Summary of Research Project:

This proposal addresses mechanisms for a new immunodeficiency disorder (X-MAID) about which very little is known. Published data indicate a defect in the development of T cells. We will use an established assay in a new way to determine how mutations in the protein moesin affect T cell development.

Background/Training:

Lyndsay grew up in upstate NY where she completed her B.S. in Biology at Utica College. There she did microbial research under Dr. Lawrence Aaronson who helped first establish her love for research science. From there, she moved to the University of Pittsburgh where she completed her PhD in Infectious Diseases & Microbiology at the Graduate School of Public Health. Her dissertation research under the mentorship of Dr. Lawrence Kane focused on the role of the checkpoint molecule, Tim-3, in T cells during acute and chronic viral infection. Also in graduate school, she found her passion for teaching the next generation of scientists. She then pursued post-doctoral training in both teaching and research at the University of Pennsylvania in the Penn-PORT program. During her post-doc mentored by Dr. Janis Burkhardt she began investigating the mechanisms for a new immunodeficiency called X-linked moesin-associated immunodeficiency (X-MAID). Now an Assistant Professor at Saint Michael’s College, Lyndsay continues to grow her skills in both teaching and research with a research focus in the molecular functions of actin binding proteins in immune cell function.

Student Involvement in Research:

After starting in 2021, I have mentored 4 undergraduates through independent research projects related to my field of study. The most recent graduate and VBRN fellow in the summer of 2022, Ava Albis, will be attending Yale University this fall to pursue a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Students are intensely trained in multiple assays and work in groups with independent aims. Current students in my lab include Olivia Stebbins and Helene Kristoffersen.

Current Collaborations:

Janis Burkhardt – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

There are several known immunodeficiencies that involve actin binding proteins including Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) and X-MAID. Although we can now identify the mutations involved in these diseases, we don’t yet fully understand how they affect protein structure and function. By studying actin-binding proteins in different cellular conditions, we can then address how the mutation may be affecting these functions. This understanding will also uncover potential places for targeted drug therapies in diseases where symptom management or bone marrow transplant are the current treatments.

Summary of Research Project:

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Summary of Research Project:

Obesity is an expensive problem in America. Young adults in college are at risk for obesity because they have poor diet and exercise behaviors, high stress, and low sleep. Resilience may be related to improvements in these health behaviors, helping reduce the risk for obesity. This research seeks to assess the relationships between resilience and diet, physical activity, and sleep using survey data collected in college students around the country.

Background/Training:

Blodgett earned her Ph.D. in Health Education and Promotion from Walden University and is a Certified Health and Education Specialist. Her current work is on assessing the physiological, behavioral, and social needs of students at Norwich University and developing and implementing interventions to improve resilience, mental and physical health. She holds a Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences from the University of New Hampshire, where she studied the effects of polybrominated diphenyl ethers on fatty acid metabolism. She also holds a Master of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan, where she studied the effects of exercise timing on circulating acylated ghrelin levels.

Student Involvement in Research:

Students in Health Science Research Methods (approximately 35 per Fall semester) participate in data collection and students in Fundamentals of Epidemiology (approximately 20 per Spring semester) participate in data analysis. In academic year 2022-23, Tara Grogan served as the student coordinator of data collection, 34 Research Methods students participated in data collection, and 19 Epidemiology students participated in data analysis. In academic year 2023-24, Renytzabelle Ortega-Cotto will serve as coordinator of biochemical analyses and Molly Yacavoni will serve as coordinator of data collection.

Current Collaborations:

THRiVe Study with Dr. Rachele Pojednic, Resilient Bodies Intervention with Dr. Amy Welch.

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

The VBRN-funded study will inform data collection in a longitudinal observational study to assess health status, health-related behaviors, and resilience of students throughout their time at Norwich University. This will be used to 1) improve the Resilient Bodies intervention, 2) inform additional intervention strategies that are needed to improve resilience, mental, and physical health of Norwich students, and 3) inform approaches to specifically build resilience, mental, and physical health in military training environments.

