Joel B. Sheffield - US grants

The long term objectives of this study are to investigate the factors responsible for the progressive layering of cells during development of the chick neural retina. Our working hypothesis is that cells possess and respond to unique cell surface characteristics which determine the position of cells within the tissue. In previous work, we have developed procedures that allow us to isolate specific cell populations from the 14 day embryonic neural retina. These cell populations possess distinct morphology and associative behavior. The immediate objectives of this project are to isolate and characterize factors which promote the adhesion of specific retinal cell types. The information obtained from this study will contribute to our understanding of the development of the complex neural structure of the retina, and, by extension, the central nervous system.

This award provides funds to the Biology department of Temple University to support a Research Experiences for Undergraduates site for a combined academic year and Summer program. This program will draw on Temple's experience with undergraduate research as part of the academic year research program, and also incorporate elements of the Temple University Basic Science Summer Minority Program which has been in effect for the past two years. The goal is to provide a rich research environment and a sense of community among promising students in order to encourage them to enter careers in the biological sciences. To achieve this goal, the program will have two major components. The first of these is continued academic year participation in research projects by students enrolled at Temple. The second is an intensive Summer research program in which students outside Temple will be involved. Academic year students will have the opportunity to participate in the Summer program. In both components a special effort is made to attract under-represented minority students. The program will focus on a multifaceted approach to the subject of Light in Biological Systems, employing approaches from Biochemistry, Physiology, Genetics and Plant Science.

This award provides funds to the Biology department of Temple University to support as an REU site for a combined academic year and summer program of undergraduate research. This program will draw on the department's extensive experience with undergraduate research as part of the academic year research program, and also incorporate elements of the Temple University Basic Science Summer Minority Program which has been in effect for the past two years. The goal of this program is to provide a rich research environment and a sense of community among promising students in order to encourage them to enter careers in the biological sciences. To achieve this goal, the program will have two major components. The first of these is continued academic year participation in research projects by students enrolled at Temple. The second is an intensive Summer research program which will reach out to students beyond Temple. Academic year students will have the opportunity to participate in the Summer program. In both components, special effort will be made to attract underrepresented minority students.

9322143 Sheffield This award provides funds to the Biology Department of Temple University to continue a successful REU site for a combined academic year and Summer program of undergraduate research. This program will draw on experience as an REU site awardee for previous years, and also incorporates elements of other Temple programs. It is the goal of this program to provide a rich research environment and a sense of community among promising students in order to encourage them to enter careers in the biological sciences. The program is designed to help students develop self confidence that will allow them to progress from dependence to independence in research. The Biology Department at Temple University is in a unique position with respect to biological research and education of underrepresented groups. As a department in a major research university, they have an active faculty and substantial grant support. At the same time, Temple, as an urban university, attracts a diverse student population. Many of the students are the first in their families to attend college. Temple was found that a large number of these students have not considered a career in research despite their abilities. and can benefit significantly from a program such as this. ***

PROJECT SUMMARY The Biology Department of Temple University requests funds to support the purchase of a scanning confocal laser microscope, which will be used to complement the other facilities that we have available for a combined research/training program in advanced microscopy. For many years, we have been assembling the components of a "virtual laboratory" for advanced biological microscopy. These components include electron microscopes, low light fluorescence microscopes, DlC/Side band microscopes, and a variety of image analysis systems which are run on PC's, PowerMacintosh, and Silicon Graphics computers. This distribution of the components will be discussed in the management section of this application. It is our goal to complete this laboratory by adding a scanning confocal system, which will allow us to add three dimensional analysis to our repertoire. This laboratory will be used in both research and training at all levels within the department. 1. Research. Drs. Gruberg, Myers, Hilfer, Tompkins and Sheffield are interested in using a scanning confocal microscope to visualize biological materials in three dimensions during development. Drs. Gruberg, Myers, Sheffield and Tompkins are particularly interested in nerve development, using several model systems, and Dr. Hilfer is interested in the cellular basis of shape determination in embryos, with particular reference to components of the sensory system. All of these investigators have established research programs and significant publication records. This instrument will be an important resource for the University Neuroscience Program, which shares faculty from the Health Sciences Campus and this one. 2. Training. The microscope will support our training mission as a component of formal classes and the training of graduate and undergraduate students. a. It will be incorporated into an undergraduate/graduate course i n advanced microscopy. This course was recently added to our curriculum, using the existing equipment. The confocal microscope will be a critical addition to the available instrumentation . b. It will be available for undergraduate and graduate student use during independent study/research courses, and during thesis research. We have an active research program supporting graduate students (about 50), and undergraduates (about 30). In the undergraduate program, students work individually with faculty for periods that average two years, during which they carry out independent research projects. Many of these projects have resulted in the publication of research papers with the student as co-authors. The undergraduate research program has been supported by the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates program for the past six years, and we have recently received a three year grant to continue this effort. In addition, the major portion of the grant that we have just received from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute is designed to support student research. The major component of our graduate program, at both the Master's and Doctoral level is research, carried out in close association with a faculty advisor. The five faculty who are participating in the current application currently supervise research of 23 graduate students.