VGN Events - 2005

4^th Annual Retreat (August 17, 2005)

4^th Annual Career Day (April 6, 2005)

VGN Events - 2004

3^rd Annual Retreat (August 11, 2004)

3^rd Annual Career Day (April 15, 2004)

1^st Annual Graduate Student Career Day (March 24, 2004)

VGN Events - 2003

2^nd Annual Retreat (August 13, 2003)

2^nd Annual Career Day (April 16, 2003)

The Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) will be holding its 4th Annual Retreat on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 at the DoubleTree Hotel (formerly the Clarion Hotel) in South Burlington.

Please fill out the RSVP if you are interested in attending.

On April 6th, VGN hosted its 4th Annual Career Day in conjunction with the HELiX Women in Science program. The event took place at Marsh Hall in the Marsh Austin Tupper residential building at the University of Vermont. Science oriented students from UVM, Castleton State College, Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael's College were invited to attend. Faculty members from the same colleges were invited to attend as well.        The evening began with a poster presentation followed by a buffet dinner. Undergraduate students that were funded by VGN for summer research last summer presented posters describing their research projects. The poster presentations were met with interest from all attendees. A panel of judges chose a winning poster and awarded a $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Certificate to Emma Kosciak.

Krista Southworth and Timothy Gauvin present a poster representing their VGN funded research

The presenters and corresponding research project title are as follows:

Danny Ballentine & Harmeet Sachdeeva, Johnson State College "Isolation and Enumeration of Bacteria from Elizabeth Mine in Strafford, Vermont" Addison Bouchard, Saint Michael's College "Absorption over Long Distances in Electron Donor Acceptor Complexes" Ann Brunelle, Saint Michael's College "Social Structure and Foraging Behaviors, including Tool Use of the Forest Ant Aphaenogaster rudis" Renee Courchesne, Middlebury College "The Characterization of MEi2.7; a Murine Reproductive Mutation" Kristyn Dumont, Saint Michael's College "OsOPTs Show Differential Expression during Germination" Timothy Gauvin & Krista Southworth, Saint Michael's College "Mutation Rate on Transcription Associated Mutations: Effect of High Transcription on the CAN 1 Locus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae" Brooke Gardner, Middlebury College "Cloning and Expression of the Borrelia burgdorferi Enolase; an Extracellular Protein Implicated in Pathogenesis" Ann Gulka, Saint Michael's College "Understanding Biodiversity in Edge and Interior Habitats in the Forests of Vermont: a Comparison of Mammal and Invertebrate Diversity" Rebecca Hewitt, Middlebury College "Using Mammals and Invertebrates to Assess Differences between Edge and Interior Habitats in Mills Riverside Park, Jericho, Vermont" Margaret Holmes, Saint Michael's College "Nest Site Competition by Ants in Edge versus Interior Habitats in Vermont" Emma Kosciak, Saint Michael's College "Effects of the Invasive Crayfish Ornectes rusticus on the Foraging Success of Native Crayfish" Christine Lambert, Middlebury College "A Study of the Transfer of Phosphoribosamine between Glutamine-PRPP Amidotransferase and GAR Synthetase" Aubrey Matthews, Saint Michael's College "A Study on Optimal Foraging and Predator Functional Responses in Crayfish" Derick Okwan-Duodo, Middlebury College "Activity of Platinum Anticancer Drugs in Clone a Colon Carcinoma Cell Line" Julia Randall, Middlebury College "The Effects of Nutrient Enrichment and Predator Removal on Algal Communities in a New England Salt Marsh" Emily Steinberg, Saint Michael's College "The Effects of Conspecifics Crayfish Molting" Kyle von Hasseln, Middlebury College "Delineation of The Extent of the Northern Population of Elaphe alleghaniensis in Vermont; with Conservation Recommendations"

After dinner, Dr. Van Houten officially welcomed the guests and introduced the panel of speakers. The presentations focused on the individual career paths that each panelist took to arrive at their current careers.

The panelists were:

Ann Bove, BS Susan Warren, BA Aquatic Biologists Lakes and Ponds Section VT Department of Environmental Conservation

Panelists (L to R) Susan Warren, Ann Bove, and Dr. Paul Black

Paul Black, PhD Senior Scientist and Professor Ordway Research Institute

Karen Lounsbury, PhD Director, VGN Network/Professional Development Associate Professor, Pharmacology University of Vermont

Panelists Dr. Karen Lounsbury and Ann Bove

Ellen Zeman, PhD Science Writer & Special Assistant to the Provost Champlain College

Panelists (L to R) Dr. Ellen Zeman, Meghan Westwood, and Robert Westwood

Meghan Westwood, MS, ATC Robert Westwood, BS, ATC Sports Medicine Norwich University

Panelists Meghan and Robert Westwood and Dr. Paul Black answer questions from students

The presentations were well received and numerous questions were asked of the panelists afterward. The evening was a great success and we hope that the students will consider science oriented careers of their own one day.

