In this CI, students participate in tissue sectioning, advanced microscopy and histological analysis to assess plant anatomy and analyze how drought and other stressors alter plant tissues, helping them gain a better understanding of how environmental pressures affect agricultural systems.
“Dr. Mukhtar is as enthusiastic about working with undergraduates as he is about his own research,” wrote one student nominator for the Phil and Mary Bradley Faculty Award. “Even from my first conversation with him, I could tell he’s incredibly passionate about what he does and that he’s excited about including new students. He makes sure I know that he believes in me as a scientist … I’ve learned many important research skills, and I feel more confident in the lab because of him.”
Dr. Mukhtar says that the Carr Family Endowed Fund, which was established with a gift from Chalmers and Lori Anne Carr, owners and operators of Titan Farms, provides support for CI projects related to fruit and vegetable crop production, agriculture industries and rural economic development. will help provide students with a more immersive research experience and expand access to research technology to tackle real world agricultural challenges.
Phil and Mary Bradley helped launch the CI program in 2005 with a gift of $100,000. Since that time, they have continued to support CI by endowing the faculty award since 2006. The Bradleys’ generous gift allows each recipient to receive a plaque and salary supplement.
For genetics and biochemistry May grad Sydney Greer, Clemson became more than just a place to earn a degree — it became the place where she discovered confidence in herself. Whether she was performing with the Clemson University Steel Band, training service dogs for veterans, running trails through the Experimental Forest or conducting research in Dr. Shahid Mukhtar’s lab, Sydney embraced every opportunity to grow both as a scientist and as a person.
“I was involved in the Experimental Forest Trail Running Club, Clemson Battle Buddies, the Genetics and Biochemistry Club, and a Creative Inquiry project… I was also a member of the Clemson University Steel Band and Gigging Band. Having grown up playing the steel pan, I was excited to continue playing at Clemson. Being part of both groups was an incredible experience, and the rehearsals and performances gave me the opportunity to grow as a musician.”
Sydney is grateful for the academics and science courses, but she also learned invaluable life skills during her undergrad, embracing experiences that pushed her outside of her comfort zone.
“The most important thing I’ve learned over the last four years is confidence in myself. From public speaking to presentations and performing on stage, I’ve grown into someone who is far more comfortable taking on new challenges.”
Before coming to Clemson, Sydney recognized the Clemson ring and its tradition but says she didn’t fully understand the significance it held for those who wore it. Now, it holds special meaning and receiving hers is one of Sydney’s favorite memories.
“I wear mine every day, and it reminds me of the late nights studying in Cooper, the memories I made on and beyond campus, the experiences that shaped me and the incredible friends I met along the way.”
Sydney’s research involvement has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of her time as an undergrad student, her research projects where she served as the lead with PI Dr. Mukhtar even inspiring her to pursue her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology.
One of these projects is the investigation of drought responses in soybean root nodules with a multi-transcriptomic approach where Sydney uses single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to assess gene expression changes in response to extreme drought in the nodules. In the second project that is continuing through graduate school, she is researching the role of eccDNA in herbicide resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana.
“Working with these cutting-edge techniques has been one of the most rewarding aspects of this project, and I am excited to continue applying these powerful approaches to future research. I am incredibly excited to continue my journey here through a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology.”
The award is given annually to a researcher deemed to be presenting the best mycological science at one of each Society’s main scientific meetings.
“I’m very grateful to receive the Tony Trinci Award from the British Mycological Society and the Microbiology Society,” says Dolan. “It is a real honor to be recognized in the name of Professor Trinci, whose work helped shape our understanding of fungal growth by linking underlying cellular processes to complex biological behavior.
Shafi Mondal is currently pursuing a PhD in Stephen Dolan’s lab where is research focuses on polymicrobial interactions involving the human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.
“In particular, I investigate how A. fumigatus remodels its transcriptional landscape in the presence of bacterial species commonly found in the cystic fibrosis lung, and how these changes contribute to tolerance against clinically and environmentally relevant stressors,” says Mondal.
Mondal sees receiving the Trinci award as an encouraging step as he continues to develop as a researcher in mycology, hoping to improve understanding of fungal pathogens and the challenges they pose to human health.
In mid-April Dolan and Mondal travelled to the UK to present their award presentations at Microbiology Society’s annual conference. Mondal’s presentation was titled “Cross-Kingdom Microbial Interactions Reveal Genes Driving Stress Tolerance in Aspergillus fumigatus” and Dolan’s was titled “Interkingdom Cross-Talk Between Aspergillus fumigatus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an In Vitro Model of Respiratory Co-infection.”
The Clemson University College of Science recognized some of its most outstanding undergraduate and graduate students during an awards ceremony on April 9.
The following G&B students were recognized.
Ryan Mehlem: Outstanding Undergraduate in Discovery Award
Ryan Mehlem, an Honors College student with a biochemistry major with minors in cluster engineering and business administration, has built an outstanding research record across multiple labs, spending more than four years studying thermal adaptation, azole tolerance and gene expression in Aspergillus fumigatus.
This award is given to a graduating senior who has performed outstanding original research in the sciences.
Katie Barfield: Blue Key Academic and Leadership Award
A genetics and sociology major with a minor in gender, sexuality and women’s studies, Katie Barfield has worked in Miriam Konkel’s lab, participated in research at Johns Hopkins University and has conducted a greenhouse assay at the Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture in Malaga, Spain.
The Blue Key Academic and Leadership Award recognizes one student in each of the colleges at Clemson who has distinguished themselves in academic scholarship and campus leadership.
