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Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant

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HHMI Grant
The University of Texas-
Pan American
1200 W. University Dr.
Edinburg, TX 78539
Fax: 956-384-5006

 

HHMI FACULTY MENTORS

The following faculty members have agreed to serve as mentors HHMI undergraduate research training in their laboratories. The purpose of this information is to make you aware of research interests of participating HHMI-mentors. Students may indicate their mentor preference on their application; however, placement with preferred mentor is not guaranteed.

If you are interested in applying for the HHMI research assistantship, you may contact potential mentors from their respective departments:

BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT MENTORS
Faculty Info Areas of Research
Hudson DeYoe
hdeyoe@panam.edu
956/381-3538
Room: 1.324
  • Study of anthropogenic effects on the Lower Laguna Madre
  • Physical, chemical and biological characterization of the Lower Rio Grande
  • Restoration of the Bahia Grande
  • Large scale macroalgal culture
Mohammed Farooqui
farooqui@panam.edu
956/380-3543
Room: 2.360
  • Metabolism and toxicity of nitriles in animal models
  • Biochemical mechanism of toxicity of nitriles in animal models
Zen Faulkes
zfaulkes@panam.edu
956/381-2614
Room: 2.364
  • Brain, behavior, and evolution in decapod crustaceans
  • Neural basis of settlement decisions in ascidian tadpole larvae
Teresa Patricia Feria,
tpferia@utpa.edu
(956) 292-7322
SCIE 2.328
  • Research interests: landscape ecology, ecological niche modeling, conservation
Brian Lund Fredensborg
blfredenbor@utpa.edu
(956) 292-7838
SCIE 2.320 (Office)
  • Host-parasite interactions, intertidal ecology, parasite ecology.
     
  • Impact of parasites on aquatic ecosystems through effects on host survival, reproduction and behavior.
Scott Gunn
sgunn@panam.edu
956/381-3540
Room: 1.360
  • Eukaryotic Genetics
  • Scope and mechanism of genomic and chromosomal evolution in selected mammals and their parasites
  • RAPD PCRs of ticks species
Anxiu Kuang
akuang@panam.edu
956/381-2953
Room: 1.340
  • Plant cellular structure and function
  • Electron microscopy
  • Plant physiology
  • Plant developmental biology
Johnathan Lieman
jlieman@panam.edu
956/381-3656
Room: 2.352
  • Role of Focal Adhesion Kinase in cell cycle regulation and apoptosis
  • Phosphatase control over E2F associated  apoptosis
  • Transcriptional regulation of apoptosis by the Rb/E2F pathway
  • Microsatellite marker analysis in schizophrenia
Kristine Lowe
klowe@panam.edu
956/380-8749
Room: 1.364
  • Microbial Ecology of Aquatic Ecosystems
  • Reduction of metals by naturally-occurring anaerobic bacteria
  • Characterization of natural microbial communities by traditional and molecular techniques (i.e., PCR, DNA isolation, DNA sequencing, protein profiles, phylogenetic profiles)
Dr. Andrew McDonald
amcdonald@utpa.edu 
(956) 381-2065
SCIE 3.114
  • The Plant Systematics program at UTPA investigates a variety of plant groups in distant reaches of the world and their economic promise.
  • Investigations of tropical plant diversity
  • Development of biofuel plants
  • Ethnopharmacology of plants
Luis Materon
lmateron@panam.edu
956/381-3657
Room: 1.344
  • Investigations on pathogenic bacteria on fruit and vegetables
  • Nitrogen fixation in legumes grown in the Rio Grande Valley
Michael Persans
mpersans@utpa.edu
956/292-7323
Room: 2.324
  • Studies of metal tolerance and hyperaccumulation in aquatic and terrestrial plants
  • Characterization of Cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in plant pathogen defense and herbicide metabolism
  • Use of remote sensing to assay the physiological effects of metal toxicity and pathogen damage to plants
Matthew Terry
mterry1@utpa.edu
956- 381-2064
SCIE 3.110 (third floor)
 
  • Evolution and development of morphological diversity in arthropods, with a focus on hexapods (insects).
Chistopher Vitek
vitekc@utpa.edu
956/381-2845
Room: 2.324
  • Medical entomology, focusing on vector biology, behavior,  and ecology
  • Biological and ecological factors influencing arbovirus transmission dynamics
  • Impact of habitat change on behavior, reproduction, and survival and mosquitoes
     
Fred Zaidan
fzaidan@panam.edu
956/292-7481
Room: 2.312
  • Time and energy allocation strategies in animals
  • Geographic variation in physiological traits
  • Hormone cycles in squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes)

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CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT MENTORS
Faculty Info Areas of Research
Hassan Ahmad
ahmadh@panam.edu
956/381-3372
Room: 3.316
  • Structure function relationship of proteins and enzymes
  • Biochemical mechanisms of cancer prevention by phytochemicals using animal and cell culture models
Bimal K. Banik
banik@panam.edu
956/382-3372
Room: 3.316
  • Design, synthesis and developing effective novel anticancer agents and beta-lactam antibiotics
  • Mechanism of action of the lead compounds against human cancer cell lines
  • Developing novel reactions for the synthesis of medicinally active agents
Narayan Bhat
nbhat@panam.edu
956/381-3373
Room: 3.316
  • Development of novel synthetic methodologies to synthesize new organic Compounds based on organometallic reagents
  • Applications to the novel synthesis of medicinal drugs
Joanna N. Rampersad-Ammons
jrampersad@utpa.edu
956/381-2097
Room: 3.360
  • Isolation and utilization of bacillus thuringiensis for the control of pests
  • Design/utilization of nucleic acid based diagnostic tests
  • Exploration of the microbial ecology (Oligliotrophic hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria) of the pitch lake in La Brea, Trinidad

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