Grad News Forum

Daniel Avesar presents his poster

The Dartmouth Neuroscience Center organized its 26^th annual Neuroscience Day on March 16^th, 2012. Faculty, postdocs, and students from Dartmouth and the region all participated to make this day a success!

The keynote speakers this year were Dr. John Trojanowski (MD/PhD) and Dr. Virginia Lee (PhD/MBA), both from the University of Pennsylvania—they each gave brilliant talks describing neurodegenerative diseases and the molecular mechanisms behind such pathologies.

There were more than 70 posters submitted for the poster session! Congrats to Pamela Rosato and Sarah Katzenell from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Dartmouth for winning the best poster award for their poster describing latency of herpes simplex virus infections.

Their findings so far show that innate immunity, and autophagy, a process in which cells digest some of their compartments, might be involved in this process. Additionally, Daniel Avesar, a graduate student in the physiology and neurobiology department here at Dartmouth gave a great presentation describing how a special type of neurons in the brain called commensurate neurons (COM) may contribute to the positive symptoms of psychosis during hallucinations.

The day did not end at Dartmouth but continued at the Norwich Inn where students had the opportunity to dine with Dr. Lee and Dr. Trojanowski who had much advice for them, including these simple but important words of wisdom: Never give up, keep on working hard and smart, and you can achieve your goals. Well done, Dartmouth! We look forward to next year’s conference for another day of sharing fascinating findings and discussing science!

by Gilbert Rahme

Born in San Diego, CA, Justin Richardson is a first-year graduate student in Dartmouth’s Earth Sciences department. Describing himself as “the soil man,” Justin’s research examines how toxic metals are transported in upland forest soils. As an undergraduate at University of California, Riverside, Justin worked as a Soil Science Adviser at his campus’s organic community garden, and for the nine months that he has been a member of the Dartmouth graduate community, he has used his knowledge of soils to assist instructors with the educational courses held at the Dartmouth Organic Farm. At the community farm in Southern California and Dartmouth’s Organic Farm, Justin applied his knowledge of sustainable farming methods to control the nutrient levels in each farm’s soil.

Justin’s graduate research builds upon his deep-seated interest in soil science and environmental sustainability. As a graduate student, Justin is researching the ability of soils from different regions of the northeastern United States to retain mercury—a toxic metal released into the atmosphere during coal combustion—and lead—a heavy metal released by automobiles before leaded gasoline was phased out in the 1970s. The organic matter and mineral content present within soils creates a buffer that slows the leeching of these metals into the region’s subterranean aquifers; once in the aquifers, these metals gradually move up the food chain. Though research suggests the lead that enters our waterways is not absorbed by humans, it has been proven that humans absorb mercury through the consumption of predatory fish that feed in contaminated waters.

“Though mercury isn’t good for you, I still enjoy eating locally caught fish,” says Justin. “You just have to watch which species you consume.”

Currently, Justin is examining the heavy-metal retention properties of both the organic matter and mineral content of various soils, which differ greatly from region to region. Comprised primarily of decomposing plant matter, the organic structures of a forest’s floor determines how well it is able to retain metals: in evergreen forests, the carbon structures of the fallen pine needles are relatively stable and are able to hold metals for longer than the carbon structures of the downed leaves in deciduous forests, which fall from the hardwoods of New England each autumn.

The mineral content of a soil is the final buffer that slows the leaching of lead and mercury into the waterways of the Northeast. After passing through the forest floor, different minerals hold toxic metals before they move into the subsoil. Recent studies suggest that the greater the clay content of a soil, the better it is at retaining toxic metals. Currently, Justin is examining the ability of New England’s soils, which vary in their clay content, to retain lead and mercury.

“Although there aren’t that many coal-burning plants in New England, there is a major mercury problem in this area,” says Justin. “The mercury released by coal plants in the midwestern United States travels through the atmosphere, and ends up in our soils.”

This summer, Justin helped teach laboratory sections held at the Dartmouth Organic Farm to the school’s ecological agriculture class. Located three miles up river from Dartmouth’s campus, the Organic farm is an educational facility that teaches students methods for sustainable food production. Unlike the organic community garden Justin worked at as an undergraduate—which is divided into small land plots that students and community members manage independently—Dartmouth’s Organic Farm is not partitioned, which allows for greater control over both the nutrient levels in the soil and the prevention of parasitical crop damage through organic farming methods. Justin explains that this structural feature of Dartmouth’s Organic Farm makes the facility well suited for teaching.

“One thing that’s unique about Dartmouth’s Organic Farm is that the farm is built upon the official ‘Dartmouth series soil,’” explains Justin. “The official soil taxonomic name for many of the low lying areas along the Connecticut River Valley is named after our school, and I think that’s something that Dartmouth students should know.”

