A P e r i o d i c N e w s l e t t e r a b o u t t h e S c i e n c e s a t A l b r i g h t C o l l e g e

Perrotty greenhouse nurtures knowledge of plants

albright grad pursues research and vaccine development

albright upgrades nmr equipment integral to student research

W h a t ’ s I n s I d e . . .

Winter 2012 | VOL. 8 • NO. 2

t h e w i n d s o f c h a n g e Student Study exploreS impact of wind turbineS on Small mammalS

2 f u s i o n | A P e r i o d i c N e w s l e t t e r a b o u t t h e S c i e n c e s

Student Study exploreS impact of wind turbineS on Small mammalS

when he graduates from albright college this spring, chris Hauer ’12 plans to combine his love of the outdoors with his interest in science by pursuing a career in wildlife management.

Knowing it would be helpful to have field research experience, he approached Steve mech, ph.d., associate professor of biology, about working together on a research proj-ect. mech suggested that they study the effects of wind turbines on small terrestrial mammals, and Hauer readily agreed.

numerous studies have been done on the effects of wind turbines on birds and bats, said Hauer, whose concentration is biology and evolutionary studies, but “it seems that no one had done such research on small terrestrial mammals before, so i was excited about it.”

to prepare for the study, Hauer completed an albright creative research experience (acre) project that involved writing a grant proposal to attract funding for the field research. He received a $2,000 grant from the american wildlife conservation founda-tion as a result.

in his proposal, Hauer noted that it’s im-portant to study small terrestrial mammals at windmills because they influence forest regeneration through the predation and dispersal of seeds. Small mammals also serve as the primary food source for a number of predatory species while they themselves prey on many insect populations. their numbers could be either bolstered or diminished by wind turbines because of increased noise levels, fewer birds of prey swooping down on them, and the fragmentation of their habitat, among other things.

“we didn’t know what to expect, but we came up with some logical hypotheses,”

mech said of the pending research. “if the animals avoid the sound from the windmills we would expect to have decreased popula-tions and decreased persistence times. that is, individuals won’t be there as long be-cause the sound’s going to drive them out.

“if fewer predators are the driving factor then we would expect higher populations and increased persistence times,” mech added.

where their habitat has been frag-mented by roads and other barriers near the windmills, mech said, he expected to find decreased population size but higher persistence times because the animals would essentially be stranded there.

the field research was conducted last summer at two sites each at Hawk mountain Sanctuary in Kempton, pa., and bear creek camp near wilkes-barre, pa.

bear creek Site one was about 500 meters from a ridge where 10 wind turbines had been installed. Site two was about 250 me-ters closer to the turbines. at Hawk moun-tain, one site was about 50 meters from a heavily used road, while the other was located in a relatively undisturbed area.

to survey the population densities of small mammals at the sites, the research team used small traps to catch white-footed mice, deer mice, southern red-backed voles, and eastern chipmunks. larger traps were used to catch larger animals such as squirrels.

with help from Gina carmaci ’13, a biol-ogy and evolutionary studies student who was conducting separate research on the impact that roads have on small terrestrial mammals, Hauer and mech first set up the two trapping sites at bear creek. they checked the traps every morning and night, recording the species, mass, sex, age and reproductive status of each animal they captured. they also used underground microphones to test the effects of the noise generated by the wind turbines.

after a week at bear creek the team broke camp and went to the Hawk mountain site

the Winds of Change...

3

to record the same data on the animals cap-tured there. they conducted two week-long trapping sessions at each site, with three weeks between trapping.

the field work was followed by analysis of the data, which revealed several general trends in the distribution, age structure and sex ratios of the small mammal popula-tions. the greatest number of animals was captured at bear creek Site two, the closest to the windmills. the fewest were captured at bear creek Site one, which was further away. the numbers of animals captured at the two Hawk mountain sites were similar.

in his report, Hauer noted that the increased population densities near the windmills partially supports the hypothesis that decreased avian predation near wind turbines would increase population densities of small terrestrial mammals.

considering the many variables involved, however, mech says the results of the first phase of the study are highly suggestive. “we did not see anything definitive just yet,” he said, “and i’m very cautious.” to help get closer to a definitive answer, mech plans to duplicate the study this summer at differ-ent locations, and then combine two years’ worth of data.

