Dr. Mary E. Morrison
Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Lycoming College
700 College Place, Williamsport, PA 17701
office phone (570) 321-4184
email Morrison@lycoming.edu
Research Summary:
Dr. Morrison was the recipient of a National Science
Foundation Support of Mentors and Students (SOMAS) award for summer 2006
research with undergraduates.
Areas of interest include cell biology, neuroscience,
developmental biology, virology, and biology education for nonmajors. Possible
research projects for undergraduates include:
1) Cell
biology of the brain: Granule neuron regulation of Purkinje cell development
2)
Molecular biology of the brain: Gene expression changes and signaling events
during development of the cerebellum
3) Mammalian Genetics:
effects of mutations on mouse brain development
4) Biotechnology:
developing methods for gene transfer into neurons
|
Images from research projects: |
|
 Purkinje cell
(brown) cultured with granule neurons for 14 days; stained with anti-Calbindin-D28k/peroxidase. Note the branching
dendrites and numerous small, thornlike spines. |
Purkinje and granule cells cocultured for 4 days; stained with:
anti-Calbindin-D28k/Cy3 (red), anti-BrdU/FITC (green), and Hoechst 33258
(blue). |
Rat cerebellum, postnatal day 1, Purkinje cells stained with
anti-Calbindin-D28k. Note small cell bodies and generally
disorganized Purkinje cell layer. |
Rat cerebellum, postnatal day 5, Purkinje cells stained with
anti-Calbindin-D28k. Note enlarging cell bodies and Purkinje cell
apical dendrites pointing toward the surface of the brain. |
Rat cerebellum, postnatal day 10, Purkinje cells stained with
anti-Calbindin-D28k. Note elaborate dendritic trees and Purkinje
cells lined up in a monolayer. |
Rat cerebellum, postnatal day 15, Purkinje cells stained with
anti-Calbindin-D28k. Note mature configuration of Purkinje cells
in a monolayer, with highly branched dendrites. |
MRC-5 lung fibroblast cells stained with anti-vimentin antibody/Alexa
488, by AJ Willouer for a Cell Biology class research project |
HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells stained with anti-vimentin antibody/Alexa
488, by AJ Willouer for a Cell Biology class research project |
| Images from the
Lycoming College Biology Department |
 |
|
Stamatis Zeris '06, independent study student, using the Nikon microscope |
Mary Gantz '06 and Ashley Campbell '08 working in Dr. Morrison's prep
room |
Betsy Reese '07 and Cynthia Smith '07 purifying white blood cells with
Ficoll gradients in Bio 347 Immunology lab |
Mary Gantz '06 on the Nikon microscope |
Sara Gavlock '07 and Jessica Bennett '08 programming the microplate
reader in Bio 347 Immunology lab |
Bio 106 students celebrating the end of their fermentation lab
experiment |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|