Ann Bove and Susan Warren visit with students and faculty from Johnson State College

     Please mark your calendar for the next important VGN gathering - the 4th Annual VGN Retreat. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 17, 2005, at the Clarion Hotel in South Burlington. Also, look for periodic announcements about the Retreat.

     If you would like additional information about the Vermont Genetics Network, contact Teri Hart, VGN Project Coordinator, at (802) 656-4087 or by email at Vermont.GeneticsNetwork@uvm.edu.

     For information about the HELiX Women in Science Program, contact the HELiX office at (802) 656-0706 or by email at helix@uvm.edu.

The Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) held its 3rd Annual Retreat on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 at the Clarion Hotel in South Burlington. The day began with a Continental Breakfast/Networking session. Dr. Judith Van Houten, VGN Director, opened the program by welcoming all of the guests.

Dr. Judith Van Houten, VGN Director

The next item on the agenda was presentations. The following faculty members from the University of Vermont as well as faculty from VGN's partner colleges spoke about their VGN funded research:

• Dain LaRoche, PhD, Johnson State College, "Effect of Stretching on Passive Muscle Properties"
• Declan McCabe, PhD, Saint Michael's College "Impacts of Zebra Mussels on Foraging and Habitat Choice of Endangered Lake Sturgeon (acipenser fulvescens)"
• Karen Lounsbury, PhD, University of Vermont, "Microarray Facility"
• Mark Lubkowitz, PhD, Saint Michael's College, "Microarray Outreach"

Dain LaRoche, PhD, Johnson State College, presents his research

Karen Lounsbury, PhD, University of Vermont, gave a presentation about the UVM/VGN/VCC Microarray Facility.

After a short break, Dr. Van Houten introduced our guest speaker, Dr. Wayne Frankel, Senior Scientist, from The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine. His presentation was titled "Neurological Mutations and Modeling for Epilepsy and Other Brain Disorders in Mice". The audience appreciated his presentation and also enjoyed learning more about The Jackson Laboratory.

Keynote Speaker, Wayne Frankel, PhD, Senior Scientist, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine

Following a delicious buffet lunch, the guests visited the posters presented by UVM graduate students and faculty members that had received VGN funding. The following persons presented posters:

Faculty:

• Jeffrey Bond, University of Vermont, "Bioinformatics Core"
• Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, Saint Michael's College, "Graph Polynomials and DNA Sequencing"
• Bret Findley, Saint Michael's College, " Association in Ground State Electron Donor Acceptor Complexes"
• Douglas Green, Saint Michael's College, "Reproductive Success in Sugar Maple: A Genetic and Ecological Analysis"
• Ahmad Chaudhry/Tim Hunter, University of Vermont, "Microarray Facility"
• James Larrabee, Middlebury College, "Zebra Mussels as Monitors of Heavy Metals in the Water Column of Lake Champlain"
• Mark Lubkowitz, Saint Michael's College, "Characterization of an Oligopeptide Transport Gene Family from Oryza Sativa"
• Carlos Velez, Middlebury College, "Gathering Valid Data on Alcohol Use and Sexual Behavior: An Internet Daily Follow Up of Sexual Risk-Taking Under the Influence"

	Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, PhD, St. Michael's College, presents a poster on her VGN funded summer research.		Bret Findley, PhD, St. Michael's College, presents a poster on his VGN funded summer research.
	Jim Larrabee, PhD, Middlebury College, presents a poster on his VGN funded summer research to Judith Van Houten.		Mark Lubkowitz, PhD, St. Michael's College, presents a poster on his VGN funded summer research.

Graduate Students - University of Vermont:

• Francesco Fedele, "Boundary Element Solution of the Coupled Fluorescence Diffusion Equations"
• Andrew Schannen, "Expression of Chloride Cotransporters in Olfactory Neurons"

Franco Fedele, UVM Graduate Student, presents his VGN funded research

Andrew Schannen, UVM Graduate Student, presents his VGN funded research

Dr. Van Houten brought the Retreat to a close by giving gift certificates to the graduate students who presented posters. In addition, Dr Van Houten gave a sincere thank you to Dr. Frankel and all the faculty members who gave presentations about their VGN funded research.

Dr. Frankel talks with Retreat guests

Declan McCabe, PhD, St. Michael's College, talks with Diane Jaworski, PhD, UVM. Dr. McCabe gave a presentation during the program regarding his VGN funded research.

If you would like to learn more about the Vermont Genetics Network, feel free to contact the VGN office at (802) 656-4087 or you can visit the entire VGN website.

On April 15th, VGN hosted its 3rd Annual Career Day in the Billings Student Center at the University of Vermont. Science oriented students from UVM, Castleton State College, Johnson State College, Middlebury College, Norwich University and Saint Michael's College were invited to attend. Faculty members from the same colleges were invited to attend as well.

