Michelle F. Gaudette
Lecturer
Molecular Biology, Gene Regulation of Development

Curriculum Vitae

Education

• 1988 Ph.D. in Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
• 1980 B.A. in Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

Honors

• 1998, Named to "Who's Who Among American Teachers" - Tufts University
• 1989, Competed for and received funding from an institutional postdoctoral training grant - The Worcester Foundation
• 1980, Graduated Magna cum laude - Washington University

Societies

• The American Association for the Advancement of Science

Community Service

• Science Mentor Programs:
  • 1994-2000, Participant - Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA
  • January, 1994, Participant - St. John's High School, Shrewsbury, MA
  • 1993, Participant/assistant coordinator - Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA
  • April, 1993, Participant - Shrewsbury High School, Shrewsbury, MA
• Judge, Science Fairs:
  • 1999-2003, Worcester Regional Science & Engineering Fair, Worcester, MA
  • 1990, Worcester Regional Science & Engineering Fair, Worcester, MA
  • 1990, Leland Academy Science Fair, Franklin, MA

Teaching Experience

• Tufts University, Medford, MA
  Lecturer: 9/1995-present
  
  Teaching responsibilities:
  (Fall semester)
  1. Experiments in Genetics laboratory: I coordinate and teach the course, which includes supervising graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants. I also write/edit the laboratory manual. I am responsible for all lab preparations plus coordinating and overseeing the open laboratory periods. Many of the students in this class request that I serve as a reference for them when they apply for jobs and graduate or medical school.
  2. Introductory biology laboratory: I coordinate the course (and sometimes teach a section). This includes supervising 12 to 14 graduate instructors (and teaching them how to teach) and 24 to 28 undergraduate teaching assistants. I supervise the weekly prep meeting during evening hours.

  (Spring semester)

  1. Biochemistry: I teach one-half of this lecture course.
  2. Experiments in Molecular Biology: I teach one (sometimes two) units to both sections of this laboratory course.

  Advising responsibilities:
  I serve as a pre-major advisor to freshmen/sophomores and a changeable number of biology and biochemistry majors, as well as acting as an informal advisor to many students in my lab courses. In addition, a number of former students (recent graduates) call and/or meet with me for advice on entering graduate school.
  
  University and departmental committees:
  I have been an active member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use committee since 1996. In 2001-2002 I served on the Biology Department's Curriculum Review Committee and in 2002-2003 I was part of the committee charged with restructuring the introductory biology course. In addition, I have served on other departmental committees, as the need arose.
   

• Tufts University, Medford, MA
  Part-time Lecturer: 9/1994-8/1995
  
  Teaching responsibilities:
  (Fall semester)
  Genetics laboratory: I taught 2 of the 5 laboratory sections and wrote letters of recommendation for a number of students.
  
  (Spring semester)
  Biochemistry: I taught one-half of this lecture course, which included the normal responsibilities.
  
  (Summer session))
  Cell Biology: I taught this lecture course during the first summer session of 1995.
   
• Assumption College, Worcester, MA
  Assistant Professor of Biology: 9/1991-5/1992
  
  Teaching responsibilities:
  (Fall semester)
  1. Cell biology: I developed and taught this lecture plus laboratory course for biology majors. Responsibilities included preparing three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week.
  2. Introductory biology laboratory: I taught one section of this laboratory and supervised one under-graduate teaching assistant. Students were mostly freshmen, but included upper-class non-majors.

  (Spring semester)

  1. Biotechnology: I developed and taught this laboratory course for select upper-class majors.
  2. Human heredity: This course was designed for non-majors. Responsibilities included preparing three lectures and one three-hour lab per week.
      
• Iowa State University, Ames, IA
  Course Designer/Instructor: 1/1987-5/1987
  
  I co-designed and taught Zoology 450/550L, a pilot laboratory course for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. The aim of the course was to introduce students to some of the techniques used in molecular biology labs, specifically, those used to address questions concerning DNA replication in Xenopus laevis oocytes, eggs and embryos.

Research Experience

• Tufts University, Medford, MA
  Full-time Lecturer: 9/1995-present
  
  Although research is not a required facet of my position, I have, nonetheless, worked in collaboration with Jan A. Pechenik, Ph.D., of the Biology Department. This research sponsored three Hughes summer projects and one independent semester research project (using a different model system). Using Crepidula fornicata, a marine mollusk, as the experimental system, we explored the molecular mechanisms underlying major developmental transitions-specifically, the transition from larva to juvenile/adult. Our initial experiments, carried out with the assistance of a summer student (sponsored by the Hughes Summer Fellowship Program), demonstrated that a 2-hour exposure to 32oC promoted a significant increase in metamorphosis over control treatments. To investigate whether the heat-shock family of genes are actually involved in metamorphosis, a second Hughes student and I created a genomic library in lambda phage. The following summer, with the help of another summer fellow, I screened this genomic library by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genes that contained heat shock response element (hre) sequences. These are conserved control sequences located upstream of all heat shock genes. I plan to isolate and characterize the heat shock genes in C. fornicata. It is possible that small heat shock proteins play a role in developmental transitions. I also hope to identify novel genes, controlled in parallel with the heat shock genes, which may be the developmental triggers.
   
• McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, MT
  Post-doctoral associate/Consultant: 5/1993-8/1993
  
  This was, in part, a continuation of the work described below, studying the expression of genes in pre- and postimplantation mouse embryos. My responsibilities included setting up and organizing Dr. Crain's (relocated) laboratory, training two technicians in mouse embryology and in molecular biology techniques and supervising two summer interns (high school students). In addition, I demonstrated techniques in the handling and transfer of mouse preimplantation embryos to animal care personnel.
   
• Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, MA
  Research Associate: 6/1992-5/1993
  Research Associate: 8/1990-8/1991
  Post-doctoral Fellow: 8/1988-7/1990
  
  I conducted basic research in the laboratory of Dr. William R. Crain, Ph.D., studying expression of genes-such as those in the Hox family or male-specific genes (most notably zfy and sry)-during pre- and postimplantation development of mouse embryos. Techniques used include: paraffin embedding and in situ hybridization analysis of pre- and postimplantation embryos, fetuses and adult tissues; parthenogenic activation of mouse eggs and subsequent culturing of these and normally fertilized embryos in vitro to the blastocyst stage; culturing preimplantation embryos in the presence of antisense oligonucleotides in an effort to affect the expression of target messages; plus standard molecular cloning techniques. I developed a technique that combined RNase protection analysis with gene amplification by reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction to quantify mRNA in vivo for transcripts ranging in abundance from 10-1 to 105 copies per cell. In addition, we showed that phosphorothioate-modified oligonucleotides were not toxic to pregnant female mice or to their pups.
  
  Member, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, 9/1992-5/1993.
   
• The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
  Research/Teaching Assistant: 1980-1988
  
  I conducted my Ph.D. thesis research under the supervision of Robert M. Benbow, Ph.D., studying the replication of chromosomal DNA in Xenopus laevis embryos. Techniques used include: DNA spreading using both the aqueous and formamide Kleinschmidt methods and visualization of nucleic acids by electron microscopy; radiolabelling of chromosomal DNA in vivo by microinjection of 32P-dTTP into early cleavage-stage embryos; separation of single- from double-stranded DNA by chromatography on benzoylated- naphthoylated DEAE cellulose, by centrifugation through Cs2SO4-AgClO4 gradients and by digestion with single-strand-specific nucleases. The conclusions reached from my thesis research were that parental strand separation and nascent strand synthesis are uncoupled during DNA replication and that extensive regions of single-stranded DNA are legitimate replicative intermediates.

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