver grass upon lead exposure in
the presence of phosphorus. Plant & Soil. 326(1-2): 171-185.
14) Das, P., Datta, R., Makris, K., and Sarkar, D. (2010). Vetiver grass is capable of removing TNT from soil in the presence of
urea. Environ. Pollut. 158(5): 980-983).
15) Andra S, Sarkar D, Saminathan S, and Datta R. (2010) Predicting potentially plant-available lead in contaminated
residential sites. Environ. Monitor. Assess. DOI 10.1007/s10661-010-1559-4 (E-publication ahead of print).
36
Biographical Sketch
Oliver Gailing
Assistant Professor of Ecological Genomics
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931
Tel: 906-487-1615, email: ogailing@mtu.edu
Web Page: http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/gailing/
Professional preparation
M. Sc. (Botany), University of Bochum, Germany, 1994
Ph.D. (Genetics), University of Halle, Germany, 2000
PostDoc (Genetics), Leibniz Institute IPK-Gatersleben, Germany, 2002-2002
Post lecturer qualification (Habilitation, Forest Genetics), University of Goettingen, Germany, 2009
Appointments
2009-present
2008-2009
2002-2008
2000-2002
1996-2000
1994-1996
Assistant Professor, Michigan Tech University
Research Scientist, Goettingen University, Germany
Assistant Professor (“Wiss. Assistent”) , Goettingen University
Research Scientist (PostDoc), Leibniz Institute IPK-Gatersleben, Germany
Research Scientist (Ph.D), Leibniz Institute IPK-Gatersleben, Germany
Research Scientist, Bochum University, Germany
Five recent publications most closely related to the proposed project:
Gailing, O., Vornam, B., Leinemann, L.L & R. Finkeldey. 2009. Genetic and genomic approaches to assess adaptive genetic variation
in plants: forest trees as a model. Physiologia Plantarum 137:509-519. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2009.01263.x.
Curtu, A. L., Gailing, O. & R. Finkeldey. 2009. Patterns of contemporary hybridization inferred from paternity analysis in a
four-oak-species forest. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 2009, 9: 284, doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-284.
Gailing, O., Langenfeld-Heyser, R. Polle, A. & R. Finkeldey. 2008. QTL loci affecting stomatal density and growth in a Quercus
robur progeny: implications for the adaptation to changing environments. Global Change Biology 14:1934-1946.
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01621.x
Gailing, O. 2008. QTL analysis of leaf morphological characters in a Quercus robur full-sib family (Q. robur x Q. robur subsp.
slavonica). Plant Biology 10: 624-634. Doi: 10.1111/j.1438-8677.2008.00063.x
Curtu, A. L., Gailing, O. & R. Finkeldey. 2007. Evidence for natural hybridization within a species-rich oak (Quercus spp.)
community. BMC Evolutionary Biology 7:218. Doi:10.1186/1471-21-48-7-218.
Five additional significant publications:
Durand , J., E., Bodenes , C., Chancerel, Frigerio, J.-M., Vendramin,G., Sebastiani, F., Buonamici, A., Gailing, O., Koelewijn,
H.P., Villani F., Mattioni, C., Cherubini, M., Goicoechea, P.,Herran, A., Ikaran, Z., Cabane, C., Ueno, S., de Daruvar, A.,
Kremer, A. & C. Plomion. 2010. SSR mining in oak ESTs and bin mapping of 256 loci in a Quercus robur L. full-sib pedigree.
BMC Genomics 11:570.
Gailing, O., Wachter, H., Heyder, J., Schmitt H.-P, & R. Finkeldey. 2007. Chloroplast DNA analysis in oak stands (Quercus
robur L.) in North Rhine-Westphalia with presumably Slavonian origin: Is there an association between geographic origin
and bud phenology? Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality 81: 165-171.
Curtu, A.L., Gailing, O., Leinemann, L. & R. Finkeldey. 2007. Genetic variation and differentiation within a natural
community of five oak species (Quercus spp.). Plant Biology 9:116-126.
Mottura, M.C, Finkeldey, R., Verga, R.A. & O. Gailing. 2005. Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for
Prosopis chilensis and P. flexuosa and cross-species amplification. Mol. Ecol. Notes 5: 487-489.
Gailing, O., Kremer, A., Steiner, W., Hattemer, H.H. & R. Finkeldey. 2005. Results on quantitative trait loci for flushing date
in oaks can be transferred to different segregating progenies. Plant Biology 7: 516-525.
37
Synergistic activities
1) Ad hoc reviewer for international Journals (e.g. BMC Plant Biology, BMC genomics, Conservation Genetics, Molecular
Ecology, New Phytologist, Plant Biology, Physiologia Plantarum, Plant Cell and Environment, Plant Systematics and
Evolution)
2) Ad hoc reviewer for Agence Nationale de la Recherche (France); ERANET, European Union's 6th Framework Program for
Research
3) Session Chair in international conferences, (AOX symposium, 2009, Evora, Portugal, Fagaceae Genomic conference
(Raleigh November 10 -13, North Carolina)
4) Ph.D. Committees: Klaus Richter (University Kassel, 2009), Jerome Durand (University of Bordeaux, December 2009)
5) Developed a new class in Ecological Genomics
Honors and Awards
1/2009: Habilitation (Post Lecturer Qualification) for Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding at the Georg-August
University of Göttingen
7/2000 Luther certificate of the University Halle / Wittenberg for the PhD thesis
Graduate and Postdoctoral advisors:
Prof. Dr. Reiner Finkeldey, Prof. Dr. Konrad Bachmann, Prof. Dr. Thomas Stuetzel
Thesis Advisees:
PhD (co-supervisor): Indrioko Sapto (2005), Pandey Madhav (2005), Cao Cuiping (2006), Curtu Alexandru Lucian (2006),
Mottura Martin (2006), Derero Abayneh (2007), Ayele Bekele Taye (2008), Akinnagbe Akindele (2008), Nuroniah Hani
(2009), Nguyen Nga (2009), Richter Klaus (2009), Rachmayanti Yanti (2009)
Master (co-supervisor): Duyen Ngo Thi (2004), Pandey Madhav (2004), Villarin Randy (2007), Gauli Archana (2007), Min
Yazar (2007), Desta Demissew Sertse (2008)
Bachelor (co-supervisor): Nesemann Kai (2004), Hesse Katrin (2007), Maschek Daniela (2007), Gottwald Christoph
(2008),Hinrichsen Julia (2008), Hess Bastian (2008)
38
Biographical Sketch
Gibson, K. Michael
Professor and Chair
Department of Biological Sciences
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI-49931
Phone: (906) 487-2025
Email: kmgibson@mtu.edu
Education
University of California, Riverside, CA
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
University of California, San Diego, CA
Biochemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry
B.S. 1977
M.S. 1979
Ph.D. 1983
Appointments, Honors, Awards
1984 - 1986
Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
1985 - 1986
Bank of America-Giannini Foundation Fellow
1986 - 1988
Assistant Research Biochemist, Dept. Pediatrics, Univ. of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
1988 - 1998
Senior Research Scientist, Institute for Metabolic Disorders, Baylor University Medical Center
and Baylor Research Institute, Dallas, Texas
1991 - 1992
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Fellow, Heidelberg, Germany
1989 - 1994
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, Texas
1989 - 1995
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
1994 - 1998
Associate Professor of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX
1995 - 1998
Adjunct Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
1995 - 1998
Adjunct Associate Professor/Neurology, Univ. Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX
1998 - 2001
Associate Professor, Depts. of Molecular and Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, Oregon Health
& Science University, Portland, Oregon
1998 - 2005
Director, Biochemical Genetics Laboratory, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
1999 - 2009
Board Certified Clinical Biochemical Geneticist, American College of Medical Genetics
2001 - 2005
Professor, Dept. Molecular and Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University
2004Komrower Memorial Lecturer, Annual Meeting, Society for Study of Inborn Errors of
Metabolism, Amsterdam, August 31 - September 4, 2004
2005- 2009
Director, Biochemical Genetics Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
2005 - 2009
Professor, Pediatrics, Pathology, Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
2009Pres Professor and Chair, Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University
2008
NIH Site Visit, PDEGEN (Program in Developmental Endocrinology/Genetics), March 26-28.
Selected Publications (from 258)
1) Harding CO, Gibson KM (2010) Therapeutic liver repopulation for phenylketonuria. J Inherit Metab Dis May 22. [Epub
ahead of print] PMID: 20495959
2) Skvorak KJ, Hager EJ, Arning E, Bottiglieri T, Paul HS, Strom SC, Homanics GE, Sun Q, Jansen EE, Jakobs C, Zinnanti WJ,
Gibson KM (2009) Hepatocyte transplantation (HTx) corrects selected neurometabolic abnormalities in murine
intermediate maple syrup urine disease (iMSUD). Biochim Biophys Acta
1792:1004-10. PMID: 19699299
3) Skvorak KJ, Paul HS, Dorko K, Marongiu F, Ellis E, Chace D, Ferguson C, Gibson KM, Homanics GE, Strom SC (2009)
Hepatocyte transplantation improves phenotype and extends survival in a murine model of intermediate maple syrup urine
disease. Mol Ther 17:1266-73. PMID: 19436271
4) Vardya I, Drasbek KR, Gibson KM, Jensen K (2010) Plasticity of postsynaptic, but not presynaptic, GABA(B) receptors
inSSADH deficient mice. Exp Neurol June 4 [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 20570675
39
5) Dósa Z, Nieto-Gonzalez JL, Korshoej AR, Gibson KM, Jensen K (2010) Effect of gene dosage on single-cell hippocampal
electrophysiology in a murine model of SSADH deficiency (gamma-hydroxybutyric aciduria).
Epilepsy Res 90:39-46. PMID: 20363598
6) Acosta MT, Munasinghe J, Pearl PL, Gupta M, Finegersh A, Gibson KM, Theodore WH (2010) Cerebellar atrophy in human
and murine succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency. J Child Neurol May 5 [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 20445195
7) Zhang GF, Kombu RS, Kasumov T, Han Y, Sadhukhan S, Zhang J, Sayre LM, Ray D, Gibson KM, Anderson VA, Tochtrop GP,
Brunengraber H (2009) Catabolism of 4-hydroxyacids and 4-hydroxynonenal via 4-hydroxy-4-phosphoacyl-CoAs. J Biol
Chem 284:33521-34. PMID: 19759021
8) Pearl PL, Gibson KM, Cortez MA, Wu Y, Carter Snead O 3rd, Knerr I, Forester K, Pettiford JM, Jakobs C, Theodore WH
(2009) Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency: lessons from mice and men.
J Inherit Metab Dis 32:343-52. PMID: 19172412
9) Pearl PL, Gibson KM, Quezado Z, Dustin I, Taylor J, Trzcinski S, Schreiber J, Forester K, Reeves-Tyer P, Liew C, Shamim S,
Herscovitch P, Carson R, Butman J, Jakobs C, Theodore W (2009) Decreased GABA-A binding on FMZ-PET in succinic
semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency. Neurology 73:423-9. PMID: 19667317
rd
10) Nylen K, Velazquez JL, Sayed V, Gibson KM, Burnham WM, Snead OC 3 (2009) The effects of a ketogenic diet on ATP
concentrations and the number of hippocampal mitochondria in Aldh5a1(-/-) mice. Biochim Biophys Acta 1790:208-12.
PMID: 19168117
11) Jansen EE, Struys E, Jakobs C, Hager E, Snead OC, Gibson KM (2008) Neurotransmitter alterations in embryonic
succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency suggest a heightened excitatory state during development.
