ANNUAL REPORT: June 1, 2008 – May 31, 2009
(i.e., Summer 2008, AY 2008-2009)
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOREST BIOLOGY
SUNY-ESF
NAME: Christopher Whipps
I. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
1. Regular Course Offerings
Course No.
SUMMER:
EFB202
Title
Credit
Hrs.
No.
Students
No. of Lab.
Sections
Aquatics
FALL:
BTC401 Molecular Biology Techniques
3
22
2
EFB601 Molecular Biology Techniques
3
5
1
SPRING:
EFB103 General Biology II
3
192
0
Credit
Hrs.
No.
Students
2. Non-Scheduled Course Offerings (e.g., 496, 899, 999)
Course No.
Title
FALL
EFB495
Undergrad Exp/Coll Teach
1
1
BTC498
Resrch Prob/Biotechnology
4
1
EFB420 17
Internship/Env&Forest Bio
3
1
EFB498 48 Resrch Prob/Env&For Bio
2
2
ESF499 41 Honors Thesis/Project
4
1
SPRING:
3. Continuing Education and Extension (short courses, workshops, etc.)
4. Guest Lecture Activities
Course No.
Title
No. of Lectures
EFB496/796 (Jesse Brunner) Infectious Disease in Wildlife Populations 1
BTC132 (Danny Fernando) Biotechnology Orientation Seminar
BTC499 (Larry Smart) Senior Synthesis. Mock Interviews
EFB496/796 (Jim Nakas) Microbial Diseases of Wildlife
1
1
1
II. STUDENT ADVISING
A. Number of undergraduates for whom you are the student’s official advisor __21_ and unofficial advisor _8_
B. Graduate Students: (Name, degree sought, starting date, month & year; if a degree was completed, please give
date and full citation for the thesis or dissertation).
CO-MAJOR PROFESSOR
William Helenbrook, Ph.D. sought, Start Aug 2008 (co-advise with Dr. William Shields)
MEMBER, STEERING COMMITTEE (other than those listed above)
Lauren Goldmann (MP Alex Weir)
Joe Vineis (MP Tom Horton)
Linet Cynthia Watson (MP Don Stewart)
CHAIRMAN OR READER ON THESIS EXAMS, ETC.
Geof Eckerlin (MP John Farrell) – Examiner
Angela Grace Bruno (MP Valerie Ludzadis) – Thesis defense chair
III. RESEARCH COMPLETED OR UNDERWAY
A. Departmental Research (unsupported, boot-legged; title - % time spent)
Parasitism in Lake Pontchartrain fishes in the post-Katrina era (boot-legged - 5%)
Disease threats to European Fish: Genetic characterization of Spaherothecum destruens in sunbleak (final
analysis and publication boot-legged – 2%)
Infectious disease in returning Atlantic salmon on Pennsylvania watersheds (bootlegged – 3% time)
B. 1. Grant-supported Research (source, subject, amount - total award and current year, award period starting
and ending dates; list graduate research assistants supported by each grant)
USDA-CREES/McIntire-Stennis Program (8/15/09 – 9/30/12) - $50,500 Monitoring populations of elusive
forest wildlife: a modern approach using noninvasive genetic techniques (Co-investigator with J. Frair)
ESF Seed Grant Program. $8,000 (04/01/09-03/31/10 ) PI: Whipps
Project Title: Systematics and Biodiversity of the Myxozoa
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. $3,500 (08/01/08-04/01/09) Ichthyophonus hoferi in returning Alaskan
Chinook salmon
2. Research Proposals pending (as in B.1., above)
Yukon River Restoration and Enhancement Fund (06/09-06/10) $47,163 Ichthyophonus in Chinook salmon
– Continuation of a baseline in Emmonak and Eagle, Alaska and potential links to fecundity (PI:Lara Dehn,
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Co-PI: Whipps)
3. Research Proposals declined
US Fish and Wildlife Service. $32,500. (Declined). Quantitative and genetic assessment of Ichthyophonus
infection in Yukon River Chinook salmon. (PI: Krista M. Nichols, Purdue University; Co-PIs: Larissa Dehn,
Christopher Whipps)
Great Lakes Fishery Commission Project. $263,455 (Declined). Assessing the role of invasives in the
transmission and maintenance of disease in great lake fish communities. (John M. Farrell, Christopher Whipps,
Mark Teece (&Geof Eckerlin)
New York SeaGrant. $152,134 (Submitted Aug 4, 2008). Declined. Round Goby Invasion of Coastal Wetland
Habitats and Risks Posed to Native Fish Communities. (PI: John Farrell. Co-PIs: Mark Teece and Whipps)
Department of Defense $500,000 (pre-proposal Aug, 2008). Declined. Association of Blastocystis infections
and Gulf War Syndrome. (PI: Capt. Morris S. Jones, David Grant Medical Center; Co-PI: Whipps).
IV. PUBLICATIONS (Full bibliographic citation, i.e., do not use "with Jones," or "Jones, et al."; please list only
publications published, in press, or actually submitted during this reporting period --- do not list manuscripts
in preparation).