“these are called natural experiments,” he explained. “we’re not actually manipulating things, we’re looking at things that have al-ready been manipulated. the windmills may be causing a little bit of difference in small mammal populations, but those populations have good years and bad years. the differ-ence between good years and bad years can be stronger than the difference between windmill and no windmill. that’s why we need multiple sites and multiple years.”

in the meantime, Hauer plans to pres-ent the team’s preliminary findings at the 92nd annual meeting of the american So-ciety of mammalogists to be held in reno, nev., in June. n

“...Small terreStrial mammalS at windmillS influence foreSt reGeneration

tHrouGH tHe predation and diSperSal of SeedS. Small mammalS alSo Serve

aS tHe primary food Source for a number of predatory SpecieS...” chris Hauer ’12

Part research lab, part “living museum,”

the greenhouse built against the

outside west wall of the Science

center’s new trustee Hall will give

students the opportunity to see, touch

and work with many of the plants they

learn about in class.

the greenhouse features an

automatic drip irrigation system,

automatic temperature and humidity

controls, and an automated shading

system. “it’s set up for a certain light

intensity,” said andrew Samuelsen,

ph.d., an associate professor of

biology who oversees the greenhouse.

“when the sun’s out the shade cloths

will deploy and protect the plants.

they’ll still let light through, but it’s

diffused light instead of direct light.

that’s important, especially to prevent

scalding on the orchids.”

the new greenhouse was named the

perrotty Greenhouse in honor of craig

and p. Sue perrotty ‘75 in recognition

of their support of the crossing

boundaries comprehensive campaign,

which helped make construction of the

new Science center possible.

the former greenhouse, built in

1978 to provide practical experience

for botany students, had temperature

controls but no shading. “the only way

we had to shade it was by painting the

glass with special greenhouse paint,”

Samuelsen said.

at 871 square feet, the new

structure contains more than twice as

much space as the one it replaced, so

the interior could be laid out in two

distinct sections.

“the ‘living museum’ end acts as a

sort of repository for plants that we use

in the lab to give students a chance to

actually see them live rather than just in

a textbook,” Samuelsen said. “So when

we talk about ferns in the lab they’ll

be able to see the spores and make

use of them. and when we talk about

modifications of plants such as the

spines on cacti we can bring some of

them into the lab to show the students.

or, we can bring the students into the

greenhouse, since it’s big enough for

all of us to fit out there.”

the collection also features

representatives of different types of

plants that can be used in taxonomy

class. “we have some cacti and

succulents that are at one end of the

spectrum,” Samuelsen said, “and we

have some shade-loving ferns and low-

light plants that you might find in the

understory of a natural environment.

those are gathered around the pond at

the south end of the greenhouse.

“the orchids are representative of

epiphytes,” Samuelsen continued,

“and we have some plants that show

particular features such as stolons, which

are horizontal above-ground stems.”

the north end of the room will be

used for student research. “we left

some empty counter space for students

to do experiments so it won’t be like

a jungle in there,” Samuelsen said.

“for instance, ecology classes will use

the space for conducting experiments

with soil types and taking growth

measurements of their plants. they can

also experiment with shading.”

Samuelsen said that about 10

percent of the plants in the old

greenhouse were transferred to

the new one. the rest of the plants

were donated after the new building

opened. “i didn’t even put out a

call, but people offered,” Samuelsen

said, acknowledging contributions

from Kathy ozment, m.a., instructor

of Spanish; bob Shade, manager of

advancement communications; theresa

Smith, ph.d., professor of political

science; and patt Snyder, ph.d. ’70,

professor of psychology.

by far the largest contribution was

made by Jerry dersh, m.d. ’49, a

former trustee who donated around

120 plants, most of them orchids that

can now be seen through the glass at

the south end of the greenhouse.

Jensen legacy lives onalbright college’s original greenhouse

was built in 1978 to provide practical

experience for students in botany. it was

named in honor of roger Jensen, ph.d.,

who joined the faculty as the college’s

first botanist in 1976. dr. Jensen died

in 1983, just prior to the ceremony to

name the greenhouse in his honor. the

original plaque honoring dr. Jensen will

be installed in the new greenhouse as a

way of continuing his legacy. n

544 f u s i o n | A P e r i o d i c N e w s l e t t e r a b o u t t h e S c i e n c e s

Alexander Blackstone ’13 tends to plants in the new greenhouse. The psychobiology student was instrumental in helping to set up the new “living museum.”