Summary of Research Project:

Neural proliferation refers to the speed of cell division during the in-utero formation of the nervous system. Properly regulating the rate of cell division provides the correct number of cells at the proper time to form the brain and spinal cord. This proposal investigates how one specific protein (GDE6) helps the nervous system regulate neural proliferation.

Background/Training:

Clinton Cave is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Middlebury College. He arrived at Middlebury in 2018 after completing his Ph.D. in Neuroscience and post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. Clinton conducted post-baccalaureate research at the University of Colorado and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Yale University. As a graduate student in the laboratory of Shanthini Sockanathan, his research efforts expanded the known roles of GDE2, a cell-surface enzyme expressed in the nervous system. Using functional genetic approaches in mice, his work demonstrated that GDE2 also plays a crucial role for neuronal survival in the postnatal nervous system, heralding a new research direction for the lab. As an independent investigator, Clinton runs a laboratory at Middlebury College mentoring undergraduate researchers. His group examines the molecular mechanisms regulating embryonic progenitor patterning, neurogenesis, and cell fate decisions through the lens of GDE signaling.

Student Involvement in Research:

Since I opened my laboratory in 2018, I have provided research experiences for 17 Middlebury undergraduate students. Students frequently participate in my laboratory via research-for-credit semesters. I also typically work with two students (VBRN funded) over the summer. I have mentored 3 students who have successfully defended their undergraduate honors thesis in the neuroscience major. Undergraduate trainees are involved in all aspects of my research program, from experimental design to publication.

Current Collaborations:

I am continuing to collaborate with Dr. Sockanathan at Johns Hopkins. We routinely share research progress and recently published a collaborative paper that included Middlebury students as co-authors. I am also collaborating with Dr. Halpern at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth (my VBRN mentor). She has created several GDE6 knockout zebrafish lines using CRISPR-Cas9 mediated mutagenesis. I will be transferring these lines to Middlebury early next year after we complete our new aquatics facility.

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

This research will expand our understanding of GPI-anchored proteins as intercellular signaling molecules in the vertebrate nervous system. The regulated release of GPI-anchored proteins by GDE6 constitutes a unique and flexible pathway for intercellular communication. By studying model systems that lack GDE6 expression, we gain insight into the role of GDE6 during crucial checkpoints in embryonic neurodevelopment. GDE6 is expressed at the earliest stages of nervous system formation. During these crucial periods, imbalances in progenitor cell proliferation and/or neuronal differentiation can produce embryonal tumors or leave the adult nervous system with a dearth of neuronal cell types. We will be better positioned to detect and develop interventions against embryonic cancers and early neural tube defects by understanding how molecular regulators like GDE6 govern these processes.

Summary of Research Project:

Recent polls indicate that 14-33% of Americans and at least one third of Vermont state’s population has used hemp-based products such as Cannabidiol (CBD). This non-psychoactive compound is one of 700 chemicals derived from the Cannabis sativa plant and is both legal and widespread for distribution in many states, including Vermont. The central hypothesis of this research is that chronic use of CBD favorably affects the cardiorespiratory system and this will be evidenced by elevated heart rate variability (HRV) and improvement in exercise performance and recovery compared to non-CBD users.

Background/Training:

I have a broad background in the neural control of breathing and in physiology, having used several different techniques and approaches to understand the mechanisms underlying respiratory control, particularly as it relates to homeostatic regulation. In my undergraduate, I studied both the role of development and species on physiological responses to temperature. My graduate work (both Masters and PhD) focused on central control, particularly as it related to chemoreception. As a postdoctoral fellow, studying the underlying pathophysiology of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in rodent models, I performed whole-animal metabolic measurements looking at the role of serotonin and GABA in cardiovascular and respiratory responses to hypoxia, hypocapnia, hypercapnia, and temperature. This approach allowed me to pursue scientific questions using many techniques that were particularly amenable to undergraduate student education. In my first three years as an Assistant Professor at Castleton University, I was able to translate many of these methods and techniques to human physiology studies. I have mentored 12 undergraduate students in my research lab where we have been working to provide foundational data investigating the role of CBD on autonomic function and cardiorespiratory control in humans, and how these might be altered by varying levels of exercise. This project provides an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students to be involved in data collection and to introduce them to analysis and interpretation.