A. Refereed Publications
Gunter N.L., Whipps, C.M., Adlard, R.D. 2009. Ceratomyxa (Myxozoa: Bivalvulida): robust taxon or genus of
convenience? International Journal for Parasitology. In Press.
Gozlan, R.E., Whipps, C.M., Andreou, D., Arkush, K.D. 2009. Identification of the cyprinid rosette-like agent as
Sphaerothecum destruens, a multihost fish pathogen. International Journal for Parasitology. In Press.
Jones II, M.S., Whipps, C.M., Ganac, R.D., 1, Hudson, N.R., Boroom, K. 2009. Association of Blastocystis Subtype 3
and 1 with Patients from an Oregon Community Presenting with Chronic Gastrointestinal Illness. Parasitology
Research. 104(2), 341-345.
Kent, M.L., Feist, S.W., Harper, C., Hoogstraten-Miller, S., Law, J.M., Sánchez-Morgado, J.M., Tanguay, R.L.
Sanders, G.E., Spitsbergen, J.M., Whipps, C.M. 2009. Recommendations for Control of Pathogens and Infectious
Diseases in Fish Research Facilities. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology &
Pharmacology. 149(2), 240–248.
Ferguson, J.A., Atkinson, S.D., Whipps, C.M., Kent, M.L. 2008. Molecular and morphological analysis of Myxobolus
spp. of salmonid fishes with the description of Myxobolus fryeri n. sp. Journal of Parasitology. 94(6), 1322-1334.
Whipps, C.M., Matthews, J.L., Kent, M.L. 2008. Distribution and genetic characterization of Mycobacterium
chelonae in laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio). Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 82(1), 45-54.
Roberts, J.F., Whipps, C.M., Bartholomew, J.L., Jacobson, E.R., and Schneider, L. 2008. Myxidium scripta n. sp.
identified in urinary and biliary tract of Louisiana farmed Red Eared Slider turtles Trachemys scripta elegans.
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 80(3), 199-209.
Jones II, M.S., Ganac, R.D., Hiser, G., Hudson, N.R., Le, A., Whipps, C.M. 2008. Detection of Blastocystis from
stool samples using real-time PCR. Parasitology Research. 103(3), 551-557.
Zhao, Y., Sun, C., Kent, M.L., Deng, J., Whipps, C.M. 2008. Description of a new species of Myxobolus (Myxozoa:
Myxobolidae) based on morphological and molecular data. Journal of Parasitology. 94(3), 737-742.
B. Non-refereed Publications
C. Papers Presented at Science Meetings (give title, date, occasion, and location)
Apr 27-30, 2009. 34th Annual Eastern Fish Health Workshop, Lake Placid, NY. The curious case of fish apicomplexa;
molecular systematics shed light on this enigmatic group.
April 24, 2009. NCRR-NIH Workshop: Detection, Impact and Control of Specific Pathogens in Animal Resource
Facilities. Bethesda, MD. Specific Infectious Disease Agents and Their Impact on Research: Mycobacterial Infections
in Fish. (Invited speaker)
February 20, 2009. The Wildlife Society, New York Chapter Annual Meeting, Syracuse, NY. Status of Wildlife
Diseases .(Invited speaker)
D. Public Service Presentations (lectures, seminars, etc. to and for the public; give group or occasion, date(s), and
attendance)
V. PUBLIC SERVICE
A. Funded Service (include consulting activities)
1. Government Agencies (Federal, State, Local):
2. Industrial and Commercial Groups, etc.
B. Unfunded Service to Governmental Agencies, Public Interest Groups, etc.
VI. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
A. Professional Honors and Awards (for teaching, research, outreach, etc.)
B. 1. Activities in Professional Organizations (offices held, service as chairman, member, participant or
consultant)
Member – 2009 Henry Baldwin Ward Award Committee, American Society of Parasitologists.
2. Professional Society Membership
American Fisheries Society (2001-present)
American Society of Parasitologists (2002-present)
Wildlife Disease Association (2008-present)
3. Other Professional Activities
a. Editorial activity
Journal (s)
Other (books, symposia, etc.)
Responsibility
b. Reviewer
Journal(s)
Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology
Journal of Fish Diseases
Parasitology
International Journal for Parasitology
Veterinary Parasitology
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
Folia Parasitologica
Journal of Parasitology
No. of manuscripts
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
Agency
No. of proposals
Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP) 1
Other
c. Participation (workshops, symposia, etc.)
Name of workshop, etc.
Date
Place
C. Further Education/Re-training Undertaken, Leaves, Workshops, etc.
D. Foreign Travel (Where, When, Purpose)
VII. ADMINISTRATIVE AND SERVICE RESPONSIBILITIES (include committee participation)
A. Department-level
EFB Space Committee (Feb 2008 - present). Chair: John Farrell.
EFB Curriculum Committee (Jan-Feb 2008, Aug2008-present). Chair: Dylan Parry.
