Grad News Forum

Neurology professor Dr. Rand Swenson shows participants a human brain specimen at one of the activity stations.

Last weekend, over twenty high school students from around the area convened in the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center for the first Upper Valley Brain Bee. Hosted by the Neuroscience Center at Dartmouth  and the Society for Neuroscience New Hampshire Chapter, this event would not have been possible without the hard work of Marie Onakomaiya and Alex Bender, the two graduate students responsible for envisioning and organizing this outreach project. Dr. Michelle Sama, coordinator of the Neuroscience Center at Dartmouth, also played a key role in orchestrating the event.

The competition was advertised to high school students throughout the entire Upper Valley, and ultimately students from six different schools competed. Weeks prior to the competition, Onakomaiya and Bender visited these schools to host “Brain Boot Camps” in which students were taught basic neuroscience and neuroanatomy and provided with study materials. After many weeks of preparation, the brainy students were ready to show off their neuroscience knowledge.

In round one of the competition, participants completed a short quiz, identified brain structures on real human brains, and diagnosed “patients” played by volunteers from the Dartmouth neuroscience community. Afterwards, the students had a break for lunch and visited a variety of activity stations run by professors from the medical school. Dr. Rand Swenson showed students brain specimens, Dr. Jeff Cohen and Dr. Alissa Thomas taught participants how to conduct a neurological exam on a patient, and Dr. Olga Emery provided demonstrations illustrating various brain functions. Meanwhile, Dr. Michelle Sama ran a “Color Your Brain” station for younger attendees. These activities concluded with a talk about Parkinson’s disease from neurology professor, Dr. Stephen Lee.

Having patiently waited long enough, the top five scorers from the first round were announced and brought up to the front of the room to compete in round two. This culminating phase was structured similar to a spelling bee: competitors answered questions from three different categories and were eliminated after responding to two consecutive questions incorrectly. Questions were asked by the judges of the event, four members of the Dartmouth neuroscience community (Dr. Allan Gulledge, Dr. Barbara Jobst, Dr. Jeremy Barry, and myself).

Dr. Hermes Yeh, the MC for the event, congratulates first place winner Jane Plomp, a 9th grader from Lebanon High School.

Jane Plomp, a 9^th grader from Lebanon High School, took first place and will have the opportunity to compete in the National Brain Bee held in Washington, DC, next March. Molly Cornell, an 11^th grader from Hanover High School, won second place, and Morgan Keller, a 12^th grader from Lebanon High School, won third place.

Onakomaiya and Bender certainly accomplished their initial goal, which was “to introduce neuroscience to local high school students and provide a way for them to have fun learning about the brain,” says Bender. Based on everyone’s fantastic performance throughout the competition, it is evident that participants learned a great deal of information. Onakomaiya and Bender received a lot of positive feedback and hope that the Upper Valley Brain Bee will become a yearly tradition here at Dartmouth. Onakomaiya notes that “this year’s participants have already expressed interest in doing it again next year and will be recruiting their friends to join them.”

by Max Mehlman

Congratulations to graduate student John Gartner, in the Department of Earth Sciences, who was one of four winners of the Graduate Poster Session held recently in Alumni Hall! (Below is a summary of Gartner’s poster.)

Poster Title: Irene Landslides and Sedimentation in Vermont Rivers:  Importance of Gradients in Transport Capacity

How do rivers transport sediment from the mountains to the sea? This question has implications for every species that lives in and near rivers, including humans. Hurricane Irene, as devastating as it was to so many people, provided an unprecedented opportunity to observe how rivers cut into and also bury the local landscape with sediment.

For decades, geomorphologists have measured stream power at spot locations along rivers to determine if the capacity at a point is high enough to transport sediment. Yet the stream power of rivers is seldom constant from the headwaters downstream, and this change should affect sediment transport dynamics. Specifically, if the stream power is decreasing downstream, going from high to low power along a given segment, then the river cannot carry the sediment load delivered from upstream and must deposit material. In contrast, if stream power increases moving downstream, then the river can entrain all sediment delivered from upstream and more, possibly exporting material from the riverbanks, undercutting the adjacent hillslopes, and inducing landslides. I hypothesized that river segments with decreasing stream power should exhibit widespread floodplain deposition and few landslides, and, conversely, segments with increasing stream power should exhibit abundant landslides and minimal floodplain deposition.

