The Annual Summer Research, coined by  Dr. Joe Skrivanek, is an integral component

 of the RSVP Program.  Each year, many RSVP and Bridges students from the six collaborating community colleges  and Purchase College  attend the annual  summer research.   The 2006 Summer Research Program took place from June 5 to July 7. The thirty students in attended. The research  was led by ten faculty members from the School of Natural Sciences . In addition to the laboratory work, field work, canoe trip and hike, the program included weekly lectures.  Scientists from surrounding research institutions and pharmaceutical companies were keynote speakers. The summer research concluded with the annual symposium on July 7.  Students with their research mentors presented their findings. The Purchase College administrators, faculty members, students and families were there. Again, Theresa James and office assistants, Nicole Claiborne and Junie Bertrand, creatively provided a diverse meal featuring the likes of three different cultures : Jamaican, Mexican, and East Indian cuisines.

Since the inception of the Bridges Program in 2000, 95 students have participated. Over 85 students have received their Associate’s degrees and over 25 students have now completed their Bachelor’s degrees. Of those students completing BA/BS degrees, about half of them are in graduate or professional school and the other half are working in the biomedical field. The Bridges Program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is also a part of the summer research. Last summer, 31 students participated in various researches as follows:

Dr. George Kraemer team included Marcus Landrum (Rockland Community College), Nicole Mazor (Rockland Community College), Kareim Satherswaite (Rockland Community College) and Richard Wrancher (Orange County Community College).  Their research was based on the understanding in controls of the distribution  of the invasive Asian Shore Crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus at Read Wildlife Sanctuary in Rye, New York.  The group worked collaboratively with four different topics:

• Where is Hemigrapsus found within the intertidal zone, and how has the population grown over time?

• Can we use a simple model of substrate dimensions to predict Hemigrapsus abundance?

• Do the surface area-to-volume ratios of Hemigrapsus in the middle and high intertidal zones match what’s expected?

• What are the sex-based and ontogenetic differences in morphology, and how strong a “bite” are these      crabs capable of?

Molecular Detection of Crenarchaeota

 Dr. James Daly’s team included Claude Addo (Westchester Community College) Crystal Gray (Sullivan County Community College) David Hernandez (Orange County Community College) and Saratu Mohammed (Sullivan County Community College)    Dr. Daly's microbiology lab  used modern molecular biology to search for some unusual bacteria, Crenarchaeota in the local Purchase, New York environment. Using PCR and specific oligonucleotide primers, they examined local terrestrial and marine environments for the presence of these ususual bacteria. Until recently, these organisms have only been found in extreme environoments but recent research has shown that they may be in many non-extreme locals influencing the local ecology.

A Habitat Study of Bog Turtle Populations

Dr. Jim Utter’s team included  Jeannette Green (Sullivan County Community College) and Melissa Fleckenstein (Sullivan County Community College) Movements of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina)in an Agricultural LandscapeChristopher Titus (Sullivan County Community College).

The Eastern Box turtle is a brightly colored terrestrial tortoise whose populations are declining because human land use results in significant habitat degradation and loss.  In New York State it is now listed as a Special Concern Species.  During the bog turtle study described by Green and Fleckenstein, four box turtles were encountered at one of the research sites; this provided an opportunity to study (1) the possible habitat overlap of these two species and (2) the movements of box turtles through the diverse landscape of this 110 acre farm. 

Identifying Older Adult Drivers At Risk Using Neuropsychological Evaluation

Dr. Zook’s  team included Marie Pierre (Sullivan County Community College), Amy Aquilina (Rockland Community College) and John Jemmott (Dutchess Community College). This team did two studies.     First study compared two versions of an executive function task called the Tower of London. There have been inconsistent findings within psychology literature as to whether computer versions of neuropsychological tasks are equivalent to manual versions of the same tasks. It is hypothesized that the computerized and manual versions of the Tower of London task are not interchangeable and that there will be a discrepancy in performance scores within individuals on the computerized versus manual versions of the Tower of London task.

     The second study involved analyzing data on the role of executive functions in driving competence in healthy older adults. They were interested in which cognitive factors, for example executive functions, are predictive of driving ability. In the past, there has been a misconception that sensory rather than cognitive factors cause a decline in driving abilities in this population. It is hypothesized that executive functions may be predictive of driving competence and should be part of neuropsychological batteries used to assess driving ability.

Extraction of Anti-Fungal Compounds from Four Northeastern Plants

Dr. Bellevue’s team included , Laura Torres (Sullivan Community College), Ashley Terry (Rockland Community College), Shiny Thomas (Rockland Community College) and Devin Caswell (Dutchess Community College).    This team spent their time looking for new antifungal drugs.  With an increase in fungal infection and a lack of good drugs, new agents are needed.  The work involved investigating plants to see if they contain any compounds that are active against fungi such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger.  Plant extracts that showed activity will be further investigated to isolate and identify the active component, and used to develop new drugs.              

Use of Lipid Analysis to Study the Effect of Fatty Acids on Cancer Cell Proliferation

Dr.  Skrivanek and Tillotson  included Junie Bertrand (Rockland Community College), Hannah Ewart (Purchase College), Mary Gomez (Dutchess Community College), Katarina Jansen (Dutchess Community College), Luis Jusino (Dutchess Community College), Ryan Roach (Purchase College), Velgan Rodriguez (Sullivan County Community College), Jennifer Tulley (Nassau Community College), John Vega (Dutchess Community College).

This team examined the effects of fatty acids on cancer cell proliferation using lipid analysis.  This involved tissue culture, MTT assay, harvesting, thin layer chromatography (TLC), and gas chromatography (GC). The goal of this project is to better understand the types of lipids found in cells after various treatments with fatty acids.  Another is to understand the mechanism for cell death and proliferation after each type of treatment.

A Study of the Cuticular Compounds of Drosophila paulistorum

Dr. Chao and Ehrman ‘s team included  Daniel Brandt (Dutchess Community College), Adrian Ponce (Sullivan County Community College), Aubrey Raimondi (Dutchess Community College) and Douglas Stuart (Dutchess Community College).

This spent their time determining the moleculare structure and pheromonal acitivty of the components of the cuticular hydrocarbons of the six semispecies of fruit fly Drosophila paulistorum.

All summer research work must include some fun activities

In addition to the daily laboratory and field research, students and faculty participated in community events such as canoe trips in the Great Swamp, hiking at Pound Ridges Reservation, several guest lectures, as well several barbecues. Photos of various activities are below.  The 2006 Summer research Program concluded with our 2006 Symposium at which the students presented the results of their research in PowerPoint and poster format.

Dr. Mark Condon, coordinator

for Dutchess Community College lecturing.

 Students and Faculty on

   the Pound Ridge hike                                                          

                                                                   Students and Faculty

                                                                  on the Great Swamp   Canoe trip

2006 RSVP & Bridges Summer Symposium