Associate Professor of Biology at Grinnell College, Iowa. https://www.grinnell.edu/users/hinsa
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The Dartmouth Graduate Alumni Research Award has been instrumental in my graduate research this year. In the Guerinot lab, we study how essential nutrients are “eaten” by and stored in plants. For many of the nutrients that we study the only way to visualize their localization in the plant is to use a giant X-ray to conduct Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (SXRF) microanalysis, which allows non-destructive multi-elemental imaging of plant tissues. The support of this award allowed me access to collaborating synchrotron beam lines.
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Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the aquatic, Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Every year, the World Health Organization estimates 3-5 million cases and 100,000-120,000 deaths occur worldwide. Although infection is treatable with rehydration therapy, the explosive nature of outbreaks makes it difficult to treat infected patients quickly and efficiently. Effective control measures rely on prevention and preparedness, including the use of cholera vaccines.
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Acute liver failure is a health concern worldwide. Stemming from a range of causes, such as viral, drug-induced, alcoholic, or autoimmune, the rate of progression is highly variable, and the environmental factors dictating the outcome remain poorly identified. Through working with an animal model of acute liver failure, our laboratory has found that gut microbiota is a critical modulator of liver injury.
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Many fundamental advances in the field of innate immunity have been made through studying the immune system of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Their simplified physiology has allowed for the identification and dissection of conserved immune receptors and signaling pathways, which have resulted in numerous medical advances and contributed greatly to the overall progress of the immunity field. The value of studying invertebrate immunity has been recognized by many, with a variety of researchers exploring this topic in model systems ranging from aphids to grasshoppers. One
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