To become involved in Dartmouth’s farming community, drop by the organic farm anytime to learn about its seasonal happenings. In the summer, students run a farmstand outside of the Collis Center where they sell fresh produce to the community. If you’re new to horticulture, Dartmouth’s Organic Farm holds “work days” designed to teach students the basics of sustainable farming; the farm also hosts pot-luck dinners on a regular basis for everyone who helps out at the farm.

If you’d like to learn more about Dartmouth’s Organic Farm, or are interested in soil science, it’s easy to spot Justin in Hanover: his NH license plate is “SOILSCI.”

by Wesley Whitaker

Since September, the classrooms and laboratories of  The Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center have facilitated interdisciplinary research and teaching across the life sciences. In this video, Dartmouth researchers explain the interdisciplinary work happening in this new facility.

Originally published by the Dartmouth Now on 11/16/11

Gillian Moritz, a PhD student in Nathaniel Dominy’s laboratory, recently had her research on the aye-aye published in the International Journal of Primatology.

Moritz’s research is concerned with the study of the aye-aye’s unusual finger.  Native to Madagascar, the temperature of the aye-aye’s middle finger fluctuates depending on whether it is in use or not, specifically when it is looking for food.

“Like any delicate instrument, it is probably best deactivated when not in use,” Moritz told BBC Nature.

Read the full BBC Nature article HERE.

Photo: Moritz/Dominy

Samuel Bakhoum, a Dartmouth PhD ’10 and DMS ’13, was recently published in the December 15^th issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

Read more about Sam and his research in a recent article from Dartmouth Now.

Photo: Eli Burak ’00

Five faculty members associated with Dartmouth’s Arts & Sciences Graduate Programs were named 2011 fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

• Duane Compton, senior associate dean of research and professor of biochemistry at Dartmouth Medical School (DMS), heads a graduate research group which examines chromosome segregation during cell division.

• Russell Hughes, the Frank R. Mori Professor of Chemistry, has led a graduate research group at Dartmouth since 1976.

• Lee Lynd, the Paul E. and Joan H. Queneau Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering Design, conducts research on the production of energy from plant biomass at the Thayer School of Engineering.

• Jason Moore, the Third Century Professor as well as professor of genetics and of
 community and family medicine at DMS, runs a graduate research lab which studies biodefense, gene-fuction, and gene-gene and gene-environment interactions.

• George O’Toole is professor of microbiology and immunology. Professor O’Toole runs a graduate research lab which examines microbial communities known as biofilms.

For more on Dartmouth’s 2011 AAAS fellows, visit the Dartmouth Now.

NSF Workshop for First and Second-Year Graduate Students

Wednesday, October 12 and 26, 2-4 pm, Jackson Conference Room, Thayer

In the world of academia, securing external funding is difficult. During this process, many graduate students become overwhelmed by the finite amount of research funding available, and the large number of grant applications submitted annually.  Even within this competitive atmosphere, preparing a proposal for the National Science Foundation (NSF) is often a particularly daunting undertaking.

The Graduate Studies Office is offering a workshop to help first and second year graduate students prepare NSF Graduate Research Fellowship applications.  Organized into two separate two-hour sessions—the first on October 12^th and the second on October 26^th—the workshop will aim to teach graduate students the ins and outs of the application process, and the specific qualities of a successful NSF application.

The first workshop session will cover the essentials of grant writing, and focus on the requirements of these fellowships.  In the second session, the group will evaluate draft materials produced by each participant, allowing each student to receive feedback from faculty members and their peers on his or her application.  Additionally, Dartmouth faculty members from different research areas who have grant-writing experience will highlight the elements of a successful proposal.

Joseph BelBruno, professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Director of the Center for Nanomaterials Research at Dartmouth, will present at the workshop.  Professor BelBruno’s research deals with the study of computational chemistry that focuses on the materials, and the chemistry, of the production process.  Kerry Landers, Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs, will also present during the workshop.

“We’ve done these presentations for a number of years,” says BelBruno. “The students who attend and follow through with written materials find that the process is an important step in their training and development as scientists.”

An independent federal agency created in 1950 to “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense,” the National Science Foundation is the major source of federal funding in fundamental science and engineering fields.  Accounting for nearly 20% of all federally supported science research conducted in U.S. colleges and universities, the NSF awards approximately 10,000 new awards each year and has an annual operating budget of $6.9 billion dollars.

The workshop is open to all first and second year graduate students who are United States citizens.  To participate in this workshop, sign up here by October 6^th.

Research today relies upon a constant cycle of publications, allowing researchers to evaluate, cite, and acknowledge the work of their peers. The problem enters with the ever-increasing body of published literature, which is virtually unreadable for any individual. The solution is to decide what papers and journals to read, and whom to consider a publishing peer.

