People — faculty
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| Matt Anway : manway [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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The research in my lab focuses on understanding the molecular processes that regulate the adult testis and prostate gland in men. We study how environmental toxicants and age affect the function and disease onset in the testis and prostate gland. We utilize a variety of molecular approaches in attempts to characterize the function of the epithelial cells at the molecular level. In the prostate, we are interested in determining key regulatory events that could be used as biomarkers for prostate diseases. In the testis, we are interested in understanding the hormonal regulation of the Sertoli cells and how age influences their functional processes. |
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| Onesmo Balemba : obalemba [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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Research done in the laboratory focuses on the cellular mechanisms underlying gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and, development of effective, affordable and accessible natural drugs to treat T2DM and diarrheal diseases. In T2DM, the GI tract is characterized by disrupted mucosal permeability, degeneration of enteric neurons and extrinsic nerve fibers, smooth muscle cells and pacemaker cells (interstitial cells of Cajal) and fibrosis. Consequently, gastrointestinal motor disorders such as gastroparesis and abdominal pain are widespread in type 2 diabetics. However, the pathophysiological basis of these T2DM induced GI conditions is not well understood. Specific lines of research underway in the lab focus on understanding neuro-muscular- immune system-adipose tissue interactions in the stomach and duodenum during T2DM. These investigations will decipher the cellular mechanisms underlying diabetic enteric neuro-plasticity and neuronal cell death, and disruption of GI neuromuscular function. Also, will shed light on how the enteric neuromuscular axis can be protected from T2DM induced alterations or how the neuro-immune system axis can be modulated to preserve GI integrity and function in T2DM. The effect of adipose tissue hormones on the enteric neuro-endocrine system and involved cellular mechanisms are not known. The specific goal of this research program is to establish the acute and chronic effects of adipose tissue hormones on the enteric neuro-endocrine system, and whether adipose tissue hormones play a role in the pathophysiology of GI disorders in diabetics. The organic Solanum spp herbal extract is a popular anti-diabetic folk medicine in many places in the world. The specific goal of research concerning these extracts is to determine the safety, efficacy, bio-active agents and cellular targets of Solanum ethiopicum fruit extract hence, its potential as a natural anti-diabetic drug. |
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| Celeste Brown : celesteb [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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Dr. Celeste Brown has two research areas, how gene regulation changes in response to selection, and the evolution of disordered proteins. The link between these two disparate areas is that often proteins involved in gene regulation are disordered. The gene regulation studies involve laboratory-based research and the disordered protein studies involve bioinformatics approaches. |
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| John A. Byers : Byers Lab : jbyers [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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I am an animal behaviorist primarily interested in behavioral development, play, sexual selection and female mate choice. I am a member and Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society. I maintain a longitudinal study of a population of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) on the National Bison Range in western Montana. Projects now underway in this study, which has run since 1981, are measurement of costs and benefits of female mate choice and evaluation of the fitness consequences of inbreeding in the population. more... |
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| Joseph G. Cloud : Cloud Lab : jcloud [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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Projects in Dr. Cloud’s research program are primarily directed toward understanding germ cell development in salmonids and the establishment of a germplasm repository for threatened and endangered fish. Ongoing research projects in the lab include the cryopreservation and transplantation of salmonid gonads and the isolation, culture, and reestablishment of germinal stem cells. Additionally, sperm collected from numerous populations of Snake River chinook salmon and steelhead are cryopreserved and stored annually. more... |
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| Larry J. Forney : Forney Lab : lforney [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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The research done in Dr. Larry Forney’s laboratory centers on the diversity and distribution of prokaryotes. Both field and laboratory studies are done to explore the temporal and spatial patterns of community diversity, as well as factors that influence the dynamics of inter- and intra-species competition and how environmental conditions might influence the tempo of adaptive evolution. Most of these studies are highly interdisciplinary in nature, and done in collaboration with mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, geologists, environmental engineers, physicians, and clinical scientists. more... |
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| James A. Foster : Digital Research Group : foster [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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My research objective is to explore and attempt to understand both natural and simulated evolution, a field I call “evolutionary studies.” I develop and analyze algorithms, such as multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic inferencing algorithms. I also explore the practical and theoretical limits of algorithms modeling evolution, such as genetic programming and genetic algorithms.more... |
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| Luke J. Harmon Lab : Dechronization Blog : lukeh [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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Our research investigates ecological and evolutionary aspects of adaptive radiations. Current projects span a wide range of taxa and time scales, including adaptive radiation in E. coli biofilms, evolution of island lizards in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean, and macroevolutionary dynamics of vertebrates. You will find more information about all of these projects on the research and publications pages.more... |
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| Rolf L. Ingermann : Ingermann Lab : rolfi [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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Rolf Ingermann is investigating the reproductive physiology of lower vertebrates at the biochemical, cellular and organismic levels. He is currently examining various aspects of metabolic regulation within gametes of salmonids and sturgeon. These include pursuing questions focused on inhibition of sperm motility and fertility by carbon dioxide, control of sperm metabolism by carbon dioxide and pH, the role of stored (versus newly synthesized) adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the functioning of sperm and eggs, and the physiological significance of the very low buffering capacity of fish seminal fluid versus other body fluids and tissues. more... |