Student Involvement in Research:

Students have recently presented their VRBN-funded work at two international meetings: Zac Razanouski presented “The effects of acute cannabidiol on autonomic balance” at Experimental Biology 2022 (Philadelphia, PA) and Wayne Alexander presented “CBD use tendencies in rural versus urban Vermonters” at ACSM 2023 (Denver, CO).

Current Collaborations:

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

As the number of products containing CBD increase and become more available, it is important that human subject studies are conducted to investigate CBD’s physiological effects on autonomic balance and exercise performance. The outcomes of this research have the potential to uncover therapeutic effects, and alternatively influence packaging warnings. This project will also explore the impact of chronic use of CBD where it may have the potential to provide cardiovascular benefits.

Summary of Research Project:

The communication among brain cells underlies everything we see and do, but the particular network structures that process information are unknown. During development, through a process called synaptic plasticity, these complex network structures are formed in part through rules dependent on the activity of the cells. I aim to use a mathematical model to investigate different experimentally-measured descriptions of plasticity rules and their effect on the resulting network structure.

Background/Training:

I earned my PhD in mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2017. My thesis project focused on detailed mathematical modeling of the activity of gap-junction coupled cortical neurons and the network-wide effect on synchrony. I spent three years as an NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research fellow at the Courant Institute, NYU working on modeling the interaction between gap-junction coupling and synaptic plasticity in the developing visual cortex.

Student Involvement in Research:

I employ and train mathematics students on reading neuroscience literature, constructing mathematical models of neuron activity, and computer coding skills to simulate the model and create figures displaying the results.

Current Collaborations:

I am not currently collaborating with other PIs on this particular project.

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

Identifying potential mechanisms underlying the formation of network structure of the visual cortex during development will aid in our understanding of potential diseases that disrupt this normal formation. One such disease is called Amblyopia, a neuro-developmental visual impairment that is caused by an imbalance of the visual input to the two eyes during development. Current strategies to treat Amblyopia include showing the affected eye an array of visual stimuli in an attempt to overwrite plasticity in development. A more detailed understanding of this plasticity from a mathematical model may lead to more targeted treatment plans.

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Summary of Research Project:

We are investigating the cellular processes that take place in degenerating neurons of an invertebrate model system, the Central American wandering spider Cupiennius salei. The advantage of this model system is that these animals show similar degenerative processes to human neurodegeneration while the neurons in spiders are up to 10-times larger than those in humans. This allows for better observation of the underlying cellular causes. Utilizing our findings in spiders we compare the observed mechanisms with degenerative processes in human and rodent brain to investigate whether similar cellular processes can be observed.

Background/Training:

Originally from Frankfurt Germany I have completed my B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. in Biology/Neuroscience at Frankfurt University Germany. After completion of two postdoctoral positions in London England (Open University and National Institute for Medical Research) and Halifax Canada (Dalhousie University) I have accepted an Assistant Professorship at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester Vermont in 2015 where I was promoted to tenured Associate Professor in 2020. My expertise is in Cellular/Molecular Neuroscience, Developmental Biology and Toxicology.

Student Involvement in Research:

In collaboration with Dr. Adam Weaver our research team typically has between 15-22 students. Students are trained in histology, immunohistochemistry, Western blot analysis, light microscopy, confocal microscopy, quantitative analysis, Adobe Photoshop, ZEN Image processing, animal husbandry.