In any single research field, there is an ongoing exponential rise in publishing. In my own narrow field, I estimate there is between 10 and 50 thousand relevant papers published, and they are continuing to be published at a rate of 1-4 papers per day. Even journals of exceptional quality show steady increases in the numbers of papers published, and exponential rises in papers submitted for review. The question of who to read, who to cite and where to consider publishing is much more challenging today than it used to be.

Editors and, increasingly, reviewers are recognizing that the growth pattern seems unsustainable given that many papers are not cited. It is known that a large fraction of the scientific literature is not even read seriously by anyone other than the original authors. One piece of evidence for this is the fact that papers that receive no citations in their first few years of publication dominate most journals. Impact factors are largely a weight derived from the few papers which are highly cited in this time period. So while a few papers are read and cited, the vast majority are not getting cited and therefore are also unlikely to be read by many people.

The key to finding your niche in publishing is to identify your scientific community, and publish in journals backed by that community of researchers. Publications which do not identify with, and are not supported by a research community are not worth the attention of researchers, because it means the journal is out to make money rather than promote a research community. Young researchers or those from universities just establishing research prominence can be easily attracted to publishing in journals where the barrier to acceptance is low. Yet in a scientific world where publications come out much faster than they can possibly be read, this approach will lead to papers that are simply lost in the sea of publications.

Gradually, we are now replacing the reading of publications with the reading of summaries, using tools that extract key information from potentially relevant publications, allowing researchers to save time by predetermining if a paper is worth reading. Use of electronic search tools has now virtually replaced the old library system, and the perusal of one’s favorite journals.  It seems likely that new scientists will be awash in ‘scientific chatter’ from which they must simply adopt tools to listen in, and pick out the pertinent bits of information. Reference manager software is already allowing much of this, but online scientific search engines will also be useful, as the ability to search information and filter will become more critical. So, as publication rates increase, the evolution of a new approach to reading literature must emerge, and become a sustainable process, though vastly different from the process before it.

Finally, my advice to the scientific community is to latch onto software and tools that allow you to filter the chatter and find the hidden jewels of science, and don’t contribute to this chatter through shotgun publications. Find your scientific community and directly participate in it by publishing with their sponsored journals and attending the conferences associated with those publications!

by Brian Pogue, Dean of Graduate Studies

Several Dartmouth graduate students are utilizing their scientific backgrounds to help develop the next crop of young scientists.

As National Science Foundation Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12), Dartmouth graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are paired with teachers in local middle and high schools.

In addition to their work in area schools, GK-12 STEM fellows participate in teaching workshops through the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL).  DCAL serves as a valuable resource for graduate students and faculty alike, and fosters the development of Dartmouth’s teachers through the establishment of a collaborative educational environment.

Read the full article on Dartmouth Now.

Photo by Joseph Mehling

This past spring, Thayer awarded fourteen MS and seven PhD degrees, and this fall Thayer accepted five new students into the PhD Innovation Program.

Thayer completed a $60 million fundraising campaign which will help to enhance our programs, and with professors Ian Baker and Keith Paulsen working as co-directors, Dartmouth was designated as a Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNE) with a $12.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Project leaders on the grant include engineering professors Gerngross, Pogue, and Griswold.

Professor Olfati-Saber received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Two Thayer-founded companies won GE’s Ecomagination Challenge, IceCode founded by Professor Petrenko, and SustainX founded by Professor Hutchinson and three PhD graduates, Dax Kepshire Th’06, Ben Bollinger Th’04, and Troy McBride Th’01. In addition, professors Sullivan and Levey were awarded green-technology grants from DoE.

Professor Hartov was appointed director of MS and PhD programs, filling the shoes of Ursula Gibson, who accepted a new position at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Meanwhile, we welcomed several new faculty members, including Margaret Ackerman, Eric Fossum, Michael Gerst, Venkat Krishnaswamy, Jifeng Liu, and Vicky May.

Currently, several PhD candidates are participating in Dartmouth’s new Polar Environmental Change program, offered through a grant by NSF’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program. Thayer congratulates Kristen Louise Lurie D’08 Th’08 and Renee Nicole Cottle D’07 Th’09, who were both awarded 2010 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. Finally, Broc Burke, MD/PhD candidate, was selected as a 2010-11 Schweitzer Fellow, and MS candidate Jonathan Guerrette, along with Devon Anderson and Nathan Niparko, won the 2nd Prize in the 2010 Collegiate Inventors Competition.

By Catharine Lamm

Photograph: Thayer Innovation Fellows; From left to right: Steven Reinitz, Alicia Petryk, Matthew Pallone, Geneva Trotter, Regina Salvat.

Photo: Kathryn LoConte