GEMF PROGRAM

Undergraduate Profile:

Name: Emory & Henry College

Location:
Emory, Virginia

Size:
1,000 students

Science Majors:
120 students

Website
www.ehc.edu

GEMF Award Date:
2006

About the Institution:

Emory & Henry College was founded in 1836 by an ecumenical group operating under the banner of the Methodist Church. The College is named for an admired Methodist Bishop of the era, John Emory, and the voice of the American Revolution and Virginia's first governor, Patrick Henry. Inspired by the motto "Increase in Excellence," the first faculty challenged students to grow and develop intellectually, spiritually and physically. Today, our mission continues to focus on students as they follow a path of intellectual and spiritual growth on their way to successful futures. That mission, in turn, is extended to others through a broad program of active engagement and community service.

Firmly rooted in the liberal arts tradition, Emory & Henry has produced leading scientific researchers, NASA engineers, well-known writers, and successful physicians, ministers, lawyers, educators and business people. Students receive the benefit of a distinguished faculty and a low student-faculty ratio. Our campus is listed on the National Register and the Virginia Register of Historic Places, and provides a rich, caring environment in which Emory & Henry students learn and grow.

Here's what students have to say...

The sequencer serves as a key component of the independent project that senior Molecular Biology students design and execute during the semester. In the course evaluations, one student noted value in “having to think about a project from creation to end and future ideas from the project,” and commented, “I have enjoyed it immensely, and I have learned a lot about lab work. It was good to put to use stuff in my head for a practical purpose.”

The sequencer has also been incorporated in the college’s DuPont Women’s Environmental Science Camp, serving high school students in the central Appalachian region to expose students to lab biology, field biology and outdoor leadership experiences. In the exit survey, one participant noted: “I learned tons of new things. The camp showed me that science can be very fun as well as very interesting.”

Here's what students have to say...

“Our experience with the DNA Analyzer thus far has greatly enhanced our students’ exposure to modern biotechnology and has strengthened our incorporation of inquiry-based learning and undergraduate research.”

We are using the 4300 to foster collaboration both between institutions and between classes in our department. We are working with the Ambrosia Project, a joint collaboration between Dr. David Robinson and Dr. Joann Lau of Bellarmine University (Louisville, KY), Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, KY, and Emory & Henry to sequence cDNAs from ragweed (Ambrosia trifida). Students in our Molecular Biology course process clones from Bellarmine to isolate and confirm plasmids, while students in our Genetics course do the sequencing and annotation of the clones before submission to Genbank. In Genetics, Dr. Fleet’s students use the sequencer in one of the capstone experiments, helping students to integrate their understanding of molecular techniques (such as PCR), cellular processes (such as DNA replication), and the basics of gene structure and genomics. These collaborations give students an opportunity to generate novel data while giving them a greater sense of ownership their projects since they know the results will be used by others.

Papers & Posters

• Ragweed cDNA sequences submitted so far are available here.

Where we found our funds

We arranged our match through a combination of a capital grant through the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges and internal capital funds.

Contact Information

Dr. Christy Fleet
Biology Department
213 McGlothlin-Street Hall
PO Box 947
Emory & Henry College
Emory, VA 24327
Phone: 276-944-6244
Fax: 276-944-6695
Email: cfleet@ehc.edu