College of Sciences E-newsletter

March 2006

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UNLV Receives NIH Grant for Alzheimer's Disease Research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a grant to UNLV chemistry professor Bryan Spangelo to study the chemical processes that may lead to the destruction of neurons in the brain, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's Disease.

The $221,750 grant was awarded through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, an arm of the NIH, and will fund the research for the next three years. The research will be the first of its kind to study how specific neurotransmitters may inhibit the activation of proteins that some scientists believe may lead to cell death and brain degeneration.

By defining the effects of these neurotransmitters, Spangelo hopes his research could eventually lead to breakthroughs in new treatments for Alzheimer's patients.

Read the complete press release.

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NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop, February 14-16, 2006

The UNLV Physics Department and NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) cosponsored a workshop on Laboratory Astrophysics. The "NASA Workshop on Laboratory Astrophysics 2006" brought together laboratory astrophysicists, physicists, chemists, astronomers, space mission scientists, instrument developers, and other researchers to increase collaboration and the cross-fertilization of ideas. The workshop also reviewed critical laboratory data requirements that are essential to the success of current and future NASA missions and programs. Victor H.S.

Kwong, UNLV Professor of Physics chaired the Local Organizing Committee, with assistance from members of the UNLV faculty and staff including Cara Loomis, John Kilburg, Philippe Weck, Bill O'Donnell, Stephen Lepp, Bernard Zygelman, and David Shelton. Professor Kwong is also a member of the Scientific Organizing Committee for this Workshop. Following remarks of welcome from UNLV President Carole C. Harter and Dean of the College of Sciences Ronald E. Yasbin, participants from research universities, national laboratories, and research centers across the nation devoted three days to a series of presentations and poster sessions. UNLV presenters included Victor Kwong, Stephen Lepp, Balakrishnan Naduvalath, Philippe Weck, and Bernard Zygelman. The meeting was held in the Tam Alumni Center and the Bigelow Physics Building.

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University Forum Lecture, Professor Emeritus Gunther Stendt, UC Berkeley, March 1, 2006

Intelligent Design: A Unique View of Globalization and Science, Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 7:30 p.m. - Barrick Museum Auditorium

Dr Stent, founder of the program in Molecular and Cell Biology at Berkeley, will discuss his views on the recent revival in the United States of the religious doctrine known as Intelligent Design. In a globalized society he notes that no other countries that have adopted western ideas and lifestyles have experienced a significant revival of this idea. But while the doctrine of Natural Selection continues to prevail he questions its long-term viability and notes that science may have already outrun its Darwinian epistemology.

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Juanita Greer White Distinguished Lecture

The Department of Biological Sciences presents the Juanita Greer White Distinguished Lecture at White Hall Auditorium, March 2, 2006 at 7:00 P.M.

Dr. George N. Somero, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University will deliver a talk entitled "Climate Change and Marine Ecosystems: Where are Organisms Likely to be in 'Hot Water?'" This presentation examines the topic of climate change from a physiological perspective and discusses such issues as which organisms are most threatened and what ecosystems seem most vulnerable.

Admission is by ticket only. Free tickets will be available in the Department of Biological Sciences (WHI 101) beginning February 21st.

Dr. Somero will offer a second lecture, "Chipping Away at Environmental Physiology: Using Gene Chips to Study Stress in Marine Organisms" in White Hall Auditorium, March 3, 2006 at 3:30 P.M. No tickets are required.

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$410,000 NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Award (R21)

Dr. Brent Sinclair, a postdoctoral scholar working in the laboratory of Biosciences associate professor Stephen Roberts has received a $410,000 Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Award (R21) from the National Institute of Health. The grant will fund research that aims to understand cold injury and engineer cryotolerance traits into the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Sinclair will serve as principal investigator on the grant and is joined by co-principal investigators Stephen Roberts, Allen Gibbs (UNLV) and Vlad Kostal (Czech Academy of Sciences). The purpose of the R21 funding is to collect data that will test the feasibility of larval cryopreservation of Drosophila melanogaster. The research specifically focuses on two critical goals in a strategy for Drosophila cryopreservation: the need to mitigate chilling injury during cooling, and the manipulation of the site of ice formation.