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| Kevin R. Kelliher : Kelliher Lab : kelliher [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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I have broad research interests that overlap and combine the fields of neuroendocrinology, chemoreceptive sciences and behavioral neuroscience. My research program addresses fundamental questions about the neural control of social behavior at cellular, systems and behavioral levels. One aspect of my research addresses the relative roles of different chemosensory systems or subsystems for the processing and perception of chemosensory cues that influence social behavior. more... |
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| James J. Nagler : Nagler Lab : jamesn [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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Dr. Nagler's research interests cover the broad area of fish reproductive biology. There are several avenues of current research emphasis that utilize two different fish models, the rainbow trout and Japanese medaka. One area is the endocrinology of estradiol within the fish gonad and the functional implications for sexual development. An extension of this work is an investigation of the effect of environmental estrogens on the germ cells of the sexually maturing male rainbow trout. Another area is an effort to map and model novel and known genes from the pituitary-gonad axis that control the photoperiod- induced annual reproductive cycle of the female rainbow trout. Several projects are examining factors that lead to fertility problems in female rainbow trout used as brood stock for aquaculture. There is a project employing a microarray approach to identify novel genes that are associated with female- and male-specific patterns of early molecular differentiation in the rainbow trout gonad. Lastly, Dr. Nagler leads a team that is designing a device using nanoscale materials for the electrical detection of DNA sequences for genomic screening. He teaches an upper-division undergraduate course on Ichthyology, a graduate course on Reproductive Biology of Fishes, and participates in a team-taught course on applications of nanoscience for biomedicine. |
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| Scott L. Nuismer : Nuismer Lab : snuismer [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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My research focuses on the ecology and evolution of species interactions. The overall aim is to better understand how coevolution shapes patterns of biodiversity and the geographic distributions of interacting species. Work in my lab addresses these issues with a combination of mathematical modeling and field studies. more... |
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| Olle Pellmyr : Pellmyr Lab : pellmyr [at] uidaho.edu | ||
My research interests are primarily in the evolutionary ecology of species interactions and coevolution, with foci primarily on pollination biology and herbivory. Most current work deals with the evolution and maintenance of mutually beneficial interactions, and for the last several years I have used one of the classical cases of coevolution - yucca and yucca moths – as a model system for this purpose. My lab is divided in two work spheres to integrate fieldwork and lab-based analyses. Most projects combine ecological, behavioral, phylogeographic, and phylogenetic tools that together can test hypotheses about micro- and macroevolutionary aspects of plant-animal interactions. I have done fieldwork on most continents, with most active work going on in the U.S. and Mexican deserts and in Florida. more... |
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| Barrie Robison : Robison Lab : brobison [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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My general research interests lie at the interface between genomics, evolutionary biology, and fisheries biology. Specific areas of research emphasis in my lab include the genetic architecture of complex traits, the evolution of locally adaptive phenotypes, and genomic analysis of behavioral variation in fish. I employ two study systems to investigate these issues, the rainbow trout and the zebrafish. more... |
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| Erica Bree Rosenblum : Rosenblum Lab : rosenblum [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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My research emphasizes understanding the processes that generate and impact biological diversity, with a focus on adaptive evolution across different levels of biological organization. I employ functional and comparative genomics tools to develop a mechanistic understanding of adaptive traits at the molecular level. However, I also work with real organisms in their real habitats, and my research is motivated by evolutionarily and ecologically important questions. more... |
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| Deborah L. Stenkamp : Stenkamp Lab : dstenkam [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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Stenkamp’s research interests center on the examination of cellular and molecular mechanisms of vertebrate retinal development and regeneration, with a specific focus on photoreceptor differentiation, using zebrafish as the primary experimental model. Our major area of current investigation is the involvement of specific factors such as the signaling protein, sonic hedgehog, in regulating the differentiation of rod and cone photoreceptors. more... |
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| John M. “Jack” Sullivan : Sullivan Lab : jacks [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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Our understanding of the processes of nucleotide substitution (DNA sequence evolution) has been expanding greatly over the last 10 years. Furthermore, it has become apparent that ignoring such processes as heterogeneity of base composition, substitution pattern, and rate variation among nucleotide sites can compromise attempts to estimate phylogeny from DNA sequence data. Therefore, model-based analyses of DNA sequence data have become increasingly wide spread because such approaches afford the investigator the opportunity to account for such processes explicitly. more... |
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| Eva Top : Top Lab : evatop [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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Eva Top is a microbial ecologist whose interests can be roughly divided into two major areas. The main research interest is the role of horizontal gene transfer in the adaptation of bacterial populations and communities to changing environmental conditions, and in bacterial evolution in general. The second area of interest is the diversity, structure and dynamics of bacterial communities in natural or bioreactor environments, such as soil, sediments, wastewater treatment reactors, and gastrointestinal ecosystems, and how these communities respond to various disturbances. more... |
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| Holly A. Wichman : Wichman Lab : hwichman [at] uidaho.edu | ||
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The Wichman Lab studies viruses and their subcellular relatives, transposable elements. These two lines of research are united by a molecular approach and a strong evolutionary context. L1 elements have been active in mammals for over 150 million years and make up about 20% of the genome. Most of the copies in the genome are ancient molecular fossils, so it is a challenge to sift through all of the old copies to find those that have been recently active. more... |
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