At Mississippi College, the faculty of the department of biological sciences are dedicated to research. Choose a faculty member below to learn about their specific area of research:
Bill Stark, Ph.D.
My research interests include the systematics, phylogeny, and morphology of insects, particularly the aquatic insects such as stoneflies. Much of his research involves a comparative study of insect structures with scanning electron microscopy.
Stephanie Carmicle, Ph.D.
Metacognition is how and what we "think about our own thinking". My research seeks to understand the physiology of metacognition and ways to train students to improve it.
Angela Reiken, Ph.D.
Our research is multifaceted, with a broad focus on the effects of various naturally occurring and synthetic biologically active compounds on gene expression in different mammalian cell lines. Some areas of our explorations include the effects of compounds that cross the blood-brain barrier on glial cells in the human brain, chemicals capable of inhibiting cellular proliferation and activating apoptosis in tumorigenic and cancerous cells, and antioxidants known to protect cells by neutralizing DNA-damaging free radicals. Cell lines used in our research include CCF-STTG1 astrocytoma, MCF-7 breast ductal adenocarcinoma, Caco-2 colorectal adenocarcinoma, and Chinese hamster ovary K1, among others. Additionally, our research includes detection of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in human and mitochondrial DNA, protein fingerprinting, and bioinformatics.
Frank Hensley, Ph.D.
I use remote cameras, particularly time lapse cameras, to study spatial ecologies of vertebrates that have cryptic habits. I am particularly interested in the ecology of snakes but my students also use time lapse cameras to study the habits of other vertebrates. Time lapse photography can reveal activity patterns and habitat use that cannot be determined by other methods such as radiotelemetry or mark-recapture alone.
Jerry Reagan, Ph.D.
Our laboratory has two lines of investigation. The first uses Drosophila melanogaster as an animal model to test the hypothesis that changes in the overall nutritional status of Drosophila larvae provide a set of temporally distal cues that form the basis for adult phenotypic plasticity and the developmental origins of health and disease. We are especially interested in nutritional parameters that affect energy balance in the adult fly. This line of investigation will provide insight into two important topics related to human health and disease. First, it will shed light on the regulation of metabolic pathways that affect energy balance including adaptive responses that lead to excessive fat storage (obesity). Second, the experimental design allows us to address the role of fetal programming in establishment of adult phenotypes. The second line of investigation in our lab aims to determine how cholesterol or byproducts of endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis affect enzyme transport and activation within the secretory pathway of cultured mammalian cells. These studies will provide insight into basic mechanisms that regulate inter-organelle protein transport. In addition, they will shed light on the potential adverse effects of excess intracellular cholesterol accumulation in specific subcellular compartments.
Erin Norcross, Ph.D.
Dr. Bourassa’s lab currently focuses on neurocognitive abnormalities associated with anxiety disorders. By linking biomarkers of stress (such as cortisol, catecholamine release, and electrocardiographic data), psychological assessments of anxiety, assessments of cognitive function (such as attention and memory), and measurements of neurological function using electroencephalography (EEG), his lab is elucidating the mechanisms underpinning abnormal function in patients with anxiety disorders. Current projects include developing a diagnostic test for test anxiety that is neurocognitive-based and identifying neurological markers of attentional and memory biases to threatening information in patients with test anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder.
Erick Bourassa, Ph.D.
Dr. Bourassa’s lab currently focuses on neurocognitive abnormalities associated with anxiety disorders. By linking biomarkers of stress (such as cortisol, catecholamine release, and electrocardiographic data), psychological assessments of anxiety, assessments of cognitive function (such as attention and memory), and measurements of neurological function using electroencephalography (EEG), his lab is elucidating the mechanisms underpinning abnormal function in patients with anxiety disorders. Current projects include developing a diagnostic test for test anxiety that is neurocognitive-based and identifying neurological markers of attentional and memory biases to threatening information in patients with test anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder
Joseph Kazery Ph.D.
My research is an interdisciplinary area composed mostly of natural biology and chemistry. In this area we use analytical chemistry instrumentation to monitor concentrations of metals and metalloids in the environment through water, soils, and aquatic organism populations to provide an assessment of environmental health. We further identify the permissible limits to humans to assess risk to public health.
Jana Thoma Ph.D.
Primary research interests are focused on diversity and ecology of aquatic ecosystems. Thus, research conducted here typically falls within one of the following categories:
- Characterizing the abundance and distribution of microplastics in regional freshwater environment
- Using environmental DNA (eDNA) with traditional methods of surveying and species identification to examine the:
- community structure and trophic ecology at Choctaw Trails,
- the distribution of endemic and endangered crayfish of MS,
- temporal changes in community composition of mesophotic reefs and potential impacts of climate change,
- characterizing changes in invertebrate communities associated with climate-mediated shifts from salt marsh to mangrove habitats
- Determining the biodiversity and distribution of deep-sea sea fans using phylogenetic systematics.