EFB Graduate Program Advisory Committee (Aug 2008-present). Chair: Karin Limburg
EFB Cell and Molecular Biology Search (Feb 2009 -present). Chair: Bill Powell
B. College-level
ESF Committee on Promotion and Tenure Policies and Procedures (Feb 2008 - present). Chair: Don Leopold
C. University-wide, including Research Foundation
VIII. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING THIS
REPORTING PERIOD, ESPECIALLY THOSE MOST NOTEWORTHY AND RELATIVE TO THE
COLLEGE’S AND DEPARTMENT’S MISSION. One paragraph on each of the following would be most helpful:
this past year, what have you done for our students, department/college, and self professionally? NOTE: The
information in this section (along with the supporting specific information elsewhere in this report) should be your
strongest case for being considered for a discretionary raise, which I’ll continue to award based on your contributions to
the department and college this reporting period.
Overview: Two areas that stand out for me in my most noteworthy accomplishments are my involvement in the
departmental curriculum committee’s educational assessment plan and my development of the new introductory
General Biology II. In both of these cases, the contributions to ESF/EFB, students, and my own professional
development cannot be divided. A primary goal for this annual year was to bring an assessment based teaching
pedagogy to Gen Bio II, and this way of thinking was cast into the spotlight when the college required an assessment
plan for all of our majors. I found this useful as I contributed to the assessment plans of the majors for which I’m
directly involved (AFS & BTC), as well as other majors in my role on the CCAC. I believe this will set the tone for our
department and students in the years to come and I am pleased to have been involved from the beginning to end.
Students: In addition to my duties as an undergraduate student advisor, I found myself in the role of an informal
advisor for several students enrolled in my classes. From my molecular techniques class for example, I advised 5
students, writing 19 letters of recommendation. One student is now accepted to a graduate program and 3 others have
summer internships. In my laboratory, 6 undergraduate students had opportunities to be involved in my research, one of
which is now employed in my lab for the summer and another will be taking on an honors thesis in her senior year. I
have informally advised 6 graduate students on their projects on topics ranging from infectious disease to molecular
biology. Perhaps the achievement for which I am most pleased is EFB103. For a new course offering, I believe it went
largely as I had anticipated and based on student reviews was generally well received. I look forward to continuing to
improve this foundational course in EFB.
Department: My role in curriculum assessment is perhaps the most notable achievement relating directly to EFB
as mentioned above. I also served on the Graduate Program Advisory Committee (GPAC), Space Committee, and most
recently the Cell Biologist search committee.
Professional: This year I was invited to speak at 2 conferences; a regional wildlife conference and at the National
Institutes of Health. I attended 3 other conferences regionally and nationally. A huge area of professional development
for me this year was with my teaching. I was able to implement many of the ideas, technologies, and methodologies I
have often thought about, for the first time in 2 full courses. I am pleased with the progress here and will continue to
build and adapt these courses. In research, 2 small grants were accepted for funding, both of which will build a
foundation of data for larger future proposals on animal disease and wildlife population genetics.
IX. A. FUTURE PLANS, AMBITIONS, AND POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FOR YOUR OWN
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE PROGRAM IN
ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOREST BIOLOGY (brief summary)
This summer I will be collecting preliminary data that will be used directly for an NSF proposal to investigate the
evolutionary relationships of myxozoan fish parasites. At the same time, I will be gathering critical data on distribution
and abundance of other fish parasites in New York, providing a critical baseline for future studies. I plan to have a solid
understanding of parasites in NY of economic importance and those that are ecologically compelling as I maintain my
involvement in both applied and basic scientific research. I will also be co-teaching a Fish and Wildlife Disease course,
which will be offered this fall. This course will likely be of interest to students not only in Wildlife and Fisheries
majors, but also preveterinary and premed students in other majors, as well as graduate students. It is intended to
provide applied skills in disease biology and a theoretical background to infectious disease. Finally, I will continue to
be involved in the development of EFB curriculum, in both my committee work and in teaching Gen Bio II.
B. PROJECTED ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT YEAR
1. Summer 2009
a. Course(s) to be offered
b. Proposed research activity
Parasite survey of fishes in NY waters with a primary focus on myxozoan parasites as
supported by SUNY-ESF Seed grant program. Secondarily, this survey provides baseline data
on distribution and abundance of other parasites for future projects.
c. University, professional society, and public service
2. Fall Semester 2009
a. Course(s) to be offered
EFB496/796 – Emerging diseases in Fish and Wildlife
EFB797 - Applications in Molecular Research
b. Proposed research activity
Continue parasite survey work as above
Phylogenetics and developmental biology of protozoan parasites in fishes.
Population genetics of wildlife species in NY
c. University, Professional society, and public service
EFB committees as above
3. Spring Semester 2010
a.
Course(s) to be offered
EFB103 - General Biology II
Microbiology Seminar
b. Proposed research activity
as above
c. University, professional society, and public service
EFB committees as above