Current Collaborations:

We currently collaborate with Dr. Douglas Taatjes, Dr. Julie Dragon, Dr. Scott Tighe, Dr. Roxana Del Rio Guerra, Dr. Ying Wai Lam and staff of the University of Vermont CORE facilities on gene expression, protein identification and sequencing of the spider genome.

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

Due to their irreversible nature and in the absence of medical treatment options human neurodegenerative diseases inevitably end in death of the affected patients. Currently our knowledge regarding the underlying cellular mechanisms is limited. However, the development of treatment options critically depends on our understanding of the mechanisms that cause neurons to degenerate. Our goal is to drive our knowledge regarding cellular processes in neurodegeneration forward and contribute to the development of medical treatment options.

Summary of Research Project:

This project aims to design a method for the detection of very low levels of uranium in drinking water, that can be completed by someone with little to no lab training. Short-term exposure to uranium in drinking water can result in weight loss or hemorrhages, while long-term exposure can result in kidney disease or cancer. A low cost, simple to perform method would increase access to and frequency of testing for potentially contaminated water.

Background/Training:

I completed my B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, College Park, where I performed research in Iron Gall Ink in collaboration with the Library of Congress. Then I pursued my Ph.D. at Dartmouth College, where I investigated catalytic systems to generate new phosphine ligands using earth-abundant metal catalysts. I also generated a novel class of emissive materials from copper-phosphine complexes. This work in emissive materials gave me extensive experience in UV-Vis spectrophotometry, ligand synthesis, and metal complex synthesis and characterization.

Student Involvement in Research:

Currently, I have three students working in the laboratory over the summer, one rising sophomore and two rising juniors. They will be joined in the fall by another rising junior.

Current Collaborations:

I am collaborating with Dr. Seth Frisbie, Dr. Michael Prairie, and Dr. Emma Ste Marie to finish troubleshooting work on affordable UV-Vis spectrophotometers designed and built at Norwich University, and with Dr. Seth Frisbie and colleagues from MIT to design a new beta model of the spectrophotometer with a surface-mounted design.

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

A recent Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer featured data indicating a 50% increased likelihood of kidney cancer for Native Americans due to uranium exposure. In addition, a recent study by researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, two aquifers in the United States that serve nearly 6 million people contained groundwater uranium exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level. The objective of this research is to prevent uranium exposure through low levels in drinking water through the development of a facile testing method that does not require expert knowledge or expensive equipment. Future directions for this research may include developing a test for uranium excretion in urine, to screen populations or individuals for potential exposures (either acute or long-term) to uranium in their water or through their food.

Summary of Research Project:

This study uses quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data to better understand the impact of COVID-19 social distancing requirements on substance abuse recovery. Through a series of interviews with recovering individuals throughout Vermont, we will examine the effects of remote attendance at recovery meetings, and how perceptions of the pandemic, mask wearing, and vaccination requirements have impacted recovery, as measured by self-reported changes in substance use and 12-step meeting attendance.

Background/Training:

Dr. Hassett-Walker holds a PhD in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University. Before coming to Norwich University in July 2020, Dr. Hassett-Walker taught at Kean University in New Jersey and worked as a research associate at the Violence Institute of New Jersey. In 2012 she received a R15 AREA grant from the National Institutes of Health to examine racial, ethnic and gender disparities in substance use trajectories based on justice-system involvement (arrest, conviction) in early adulthood. In 2021, she received a VBRN Pilot Award for her study, “The Impact of Criminal Conviction and Incarceration on Long-Term Health & Substance Use.” Her work has been published in a variety of scholarly journals including the Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Tobacco Use Insights, and the Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice.

Student Involvement in Research:

In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of my present grant, I currently have two student undergraduate research assistants, one a criminal justice major (Kaleb Hogan) and the other a nursing major (Jordan Brimblecombe). With last year’s VBRN pilot grant, I also worked with a nursing major at Norwich (Matt Haggerty). Students are involved in all aspects of a study, which gives them the opportunity to experience the different facets of real-world research outside the standard classroom experience. I have also participated in Norwich’s research apprentice grant program, which allows me to mentor students in research on questions of interest to them.

