Topic: Science
Two science professors receive M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grants
Stephen Tufte, associate professor of science and Peter Kennedy, associate professor of biology:
Tufte and Kennedy each received a Partners in Science Program grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The goal of this program is to provide high school teachers with opportunities to work with college faculty members at the cutting edge of science and revitalize their teaching.
Tufte will work with Jo Ann Wadkins, a science teacher at Lincoln High School, for the next two summers in the Department of Physics. Their research, titled “Observational Investigations of Short-Period Eclipsing Binary Stars,” will be shared at two national Partners in Science conferences at the end of each summer.
Kennedy will partner with Eileen Oppelt, a science teacher at West Linn High School. Their research, “Examining Biogeographic Patterns in the Frankia-Alnus rubra Symbiosis,” will be conducted in the Department of Biology. Oppelt will also share the results of the joint research at Partners in Science conferences.
The Murdock Trust provides grants in five states of the Pacific Northwest to organizations that aim to strengthen the region’s educational base in sustainable ways.
Professor of Education published in American Paleontologist
Charles (Kip) Ault, professor of education:
Ault co-wrote an article in American Paleontologist with his son, Toby Ault, in March. Toby received a Watson Fellowship in 2002-03 to retrace Darwin’s adventure, with emphasis on South American localities. The article, titled “On the Trail of Darwin’s Megabeasts,” recounts efforts the Aults took to find their way to locations where Darwin collected fossils as well as to mimic his process: ask locals where to look. On the 2003 trek, Ault said, “We found ourselves guided by a motorcyclist, museum scientists, as well as Darwin’s journal, as we crossed Patagonia, with particular emphasis on the Rio Negro’s Playa Bonita and the Monte Hermoso beach near Punta Alta.”
Ault also published an article in Curriculum Inquiry in December. “Achieving ‘Querencia’: Integrating a Sense of Place with Disciplined Thinking” explores the Spanish word “querencia,” and the concept of how the self attaches feelings and beliefs to an environment.
Dean Julio de Paula publishes two physical chemistry textbooks
Julio de Paula, dean and professor of chemistry:
de Paula co-published two textbooks in 2009: Quanta, Matter and Change — A Molecular Approach to Physical Chemistry with Professors Peter Atkins of Oxford University and Ronald Friedman of Indiana University Purdue University and Elements of Physical Chemistry, 5th Edition with Professor Atkins. Translations of de Paula’s textbooks with Atkins have been published in Brazil, Argentina, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.
de Paula co-wrote the fourth and fifth editions of Elements of Physical Chemistry. The text is a brief introduction to physical chemistry, the branch of chemistry that helps scientists understand the underlying principles that govern the structure and reactivity of atoms and molecules.
Quanta, Matter, and Change is a first edition textbook that shows the whole of physical chemistry through the lens of quantum theory, the most sophisticated theory currently available for the understanding of matter at the atomic and molecular levels. de Paula spent a great deal of effort in presenting the material in a way that is accessible to students who may come to it with different levels of preparation in mathematics.
In total, de Paula has co-written four textbooks, all in print and undergoing continual revision. Among these texts, Physical Chemistry is the world’s leading textbook in the discipline of physical chemistry.
Autumn’s gecko research extends its global reach
Kellar Autumn, associate professor of biology:
With coverage this month in Scientific American and New Scientist, as well as several international newspapers, Autumn’s research has extended its global reach. On Saturday, October 25, Autumn will be featured on an episode of Weird Connections on The Science Channel.
Autumn’s research has already crisscrossed the globe, appearing on five continents in hundreds of newspapers, journals, books, television programs, and Internet articles. Recently, Autumn’s research has been used as a stepping stone in the invention of a strong and sticky adhesive similar to a gecko’s feet, discovered by researchers at U.C. Berkeley. Explore this interactive map of some major media placements from recent years to discover the international impact of Autumn’s work.
Lochner and Scalettar publish work on neuromodulators
Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr., Professor of Science and Biochemistry Janis Lochner and Professor of Physics Bethe Scalettar:
Lochner and Scalettar coauthored a study on the postsynaptic colocalization of neuromodulatory proteins with five undergraduate students (Conor Jacobs ‘09, Mariya Chavarha ‘08, Kevin McAllister ‘08, Erika Spangler ‘07, Linnaea Schuttner ‘06) that was featured on the cover of the September issue of Developmental Neurobiology. Titled “Efficient Copackaging and Cotransport Yields Postsynaptic Colocalization of Neuromodulators Associated with Synaptic Plasticity,” their collaborative work shows how the proteins studied are known to enhance synaptic communication in the hippocampus. This research was supported by grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health and by the Rogers Summer Research Program.
Developmental Neurobiology publishes research primarily on development and plasticity in the nervous system, with an emphasis on experimental work.
Read more about Lochner and Scalettar’s collaborative research in The Chronicle.
Professor Autumn to participate in Science Pub series
Kellar Autumn, professor of biology:
Autumn will present How Geckos Stick and Why We Care as part of Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Science Pub, a monthly event designed for a general adult audience to learn about advances in science and technology from leading researchers and scientists in an approachable, relaxed setting that includes food and drinks. Autumn’s research on geckos and their adhesion capabilities has grown into a new field of study at the interface between biology, physics, and materials science. He has authored over 40 scientific papers and his research is featured in textbooks, encyclopedias, and popular books including The Nanotech Pioneers: Where Are They Taking Us? Every major television network has covered his work, as have hundreds of newspaper, magazine, and Internet articles worldwide.
The event takes place on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at Portland’s Mission Theater & Pub, 1624 NW Glisan, at 7 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.). No reservations or tickets are needed; doors open at 5 p.m.
Biochemist Janis Lochner presents at Gordon Research Conference
Janis Lochner, Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr., professor of science:
In July, Lochner, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, gave an invited talk at the Gordon Research Conference on Proprotein Processing Trafficking and Secretion, hosted at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire. The Gordon Research Conferences are a series of international scientific conferences that have a 75-year history and “provide an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences, and their related technologies.”
Lochner’s presentation, titled “Neuromodulators Associated with Synaptic Plasticity are Copackaged and Cotransported to Synaptic Sites in Hippocampal Neurons,” was part of a series emphasizing innovative and interdisciplinary research in the cellular and molecular events of the secretory pathway.
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