Latha Ramakrishnan, Ph.D. - US grants

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, Professor Latha Ramakrishnan from St. Cloud State University and colleagues Michael Jeannot, Mohammad Mahroof-Tahir, Lakshmaiah Sreerama and Mark Mechelke will acquire a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer system. The proposal is aimed at enhancing research training and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) understanding the evolution and function of GABAergic neurotransmission in planaria; (b) determination of serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors in the wastewater treatment;(c) verification of a kinetic model for headspace single-drop microextraction; (d) development of bioprocess technologies to produce ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass; and (e) design and synthesis of goniothalamin analogues to explore the natural product mechanism of action.

A gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer vaporizes and separates a multi component mixture which then passes into the mass spectrometer where the components are ionized. The mass spectrometer determines the mass/charge ratio of these particles (parent molecular ion and fragment ions). This highly sensitive technique allows determination of the masses of the particles, their chemical composition and enables one to deduce the structure of the substances in a complex mixture. The instrumentation provided by this award will provide faculty and students the opportunity to pursue research projects at St. Cloud University. It will advance the training of many students in the use of this important and widely used analytical technique.

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Latha Ramakrishnan

This Catalyzing New International Collaboration (CNIC) award supports U.S.-India Collaborative Research to Decipher Function and Evolution of GABAergic Neurotransmission in Planaria. Professor Latha Ramakrishnan, St. Cloud State University will initiate an international collaboration with Dr. Priyadarsi De, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research-Kolkata to develop novel reagents for investigating the evolution and function of GABAergic neurotransmission.

The interdisciplinary research endeavor is to design and fabricate cell-type targeted nanomaterials for GABAergic gene function analysis in planaria using a powerful new gene knockdown technique for tissue specific controlled suppression of gene expression. The technique could provide a discrete tool for the functional characterization of the GABA receptor family in planarians and inform our understanding of the evolution of this important pathway. There is increasing interest in the invertebrate organism as a model for various neurobiological and developmental studies. The researchers combined expertise spans chemistry, physical chemistry, molecular biology, and materials science.

The award supports travel for the US PI and senior undergraduate student to visit the collaborator?s lab in India where they will develop and learn how to synthesize the polymeric nanoparticles that will be derivatized to promote specific knockdown of key mRNA targets. Proof of principle experiments will be carried out by graduate and undergraduate students in the respective laboratories with the overall goal of submitting a competitive pre-proposal to the Integrative Organismal Systems, Neural Systems Cluster.

If the project goals are achieved, this research could significantly impact the neurosciences and other fields such as materials science and nanotechnology. It may also have far-reaching broader impacts on multidisciplinary research and it will have provided a unique international research experience for the next generation of student participants in this project.

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) and support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program (CRIF), Professor Latha Ramakrishnan from St. Cloud State University and colleagues Tamara Leenay, Mohammad Mahroof-Tahir and Mark Mechelke will acquire a 400 MHz NMR spectrometer. This spectrometer will allow research in a variety of fields such as the study of biologically relevant species. In general, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools available to chemists for the elucidation of the structure of molecules. It is used to identify unknown substances, to characterize specific arrangements of atoms within molecules, and to study the dynamics of interactions between molecules in solution. Access to state-of-the-art NMR spectrometers is essential to chemists who are carrying out frontier research. The results from these NMR studies will have an impact in synthetic organic/inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry and biochemistry. This instrument will be an integral part of teaching as well as research performed by undergraduate students at St. Cloud State University and neighboring institutions such as North Hennepin Community College as well as local and regional industries.

The award is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) investigating fundamental biochemical principles such as the function and mechanism of action of major inhibitory and excitatory neural communication systems in flatworms; (b) studying the mechanism of toxicity of natural producs towards cancer cells; (c) investigating structure-properties, i.e., physical, chemical, and electronic relationships of vanadium complexes to decode their potential anti-diabetic mechanisms; and (d) studying the mechanism of cytotoxicity of cyclic Mannich bases.

This Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) Track 3 project, ACCESS STEM, addresses two critical attrition points for low income students trying to major in STEM: first-year retention and the transition of community college students to a four-year university. It also aims at improving student success in gateway mathematics courses. The project will recruit and support with scholarships at least 100 academically high-achieving, Pell-eligible students, of which 40 will start at a 4-year institution and 60 at Community College Institutions. ACCESS STEM's cornerstone is the strategic partnership between the ACCESS Institutions: St. Cloud State University (SCSU), Anoka Ramsey Community College, North Hennepin Community College, St. Cloud Technical and Community College, and Ridgewater College. The project's retention and student success model will comprise a holistic student support services approach with interventions categorized under two intellectually cohesive systems of experiences: sense of belonging to institution and sense of belonging in STEM. It is expected that the early integration of career pathway exploration and preparation, coupled with a focus on interventions that promote a sense of belonging in STEM, will successfully prepare ACCESS STEM Scholars to meet regional and national STEM workforce demands. The ACCESS Institutions, as members of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the fifth largest public system of colleges and universities in the country, serve more students of modest financial means than anyone else in the state. The significance of this project is that it will bring opportunities to expand and strengthen the system's plan to create transfer pathways for baccalaureate completion. This expected outcome also responds to recent mandates from the State of Minnesota's legislature.

The ACCESS STEM project will test the predictive power of an in-house sense of belonging index survey instrument to understand its association with retention and graduation. Qualitative research investigating why enhanced student support service interventions influence the sense of belonging and how interventions impact first-year retention at community colleges and four-year institutions will fill a knowledge gap to understand the nuances and complexities of STEM intervention programs for low income students. The project's innovative dissemination strategy involves creation of Community ACCESS STEM, a video journal series chronicling longitudinal reflections of ACCESS Scholars and Mentors on their STEM aspirations and sense of belonging to their institutions and to their chosen STEM majors. In addition, SCSU will also publish sense of belonging survey instruments, rubrics, and other publications.