Melissa Beers
Associate Teaching Professor in Biological Sciences
Broad interests in molecular biology that are now focused on engaging students in complex experiments and science writing.
My primary research interests focus on the work I have done with the nematode worm C. elegans , studying the proteins involved in how an egg becomes an organized embryo. I have extensively used RNA interference to help determine what these proteins do. I have also spent some time working on ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, using the mouse as a model system. We worked to introduce RNA interference molecules in a cell-specific manner in mice. My focus now is to introduce my students to up-to-date research methods to answer complex problems in biology.
I teach the laboratory component of several biology courses including Introductory Cell Biology, Genetics, and Cell Physiology. Over the years I have worked extensively with the microscopic nematode worm C. elegans as a model organism. I am working to integrate this versatile model organism into the curricula of several different courses. I am also working to reduce the amount of printed materials in our courses by introducing an online wiki format for lab manuals. Students are able to read online all background materials and protocols and use their lab notebooks to outline the essentials of daily work. Several courses have adopted this new format.
When I am not running after my young son, I enjoy reading, photography, gardening, cooking, crafting (especially quilting), and spending time with family and friends.
Education
- B.S., University of New Hampshire
- Ph.D., Cornell University
Current and upcoming courses
Seminar: From Spark to Embryo: The Many Ways Life Begins
BISC322
From the moment a sperm cell interacts with an egg, new life begins to organize itself, turning two haploid gametes into a new individual. We will ask questions that include: How do sperm and egg form? How do sperm find an egg? How does an embryo establish polarity? How do cells with identical DNA choose radically different fates within hours? This course explores the molecular, cellular, and developmental events that occur to produce two unique gametes and what happens when two gametes fuse and become a multicellular embryo. Using several different non-human model organisms, including plants, nematode worms, fruit flies, and zebrafish, we will investigate the mechanisms of fertilization, from gametogenesis to sperm-egg recognition, fusion, and the activation of embryonic development and prevention of polyspermy. We will then focus on early embryogenesis, covering early cleavage patterns and axis formation through the blastula stage across diverse organismal taxa. This course incorporates lectures to introduce new material, seminar-style discussions of primary literature, and student-led presentations throughout the semester.