BMC Dev Biol 8:112. PMID: 19040727
12) Drasbek KR, Vardya I, Delenclos M, Gibson KM, Jensen K (2008) SSADH deficiency leads to elevated extracellular GABA
levels and increased GABAergic neurotransmission in the mouse cerebral cortex. J Inherit Metab Dis 31:662-8. PMID:
18696252
rd
13) Stewart LS, Nylen KJ, Persinger MA, Cortez MA, Gibson KM, Snead OC 3 (2008) Circadian distribution of generalized
tonic-clonic seizures associated with murine succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, a disorder of GABA
metabolism. Epilepsy Behav 13:290-4. PMID: 18514581
rd
Nylen K, Velazquez JL, Likhodii SS, Cortez MA, Shen L, Leshchenko Y, Adeli K, Gibson KM, Burnham WM, Snead OC 3 (2008)
14) A ketogenic diet rescues the murine succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficient phenotype. Exp Neurol 210:44957. PMID: 18199435
15) Hager EJ, Tse HM, Piganelli JD, Gupta M, Baetscher M, Tse TE, Pappu AS, Steiner RD, Hoffmann GF, Gibson KM (2007)
Deletion of a single mevalonate kinase (Mvk) allele yields a murine model of hyper-IgD syndrome. J Inherit Metab Dis 30:
888-95. PMID: 18008182
40
Biographical Sketch
Michael R. Gretz
Biotechnology Research Center
Department of Biological Sciences
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
Telephone: (906)487-3175,
Email: mrgretz@mtu.edu
www.desmids.mtu.edu
A. Professional Preparation:
Ph.D. 1981, Arizona State University; Botany (Plant Biochemistry)
B.Sc., 1977, Central Michigan University; Chemistry & Biology
B. Appointments:
2010-present:
2007-2008:
1999-present:
1993-1999:
1992-1993:
1989-1992:
1988-1989:
1986-1991:
1984-1986:
1981-1984:
Director, Biotechnology Research Center, Michigan Technological University
Visiting Scholar, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD
Professor of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, MTU
Associate Professor of Biology (Tenured), George Mason University
Director, Shared Research Instrumentation Facility, GMU
Co-Director, Center for Basic and Applied Research, GMU
Assistant Professor of Biology, GMU
Postdoctoral Research Assoc., Univ. of Texas, Austin with R. Malcolm Brown
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, McMaster University with E. L. McCandless
C. Publications:
FIVE SELECTED PUBLICATIONS RELATED TO PROPOSED PROJECT:
Bellinger, B.J., Gretz, M.R., Domozych, D, Kiemle, S and Hagerthy, S. 2010. The composition of extracellular polymeric
substances from periphyton assemblages in the Florida Everglades. Journal of Phycology 46:674-678.
Bellinger, B.J., Underwood, G.J.C., Ziegler, S.E. and Gretz, M.R. 2009. The significance of diatom-derived polymers in carbon
flow dynamics within estuarine biofilms determined through isotopic enrichment. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 55:169-187.
Domozych, D.S., Elliot, L, Kiemle, S.N. and Gretz, M.R. 2007. Pleurotaenium trabecula, a desmid of wetland biofilms: The
extracellular matrix and adhesion mechanisms. Journal of Phycology 43:1022-1038.
Hanlon, A.R.M., Bellinger, B.J., Xiao, G., Haynes, K, Ball, A.S., Osborn, M, Gretz, M.R., and Underwood, G.J.C. 2006. Dynamics
of EPS production and loss in an estuarine, diatom-dominated microalgal biofilm over a tidal emersion-immersion period.
Limnology & Oceanography 51:79-93.
Bellinger, B.J., Abdullahi, A.S., Gretz, M.R. and Underwood, G.J.C. 2005. Biofilm Polymers: Relationship between
carbohydrate biopolymers from estuarine mudflats and unialgal cultures of benthic diatoms. Aquatic Microbial Ecology.
38:169-180.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS (last five years):
Domozych, D.S.,. Lambiasse, L., Kiemle, S.N.. and Gretz, M.R. 2009. Structure and biochemistry of charophycean cell walls.
II. Cell wall development and bipolar growth in the desmid Penium margaritaceum. Asymmetry in a symmetric world.
Journal of Phycology 45:894-897.
Domozych, D.S., Serfis, A., Kiemle, S. and Gretz, M.R. 2007. The structure and biochemistry of charophycean cell walls. I.
Pectins of Penium margaritaceum. Protoplasma 230:99-115.
Kiemle, S.N., Domozych, D.S. and Gretz, M.R. 2007. The exopolymers of desmids: Chemistry, structural analysis and
implications in wetland biofilms. Phycologia 46:617-627.
Apoya, M.D., Yin, L., Underwood, G.J.C. and Gretz, M.R. 2006. Movement modalities and responses to environmental
changes of the mudflat diatom Cylindrotheca closterium. Journal of Phycology 42:379-390.
41
Abdullahi, A.S., Underwood, G.J.C., and Gretz, M.R. 2006. Extracellular matrix assembly in diatoms (Bacillariophyceae). V.
Environmental effects on polysaccharide synthesis in the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Journal of Phycology
42:363-378.
D. Synergistic Activities:
Elected Treasurer, Phycological Society of America 2004-2006
AAAS Section G Committee representative 2006-2008
Organized NSF funded “Modern Methods” workshop at International Botanical Society meeting 2002
Patents:
Magnetic alteration of cellulose during it's biosynthesis (with R. M. Brown, Jr. and D. B.
Folsom). United States Patent No. 4,891,317, January 1990. Foreign counterparts
E. Collaborators (last 48 mo.):
Ziegler, Sue. Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Liepman, Aaron. Eastern Michigan University
Hildebrand, Mark. Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Roberts, Alison, University of Rhode Island
Delwiche, Chuck, University of Maryland
Domozych, David. Skidmore College
Willats, William, University of Copenhagen
Hagerthey, Scot. South Florida Water Management District
Hotchkiss, Arland. USDA ERRC Wyndmoor
Pauly, Markus, Michigan State University. – DOE Lab
Spaulding, Sarah. EPA, Colorado
Underwood, Graham. University of Essex, UK
Handler, Robert. Michigan Technological University
Graduate and Post-doctoral Advisors of M. Gretz:
Aronson, Jerome. Arizona State University
Sommerfeld, Milton. Arizona State University
Brown, R. Malcolm, Jr. University of Texas, Austin
McCandless, Esther. McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
Graduate Students:
Erin McKenney, M.S. expected 2012.
Sarah Kiemle, Ph.D. 2010.
Melba Apoya, Ph.D. 2006.
Brent Bellinger, Ph.D. 2006.
Abass Abdullahi, Ph.D. 2006.
Yan Wang, Ph.D. 2000
Jingjie Lu, Ph.D. 1999
Brandon Wustman, Ph.D. 1998
Yalin Wu, Ph.D. 1993
Carla Kinslow, M.S. 1999
Postdoctoral Fellows Hosted:
Sarah Kiemle, 2010-11, MTU
Utpal Adhikari, 2009-10, University of Burdwan, India
Ash Haeger, 2008-10, University of Leeds, UK
Eric Koh, 1998-99, University of Otago, NZ
Jean-Claude Mollet, 1993-95, UC Riverside
42
Biographical Sketch
Wan Jin Jahng
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI-49931
Phone: (906) 487-2192
Email: wjahng@mtu.edu
Education
Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Korea University, Seoul, Korea
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Agricultural Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Biochemistry, Proteomics
Biochemistry, Proteomics
B.S. 1986-1990
M.S. 1990-1992
Ph.D. 1995-2000
Postdoc 2001-2003
Research Associate 2004-2005
Appointments
Professional Experience
2009-present Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University
2006-2009 Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology,
Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina
2001-2005 Research Fellow, Research Associate, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard
Medical School
1995-2000
Research and teaching assistant, Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1994
Instructor, Department of Chemistry, Korea University
1990-1992
Research and teaching assistant, Department of Chemistry, Korea University
2010Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Michigan Technological Unversity
2009Graduate Committee, Biology Department, Michigan Technological University
2007-9
Proteomics Committee, University of South Carolina
2007Scientific Advisory Board, Center for Molecular Dynamics-Nepal (Nonprofit NGO)
2006Principal Organizer, Nepal Trauma Center Project
2003
Symposium Organization: Principal Organizer, U.S.-Korea Bioscience-Biotechnology Conference
2003
President, New England Bioscience Society (NEBS)
2003Member, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
2001
Editor-in-Chief, New England Bioscience Society (NEBS)
1998
Nebraska Chapter President, Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA)
1996Member, American Chemical Society (ACS)
1992-4
Republic of Korea Navy
1992Life member, Korean Chemical Society (KCS)
Honors
2010
Research Excellent Fund, Michigan Technological University, MI
2007
New Investigator Award, International Foundation, Korea
th
2003
Appreciation Award for the service of the 20 President, New England Bioscience Society, Boston, MA
2001
Appreciation Award for Annual Conference Editor-in-Chief. New England Bioscience Society, Boston, MA
2000
Outstanding Research Award. Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1999
Outstanding Teaching Award. Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1997
Distinguished Teaching Award. College of Arts and Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1992
Seok Lim Korea University Alumni Faculty Scholarship, Graduate School, Korea University
Publications
43
Five related
1) Lee, H., Chung, H, Hunt, R.C., Lamoke, F., Arnouk, H., Wood, P.A., Hrushesky, W. J. M. and Jahng, W. J. (2010) Cleavage of
the retinal pigment epithelium-specific protein RPE65 under oxidative stress, International Journal of Biological
Macromolecules, in press.
2) Zhang, Z., Hrushesky, W. J. M., Wood, P.A., Hunt, R. C., and Jahng, W. J. (2010) Melatonin reprogrammes proteomic
profile in light-exposed retina in vivo, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, in press.
3) Chung, H., Lee, H., Lamoke, F., Hrushesky, W. J. M. Wood, P. A., and Jahng, W. J. (2009) Neuroprotective Role of
Erythropoietin by Anti-apoptosis in the Retina, Journal of Neuroscience Research, 87, 2365-2374.
4)Xue, L., Jahng, W. J., Gollapalli, D., Rando, R. R. (2006) The Palmitoyl Transferase Activity of Lecithin Retinol
Acyltransferase, Biochemistry 45, 10716-10718.
5) Xue, L., Gollapalli, D., Maiti, P., Jahng, W. J., and Rando, R. R. (2004) A Palmitoylation Switch Mechanism in the Regulation
of the Visual Cycle, Cell 117, 761-771.
Five others:
6) Hamirally, S., Kamil, J. P., Ndassa-Colday, Y. M., Lin, A. J., Jahng, W. J., Baek, M. C., Noton, S., Simpson-Holley, M., Knipe,
D. M., Golan, D. E., Marto, J. A., and Coen, D. M. (2009) Viral Mimicry of Cdc2/Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 1 Mediates
Disruption of Nuclear Lamina During Human Cytomegalovirus Nuclear Egress, PLoS Pathogene, 2009 Jan; 5(1): e1000275
Epub 2009 Jan23.
7) Karukurichi, K. R., de la Salud-Bea, R., Jahng, W. J., Berkowitz, D. B. (2007) Examination of the New -(2’ Z-Fluoro)vinyl
Trigger with Lysine Decarboxylase : The Absolute Stereochemistry Dictates the Reaction Course, Journal of the American
Chemical Society 129, 258-259.
8) Kim, J., Jahng, W. J., Vizio, D. D., Lee, J., Rubin, M. A., Shisheva, A., and Freeman, M. R. (2007) The Phosphoinositide
Kinase PIKfyve Mediates EGF Receptor Trafficking to the Nucleus, Cancer Research 67, 9229-9237.
9)Berkowitz, D. B., de la Salud-Bea, R., Jahng, W. J. (2004) Synthesis of Quaternary Amino Acids Bearing a (2’Z)-Fluorovinyl
alpha-Branch: Potential PLP Enzyme Inactivators. Organic Letters 6, 1821-1824.
10) Furukawa, N., Ongusaha, P., Jahng, W. J., Choi, C. –S., Kim, H.-J., Araki, K., Lee, Y. H. Kaibuchi, K., Kahn, B. B., Masuzaki,
H., Kim, J. K., Lee, S. W., Kim, Y.-B. (2005) Role of Rho-kinase in Regulation of Insulin Action and Glucose Homeostasis, Cell
Metabolism, 2, 119-129.
