College of Arts and Sciences
American University
Washington, D. C.
Spring 2006
www.american.edu/cas
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY SCIENCE
EDITORIAL
Mission Statement:
SCIENCE ISSUES—You decide: Hurricanes and Global Warming
In addition to the loss of life and property, last season’s hurricanes have brought renewed
scrutiny of global warming. Most scientists maintain that global warming exists, but some are
still unsure about what links there are, if any, between global warming and the increased force
of hurricanes.
A catalyst, as defined by scientists, facilitates
chemical reactions by bringing together substances
that might not interact in its absence. Similarly,
Catalyst is one place where all the sciences come
together to relay exciting scientific developments
happening at AU in the AU community and beyond.
According to the National Hurricane Center, a hurricane is “a non-frontal synoptic scale lowpressure system over tropical or sub-tropical waters with organized convection (i.e.,
thunderstorm activity) and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation.”
Catalyst is a semi-annual magazine created to
Scientists say that three conditions are necessary for a hurricane to take place:
mission is to: serve students and faculty in the
• continuing evaporation-condensation cycle of warm, humid ocean air
sciences as a means to inspire, inform, and promote
• patterns of wind characterized by converging winds at the surface and strong, uniform-speed
winds at higher altitudes
promote discourse and keep us up-to-date about
how science at AU affects and inspires us all. Our
discourse; share news and accomplishments of
students and faculty; inform students of timely and
valuable opportunities; raise the profile of the
• a difference in air pressure (pressure gradient) between the surface and high altitude
sciences at AU; and expose students outside of CAS
Several recent studies have examined ocean temperatures and their role in the increased
intensity of hurricanes. For example, a study conducted by Kevin Trenberth of the National
Center for Atmospheric Research links stronger hurricanes to warmer seas and global warming
caused by human beings. Trenberth also contends that global warming has raised sea levels
and ocean temperatures. This has increased water vapor in the atmosphere and brought about
storms, he said.
to exciting science classes.
Our success will be measured by how useful
and informative you find this publication, so we
want to hear from you!
Editor:
Mishri Someshwar
Likewise, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology found that the number of Category
Four and Five hurricanes worldwide has nearly doubled over the past 35 years, even though the
total number of hurricanes has dropped since the 1990s. These researchers say that sea
temperatures have risen by 0.5 to 1 degree Fahrenheit. But the link between human-induced
global warming and more intense hurricanes is still unclear.
ms1044a@american.edu
Other scientists, however, dismiss the link between global warming and hurricane intensity and
say the present hurricane surge is part of a 60- to 70-year cycle linked to natural causes. They
say climate change due to human activity will not significantly affect hurricanes.
Michael Menachem
Faculty Advisor:
Christopher Tudge
ctudge@american.edu
Senior Writer:
So, is there a link between hurricanes and global warming?
a) Definite link between hurricanes and global warming
b) Possible link between hurricanes and global warming
c) No link between hurricanes and global warming
d) Insufficient data
e) Global warming does not exist
Catalyst is published semi-annually by the
Please submit letters to the editor to ms1044a@american.edu.
See letters to the editor on the
inside back cover.
College of Arts and Sciences
American University,
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC. 20016
Catalyst is supported in part through generous donations from alumni and friends of the College of Arts and Sciences.
www.american.edu/cas/catalyst
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Sciences, then fill in the amount of your donation. At the Designation/In honor of window, key in: Catalyst magazine. Thank you.
ON THE COVER
Inspired by the film Scarface, the cover features AU psychology and premedical student Nilesh Tejura.
Photo by Jeff Watts.
I
just received the latest issue
of Catalyst. It’s an enjoyable
magazine. Keep it up.
Although your summary
of the [intelligent design]
controversy is wonderfully
stated, it seems to me the
final question missed the
point. I might suggest that
it’s not whether the two
topics should be taught
in school, but where.
Creationism belongs in
religion classes while
evolution belongs in
science. If creationism is
taught at all it might be
used as an example of its
failure to meet the basic
requirement of scientific
examination.
Regards,
Ben Van Dyk
CAP ’66
I
think your question
“What views on human
origin do you feel should
be taught in school?” is too
vague. “What views on
human origin do you feel
should be taught in science
class?” would be better.
Then one could say that
there is no place for a
religion/creationism/intelligent design theory. This
issue could have affected
the curriculum here in
Mississippi. Last year a bill
was proposed to give equal
time in our public school
science classes to intelligent
design. Thankfully, it did
not go very far.
Jim Dunne
CAP ’95 (PhD)
T
esting the evolutionary
hypothesis may involve
taking samples. Thus,
caution should be considered when “leaping to a
conclusion” about its
truthfulness, whether or
not on all fours.
In statistical hypothesis
testing, for example, sample
evidence either tends to
support the null hypothesis
or tends not to. What may
be necessary (but not
necessarily sufficient) to
verify the truth or falsehood of a null hypothesis
is to conduct a census with
no error, although such a
census may be impossible.
For example, testing the
hypothesis “There is an
omnipresent God that
created everything” may
be outside the realm of
scientific research: where’s
the control? As asserted,
at times, in qualitative
research paradigm(s),
science is a subset of
research, not necessarily
the other way round. Any
hypothesis verification is
subject to research
constraints and assumptions. Constraints constrain
and assumptions assume.
Thus, hypothesis testing
may be subject to error.
I don’t know if evolution is
true: I’ve never seen it. (I’ve
never seen a purple cow,
either.) Nevertheless, I
believe everyone should
continue to think more
and more “outside the
box.” We have a responsibility to better expose
students to various research
doctrines, scientific and
otherwise. By doing so,
perhaps their thinking
“abilities” might evolve
from, for example—
believing that evolution is
true because there are
scientists who conclude it
is, or believing that
evolution is not true
because there are people
who don’t believe it—to,
for example—comparing
various points of view,
synthesizing available
information and beliefs,
and forming conclusions.