Drosophilais one of the most important animal models for the investigation of genetics, molecular biology, neurobiology and development, and is an important model for the ongoing investigation of more than 75 human diseases. The D. melanogaster genome shows a similarity in DNA or protein sequences with over 75% of identified human disease genes. The backbone of all Drosophila research is the identification and exploration of mutants, which serve as a living resource for a large number of investigators. At the conclusion of these studies, important mutants and lines must be maintained for the same reasons that data are archived and taxonomic type specimens are stored to allow future corroboration and extension of findings. Successful cryopreservation will significantly increase the utility of the Drosophila model, and reduce the costs associated with the maintenance of resource-intensive, live specimen centers.

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"For Moss, It's All Not that Easy to Find Love," Las Vegas Sun, February 27, 2006

In more than 10 years of searching, UNLV biosciences professor Lloyd Stark and James Shevock, a botany expert at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, have identified about 250 distinct moss species in Nevada. The scientists, part of a small team of rare plant enthusiasts, named their effort the Nevada Moss Collecting Initiative - and insist it's nowhere near complete. "People are just starting to realize that we're dealing with something special," said Stark. "If the rare ones go, I think we lose something."

Read the full article.

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Biologists on UNLV TV

The research of UNLV College of Sciences biologists Steve de Belle and Steve Roberts was highlighted on an episode of UNLV's public affairs television program, "Campus Connections"

For the past three years, de Belle and Roberts have been studying the brains of fruit flies to determine how environmental stress can impact early brain development and behavior in humans. Together they have determined that exposing flies to such stress during their larvae and pupa stages compromised the insects' ability to mediate learning and memory as adults. The research demonstrates for the first time that stress not only creates an anatomical change in organisms but a behavioral one as well.

"Campus Connections" is broadcast on Cox Cable channel 70. The program airs Sundays at 7:30 p.m. and Mondays at 7:00 p.m.

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New Investigator Awards (NIA) for Adam Simon and Helen Wing

Two College of Sciences faculty members, Adam Simon (assistant professor of Geoscience) and Helen Wing (assistant professor of Biosciences) received highly competitive NIA grants from the Division of Research and Graduate Studies. Brief summaries of their projects are provided.

Adam Simon:

Assistant Professor Andrew Simon will extend the understanding of petroleum migration at La Popa, Columbia with knowledge then applied to other basins, by performing a detailed fluid inclusion study on samples collected through the entire column of the sedimentary basin. This work will complement and develop collaborations with UNLV faculty members (Andrew Hanson, Brenda Buck and Ganqing Jiang) and members of the Institute of Tectonic Studies (Kate Giles and Tim Lawton) at New Mexico State University. Simon will collect samples during a trip to La Popa in March, 2006. Sample collection is crucial to this study and Simon's expertise in fluid inclusions and sample selection, in collaboration with the aforementioned researchers, will provide a full representation of all mineral content in the sedimentary basin.

Simon will conduct fluid inclusion analysis on the samples at UNLV using equipment in Professor Jean Cline's laboratory. This analysis requires impregnation of all samples, cutting the samples into small wafers on the order of 1 millimeter thick, and multi-stage alumina polishing of both sides of each wafer. These analyses involve petrographically identifying petroleum-bearing fluid inclusions using both plane and ultraviolet (UV) light. Detailed mapping of fluid inclusion populations in each sample will be performed using standard petrographic techniques as well as cathodoluminescence (CL) imagining in the Electron Microanalysis and Imaging Laboratory (EMIL) at UNLV.

Petroleum-bearing fluid inclusions are commonly trapped at temperatures up to 200°C and upon cooling and uplift to Earth's surface, the temperature drop causes the original single-phase fluid to undergo phase changes, and separate (e.g., oil and water, oil and gas). Microscopic analyses of fluid inclusions using UV light source permit the determination of the gravity of fluid inclusions. The chemical composition of select fluid inclusion samples will be determined by crushing fluid inclusion-bearing minerals inside a vacuum chamber connected to four quadrupole mass spectrometers. The released fluids are pumped through the mass spectrometers and molecular compounds are identified from their mass-to-charge ratio. These data, combined with pressure-temperature trapping conditions, will provide initial constraints on petroleum migration in the La Popa Basin. The constructed pressure-temperature-time-composition model will be applicable to similar basins (e.g., Nevada) throughout the world.

Helen Wing:

On average a human body is comprised of ten times more bacterial cells than human cells. This incredible fact demonstrates the frequency with which bacteria interact with human cells, and emphasizes the importance of understanding the molecular interactions that occur during bacterial-host interactions.

