Lee Hughes, Ph.D.Assistant Professor — Biological Sciences

lee.hughes@unt.edu

UNT-HHMI ProgramsUndergraduate Research

The National Genomics Research Initiative (NGRI)

First National Experiment of the HHMI’s Science Education Alliance

What are the UNT-HHMI Programs?

UNT’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute 2010 Science Education Grant

• Undergraduate Researchers Program

• Classroom Research Laboratory Courses

• Transitions Summer Workshop

• Transitions Summer Research Experience

What are the UNT-HHMI Programs?

• Co-direct with Dr. Robert Benjamin

• Provides a classroom-based biological research experience forfirst-year students.

• Freshmen students conduct research to isolate and characterize a bacteriophage(bacterial virus)

NGRI

• An isolate is sent for genome sequencing over winter break.

• Students analyze and annotate the genome during the spring semester.

NGRI - Phage Research

Talking Points

Talking Points

Slide Title

• Student Presentations

• University Scholars Day1 Poster1 Award-Winning Paper

• NGRI Symposium

NGRI 2009-2010 Last Day of Class

• Number of Phage Isolated/Purified

• Number of Sequenced Phage(awaiting publication in Genbank)

NGRI 2009 Scientific Accomplishments

24

2

• Number of Phage Isolated/Purified

• Number of Sequenced Phage1 complete and in annotation, 2 at sequencing center

NGRI 2010 Scientific Accomplishments

22

1 2—

• Six student presenters at the Spring Meeting of the Texas Branch-American Society for Microbiology (1 poster award winner)

• Five posters and one talk scheduled for UNT University Scholars Day

• One student selected to present at the NGRI Symposium.

NGRI 2010 Student Presentations

(Sounds like a lot... we asked for $2,100,000!)

UNT-HHMI Science Education Grant

$1,300,00over four years

• Paid research experience for UNT juniors and seniors

• Placed with a faculty research mentor for up to one year

• Receive support for conference attendance

• Average of 10 students per year of the grant

Undergraduate Researchers Program (URP)

• Jennifer Archer with Dr. Jyoti Shah

• Adrian Cadar with Dr. Ed Dzialowski

• Coreen Manley with Dr. Lee Hughes

• Shelby Needham with Dr. Duane Huggett

• Raven Pena with Dr. Ed Dzialowski

• Melissa Torres with Dr. Michael Allen

Current URP Placements

Adrian Cadar (Borrowed from UNT Website Feature)

Teaching laboratory space equipped and designed to facilitate NGRI-like research courses for UNT undergraduates.

Classroom Research Laboratory (CRL)

16 juniors and seniors per semester will participate in faculty-driven research in a classroom laboratory setting

Classroom Research Laboratory (CRL)

First three topics to be developed

• Systems MicrobiologyMichael Allen

• Developmental PhysiologyEd Dzialowski

• Plant BiochemistryKent Chapman

Classroom Research Laboratory (CRL)

• Five week summer workshop for first year community college students

• Taught in the Classroom Research Laboratory

• Coordinated by Dr. Mark Burleson

Transitions Summer Workshop (TSW)

Focus on

• College Skills

• Science Reading and Writing

• Laboratory Skills

• Introduction to Research

One community college faculty member per year invited to co-teach the workshop

Transitions Summer Workshop (TSW)

Sixteen students who have completed one year of community college (selection underway)

Community College Partners:

• Brookhaven College

• Eastfield College

• El Centro College

• Richland College

Transitions Summer Workshop Participants

• Five week summer research experience for second-year community college students

• Placed with a UNT faculty mentor

• Ten students selected for Summer 2011

Transitions Summer Research Experience

• UNT-HHMI nominated Jordyn Talley

• She will be in the research lab of HHMI Professor Joseph Takahashi, UT Southwestern

Exceptional Research Opportunity Program