Is the glass half-empty or
half-full? Who knows? But
let us drink together.
Whiting J. Wicker
Math ’02 (PhD)
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SCIENCE ISSUES—YOU DECIDE: HURRICANES AND GLOBAL WARMING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside front cover
SCIENCE STARS: Student Projects Affecting You!
AU Student Participates in Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Environmental science student Cary Shelton interns with Red Cross
Profile: Psi Chi president Kimberly Bowen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Psychology student helps re-launch AU chapter of a psychology honors society
Power Convergence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Math student Sarah Gourlie studies the convergence of complex power series
The Genetics of Alcohol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Psychology student Pete Roma and chemistry student Jonathan Edwardsen
research blood alcohol
Black Holes, Photos, and NASA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Physics student Johanna Teske interns at NASA
Saving the Big Cats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Biology student Courtney Elkins participates in
the National Zoo’s feline conservation program
Annihilating Alien Species. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Environmental science student Lea Bonfiglio destroys invasive plant species
The Virus Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Computer science student Erik Hochweller tracks the spread of computer viruses
GETTING OUT OF DODGE: Students Take Science Out of D.C. Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
In a Country Far, Far Away
Psychology and premedical student Nilesh Tejura volunteers in Indian hospitals
PROFESSOR PROFILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
James Girard: Chemistry professor testifies in lead poisoning case in Rhode Island
Nancy Zeller and Karen Bushaw-Newton: Biology professors conduct cosmetics study
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Tracking Down Science Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
PIPING HOT: Scholarships, Internships, and Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
LETTERS: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside back cover
Taking
Science
Out
of D.C.
Cary Shelton at the Red Cross building in Washington, D.C., wearing the traditional Red Cross vest. Photo by Alanna Bornstein.
AU STUDENT PARTICIPATES IN HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORT
By Claire Maude, journalism ’08
THERE ARE MORE THAN 1,000 MILES BETWEEN
Washington, D.C., and New Orleans. But that
isn’t stopping Cary Shelton (ENVS ’06) from
using her AU education to help in the Katrina
relief effort.
Shelton is a student in the new AU
professional science master’s program, where
she studies environmental science and
assessment, and interns as a member of the
Red Cross’s Disaster Services Team.
“I’m doing mostly case work right now
since I came in during Katrina,” Shelton said.
“Basically, I sit down with an evacuee and
write up a case . . . just basically listening to
them—most of these people just need to talk
to someone, and we provide that as well as
helping them find shelter and health care and
giving them some monetary assistance.”
After the Katrina relief efforts slow down,
Shelton says her work will focus more on other
types of environmental crises. “[I] will be doing
some disaster assessment in regard to fires,”
Shelton said. “I hope to be able to do some
more extensive training in the future to become
a Disaster Action Team (DAT) member. I’m
doing the internship for the entire semester and
will probably stay on as a DAT member if I
remain in the area.”
The professional science master’s degree
program (www.american.edu/psm) was
introduced last year at AU. Throughout the twoyear course of study, Shelton will take 36 credit
hours of classes, finish an internship, and work
toward a capstone project on a practical
problem in the field of environmental science.
“The curriculum blends the scientific
aspect and the business or policy aspect of the
environmental field,” Shelton said. “The
program is in its first years, and we were the
first ones to come through. The people are
Catalyst Spring 2006 2
great, they are helpful, and they have tried
really hard to get us through a sudden and
tough transition without any hassles.”
In the program, Shelton has taken classes
in everything from statistics to ethics. She is
working with an advisor who will guide her
through the process of completing the
internship and her final internship report. That
project could be anything from a research
paper about her work with the Red Cross to a
grant proposal or a newspaper article about the
organization.
After she graduates, Shelton hopes to work
in the field of water quality assessment—
though she says she doesn’t want to limit
herself to that one area. “I may decide I really
enjoy damage assessment and decide to
pursue a career in that. I’m hoping to be able
to leave this program with a sense of not just
the scientific side but also some policy and
business knowledge as well,” Shelton said.
PROFILE: PSI CHI PRESIDENT
KIMBERLY BOWEN
By Michael Menachem,
public communication ’04
KIMBERLY BOWEN (PSYC ’07) HELPED
re-launch the AU chapter of the psychology
honors society Psi Chi in spring 2005. Bowen,
the chapter’s president, says that the
organization is “a strong résumé builder and a
great resource for getting references for jobs.
Psi Chi gives $250,000 in grants each year for
student research, and each member receives
quarterly research journals,” she said.
Bowen, who is originally from Santa
Barbara, California, is also president of the
Psychology Students Association, a student
organization that overlaps with Psi Chi members
and activities. She hopes to earn a PhD in
clinical psychology and start her own practice.
Her interest in psychology grew when working
with her high school speech therapist’s autistic
son. Learning disabilities, behavioral disorders,
and counseling for families and children have
always interested Bowen, so her special
education minor seemed a logical fit.
Bowen is doing her honors capstone
project with Professor Bryan Fantie. Her
yearlong independent study is on an aspect of
evolutionary theory called the parental
investment theory. This explains differences in
mate selection and the ways in which humans
and animals select their mate to produce the
fittest offspring. “Females are looking for males
who can provide for their offspring; they are
looking for resourcefulness. Males are looking
for females who can reproduce successfully
and have healthy offspring,” Bowen said.
Bowen emphasized that students who get
involved outside the classroom and are
members of Psi Chi have a number of
advantages over other students. “The Psi Chi
Journal of Undergraduate Research is great
because it’s tough to be an undergraduate and
get published otherwise,” she said.