Perrotty Greenhouse n u rt u r e s K n o w l e d G e o f P l a n t s

“i didn’t even put out a call, but people offered.”

- andrew SamuelSen, pH.d.

Dav

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arko

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76 f u s i o n | A P e r i o d i c N e w s l e t t e r a b o u t t h e S c i e n c e s

with help from a $75,000 grant provided by the

George I. Alden Trust, Albright College has purchased a top-quality,

used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer from Pfizer,

which has been liquidating instruments obtained during its acquisition

of Wyeth. The 400 MHz Varian Unity Inova NMR spectrometer has

more capabilities than the College’s existing 300 MHz NMR, making it

more useful for varied research applications.

NMR spectrometers help scientists study the structure of molecules

by observing the interaction of nuclei with radio frequency

electromagnetic radiation in the presence of a large stationary

magnetic field, provided most often by a superconducting magnet. The

presence of two instruments at Albright provides ample availability

of NMR analysis for curricular, research, and some planned outreach

usage in the College’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

These instruments are used mainly for structure analysis, investigation

of chemical interactions, and kinetics experiments.

Pamela Artz, Ph.D. ’87, professor and chair of chemistry and

biochemistry, played a key role in the acquisition of both the

Alden grant and the instrument it helped obtain. “The acquisition

of the higher-field-strength magnet increases the sensitivity and

resolution of our analyses,” Artz said. “Additionally, this instrument

is equipped with a robot for programmed sample changing as well

as a flow temperature system that will allow temperature studies

ranging from -40°C to 100°C. A software upgrade funded by the

Alden grant will create a more seamless interface for the collection

and processing of data.”

The technique of NMR spectroscopy developed from a physical

theory into a method for chemical analysis and then an essential

clinical tool for medicine in the form of MRI. The phenomenon of

nuclear magnetic resonance and investigation of the fundamental

theory by physicists was rewarded by three physics Nobel Prizes in

albright upgrades nmr equipment integral to student research

1943, 1944 and 1952. The use of the technique to study molecular

structure was adapted by chemists and resulted in two chemistry

Nobel Prizes in 1991 and 2002. A further Nobel Prize in physiology and

medicine in 2003 resulted from the medical implementation of NMR for

visualization of soft tissues in the form of MRI.

“The NMR is the single-most-powerful analytical tool available

to chemists,” said Christian Hamann, Ph.D., associate professor of

chemistry and biochemistry. Within Albright’s chemistry curriculum,

the NMR is used from the sophomore level up. Science faculty and

students use the NMR for research, and it is also used by science

majors in classes. In addition to its two NMR spectrometers, Albright

offers science students access to other cutting-edge equipment,

including scanning and transmission electron microscopes, lasers, a

gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), a spectropolarimeter

(circular dichroism), two spectrofluorometers, two infrared

spectrometers, and high-powered liquid chromatographs (HPLC).

One goal of the Albright science programs is to expose students to

state-of-the-art instruments in an authentic way, so no instruments in

the collection are reserved solely for research purposes. The extensive

use of the College’s instrumentation by its students often sets them

apart when they interview with potential employers, participate

in internships, attend graduate or professional schools, or start in

industrial or research positions.

Over the past few decades The Alden Trust has awarded numerous

grants that have made it possible for Albright College to enhance

its respected science program. “We are truly grateful to the George

I. Alden Trust, whose support will enable many fortunate students

to gain valuable applied instrument training that will enhance their

science education and help them compete for graduate school and

career opportunities,” Artz said. n

Bren “Zeke” Cole ’14, a chemistry concentrator and researcher, places a sample into the bore of the 400 MHz superconducting magnet.

research path leads to vaccinessoon after he enrolled at Albright in 1988, Erik Johnson, Ph.D. ’92 decided to pursue a career in research. That set him apart from many of his classmates, who were planning to go to medical or veterinary school.

“I knew that was a path I didn’t want to take,” he said. “The alternative was to do research, and the professors at Albright really opened my eyes to the world of graduate school and continuing in research as an alter-native to going to professional school such as medical school. So I set my sights on that path relatively early on in my time at Albright.

“As my classes progressed from intro courses to more and more specialized courses it cemented for me the idea that that’s what I wanted to keep doing.”

Johnson never looked back, and today he’s a principal research scientist in the Vaccines Early Phase Programs at Pfizer (formerly Wyeth Inc.).