To test these ideas, landslides and floodplain deposits were mapped based on field surveys and aerial photos in two Vermont watersheds after Irene. Freely available digital elevation data were used to compute stream power and, more importantly, gradients in stream power on the two rivers. The hypotheses were supported by the preponderance of floodplain deposits occurring in reaches with decreasing stream power and an abundance of landslides in reaches with increasing stream power.

This novel approach to characterizing sediment transport dynamics shows that gradients in stream power can affect both the downstream and lateral mobility of sediment. In particular, decreasing downstream sediment transport capacity favors the movement of material from the river onto the adjacent landscape. However, reaches of increasing downstream capacity have an opposite dynamic, with material moving from adjacent areas into river channels. One critical broader implication is that maps of stream power gradients can be an important tool for protection and management of human infrastructure and riparian ecosystems.

poster summary by John Gartner

Congratulations to graduate student Alex Schlegel, in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, who was one of four winners of the Graduate Poster Session held recently in Alumni Hall! (Below is a summary of Schlegel’s poster.)

Poster Title: A Neural Network Supporting Mental Operations on Visual Imagery

Ask a bonobo what you get when you cross an elephant with a rhino, and he likely will not have the slightest clue. But if you ask me, I can vividly imagine an elephino with two tusks and horns charging through the savanna. Humans have evolved robust machinery for synthesizing new concepts that we can use for a range of pursuits including art and science. However, we know little about the neural basis of this machinery.

In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the brain’s ability to manipulate the contents of visual imagery. We developed a set of abstract visual shapes that could be assembled into 2×2 arrays to generate figures of varying complexity. Subjects performed two types of tasks: they either held the stimuli in short term memory for later recall or mentally manipulated the stimuli in working memory.

We found a network of 11 cortical and subcortical brain regions. There was differing activity between those tasks involving remembering and those involving manipulation. Multivariate pattern classification within these regions revealed a subset of frontal, parietal, and occipital areas whose informational structure could distinguish between the different mental operations. This suggests that these regions play a key role in mental operations. We also found that the pattern of functional connectivity between these regions changed depending on the task, with an area called the precuneus serving as a network hub.

Thus, a multi-region network of areas dominated by fronto-parieto-occipital connections supports the mental manipulation of visual imagery.

poster summary by Alex Schlegel

Congratulations to graduate student Marianna Kleyman, in the Department of Biochemistry, who was one of four winners of the Graduate Poster Session held recently in Alumni Hall! (Below is a summary of Kleyman’s poster.)

Poster Title: STAG2 Regulates Kinetochore-Microtubule Attachments in Human Cells

Chromosomes must be faithfully segregated during cell division to allow for normal growth and development of organisms. Errors in chromosome segregation cause birth defects and are common in many solid cancers yielding a heterogeneous population of cells. This increases the potential to resist drug treatment and metastasize, and generally leads to a poor cancer outcome for patients.

Cancer cells frequently missegregate whole chromosomes at high rates in a phenomenon called chromosomal instability, or CIN. CIN is caused by mal-attachments between chromosomes and the microtubule fibers responsible for movement of chromosomes during segregation.

The data demonstrate that loss of the chromosome-associated protein STAG2—important for chromosome cohesion—increases the frequency of mal-attachments of chromosomes to the microtubule fibers. The loss of STAG2 occurs in about 10-20% of cancers and results in the improper assembly of chromosomes. These data indicate that STAG2 plays an important role in ensuring faithful chromosome segregation in human cells.

poster summary by Marianna Kleyman

Lilian Kabeche, a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Molecular and Cellular Biology program, was recently featured on the blog of Bárbara Alcaraz Silva of the University of California, Irvine. Kabeche was a recipient of an award in the poster competition of the Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) of the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB).

For the full post see Science and Research.

On May 10^th, a group of Dartmouth Graduate Students gathered over a relaxed lunch to present their theses to each other. What made this different to other similar events was that participants were given a mere three minutes to talk.

The event was one of many to showcase the hard work and scope of research of Dartmouth Graduate Students. What made it unique was that not only was there the challenge of communicating advanced level research, but participants were also hindered by the time constraints of the task. Areas covered included brain cancer, soil types, narrative theory, and games theory. They had to be explained at break neck speed to audiences unfamiliar with the field. Naturally, it presented the perfect occasion for the students to demonstrate and practices their communication skills.