Psi Chi’s members must meet competitive
eligibility requirements. Students must be at
least second-semester sophomores maintaining
at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA, in the top 35
percent of their class ranking, and have nine
completed credits in psychology. Members pay
a lifetime membership fee of $35.
Bowen said that AU’s chapter conducts
practice sessions and tests for the Graduate
Record Examinations, and it works with the
psychology department to organize graduate
resource sessions. During its movie nights
members discuss how psychology is reflected
in popular culture and how issues in films
apply to current findings and general
misconceptions in public knowledge. Psi Chi is
also working with Active Minds, AU’s mental
health awareness organization, to cosponsor
major speakers to address students, she said.
Bowen urges psychology students to get
involved on campus. “Even if people don’t
know if they can qualify for Psi Chi, they can
still get involved with the Psychology Students
Association,” she said.
For more information about Psi Chi, visit
www.psichi.org.
POWER CONVERGENCE
By April Astor, journalism ’06
MANY PEOPLE WANT THEIR WORK TO BRING
them power. SARAH GOURLIE (MATH ’06) isn’t
any different. Over the summer of 2004, she
studied the convergence of complex power
series with Professor Dan Kalman.
A power series is a series such as 1 + x
+ x2 + x3 + . . ., where you plug in a number
for x. But it gets harder. The x’s Gourlie used in
this formula were complex numbers. That
means they have a real part, like an integer,
and an imaginary part, like the “number” i (the
square root of -1). So instead of x, she could
use a number like 1+2i and study the effect
that had on the power series.
The series above has many variations
depending on the complex number used. Gourlie
looked at what happened when those power series
were graphed in an unusual way. The graphs are
geometric shapes where each term of the series
corresponds to a line segment in the graph.
Gourlie studied the convergence of the
series using their graphs: convergent series
give a path of segments that gets smaller and
smaller and leads to a single point, whereas
divergent series give paths that go to infinity.
Catalyst Spring 2006 3
What is not well known, Gourlie said, is the
variety of the pictures she was able to generate.
“They’re all totally different and they all
come from the same equation,” she said. “It’s
not the convergence itself that is unusual so
much as how they converge and what the
graph looks like as the function is converging.”
It is an interesting way to study the properties
of functions, she said.
Gourlie is continuing the research this
semester as an honors capstone project. She is
now considering variations on her earlier work
by studying the effects of what she did and
looking at their graphs. She is taking variations
of the power series by changing the coefficients
and looking at their convergence graphs. For
example, where the earlier work focused on 1 +
x + x2 + x3, etc. , her more recent work
concerns sums like 1x + 2x2 + 3x3, etc.
“I’m using more and more complex
functions to put x’s into,” she said.
Gourlie chose this type of research because
it helps her be original within mathematics,
which can sometimes be a struggle.
“It’s a hump you have to get over between
calculus and proof-based math,” she said.
“There’s an originality hump and I think this
research really helped me with that.”
Gourlie plans to write a paper on her work.
She has already presented some of her
material at the Regional Conference of the
Mathematical Association of America. She
plans to continue to graduate school and hopes
to become an acoustical engineer.
A graphical
representation
of an infinite
series in the
complex plane
Chemistry and psychology double major Jonathan Edwardsen injects a
Psychology student Pete Roma ponders the genetic basis
standard solution into the gas chromatograph to assure the accurate
of alcohol abuse. Photo by Jason Baustin.
calibration of the instrument. Photo by Mary-Kate McKenna.
THE GENETICS OF ALCOHOL
By Michael Menachem,
public communication ’04
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), nearly
18 million American adults abuse alcohol or
are alcohol-dependent, with millions more
recreational and underage abusers. The
estimated cost of alcohol-related problems in
America is $185 billion per year.
These problems intrigue scientists and are
being investigated further on campus. Using
selected rat strains, AU’s psychology and
chemistry departments have recently
conducted an interdisciplinary study on the
genetics of alcohol’s effects.
These rat strains (“Fischer” and “Lewis”)
differ in their willingness to self-administer a
variety of drugs. In a number of experiments,
psychology professor Anthony Riley and
graduate student Pete Roma (PSYC ’07)
analyzed the behavioral reactions to alcohol in
the two strains.
Their data suggest that there are clear
differences in the psychological reactions that
different strains of rats had to alcohol. Roma said
that abused drugs, such as alcohol, have several
physiological and psychoactive effects that can
be both rewarding and aversive for the user.
Roma described these reactions further:
“An important factor in the etiology of drug
abuse is how rewarding or aversive an
individual’s initial experiences with a drug are.
If a drug is perceived as highly rewarding and
minimally aversive, then subsequent use and
abuse potential is high; conversely, if a drug is
perceived as highly aversive and minimally
rewarding, then abuse potential is low.”
Given that the likelihood of continuing drug
use is a function of the balance between these
two effects, these scientists are interested in
why the strains differ and whether this
information illuminates the genetic basis of
drug use and abuse.
One obvious difference between the strains
may be how they metabolize alcohol. To
assess this, Riley and Roma needed to
measure the blood alcohol levels. This is where
the chemistry department entered the story.
Professor James Girard and undergraduate
JONATHAN EDWARDSEN (CHEM/PSYC ’07)
used a variety of chemical assays to measure
trace levels of chemicals (and drugs) in the
body. Gas chromatography was used to
determine these levels. In this procedure, after
blood is injected into the gas chromatograph, a
Catalyst Spring 2006 4
pre-column separates blood components from
any alcohol that might be present.