Synergistic Activities
1) 2007 Development of new teaching course: Systems biology, functional proteomics (2008 Spring semester), USC
2) 2007-9 Proteomics Center Committee member, Development of Differential 2D Electrophoresis, USC
3) 2006- Principal Organizer, Nepal Trauma Center Project
4) 2006 Director, Science Summer Camp for middle and high school students in South Carolina
5) 2003 Principal Organizer, U.S.-Korea Bioscience-Biotechnology Conference, Harvard Medical School
Selected Collaborators & Other Affiliations
Dr. Heywon Chung, Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Project: Retina DegenerationApoptosis
Prof. Donald M. Coen, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology,
rvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115. Project: Human Cytomegalovirus Phosphorylation Signal Transduction
Graduate Advisors and Postdoctoral Mentor
M.S.: Prof. Bong Rae Cho, Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Ph.D.: Prof. David B. Berkowitz, Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
Postdoc.: Prof. Robert R. Rando, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School
44
Biographical Sketch
Chandrashekhar P. Joshi
Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics
Biotechnology Research Center
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931
Tel: 906-487-3480 Fax: 906-487-2915
email: cpjoshi@mtu.edu
Web page: http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/joshi/
Current Research Interests:
Biotechnological improvement of lignocellulosic materials in poplars for better bioenergy production
Education
Ph.D. University of Poona, India
M.Sc. University of Poona, India
B.Sc. University of Poona, India
Appointments:
2010-present
2008-present
2007-2009
2004-2009
2004-2008
1999-2004
1996-1999
1990-1996
1988-1990
1985-1988
1983-1985
1980-1983
1979-1980
1977-1979
Biochemistry
Botany
Botany
1982
1977
1975
WCU Visiting Professor, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, S. Korea
Professor, Michigan Tech University, Houghton, MI
Director, Biotechnology Research Center, Michigan Tech University
Director, SFRES graduate programs, Michigan Tech University
Associate Professor, Michigan Tech University, Houghton
Assistant Professor, Michigan Tech University, Houghton
Research Assistant Professor, Michigan Tech University, Houghton
Research Scientist, Texas Tech University, Lubbock
Research Associate, Ohio State University, Columbus
Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
Visiting Scientist, Max Planck Institute, Cologne, Germany
Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
Research Student, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
Lecturer in Botany, S.P. College, Pune, India
Some selected recent and significant publications:
1) Zhu X, Pattathil S, Mazumdar K, Brehm A, Hahn MG, Dinesh-Kumar, SP and Joshi CP.: VIGS offers a functional genomics
platform for studying plant cell wall formation. Molecular Plant 3: 818-833, 2010.
2) M. Kumar, S. Thammannagowda, V. Bulone, V. Chiang, K-H Han, C P. Joshi, S. D. Mansfield, E. Mellerowicz, B. Sundberg,
T. Teeri, and B. E. Ellis: An update on the nomenclature for the cellulose synthases genes from Populus. Trends in Plant
Science 14: 248-254, 2009.
3) C. P. Joshi, Brunner A, Busov V, Meilan R, Thammanagowda S, and Tsai C.: Poplars. In: The Transgenics: Compendium of
transgenic crop plants: Transgenic forest tree species. C. Kole and T. Hall (eds). Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK. PP. 1-34,
2008
4)C.P. Joshi and S.D. Mansfield: The cellulose paradox: simple molecule, complex biosynthesis. Current Opinion in Plant
Biology 10: 220-226, 2007.
5) C. P. Joshi: Genomics of Wood development. In Aluízio Borém (Ed) Forest Biotechnology. Universidade Vicosa, Brazil, PP
273-295. 2007
6) Tuskan GA, … Joshi C, et al The genome of black cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray). Science 313: 1596 –
1604, 2006.
7) Suchita Bhandari, Takeshi Fujino, Shiv Thammanagowda, Dongyan Zhang, Fuyu Xu, and C P. Joshi: Coordinate expression
of tension stress-responsive and secondary cell wall-associated KORRIGAN endoglucanase and three cellulose synthase
genes in aspen trees. Planta 224: 828-837, 2006.
45
8) Chandrashekhar P. Joshi, S. Bhandari, P. Ranjan, U. C. Kalluri, X. Liang, T. Fujino, and A. Samuga: Genomics of cellulose
biosynthesis in poplars. New Phytologist 164: 53-61, 2004
9) L. Wu, C.P. Joshi, and V.L. Chiang: A xylem-specific cellulose synthase gene from aspen (Populus tremuloides) is
responsive to mechanical stress. Plant Journal 22(6): 495-502, 2000
10) K. Osakabe, C-C. Tsao, L. Li, J. L. Popko, T. Umezawa, D. T. Carraway, R. H. Smeltzer, C. P. Joshi, V. L. Chiang: Coniferyl
aldehyde 5-hydroxylation and methylation direct syringyl lignin biosynthesis in angiosperms. Proceedings of National
Academy of Sciences, USA, 96 (16): 8955-8960, 1999.
Synergistic activities
1) Spearheaded establishment of M. S. and PhD degrees in Forest Molecular Genetics at Michigan Tech
2) Currently editing two books on poplar genomics and bioenergy; author of three approved US patents
3) Director of Biotechnology Research Center 2007-2009, MTU
4) Current member of Research Advisory Council and Chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, MTU
5) Graduate Program Director, 2004-2009, SFRES, MTU
6) Faculty judge: Western Upper Peninsula Science Fair (Grades 4-9) and Graduate Poster competitions
7) Ad hoc reviewer for numerous International journals and NSF, USDA and DOE proposals;
8) Panel service: NSF (2005, 2006 & 2007); DOE (2006), USDA-NRI (2008)
9) Distinguished Teaching Award Finalist, Assistant Professor Category, MTU, 2004; fellow of SFI, 2010
10) PI on a successful US Department of Education grant for establishing transatlantic dual degree program in Forest
Resources and Biotechnology
11) PI or Co-PI on over $6 million grants from national and international agencies at Michigan Tech
Collaborators
Coauthors and Collaborators (Last 48 months)(Our Science 2006 paper has over 100 coauthors)
Arioli Tony, Bhandari Suchita, Chiang Vincent, Crasta Oswald, Davis Mark, Festucci-Buselli R, Fei Z, Fujino Takeshi, Haigler
Candace, Harding Scott, Jiang Y, Kalluri Udaya, Li Laigeng, Liang Xiaoe, Liu, Yunxia, Lu, S, Mansfield Shawn, Otoni W, Podila
Gopi, Ranjan Priya, Samuga Anita, Tsai Chung-Jui, Thammanagowda Shiv, Turner Simon, Williamson R, Xu Fuyu, Yi, X, Zhang
Dongyan
Graduate and Postdoctoral Advisors
Dr. P.K. Ranjekar, Late Prof. Otto Schieder, Prof. Desh Pal Verma, Prof. Henry Nguyen
Thesis and Postdoc Advisees
PhD: Chen-Chung Tsao (1998), Udaya Kalluri (2003), Anita Samuga (2003), Priya Ranjan (2005), Shivegowda
Thammanngowda (2007), Fuyu Xu (2009)
MS: Zihao Wang (2003), Siau Voo (2006), Asha Lakkavaram (2006), Rajesh Chavli (2000), John Saida (2008), Jake Ladd
(2010), Aparupa Sengupta (2009)
Postdocs and other staff: Xiaoe Liang, Shanfa Lu, Yihua Zhou, Takeshi Fujino, Suchita Bhadari, Dongyan Zhang, Yunxia Liu,
Ramesh Thakur, Xiaohong Zhu
Undergraduate Research Advisors
Marie Wilkening, Hwee Chi Tay, James Wee, Katherine Kieckhafer, Laura Kluskens, Katie Kruger, Ellen Brenna, Ashley
Sharp, Megan McQuillan, Jill Recla, Kristina Flesher, Eric Koronka, Ayushi Kawatra, Ian Bonner, Sandra Orlowski, Nathan
Fettinger, Eric Hollender, Justeen Beaune, and Josh Papacek
46
Biographical Sketch
Pushpalatha P. N. Murthy
Professor
Department of Chemistry
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI-49931
Tel: 906-487-2094; Fax:906-487-2061
E-mail: ppmurthy@mtu.edu
Education
Miranda House, Delhi University, Delhi, India
Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India
Brown University, Providence, RI
The Univ. of Mich., Ann Arbor, MI
The Univ of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Appointments
Sept.99 - present:
Feb. 06 - May 06:
Aug. 01 - July 04:
Aug. 00 - Aug.01:
Sep. 91 - Aug. 99:
Mar. 93 - May 93:
Sep. 92 - Dec. 92:
Sept. 86 - Aug. 91
Sept. 85 - Aug. 86
Aug. 82 - Jan. 85:
Chemistry
Chemistry
Bioorganic Chemistry
Bioorganic Chemistry
Neuroscience
B.Sc. (Hons) 1972
M.Sc. 1974
Ph.D. 1979
1979-1980
1980-1982
Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Sabbatical leave at CSIRO Canberra, and CAMBIA, Canberra, Australia
Chair, Dept. of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, Houghton
Interim Chair, Dept. of Chemistry, Michigan Tech. University, Houghton, MI
Associate Professor, Dept.of Chemistry, Michigan Tech. Univ., Houghton, MI
Visiting Assoc. Prof (on sabbatical leave), Biotechnology Dept., Cornell
University, Ithaca, NY
Visiting Assoc. Prof (on sabbatical leave), Michigan State University, East
Lansing, MI
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological
University, Houghton, MI
Visiting Asst. Professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Research Chemist, Stauffer Chemical Company, Dobbs Ferry, NY.
Selected Publications
1) S.C. Johnson, M.Yang, P.P.N. Murthy (2010) Heterologous expression and functional characterization of a plant alkaline
phytase in Pichia pastoris. Protein Express. Purif. 74, 196-203.
#
2) C. Xue, S. Velayudhan, S. C. Johnson, R. Saha, A. Smith , W. Brewer, P.P.N. Murthy, ST. Bagley, Haiying Liu (2009) Highly
water –soluble, fluorescent, conjugated fluorine-based glycopolymers with poly(ethylene glycol)-tethereed spacers for
sensitive detection of Escherichia coli. Chem. Eur. J. 15, 2289-2295.
3) Pushpalatha P.N. Murthy (2007) Identification of inositol phosphates by NMR spectroscopy: unraveling structural
diversity. In Proceedings of the Bouyoucos conference on Biogeochemical interaction of inositol phosphates in the
environment, B.L. Turner, A.E. Richardson, and E.J. Mullaney (Editors), CB international, Cambridge, MA, pp 7-22
4) Ping Yang, Bernard Spiess, Pushpalatha P.N. Murthy, Richard E. Brown (2007) Influence of metal cations on the
intramolecular hydrogen-bonding network in phosphorylated compounds. J. Phys. Chem. 111, 3602-3612
5) Cuihua Xue, Sonali P. Jog, Pushpalatha P. N. Murthy, and Haiying Liu (2006) Synthesis of highly water-soluble fluorescent
conjugated glycopoly(p-phenylene)s for lectin and Escherichia coli. Biomacromolecules, 7, 2470-2474
6) Bakul Dhagat Mehta, Sonali P. Jog, Steven C. Johnson and Pushpalatha P.N. Murthy (2006) Lily pollen alkaline phytase is
a histidine phosphatase similar to mammalian multiple inositol polyphopsphate phosphatase (MINPP), Phytochemistry, 67,
1874-1886.
7) B.G. Garchow, S.P. Jog, B. D. Mehta, J.M. Monosso (posthumous), P.P.N. Murthy (2006) Alkaline phytase from Lilium
longiflorum: purification and structural characterization. Protein Express. Purif. 46, 221-232.
47
8) P. P. N. Murthy (2006) Structure and nomenclature of inositol phosphates, phosphoinositides, and
glycosylphosphatidylinositols. Subcellular Biochemistry series: Volume 39, Biology of Inositols and Phosphoinositides (Eds.
A. N. Lahiri and B.B. Biswas), Plenum Publishing Co. Ltd., London, pp 1-20.
9) P. Yang, P.P.N. Murthy, R.E. Brown (2005) Synergy of intramolecular hydrogen bonding network in myo-inositol-2phosphate: theoretical investigation s into the electronic structure, proton transfer and pKa. J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 127,
15848-15861.
10) S.P. Jog, B. G. Garchow, B. D. Mehta, P.P.N. Murthy (2005) Alkaline phytase from lily pollen: Investigation of
biochemical properties. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 440, 133-140
#
#
11) G. Pliska-Matyshak, B. Narasimhan, R. Kinnard, S. Carstensen, M.Ritter , L. von Weymarn , and
P.P.N. Murthy (1997) Novel phosphoinositides in barley aleurone cells, additional evidence for the
presence of phosphatidyl-scyllo-inositol. Plant Physiol. 113, 1385-1393.
#
Undergrad student
Synergistic Activities
1) Developing a new inquire-based lab course “Research methods in Biomolecular Chemistry”. This project is funded by
the NSF-CCLI program.
2) Developed a new course for chemistry majors interested in teaching high school chemistry: Design and Operation of a
High School Chemistry Laboratory. I worked with local high schools to develop this course. The aim of the course is to
address topics necessary for the design and introduction of a chemistry laboratory in high schools including ordering,
storage, tracking, and disposal of chemicals, safety issues, developing new lab experiments and demonstrations,
preparation of reagents on large scale, and internships in local high schools. The need for such a course was identified by a
workshop organized by the American Chemical Society on Secondary Chemical Education curriculum and our own alumni.
