Through the Research Experience for Teachers in Biological Sciences (BIORETs) summer program at Converse University, middle school and high school teachers in South Carolina will have the opportunity to work in the research laboratories. Teachers will gain hands-on lab work experiences working side-by-side with scientists, will participate in professional development workshops, and have the opportunity to mentor high school students who are a part of the research program. Over the summer, teachers are will be mentored to develop at least one lesson plan they can implement in their classrooms during the following school year. Converse science and education faculty will serve as a resource for teachers and students throughout the school year.
We will select 6 teachers from South Carolina to participate in the Summer 2025 BIORETs cohort. All accepted teachers must be science teachers who have a contract to teach during the 2025 school year. Priority will be given to teachers serving in the Spartanburg and Greenville County Public Schools. If you have questions about the program, please email research@converse.edu.
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.
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.
Griffin Laboratory – Exploring how specific cellular trafficking mechanisms result in plaque deposition characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease; Examining the effect of dental microbes on neurodegeneration in C. elegans models of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
I am Dr. Ed Griffin. My research focuses on how distinct parts of the infrastructure in a neuron work together in response to neurodegenerative disease. In my lab, we use an organism called C. elegans, a metazooan that grows to 1mm in length at adulthood, yet has a robust nervous system. While teaching, I focus on the governing principles of phenomena and how they apply in myriad ways. In the research lab, I extend this to include the reasoning behind the process of research – how the hypothesis is the center of any scientific work, how we organize our controls and variables in the best way to test the hypothesis, and how we communicate most effectively to describe it. We will be working closely with 3 undergraduate researchers applying modern tools of bacterial culture, genetic manipulation, and neuronal analysis.
I will have two projects available for the STARS Teachers of South Carolina:
1. Exploring how specific cellular trafficking mechanisms result in plaque deposition characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Examining the effect of dental microbes on neurodegeneration in C. elegans models of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
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. Caffeine is an adenosine antagonist, in other words, it prevents your natural adenosine from working. This summer, we are going to try to reverse the effect, to slow down temporal perception, by giving extra adenosine. You will be working closely with two undergraduate students and 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 rats and injections.
