USS Bits and Bytes - Electronic Newsletter of the Miami University's Undergraduate Summer Scholars Program (USS)

Vol. 1, #1, August 22, 1997

Iron Acquisition as a Virulence Factor in the Microorganism that Causes Periodontal Disease
Summer 1997 project of Katherine Graber under the mentorship of Dr. Luis Actis, Department of Microbiology

Photo of Katherine Graber While the majority of individuals dread going to the dentist every six months, Katie Graber went for an entire summer. Not only that, but she is still smiling about it. Interested in theatre, Katie began her career at Miami with a theatre major but her experience working in her mother's dental office during the summer of sophomore year helped convince her to switch to dentistry. As she searches for dental schools, Katie regards her summer project, designed with her mentor Dr. Luis Actis, as an invaluable introduction to research in both her major and future profession.

Not only is Katie's project unique to the Department of Microbiology because it involves an oral pathogen, it is also a unique opportunity for she and her mentor to explore a field of study developed in just the last fifteen years. Last December, the two began to investigate the iron acquisition of Actinobacillus Actinomycetemocomitaus, a bacteria that invades the first year molars of youths ages 10-13 and attacks permanent teeth in adults. While there are well-described and cataloged systems of iron acquisition, Katie quickly discovered that none of these apply to her particular bacteria. Since iron is necessary for the bacteria to survive, identifying the bacteria's means of iron acquisition is one step toward the ultimate goal of disrupting iron uptake and minimizing its effects.

At this point, Katie is unsure if she will be able to describe the complete iron uptake system at the close of her research next spring. As the only undergraduate working on the project, she is excited by the prospect of publishing the results of her study whether she identifies the complete system or not. This summer provided an invaluable amount of time for her to concentrate on her research and thus her end goal of describing the system, without the distraction of other classes.

In order to share some of her research and also learn from other researchers, Katie attended the Second Indiana Conference on Oral Microbiology in May. At the conference, she presented the results of her research to date and was introduced to others conducting similar research. Her experience both increased her knowledge of her pathogen and reassured her that the results of her particular investigation while similar to others' results, are publishable.

As mentioned, Katie's epiphany occurred between the summer of her freshman and sophomore year at Miami. Ironically, both of her parents went to dental school, her mother practices dentistry while her father is an orthodontist, but Katie never had any intention to follow in their footsteps. Since that summer, she has pursued her degree in microbiology and also a minor in Spanish for which she recently traveled to Spain. Though last summer she missed the opportunity to work in her mother or father's office, she says she was able to enjoy her trip to Spain anyway.

Katherine Graber is one of 120 Miami University undergraduates who participated in the 1997 Undergraduate Summer Scholars (USS) Program. This University program is an initiative aimed at heightening the intellectual challenge of the learning environment at Miami University. This program enables Miami undergraduates to do research or other creative activities in the summer under the supervision of faculty.

In 1997, some of the USS activities were supported by a National Science Foundation Grant to Miami University entitled "Creating a Research-Rich Curriculum: A Model for Lifelong and Continuous Learning" (DUE-9652063, Dr. J.A. Czaja, PI). This funding was provided under the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education's program on Institution-Wide Reform of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology.

Summary and Photo by Cindy (Cynthia) Bubb, a Mass Communication major with a minor in Marketing, Miami University class of 1998.