Dr. Wing's laboratory studies the causative agent of bacillary dysentery in humans, Shigella flexneri. In this project, Wing focuses on a Shigella protease (an enzyme that catalyzes the splitting of proteins into smaller peptide fractions and amino acids) and related proteins that are found in the outer membrane of other bacteria that cause disease. Wing's novel comparative approach will generate data that will improve our understanding of the role that bacterial proteases play in the disease process. These findings will have important implications for the disciplines of medical science, agriculture, biotechnology, and general biology.

In addition, this project will foster collaborations with Dr. Sam Miller at the University of Washington, who works on the Salmonella protease PgtE, and Dr. Timo Kukkonen at the University of Finland, who works with the Yersinia pestis protease Pla. Collaborative research such as this is an essential and highly regarded aspect of every academic career. Furthermore, this project will increase research opportunities for undergraduates in the Department of Biological Sciences. This is an important aspect of undergraduate training, since it allows students to experience science 'hands-on' and to fully appreciate the relevance of their lecture based courses. It is anticipated that Wing's research will lead to a single publication with multiple undergraduate co-authors and be presented by undergraduates at relevant local and national meetings over the next 12-18 months.

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College of Sciences Spring 2006 Newsletter

The Spring 2006 College of Sciences Newsletter will be mailed to alumni, friends, university administrators, and others in early March, and will also be available in the dean's office and in departmental offices. This issue includes stories on associate professor of geoscience Brenda Buck's research in the Atacama Desert of Chile, news from Dean Ron Yasbin, an alumni profile of Dr, Begum Ozel (Mathematics, '94), information on our Pre-Health Advising Program, and news on faculty research grants. Additional items highlight a university forum lecture, our honor roll of donors, and early plans for the Mathematics and Science Education Building.

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"Rebel Science: Professor Brings Fresh Ideas to Water Management," by Lora Griffin (The Rebel Yell,February 13, 2006)

One of the most prevalent concerns for Las Vegas valley residents is the availability of water for an ever-growing population. Many home owners use water-saving faucets and shower heads or drip sprinklers in addition to watering on suggested watering days as their contribution to the city's water conservation program. These are proven ways to help stretch existing water supplies, but Dr. Dale A. Devitt, UNLV Director of Urban Water Conservation, said the valley community can do better.

Read the complete article.

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"Rebel Science: Sinkholes Help Determine Hazards," by Lora Griffin (The Rebel Yell, February 6, 2006)

A last minute replacement speaker for the Geological Society of Nevada (GSN) meeting held in LFG 102 Jan. 26 brought with him intriguing new research that takes a close look at the face of Southern Nevada.

Dr. Brett McLaurin, a Postdoctoral Scholar in UNLV's geoscience department, peaked the interest of many attending scientific professionals with research findings related to a peculiar type of underground structure. These structures are located in areas of critical environmental concern locally and could cause damage to homes and businesses as population growth puts ever increasing demands on available land. McLaurin's presentation, "The Role of Faulting in Evaporite Karst Development, Southern Nevada," was a brief overview of the extensive data which he has collected since he first came to UNLV in September 2004.

His research, conducted in cooperation with the UNLV geophysics group led by Dr. Catherine Snelson, focused on how faults, which are large fractures in layers of rock, may play a role in potentially dangerous karst development locally.

These faults may extend hundreds of meters below the surface around Las Vegas and are abundant. McLaurin and his team suggest that water is traveling through these cracks and coming into contact with mineral deposits that are easily dissolved, creating karst features that can collapse suddenly, leaving large depressions in the surface.

Karst is characterized by areas with circular sinkholes and underground caverns and is thought to be made up of relatively dense limestone or other carbonate material.

In contrast, McLaurin studies karst formations made primarily of gypsum or halite. These rocks have a very different chemical composition from limestone and are much less stable when exposed to water.

Limestone has calcium carbonate chemistry (CaCO3) that is most often formed by the accumulation of the remains of aquatic life, like small shelled animals or mollusks, which died millions of years ago and became buried. Once buried at depth, the pressure of the surrounding rocks squeezes the huge quantities of shelly organisms into the dull gray stratigraphic layers seen striping the hills today.

Gypsum, on the other hand, is a hydrated calcium sulfate (CaSO4 - 2H2O) and halite is sodium chloride (NaCl), better known as table salt, and these were formed when water begins to evaporate. The chemicals within the water become more and more concentrated as a result of the evaporation process. This layer of sediment is buried and subjected to pressure by surrounding rocks for millions of years, which produce these abundant minerals.

