SummEr/FAll 2011 - Nazareth College

“…few students in other undergraduate biology departments
have such free access to such a powerful instrument.”
cord—inside cultured mouse cells. The blue ovals with bright spots are
the DNA-rich nuclei within each cell. Kelly’s work suggests that actin
has a unique shape around and within the nucleus. Shaughna Szymanski
’11 used this microscope to explore how mouse cells store excess
fat, while Jessica Reeves ’11 showed that cells develop unusual
nuclear shapes in response to a potent chemical. Their work would not
have been possible at Nazareth even a year ago. Better yet, their work
provides a solid foundation for students and faculty at Nazareth to use
this new microscope to its fullest capacity in laboratory classes and in
collaborative research.
The idea for getting this kind of microscope at Nazareth started
years ago, on a sabbatical. One of many great things about teaching
at Nazareth is the opportunity for a sabbatical every seven years. So
far, I’ve had three sabbaticals: each has involved at least a semester
of research at the Jackson Laboratory, a world-class genetics research
institute in Bar Harbor, Maine. For a geneticist who wants to learn the
latest techniques and work with some of the greatest researchers, the
Jackson Lab is the place to go. My last two sabbaticals gave me the
opportunity to use those microscopes that can see inside cells in 3-D.
This technology was literally an eye-opener for me: I could see inside
the nuclei of cells (where genes are) in a radically different way. At
“The JAX,” as it is called, I watched chromosomes in trouble in mutant
mice and looked at a protein that seemed to hold certain genes close
to the wall of the cell’s nucleus.
Using these sophisticated microscopes made me wonder how my
students at Nazareth could see cells this way as well. Early in 2010,
Deborah Dooley ’75, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, asked
science faculty for suggestions for equipment for the new Integrated
Center for Math and Science—then only on the horizon but now under
construction. I suggested an optical-sectioning microscope much
like the one I had used at the Jackson Lab. Dean Dooley found the
funds for it, and Nazareth’s Information Technology Services provided
the computer that runs the microscope and produces its 3-D images.
By August of last year, the new microscope and its computer were
ready for our cell biology and senior research students. And by April
2011, Kelly, Shaunghna, and Jessica had used it to describe the shapes
of DNA, fats, and protein filaments inside cells in brilliant color and
accurate detail.
As far as I can tell, few students in other undergraduate biology
departments have such free access to such a powerful instrument.
Biology students Shaughna Szymanski ’11 (left) and Kelly Noble ’11 watch
as Dr. Matthew Temple reviews the details of setting illumination on the
department’s new optical-sectioning microscope.
Even better, for all of its complexity, it is a reasonably straightforward
instrument to operate and maintain. After a little training, my students
quickly mastered it and taught me a few new tricks for using it by the
end of their research projects. Its power and the images it produces
stimulate students and faculty to design innovative projects to explore
the spaces inside cells. Using this kind of sophisticated instrument enhances
the resumes of our students as they apply for graduate school
and research positions. In the short time we have had this exceptional
microscope, it has promoted excellent student research with our
biology faculty—and our students have the pictures to prove it.
Matthew Temple, Ph.D., is a professor of biology at Nazareth.
www.naz.edu CONNECTIONS | Summer/Fall 2011 29