This course is now offered every other year.
3) Worked on a curriculum for two new degree programs now offered in the Department – BS in Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology and BS in Pharmaceutical Chemistry
4) Developed a new course for the BS in Pharmaceutical Chemistry program - Pharmaceutical Chemistry I – Mechanism of
Drug Action. This course is now offered every year.
5) Finalist for Outstanding Teacher of the Year award for 1989-90 in Assistant Professor category.
Collaborators and Other Affiliations
Dr. Richard Brown, Dept. of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University
Dr. Haiying Liu, Dept of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University
Dr. Victor Raboy, USDA, Aberdeen, Idaho
Graduate Advisors and Postdoctoral Sponsors
Ph.D. Advisor:
Prof. David Cane, Brown University
Postdoctoral sponsor: Prof. Masato Koreeda, Univ of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Postdoctoral sponsor: Prof. Bernard Agranoff, Univ of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Thesis Advisor (Ph.D.)
Dr. Laura Barrientos, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta; Dr. Bhuvaraha Murthy, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Dr.
Barry Garchow, Univ of Pennsylvania; Dr. Sonali Jog, Univ of Southern California; Dr. Bakul Dhagat Mehta, Univ of Missouri,
Columbia; Dr. Gay Pliska-Matyshak, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Dr. Steven Johnson, Univ of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
48
Biographical Sketch
Ashutosh Tiwari
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry,
Michigan Technological University,
1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931
Phone: (906) 487-1840(Work)
Fax:(906) 487-2061
Email:tiwari@mtu.edu
Web page: http://www.chemistry.mtu.edu/pages/faculty/faculty.php?fac=tiwari
Current research interests
‘Protein misfolding diseases’ with special focus on neurodegenerative diseases.
Education
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India
Biotechnology
Ph.D. 1999
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
Biosciences
M.Sc. 1993
All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),New Delhi India Human Biology, specialization in biophysics 1991 B.Sc.(Hons)
Appointments
2009 –
2009 –
2005 – 2009
2003 – 2005
2000 – 2003
1999 – 2000
1995 – 1999
1993 – 1995
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI.
Adjunct Research Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical
School (UMMS), Worcester, MA.
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, UMMS, MA.
Instructor, Department of Neurology, UMMS, MA.
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Neurology, UMMS, MA.
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
Senior Research Fellow, Center for Biotechnology, JNU, New Delhi, INDIA.
Junior Research Fellow, Center for Biotechnology, JNU, New Delhi, INDIA.
Five recent publications
1) Molnar KS, Karabacak NM, Johnson JL, Wang Q, Tiwari A, Hayward LJ, Coales SJ, Hamuro Y, and Agar JN. A common
property of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated variants: Destabilization of the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase
electrostatic loop. J Biol Chem. (2009) 284(45): 30965-30973.
2) Tiwari A, Liba A, Sohn SH, Seetharaman SV, Bilsel O, Matthews CR, Hart PJ, Valentine JS, and Hayward LJ. Metal
deficiency increases aberrant hydrophobicity of mutant superoxide dismutases that cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J
Biol Chem. (2009) 284(40): 27746–27758.
3) Karabacak NM, Li L, Tiwari A, Hayward LJ, Hong P, Easterling ML, and Agar JN. Sensitive and specific identification of
wild-type and variant proteins from 8 to 669 kDa using top-down mass spectrometry. Mol Cell Proteomics. (2009) 8(4):
846-56.
4) Cao X, Antonyuk S, Seetharaman SV, Whitson LJ, Taylor AB, Holloway SP, Strange RW, Doucette PA, Valentine JS, Tiwari
A, Hayward LJ, Padua S, Cohlberg JA, Hasnain SS, and Hart PJ. Structures of the G85R variant of SOD1 in familial ALS. J Biol
Chem. (2008) 283(23): 16169-77.
5) Shaw BF, Lelie HL, Durazo A, Nersissian AM, Xu G, Chan PK, Gralla EB, Tiwari A, Hayward LJ, Borchelt DR, Valentine JS,
and Whitelegge JP. Detergent-insoluble aggregates associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in transgenic mice contain
primarily full-length, unmodified superoxides dismutase-1. J Biol Chem. (2008) 283(13): 8340-8350.
D) Five additional significant publications:
1) Tiwari A and Bhat R. Stabilization of yeast hexokinase A by polyol osmolytes: Correlation with physicochemical
properties of aqueous solutions. Biophys Chem. (2006) 124(2): 90-99.
2) Tiwari A, Xu Z, and Hayward LJ. Aberrantly increased hydrophobicity shared by mutants of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase
in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Biol Chem. (2005) 280(33): 29771-29779.
49
(Featured in August 19, 2005 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry as ‘Paper of the Week’ (J Biol Chem. (2005) 280:
e99939)).
3) Rodriguez JA, Shaw BF, Durazo A, Sohn SH, Doucette PA, Nerissian AM, Faull KF, Eggers DK, Tiwari A, Hayward LJ, and
Valentine JS. Destabilization of apoprotein is insufficient to explain Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase-linked ALS pathogenesis.
4) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. (2005) 102(30): 10516-10521.
Chacko B, Qin BY, Tiwari A, Shi G, Lam S, Hayward LJ, deCaestecker M, and Lin K. Structural Basis of Heteromeric Smad
Protein Assembly in TGF-β Signaling. Mol Cell. (2004) 15(5): 813-23.
5) Tiwari A and Hayward LJ. Familial ALS Mutants of Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase are Susceptible to Disulfide Reduction. J
Biol Chem. (2003) 278(8): 5984-5992.
Synergistic activities
1) Ad-hoc reviewer for Biophysical Journal, Journal of Neuroscience Research, and Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences.
2) Member of ‘Graduate Admissions and Recruiting Committee’ for Chemistry department at MTU.
3) Member of ‘Biochemistry Curriculum Committee’ for Chemistry department at MTU.
4) Member of ‘University Animal Care Committee’ and ‘Institutional Biosafety Committee’ at MTU.
Collaborators
Robert Brown (UMMS), Lawrence Hayward (UMMS), Zuoshang Xu (UMMS), Hoi Pang Low (UMMS), Robert Matthews
(UMMS), Jeffrey Agar (Brandeis University); John Hart (UTHSCA), Joan Valentine (UCLA), Patricia Heiden (MTU), Haiying Liu
(MTU), Rudy Luck (MTU).
Supervising and advising of students and trainees
At UMMS: Brian Mitchell Haas (summer student, Harvard University, MA); Benoy M. Chacko (graduate student, UMMS);
Charusheila Ramkumar (graduate rotation student, UMMS) and Laura Baldassari (summer student, Worcester Polytechnic
Institute, MA).
At MTU: Kyrie Pappas (project CH471, Spring 2010); Claire Drom (CH4995, Fall 2010).
Research technicians supervised: At UMMS: Hongru Zhou (UMMS); Kumudini Misra (UMMS).
50
Biographical Sketch
Martin Thompson
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry Tel: (906) 487-3522
Michigan Technological University Fax: (906) 487-2061
1400 Townsend Drive Email: thompson@mtu.edu
Houghton, MI 49931
Education
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Ph.D.
Chemistry
Ph.D. 2000
Dissertation “Synthesis and Characterization of the Photophysical and Photochemical Properties of Sequence Specific DNABinding Probes,” Advisor: Neal Woodbury
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
Chemistry, with a Concentration in Biochemistry
B.S. 1995,
Appointments
2009-present
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University Assistant Professor,
Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University (2003-2009)
2004
Visiting Scientist, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical Center
2002-2003
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan
2000-2002
Postdoctoral Assistant, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan
Other Activities
2010-present
Councilor, Upper Peninsula Section of the American Chemical Society
2007
Panel Member, National Institutes of Health, Center for Scientific Review, Study Section ZRG1 GGG-F(90)
2006-2009
Chair, Upper Peninsula Section of the American Chemical Society
Reviewer for: FEBS Letters, Protein Expression and Purification, Journal of Medical & Biological Sciences
Professional Affiliations
American Chemical Society, Biophysical Society, Council on Undergraduate Research
Research Interests
Fluorescence-based bioanalytical methods and biosensors; quantification of modification-dependent protein-protein
interactions associated with transcription; development of assays for drug discovery; molecular recognition; cell-specific
targeting using peptidomimetics;
Five Significant Publications
1) Thompson, M. (2010) Thermodynamic and Kinetic Analysis of Bromodomain–Histone Interactions. Vol 466,
Biothermodynamics, Part B. Methods in Enzymology, pp.383-407
2) Thompson, M. (2009) Polybromo-1: The chromatin targeting subunit of the PBAF complex. Biochimie 91, 309-319.
3) Thompson, M., and Chandrasekaran, R. (2008) Thermodynamic analysis of the acetylation dependence of bromodomainhistone interactions. Anal. Biochem. 374, 304-312.
4) Kupitz, C., Chandrasekaran, R., and Thompson, M. (2008) Kinetic analysis of acetylation-dependent Pb1 bromodomainhistone interactions. Biophys. Chem. 136, 7-12.
5) Chandrasekaran, R., and Thompson, M. (2007) Polybromo-1 bromodomains bind histone H3 at specific acetyl-lysine
positions. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 355, 661-666.
Additional Significant Publications
1) Thompson, M. (2007) Spectral properties and DNA targeting features of thiazole orange-peptide bioconjugates.
Biomacromolecules 8, 3628-3633.
2) Thompson, M. (2006) Synthesis, photophysical effects, and DNA targeting properties of oxazole yellowpeptide
bioconjugates, Bioconjugate Chemistry 17, 507-513.
51
3) Chandrasekaran, R., and Thompson, M. (2006) Expression, purification and characterization of individual bromodomains
from human Polybromo-1, Prot. Expr. Purif. 50, 111-117.
4) Babendure, J., Liddell, P. A., Bash, R., LoVullo, D., Schiefer, T. K., Williams, M., Daniel, D. C., Thompson, M., Taguchi, A. K.
W., Lohr, D., and Woodbury, N. W. (2003) Development of a fluorescent probe for the study of nucleosome assembly and
dynamics, Anal. Biochem. 317-327, 1-11.
5) Thompson, M., and Woodbury, N. (2001) Thermodynamics of Specific and Non-specific DNA-binding by Cyanine Dye
Labeled DNA-binding Domains, Biophysical J. 81, 1793-1804.
Recent Collaborators
Sarah Green (MTU), Haiying Liu (MTU), Lanrong Bi (MTU), Shiyue Fang (MTU), Kedmon Hungwe (MTU), Pushpalatha Murthy
(MTU), Justin Carlson (Chemotrope)
Graduate and Postgraduate Advisees
Current graduate students: Katrina Bugielski
Past graduate students: Renu Chandrasekaran, Jon Maxwell, Renee Kerr, Mark Parmley, Wendy VanAken, Joshua Bailey
Undergraduate students: Talisha Sutton, Sam Stam, Christopher Kupitz, Andrew Spaeth, Kelli Whelan, Kirk Koebke, Jesus
Fransisco Glaus Garzon, Marie Wilkening, Joshua Bailey
Postdoctoral Advisees: Alexis Black, Momoko Tajiri
52
Biographical Sketch
Hairong Wei
Assistant Professor of Systems Biology & Molecular Biology
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931
Email: hairong@mtu.edu Phone: (906) 487-1473 Fax: (906) 487-2915
http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/wei/index.htm
Current Research Interests
Systems Biology: Gene network constructions & gene function prediction
Bioinformatics and Genomics on tree growth & wood development
Biological database design and development
Impact of CO2 and abiotic stress on gene network
New algorithm/software/pipeline development
Education
Beijing Forestry University, P.R. China
Beijing Forestry University, P.R. China
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Chicago
University of Minnesota
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Appointments
2008~Present
2006~2008
2005~2006
2004~2005
2003~2004
1996~2001
1995~1996
1989~1995
Agricultural Sci.
Plant Genetics
Plant Mol. Biol
Computer Sci.