Different substances emerged from the gas
chromatograph’s column at different retention
times, separating different types of
compounds. “The more volatile the compound,
the faster it comes out of the column,”
Edwardsen said. “Ethanol, methanol, propanol,
and other compounds all come out at different
times due to their vapor pressure.”
Using this technique, chemists can
determine the absolute concentration of alcohol
in the blood of the two rat strains, allowing the
psychologists to ascertain whether differences
between the strains simply reflect these different
blood alcohol levels. The psychologists have
administered fixed doses of alcohol to both
Fischer and Lewis rats and recorded blood
alcohol levels at different times post injection—
15, 60, and finally, 180 minutes.
Roma works with Professor Anthony Riley
in the psychopharmacology laboratory, where
the primary research focus is on animal
models of genetic and environmental factors in
the etiology of drug use and abuse. He is part
of a PhD program called behavior, cognition,
and neuroscience.
Roma earned a dual BA in psychology and
communication studies at West Chester
University in Pennsylvania before his research
training fellowship at the National Institutes of
Health, where he studied biobehavioral
development in nonhuman primates.
Edwardsen hopes to do advanced
analytical chemistry research or forensic
chemistry for the FBI, the Secret Service, or
another government agency. He has experience
as an emergency medical technician and has
observed a variety of people at different levels
of intoxication; such experiences have provided
him with a keen appreciation for how drugs
affect people in everyday life.
Roma said the interdepartmental
collaboration is important because “the longterm goal of our [psychology department]
partnership with the chemistry department is
to strengthen our behavioral research by
including biochemical data, such as circulating
levels of drugs or stress hormones, and seeing
how those data correlate with the behavioral
effects we observe. This partnership also
provides chemistry students opportunities to
expand their technical repertoires into the
realm of biobehavioral research.”
BLACK HOLES, PHOTONS,
AND NASA
By Rebekah Moan, journalism ’06
ALTHOUGH BLACK HOLES ARE REGIONS OF
space-time from which nothing can escape,
not even light, what we know about them
could change in the near future. JOHANNA
TESKE (CAP ’08), who is interning at the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Space Flight Center, is
working on just that.
Teske, who is at Goddard through the D.C.
Space Grant Consortium’s Academic Internship
with NASA, said her mentor, Demos Kazanas,
is “trying to describe a theory of black holes
that doesn’t end in a singularity.” A singularity
occurs when the laws of physics break down.
In a black hole, she said, matter has infinite
volume yet is infinitely small, and space-time
folds in on itself.
“Currently, the theory of black holes is kind
of stuck since a singularity is reached and all
the equations that could be used outside a black
hole break down,” Teske said. She went on to
confirm that a total information loss occurs.
Teske said the research she is assisting in
is important because “if we can help describe
nonsingular black holes, then the whole idea of
a black hole could change. Right now we know
Catalyst Spring 2006 5
light and everything else goes into it and never
escapes, but what happens to it?”
So far Teske has mostly conducted
background research to prepare for the
nonsingularity research. She and another intern
have mostly been brushing up on their
classical mechanics and trying to figure out the
Mathematica software so they can plot photon
orbits in black holes.
Teske said the most rewarding part of
interning at Goddard so far has been figuring
out how to “plot the orbit of a particle coming
toward a black hole, but then getting shot out
again.” By using the Mathematica software she
can animate the equation and “see” it happen.
“In the upcoming weeks we’re going to
start digging into the real research aspect of
the project, where the equations get messy and
we don’t know what will happen,” she said
The outcome of the research will bring
scientists one step closer to understanding how
black holes work and affect our universe and will
help create a more elegant theory of black holes.
Teske is very excited about this unique
internship opportunity. “I actually pulled a jaw
muscle from screaming when I found out I'd
gotten the internship,” she said. “In my opinion,
you really can't get an internship better than this
one. What could top exploring the mysteries of
our universe and getting paid for it?”
SAVING THE BIG CATS
ANNIHILATING ALIEN SPECIES
By Natasha Malhotra, biology ’09
Kelly Chernin, journalism ’07
Courtney Elkins at the cheetah conservation station
of the National Zoo, Smithsonian Institution. Photo
by Benedikt Walter.
COURTNEY ELKINS (BIO ’06) IS WORKING AT
the Smithsonian Institution’s National
Zoological Park in the field of assisted
reproductive technologies. Elkins and a team of
scientists in the Department of Reproductive
Sciences within the veterinary hospital, led by
Dr. Budhan Pukazhenthi, are investigating
methods of sperm cryopreservation.
“My research is focusing on adding
antioxidants to domestic cat sperm prior to
freezing to increase the viability of the sperm
post-thaw,” Elkins said.
Cryopreservation is a process in which a
species’ sperm is collected and frozen in liquid
nitrogen so that it may be used to produce
offspring later. The downside of cryogenic
freezing is that during thawing sperm motility
and integrity suffer significant loss. The loss of
sperm motility makes it difficult for the sperm
to reach the egg, thereby decreasing the
chances of fertilization. Loss of sperm
membrane integrity decreases the likelihood of
egg penetration. The team is focusing on feline
sperm in particular because the big cats tend
to mate less frequently in the wild and their
chances of a successful pregnancy are
incredibly low. Also, because of environmental
stresses throughout their history, various feline
species have lost genetic diversity within their
gene pool. This automatically harms the quality
of gametes produced by the species.
“I am using the domestic cat as a model
for the clouded leopard, a feline species native
to Southeastern Asia,” Elkins said.
Experimentally, Elkins is testing whether the
percentage of viable sperm post-thaw will
increase with the aid of antioxidants. In the lab
Elkins adds antioxidants to the sperm before
freezing and then tests to see whether the
quality and the quantity of viable sperm have
increased after thawing in comparison to postthaw sperm without antioxidants.