Despite the difficulties of this task, all the participants excelled at what they were doing and presented calmly in a way that could walk even the most unaware individual through their field of expertise. What’s more is that the topics covered were engaging and well focused. You know that you are in for an exiting event when a speaker starts with the question: “Why are we here?” Needless to say the presentations showcased the fascinating research taking place at Dartmouth, as well as illustrating the important work going on at the institution. The students who presented are helping to treat and cure cancer, developing our cultural scholarship and are at the forefront of new technologies. After the last speaker finished, the panel of students voted for which thesis they thought was best and the opportunity of reflection and feedback given.

We would like to congratulate Umang Bhaskar and Kelly Michaelsen, who, in the face of stiff competition, were voted the winners of the presentations and duly awarded with two tickets to the nugget. They presented on Game Theory and Breast Cancer Screening respectively.

Article and photo by Dan Durcan

Upon approaching Lilian Kabeche’s desk in the Duane Compton lab in Remsen, the first thing that a visitor notices is the bubblegum pink lab coat hanging from her chair.

“It’s my pride and joy!” exclaims Kabeche. “I made it myself.” As she points out the hand drawn pictures of cell division that decorate the pockets, one gets the distinct impression that Kabeche loves what she does.

In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find someone more in love with science—or Dartmouth in general—than Lilian Kabeche, a fourth-year PhD student in biochemistry. Kabeche’s research is concerned with understanding the essential aspects of mitosis, specifically the differences between cancer cells and normal diploid cells.

“Cancer cells often missegregate chromosomes,” says Lilian. “We’re trying to fix this using proteins that control microtubule dynamics.”

“Most metastatic tumors are chromosomally unstable, which means that they are more aggressive and generally less resistant to treatments,” she explains. Lilian and her lab group hope that the research they are currently doing—attempting to find ways to maintain chromatic stability within such tumors—will lead to more effective cancer treatments.

Kabeche likens science to a puzzle for which she must not only find the missing pieces, but also “create [her] own pieces.” As an undergraduate at the University of Miami, she majored in microbiology, but always gravitated towards research as opposed to practicing medicine. “I don’t do well with blood and needles,” laughs Kabeche.

“Dartmouth is the opposite of Miami, and that’s what appealed to me,” says Kabeche.  During her initial visit, Lilian was taken with all aspects of the Dartmouth experience, from its picturesque location to its small, “understatedly awesome” graduate community. “I thought, ‘This is where I have to be, and where I want to go.’”

Entering in the MCB program at Dartmouth, Lilian was able to “study a little bit of everything,” rotating between lab groups. With a background in microbiology, she knew she wanted to do work with pathogens, and eventually found herself drawn to Duane Compton’s research on cancerous cells. After seeing Compton give a talk about chromosomes, Lilian said her research interest “just clicked” into place.

“Duane has an enthusiasm that makes you understand the importance of the research he’s doing, and makes you want to do it also,” explains Kabeche, who eventually joined Compton’s lab at the end of her rotations.

Lilian's Lab Coat

Describing Compton’s demeanor as “Yoda-like”, Kabeche credits her advisor with helping her develop both in and out of the lab. In fact, it was Compton who suggested that Lilian participate in recruitment efforts for Dartmouth. This past November, Kabeche attended ABRCMS (Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students).  ABRCMS is the largest professional conference for biomedical and behavioral students, and is designed to encourage underrepresented minority students to pursue advanced degrees in the sciences.

“It was awesome talking to people about Dartmouth,” says Kabeche. “And it was great to be able to tell them that yes, you will feel comfortable as a minority student. Yes, you will fit in… I hope I convinced some students to come!”

Apart from her recruiting efforts with the Graduate Studies Office, Kabeche has a fairly successful track record of convincing students to come to Dartmouth—most notably her own younger sister, Ruth, who is a second year graduate student in the Moseley lab. The sisters live together in Sachem Village, where Lilian jokes that they “talk science, but also Jersey Shore.”

“I’m Hispanic, and family is everything to me,” says Lilian. “My sister is two doors down from me in the lab—it’s wonderful.”

