| THE GENE
SCHOOL
In 2001, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
awarded St. Edward’s University a three-year, $300,000
grant for a project entitled “Integration of Research
Internships into the Undergraduate Life Sciences Curriculum.”
St. Edward’s was one of 20 institutions in the country
to receive such a grant, which funded laboratory equipment,
student and faculty stipends, and supporting expenses. The
grant was split three ways between St. Edward’s, Monsanto
Laboratories in St. Louis, Mo., and UT–Austin, although
St. Edward’s received the largest portion —
70 percent.
Since then, biology faculty members Allan Hook, Jimmy Mills,
Fidelma O’Leary and Bill Quinn and 21 students have
participated in innovative scientific research in genetic
engineering and insect behavior at St. Edward’s, Monsanto
and UT–Austin.
A key element of the project was the opportunity for faculty
and students to conduct research at Monsanto. In 2001, Quinn
and O’Leary journeyed to Monsanto to work and learn
about splicing “genes of interest” into crop
plants. They brought the knowledge they gained about DNA
splicing, genetic constructs and experimental plant protocols
to six students who completed research at St. Edward’s
during Summer 2002. And last summer, four of the original
scholars — (from left) Pamela Scheiber, ’04;
Wilfried Foadey, ’04; Danielle Baker, ’04; and
Elizabeth Vermillion, ’04 — and two new scholars
— Alberto Pasillas, ’05, and Andrea Guion, ’05
— traveled to Monsanto, where they worked in teams
to develop research ideas and test them. “My hands-on
experience has enabled me to better understand the concepts
I read about in textbooks,” said Pasillas.
Students learned very specific parts of the gene-splicing
process. Baker and Scheiber, for example, studied the effects
of varying concentrations of bacteria in the genetic transformation
of plants in labs at St. Edward’s. When they arrived
at Monsanto a year later, they diversified their field of
study.
“I researched Conyza canadensis or Mare’s tail,
which is a weed resistant to Roundup, Monsanto’s famous
herbicide. By altering the genetic makeup of the plant,
we can grow resistant, better crops,” said Scheiber.
“It’s important for consumers to understand
research, especially research about genetically modified
organisms,” Baker added.
Alternatively, at St. Edward’s, Foadey and Vermillion
studied the effects of expo
sure timing in the plant transformation process —
the infection of a plant with bacteria and the regeneration
of a new plant from one infected cell. This process allows
plants to take on new genetic traits. Then, at Monsanto,
Foadey searched several different plant species for a specific
gene, while Vermillion field-tested — in greenhouses
and farmers’ fields — the results of research
similar to that of the other St. Edward’s students.
All six interns presented research findings to their colleagues
at Monsanto, and Scheiber, Foadey and Pasillas are currently
trying to publish their results. In addition, Vermillion,
Baker, Scheiber and Foadey summarized their on-campus experiments
in August 2002 at the annual meeting of the American Society
of Plant Biologists in Denver, Colo.
“The research I exhibited gave me a chance to converse
with scientists across the nation who are interested in
the work I had done,” said Vermillion.
“We focus much of our energy on building scientific
research into our undergraduate curricula, and we build
our own capabilities while we develop associations with
outside research labs,” said Quinn. “That strategy
is what makes our students so successful.”
MONSANTO SCHOLARS
In addition to the six scholars who traveled to Monsanto
Laboratories in St. Louis, Mo., this
summer, the grant enabled 15 other students over the three-year
period to gain hands-on experience.
Under the supervision of Allan Hook, associate professor
of biology, Sophia Angelo, ’05, Anthony Francisco,
’03, Sister Florence Kajoina, ’05, Gregory Palmer,
’04, and Melanie Payne, ’03, studied insect
behavior at Pedernales Falls State Park and the St. Edward’s
University campus.
Natalie Cole, ’05, Patricia Hayes, ’04, Regina
Loya, ’05, and Samantha Ramirez, ’04, studied
the molecular classification of algae in the botany labs
of UT–Austin and St. Edward’s University under
the guidance of Jimmy Mills, professor of biology.
Bill Quinn, professor of biology, and Fidelma O’ Leary,
associate professor of biology, also worked with Joe Hidrogo,
’05, Paul Marabella, ’03, Sandy Martinez, ’05,
Jessica Mauricio, ’06, Jorge Moreno, ’05, and
Rita Salinas, ’04, on the genetic transformation of
plants at St. Edward’s.
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