1995 — 1997 |
Lambert, Kelly |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Introduction of Neuroimaging Investigatory Procedures to Undergraduate Neuroscience Instruction
Increased interest in undergraduate science research justifies the acquisition of state-of-the-art facilities in order to attract gifted students toward careers in neuroscience. Through this project, histological and neuroimaging equipment are funded to enable students in the Psychology Department to continue to investigate the influence of certain variables (e.g., stress, fetal-alcohol exposure, and environmental enrichment) on the nervous system. The new equipment gives students an opportunity to utilize the most current methodology in their pursuit of gaining knowledge about the intricacies of the brain. The neuroimaging/histological equipment is being used in the laboratory component of the Physiological Psychology course, a new Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience course (yet to be approved), as well as other Psychology and Biology courses (e.g., Cell Biology). The acquisition of the neuroimaging equipment can introduce undergraduate psychology majors to the "wonder" of the brain, enhance the chances of undergraduates getting accepted into graduate neuroscience programs (especially women undergraduates), and motivate precollege students to consider studying neuroscience in their academic careers.
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1 |
2006 — 2008 |
Lim-Fong, Grace Foster, James Stevens, Traci Coppola, David Lambert, Kelly |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Acquisition of a Confocal Microscope to Enhance Undergraduate Reseach and Training
A grant has been awarded to Randolph-Macon College under the direction of Dr. David Coppola to acquire a confocal microscope to enhance faculty and undergraduate research and training. The investigators will use the confocal instrument to obtain enhanced images of cells and their internal structures in a variety of projects. Research includes characterization of cell structure of receptors in the nervous system, development of leukemia in fruit flies, bacteria that live inside marine organisms called bryozoans, and characterization of proteins in mammalian sperm. Undergraduate students will take an active role in research at this primary teaching institution.
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1 |
2007 — 2012 |
Lambert, Kelly |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Rui: Paternal Responsiveness: Neurobiological Explorations in Two Congeneric Species
There appear to be critical behavioral and neural differences between a parent and a non-parent, or a good parent versus a bad parent. Because of the vast diversity in paternal responses across mammalian species, paternal responsiveness will be the focus of this project which will determine the underlying brain and hormonal mechanisms of parental nurturing responses. Specifically, Peromysus californicus, a monogamous, bi-parental species that exhibits full paternal care toward their offspring will be compared to Peromyscus maniculatus, a species that typically does not exhibit paternal care. These studies will compare the neuronal activation of brain circuits following pup-exposure and will examine the number of newly proliferated cells in the brain. Since vasopressin and oxytocin are neuropeptides known to be involved in affiliation processes, vasopressin and oxytocin distributions in the brain will be measured and the levels of these neuropeptides in circulation will be assessed to determine the plasticity of the nurturing response, even in mammals that are not predisposed toward paternal affiliative responses. Information related specifically to the characterization of the paternal response or, more generally, to enhanced social motivation will have implications for understanding complex social responses (e.g., nurturing and affiliative responses) in various species. During the course of these studies, a high priority will be placed on the recruitment and training of undergraduate students in all phases of the project. Further, the PI will serve as a mentor for a post-doctoral assistant interested in a subsequent career establishing an engaging undergraduate neuroscience research program.
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1 |
2012 — 2015 |
Lim-Fong, Grace Foster, James Martin, W. William Lambert, Kelly Gubbels Bupp, Melanie |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope For Undergraduate Research and Teaching
This NSF MRI grant funds the acquisition of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) at Randolph-Macon College (R-MC). R-MC is a small liberal arts and sciences institution with a long tradition of undergraduate student research. Faculty members maintain active research programs and mentor undergraduate research students in several ways, including credit-bearing independent studies, capstone research projects, and through the endowed Shapiro Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program during the summer. Acquisition of a TEM will greatly enhance the research and teaching environment at R-MC by enabling undergraduate researchers to use state of the art equipment that will promote recruitment of students from all backgrounds into the sciences. Research projects to be supported by the TEM span a broad range of the life sciences and include: compartmentalization of mammalian sperm acrosomal matrix proteins to understand their role in fertilization; evaluating how parenting responses affect neuroplasticity in rats; ultrastructural analysis of motile cells in new fungal species; characterization of host-symbiont interactions in the bryozoan Bugula neritina and its bacterial symbionts; and understanding the regulation of autophagy in T cells during calorie restriction in mice. Collaborative research with investigators at other institutions will also be enabled. In addition, the TEM will be used in several undergraduate courses, including a new Advanced Microscopy course in which students will learn specimen preparation, digital image acquisition, and analysis of electron micrographs. Existing and newly developed outreach programs will engage students from local public schools in projects and demonstrations to stimulate their interest in science.
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1 |
2014 |
Lambert, Kelly G |
R15Activity Code Description: Supports small-scale research projects at educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation’s research scientists but that have not been major recipients of NIH support. The goals of the program are to (1) support meritorious research, (2) expose students to research, and (3) strengthen the research environment of the institution. Awards provide limited Direct Costs, plus applicable F&A costs, for periods not to exceed 36 months. This activity code uses multi-year funding authority; however, OER approval is NOT needed prior to an IC using this activity code. |
Phenotyping Resilience in Rodents: Targeting Key Neurobiological Responses in De
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite the availability of many pharmaceutical therapies, Major Depression Disorder rates continue to rise--disproportionately so in women. The development of appropriate models is critical for the determination of behavioral phenotypes associated with the emergence of this debilitating disorder. Accordingly, the proposed research will investigate unique and novel approaches to the experimental examination of resilience that can be used to systematically evaluate susceptibility to the emergence of depression-like symptoms. Specifically, predisposed coping strategies and acquired contingency training [i.e., effort-based reward (EBR) training] will be explored to identify differential symptom expression in male and female rats. In Specific Aim I, the effects of chronic stress on depression-like symptoms in animals with various predisposed coping strategies will be evaluated. Intended as a putative model of cognitive/behavioral training or therapy, in Specific Aim II, effort-based reward contingency training will be evaluated following exposure to chronic stress and a final learning challenge. In each Specific Aim, animals will be exposed to a probe trial simulating action/outcome discrepancies often associated with depression symptoms. Fos activation in various brain areas related to decision-making, action/outcome contingencies, emotional regulation, problem solving, stress, and motivation will be quantified along with markers of neuroplasticity and endocrinological markers of stress responsiveness. Microsequencing behavioral analysis will be conducted to determine relevant behavioral sequence disruptions during chronic stress and cognitive training, as well as responses to the action/outcome discrepancy in the final probe trial. In addition to traditional statistical analyses, multidimensional scaling analysis will be used as a more sophisticated statistical tool to determine key variables associated with effective coping and resilient phenotypes. In addition to having an opportunity to participate at all levels of the proposed research, in Specific Aim III, undergraduate students will have an opportunity to conduct research in a collaborating laboratory exploring optogenetic techniques directed toward the identification of more specific mechanisms of resilient responses. In sum, the proposed research will provide necessary resources for the PI to continue her work identifying unique rodent models to systematically investigate variables associated with depression and resilience phenotypes while simultaneously providing students with relevant and engaging research opportunities to prepare them for admission to neuroscience and biomedical graduate programs.
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0.958 |