The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recently funded a Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant to the Department of Biological Sciences, Kean University. Dr. Eric Boehm served as the PI, with departmental colleagues Dr. Sylvio Codella, Dr. Brian Teasdale and Dr. Daniela Shebitz, serving as Co-PIs, and Dr. Jeff Fasick, Dr. Farshad Tamari and Dr. Matt Mongeli serving as co-participants. The title of the grant is Instrumentation for the establishment of a Molecular Ecology and Biosystematics Laboratory (MEBL) within the Department of Biology, Kean University.

Dr. Eric Boehm, Assistant Professor of Microbiology, has an active research program involving undergraduate students, designed to expose biology students to state-of-the-art scientific methodologies to understand the evolution and phylogeny of the fungi. The research program, including student involvement and associated publications, is available on-line at http://www.eboehm.com/.

Major equipment funded by the NSF MRI includes a DNA sequencer and genetic analyzer, a walk-in plant growth chamber, a spectrophotometer, real-time PCR detection system, and associated instrumentation. The research and research training of students to be conducted in the new MEBL will focus on the use of DNA sequence information to address a broad range of questions related to the molecular ecology and biosystematics of plant-associated microfungi, marine macroalgae, melanthiaceous angiosperms, and hymenopteran insects in urban ecosystems. In short, the MEBL will train future life scientists seeking to enter industry, academia, or secondary education at Kean University. Additionally, the laboratory will support cross-disciplinary collaborative research between the Biology, Chemistry and Computer Sciences departments. It will also serve as a foundation for the development of a new set of curricula specifically focused on the acquisition and analysis of DNA sequence information. Additionally, the MEBL will support the undergraduate Honor’s Thesis Research Program and enable the Department of Biological Sciences to develop plans for a Master of Science degree program.

posted 9/16/09