Bioinformatics
Biostatistics
BS & 4 years
MS & 3 years
Ph.D. & 5 years
MS & 1.5 years
Post-doc & 1.5 years
Post-doc & 1 year
Assistant Professor, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Bioinformatics Developer, Wicell Research Institute, Inc., Madison, WI
Bioinformatics Scientist, Operon Biotechnologies, Inc., Huntsville, AL
Postdoc, Biostatistics, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Postdoc, Bioinformatics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Res. Assistant, Plant Mol. Biology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Res. Assistant, Plant Genetics, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Assistant Professor, and Lecturer, Forestry Genetics, Beijing Forestry University
Some selected publications
1) Cui, X, T. Wang, H.S. Chen, V. Busov and H. Wei. 2010 TF-finder: A software package for identifying transcription factors
involved in biological processes using microarray data and existing knowledge base. BMC Bioinformatics, 11:425
2) Ming, R., S. Hou,…, H. Wei, …, M. Alam. 2008. The draft genome sequence of transgenic papaya, Carica papaya. Nature,
Vol. 452, No. 7190:991-996.
3) Wei, H., P. F. Kuan, S. Tian, C. Yang, J. Nie, S. Sengupta, V. Ruotti, G. Jonsdottir, S. Keles, J. Thomson and R. Stewart. 2008.
A study of the relationships between oligonucleotide properties and hybridization intensity in NimbleGen platform. Nucleic
Acids Research, Vol. 36, No. 9:2926-2938.
4) Pan, G., S. Tian, J. Nie, C. Yang, V. Ruotti, H. Wei, G. Jonsdottir, R. Stewart, and J. Thomson. 2007. Whole genome
analysis of Histone H3 lysine 4 and lysine 27 methylation in human embryonic stem cells. Cell Stem Cell, Vol. 1, No
3:299~312.
5) Wei, H, S. Persson, T. Mehta, V. Srinivasasainagendra, L. Chen, G. Page, C. Somerville, A. Loraine. 2006. Transcriptional
coordination of the metabolic network in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiology. 142(2):76274.
53
6) Persson, S., H. Wei, J. Milne, G. Page, C. Somerville. 2005. Identification of genes required for cellulose synthesis by
regression analysis of public microarray data sets. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 102: 8633-8638. (Faculty 1000 evaluation).
7) Wei, H., Y. Kaznessis. 2005. Inferring gene regulatory relationships by combining target-target pattern recognition and
regulator-specific motif examination. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. Vol. 89, No1: 53-77.
8) K.M., S. Bhawan, T. Majima, H. Wei, V. Kumar. 2003. Cutting Edge: The NK cell receptor 2B4 augments Ag-specific CTL
activity through CD48 ligation on neighboring T cells. Journal of Immunology. Vol.170, No 10: 4881
9) Albert, H and H. Wei. Sugarcane Ubi9 gene promoter and methods of use thereof. 2004, U.S. Patent No. 6706948 |
Promoter of the sugarcane Ubi9 gene. 2004. U.S. Patent No. 6686513 B1 | Promoter of the sugarcane Ubi4 Gene. 2003. U.S.
Patent No. 6638766 (http://www.uspto.gov).
Teaching
FW4099
FW5082
CS2321
FW4500
Programming Skills for Bioinformatics
Gene Expression Data Analysis
Data Structure in Java
Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Natural Science
Fall 2009, 2011
Fall 2010, 2012
Spring 2011
Spring 2012
Recent Synergistic Activities
1) Grant Proposal Reviews: NSF Organism and Environment Interaction. 2010
2) Grant Proposal Reviews: NSF of China Forestry Biotechnology, 2010.
3) Invited speaker: International Conference on Sustainable Management of Multi-purpose Poplar Plantations, IUFRO,
China, 2010
4) Invited speaker: Plant and Animal Genome XIX Conference, Jan 2011, San Diego, California.
Collaborators & Collaborators & Other Affiliations (within last 48 months)
Co-authors and Collaborators: Xiaoqi Cui, Huann-sheng Chen, Victor, Busov, Pei-Fen Kuan, Guangjin Pan, Ron Stewart,
James Thomson, Shulan Tian, Chuhu Yang, Jeff Nie, Srikumar Sengupta, Victor Ruotti, Gudrun Jonsdottir, Sunduz Keles.
Vinodh Srinivasasainagendra, Chuhu Yang, and Ray Ming, Shaobin Hou, Yun Feng et al 82 co-authors of the article in
Nature, Vol. 452, No. 7190:991-996, 2008
Advisor
Fang Ruan, Ph.D. student in Systems Biology, Spring, 2010 to Present
Yang Li, Master student in Genomics. Fall, 2009 to Present
Hang Zhang, Master student in Computer Science, Spring, 2010 to Present
54
Biographical Sketch
Thomas Werner
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
DOW 523, 1400 Townsend Drive
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931
Phone: (906) 487-1209
FAX: (906) 487-3167
E-mail: twerner@mtu.edu
Education
2005 Ph.D., Cell and Molecular Biology, Umeå Center for Molecular Pathogenesis, Umeå
University, Umeå, Sweden.
1997 M.Sc., Biology, Jena University, Jena, Germany.
Appointments
2010 - present
2005 - 2010
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI.
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Madison, WI.
Honors and Awards
2005 - 2008
Postdoctoral Long-term fellowship, Human Frontier Science Program
2005 - 2007
Postdoctoral Long-term fellowship, European Molecular Biology Organization (declined in favor of the
HFSP fellowship)
1998 – 2000
Graduate fellowship Umeå University
1990
Special Award at the National Youth Science and Technology Competition “Jugend Forscht” (“Youth
researches”) , Mainz, Germany.
Peer Reviewed Publications
1) Werner T., Koshikawa S., Williams T.M., Carroll S.B. (2010) Generation of a novel wing color pattern by
the Wingless morphogen. Nature, Vol. 464, pp. 1143-1148. (Cover article)
2) Rebeiz M., Ramos-Womack M., Jeong S., Andolfatto P., Werner T., True J., Stern D.L., Carroll S.B.
(2009) Evolution of the tan Locus Contributed to Pigment Loss in Drosophila santomea: A Response to
Matute et al. Cell, Vol. 139, pp. 1189-1196.
3) Williams T.M. , Selegue J.E., Werner T., Gompel N., Kopp A., and Carroll S. B. (2008) The Regulation
and Evolution of a Genetic Switch Controlling Sexually Dimorphic Traits in Drosophila. Cell, Vol. 134, pp.
610–623.
4) Jeong S., Rebeiz M., Andolfatto P., Werner T., True J., Carroll S.B. (2008) The Evolution of Gene
Regulation Underlies a Morphological Difference between Two Drosophila Sister Species. Cell, Vol. 132,
pp. 783-93.
5) Werner T., Borge-Renberg K., Mellroth P., Steiner H. and Hultmark D. (2003) Functional diversity of the
Drosophila PGRP-LC gene cluster in the response to LPS and peptidoglycan. J Biol Chem, Vol. 278, Issue
29, pp. 26319-22.
6) Choe K.M., Werner T., Stoven S., Hultmark D, Anderson K.V. (2002). Requirement for a Peptidoglycan
Recognition Protein (PGRP) in Relish Activation and Antibacterial Immune Responses in Drosophila.
Science, Vol. 296, Issue 5566, pp. 359-62.
7) Werner, T., Liu, G., Kang, D., Ekengren, S., Steiner, H. and Hultmark, D. (2000). A family of
peptidoglycan recognition proteins in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, Vol.
97, Issue 25, pp. 13772-7.
55
Memberships
Michigan Tech Biotechnology Research Center (BRC)
Current Collaborations
Sean B. Carroll and Shigeyuki Koshikawa, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI.
Advisors
M.Sc. Advisor: Dr. Andreas Henke, Jena University, Jena, Germany
Ph.D. Advisor: Dr. Dan Hultmark, Umeå Center for Molecular Pathogenesis, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Postdoctoral Advisor: Dr. Sean B. Carroll, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI.
Present Undergraduate Students
Bryant Kollie, Roger Yeager
56
Biographical Sketch
Ramakrishna Wusirika
Associate PRofessor
Department of Biological Sciences
DOW 505, 1400 Townsend Drive
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931
Phone: (906) 487-3068
FAX: (906) 487-3167
E-mail: wusirika@mtu.edu
Web site: www.bio.mtu.edu/faculty/rwusirika.htm
Education
National Chemical Laboratory, and University of Pune, Pune, India
University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
Appointments
2009 – present
Associate Professor
2003 - 2009
Assistant Professor
1999 - 2003
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
1997 - 1999
1995 - 1997
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biology
Ph.D., 1995
M.Phil., 1990
M.Sc., 1988
B.Sc., 1986
Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University,
Houghton, MI.
Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University,
Houghton, MI.
Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette,
IN.
Department of Horticulture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
Division of Biochemical Sciences, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune,
India.
Recent Publications
1) Wusirika R, Li K, Bennetzen JL, Phillips RL (2010) Zea. In: Kole C (ed) Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding
Resources. Vol 1: Wild Relatives of Cereals. Springer, Heidelberg, Berlin, New York (in press)
2) Krom, N., and Ramakrishna, W. (2010) Conservation, rearrangement, and deletion of gene pairs during the evolution of
four grass genomes. DNA Res doi: 10.1093/dnares/dsq022
3) Dhadi, S.R., Krom, N., and Ramakrishna, W. (2009) Genome-wide comparative analysis of putative bidirectional
promoters from rice, Arabidopsis and Populus. Gene 429: 65-73.
4) Krom, N., and Ramakrishna, W. (2008) Comparative analysis of divergent and convergent gene pairs and their expression
patterns in rice, Arabidopsis, and Populus. Plant Physiol. 147: 1763-1773.
5) Krom, N., Recla, J., and Ramakrishna, W. (2008) Analysis of genes associated with retrotransposons in the
rice
genome. Genetica 134: 297-310.
6) Xu, Z., and Ramakrishna, W. (2008) Retrotransposon insertion polymorphisms in six rice genes and their evolutionary
history. Gene 412: 50-58.
7) Oakley, R.V., Wang, Y-S., Ramakrishna, W., Harding, S.A., and Tsai, C-J. (2007) Differential expansion and expression of αand β-tubulin gene families in Populus. Plant Physiol. 145: 961-973.
8)Nagy, E., Lee, T-C., Ramakrishna, W., Xu, Z., Klein, P., SanMiguel, P., Cheng, C-P., Li, J., Devos, K., Schertz, K., Dunkle, L.,
and Bennetzen, J. (2007) Fine mapping of the Pc locus of Sorghum bicolor, a gene
controlling the reaction to a fungal
pathogen and its host-selective toxin. Theor. Appl. Genet. 114: 961-970.
9) Yan, L., Loukoianov, A., Blechl, A., Tranquilli, G., Ramakrishna, W., SanMiguel, P., Bennetzen, J.L., Echenique, V., and
Dubcovsky, J. (2004) The wheat VRN2 gene is a flowering repressor down-regulated by vernalization. Science 303: 16401644.
20) Bennetzen, J.L., Coleman, C., Liu, R., Ma, J., and Ramakrishna, W. (2004) Consistent over-estimation of gene number in
complex plant genomes. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 7: 732-736.
57
11) Lai, J., Ma, J., Swigonova, Z., Ramakrishna, W., Linton, E., Llaca, V., Tanyolac, B., Park, Y.J., Jeong, O.Y., Bennetzen, J.L.,
and Messing, J. (2004) Gene loss and movement in the maize genome. Genome Res. 14: 1924-1931.
12) Swigonova Z, Lai J, Ma J, Ramakrishna W, Llaca V, Bennetzen JL, and Messing J. (2004) Close split of sorghum and maize
genome progenitors. Genome Res. 14: 1916-1923.
13) Ramakrishna W, Deng Z, Ding CK, Handa AK, Ozminkowski RH Jr. A novel small heat shock protein gene, vis1,
contributes to pectin depolymerization and juice viscosity in tomato fruit. (2003) Plant Physiol. 131: 725-735.
Synergistic Activities
1) Member, American Society of Plant Biologists
2) Coordinator, Bioinformatics Program, Michigan Tech University
3) Ad hoc reviewer for several international journals and funding agencies (NSF, US-Israel BARD and U.S. Civilian Research
and Development Fund)
4) Chief editor for a special issue of International Journal of Plant Genomics
Collaborators
Jeffrey Bennetzen (U. Georgia, GA), Phillip SanMiguel (Purdue Univ, IN), Jianxin Ma (Purdue Univ, IN), Ramanjulu Sunkar
(Oklahoma State Univ, OK), Chung-Jui Tsai (U. Georgia, GA), Erich Grotewold (Ohio State Univ, OH), Sastry Jayanty (Colorado
State Univ, CO), Rupali Datta (MTU), Wan Jin Jahng (MTU), Charles Kerfoot (MTU)
Graduate and Postdoctoral Advisors
PhD Advisor: Prabhakar Ranjekar, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
Postdoctoral Advisor: Jeffrey Bennetzen, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, Avtar Handa, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, IN, Prabhakar Ranjekar, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
Thesis Advisor
Current Ph.D.
