Area High School Teachers and Students Conducting Biological Research with UNK Faculty and Students Through INBRE Grant

(July 28, 2009)- Area high school teachers and students are currently working with University of Nebraska at Kearney biology department faculty and students in biological research funded through an INBRE grant educational supplement.  

The educational supplement, “Recovery Act Funds for Administrative Supplements Providing Summer Research Experiences for Students and Science Educators,” is designed to recruit students and science educators to spend two summers doing research in INBRE-supported laboratories on undergraduate campuses.

This is the first year UNK has received the educational supplement through INBRE, the IDeA [Institutional Development Award] Network of Biomedical Research Excellence grant. Other Nebraska undergraduate institutions selected for the educational supplement are Doane College, Nebraska Wesleyan and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

The INBRE grant is a project supported by the National Institute of Health that has provided UNK faculty $1.275 million in funding through April of 2014. UNK faculty members Dr. Kim Carlson, Dr. Julie Shaffer and Dr. Dawn Simon, all of the UNK biology department, received a 5-year renewal of the INBRE grant.

Both faculty and INBRE Scholars are able to conduct full-time research during the summer months of June and July due to the INBRE grant that provides summer salaries for faculty and summer scholarships for INBRE Scholars. A total of $142,516 in stipends and supplies will be provided for the two summers.

“The (high school) science educators and students will become integral parts of these ongoing research projects and will work closely with the INBRE faculty and undergraduate students working in these laboratories,” said Dr. Kim Carlson, associate professor of biology.

At the end of each summer, the participants will be invited to attend the annual INBRE meeting in Grand Island and present the results of their research in a poster session,” Dr. Carlson said. The poster sessions will be integrated into both the INBRE faculty poster sessions and the INBRE scholars poster sessions.

The research project, faculty, summer associates and other lab members, and their hometowns are:

“Candidate Aging Gene Analyses of Large Drosophila melanogaster Populations.”
Dr. Kim Carlson, UNK geneticist.

Summer Associates
High School Teacher: Ben Klein, Lexington High School science and physical education teacher from Lexington. Klein graduated from UNK in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in education with a biology teaching endorsement.

High School Student: Cami Stoner, a senior at Kearney High School, is the daughter of Paula and Craig Stoner.

Undergraduate Student: Joshua Bauer of Amherst, a UNK senior biology major with an emphasis in health sciences.

Other Lab Members
2008-2010 INBRE scholar: Becky Fusby of Kearney, a UNK senior chemistry major with an emphasis in molecular biology.

Summer Research Assistant: Darby Carlson, UNK lecturer in biology. Carlson graduated from UNK in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in biology in 1995.

“Degeneration of Group II Introns.”
Dr. Dawn Simon, UNK molecular evolutionary biologist.

Summer Associates
High School Teacher: Jay Cecrle of Hastings, Adams Central Public Schools science teacher. Cercle graduated from UNK in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in education and biology, and a master’s degree in biology in 2005.

High School Student: Jacob Thomas, a senior at Kearney High School, is the son of Jan Stover and Ron Thomas.

Undergraduate Student: Travis Kirchner of Ogallala, a UNK junior biology and exercise science major.

“Isolation and Characterization of Extremozymes from Alkaline Lakes in Nebraska.” Dr. Julie Shaffer, UNK microbiologist.

Summer Associates
High School Teacher: Bill Shaffer of Cozad Cozad Middle School biology and earth sciences teacher.

High School Student: Zach Brown, a senior at Cozad High School, is the son of Kevin and Donna Brown.

Undergraduate Student: Cory Shield of Holdrege, a UNK senior business administration major with a minor in biology.

Other Lab Members
2008-2010 INBRE scholar: Andrew Block of Fort Collins, Colo., a UNK senior with a biology major.

Graduate Student: Madison Scott of Arapahoe, a 2009 UNK graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biology who is pursuing a master’s degree in biology.

Summer Research Assistant: Betty Jacques, a UNK lecturer in biology. Jacques graduated from UNK in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in biology with an emphasis in wildlife biology and a master’s degree in biology in 2005.