In his senior year at Albright, Johnson completed an inde-pendent research project under the guidance of Frieda Texter, Ph.D. ’72, professor of chemistry and biochemis-try. “We were studying the folding kinetics of a certain enzyme, trying to make slight mutations into it to see how that affected the enzyme itself—its physical structure and how it

folded and how it catalyzed reactions,” he explained.

After graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, John-son entered the doctoral program at Yale University, where he studied genetics. “The independent research project I completed at Albright was an invaluable experience for me because it helped me transition into graduate school,” he said.

As part of his thesis work at Yale, Johnson experimented with various combinations of genetic material in hopes of developing an HIV vaccine. That was fortuitous, because it was just the sort of research that Wyeth-Lederle, which has now become Pfizer Inc., was interested in pursuing.

“Wyeth was trying to license the technology that we were developing in my thesis lab and put it to use for their own vaccine research,” Johnson said. The head of Wyeth’s vaccines

research department at the time knew Johnson’s mentor at Yale,

and things fell into place.“Even though I was

coming fresh out of grad school I was sort of the perfect candidate for the job because I knew the technology they were trying to license and use for their own practical

purposes,” Johnson said.Today, as part of his

responsibilities as a principal research scientist, Johnson helps shepherd bacterial and viral vac-cines through their development and preclinical testing phases.

“We work on projects where we try to find vaccines against specific diseases,” he explained. “I work in the early stages of the basic research, where we locate the target we’d go after to make a vaccine against a cer-tain disease. We then engineer that target to deliver it to a human being so that their im-mune system would raise a response against it that would be effective when it encounters the actual pathogen.

“We do a lot of molecular biology work in the lab, a lot of protein work and a lot of small animal studies. We engineer a vaccine candidate, put it into an appropriate animal model and measure the responses, and then try to move it forward from there,” he added.

“In the past few years I’ve started to see projects move further along in the life cycle,” said Johnson, who has co-authored numer-ous papers and helped develop a number of vaccine-related patents. “So I’m getting to see a project move from the early discovery stages to later discovery and early develop-ment. That’s where we have something that’s promising so we try to figure out how we would manufacture it on a large scale.”

One of the most promising projects John-son has worked on involves an HIV vaccine he helped develop using the technology he employed as a doctoral candidate at Yale. “Wyeth sold the vaccine off to a smaller biotech company,” he explained. “They just got it into the first phase of clinical testing in

humans and started enrolling their first subjects a few weeks ago. It’s excit-

ing to know that I had a hand in it and it’s now being tested on people.” n

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This issue of Fusion, along with previous issues, may also be found online at www.albright.edu/fusion.

Time to brush up on your knowledge of physics. The first 10 readers to submit the correct answers to the following questions will receive a prize! The answers will be provided in the next issue. Q: Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider recently claimed to find

evidence of particles traveling faster than light. What particles were these?

Q: Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider may be close to finding the so-called Higgs Boson. What is special about this particle?

Q: What is graphene?

Q: In 1998, astronomers discovered that distant supernovae appeared brighter than expected. What did this imply about the universe?

Q: While shooting positively charged “alpha” particles at a thin gold foil, Ernest Rutherford noticed that some of the alpha particles bounced back. What did this imply about atoms?

Answers may be emailed to rshade@alb.edu or submitted via the Albright web site at www.albright.edu/fusion.

BraIn teasersnone of our readers were able to correctly answer all the questions in last issue’s quiz. Here are the questions and the answers we were looking for: Q. which two elements are found together in nature, are

notoriously difficult to separate, and are named for a Greek father who stole from the gods and his prideful daughter? tantalum (named for tantalus, the father) and niobium (named for niobe, the daughter)

Q. Howard Hughes set off a rush for what element by

commissioning a special ship, the Hughes Glomar explorer, in an elaborate ruse during the cold war? manganese

Q. the liquid in a fever thermometer looks like mercury but is not, since mercury may no longer be used for this application. what is this material and what is its composition? Galinstan. it’s a mixture of gallium, indium and tin (stannum), thus the name is derived from the first letters of each element.

Q. what metal is the hardest metal element, not the hardest material, not the hardest element, but the hardest pure metal on the brinell scale of hardness? osmium

Brain teasers answers, summer 2011

Fusion is published by the College Relations Office. Bob Shade, Editor. Gina French, Art Director.