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R-MC Biology Professor Traci Stevens, Ph.D. |
Randolph-Macon College Professor Traci Stevens, Ph.D., (biology) has received a five-year award of $880,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program. The program is a foundation-wide activity that offers the NSF’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.
“We are extremely proud of Professor Stevens and the fine work she does at the college,” said Randolph-Macon College President Robert R. Lindgren. “Her teaching and scholarship unequivocally qualify her for this much-deserved recognition. With this generous grant, Professor Stevens can continue her research and broaden the scope of the college’s connections with the R-MC community and beyond.”
Stevens’ project,
CAREER: Investigating Abl kinase signaling pathways that regulate actin dynamics during development, aims to characterize the molecular pathways that Abelson (Abl) kinases use to regulate cell migration and other actin-based processes
in vivo.
Stevens explains: “Our laboratory is interested in understanding the molecules that regulate cell migration,” she says. “The directed migration of cells is an essential process during development. Animals begin their life as a single cell, which multiplies to form a ball of cells. From this ball of cells, particular cells must migrate to targeted locations within the embryo, where they will specialize to become the tissues and organs that make up the adult body. Cell migration is a complex and highly regulated process that depends on the actin cytoskeleton. The actin cytoskeleton is composed of a ‘meshwork’ of actin filaments that underlie and support the cell membrane; thus, the shape of a cell is determined by the structure of the actin cytoskeleton. During cell migration, this meshwork of actin filaments is remodeled, which results in changes in cell shape and allows the cell to migrate. The overall goal of our research is to identify and characterize the proteins that regulate rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton. These studies will provide insight into the molecular details of cell behavior during complex developmental processes.”
Stevens is particularly excited that her research efforts will provide students with unique educational opportunities. “I want to provide more young scientists with hands-on research training and to inspire these students to pursue careers in basic research,” says Stevens. “Scientific training will be incorporated at the undergraduate level by providing additional opportunities for independent research projects and by integrating aspects of this research program into the laboratory component of Genetics, a core biology course at R-MC.”
The project also aims to provide inquiry-based experiences to local high school students and high school biology teachers, who will work as teams to investigate aspects of Abl signaling pathways in cell migration. “Opportunities to do original research early in their career will both challenge and motivate students to pursue additional scientific training,” says Stevens. “To reach a broader community, the biology teachers will develop a plan for directly translating their inquiry-based experiences in this research program to their high school science courses.”
Stevens, who earned her B.S. degree from the University of Northern Iowa and her Ph.D. from Washington University, joined the faculty at Randolph-Macon College in 2004.