Surendar Reddy Dhadi, Kefeng Li and Sheikh Rafi
Past Ph.D./M.S.
Nicholas Krom, Zijun Xu, Deepak Kumar and Patience Tenney
Curren Visiting Scientist
Zhiying Dou
Past Visiting Scientist
Bashir Yusuf (Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria)
Undergraduate Students Advised
Nari Kang, Matt Ogg, Sulagna Gupta, Katie Kruger, Megan McQuillan, Jill Recla, Benjamin Baer and Holly Grunst
58
Response to Senate Proposal 51-04: Financial information for the proposed PhD in BMB
program
I.a. There is a growing world-wide demand for scientists and engineers with advanced training in
biochemistry and molecular biology. Michigan Tech has a long and rich history of research in
the exciting field of biochemistry and molecular biology. Recent conceptual and technological
advancements have widened the scope of what is possible to study in these fields and
correspondingly, many recent faculty hires in individual departments and through the Strategic
Faculty Hiring Initiative have increased the ranks of those around campus (Biological Sciences,
Chemistry, Forest resources and Environmental Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical
Engineering, Mathematics) engaged in biomedical research, plant genomics and other healthrelated biochemistry and molecular biology studies. Our ability to carry out cutting edge
research in these areas will strongly benefit from greater coherence and integrated graduate
training.
I.b. Because no additional resources are requested, we expect this proposal to be consistent with
the university’s resource allocation criteria.
II.a. We anticipate that 2-5 students will enter the program immediately because they are the
current students of faculty performing work relevant to the PhD program proposed here. In five
years the program will have an estimated population of between 10-15 graduate students.
II.b. Initially, students will be drawn from existing programs. Specifically, these will be
graduate students who would prefer a PhD in BMB rather than the one they are currently
enrolled in and whose advisors comprise the core group of 14 faculty. For example, a
participating faculty member in the Department of Chemistry has three graduate students. One is
working on a project in protein expression, the other in enzyme mechanisms and the other in
synthetic organic chemistry. For these students, this new program is more desirable than current
offerings because it more closely aligns with their research interests. The University will be able
to provide better service to these students by making this new program available. These students
are currently under the auspices of the Dept of Chemistry, in this example, and the Dept of
Chemistry will remain their administrative home unit even after the PhD in BMB comes on line.
Similarly, students advised by faculty in other departments or schools will continue to have their
current home department or school serve as their administrative home unit. The decision to enter
the program is between the graduate student and the advisor. All costs for the student are
incurred by respective administrative home unit – as is the case now. In the future, new students
are expected to enter this program who would otherwise not have come to MTU. These students
would have joined other universities with BMB PhD programs, as a BMB PhD program best
reflects their areas of interest in research and education.
II.c. If the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) B.S. degree offered as dual tracks in the
Departments of Chemistry and Biological Sciences is an indicator of population changes, an
increase is expected. The numbers for the Department of Chemistry revealed an increase of
about 44 students in the four-year B.S. (Biochemistry and molecular biology and Phramaceutical
chemistry) degrees, with no impact on the number of B.S. Chemistry majors. The Department of
Biological Sciences has 31 students in the BMB B.S. degree program. In summary, we expect to
59
see new growth, based on the undergraduate degree, where an increase in new students was seen
as opposed to those entering the department and simply selecting a different major within the
department.
II.d. Graduate students currently enrolled: Chemistry has 41; Forestry has 82; Biological
Sciences has 38 graduate students
III.a. No effect.
III.b. The program introduces one course which is laboratory-based. This course will be team
taught and the exercises will occur in the laboratories of member faculty. A lab fee will be
charged to provide for expendable supplies.
The students’ administrative home departments will provide office space, computational
resources, and necessary supplies and infrastructure support, and will consider the students for
departmental teaching assistantships when appropriate and available. All such students will be
counted as members of their home departments for the purposes of internal university
accounting.
III.c. Students enrolled in the program will be housed within the home department of their
advisors. The faculty members who have students in this program are the advisors.
III.d. The Biochemistry Ph.D. program, as an interdisciplinary, cross-department program, will
be administered through the Graduate School. Participating faculty will elect a three-member
steering committee. The committee will elect a Graduate Program Director who will work
closely with the Dean of the Graduate School and will be assisted by a staff member. The
Graduate Program Director will be invited to attend all meetings of the Graduate Faculty
Council.
IV.a. None expected. Faculty listed in Table 1 of the proposal have fully functioning
laboratories with the necessary equipment and computers. No new equipment is required to start
up this program.
IV.b. The program builds on existing resources, so it is not anticipated that new library or other
learning resources will be required.
V.a. No new resources are requested, and costs associated with recruiting and other program
administration will be handled through the Graduate School and the departments of member
faculty (currently; Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Forestry Resources and Environmental
Sciences).
VI. Yes, The Department of Chemistry has initiated three new programs: Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology B.S., Pharmaceutical Chemistry B.S. and Cheminformatics
VI.a.1. In the BS in Biochemistry and Molecular biology proposal the goal was to double the
number of students in the program. In 2003-4, the number of students in the program was 6; this
60
number included students in BL and CH interested in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Currently the number of students in the two departments total 50 (CH-19; BL 31). In addition,
there are 27 students in the closely related Pharmaceutical Chemistry program in Chemistry; the
goal was 32 students by 2015. In Cheminformatics the number of students is 5; the goal is 20.
VI.a.2. Significant new resources were generated from external and internal sources in the
Department of Chemistry, including cost share for CH4721: Research Methods in Biochemistry.
This lab was funded by the NSF ($150,000) and Departmental resources ($100,000). CH3540:
Biophysical Chemistry and CH3541: Biophysical Chemistry Lab are new offerings and a faculty
member was hired to teach these courses. CH4222: Bioanalytical Chemistry was adapted from a
five credit Intro Quant & Instrumental Analysis, specifically designed for the Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology and the Pharmaceutical Chemistry degrees. Additional costs are incurred by
the Department (via student fees) for supplies used for CH4995. The Department of Biological
Sciences had preexisting courses in place before the start of the Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology B.S. program. The biochemistry and molecular biology laboratories were upgraded with
departmental resources.
VI.a.3. Since the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology B.S. was implemented, two new faculty
members have been hired in the Dept. of Chemistry. One is an SFHI hire and the other is
attributable to the new degree program and teaches Biophysical Chemistry/Lab. The Dept. of
Biological Sciences has hired six new faculty members in this area in the last five years. Two of
these are SFHI hires.
VI.a.4. Instrumentation in support of new lab courses in the Dept. of Chemistry is from the
National Science Foundation, student laboratory fees, department budget and as described in
VI.a.2. (above).
VI.b. Enrollment has doubled in the Dept. of Chemistry. All growth has been in the three new
degrees without decreasing the existing Chemistry B.S.
Enrollment in other undergraduate degree programs increased from 261 to 266 in the last five
years in the Dept. of Biological Sciences. In the same period, graduate student enrollment
increased from 24 to 38.
VII.a. Total general fund budget: Biological Sciences: $2,363,600 (this is slightly different than
compendium which has 2,374,801 for 2010-2011); Total general fund budget: Chemistry:
2,390,227; Total general fund budget: School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science:
$3,578,444 (data from Compendium 2011)
VII.b. This number is impossible to get because Institutional Analysis does not track tuition
revenue at the unit level. Tuition at the University is charged based on student type rather than
course level and some students receive some sort of financial aid that reduces their net tuition
revenue that is received by the University.
VIII. The other programs currently under consideration or development as proposals include
Master's Biomedical Engineering, Accelerated Master's Biomedical Engineering, Master's
61
Program Security and Medical Informatics. Since there is no request for additional resources for
this program and it does not overlap with the other programs under consideration, there will be
no effect on these programs.
Comment [j1]: These are now approved and in
place.
62
Master’s Program in Biomedical Engineering
Department of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering and the Graduate School
Michigan Technological University
August 2011
1. Introduction
This is a proposal to formally establish a Master’s degree program in Biomedical Engineering (BME)
within MTU’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. This proposal will establish Plan A, Plan B and
Plan D MS degree options. The mission of the proposed program is to create a pathway for students to
further enhance their engineering and life science knowledge, gaining a competitive edge in an
increasingly demanding job market.
The proposed Master’s degree program in BME will be fully administered and maintained by the
Department of Biomedical Engineering. The scope of the proposed program is similar to many existing
programs at MTU as well as at other institutions. Engineering students with high academic standing can
apply and be accepted for the program. Students without a Biomedical Engineering undergraduate degree
are welcome into the program, but may be required to take additional life science courses to make up for
deficiencies in life science training. Highly qualified non-engineering students are also welcome to apply,
however, these individuals may be required to complete additional mathematical and/or engineering
courses to make up for perceived deficiencies.
Participating students are also required to maintain good standing after acceptance into the program.
Our specific objectives are to:
1) Offer a Master’s degree beginning in the fall of 2012.
2) Initiate a recruiting effort to publicize the expanded graduate opportunities in BME at MTU.
3) Establish initial MS student enrollment at a level of 15 (including an estimated 12 from the
accompanying proposal for an accelerated MS program).
4) Contribute to MTU’s mission to be a nationally prominent and internationally recognized
technological university that bridges technology and business and meets the needs of a global and
technologically rich society through excellence in undergraduate and graduate education,
scholarship, and research.
2. Rationale
Biomedical Engineering is one of the fastest growing engineering specialties in the United States. The
bachelor’s degree program in biomedical engineering at Michigan Technological University reflects this
trend and has experienced steady growth in student numbers since the program was initiated in 1997.
BME at MTU currently enrolls approximately 235 undergraduate students. To prepare students for
careers in biomedical engineering requiring advanced education beyond the bachelor’s degree, the BME
department established and offered a doctoral program in biomedical engineering starting 2005. BME
currently has 15 doctoral students enrolled in the program.
At present, MTU has programs in biomedical engineering aimed at preparing students for both entry level
(bachelor’s degree) terminal level (Ph.D. degrees) positions. Nevertheless, there is still a strong need for
master’s program that can provide training to students who are interested in mid-level entry positions, or
who desire to have a competitive edge compared to students with a standard 4-year BME bachelor’s
degree.
63
There are many reasons to establish a master’s program in biomedical engineering at MTU. First, at the
national level, there is an increasing demand for master’s degree level biomedical engineers. Without a
master’s degree program at MTU, MTU graduates will be forced to attend competitor institutions if they
wish to continue beyond a 4-year bachelor’s degree but do not want to commit at least 4 more years
towards a Ph.D. degree.
Second, a master’s program in biomedical engineering is a natural progression for the Biomedical
Engineering Department at MTU. To be competitive nationally, the university recognizes that it is
important to have strong graduate programs, in addition to undergraduate programs, to achieve the highest
quality education at all levels. The small size of the BME graduate student population has restricted the
department’s efforts towards developing highly focused, advanced graduate-level courses. The
establishment of a master’s program is expected to increase the size of the graduate program and provide
a large number of self-supporting students. This will allow the department to engage in activities that
strengthen the overall graduate mission of the department and the university.
Third, a master’s program in biomedical engineering will both directly and indirectly enhance the
research efforts in the department. The proposed Plan A master’s program is a traditional, hands-on
master’s degree that requires research leading to a thesis. The proposed Plan B requires a smaller project
that results in a research paper. Finally the Plan D master’s degree is purely didactic in nature preparing
students to further continue their education, if desired. As a result, the Plan D master’s program will
allow the department to identify and recruit highly motivated and better prepared students into the
department’s Ph.D. program.
3. Related Programs
Related Programs at MTU
Currently, the BME department at MTU has an undergraduate program that awards graduating students a
bachelor’s of science in biomedical engineering, and a graduate program that awards students a Ph.D. in
biomedical engineering. There are no master’s programs in BME. Students who wish to pursue a master’s
degree in a biomedical engineering –related field at Michigan Technological University must pursue their
degree from another engineering department, such as electrical, mechanical, materials science or chemical
engineering.
Equivalent/Competitive Programs in the State of Michigan
University of Michigan
The Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Michigan has a graduate program in the
Horace Rackham School of Graduate Studies that grants M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical
Engineering. The department is jointly supported by the College of Engineering and the Medical School.
