Tuesday, November 22, 2016
12:30–1:30 pm
Science Complex, Physics Building, Room 101
Abstracts:
Dr. Benny Chan, Department of Chemistry:
Fundamental Redox Chemistry for the Recycling of Nuclear Wastes and Electronics
Uranium and Cerium are huge waste products in our modern age. As we continue our quest for power and gadgets, we will be generating additional problems with the waste. By using fundamental redox chemistry, we can begin to understand how to rationally design new compounds, some with potential applications, some for fundamental research.
Dr. Leeann Thornton, Department of Biology:
Boosting the biochemical arsenal- examining enzymes involved in plant responses to insect feeding
Plants are not able to flee, be it from too much sun or hungry insects. Yet, plants do sense adverse conditions and produce chemicals such as dark pigments to cope with bright sun or toxins to deter feeding insects. Global food security is an increasing concern for humanity, and my research objective is to contribute information on how plants efficiently respond to stress so that plant scientists can continue to improve food production around the world. My work at TCNJ explores a biochemical component of plant-insect defense in a model plant (Arabidopsis), and I requested sabbatical leave to expand that work to a crop plant (corn). In order to perform the initial labor-intensive genetic work for studying corn-insect interactions, I needed to work full time at an agriculture university. With the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at Cornell University, I participated in two corn growth seasons and had access to a large greenhouse. I furthered my Arabidopsis project and produced corn seeds to bring back to TCNJ for further analysis with my research students. I developed genetic material for me to test plant stress responses in corn and Arabidopsis.
Plants are not able to flee, be it from too much sun or hungry insects. Yet, plants do sense adverse conditions and produce chemicals such as dark pigments to cope with bright sun or toxins to deter feeding insects. Global food security is an increasing concern for humanity, and my research objective is to contribute information on how plants efficiently respond to stress so that plant scientists can continue to improve food production around the world. My work at TCNJ explores a biochemical component of plant-insect defense in a model plant (Arabidopsis), and I requested sabbatical leave to expand that work to a crop plant (corn). In order to perform the initial labor-intensive genetic work for studying corn-insect interactions, I needed to work full time at an agriculture university. With the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at Cornell University, I participated in two corn growth seasons and had access to a large greenhouse. I furthered my Arabidopsis project and produced corn seeds to bring back to TCNJ for further analysis with my research students. I developed genetic material for me to test plant stress responses in corn and Arabidopsis.
