Melita Wiles
Science and Environment Editor
James West, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
What areas of research are you involved in?
I mostly study how cells and organisms protect themselves against the stress caused by molecules, like hydrogen peroxide and environmental conditions, like excessive heat. These stresses can damage proteins in cells, and the work that my lab does has helped elucidate how cells ward off damage in the first place and how they correct protein damage when it occurs.
How long have you been working on these specific projects?
I have been working in this area since I was in graduate school in the early 2000s, although after a few years at Wooster, I switched to studying these problems with a Baker’s yeast model system. The Baker’s yeast model has many advantages – it’s easily manipulated from a genetic standpoint, cheap, and fast-growing, plus there are many tools readily available in the field to aid in making new discoveries.
Do you work with students on these projects, whether it be I.S. or summer research?
Yes – I have been fortunate to work with about 75 undergraduates on research projects related to my long-term interests – either through the sophomore research program or in Senior I.S. – over the past thirteen years. Many of these students are co-authors on papers with me.
Have you ever traveled anywhere exciting for your research?
My work is mostly at a lab bench rather than at exotic field sites. That being said, I’ve been able to spend parts of my research leaves in Houston, Texas; Jupiter, Florida; and Winston-Salem, NC and attend conferences at sites all over the U.S., in the Tuscany region of Italy; in Barcelona, Spain; and in Newcastle, England. The international meetings have given an opportunity to travel around each of those countries for a few weeks each.
What other research interests do you have that you have not pursued yet?
The stress defense mechanisms that my group studies are found in multiple compartments within cells, but we have mainly focused on those systems located in the cytosol. We are just beginning to interrogate how similar systems function in different cellular compartments, like mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum.
Sharon Lynn, Professor of Biology, Neuroscience
What areas of research are you involved in?
My research is in the overlapping fields of behavioral endocrinology and environmental endocrinology. This means that I am interested in understanding the interplay of hormones and behavior, and also in understanding the ecological relevance of hormone-behavior relationships. So, my research focuses on both how and why hormone-environment interactions work the way they do. For most of my career, I have conducted my work in both free-living and captive songbirds, though I have also focused some of my work on mammals, including humans.
How long have you been working on these specific projects?
I have been working on this population of bluebirds since 2006. All of my work on this population has fit into the broad area of environmental endocrinology, and the kinds of research questions I’ve asked over the years have all been related to some extent. But my specific focus on the interactions of maternal care, early life experience, and development of the stress response began in 2012. Each year, my students, collaborators and I add a new angle to help us to better understand these interactions.
Do you work with students on these projects, whether it be I.S. or summer research?
Lots of Wooster students have been involved in this research. The fieldwork is always conducted in the late spring and through the summer, because that is when the birds breed. So I’ve worked with a lot of summer research students, including quite a few who have gone on to do their I.S.s with the bluebirds.
Have you ever traveled anywhere exciting for your research?
I have definitely been to some remarkable places to pursue my songbird research over the years. For example, my work has allowed me to spend time in beautiful field sites in Washington, Montana, California, Alaska, and Ecuador. The bluebird work keeps me busy in Ohio, and I am lucky to have a local population to work with. But, because the research questions I ask aren’t specific to only bluebirds, I have had many opportunities to travel and work with lots of different songbird species.
What other research interests do you have that you have not pursued yet?
I find that I’m always thinking of new questions that relate to hormones and behavior—hormones are fascinating, and it’s hard for me to turn off that fascination sometimes. I’ve been lucky to have the support to pursue quite a lot of the questions I’ve found interesting over the years—including recent projects focused on humans and other mammals. At the end of this academic year, I will start a research leave where I’ll be collaborating with a colleague in Alaska to study the thyroid hormone system in the bluebirds using feathers for analysis.
Laura Degroot, Professor of Physics
What areas of research are you involved in?
My research is in astrophysics and focuses on galaxy formation and evolution. Specifically, I study galaxy morphology, the structural properties of observed galaxies, and aim to understand how galaxy structure changes with cosmic time. Some of my current research projects include understanding how the disks and halos of galaxies form as a galaxy evolves, as well as the connection between morphology and other galaxy properties throughout time.
How long have you been working on these specific projects?
I have been studying galaxy morphology since I was a graduate student at UC Riverside. My work on galaxy halos has been ongoing for the last 6 years, working in collaboration with the haloes and environments of nearby galaxies (HERON) Project. The study of galaxy disk formation is a more recent project that I began with my collaborator at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) about two years ago, building off some of our previous work.
Do you work with students on these projects, whether it be I.S. or summer research?
Of course! I love getting students involved in my research. I have worked and continue to work with students for SOREP, junior and senior IS, as well as summer research on these projects.
Have you ever traveled anywhere exciting for your research?
Many astronomical observations are made with ground-based telescopes. As a graduate student, I was given the opportunity to travel to the big island of Hawaii to observe using the Keck telescope. Also when I was a graduate student, I received a travel grant to go to India for about 7 weeks to work with my collaborator and learn as much as I could about galaxy morphology research. My main travel now includes going to Baltimore to STScI to work with a collaborator, and perhaps some day traveling for conferences again. I last attended the American Astronomical Society (AAS) annual meeting in January 2020, which took place in Honolulu.
What other research interests do you have that you have not pursued yet?
I am very interested in physics education research. A few years ago, Dr. Susan Lehman and I restructured the introductory calculus physics labs based on physics education research from the Cornell Physics Education Research Lab led by Dr. Natasha Holmes. The focus on active learning is so incredible to me, and I would love to eventually get more involved in this type of work.
