Evolution of a Scientific Research Group

by Larry Hanne, Biology & Larry Kirk, Chemistry
From Inside Chico State, Dec. 7, 2006

Twenty years ago we began a research group with five undergraduate student participants. We chose a research project that would be multidisciplinary and would accommodate the interests of microbiology, cell and molecular biology, and biochemistry students. The original project was related to a Northern California problem: the environmental fate of pesticides used in local agricultural practice. We chose to study the fate of p-nitrophenol, which is a breakdown product of the locally used pesticide parathion. The fate of p-nitrophenol is important because it is a toxic compound and listed by the EPA as a priority pollutant.

We discovered that p-nitrophenol does not build up in agricultural soils because it is broken down by indigenous soil bacteria. This led us to isolate and characterize these bacteria. The scientific questions addressed were (1) what is the biodegradation pathway for breakdown of p-nitrophenol? (2) will the enzymes involved in the degradation pathway degrade other related compounds? (3) can the genes be altered to expand their degradation ability? Students could choose to work on basic microbiology, protein purification, enzymology, molecular cloning, bioinformatics, or evolutionary studies.

We have modified our approach many times over the years and believe we have developed a very effective strategy. Fifteen years ago, students would arrange a time to meet with either of us to help them set up experiments. We would spend three hours a week teaching them basic principles of scientific research and guiding them on their specific projects. With five students, that translated to 15 hours a week. We have now advertised that students must reserve Thursdays 2–5 pm in their schedules if they wish to participate in our research group. With all of the students in the lab at once, we can accommodate more students with only three hours a week commitment from each of us.

In addition to laboratory time, students are required to attend research group meetings every Tuesday at 5 pm to discuss research progress, present scientific papers, or listen to a workshop on research. With this format, we have been able to accommodate two to six students every semester for the past 15 years. The group has grown over the past year to include professors Dan Clark, Dan Edwards, and Andrea White and their students.

We have added other research projects over the years. Students have participated in research on the following projects:

1. Characterization of metabolic pathways and enzymology of p-nitrophenol degradation.

2. Evolutionary origins of p-nitrophenol degradative genes.

3. Bacterial degradation of jet fuel.

4. Effect of salmon spawning on biofilm development on the Feather River.

5. Characterization of viruses that infect bacteria.

Some of the concrete results of this research group include the following:

—Approximately 50 percent of the student participants continue on to PhD programs. The experience they accrue from this project has helped many of them make the decision to go to graduate school, and has helped them get accepted.

—The research group averages two presentations at scientific meetings every spring. Students have presented their work at the Association of North Bay Scientists; the CSU, Chico Biology poster symposia; and the national American Society for Microbiology and the American Chemical Society meetings.

—We have published review/concept articles in the Journal of Chemical Education and in Recent Research in Microbiology.

—We have published student co-authored papers in the scientific journals Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Journal of Basic Microbiology, and Journal of Freshwater Ecology.

Printed with permission by Inside Chico State