Direct questions about HHMI-funded programs to: Dr. Ann Findley, Program Director: 318-342-1817 or mailto:afindley@ulm.edu
or
Ms. Sami Recoulley Owens, Coordinator for the Hughes Program at ULM: 318-342-1885 or mailto:recoulley@ulm.edu
Pre-college Research Program
The Program
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), supports a range of programs whose primary focus is to improve the science education of pre-college students throughout the United States. These programs seek to make science and science activities more accessible to future scientists and to provide schools and students with links to the established scientific community. Through its efforts, HHMI encourages both teachers and students to participate in hands-on training and to share what they learn with others.
The HHMI and ULM Pre-college Program offers a summer research program for high school students, in-service training in modern research methods for high school teachers, and laboratory modules and equipment available for loan to area high schools.
The Pre-college Summer Research Program in Biology brings regional high
school students and high school teachers
to the campus for four weeks
of research participation each summer for the duration of the
grant.
Students will gain experience in all aspects of research projects, from hypothesis formulation through data collection/analysis to conclusions. One of the program's key objectives is to familiarize the students with regional research laboratories and career possibilities available to science graduates.
Likewise, ULM faculty will train teachers in modern research methods and provide them with laboratory modules for use at their own schools. To enable teachers to reproduce portions of the research projects at their high schools, equipment trunks will be available for loan during the following academic years.
Forty-eight students (rising seniors) and eight teachers will be selected to participate each year. ULM has formed partnerships with the school systems of Catahoula Parish, Concordia Parish, East Carroll Parish, Monroe City, Ouachita Parish, Richland Parish, and Carroll Magnet to ensure representation from the delta and northeastern Louisiana region, but students and teachers from any high school in northern Louisiana are encouraged to apply.
Award Information
Students will be eligible for research awards, partial tuition and fee waivers, free room and board (for students living beyond a 30 mile radius from campus), and a stipend of $1000 from which university fees will be deducted (approximately $150). The partial waivers will be provided through scholarships available from the University's Collegiate Admissions Program (see Eligibility). Participating teachers will receive tuition exemption and a stipend of $2000.
Eligibility
To be considered for admission to the Collegiate Admissions Program (CAP), applicants must have a minimal 3.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale for at least five semesters of high school. In addition to the standards required for admission to the CAP, a selection committee will choose student participants in the Pre-college Program based upon supplemental criteria such as ACT scores, science background, academic achievement in science courses, and demonstrated interest in the sciences.
Research Projects
Students and teachers will be divided evenly into four groups with each group participating in a different research experience each week over a four-week period. Two university faculty members will oversee each project thereby providing a 6 to 1 student-faculty ratio. The program will take place during the first summer term from 9 am to 12:30 pm, Monday through Thursday with the afternoon of the final Thursday being reserved for a program "wrap-up" session.
The following research projects have been developed for the program:
1) DNA to Protein Activities.
- In
this set of experiments, participants will follow the manipulation and
expression of DNA translation products. Using the pGLO® plasmid
available from Bio-Rad Laboratories, students will transform bacterial cells.
Successful transformation events will be reported by the ability of bacteria to
grow on media containing the antibiotic ampicillin and produce the green
fluorescent protein (GFP). This exercise will allow students to explore the
operon model of regulation of gene expression through the inducible arabinose
operon. Subsequently, transformants will be cultured in liquid media and cells
will be lysed in order to
2) DNA is a Yardstick for Research and Forensics.
- Through the integration of theoretical arguments and practical exercises, students will learn about DNA structure and function and gain experience in the application of DNA methods to research and forensics. The fundamental concept that will be built upon over the course of the week is that the DNA molecule contains physical landmarks in the form of short DNA sequence motifs. Students will learn about endonuclease recognition sequences by carrying out restriction digests of λ-DNA and separating the fragments using agarose gel electrophoresis followed by using digital imaging and software to calculate band sizes. We will then apply the idea of DNA fingerprinting in a forensic context by carrying out restriction digestion and analysis of “crime scene” and “suspect” DNA. Confidence levels and the problems of validating this kind of evidence to lay juries will be discussed. Students will then investigate the utility of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by isolating, amplifying and analyzing their own DNA to look for a repeat on chromosome 16. Students will determine whether they are homozygous or heterozygous for this physical marker and test whether it is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
3) Evolution at a Snail's Pace.
- Phenotypic
plasticity in mollusks is a well-studied phenomenon. Traits such as shell
banding, color, and sculpture have all been shown to be ecotypic and
subject to selection in the environment. One consequence of being
ecomorphic is that the differing morphologies often hide cryptic species
and/or genetic partitioning in these organisms. Our project focuses on Campeloma,
a freshwater snail common throughout the southern United States. Previous
research has shown that in Campeloma
species, genetic partitioning exists by
4) Genetic Variability in Plants with Different Breeding Systems.
- Intersimple
sequence repeats (ISSRs) are tandem repeats occurring throughout the
nuclear genome of eukaryotes. Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR),
these tandem repeats can be amplified using single primer reactions
allowing patterns of variability among organisms (and populations) to be
readily assessed. The vascular plant communities surrounding Black Bayou
Lake in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, contain species that differ in terms
of breeding systems. For example, gymnosperms such as loblolly pine (Pinus
taeda Michaux)
rely solely on wind for pollination (i.e., gene flow). Angiosperms, such
as Verbena
brasiliensis Vellozo.
and water hyacinth (Eichhornia
crassipes
(Martius) Solms) require pollinators. We will use ISSRs to determine how
both breeding system and a geographic feature such as a large lake affect
levels and patterns of genetic variability in populations of different
plant species. Students will obtain field experience by collecting
specimens of species of their choosing, and by using GPS units to obtain
latitude and longitude coordinates for their sample sites. They will gain
lab experience by 1) mapping plant populations using GIS software and 2)
by obtaining genetic data by isolating DNA from plant tissue, using ISSR
primer sets to run PCR reactions which will subsequently be visualized on
2% agarose gels, and 3) by assessing patterns of genetic variability using
UPGMA clustering.
Following-Up the Program
As a follow-up to their summer training, students will be able to maintain contact with a ULM faculty mentor. This relationship will be key in developing a research project for submission either to the local/regional/state science fair or to the Louisiana Academy of Sciences Junior Sciences and Humanities Symposium. To aid in this process, ULM faculty will continue providing necessary laboratory equipment and supplies that may otherwise be unavailable to the students. Additionally, students within commuting distance are encouraged to enroll in freshman biology during their senior year through the university's Concurrent Admission Program.
With access to lab modules/lesson plans and equipment trunks, high school teachers will continue to benefit from the program since they can conduct lab exercises at their schools modeled on their summer experiences. Post-program contact with both teachers and students will be coordinated through this web site.
New for 2005
Students who have completed the Pre-College Summer Research Program may be eligible to return for further opportunities at ULM.
1. Peer-mentor- Starting in 2005, each Pre-College Summer Program will have a high school peer-mentor returning from the previous year to assist in the lab and to room with the students on campus. Peer-mentors are awarded $1,000 stipends and free room and board. Students interested in applying should contact Sami Recoulley Owens at (318)-342-1885 or mailto:recoulley@ulm.edu
2. The Pre-college Summer Research Bridge Award. This program is available to high school seniors who have completed the Pre-College Summer Research Program and have been accepted into the Biology program at ULM. Follow the link above for information about the Bridge Award.
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