2013-Spring-DU-Magazine

DU Team Reports Breakthrough in Painful Bladder Syndrome
RESEARCh UpDATE
Dr. Ben Kolber, assistant professor of biological sciences and a member of the Chronic Pain Research Consortium, and his
team have made a breakthrough in their research of painful bladder syndrome (PBS).
Kolber and his team have discovered a direct link between PBS and the amygdala, an almond-sized area in the brain
linked to regulating emotions and stress reactions. In The Journal of Neuroscience, the team’s results showed that stimulating
the right amygdala can increase the body’s receptive responses to bladder distention. The team’s research suggests that a
pharmacological blockage of this stimulation will reduce PBS symptoms and help the lives of millions.
PBS causes frequent bathroom trips coupled with chronic pain and may be linked to stress, depression and autoimmune
disease. The syndrome affects between 4.7 and 9.4 million women in the U.S. alone.
Professor Awarded NEH
Fellowship to Complete Book
Dr. Greg Barnhisel, associate professor of English in the
McAnulty College, has been awarded a $50,400 fellowship
from the National Endowment for the Humanities to
complete his forthcoming book, Cold War Modernists.
“The book is about the use of experimental art in
American cultural diplomacy during the first decade of
the Cold War,” explains Barnhisel. “At the time, the U.S.
government supported book and magazine publication,
traveling art shows and also the Voice of America radio
shows with the aim of persuading audiences—particularly
intellectuals in Europe—that the United States had a really
thriving culture.”
Showcasing sometimes-challenging art and literature
caused conflict in the government, with some conservatives
in Congress unsupportive while a number of Department of
State officials called the works positive evidence of America’s
cultural freedom. Ultimately, Barnhisel feels the book will
make a case for the value of liberal democracy, freedom of
speech and artistic experimentation.
Cold War Modernists will be published by Columbia
University Press in 2014.
What’s in Your
Watershed?
A grant of $100,000 from Three Rivers
Quest, funded through the Colcom
Foundation of Pittsburgh, will allow a
team from the University’s Center for
Environmental Research and Education
(CERE) to monitor the water quality of
rivers in Allegheny and six other counties.
The team will engage in sampling river
water quality in the lower Allegheny River
and train local community groups and
watershed organizations to collect water
samples there as well.
NSF Grant Funds Atomic-
Level Exploration of
Semiconductors
Dr. Jennifer Aitken, associate
professor of chemistry, knows semiconductors
at their atomic level. Her studies of
semiconductor compounds used in everything from solar cells to
imaging equipment examine exactly how atoms are arranged.
This research has attracted a $431,000, three-year grant from
the National Science Foundation.
“I can use X-ray diffraction to see where the atoms actually are
located in a structure,” says Aitken. “You’re looking at something
nobody has looked at before.”
Semiconductors, which essentially replaced the onceubiquitous
vacuum tube, can be formed from many different
combinations, which create new materials.
The scientific discovery possible through this project is only
one of Aitken’s goals. Aitken, who initiated Duquesne’s awardwinning
Project SEED program, has made a point to provide
graduate and undergraduate students, even high schoolers,
opportunities to contribute.
“It’s important that we’re educating the next generation of
scientists,” says Aitken.
The study is related to land
disturbances and industrial discharges,
including those from Marcellus shale, as
well as sewer outfalls, says Dr. Stan Kabala,
associate director of CERE and principal
investigator. Working with Kabala on the
yearlong project are Dr. Brady Porter, fish
expert and associate professor of biological
sciences; Dr. John Stolz, CERE director
and professor of biological sciences; Dr.
Elizabeth Dakin, post-doctoral researcher
and instructor of biological sciences;
and Dr. Tetiana Kondratyuk, water
quality specialist. The project will also
provide a field opportunity for students
in the master’s of environmental science
program.
www.duq.edu 31