Randolph-Macon College

RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - INSTITUTIONAL PORTION

RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - STUDENT AID

THE RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE NOYCE TEACHER/SCHOLAR PROGRAM - A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO RECRUIT, TRAIN, AND SUPPORT WELL-QUALIFIED CHEMISTRY, BIOLOGY, AND P

CAMINOS A LA CIENCIA/PATHWAYS TO SCIENCE: A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO RECRUIT, RETAIN, AND DEVELOP LATINAS IN STEM DISCIPLINES

CAREER: INVESTIGATING ABL KINASE SIGNALING PATHWAYS THAT REGULATE ACTIN DYNAMICS DURING DEVELOPMENT

RUI: THE IMPACT OF MALNUTRITION ON T CELL HOMEOSTASIS

RUI: PATERNAL RESPONSIVENESS: NEUROBIOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN TWO CONGENERIC SPECIES

ACQUISITION OF A TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPE FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND TEACHING

RUI, ABR: OLFACTORY COMPENSATORY PLASTICITY

BRC-BIO: THE EVOLUTION OF CELLULAR STRESS RESPONSES AND HOST DEFENSES TO BACTERIAL PATHOGENS -THE CELL HAS EVOLVED SPECIFIC STRESS SENSORS THAT MAINTAIN CELLULAR BALANCE. ONE SUCH SENSOR IS AN ENZYME KNOWN AS IRE1, WHICH CAN MONITOR PROTEIN PRODUCTION IN THE CELL, AND SIGNAL WHEN PROTEINS ARE NOT BEING MADE PROPERLY. DEFECTS IN THE REGULATION OF THE IRE1 SENSOR HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN SEVERAL HUMAN DISEASES INCLUDING CANCER, DIABETES, AND NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS; THEREFORE, IDENTIFYING NEW WAYS TO REGULATE THIS VITAL SENSOR COULD LEAD TO INNOVATIVE DESIGNS OF NEW THERAPEUTICS. IRE1 MAINTAINS PROTEIN QUALITY CONTROL USING TWO DISTINCT FUNCTIONS THAT EITHER DESTROYS OR EDITS THE MOLECULAR INSTRUCTIONS NEEDED TO BUILD PROTEINS. THESE TWO FUNCTIONS HAVE EVOLVED AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF THIS ENZYME. WHILE IRE1 FROM MAMMALS PERFORMS BOTH FUNCTIONS, THE IRE1 FROM MICROORGANISMS, SUCH AS YEAST, EXCLUSIVELY PERFORMS ONLY ONE FUNCTION. THIS BEGS THE QUESTION: WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL FUNCTION OF IRE1 ? DESTRUCTION OR EDITING? TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO DIG DEEPER INTO THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF THE IRE1 SENSOR USING GENETIC AND BIOINFORMATIC APPROACHES TO CHARACTERIZE THE FUNCTION OF THE IRE1 IN AMOEBA, WHICH SHARE A COMMON ANCESTOR WITH MAMMALS AND YEAST. FURTHERMORE, THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES WHETHER IRE1 ALSO FUNCTIONS AS AN ANCIENT CELLULAR DEFENSE AGAINST HARMFUL BACTERIA. THIS RESEARCH IS DESIGNED TO INTEGRATE INTO A COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE (CURE) AND PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE THE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN BIOLOGY TO TRAIN AND DIVERSIFY THE FUTURE STEM WORKFORCE. INOSITOL-REQUIRING ENZYME 1 (IRE1) IS A HIGHLY CONSERVED STRESS SENSOR IN EUKARYOTIC CELLS THAT CAN DETECT THE ACCUMULATION OF MISFOLDED PROTEINS IN THE ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM (ER). IRE1 MAINTAINS PROTEIN QUALITY CONTROL IN THE ER USING TWO FUNDAMENTALLY DISTINCT RIBONUCLEASE (RNASE) ACTIVITIES: MRNA DEGRADATION AND MRNA SPLICING. WHILE MAMMALIAN IRE1 PERFORMS BOTH RNASE ACTIVITIES, IRE1 FROM CERTAIN SPECIES OF YEAST EXCLUSIVELY PERFORM ONLY ONE. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO REVEAL THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY AND MECHANISMS THAT UNDERLIE THE DISTINCT FUNCTIONS OF IRE1 BY CHARACTERIZING IRE1 FROM THE MODEL AMOEBA, DICTYOSTELIUM DISCOIDEUM, WHICH SHARES A DISTANT COMMON ANCESTOR WITH BOTH YEAST AND MAMMALS. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH GENETIC APPROACHES THAT MUTATE AMINO ACID RESIDUES OF AMOEBA IRE1 THAT ARE CONSERVED BETWEEN AMOEBA, YEAST, AND MAMMALS, THEN TESTING WHETHER THESE MUTANTS CAN SURVIVE GROWTH CONDITIONS THAT DISRUPT PROTEIN PRODUCTION IN THE ER. IN ADDITION, IRE1 FROM DIFFERENT SPECIES OF YEAST WILL BE REPLACED WITH IRE1 FROM AMOEBA TO TEST FOR FUNCTIONAL REDUNDANCY BETWEEN ORGANISMS. IN PARALLEL, CANDIDATE MRNA TARGETS OF AMOEBA IRE1 WILL BE IDENTIFIED USING A BIOINFORMATIC PIPELINE, THEN VALIDATED USING BOTH IN VIVO AND IN VITRO RNASE ASSAYS. LASTLY, THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO UNCOVER THE ROLE OF IRE1 AS AN ANCIENT HOST DEFENSE AGAINST INTRACELLULAR PATHOGENS BY EXPLOITING A NATURAL HOST-PATHOGEN INTERACTION BETWEEN BACTERIA AND AMOEBA. THE RESULTING DATA WILL ELUCIDATE THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY AND FUNCTION OF A VITAL CELLULAR SENSOR THAT MAINTAINS CELLULAR HOMEOSTASIS IN ALL EUKARYOTIC CELLS AND DETERMINE HOW IT CAN BE DIFFERENTIALLY REGULATED TO CONTROL CELL FATE. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

PHENOTYPING RESILIENCE IN RODENTS: TARGETING KEY NEUROBIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN DE

RUI: SYNTHESIS AND HOST-GUEST STUDIES OF FACE-CAPPED METAL-ORGANIC CAGES

NSF INCLUDES: A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO RECRUIT, RETAIN, AND TRAIN HISPANIC WOMEN IN STEM DISCIPLINES

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A FLUORESCENCE-ACTIVATED CELL ANALYZER (FACS) TO ENHANCE UNDERGRADUATE CLASSROOM AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCES

MRI: ACQUISITION OF SIDE-SCAN SONAR, SEISMIC REFLECTION PROFILING, AND DIFFERENTIAL GLOBAL POSITIONING SYS IN SUPPORT OF COASTAL AND SHALLOW MARINE R

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: IRES SITES: FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS IN THE IMPERILED LAKES AND STREAMS OF WESTERN KENYA.

LEAPS-MPS: EXPANDING ASYMMETRIC CATALYSIS WITH THIAMINE-DEPENDENT ENZYMES -IN THIS PROJECT FUNDED BY THE MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES DIRECTORATE LAUNCHING EARLY-CAREER ACADEMIC PATHWAYS (MPS-LEAPS) PROGRAM AND MANAGED BY THE BROADENING PARTICIPATION (CHE-BP) PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY, PROFESSOR REYNOLDS AND HIS STUDENTS AT CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY WILL STUDY THE APPLICATION OF THIAMINE DIPHOSPHATE-DEPENDENT ENZYMES TOWARDS CURRENT CHALLENGES IN CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS. ENZYMES REPRESENT ATTRACTIVE GREEN CATALYSTS FOR SUSTAINABLE SYNTHESIS DUE TO THEIR ABILITY TO PERFORM UNDER MILD, AQUEOUS CONDITIONS AND CARRY OUT HIGHLY SELECTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS. HOWEVER, THEIR ADOPTION IN INDUSTRY HAS BEEN HAMPERED BY THE LIMITED SCOPE OF ENZYMATIC REACTIONS AVAILABLE. THIS RESEARCH SEEKS TO OVERCOME THIS LIMITATION BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ENZYMES? PROMISCUITY TOWARDS SUBSTRATES NOT FOUND IN NATURE. IN PARTICULAR, PROFESSOR REYNOLDS AND HIS STUDENTS WILL EXPLORE THE USE OF THIAMINE-DEPENDENT ENZYMES FOR THE STEREOSELECTIVE FORMATION OF ?-SUBSTITUTED KETONES, WHICH ARE IMPORTANT PRECURSORS TO MORE COMPLEX, BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY SCREENING A PANEL OF ENZYMES AGAINST SUBSTRATES POSSESSING MULTIPLE CHIRAL CENTERS TO FORM STEREOCHEMICALLY COMPLEX PRODUCTS. THE ABILITY OF THE ENZYMES TO CATALYZE REACTIONS THROUGH ALTERNATIVE SINGLE ELECTRON PATHWAYS WILL ALSO BE EXPLORED. ADDITIONALLY, THIS WORK PROMOTES THE RETENTION OF DIVERSE TALENT IN STEM THROUGH A PROGRAM THAT INCORPORATES RESEARCH AND MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN STEM, ALONG WITH INTEGRATION OF THE PROJECT INTO A COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. PROFESSOR REYNOLDS AND HIS STUDENTS WILL SEEK TO ADDRESS CURRENT CHALLENGES IN ASYMMETRIC SYNTHESIS THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIAMINE-DEPENDENT ENZYME CATALYSTS FOR CARBON-CARBON BOND FORMING REACTIONS. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY DEVELOPING ENZYMATIC DYNAMIC KINETIC CROSS-BENZOIN CONDENSATION REACTIONS AND ASYMMETRIC RADICAL TRANSFORMATIONS TO PRODUCE CHIRAL ALPHA-SUBSTITUTED KETONES. THE APPROACH TO THESE AIMS INVOLVES SCREENING A LIBRARY OF THIAMINE-DEPENDENT ENZYMES AGAINST UNIQUE SUBSTRATES TO IDENTIFY ACTIVE CATALYSTS FOR THE DESIRED TRANSFORMATIONS. REACTION OPTIMIZATION AND DIRECTED EVOLUTION EXPERIMENTS WILL BE PERFORMED TO FURTHER ENHANCE THE ENZYME?S ACTIVITY AND STEREOSELECTIVITY IN THESE REACTIONS. THIS RESEARCH COULD EXPAND THE SCOPE OF REACTIONS AVAILABLE TO THIAMINE-DEPENDENT ENZYMES, MAKING THEM MORE BROADLY USEFUL FOR CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

STABLE AND EFFICIENT COMPUTATION OF THE CS DECOMPOSITION

SOUTHERN NEV PUBLIC LAND MGMT, 2007

BLM UT CORAL PINK SAND DUNES TIGER BEETLE POPULATION MONITORING PROJECT

RUI: COMMUTATIVITY IN NUMERICAL COMPUTATION

MRI: EQUIPMENT: ACQUISITION OF A QPCR INSTRUMENT TO ENRICH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ACROSS BIOLOGICAL DISCIPLINES -AN AWARD IS MADE TO RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE TO ACQUIRE A BIORAD CFX OPUS QUANTITATIVE PCR (QPCR) INSTRUMENT TO ENGAGE APPROXIMATELY 20 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS PER YEAR IN FOCUSED, ONE-ON-ONE RESEARCH MENTORSHIPS WITH ACCOMPLISHED SCIENTISTS, LEADING TO CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND CO-AUTHORED PUBLICATIONS. THE QPCR INSTRUMENT WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO FOUR INQUIRY-DRIVEN LABORATORY MODULES IN GENETICS, MICROBIOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION GENETICS, ENRICHING THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE OF AN ADDITIONAL 120 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ANNUALLY. THIS ACQUISITION WILL BROADLY BENEFIT STEM MAJORS, COMPOSED OF 49% WOMEN AND 27% MINORITIES, AND WILL BE USED IN A PEER-MENTORING PIPELINE PROMOTING HISPANIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' ENGAGEMENT IN STEM THROUGH THE PATHWAYS TO SCIENCE PROGRAM. ADDITIONALLY, THE QPCR INSTRUMENT WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH ACROSS DIVERSE FIELDS SUCH AS ECOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE, IMMUNOLOGY, AND MICROBIOLOGY. THE CFX OPUS QPCR INSTRUMENT ENABLES FIVE ACCOMPLISHED FACULTY MEMBERS TO ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING ACROSS A RANGE OF BIOLOGICAL DISCIPLINES. SPECIFIC PROJECTS UTILIZING THIS INSTRUMENT WILL ADDRESS SEVERAL COMPELLING QUESTIONS: HOW DO FISH MIGRATION PATTERNS CHANGE AFTER DAM REMOVAL? WHAT IS THE MECHANISM AND FUNCTIONAL IMPACT OF MALNUTRITION-INDUCED NA?VE T CELL MIGRATION TO THE BONE MARROW? HOW DOES THE INHIBITION OF HISTONE-MODIFYING ENZYMES IMPACT BRAIN FUNCTION IN MICE? HOW DOES A PATHWAY DEVOTED TO PROTEIN QUALITY CONTROL IN THE ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM EVOLVE AND FUNCTION IN AMOEBAS? WHAT NON-NATIVE AND THREATENED FISH SPECIES INHABIT THE STREAMS OF CENTRAL KENYA? COLLECTIVELY, OUR TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS HAS MENTORED OVER 95 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN HIGH-CALIBER RESEARCH PROJECTS, WITH A COHORT COMPRISING APPROXIMATELY 70% WOMEN AND 25% STEM MINORITIES, REFLECTING OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

BLM UTAH BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF THE CORAL PINK SAND DUNES TIGER BEETLE

KFO CORAL PINK SAND DUNES TIGER BEETLE PROJECT

CORAL PINK SAND DUNES TIGER BEETLE

IMPROVING THE STORAGE ENVIRONMENT OF THE COLLECTIONS IN THE FLAVIA REED OWEN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES AT RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE

ASSESSMENT OF THE FLAVIA REED OWEN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES AT MCGRAW-PAGE LIBRARY