Current Collaborations:

None presently. I have collaborated with public health researchers in the past (i.e., on the NIH R15 award), as well as criminal justice colleagues.

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

My current study addresses National Institutes of Health goals of advancing science on the causes of substance abuse, and investigating the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations (i.e., individuals recovering from a substance abuse disorder, and people residing in rural areas). The study will advance scientific knowledge about the effectiveness of virtual peer support (in lieu of in-person support) in recovery and health, including telehealth. The study will also examine the impact of trauma (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic) on recovery, health and healing.

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How does the brain allow a person to acquire complex bimanual skills, such as playing the piano, or even simple ones, such as typing a message? This project is aimed at understanding the brain waves that underlie bimanual learning. We hypothesize that as the hands learn to work together, specific brain waves from the left and right hemispheres begin to synchronize.

Background/Training:

Dr. Sisti graduated from Dartmouth College, where she majored in Physiological Psychology. She earned a M.Ed. in kinesiology at Temple University and later pursued her Ph.D. from Rutgers University in Psychology, with a Concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience. She was the lead developer of a visuomotor bimanual tracking paradigm used for a range of brain mapping studies, while she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Research Centre for Movement Control and Neuroplasticity of Leuven in Belgium. Sisti is currently serving as the Guest Executive Editor of Journal of Motor Behavior and is a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience, Human Brain Mapping, and Learning & Memory, among others.

Student Involvement in Research:

Each student is involved in all aspects of research, from data collection to analysis. In each of the projects below, they serve as the lead. Elias Gabrielsson: EEG acquisition in Curry 8, prepping subjects to collect brain signals (optimizing signal-to-noise) Mercedes (Sadie) Bishop: Transforming raw data from Curry 8 into Excel to prepare for statistical analysis Annika Beebe: Using biomedical databases for systematic literature review of motor imagery and bimanual coordination for publication

Current Collaborations:

National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

Data from this study will be used to inform neurorehabilitation of stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Stroke and MS result in loss of upper limb coordination. Elucidating the neural mechanisms that underlie bimanual learning will accelerate patient recovery.

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Summary of Research Project:

This project will develop the experimental methods to support a new Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) on complex competitive interactions among freshwater organisms that affect water quality in lakes using the Lake-in-a-Tube (LAIT) system I developed for classroom use. Student researchers are running a suite of competition experiments to identify the relative importance of taxa identity, nutrients, and water temperature on the degree to which competition occurs between primary producers and between herbivores in freshwater systems. Results of this lab development will inform the choices of biotic and abiotic factors that upper-level students will have available to complete a CURE this fall. In addition, this CURE will contribute to further assessment of the efficacy of multiple CUREs over the course of a typical undergraduate course of study in improving student competency with, and attitudes towards, biological research.

Background/Training:

Professor Swisher is an aquatic ecologist and educator with a broad background contemporary natural resources issues from food web ecology and endangered species conservation to ecotoxicology and stormwater management. He was worked with students in various settings for 25-plus years.

Student Involvement in Research:

Two undergraduate students have been responsible for running all of the experiments funded by the VBRN Exploratory Grant award for 8 weeks during the summer of 2023.

Current Collaborations:

This work will be a portion of a 3-hour laboratory workshop entitled “Lake in a Tube: a microcosm system to support Course-Based Research Experiences for Undergraduate students in Biology” at the 2024 annual conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education in College Park, Maryland.

Potential Impact of your Research on Human Health and Beyond:

The resulting CURE from this work will be part of laboratory exercises in Community Ecology, an upper-level course taught by my colleague, Dr. Declan McCabe. We will be collaborating on including this CURE for the first time and assessing its impact on student learning.

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