B.S. in Neuroscience from Allegheny College, 2000
Ph.D. in Neuroscience from University of Arizona, 2006
Academic Positions
Visiting Assistant Professor / Bridge Scholar, Department of Biology, Denison University. Fall 2008 to present.
Postdoctoral and Cades Foundation fellow , Pacific Biosciences Research Center, Bekesy Laboratory of Neurobiology, University of Hawaii. Jan 2006-June 2008.
Lecturer, Department of Math and Sciences, Leeward Community College, University of Hawaii. Sept 2007-May 2008.
Teaching at Denison: Introduction to Neurophysiology (BIOL-349), NEUR
200: Introduction to Neuroscience, Cell
and Molecular Biology (BIOL-201), NEUR 400: Advanced Neuroscience
Research: My
current research is an extension of my postdoctoral work, where I examined the
development of myelin in copepods.Copepods are crustaceans that are widely distributed
across the world’s oceans and freshwaters and are important members of the food
web due to their small size and high protein content.At least half of the species of copepods
examined by the lab of Dan Hartline and Petra Lenz at
the University of
Hawaii were shown to
exhibit multi-layered sheaths, or myelin, surrounding their nerve fibers.In my research at U of H, I used transmission
electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and light
microscopy to examine the formation of myelin in one species of copepod, Bestiolina similis.In the adult copepod, nerve sheaths are
surrounded by concentric layers, rather than spiral layers as found in
vertebrates. Examination of the developing myelin revealed that these
concentric layers derive from single partial layers that exist at very young
stages of development. As the animal ages, more partial layers are added to
form stacks of myelin, and eventually these stacks merge to form the concentric
layers observed in older stages. These novel findings are currently being
prepared for publication.During my time
at Denison, I
hope to try to understand the origin of the copepod myelin by testing protein
markers that may be specific for different types of cells in the nervous
system.
I also am interested in sensory physiology, with a specific emphasis on how sensory information
is encoded and modulated in the brain. I use a diversity of approaches
integrating microscopy and electrophysiology, where the electrical activity of
individual or groups of neurons can be monitored in response to changes in both
the external and internal environment.I
also have a keen interest in the evolution of sensory systems, with a specific
focus on how ecological niches help determine sensory modifications from the
behavioral to the cellular level.
Publications:
More publication listings coming soon.
Wilson CH, Christensen
TA, Nighorn AJ. (2007) Inhibition of nitric oxide and soluble guanylyl cyclase
signaling affects olfactory neuron activity in the moth, Manducasexta., J
Comp Physio [A] 193(7): 715-728.
Cover illustration (below)
and Figure 4 in: Mocz G (2007) Fluorescent
Proteins and Their Use in Marine Biosciences, Biotechnology, and Proteomics. Mar Biotechnol 9 (305-328). Image is of
a marine copepod, Labidocera sp., and
illustrates the previously uncharacterized presence of Green Fluorescent
Protein (GFP) in that species.