	The evening began with a buffet dinner. Before, during and after dinner the newly funded Summer Intern undergraduate students from the various colleges had an opportunity to meet their UVM graduate student mentor.
Although most of the student interns will be doing their research at their respective institutions with a research advisor, all felt that it will be very beneficial to have the support of a UVM mentor as well.

This year, the undergraduate students that were funded for summer research last summer presented posters describing their research projects. The poster presentations were met with interest from all attendees.

Poster Presentations

Harmeet Sachdeva Poster Presenataion

Amrita Sarkar Poster Presentation

Joshua Schoenly Poster Presentation

The presenters and corresponding research project title are as follows:

Patrick Bafuma, Saint Michael's College
"The Characterization of an OligoPeptide Transport Family of Oryza Sativa"
Stacy Brendtro, Middlebury College
"A Dlg Metalloregulator Modulates Gene Involved in the Streptococcus Mutans Oxidative Stress Response and Biofilm Formation"
Ryan DuBois, Saint Michael's College
"Effects of Zebra Mussel Colonization on Foraging Success and Habitat Choice of the Logperch Percina caprodes"
Ryan Larson, Saint Michael's College
"Transcription- Associated Mutation at the CAN1 Locus in Saccharoymces cerevisiae"
Shane Lynch, Johnson State College
"The Effects of Lower Body Flexibility Training on the Pelvic Angle and Standing Posture"
Julie Nicole, Johnson State College
"Linking the Amyloid Precursor Protein to Alzheimer's Disease"
Jessica Rabideau, Saint Michael's College
"The Effects of Solvent on Electron Donor Acceptor Complexes"
Amrita Sarkar, Middlebury College
"Homology Modeling of Penicillin Binding Proteins in Borrelia burgdorferi"
Joshua Schoenly, Saint Michael's College
"Reevaluation of the Ground State Equilibrium Constant of Association for Electron-Donor-Acceptor Complexes"
Kyle Viani, Middlebury College
"Cloning of the Borrelia burgdorferi 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA Reductase"
Kyle Von Hasseln, Middlebury College
"When Mutualism Collapses into Parasitism: the Robbing and Raiding Behaviors of Bombus impatiens (bumblebee) on Impatiens capensis (jewelweed)"

After dinner, the entire group gathered in the Marsh Lounge to listen to the panel of speakers. The presentations focused on the career paths that each panelist followed to arrive at their current careers.

The panelists were:

Denise Bonyun, MS, CSC    Genetic Counselor    Vermont Regional Genetics Center    Fletcher Allen Health Care
	Paul Hale, PhD    Associate Vice President for Research &    Economic Development, UVM    and Executive Director,    Vermont Technology Council, UVM
Mark Lubkowitz, PhD    Assistant Professor    Biology Department    Saint Michael's College
	Alissa Thompson    Research Associate    GlyFi Co.

The presentations were excellent and the guests were encouraged to ask questions of the panelists. The students commented afterward that it was interesting and helpful to hear about what others had been though in their careers.

The evening was a great success and we look forward to working with these promising, science students throughout the summer.

Please mark your calendar for the next important VGN gathering - the 3rd Annual VGN Retreat. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 11, 2004, at the Clarion Hotel in South Burlington. Also, look for periodic announcements about the Retreat.

Career Day Attendees

Kyla Rathbone -Registration

Mentors Adam Hunt & Brian LaFranchi

Malcolm Lippert and Jeremy Ward

Paul Hale & Christopher Allen , Co-Director,VGN

Tim Hunter & Bret Findley

If you would like additional information about the Vermont Genetics Network, contact Teri Hart, VGN Project Coordinator, at (802) 656-4087 or by email at Vermont.GeneticsNetwork@uvm.edu.

	We hosted an evening event that began with a buffet dinner. Before and during dinner, the graduate students had an opportunity to network with each other as well as UVM faculty and the guest panelists.
After dinner, VGN Co-Directors Judith Van Houten and Christopher Allen welcomed the guests and introduced the panel of guest speakers. The panelists gave presentations focused on the career paths that each followed to arrive at their current careers.
The panelists were: Ellen Dotson, D. Sc. Research Entomologist CDC Terrence Delaney, PhD Assistant Professor of Botany University of Vermont    Thomas Pitta, PhD Technical Representative Micro Video Instruments, Inc.
	The presentations were excellent and the students were impressed with descriptions of what each panelist experienced before reaching their current career. A question and answer period gave further clarification to the presentations.
The evening was well received by the graduate students and many indicated that it was most helpful to hear about different types of careers that are associated with science.
If you would like additional information about the Vermont Genetics Network, contact Teri Hart, VGN Project Coordinator, at (802) 656-4087 or by email at Vermont.GeneticsNetwork@uvm.edu

The Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) 2nd Annual Retreat was held on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at Clarion Hotel in South Burlington.      After the "meet and greet"session, the day began with a welcome from VGN Co-Directors, Christopher Allen, PhD and Judith Van Houten, PhD.

For more information about the Vermont Genetics Network, please contact the VGN office at: