TCNJ’s Plant Person Janet Morrison has a thing for plants. There are several in her office, she spends most of her day talking about them, and when she is not in the classroom, she is outdoors working with them. As the resident plant ecologist here at The College of New Jersey, Morrison has even devoted… Continue Reading
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) claims the lives of more than 2,000 infants each year, making it the leading killer of children under the age of 1. While medical experts can suggest ways to reduce a baby’s risk of dying from SIDS, the etiology of the syndrome remains a mystery. One leading hypothesis among researchers… Continue Reading
The Worm Guy Affectionately known as the “worm guy,” Dr. Sudhir Nayak has indeed made a career for himself studying one of biology’s most versatile model systems:Caenorhabditis elegans, or C. elegans. “The worm is awesome,” said the associate professor of biology. He specializes in genetics and bioinformatics, weaving computer science, genetics, and quite a few… Continue Reading
From Snakes to Bats to Stickleback Fish: Dr. Matthew Wund, the Evolutionary Biologist Dr. Matthew Wund is a familiar face in the FedEx Office of Anchorage International Airport. Every summer for the past six years, the assistant professor of biology arrives with a cooler and ships it to Massachusetts. What’s inside? Certainly not the typical… Continue Reading
Kress Working on the RNA Assembly Line Up on the second floor of the Biology Building, you can find Dr. Tracy Kress on the move, teaching “Molecular Biology of Gene Expression” in the classroom, meeting students in her office, and working in her research lab. This biology professor still makes sure she has the time… Continue Reading
TCNJ’s Tree Thinker “I just want to infect students with tree thinking,” joked Dr. Clement, occasionally glancing over the many pictures of plants that hung on her wall. “Plants are so interesting!” Dr. Wendy Clement is an assistant professor of Biology at TCNJ. She graduated from Ithaca College in 2002 with a major in Biology… Continue Reading
Developing Young Biologists Mother knows best. During embryogenesis, maternal genes and proteins instruct cellular division and cellular fate of developing embryos. Only later on in development do embryonic genes turn on and begin taking charge. Biology professor, Dr. Marcia O’Connell, uses zebrafish (Danio rerio) as the model organism in her lab to study genes that… Continue Reading
Dr. Leeann Thornton, Associate Professor of Biology, has won a national contest sponsored by the American Society of Plant Biologists in recognition of “Fascination of Plants Day 2015.” Professor Thornton is one of four national winners; in particular, she won in the category for designing a T-shirt. Her design, titled Know Plants, know life. No… Continue Reading
Down to the Research Each semester, School of Science students delve into real-world problems and solutions by conducting research with their department’s esteemed faculty. Dr. Gary Dickinson, assistant professor of biology, has been central to this narrative as both an advocate and practitioner of faculty-student collaborative research and as an experienced scientific researcher in his… Continue Reading
A revolution is afoot in the field of cancer care. Spurred by new insights into the genetic basis of tumors, scientists are pursuing ever-more-precise therapies to block their growth at the molecular level, engendering hopes that even the most complex and aggressive malignancies may one day yield to treatment. Dr. Gautam Prasad has spent the… Continue Reading