BIORETS: Research Experience for Teachers

• Opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research in neuroscience
• Opportunity to participate in professional development activities
• $10,000 stipend
  • $5,000 for completing the summer research and developing a classroom research project to implement in the following school year.
  • $2,500 for the implementation of the classroom project into their teaching.
  • $2,500 stipend for the presentation of the project and participation in the Converse STAR Teachers of SC Conference.
  • Reduced on-campus rate is available to residential teachers.
  • $2,000 for materials and supplies to implement the classroom research project.
  • Continuing Education Credit from Converse University.

• Each selected teacher will be placed with a Converse research team.
• 4 hours per week is dedicated to professional development activities as a cohort.
• 6 weeks engaging in research and professional development activities
• 1 hour/month follow up meeting with the education faculty and the principle investigator for lesson plan implementation.
• Attending at the Converse University Summer Research Symposium.
• Attend the Star Teachers of South Carolina Symposium at Converse University to share the implementation of content related to your summer experience.
• Submit a final, classroom-tested version of any lesson plans and associated content by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
• Priority will be given to teachers from Spartanburg and Greenville Country Public Schools.

Hannah Barnhill

Barnhill Laboratory – Enriching and modifying fluorescent proteins

Fluorescence in the red and near-infrared region has applications in in vitro and in vivo imaging due to deep penetration into tissues and little interference with the natural fluorescence of biological media. Red fluorescent proteins such as DsRed have been used as genetic reporters of protein expression, however some of these proteins form oligomers and have long maturation times which limit their use. As an alternative, Dr. Barnhill aims to purify red fluorescent proteins on a larger scale and chemically modify them using bioconjugate methods. Chemical reactions will be performed with red fluorescent proteins and cell or protein-binding motifs, polymers, or other fluorophores and their properties explored. The long-term aim of the project is to produce products that can be used for biomedical applications such as in vitro and in vivo fluorescent imaging.

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Mark Bohler

Bohler Laboratory – Rats in HATs

Hello! I am Dr. Mark Bohler, a recent PhD graduate from Virginia Tech where I studied neurological and endocrine regulation of appetite in birds. At Converse University, I study the effect that high ambient temperatures (HATs) have on appetite regulation in rats – aka: Rats in HATs. While teaching and conducting research, I emphasize the importance of understanding a response (the what), the mechanisms mediating that response (the how) and the reason that the response occurs given a certain stimulus (the why). In this program, we will explore how HAT affects appetite-related behaviors, and subsequently how a small portion of the brain regulates this response. We will focus on the region of the brain most responsible for feeding and stress behaviors, as well as temperature sensation and thermoregulation; the hypothalamus. You will be working closely with two undergraduate students to explore the neurological basis of appetite regulation in HAT exposed rats. You will also have opportunities to mentor high school students who are actively conducting research of their own at Converse University.

Note: Working in this laboratory environment includes the handling of animals, animal blood, and animal tissues.

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Richard Keen

Keen Laboratory – The Effects of Adenosine on Temporal Perception

My name is Dr. Richard Keen and I am chair of the Psychology Department at Converse University. For the past 25 years, I have worked on various projects focused on factors that affect your ability to perceive the passage of time. Have you ever sat in a one hour meeting that seemed to take three hours? Conversely, have you ever had such a good time that time appeared to just fly by? Various pharmaceuticals can cause similar effects as well. Our lab found that caffeine can speed up temporal perception. Recently, our lab has extended our research into the field of self-control because many measures of self-control involve a time-component. This summer, we are going to try to determine if adenosine’s effect on self control is due to changing one’s perception of time. You will be working closely with two undergraduate students who are actively conducting research of their own at Converse University.

Note: Working in this laboratory environment includes the handling of rats and injections.

Watch Dr. Keen in action