“If my research is successful, it could have
important implications for the conservation of
endangered feline species,” Elkins said.
Elkins is a recipient of the Hemlinge award
and has received a full scholarship and stipend
from American University to pursue her
master’s degree and continue her research.
Catalyst Spring 2006 6
FEW GRADUATE STUDENTS CAN SAY THEIR
degree consists of locating and destroying alien
species. Lea Bonfiglio (BIO ’06), a second-year
master’s student in environmental science, may not
be hunting down extraterrestrials, but she is helping
to develop a program that rids the Sligo Creek area
in Maryland of invasive, nonnative plant species.
Many invasive plant species are vines that
strangle the growth of native plants. With nothing to
prevent their growth, invasive plants can become a
problem. That’s why Bonfiglio and the group of
local volunteers she works with are important.
Bonfiglio has an internship at Friends of Sligo
Creek, a local nonprofit group, on the Removing
Invasive Plants Project (RIP), where she helps to
coordinate community volunteers to remove
invasive plants from the Sligo Creek area.
“If you can pull it, pull it,” Bonfiglio tells
her volunteers. If the plant cannot be pulled,
they clip it. If it cannot be clipped, they saw it,
and as a last resort they may use an herbicide.
The goal is to reduce the invasive plant
population growth rate annually.
As an undergraduate, Bonfiglio attended
Rodger Williams University in New England,
where she studied marine biology. She also
had a marine biology internship at the Mote
Marine Aquarium in Florida. Although she was
doing research, she was part of a working
exhibit. The laboratory had glass walls so
visitors could see the research process. “Kids
and adults are both tappers,” Bonfiglio said of
her distracting experience in the glass box.
She later became interested in
conservation, which led to her applying to AU’s
master’s program in environmental science, as
well as her internship at Sligo Creek, which she
considers rewarding. “I have gained valuable
outdoor work experience, which is important
for environmental assessment,” Bonfiglio said.
By removing the invasive plants and gaining
a better understanding of why they grow,
Bonfiglio will help sustain the natural habitat of
the area while getting local residents involved.
RIP has events every weekend and is
always looking for volunteers. For more
information, contact Jane Curtin at
jane_curtin@yahoo.com or 301-565-2411.
THE VIRUS HUNTER
By Michael Lucibella, journalism ’08
ANYONE WHO HAS INTERNET ACCESS HAS
caught a computer virus at some point. What’s
not clearly understood is the structure of the
channels a virus takes while making its way
through a network. Enter Erik Hochweller
(CAP ’06), a second-semester graduate
student in the computer science program.
For his master’s thesis, he plans to set up
a program to track the spread of computer
viruses through a simulated computer “arena.”
Currently, he is working with computer science
professor Michael Gray on an independent
study in preparation for his thesis work.
Hochweller had earlier found a paper written
by an IBM researcher tracking the spread of
viruses. However, in several areas Hochweller
found that the paper “didn’t have realistic
assumptions.” The problem in the paper was
that each simulated computer had one of only
two states, either infected or uninfected. The
IBM simulation didn’t take into account a
computer that might have an antivirus program
installed and already be immune. Hochweller’s
strategy is to improve on the methods in the
IBM study by including this third state, coming
up with a more realistic model to study the
channels a virus might follow.
To pull this off, Hochweller is preparing
to set up a simulated network of computers.
Starting with 10 simulated computers, he hopes
to expand the model to much larger numbers,
time and software permitting. Ultimately these
computer models can be used to combat a
virus’s proliferation. One idea is to try to
preempt a virus by spreading a “cure” through
the very same channels that the virus uses and
neutralize it before an infection can set in. This
is only a concept so far due to privacy
concerns about disseminating files (in this case
the cure) the same way the virus spreads.
Right now Hochweller is laying the
necessary groundwork for his project. He has
already contacted the author of the IBM study
to see whether any more research has been
done on the subject and he hopes to continue
the collaboration.
Anyone who has Internet access has caught
a computer virus at some point.
Catalyst Spring 2006 7
IN A CO U N T R Y F A R ,
F A R
A W A Y
Nilesh Tejura, right center, with other volunteers in Bangalore, India
By Mishri Someshwar, journalism ’07
LAST SUMMER NILESH TEJURA (PSYC ’07)
got out of Dodge . . . and how. Tejura, who is
also a premedical student, spent six weeks
working as a medical camp volunteer in India.
Tejura began his search in early January, and
by April, he had found a suitable program: the
Cosmic Volunteers, a nonprofit organization
that helps citizens from developed countries
find volunteer positions in the Third World.
Tejura was set up with a host family for six
weeks from June to mid-July in the southern
Indian city of Bangalore. He was assigned to work
with a dermatologist in hospitals and go to medical
camps, where poor patients get free treatment.
Once he arrived in Bangalore, Tejura
arranged to work with more than one doctor.
He wound up working at five different hospitals
and with six different doctors, including a
gynecologist; an ear, nose, and throat (ENT)
surgeon; an anesthesiologist; and an orthopedic surgeon.
Much of his work was observational, with
the doctors explaining to him what they were
doing. “The anesthesiologist worked in the ICU,
so I was able to see doctors work on a patient
with a heart attack. I also got to see case files
of patients to learn about their conditions,”
Tejura said.
Some of these cases included
organophosphorous poisoning, which is more
prevalent in rural India, as it is spread through
the use of pesticides, Tejura said.
While working with the gynecologist, Tejura
saw two caesarian sections, a hysterectomy,
and the removal of a zygote from a fallopian
tube. Throughout the surgeries, he was in full
Catalyst Spring 2006 8
surgical gear—scrubs, masks, gloves, and
hair covers.