In order to obtain an M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering, students must satisfactorily complete (B or
better for courses that are issued letter grades, and S for courses that are graded S/U) a minimum of 30
credits of graduate study beyond the bachelor's degree. Within this requirement, a group of core courses,
or their equivalents in the biological sciences, as well as several graduate-level engineering and physical
science courses, must be completed. Directed research work is required to familiarize the student with the
unique problems associated with biological systems research.
64
Wayne State University
Wayne State University offers both the MS and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Engineering. The master’s
degree is offered in two options: Plan A, which requires a minimum of 34 credit hours in course-work
including an eight-credit thesis and Plan C, which requires a minimum of 34 credits in course work.
Wayne State does not offer an accelerated BS/MS program.
Michigan State University
Biomedical Engineering is not available as a major at Michigan State, but several MSU degree programs
include an optional concentration for biomedical-related focused study, including Biosystems
Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.
The Electrical Engineering major includes a Biomedical Engineering major track.
Equivalent Programs Nationally
Nationally, master’s programs in biomedical engineering at research-oriented universities are the norm.
Certain BME programs, notably the Georgia Institute of Technology/Emory program restrict awarding
MS degrees to those doctoral students who have met the minimum requirements for a MS degree, but fail
to complete the Ph.D. program.
The table below lists a few of the top rated biomedical engineering programs, and their MS programs (if
offered).
Top national undergraduate
biomedical (bioengineering) programs
Johns Hopkins University
Georgia Institute of Technology/Emory
University of California – San Diego
Duke University (Pratt)
University of Washington
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Pennsylvania
Boston University
Rice University
Stanford University
University of Arizona
MS or equivalent
program?
Yes
M.S. only for failing Ph.D.
students
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes (Master of
Bioengineering – non-thesis)
Yes
Yes
4. Projected Enrollment
We project our initial master’s graduate enrollment to be 3, plus an additional 12 from the proposed
accelerated program for a total of 15. Our goal is to increase this number to 25 master’s students
(combined accelerated program and this program) in 5 years. The estimation is based on exit interviews
and alumni surveys from past years. Recruitment plans include (1) advising our BME undergraduate
majors of the potential for continuing at MTU obtain a master’s degree in BME following one additional
year of study, (2) working with MTU’s Undergraduate Admissions/Recruitment Office along with the
Graduate School to develop a BME brochure and a focused marketing plan, (3) updating the BME
Department web page highlight the master’s program.
5. Scheduling Plans
The master’s program in BME will be offered at the beginning of Fall Semester 2012.
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6. Curriculum Design
Admission Requirements:
1) Only students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above are eligible to enter the BME master’s
program.
2) In general, all students who have a BS in an engineering discipline are eligible to apply.
However, those students lacking undergraduate courses in the life sciences may be required to
complete additional courses in the life sciences to correct for this deficiency.
3) Exceptional students with non-engineering BS degrees are also eligible to apply. However, these
students may be required to complete additional courses in engineering and or mathematics to
correct for this deficiency.
4) General GRE exam results are required to be submitted as part of the admissions process.
5) The standard Graduate School admissions process applies.
Program Requirements:
1) The number of credits required for the Master’s degree is 30 credits
2) Students who are accepted into the program will not be allowed to continue if their cumulative
GPA falls below a 3.0. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 will be required for graduation.
3) Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the biomedical engineering program, courses also will be
taken outside of the Biomedical Engineering Department as determined by the student and his/her
advisory committee and dependent on the student’s area of emphasis. However, the students will
need at least 12 credit hours (in addition to the 2, 1 cr seminar requirement – see #6, below) from
the BME department.
4) Each student will have an academic/research advisor who is a member of the Biomedical
Engineering faculty. The Advisor’s primary responsibility will be supervising the student’s
academic and professional growth, as well as working with the student to develop an academic
plan for enrolling in the appropriate courses for the student and program.
5) The academic plan developed by the student and academic advisor will need written approval
from the faculty advisor and the departmental graduate coordinator.
6) Throughout their degree program, the graduate students will be required to attend the Graduate
Seminar. During the first year of study, the students will receive one credit for each semester for
participation. After the first year, attendance will still be mandatory, but the students will not
receive credit.
7) All Graduate School residency and credit requirements must be met.
Typical Program of Study:
There are no core required classes for the MS in Biomedical Engineering. Course plans will be developed
by the student, the student’s advisor and the BME graduate program coordinator. A minimum of 12
credits (of the minimum 30) must be taken from the BME Department.
Because of the breadth of the field of Biomedical Engineering, there is no single ‘typical’ program of
study. However, Appendix II lists some appropriate existing courses that a BME MS student may take to
fulfill course requirements.
7. New Course Descriptions
Three new faculty hires (already hired; will begin Fall 2011) will develop new graduate level courses as
part of their regular teaching duties to supplement existing graduate level courses (for our existing Ph.D.
Program). However, these courses will not be required courses for the degree.
8. Library and Other Learning Resources
No additional library or other learning resources are associated with this program.
66
9. Faculty Resumes
Biomedical Engineering faculty resumes can be found at http://www.biomed.mtu.edu/fac_CVs/ .
Participating Biomedical Engineering Faculty include:
Sean J. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Chair
Michael Neuman, MD, Ph.D., Full Professor
Jeremy Goldman, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Keat Ghee Ong, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Megan Frost, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Rupak Rajachar, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Niloy Choudhury, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Feng Zhao, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Bruce Lee, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Martyn Smith, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor
Qing-Hui Chen, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor
Karen Roemer, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor
10. Description of Available/Needed Equipment
Students will access the university-wide computing facilities already present.
11. Program Revenue & Costs
Presented below is a quick summary of the financial assessment of the proposed program. A more
complete evaluation is given in Appendix I. The appended evaluation conforms to the proposal 51-04 of
the University Senate of Michigan Technological University.
Revenue (Based on 2011-20112 Tuition & Student Voted Fees)
Graduate Resident and Non-Resident Per Credit Rate:
$702
Engineering tuition Fee Per Semester For Undergraduates
Taking 6 Credits or more and Graduate Students Taking 5 Credits or More:
$705
Student activity Fee:
$44.30
Experience Tech Fee:
$69.00
Per Student (30 credits* $702)
Engineering Tuition Semester Fee (4 semesters)
Fees (4 semesters)
$21,060
$ 2,820
$ 453.20
Total per Student
Based on Initial Enrollment of 3 Students:
$24,333.20
$72,999.60 (Initial
class)
New Costs
Student support:
Lab space:
No financial support for MS students is required
No new laboratory space is needed
67
New courses:
Student offices:
Student Advising:
BME already offers numerous graduate level courses as part of our Ph.D. degree
program. We have also recently hired 3 new tenure-track faculty, each of
whom will develop a graduate level course as part of their regular teaching
assignment. Thus no new costs associated with new course development.
BME has sufficient space to house the expected enrollment.
For the research MS students, much of the research advising will be completed
during the usual weekly lab meetings that each of the BME faculty hold with
their research groups. Course advising for the MS students will be minimal and
the time required for this advising will be small as the BME faculty already
perform these same advising tasks for BME Ph.D. students.
12. Space
No additional space is required to support this proposed program.
13. Policies, regulations and rules
Specific policies, regulations and rules for this program are stated in Section 6: Curriculum Design
(above).
14. Accreditation Requirements
There are no further accreditation requirements for this proposed Master’s program.
15. Internal Status of Proposal
This proposal for a master’s program in Biomedical Engineering has been approved by the Faculty of the
Department of Biomedical Engineering, by the Engineering Council, and by the Dean, College of
Engineering.
16. Planned Implementation Date
This proposed master’s program will be implemented in the Fall of 2012.
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Appendix I
Criteria for Financial Evaluation of proposed Academic Programs
Senate proposal 51-04
I. Relation to University Strategic Plan
a. Relation of program to the University’s educational and research goals:
The University and the College of Engineering both are striving to increase graduate enrollment.
In this regard, the proposed MS program aligns with the University’s research and educational
goals. In addition, we expect the proposed MS Program to serve as a feeder program for the
Department’s Ph.D. program and thereby increase both the numbers of students and the quality of
students in the Ph.D. Program.
b. Consistency with the University’s resource allocation criteria:
No new resources are being requested at the Departmental level to support this proposed
program.
II. Impact on University Enrollment
a. Projected number of students in the program:
We project our initial master’s graduate enrollment to be 3, plus an additional 12 from the
proposed accelerated program for a total of 15. Our goal is to increase this number to 25 master’s
students (combined accelerated program and this program) in 5 years. The estimation is based on
exit interviews and alumni surveys from past years. Recruitment plans include (1) advising our
BME undergraduate majors of the potential for continuing at MTU obtain a master’s degree in
BME following one additional year of study, (2) working with MTU’s Undergraduate
Admissions/Recruitment Office along with the Graduate School to develop a BME brochure and
a focused marketing plan, (3) updating the BME Department web page highlight the master’s
program.
b. Source of new students:
Initially, we project that all new students will have earned their BS Degree from Michigan Tech.
However, as the degree program matures, we project that we will draw students from other
universities into the program.
c. What is the likely correlation between demand for the new program and existing enrollment patterns at
MTU?:
We do not forsee any significant changes in the enrollment patterns at MTU as a result of this
program. However, we do expect that students who are interested in obtaining an MS in BME
will now do so through the Department of Biomedical Engineering as opposed to other
Engineering Departments (e.g., MEEM, ECE).
d. What is the current enrollment in the unit?:
BME currently enrolls approximately 240 undergraduate students and 12 Ph.D. students.
III. Impact on Resources Required by Department in which the program is Housed
a. Faculty Lines: No new faculty lines are requested
b. Faculty and Student Labs: No new Laboratory space is requested. All faculty maintain and active
research lab as part of our Ph.D. Program.
c. Advising: For the research MS students, much of the research advising will be completed
during the usual weekly lab meetings that each of the BME faculty hold with
their research groups. Course advising for the MS students will be minimal and
the time required for this advising will be small as the BME faculty already
perform these same advising tasks for BME Ph.D. students.
69
d. Assessment:
Faculty members will have to devote time to assessing the MS students. More
students will enroll in our graduate courses and the work will need to be
assessed. Faculty advisors and committee members will need to devote time to
reviewing the student’s research and reading/assessing MS theses.
IV. Impact on resources Required by Other Units Within the University
a. Other academic units with regard to faculty, labs, and assessment:
BME MS students may take courses from other Units on campus, if there is sufficient space in the
courses. Faculty from other Units would have to assess the student’s performance in these
courses just as they would for any other graduate student.
b. Information Technology, Library, Central Administration etc.:
New students will, of course, increase the demands on IT, the Library, etc. However, it is within
the University’s goals to increase the number of graduate students enrolled. The students in the
Program will pay the Engineering Tuition Fee which should, presumable, help to offset some of
these costs.
V. Assessement of the Ability to Obtain the Necessary Resources Assuming Requested Funds are
Obtained:
No new funds are requested; No new faculty lines are requested.
VI. Past proposals:
The Department has not initiated any other new degree programs in the past 5 years.
VII. Departmental Budget Contribution
a. What is the Department’s total general fund budget? $1,127,115 (2011-20112 Budget Year)
b. How much tuition does the Department generate (approximate numbers)?
1. Credit hours taught by Department: 1321credit hours at $420.50/hour = $555,480.50 (+ fees)
(Undergraduate in FY10)
157 credit hours at $702/hour = $110,214 (+fees)
(Graduate in FY10)
Total: ~$555,480.50+$110,214 = $665,649.50
Note that these values will increase slightly due to increased enrollment this academic year.
2. Number of credit hours taken by BME majors:
Ave. of 16.38 cr hrs per student per semester * 240
students = 3,930 cr. hrs per semester (Undergraduate)
3,930cr hrs at $420.50/hr (in FY10) = $1,652,565
Ave of 9 cr hrs per student per semester * 12 Ph.D
students = 108 cr. hrs per semester (Graduate)
108 cr hrs at $702/hr = $75,816
Total: $1,652,565+ $75,816 = $1,728,381
VIII. a. How do the benefits from this Program compare to other alternatives that are currently under
consideration or development?
No alternatives are currently under consideration or development.
b. Will approval and allocation of resources to this program preclude the development of other
programs?
No allocation of new general fund resources or space is requested, so other programs will not be
precluded from being developed based on these considerations.
70
Appendix II
List of Appropriate Existing Courses
(not necessarily all inclusive; does not include research credits or special topics courses)
Department of Biomedical Engineering Courses
BE5100 Cell/Tissue mechanics
BE5300 Polymeric Biomaterials
BE5600 Active Implant. Dev.
