Research on Campus Page

Janel Shoun | 

 

Scientific research at Lipscomb University
is changing the world
 
The range of the research conducted at Lipscomb is broad
and could someday save lives and change the world.
 
Six College of Pharmacy students participated in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Summer Research Program in 2009, working in collaboration with faculty members in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Lipscomb University and the Department of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University: 
 
Student pharmacists Patrick Nickell and Rachel Stephens worked with Drs. Susan Mercer and Mike Fowler in Lipscomb’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences to study the potential for abuse of methylphenidate patches used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The focus was to determine if medicine can be extracted from the transdermal delivery patch and therefore could potentially be abused.
Dr. Jens Meiler in the Vanderbilt’s Department of Pharmacology worked with student pharmacist Li Li on computational protein design to investigate their folding characteristics and expression pattern in bacterial cell cultures.

Student pharmacist Kelly Radford assisted Dr. Eva Harth in Vanderbilt’s Department of Pharmacology in the development of polymer drug delivery systems for imaging and treatment of various cancer types.
Dr. Michael Aschner in Vanderbilt’s Department of Pharmacology worked with student pharmacist Lauren Van Atta to research how metals such as mercury and magnesium influence the development of disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Student pharmacist Christopher Thomas worked with Dr. Joey Barnett in Vanderbilt’s Department of Pharmacology to characterize proteins expressed in cells that could be used to make more durable heart valves.
 
Here is a sample of 2009 projects that involved undergraduate students
in high-level scientific research:
 
Dr. Beth Conway, assistant professor of biology, is conducting a study that could someday aid in the fight against cancer. The students studied proteins that encourage the formation of new blood vessels that feeds tumors. They explored the role of even smaller proteins called peptides in this process of recruiting blood vessels for nutrients. In addition, Conway is studying the proteins that regulate tumor cell invasion in breast cancer.
Dr. John Smith, assistant professor of chemistry, has included students in his project to activate and convert molecules such as carbon dioxide to useful products through biomimicry. In an attempt to address climate change and future energy shortages, Smith is exploring the use of metalloenzymes to catalyze the conversion of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into more useful molecules, such as methanol.
Dr. Alan Bradshaw, chair of the Lipscomb physics department and researcher at the Gastrointestinal SQUID Technology Lab at Vanderbilt University, is conducting experiments exploring the electrical activity in the stomach. Bradshaw believes he can improve how stomach and intestinal disorders are detected by using a sensitive magnetometer. (www.vanderbilt.edu/biomag)
Dr. Jon Lowrance, professor of biology, worked with students on several studies including one exploring the virulence factors of certain bacteria types, such as Group B Streptococcus, one of the leading causes of newborn meningitis.
In 2008 and 2009, biology department students and alumni contributed to a research project at Radnor Lake State Natural Area, conducted by Dr. Robert Loeb, associate professor of biology and forestry at Penn State DuBois, to study how forests within cities change over long periods of time.
 

Langford Yates research fellowship gives undergrads first-hand research experience
 
In 2007, Lipscomb established the Langford Yates Summer Research Fellowship Program which has provided Lipscomb biology, chemistry and engineering undergraduate students the ability to conduct scientific research during the summers. The fellowship, established in the honor for Drs. Paul Langford and Oliver Yates, has grown each year, allowing more and more students to participate in these life-changing projects.
 
  • Derek Allison, chemistry
  • Brian Burress, biology
  • Andew Hall, biology
  • Will Hardeman, biology
  • Rebekah Mylar, biophysics 

Science students inducted into Sigma Xi
 
In 2009, six students and one faculty member from Lipscomb University were inducted into the local chapter of the Sigma Xi Honor Society, a global honor society of scientists and engineers with 70,000 members worldwide, including over 200 Nobel laureates in its membership.
 
Students were accepted as associate members, honoring their research potential, and chemistry professor Kent Clinger was inducted as a full member, awarded to those with significant research accomplishments, including first authorship of scholarly papers.
 
The 2009 inductees were:
  • Derek Allison, chemistry
  • Ben Bailey, biology
  • Kent Hallman, chemistry
  • Larry Morris, chemistry
  • Meredith Thornton, mathematics
  • Jacob Wadlington, biology
  • Rachel Stephens, pharmacy