Examples of Student Research
Eric McLaughlin - Studies Regarding the Spread of STARI in Tennessee
It all came about due to the illness of a friend...
Eric McLaughlin learned about Lyme disease (or Lyme-like disease), when his friend came down with the disease. A potentially serious bacterial illness carried by deer ticks in the northeastern part of the United States, Lyme disease is not generally associated with the Southeast. Eric had done literature investigation on the causative microorganism in Biology 312 - Microbiology and the disease itself in Biology 316 - Physiology. However, Eric also learned that research has suggested that another organism, occurring in the Southeast, may cause a similar disease. These studies have indicated that a different bacterium, Borrelia lonestari, carried by a different insect vector, the Lone Star tick, may be associated with a similar disease called, Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI).
This led Eric to capture and classify over 250 ticks in a nearby county. He extracted DNA, amplified select portions of it by polymerase chain reaction, and determined the size of the resulting fragment marker. In some insects it matched the standard marker for the bacterial genus Borrelia indicating that Eric may have found the suspected causative bacterium in a new location in Tennessee. Southern blot hybridization, performed at a nearby research university, confirmed that at least three of the 263 ticks carried Borrelia lonestari , the suspected agent for STARI.
Eric's work at Belmont thus further supported and extended the earlier work done by others on STARI in the Southeast.
Friends and fellow Belmont Honors students, Jo Ellen Bennett, Melissa Fullerton, and Julia Wicke decided to study Human Papillomavirus (HPV) for their Honors Thesis work under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Thomas. HPV infection is associated with cervical cancer and two viral proteins, E6 and E7, have been shown to contribute to the transformation of normal cells into cancerous ones. Jo Ellen, Melissa, and Julia, examined if these viral proteins played an additional role in cancer progression with events such as metastasis, drug-resistance, and angiogenesis. They cultivated human cells using a tissue culture model of cervical cancer and analyzed these cells, by Western analyses, for expression of proteins associated with cancer progression. They found that HPV viral proteins do alter expression of cellular proteins, potentially contributing to cancer progression.
Theresa Tholkes- Studies on the Effects of Stress on the Dopaminergic System
In a continuation of a previous research opportunity, Theresa Tholkes completed a senior biology research project that investigated the effect of stress on the dopaminergic system under the direction of Dr. Nick Ragsdale. Initial research has suggested that changes in activity of the dopaminergic system are a contributing factor to addictive behavior. Additional research has shown that genes, drug use, and environmental factors can decrease the ability of the dopaminergic system to work correctly. Thus, Theresa Tholkes analyzed the levels of dopamine 2 receptors in the pre-frontal cortex of rats that had been subjected to low, medium, and high stress. Western analyses indicated that dopamine 2 receptors levels decrease incrementally with the increase in stress levels and that this change was not due to neuronal death. Future experiments will study these changes in receptor levels as a potential cause of alcohol addictive behavior.
Kristin Furman - Exotic Plants at Shelby Bottoms Greenway
Kristin Furman studied the distribution of exotic (non-native) species in the Shelby Bottoms Greenway in Nashville. Greenways are linear tracts of land that are set aside to protect native ecosystems and provide recreational opportunities for people. The long, thin areas of greenway land are important to environmental conservation because they connect natural areas together, allowing for species movement and dispersal. However, the linear shape of the greenway and the extensive recreational use by people might promote the spreading of exotic plants. The purpose of Kristin's study was to explore the connection between greenways and exotic plants by asking five questions: 1) To what extent have exotic plants invaded the greenway? 2) Are path type (paved or unpaved) and percent coverage of exotic plants correlated? 3) Is there a relationship between successional stage and the percent coverage of exotic plants? 4) Is the mowing cycle connected to the successional stage and the presence of exotic plants? and 5) What greenway management strategies would be effective in reducing the presence of exotic plants? The data Kristin collected at Shelby Bottoms Greenway suggest that there is not a significant difference in the presence of exotics on the paved and unpaved paths, exotics have invaded the mature successional stages more than the younger successional stages, and areas that are mowed more often have fewer exotic plants. Effective management of Shelby Bottoms Greenway may require frequent mowing and maintenance of early successional stages as a way of controlling the spread of exotic plant species.
