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Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang and his thesis students, Tani Leigh ’12 and Matthew Therkelsen ’12, presented during the Protist2012 conference held July 29-Aug. 3 at the University of Oslo in Norway.

Hamilton’s student researchers are making great strides in the expansive Ich Genome Project, a multi-institutional effort to develop preventative and combative treatments for Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich), also known as white spot disease in fish. Ravi Jariwala ’13 and Rachel Green ’14 are working under the direction of Associate Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang and recent graduate Matthew Therkelsen ’12 to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genetic markers.

Hamilton faculty Wei-Jen Chang (biology), Natalia Connolly (physics), and Alistair Campbell (computer science) have just been awarded a Multi-Investigator Cottrell College Science Award by the Research Corporation.  This award, in the amount of $100,000, is for developing novel computational techniques for investigating gene interaction networks in fish parasite called Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich).

Eli Bunzel ’13 and Dominic Veconi ’15 are carrying out their summer research by examining single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes originally discovered and researched by Matthew Therkelsen ’12. They’re working under Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang with May graduate Leonard Teng ’12.

Three Hamilton College faculty members were approved for tenure by the College’s Board of Trustees during a recent meeting. The Board granted tenure to Wei-Jen Chang (biology), Myriam Cotten (chemistry) and Heather Merrill (Africana studies).

By organizing all eukaryotic species into groups and depicting their evolution in a tree-like structure, researchers shape a better understanding of how different sets of organisms relate to one another and how they evolved. However beneficial these trees might be, there is some debate as to which genetic markers should serve as the trees’ organizing principle, as well as which method of grouping should be utilized. Tani Leigh ’12 is working with Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang this summer to create a new version of the eukaryotic phylogenetic tree using ribosomal proteins.

Ichthyopthirius (Ich), a unicellular parasite that attacks freshwater fish and causes “White Spot Disease,” often has deadly consequences for its host, yet there is no effective treatment for the disease. An Ich outbreak could claim as many as 18 million fish, harming aquacultures and economies around the world. Despite the disease’s prevalence, researchers have no definitive mechanism for Ich’s reproductive cycle, making it difficult to find effective vaccination and treatment. This summer, Chun Yee Lau ’12 and Ravi Jariwala ’13 are working under Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang to discover more about the Ich reproduction cycle.

“The evolutionary history of histone H3 suggests a deep eukaryotic root of chromatin modifying mechanisms,” a paper co-authored by Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang, was published in the online journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.  In the paper, Chang and his collaborators present the results of their research into the evolution of histone proteins in eukaryotes.

Four Hamilton faculty members have received awards to conduct research work during the summer. Associate Professor of Sociology Steve Ellingson and Associate Professor of Economics Julio Videras and were each awarded a Class of 1963 Faculty Fellowship. Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang and Assistant Professor of Japanese Kyoko Omori each received a Class of 1966 Career Development Award.