While working with the ENT surgeon, Tejura
got to go to a medical camp, where he was the
surgeon’s assistant. And while working with
the dermatologist, Tejura took glucose
screenings of blood samples and determined
the patient’s blood pressure.
Tejura said that the experience exposed him to
a wide variety of cases and made him more
comfortable with the hospital atmosphere. “If I can
manage for six weeks in a hospital in a foreign
country, I think I should do okay over here.”
CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR TESTIFIES IN LEAD POISONING CASE
By Mishri Someshwar, journalism ’07
PROFESSOR JAMES GIRARD TESTIFIED IN A
Rhode Island trial in October and November 2005
about lead paint poisoning.
Rhode Island’s attorney general sued eight
lead paint manufacturers and the industry’s
trade association on the grounds that they knew
lead paint was poisonous but continued to
market and sell it anyway. Paint manufacturers
said that their paint wasn’t a public nuisance. If
people took care of their homes, they
contended, the deterioration of paint would not
occur at such a drastic rate and therefore would
not harm residents.
Girard, who was selected for the case
because he specializes in analytical chemistry,
testified as an expert witness for the attorney
general’s office that the deterioration of paint is a
natural process that cannot be avoided through
better care of homes. “It’s not just about peeling
paint falling off the walls. There are hazards in the
normal events of living in a house,” Girard said.
Over the past year, Girard went to Rhode
Island to prepare samples for his testimony.
Along with an industrial hygienist, Girard collected
lead paint samples off the walls of some Rhode
Island houses. They used an x-ray machine to
find the lead-painted areas on houses.
Since lead paint was banned in 1977, many
houses have been painted over with non-lead
paint, leading to a mix of lead and non-lead paint
in the samples. “For example, if there was 25
percent lead content in the lead paint, it could fall
to 7 percent in paint dust because the lead paint
is mixed in with the non-lead paint,” Girard said.
Girard scraped the paint, ground the samples
and evaluated the content. All of the samples
were prepared in accordance with federal
standards. Some were so small that they couldn’t
be seen by the naked eye. Yet these small
samples could contaminate an entire room. The
largest sample, only a few milligrams in weight,
could contaminate a 1,500-square-foot house.
Girard also conducted several experiments to
show that even raising and closing a window can
generate dust that contains lead paint whose
dispersal in the air will harm residents. This is
often how children get lead poisoning, he added.
The trial was ongoing at publication.
BIOLOGY PROFESSORS
CONDUCT COSMETICS STUDY
By April Astor, journalism ’06
MOST OF US WOULDN’T LOCK LIPS WITH
random people off the street. There are germs
to worry about. So why use the lipstick
samples at department stores?
Professor Zeller in the biology lab, with more
than 50 cosmetics lab samples in front of her.
Photo by Karen Bushaw-Newton.
Last summer, biology professors Nancy
Zeller and Karen Bushaw-Newton wanted to
find out what people really put on their face
when they use these samples. Along with the
General Biology II summer class, they analyzed
bacteria in 38 makeup samples from seven
different stores: Hecht’s, Nordstrom, Neiman
Marcus, MAC, Sephora, CVS, and Target. They
also used four control samples of previously
unopened makeup.
Their results showed significant bacterial
contamination, and some 14 samples
contained potential pathogens, meaning they
could cause infections.
“Using one of those sampler lipsticks
would be like kissing a bunch of strangers,”
said Zeller. The results coincided with other
experiments similar to this, she said.
The experiment started when WTTG-TV in
Washington, D.C., asked Zeller and BushawNewton to do the study. After Zeller showed
Catalyst Spring 2006 9
them the sterilization techniques, WTTG-TV
reporters collected the makeup samples, using
sterile containers, broth, and cotton swabs.
The summer class cultured the samples on
four different agar mediums: two nutrient agar
plates, a sheep blood agar plate, and a
MacConkeys agar plate.
The different plates can be used to test for
different bacteria. Nutrient agar is a very rich
medium and many kinds of bacteria will grow on
it. However, there are some bacteria that have very
specific growth requirements and many of those
are pathogens. They can be grown on the blood
agar, which has a lot of the special nutrients.
“The blood agar plates allow us to visualize
bacteria that may have the ability to break
down blood cells,” said Bushaw-Newton.
Many pathogenic bacteria are able to break
down blood, either partially or completely.
Zeller and Bushaw-Newton observed
bacterial growth that caused both partial and
complete destruction of red blood cells.
Complete destruction was seen on more than
one plate, indicating potentially pathogenic
bacteria on those plates.
Zeller said that even when the stores
sanitize the makeup after use, it is not always
effective. “I would never use makeup samples;
we were so grossed out,” she said.
But she said to keep in mind that this is “just
a snapshot.” In this experiment, none of the
samples from Target had any bacterial growth
and Hecht’s had some of the most extensive
growth. But it is possible that Target had put out
fresh samples that day and that the samples
from Hecht’s were a day or two old.
Zeller also noted that the study tested for
bacteria but it was impossible to culture and
test for viruses.
Viruses, though not visualized on the
plates, have the potential to be transferred from
one person to another via the makeup
counters, Bushaw-Newton said. Something as
simple as sneezing might potentially
contaminate any open makeup on the counter.
The study culminated in a report on WTTGTV in Washington, D.C.
WHERE ARE
W?HERE ARE THEY NOW?
HERE
A
RE
T
HEY
W
THEY?