Jerry (Rui) Che: Outstanding Graduate in Discovery
Jerry (Rui) Che is a Ph.D. candidate in genetics and during his graduate studies, Che helped create a new research method that made it possible to study how certain molecules inside cells are controlled, leading to the identification of important pathways involved in how cells process nuclear RNA. He also discovered two human genes, which he named RMP24 and RMP64 and helped develop an E.-coli-free cloning method and a way to build much larger DNA libraries for genetic research. The new cloning method was patented.
This award honors doctoral students in the College of Science who have made distinctive and discernable contributions to their field.
Ava McKee: SciSAB Outstanding Board Member
Ava McKee has been a member of Science Student Advisory Board for three years, most recently serving as grant officer and will step into the role of vice president for outreach next year. As grant officer, she led the coordination of SciSAB’s grant in aid of research award program, applications increasing by 91%, and helping award $6,200 in funding. Her plans as vice president for outreach next year are to increase volunteering opportunities and strengthen the partnership with the Science Outreach Center.
Assistant professor in Genetics and Biochemistry Dr. Stephen Dolan, who is also a part of the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC), has joined forces with molecular biologist Gustavo Goldman at the University of São Paulo in Brazil to understand how dangerous fungi survive their own poisons and how that could be turned into a new antifungal drug.
The two researchers work on the fungi Aspergillus fumigatus, a common mold that can cause life-threatening lung infections in people with weakened immune systems. A. fumigatus produces a potent toxin called gliotoxin that enables the fungus to cause disease and outcompete other microbes, but it is also so toxic that it can poison the fungus itself. To survive, the fungus has developed protective systems that neutralize gliotoxin.
With Dolan specializing in creating mutant strains of fungi and analyzing the resulting data to see which genes matter most for survival and Goldman’s strengths in fungal genetics and biochemistry, the team was able to connect molecular mechanisms to big-picture questions about how fungi cause disease.
Together they discovered that mitochondria are a key weak spot for gliotoxin. The toxin disrupts mitochondrial function, and when defenses fail, the fungus’s energy systems collapse, leading to cell death. The results reveal new details about how fungi defend themselves against their own toxins and highlight mitochondria as a possible target for future antifungal treatments, which is important because drug resistance is on the rise and current treatments for fungal infections can be toxic or ineffective.
Dolan has actually been working with Goldman since his Ph.D. and they have published two papers together, with more forthcoming and they’ve started participating in virtual joint lab meetings once a month. Dolan believes that collaboration in research is essential for impactful work.
“The mindset of working independently without engaging other labs is disappearing,” Dolan says.
“Science isn’t done in isolation. Labs must collaborate with others to move science forward. That’s just the nature of science…” says Dr. Kerry Smith, a professor in the Clemson Department of Genetics and Biochemistry and director of Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC).
This ideology is part of what prompted EPIC, which is one of Clemson’s largest research centers, to join with partners from around the world to form EPICON, the Eukaryotic Pathogens International Consortium. Dr. Smith now serves as EPICON’s first board chair.
“We realized that to tackle a serious global problem, we would need global partners,” said Bruce Rafert, the founding executive director of EPICON. “A new consortium made a lot of sense.”
Our partners are spectacular. USP is a top 100 global institution, and Ghana and Ecuador bring front-line experience with the very pathogens we study. The consortium essentially blankets the area where the global impacts of our pathogens are most severe and cause the biggest problems.” Rafert said.
The consortium was built on existing collaborations at the scientific level such as Stephen Dolan, an assistant professor in the Clemson Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, and Gustavo Goldman, a professor at USP, who have a close working relationship. Dolan began visiting Goldman’s lab while working toward his Ph.D. in Ireland and he and two of his graduate students traveled to Sao Paulo and Goldman’s lab. Goldman even visited Clemson last summer. They’ve published two scientific papers together.
Stephen Dolan, an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry at Clemson University, does research focused on understanding the molecular interactions between bacteria and fungi which infect the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis. He found what he believes to be a new mechanism of how bacteria see and respond to fungal toxins during polymicrobial infection.
“When you combine the knowledge of many groups, it could give a better understanding of the whole problem,” Goldman said.
The Biochemistry Bachelor of Science program at Clemson University has been fully re-accredited by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) for another 7-year cycle.
The website notes that ASBMB accreditation is a national, independent, outcomes-based evaluation system that recognizes excellence in B.S. or B.A. degree programs in biochemistry and molecular biology. A committee of experts from academia and the private sector judge three program areas: curriculum, faculty and infrastructure.
The benefits to an ASBMB accreditation can include recognition for upholding the highest standards of education, leverage in gaining outside resources and advantages in recruiting students.
The society noted our outstanding faculty, strong curriculum and continuous strides to improve the program.
Associate professor Rajan Sekhon along with a team of researchers at Clemson University and partner organizations have received a $2.4 million, four-year grant to map genes that control leaf senescence in corn. Funded by the National Science Foundation through both the Plant Genome Research Program and the Cross-Directorate Activities program, this project aims to sustain photosynthesis longer, improve yield stability and support smarter on-farm nitrogen use.
For International Microorganism Day Clemson News highlighted G&B’s Manuel Fierro and his research with the cell biology of the microorganism that causes malaria.
Three G&B lecturers were recently promoted to senior lecturer including Heidi Anderson, Michael Harris and Todd Lyda.
Graduate students Sky Lu and Roger Zhang gave poster presentations on their dissertation research at the North Carolina Chestnut Festival, where Sky won first prize for her presentation.
