Student Research

2000-2001:

Angie Zinser: I was the supervisor for Angie’s biology research project. Angie’s project

focused on the effect of consumed lead on the function of mitochondria.

A group of rats received lead in their drinking water. After an established

period of time, liver mitochondria were isolated and various functional

parameters were measured. These included respiratory control,

membrane potential, and susceptibility to the permeability transition.

Emily LeVan: Emily worked with me the summer between her sophomore and junior

years. We were the recipients of an American Heart Association Grant

for Undergraduates. Emily continued work on the Ca²⁺-independent

phospholipase A₂. Specifically, we wanted to determine if the enzyme

that I have characterized in rat liver mitochondria is immunologically

related to other identified Ca²⁺-independent enzymes and also wanted to

determine if the enzyme in mitochondria is soluble or membrane bound.

James Iben:

1999-2000:

Karen Robbins: Karen worked with me the summer between her junior and senior years

at Wooster. We were the recipients of an American Heart Association

Grant for Undergraduates. Karen worked on the improvement of an

HPLC method for quantitation of the amount of cytochrome c released

from mitochondria. Much of the work in this field employs SDS-PAGE

followed by immunoblotting and gives qualitative information at best.

James Iben:

1998-1999:

James Iben:

Where have they gone?

James Iben is currently in his first year in the Molecular Biophysics Program at John’s Hopkins University in Baltimore. He is interested in pursuing a career in research and is interested in protein structure and the structure of protein complexes. He will pick his advisor this year. Also of note, James has a chinchilla named Squeegie, a Keeshond named Duchess and as a hobby, participated in role playing games.

Karen Robbins is interested in basic research, but is undecided as to the exact area of research she would like to pursue. To gain more exposure, she applied for and received a fellowship from the National Institute of Health (NIH). The fellowship supports graduates with a 4 year degree who are interested in pursuing a career in basic research or the medical field.