My experience in research enhances my work as a teacher, especially in mentoring students in primary research. As I pursue my own research trajectory, it is a pleasure to involve students in the excitement and challenges of hands-on scientific investigation. The students mentored in the lab have been productive: several honors theses, presentations as co-authors at national meetings, and publications as co-authors in scientific journals. At the same time, my liberal arts background and wide-ranging interests help me contribute to the larger scholarly community. Because a diverse student body presents both challenges and opportunities, I believe faculty members should all work actively to create an inviting and responsive environment. As a professor, I aim to be welcoming and accepting of both persons and ideas, to educate myself about challenges facing specific student groups, and to develop imaginative strategies for engaging all students in the learning process. The Snow Lab intends to promote intellectual curiosity and creativity as well as to produce new knowledge about the honey bee
CURRENT COURSES:
Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology
Detailed introduction to cellular and subcellular biology: cell structures and functions, energy metabolism, biogenesis of cell components, biology of inheritance, molecular genetics, regulation of gene expression, and genes in development.
Cell Biology
This course explores the components, systems, and regulatory mechanisms involved in eukaryotic cellular function. Topics include: signal transduction, translational and protein quality control, organellar and cytoskeletal dynamics, and some coordinated responses such as proliferation and programmed cell death. Throughout the course we will see how general cell biology can be specialized to achieve specific cellular functions through regulation of the basic machinery. We will also explore the cellular and molecular changes in cells involved in the initiation and progression to cancer. In addition to lecture, we will spend some time discussing the material, including selected articles from the primary literature, and learning through group presentations.
Laboratory in Cell Biology
Introduction to cell biological techniques used to investigate structural, molecular, and physiological aspects of eukaryotic cells and their responses to stimuli. We will be using the Drosophila S2 cell line to examine signal transduction, specifically focusing on insect immune pathways and cellular stress pathways. We will use what we know about how these pathways works in Drosophila to learn about how they might function in the honey bee. Techniques include microscopy, cell culture, reporter assays, molecular analysis of transcript, protein and DNA electrophoresis and Western Blot analysis. The last 4 weeks will be used to focus on an independent project using techniques we’ve learned to answer a novel question on cell biology.
PAST COURSES:
Senior Seminar in Biology
Microbes that colonize humans employ a wide array of strategies to hide from, manipulate, and shut down the host’s defense mechanisms. In this class we will look at a number of ways that bacteria, viruses, and protozoan parasites accomplish these goals at the molecular and cellular levels. Through finding and exploring common approaches used by various microbes, we will begin to identify some of the key principles that govern immune function, while appreciating the diverse mechanisms through which similar goals are achieved. The course format will be presentation and discussion of primary literature. Students will also conduct individual library research throughout the semester in any area of immune evasion or other cell biological aspects of infection of interest to them. Students will compose a senior essay based on their independent research.
Immunology
The rapidly evolving field of immunology examines the complex network of interacting molecules and cells that function to recognize and respond to agents foreign to the individual. In this course, we will focus on the cellular and biochemical mechanisms that act to regulate the development and function of the immune system and how alterations in different system components can cause disease.
Stem Cells and Cellular Identity in Development and Disease
The molecular mechanisms responsible for establishing and maintaining cellular identity are critical for proper development. At the same time, this identity needs to be flexible to allow organisms to respond to environmental cues to maintain homeostasis. Recent studies defining stem cells and cellular reprogramming have changed the way that we think about cellular identity at both the theoretical and mechanistic levels. In addition, we now know that hijacking cellular identity provides the foundation for diverse diseases including autoimmunity and cancer. This class will focus on primary literature to examine cellular identity; its meaning, the molecular mechanisms responsible for its direction, and how our understanding of stem cells in health and disease challenges these views.
The American Food System: From the Soil to the Dinner Plate
How do we get our food? We go to the supermarket, pick up our groceries, bring them home, cook what we want and store the rest. Or maybe, we go out to a restaurant, order up a meal, eat it, pay and leave. It is increasingly rare in our ever-busy lives that we actually consider the complete path from soil to plate and back again that our food travels and the consequences of the many intermediary steps along the way. This class will explore the various health, economic, environmental, political, and cultural aspects of the food system in America. The instructors will convey – and hope to receive – lessons through lectures, discussions, field trips, role-playing, and a weekly “snack analysis” designed to give us all a new outlook on our vital energy source.