California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA

Student Profiles:

Courtney Traugh graduated in May 2009 with a BS in Chemistry. She began her Biology Master's degree in the Spring of 2009 and wants to get her PhD after that. As an undergraduate, Courtney presented her research at the Ecological Society of America conference in August of 2009 and co-authored a paper. Being able to work with research-grade instrumentation has opened new doors for Courtney and given her confidence. "You get to be part of something bigger. I am a contributing member of the science community," she said with a smile. "Having used these instruments and done this research, I now understand a lot more about what scientists do. I kind of figured everyone becomes a doctor or works in a pharmacy. I thought if I did research my only options were water treatment or oil fields. But after doing these research projects, now I know how many opportunities I really have."

Haley O'Mara will graduate in May 2010. Originally wanting to be a vet, Haley got involved in research through Dr Pratt. Now she has decided to start her Masters right after graduating. Currently, in addition to being a full time student and doing research projects with Dr. Pratt, Haley works as a Naturalist at a preserve. "It's the most amazing and satisfying job ever! I get to teach science to kids by taking them on hikes through the preserve. It's exciting to learn how to conserve these areas and how to best preserve what is there." Haley is considering continuing her work at the preserve after obtaining her master's degree. Haley used the LI-6400XT Portable Photosynthesis System to complete independent research and presented her findings at the Ecological Society of America conference in August of 2009. "Doing research has been really fun and has led me to other opportunities. I love research. It's meaningful," Haley said.

Providing Students Opportunities by Integrating the LI-6400XT Portable Photosynthesis System into the classroom

When Dr. Brandon Pratt, Assistant Professor at California State University, first began looking for instrumentation, he knew he needed the LI-6400XT Portable Photosynthesis System. "I needed an instrument that undergraduates could pick up quickly, that would be robust to getting abused, and provide accurate data. Especially for undergraduates, the LI-6400XT has features that are really desirable. It also has features for more advanced research. So you really get the best of both worlds. It is so easy to use. Students can start asking interesting questions right away. It works great!" Pratt said.

Dr. Pratt uses his two LI-6400XT Systems, both of which were acquired through LEEF, in all of his classes, from IntroBiology for freshmen, to Plant Physiology offered to seniors and Masters students. "For my Intro Biology class it provides a rich intro to C3 and C4 plants. We do a lot of light response curves and the data is always beautiful," he said.

In addition to his own classes, Dr. Pratt also makes the instruments available to others, including two high school students, a high school teacher, and one student from a nearby community college. Sponsored through an NSF CAREER Grant, they come during the summer to do about a month of intense research followed by presenting a poster on their findings. "The high school students performed respiration measurements after only a brief introduction to the LI-6400XT. They learned the instrument pretty quickly and the data they got were beautiful! The instrument is really ideal for these situations," said Dr. Pratt.

The instruments are also used in a number of research projects by undergraduates. Haley O'Mara, Courtney Traugh, and Mark DeGuzman (pictured above) undergraduates at CSU, Bakersfield, have done research projects with Dr. Pratt made possible with generous funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The research has given them an excitement and appreciation of science.

"During one class we were doing a study on carbon assimilation. My leaves had an irregular shape so I measured leaf area afterward. When I downloaded the data in excel, I started going through and typing the correct leaf area for each plant. As I entered leaf area, all the measurements automatically recalculated. Seeing photosynthesis and respiration rates change right there as a result of area... that was fantastic!" O'Mara stated before adding, "Doing research and getting to use the LI-6400XT have given us, as students, new opportunities and the tools to get answers for our questions."

"Yes," added Traugh. 'The only problem I have now is that I go way too far. There are so many questions I would love to try to answer. The only limiting factor is time."

Photos courtesy of Brandon Pratt.

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA

Dr. Jarmila Pittermann began her career at the University of California at Santa Cruz in April of 2008. Along with Dr. Ingrid Parker, Dr Pittermann set out to expand the Plant Sciences curriculum within the context of ecology and evolution by incorporating a basic, mechanistic understanding of plant physiology and plant structure and function.

UCSC is highly dedicated to involving undergraduates in research, and the Plant Sciences major requires an independent study. This independent study often leads to a senior thesis for students. Past undergraduates have been co-authors on papers in American Journal of Botany, Evolutionary Ecology Research, and Conservation Biology among others.

As Dr. Pittermann stated in her LEEF Ecophysiology application, "Clearly, the addition of an LI-6400XT Portable Photosynthesis System would significantly improve the curriculum by allowing students to creatively train in the methods of photosynthesis and fluorescence within the diverse environs of UCSC. Because of the LI-6400XT's flexibility and ease of use, we imagine that many of our undergraduate researchers will be able to make the most of this advanced research tool as they embark on their projects in plant biology and ecology."

Awarded in 2008, UCSC obtained their LEEF instrument and are now incorporating it in classes and research projects. During the summer of 2009, Dr. Pittermann used the LI-6400XT along with the new Lighted Conifer Chamber to have her Undergraduates measure gas exchange of remote conifers. "The instrument was used to generate some light curves, but mostly A-Ci curves and spot measurements, and worked flawlessly. We measured gas exchange at flow rates ranging from 300-600 depending on the amount of foliage we were accommodating and achieved consistently good data." Pittermann said.

"Overall," Pittermann added, "without a doubt, the addition of the LI-6400XT to the Department of Ecology and Evolution is a terrific leap towards a bright future of plant sciences at UC Santa Cruz."

Photo courtesy Jarmila Pittermann.