BE5940 Intro Tissue Eng.
BE5990 Grad Seminar
BE5880 Princ & Anal/Cell Proc.
BE5200 Biology for Engineers II
BE5510 Cardiovascular Engineering
BE5700 Biosensors
BE5550 Biostatistics for Health Sciences
BE5800 Adv. Biomaterials Interfaces
BE5900 Biomedical Optics
(Note BME has recently hired 3 new faculty members into the Department. As part of their regularly
assigned teaching duties, they will each develop a graduate-level course for the existing Ph.D. Program.
These courses have yet to be defined, however, they will be added to this list as they are developed and
offered.)
Other College of Engineering Courses*
EE5440 The Laser
EE5540 Statistical Optics
EE5940 Electrophysics Seminar
EE5410 Engineering Electrodynamics
EE5500 Prob & Stoch P rocesses
MEEM5210 Adv. Fluid Mech
CM5900 Nanobiosensors
MEEM5150 Advanced Mechanics of Mats.
MEEM6110 Adv. Continuum Mech
MY5580 Atomic force Microscopy
EE5522 Digital Image Processing
EE5750 Dist Embedded Control Sys
EE5950 Signals and Systems Seminar
EE5520 Fourier Optics
MEEM5170 Finite Element Methods
MEEM5650 Adv. Quality Eng
MEEM5240 Comp. Fluid Dynamics
MEEM5700 Dynamic Meas/Signal Analysis
MY5260 Crystallography
Courses Offered in the College of Science and Arts*
BL5340 General Immunology
BL5502 Biological Sciences Seminar
BL5030 Molecular Biology
BL5025 The Scientific Profession
BL4840 Mol. Biol. Tech
CH5120 Pharm Chemistry: Drug Design
CH6920 Adv. Mass Spectrometry
PH5410 Quantum Mechanics
CH6790 Protein Folding
*Based on availability
71
REVISED NAMING SCHEME FOR MEMBER OF THE GRADUATE FACULTY
This is a proposal to revise the terms applied to the different categories of Graduate Faculty at Michigan
Technological University.
Currently there are two categories of Graduate Faculty: Graduate Faculty and ad hoc Graduate Faculty.
In addition there are people who are not members of the Graduate Faculty but who have received
permission to teach graduate courses. These individuals are not allowed to supervise graduate students or
serve on graduate committees (and have no special title at present).
The proposed new naming scheme separates members of the Graduate Faculty into different groups based
on broad characteristics. This change will help students to understand that there are different categories of
Graduate Faculty (including different terms of service). This change will also make it easier for the
University to accurately communicate with external audiences about the number and type of faculty
involved with our graduate programs. Finally this change will make it easier for individuals associated
with our graduate programs to accurately communicate their level of involvement and privileges.
The proposed names and definitions for the Graduate Faculty are:
1) Full Members: Members of the academic faculty holding the rank of ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, or PROFESSOR.
2) Affiliated Members: Members holding the rank of LECTURER, ADJUNCT, and EMERITUS
faculty and faculty holding a rank with a prefix of VISITING. Affiliated Members’ appointments
are reviewed annually.
3) Contributing Members: Members with special technical expertise that are employees of
Michigan Tech and have been nominated for membership in the Graduate Faculty by an academic
department or school and have been appointed to the Graduate Faculty by the dean of the
Graduate School. Contributing Members’ appointments are reviewed annually.
4) Temporary Members: Members with special technical expertise that are not employees of
Michigan Tech. Temporary members must be nominated for membership in the Graduate Faculty
by an academic department or school and must be appointed to the Graduate Faculty by the dean
of the Graduate School. Temporary Members’ appointments are reviewed annually.
The proposed name and definition for individuals who are not members of the Graduate Faculty but
who have received permission to teach graduate courses is:
Graduate Instructional Faculty: Individuals who are have been recommended by an
academic department or school to teach one or more graduate courses and who have been
approved by the dean of the Graduate School. These individuals may not supervise graduate
students’ research or serve on graduate committees. Appointments are reviewed annually.
The attached sheets show how these names align with the text of the Faculty Handbook.
72
Chapter 1. Mission, Vision, General Organization, and Governance
Section 1.5 Faculty Status Definitions
<< previous :: next >>
1.5.3 Graduate Faculty Status
A. Membership
The Graduate Faculty consists of members of the academic faculty holding the rank of
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, or PROFESSOR who have
been appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School.
The Dean of the Graduate School may also grant graduate faculty status to LECTURER,
ADJUNCT, and EMERITUS faculty and faculty holding a rank with a prefix of
VISITING, but these appointments are for one year and must be reviewed and
reappointed on an annual basis.
Under special circumstances, the graduate dean may appoint individuals with special
technical expertise to the graduate faculty for a specific term and purpose, such as serving
as a member of a student's advisory committee.
Only graduate faculty members are eligible to teach graduate courses (500 level and
above), serve as examining members on Masters and PhD committees, and supervise
Masters and PhD students.
B. Qualifications of Graduate Faculty
1. Qualifications expected for graduate faculty appointment:
a. Experience and continued interest in the conduct of research.
b. The necessary background for, and a continued interest in, teaching graduate
courses.
c. Continued interest in serving as a graduate student advisor.
2. Evidence of Qualifications
Faculty may meet the qualification requirements if they:
a. Are currently involved in research work or graduate instruction or in advising
graduate students.
Comment [j1]:
“Full Members”
Comment [j2]:
“Affiliated Members”
Comment [j3]:
“Contributing Members” if employed by Michigan
Tech (e.g., MITRI, research faculty, research
scientists, etc.). Annual review.
“Temporary Members” if not employed by Michigan
Tech. These are only appointed to serve on the
committee of a particular student or students. This
is the old “ad hoc” category. Annual review.
Comment [j4]:
“Graduate Instructional Faculty” can teach but not
supervise graduate students or serve on graduate
committees.
73
b. Regularly publish articles in recognized journals having national distribution or
books related to their field of study.
c. Have earned the terminal degree in their field.
C. Appointment Procedures
Graduate Faculty appointment and retention decisions are made by the Dean of the
Graduate School with recommendations and advice from department chairs, deans of
colleges and schools, and the Graduate Council.
Recommendation for Graduate Faculty status is made in writing by the department chair
of the appropriate academic unit or by the deans of the Schools of Business and
Forestryappropriate Schools. These recommendations are forwarded to the college dean,
where appropriate, and then to the Graduate Dean.
D. Review of Graduate Faculty
It is expected that department chairs/school deans will continually review the
performance of all individuals holding graduate faculty status in their respective units
using criteria outlined in Section B above.
When, in a department chair/school dean's professional judgement, a faculty member
holding a graduate faculty appointment is no longer satisfactorily functioning in this
capacity, s/he must recommend that the individual in question be removed from graduate
faculty status. The Dean of the Graduate School may also initiate the removal process in
consultation with the appropriate chair/dean. The Dean of the Graduate School will act on
recommendations with the advice and consent of the Graduate Council.
<< previous :: top :: next >>
Chapter Table of Contents :: Table of Contents :: Index :: Provost's Home Page :: MTU
Home
Revised: 02/27/2007 - Format changes made.
http://www.admin.mtu.edu/admin/prov/facbook/ch1/1chap-17.htm
Copyright © 2007. Michigan Technological University. All Rights Reserved.
Address web questions about this page to Ann Roth at aroth@mtu.edu.
Comment [j5]: Text to be updated during
summer, 2011 to reflect University practice.
74
Changes to GACS (Graduate Assistant Cost Share)
The deans have had a lot of discussions lately about the University's need to promote (and reward) units
that are effective at obtaining external support for graduate students. We all agree that we are going to
need to increase the amount of external support for students significantly if we are going to meet our
strategic plan goals in the graduate area.
In fall 2009, 178 students were funded by external sponsored accounts (these are students coded in
Banner as FELE, GADE, and GRA). In fall 2010, 215 students were externally supported. In contrast, the
number of internally funded lines was 318 in fall 2009 and fall 2010. The increase in number of
externally supported students is very positive, and it is appropriate to begin to reward units that
facilitating Michigan Tech’s progress toward its Strategic Plan goals.
Together, the Graduate School and the academic deans have come up with a proposal (outlined below)
that will reward units that obtain external support for graduate students. The goal of this new policy is
to stimulate further growth in the number of students supported by sponsored projects. If this goal is
not achieved, this new policy will be revised as appropriate.
We are still very early in the planning stages and there are many procedural issues that remain to be
worked out. At this point the deans would appreciate receiving feedback about the proposed new
policy. The existing policy is outlined directly below and the proposed new policy follows at the end of
this document.
Current policy is that GACS is available in the following situations:
•
•
•
When cost share is mandatory.
o The Graduate School will provide up to a maximum of 50 percent of the total required
cost-share capped at the equivalent of the cost of nine credits per student (for a
maximum of two students) per semester for academic year (two semesters) tuition at
the time the proposal is submitted.
When cost share is not mandatory (voluntary uncommitted) (for assistant professors only).
o The Graduate School will provide partial funding for one graduate student per budget
year on proposals submitted by an assistant professor serving as lead PI. Cost-share
support will be capped at the equivalent of the cost of nine credits of academic year
tuition (two semesters) at the time the proposal is submitted. Documentation of the
dollar amount of the GACS commitment will not be disclosed in the budget justification
section of the proposal.
When the proposal is large (>$500k/year) and interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or contribute
significantly to the University’s mission.
(See: http://www.mtu.edu/gradschool/administration/academics/policies-procedures/gacs/ )
75
Proposed New Policy:
Recent developments have precipitated a review of the current GACS policy and development of some
recommendations for change.
•
•
•
Required cost-share will continue to be available as before for single investigators and large
projects.
Voluntary uncommitted GACS funds will not be committed (even internally) to projects at the
proposal stage. This is an appropriate change because NSF has recently updated its stand on
voluntary committed cost share (it is now prohibited).
A GACS “incentive return” will be awarded to departments in an amount proportional to the
amount expended on graduate student support from sponsored projects.
o The goal is to return a 1/3 the cost of graduate tuition for every student that receives
full-time support (stipend plus tuition) from a sponsored project.
o The actual amount returned will be based on the availability of funds.
o This new approach will be phased-in and the amount of funding to be made available
will increase as existing GACS commitments expire.
o All existing commitments will be honored.
o Returns will be based on actual expenditures (rather than budget) in graduate student
stipend, hourly, and tuition categories.
o Funds will be returned the unit level (department chair or school dean).
o Funds will be available for use to support graduate students *only*.
o All support from sponsored projects will be considered (not just projects proposed by
assistant professors).
D7
76
Michigan Technological University
Graduate School
Pre-defense Form - Please type; handwritten forms are not acceptable
This form is required for the following degrees: PhD, MS (plan A, B, C) and Master of Forestry
Off campus students should e-mail a completed form to their graduate program; they will print and submit.
Return this form to the Graduate School two weeks prior to the oral defense.
Provide information about you and your program.
Last Name, First Name, MI
Charlesworth, Debra
M Number (ex: M12345678) M12345678
Select Degree Type
PhD
Select Graduate Program
MS
MFor
Chemistry
A draft of your dissertation or thesis is due to your committee and the Graduate
School two weeks prior to your defense.
Title of thesis, report,
or dissertation
Draft Due Date
10/03/2011
The best dissertation ever!
Select your defense date, time, and place.
Students make their own arrangements to reserve a room on campus and set a date and time for the defense. All
information in this section must be provided when the form is submitted to the Graduate School.
Defense Date (M/D/YYYY)
Start Time of Defense
10/17/2011
2pm
Place - building and room number Admin 407A
Provide your committee members.
The advisor and co-advisor (if applicable) serve as chairs of the committee. At least four members of the
graduate faculty are required for doctoral candidates. At least one member will be from outside the student's
administrative home department or school.
Jeremy Gilbert, Co-Chair
Eugene Lautenschlager, Co-Chair
Kathleen Faber
Wesley Burghardt
Sign the form. A graduate program director may sign for any advisor. Advisors should verify the ETD and
embargo options selected on the next page, and will ensure that the committee has received a draft of a
thesis, report, or dissertation two weeks before the defense date.
Jeremy Gilbert
Date
Eugene Lautenschlager
Date
Graduate Program Director, Chemistry
Date
Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School
Date
Do all graduate programs want to sign? We can selectively
take off programs who find this unnecessary.
Modified 6/28/2011 ddc
Exchange-Pro 9.302
Charlesworth, Debra
Banner Codes: M5, D7, TD-Publishing
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