1.     Biology Research Experience Short course (BIOL 209)

 

The Biology Research Experience Short Course will be held at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratories (MDIBL) in Bar Harbor during the last week of winter break, Sunday to Friday, January 8-13, 2023.    

 

This week-long hands-on research experience will introduce students to research in molecular biology through the study of Bivalve Transmissible Neoplasia (BTN), a form of contagious cancer first described in steamers (Mya arenaria) and now affecting other marine bivalves in the USA and worldwide. Key concepts and techniques in diagnostic and molecular biology will be introduced through lectures, discussions, and an original research project aimed to identify infected clams.

 

Laboratory activities will include:

·      qPCR diagnostics

·      Genotyping

·      Light and fluorescence microscopy

·      Electroporation

·      Automated image analysis BTN quantification

·      Introduction to software packages and presentation resources

 

The course is free and open to all SMCC students who will have completed at least one science course. 

 

It is a residential course.  You will be provided housing at MDIBL and food during the week.  Funding for this course is provided through an INBRE grant from the National Institute of Health.

 

No prior research experience is required.  

 

There is an application and a selection process.  Click on this sentence to download a copy of the application.

 

Applications are due on November 12.

 

For more details, contact Elizabeth Ehrenfeld (EEhrenfeld@smccME.edu) or Daniel Moore (DPMoore@smccME.edu).

 

 

 

 

2.     Teaching Experience Short Course

 

Have you ever thought about teaching science or math as a career?  Here's an opportunity to see if it is the right choice for you!

 

A Teaching Experience Short Course will be held at Saint Joseph's College in Standish during the last week of winter break, Sunday to Friday, January 8-13, 2023.

 

This week-long course will introduce students to a concept in math and physics before learning about the pedagogy of teaching a math concept to students at the secondary level.  Some time may also be spent observing at a local middle school to watch teachers as they teach similar lessons to their students.  College students working in small groups will create a lesson plan and teach their math/physics lesson to middle school students.  The last day of the course will be a time to reflect on what worked and did not work during their teaching experience.

 

The course is free and open to all SMCC students who are taking math or science classes.  There is a $250 stipend for attending all five days of the course.

 

This is a residential course.  Housing and food will be provided at Saint Joseph's College.  Funding for this course is provided through a grant from the National Science Foundation.

 

No prior teaching experience is required.  

 

There is an application and a selection process.  Click on this link to access the application.  Go to GFSTM Activities > Teaching Experience Short Course > Apply Now.

 

Applications are due on December 1.

 

Contact Daniel Moore (DPMoore@smccME.edu) if you have any questions.

 

 

Watch for announcements in the spring!   There will be another Teaching Experience Short Course in May, shortly after spring semester ends.   The May Teaching Experience Short Course will teach concepts in chemistry or biology.

 

 

3.     On-campus research opportunities

 

Two courses focusing on an undergraduate research experience: BIOL 122 Genome Research and BIOL 127 Viral Genomics

 

These 2-credit courses are a part of a national undergraduate effort to isolate new viruses that infect bacteria.  From seawater, you will isolate a virus that infects bacteria, and you will learn to culture the virus and characterize it.  When enough of your virus has been isolated and purified, the DNA will be sequenced.  In the second semester, you will annotate the viral genome using software to align DNA sequences, identify genes, and determine the likely function of many of the proteins coded for by these genes.  This research project is done in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science Education Alliance.  Click on this link for more information about the collaboration.

 

For more information, contact the instructor Brian Tarbox (BTarbox@smccME.edu).

 

A state-wide collaboration to use environmental DNA to look at ecology: Maine eDNA.

 

Maine e-DNA is looking at Maine’s coastal ecosystems using environmental DNA (eDNA) This is a National Science Foundation funded EPSCoR grant that involves University of Maine Orono, University of Maine Machias, University of Southern Maine, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Maine Maritime Academy, Colby College, and Gulf of Maine Research Institute.  Click on this link for more information about Maine eDNA.

 

If you participate in this research effort, you are likely to interact with researchers from many of these places.

 

Monitoring eDNA is a cutting-edge emerging research technique. You will be trained and become involved in eDNA research.  Currently, efforts are underway to detect harmful algal blooms, white sharks, seals, and goose neck barnacles.  The barnacle project will assist Maine Sea Grant and the aquaculture industry in assessing new aquaculture products.

 

Does this sound interesting to you?   Contact Brian Tarbox (BTarbox@smccME.edu) for more information.

 

 

4.     Off-campus internships – during the school year or over the summer

 

Contact Elizabeth Ehrenfeld (EEhrenfeld@smccME.edu) or Daniel Moore (DPMoore@smccME.edu) for more information if you are interested in doing an internship.  There is a course in the Biotechnology program (BIOL 275) that will allow you to earn 2 college credits for doing an internship.

 

 

5.     Paid full-time summer fellowships in research laboratories in Maine and around New England

 

These summer fellowships will include a stipend (about $525 per week) for 8-10 weeks.

 

Locations where students have done fellowships in the past include Maine Medical Center Research Institute (MMCRI), University of New England, University of Southern Maine, Bowdoin College, Bates College, University of Maine in Orono, Mt Desert Island Biological Labs (MDIBL), and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.  

 

These fellowships fulfill the Biotechnology program internship requirement.

 

Contact Elizabeth Ehrenfeld (EEhrenfeld@smccME.edu) or Daniel Moore (DPMoore@smccME.edu) for more information.

 

6.     Apply for a Reseach Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Maine or anywhere in the USA

 

Watch this video of Nick Marquis, an SMCC student at the time, talking about his experience at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

 

You can apply through a national website.

 

 

Here is a link to the slides with information about the short courses and career panel. Click on the phrase.