PSYCHOLOGY
Dr. Charles Schindler
By Kelly Moynihan, journalism ’08
Dr. Charles Schindler says that there are
other factors besides the actual drug that
can cause drug use to turn into drug
addiction. “Just using a drug does not
necessarily make someone a drug addict,”
Schindler said. These insights were gained
through his research at the National Institute
of Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Schindler received his master’s in
experimental psychology from American
University in ’78 and then went on to earn
his doctorate in the same field in 1980. He
now works at NIDA, where he is a senior
investigator. “I find this work most
rewarding because it draws heavily from my
training in psychology that I received from
AU,” said Schindler.
At NIDA, Schindler investigates the
behavioral and physiological effects of abused
drugs, specifically cocaine and
methamphetamines. These preclinical trials
examine what leads to uncontrolled drug use
to a stage which ultimately leads to addiction.
“We have shown in a number of studies
that environmental and past experiences can
be responsible for that change from drug
use to drug addiction,” he said.
To further understand the cause of drug
addiction, Schindler studies the effects of
cocaine and methamphetamines on rats that
are trained to push a lever to receive a dose
of the drug. This method, called selfadministration, allows researchers to see
the effects on the rats when they are given a
pretreatment drug. The pretreatment drug is
a drug being considered to treat abuse.
“The goal is to find a pretreatment drug that
reduces the self-administration of an abused
drug without having additional unwanted
effects,” Schindler said.
Environmental stimuli are also
investigated by training the rats to react to
sound and light. A tone or light signals to the
rats that they can push the lever to selfadminister their drug. If the stimuli are
absent, pushing the lever will not give the
rats a dose of the drug. By using different
combinations of tone and light, researchers
saw that the rats learned when their drug
was unavailable and when it could be selfadministered. Schindler said, “We use this
procedure to model uncontrolled drug-taking
in humans and study various manipulations
or pretreatment drugs that may alter this
uncontrolled, or addiction-like, intake.”
“These studies may be directly related
to the human drug abuse situation because
we know that environmental stimuli can
greatly impact human drug abuse.”
For humans, drug paraphernalia such as
syringes and pipes and
rooms where drugtaking occurred
are stimuli
which increase
drug use. Addicts
say exposure to these types
of stimuli can trigger cravings
for drugs.
“By providing the addict with stimuli
that are not associated with drug-taking,
we may be able to reduce these
cravings,” said Schindler. “Ultimately,
the goal of the research is to
contribute to an understanding of
drug abuse in a way that will
lead to more effective
treatments.”
AU DEGREE: MS IN EXPERIMENTAL
PSYCHOLOGY 1978
Catalyst Spring 2006 10
PIPING HOT:
CAREER CENTER
For more information on internships and jobs,
visit the Career Center’s Web site at www
.american.edu/careercenter. You can set up an
appointment with a career or internship advisor
and search the Career Center’s job database.
For more information on scholarship
opportunities, visit the Office of Merit Awards
Web page at www.american.edu/careercenter/
oma/awardlisting.html. Staff at the office can
also help you prepare your application for any
of the following scholarships.
SCHOLARSHIPS
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Department of Homeland Security has a
scholarship program for undergraduate and
graduate students. The annual scholarship is
offered to students in the following disciplines:
physical, mathematical, computer and
information, life or social sciences, psychology,
selected humanities, or engineering.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens as of the
application deadline. Applicants who attend
college full time must be in their second year of
college as of the application deadline. Part-time
students must complete 45 to 60 credits to
qualify. Minimum GPA required is 3.3, on a 4.0
scale. Applicants cannot simultaneously be a
DHS scholar and participate in a co-op
program. Applicants are ineligible if they have
earned a bachelor’s degree as of the application
deadline or plan to study abroad in fall 2006.
Scholarship winners get $1,000 per month
for nine months during the academic year and
$5,000 for the 10-week summer internship
and full tuition payment for two years.
For more information, visit
www.orau.gov/dhsed.
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY/GLAXO
WELCOME SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Applicants must be African-American,
Hispanic/Latino, or American Indian, U.S.
citizens or permanent residents, and must
have demonstrated financial need and have a
grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Applicants must be freshmen, sophomores,
or juniors studying chemistry, biochemistry,
or another chemically related field, such as
environmental studies. Students planning on
careers in medicine are not eligible.
This program provides up to $3,000 per
year and is renewable.
For more information, visit www.acs
.org/minorityaffairs/scholars.html.
Contact: Robert Hughes, Manager, ACS
Scholars Program, r_hughes@acs.org, 1800-227-5558, ext. 6250 (phone), 1155 16th
St. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
NIH UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM
Scholarship recipients receive up to $20,000
a year to cover the cost of tuition, educational
expenses such as books and lab fees, and
living expenses such as room and board.
Scholarships are awarded for one year.
Recipients may reapply for additional years.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or
permanent residents who come from
disadvantaged backgrounds. They must be
enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a fulltime student at a qualified accredited
institution and have a GPA of 3.5 or better or
be in the top 5 percent of their class.
For more information, visit http://ugsp
.info.nih.gov.
INTERNSHIPS
NATIONAL NETWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT STUDIES FELLOWSHIP
This Environmental Protection Agency
program allows undergraduate and graduate
students to perform research projects
designed by the EPA. Projects are in the
general areas of environmental policy,
regulation, and law; environmental
management and administration;
environmental science; public relations and
communications; and computer programming
and development. Fellows are given a stipend
paid in monthly installments throughout the
duration of the research project.
Undergraduates should be at least juniors
and must have already completed four courses
relating to the environmental field. Seniors
graduating before the fellowship ends must be
accepted into a relevant graduate program in
order to apply. This program is open only to
U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
For more information visit www.epa.gov/
enviroed/students.html. Call 1-800-358-8769
Catalyst Spring 2006 11
or e-mail Steve Michener at steve.michener@
ttemi.com or Sheri Jojokian in EPA's Office of
Environmental Education at
jojokian.sheri@epa.gov.