Another remarkable difference between these substances is that limestone is a relatively hard stone by comparison and when cut by underground streams and water flow, can often sustain cavernous compartments over long periods of time. Gypsum and halite are much softer minerals that dissolve more easily in water and usually lack the tensile strength to support large open cavities, or caves, underground. Therefore, as water works its way through fractures, or faults, in the stratigraphy, it weakens the structure of the surrounding area and large, flat-bottomed depressions called sinkholes form on the surface.

These sinkholes (karst features) can be found peppering the terrain around Clark County and can develop rapidly without warning, creating a natural hazard, McLaurin said. His studies hope to determine which of the sinkholes are actively developing and which are stable, or in the fossil stage, and filling in again at the surface with new sediment.

Much of the research conducted was concentrated on the Devil's Throat and Lake Mead Fault System. The Devil's Throat is a large sinkhole about 30 meters wide and 55 meters deep, located just south of the Virgin Mountains in eastern Nevada. Seven other similar karst formations have been located using ground work and aerial photographs. The largest of these features is over 100 meters across and easily visible from the air.

With the help of the geophysics group, ground penetrating radar (GPR), seismic reflection/refraction profiling and magnetic imaging were utilized in an effort to better understand the make-up of these geologic mysteries.

GPR readings indicated that the initial field observations were correct by showing silt and clay bedding that dip toward the center of these circular depressions.These sedimentary layers would have been deposited atop the gypsum or halite over time and slumped downward when the sinkhole developed.

Seismic and magnetic imaging was used to try to confirm the location of inferred faults and correlate these with the location of gypsum deposits identified using geologic maps and satellite imagery. This information could prove critical to understanding local fault systems, underground water flow and the effects of both on sinkhole development and its impact on the surrounding area.

As the city grows and stretches its boundaries, demands on the land will become increasingly heavy, and this research could be a useful tool in planning future communities safely and assessing existing hazards more.

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Nevada Donor Network Organ & Tissue Donation Services

The National Marrow Donor Program took place on February 21st and 22nd, from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., at the Moyer Student Union (MSU). Hosted by Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), the Pre-Health Honor Society for UNLV undergraduates pursuing careers in medicine, dentistry, and other health fields, this drive assists volunteers in registering as organ and tissue donors and provides valuable information about these programs that help save hundreds of thousands of people each year.

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Geoscience Colloquia

On February 1, 2005, Professor David Loope, University of Nebraska, Lincoln spoke on the topic, "Records of Seasonality and Climate Change in Eolian Sandstones."

Dr. Duane Moser of the Desert Research institute (DRI) presented a talk on February 15th in LFG 102 entitled, "Explorations of Earth's Subsurface Biosphere via the Ultradeep Mines of South Africa."

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Mathematics Colloquium

On Friday, February 24th, in CBC 122 Richard Schori, Oregon State University, professor emeritus and UNLV, adjunct professor offered a presentation entitled, "Inside Web Based Calculus I at UNLV."

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Physics Forums

On Friday, February 17th, in BPB 217 Professor Roman Krems from the Department of Chemistry at the University of British Columbia presented a talk entitled, "Molecules near absolute zero and external field control of molecular dynamics." He reviewed the current state of the art in the field of cold and ultracold molecules and demonstrated that chemical reactions, inelastic collisions and dissociation of molecules at subKelvin temperatures can be manipulated with external electric or magnetic fields.

On Friday, February 24th Dr. Tomek Plewa from the University of Chicago presented a talk in BPB 217 entitled, "Detonating Failed Deflagrations of Type I-a Supernovae."

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New Research Center at UNLV to Study Earthquake Hazards

UNLV issued a press release concerning the UNLV Applied Geophysics Center (APG).

Read the full text.

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Geoscience Team "Races for a Cure"

One in seven women will be stricken with breast cancer in her lifetime. Robyn Howley, Amy Brock, Kim Johnson, and Cathy Snelson comprise a Geoscience team that will participate in the Komen Las Vegas Race for the Cure?, to raise money to fund education, screening, and treatment programs for these women and thousands of others in our own community and to support the national search for a cure. The Komen Race for the Cure? Series is the largest series of 5K run/ walks in the world. Since its origination in Dallas in 1983, the Komen Race for the Cure? Series has grown from one local race with 800 participants to an international series of 115 races with more than 1.3 million participants.

Click here for more information.

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Submit Your News Stories

The College of Sciences E-Newsletter is published on or about the first of each month. Please submit news items via email by the fifteenth of each month, for consideration. You may send your submissions to: Bill Brown, Director of Development (william.brown@unlv.edu).

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