Lilian describes their relationship as very close, and was incredibly proud of Ruth’s first publication in MBOC. Lilian’s own first publication, in Current Bio, is forthcoming. “I had to get one up on her,” jokes Lilian. Given that both the Kabeche sisters are scientists, one might assume that their parents are scientists as well.

“Not at all,” laughs Lilian. “We’ll talk at the dinner table about how excited we are about specific things that happened in the lab, but they’re just as excited as we are. They’re incredibly supportive.”

Kabeche is unsure of her plans after completing her PhD, but describes eventually leaving Dartmouth as a daunting prospect.

“It’s hard,” says Kabeche. “This [the lab group] is my family, too.  I see them more than I see even my own parents—sometimes even my own sister, who’s right down the hall!”

By Erin O’Flaherty

At this year’s Winter Carnival–beginning on Thursday, February 9th and running through Sunday, February 12th–Dartmouth’s graduate students are invited to participate in the “2012 Winter Carnival Snow Sculpture Contest!”

Dartmouth Students building the 2011 Winter Carnival Sculpture

Feel like participating in one of Dartmouth’s oldest traditions? Then assemble a team of builders from your department, register for the contest by Tuesday, February 7th, and bring your favorite snow shovel to the green on Thursday, February 9th and Friday, February, 10th!

Organized by the Collis Center for Student Involvement Office and Programing Board at Dartmouth, the theme for the 2012 Winter Carnival is “Carnival in Candyland.”

Here’s an outline of the event from 2012 Winter Carnival Snow Sculpture Contest’s offical website:

“Who: Any College-recognized organization (including living units, athletic teams, alumni groups, and academic and administrative departments).

What: A contest held on the Green to select the best sculpture representing this year’s Carnival theme.

When: Carnival is one of the busiest weekends at Dartmouth. In order to allow students and others to participate in all of the various activities, we have limited the hours of building. Starting at noon on Thursday, February 9, organizations may start building a sculpture. Building hours are from noon to 10 p.m. on Thursday, February 9, and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, February 10. Judging will take place between 3:30-5 p.m. on Friday, February 10. During the judging, the Green Key Society, Winter Carnival Council, and Collis will be giving out hot chocolate and snacks and welcoming the community.

Where: In order to participate in this contest, all sculptures must be built on the southwest quadrant of the Green (corner closest to Collis). Snow will be provided in a large pile on the Green. Large barrels and shovels will be provided to move snow. A hose will also be on-site to get water to wet-down your sculpture.

Why: Why not? Let’s revive a tradition!

How much: 1^st place: $500; 2^nd place: $300; 3^rd place: $200—transferred to your organizational account. The winning organization will also be provided a sculpture trophy for display.“

For more information on the event, including Safety Guidelines, please visit the contest’s website.

Graduate Studies Needs a Tagline!

Did you ever take a look at an advertising slogan or campaign and think, “I could do better”?  Have you dreamed of stretching your copywriting legs, but couldn’t find an outlet to channel your creativity?  If so, here’s your chance!

The Graduate Studies Office is sponsoring a contest to come up with a new tagline for Dartmouth’s Arts and Sciences Graduate Programs, and we’re asking the community to help us out.

Submitted entries should capture the academic community of Dartmouth, and emphasize the mission of the Graduate Studies program of educating future leaders and creating new knowledge at Dartmouth.

Taglines should also be catchy! Think Nike’s “Just Do It,” DeBeers’ “A Diamond is Forever,” or the U.S. Army’s “Be All that You Can Be”… even our own Thayer School of Engineering’s “The Box Does Not Exist”!

The Graduate Studies Office will judge the entries and select the top three taglines, from which the public will vote to decide a winner. The contest is open to all students, faculty, staff, and friends, and the winning participant will receive a $50 gift card to Canoe Club.  Multiple entries per individual are permitted, and can be posted on the Grad Studies Facebook page here. There are no stipulations or rules—just give us your best shot at a slogan that represents graduate programs at Dartmouth!

Any questions?  Let us know!

In the latest movie produced by the Graduate Studies Office, international graduate student reflect upon their studies at Dartmouth. Featuring interviews from students in five of Dartmouth’s Arts & Sciences graduate programs, the newly-released movie explores the international community in Hanover.

Directed by Tennile Sunday
Filmed & Edited by Wesley Whitaker