LANGLEY AEROSPACE RESEARCH SUMMER
SCHOLARS
This program provides funding for internships
or postgraduate fellowships for computer
science, math, and environmental science
research. LARSS is a 10-week summer
research experience sponsored by NASA to
encourage students to further their education
through research and exploration in
aerospace-related fields.
Students must be U.S. citizens at the time
of application and be classified as a junior,
senior, or first-year graduate student. They
must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
For more information visit
http://edu.larc.nasa.gov/larss.
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
INTERNSHIPS
The National Wildlife Federation's Campus
Ecology Fellowship Program offers a
nationally recognized opportunity for
undergraduate and graduate students to
pursue their vision of an ecologically
sustainable future. Through tangible projects
to make their campus green and environmental research, fellows gain practical
experience in the conservation field and firsthand knowledge of the challenges and
opportunities inherent in successful
conservation efforts.
Undergraduate juniors or seniors, recent
graduates, and graduate students may apply.
(Special attention will be given to those who
can secure their own funding.) Students from
all fields of study are encouraged to apply.
Applicants are selected based on a
variety of measures, including professional
goals, course work, job experience, résumé
and cover letter, GPA, and professional and
academic references. Candidates should
demonstrate commitment to and experience
working with multicultural communities,
environmental justice, and diversity.
For more information, visit www.nwf.org/
campusEcology/dspInternships.cfm.
NCSE INTERNSHIPS
The National Council for Science and the
Environment (NCSE) offers internships for
students and recent graduates during the summer
and the academic year. Preference is given to
students or graduates of NCSE’s University
Affiliate institutions. Interns will find opportunities
to attend briefings, seminars, and conferences,
as well as to make important contacts.
Interns will be involved in a number of
NCSE programs. They may assist in outreach
to the academic, governmental, business, and
civil society communities and are encouraged
to attend events and meetings on Capitol Hill
and elsewhere in D.C. Responsibilities may
include planning for NCSE’s National
Conference on Science, Policy and the
Environment, working with the Council of
Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD) or
National Commission on Science for
Sustainable Forestry (NCSSF), and helping with
the Earth Portal. Additionally, interns may work
on Web site design, Web page development,
electronic outreach (listserv, etc.), database
management, LAN support, and Web research
and content evaluation. Strong candidates will
be particularly interested in working on fundraising and development issues.
The internship offers hands-on learning
about political processes, and science and the
environment; participation in a significant
national initiative; Washington, D.C., experience;
connections with environmental scientists and
decision makers; and a $1,200 stipend. Internships usually last for three months with an
opportunity for extension and promotion. They
require 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
To apply, send a résumé (include service
and volunteer activities), cover letter (include
dates of availability and what interests you
most about the internship), a two- to five-page
writing sample relevant to the environment or
policy, and the names, e-mail addresses, and
phone numbers for two references.
All applications should be submitted to
Mary Shockley at mshockley@NCSEonline.org
(e-mail submissions preferred), or Mary
Shockley, National Council for Science and the
Environment, 1707 H Street, NW, Suite 200,
Washington, DC 20006.
JOBS
RESEARCH ASSISTANT I AT COVANCE INC.
Analyzes samples and develops methodologies
for various compounds and components in
compliance with SOPs and regulatory agency
guidelines. Duties include organizing and
conducting routine analyses in compliance with
applicable methods, protocols, SOPs, and
regulatory agency guidelines; documenting
work and laboratory records; setting up,
operating, and performing routine and nonroutine maintenance on general equipment;
providing input and participating in project
meetings; performing QC review of data;
informing study director, principal investigator,
and management of any problems and
deviations that may affect the integrity of the
data and participating in corrective action of
problems; and assisting in setting up and
performing method development and validation
of various analytes in a variety of matrices.
Minimum qualifications are a BS or BA
degree in science or related field and 1–2 years
of previous laboratory experience, or an AAS
degree and 3–4 years’ experience, or a high
school degree and 5–6 years’ experience.
Other requirements include familiarity with the
use of standard laboratory equipment,
experience with analytical instrumentation, and
basic knowledge of computers and software
programs.
Apply online at www.covance.com/careers.
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE III, MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY AT THE INSTITUTE FOR GENOMIC
RESEARCH (TIGR)
The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), a
trailblazer in the field of genomic research, is
currently seeking a research associate in
molecular biology.
The research associate will join the
Microbial Genotyping Group in TIGR’s Pathogen
Functional Genomics Resource Center and will
be involved in identifying and discovering novel
polymorphisms at a global genomic scale.
This position is responsible for
participating in the current and future resequencing projects of the lab. The research
associate will contribute in the wet lab project
by processing genomic DNA samples for resequencing analysis and validating the SNPs
and re-sequence data by alternate methods or
technology.
Catalyst Spring 2006 12
Requirements for the position include a
bachelor’s degree in biology, biochemistry,
molecular biology, or related field and a
minimum of two years’ experience; or a
master’s degree in biology, biochemistry, or
molecular biology with a minimum of one year
of experience. Hands-on laboratory experience,
preferably in an independent project, is
required, and the ability and desire to work on
projects independently with minimum
supervision. Applicants also must have a high
level of initiative.
This position also requires strong skills and
demonstrated experience performing PCR,
hybridizations and sequencing; the ability to
evaluate data and help in the designing of
experiments; and the ability to operate standard
laboratory equipment such as balances,
centrifuges, speed vacs, spectrophotometers,
and autoclaves.
TIGR offers an excellent working
environment and a competitive benefits
package. For more information about TIGR,
please see the company’s Web site at
www.tigr.org. To apply for this position, log on
to www.tigr.org/career.