The history of science collections held in the Center for the History of Microbiology and the Center for Biological Sciences Archives are the focus of this year's Archives Month festivities at UMBC. Jeff Karr, the archivist for the Center for the History of Microbiology and American Society for Microbiology (ASM) library and archives, has curated a small exhibit in the Library about famed microbiologist Dr. Cornelis B. van Niel.

CORNELIS B. VAN NIEL (1897-1985): Bringing the Delft School to America

Shortly after arriving at Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station (HMS) in Pacific Grove, CA from his native Delft, Cornelis B. van Niel fundamentally redefined the process of photosynthesis, suggesting that it was water, not carbon dioxide, which was the source of oxygen released in this process. Based on analogy from the metabolism of the purple sulfur bacteria, his insight offered an early example of the value of using microorganisms to illuminate larger biological processes. His suggestion that green plant photosynthesis was only a specific instance of a more generalized metabolic process helped demonstrate the "Unity in Biochemistry" which had been posited by his mentor in Delft, Albert Jan Kluyver.

van Niel was also an admired teacher. From 1930 until 1962 his short summer course in "General Microbiology" drew increasing numbers of scientists from a wide variety of disciplines who were enthralled by his animated lecture style and his broad knowledge of the bacteria.

In 2004 the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) designated the Loeb Laboratory at HMS as a Milestones in Microbiology site based on van Niel's contributions to the microbiological sciences. ASM maintains its archival and historical collections in the Center for the History of Microbiology in the Albin O. Kuhn Library, and materials from these collections illustrating van Niel's life and work have been put on display in the Library Rotunda. The exhibit will remain in the Rotunda through the end of the semester.

For more about the Center for the History of Microbiology visit www.asm.org/choma

For more information about Archives Month at UMBC, visit the website at: http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/specoll/archivesmonth

You can also LIKE the Center for Biological Sciences Archives and the American Society for Microbiology on Facebook!

After graduating from undergraduate studies, I plan on going straight to graduate school for a master’s and a Ph.D.

Read her abstract here...

EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is making the government database ERIC available during the government shutdown.

ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center, is typically available through the government website (http://eric.ed.gov/) as well as via EBSCO’s EBSCOhost® research platform.

Because of the shutdown, access to the full text of articles and other materials will not be available but researchers will have access to the full set of records on EBSCOhost.

Over the summer, Natnael worked in the Transcription Regulation Section of a cancer research lab at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda. He plans to complete his B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2015 and apply for an MD/PhD program or medical school.

What research have you been doing this summer?
I have been working in a lab at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. I specifically work in a Transcription Regulation Section of a cancer research lab at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

How did you find out about this opportunity? Was there a formal application process?
I found about the internship through a friend who interned at NIH a while back and he recommended I apply.

Who did you work with on this project?
I directly work with the PI, Staff Scientist, a Postdoc (my daily supervisor) and a Postbac who actually graduated from UMBC last year.

Was this your first independent research project?
This is my second time in this same lab. I started last summer and they offered me a chance to come back and continue the work this summer.

Do you get course credit for this work or get paid?
Yes, I did get paid for the internship. I don’t know if Prac 98 counts as a credit but I did get that for last summer internship and I will also be getting it for this summer internship as well. I also got a notation on my Official School Transcript.

How much time do you put into it?
On average I put in about 6-8 hours a day for about 6 weeks.

What academic background did you have before you started?
My background is in Biology, Chemistry and Statistics.

How did you learn what you needed to know to be successful in this summer project?
The first and most important thing I learned is to ask questions about anything I don’t understand or am confused about. I learned I had to put in a good effort and hard work to succeed and get what I wanted from the internship. I also learned to talk to other summer interns and learn and exchange information.

What has been the hardest part about your work this summer?
Some of the scientific experiments I performed are really complex and far from the theories I learned in class. Also, I am not good at networking with different people so I had a bit of a hard time initiating a conversation with people I knew would be helpful.

What was the most unexpected thing?
How helpful and easy to approach people are in research; they are always eager to help as long as you ask for it. Also, the manner in which theories from class apply in a real scenario, it was simply amazing to witness.

How does this research experience relate to your course work?
I am currently in the Bio track of Chemical Engineering at UMBC, so I take Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry classes and this research has helped me understand the things I have learned during my years at UMBC . It has helped cement the concepts I have learned in class.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Start early, prepare a good application. This means getting to know your Professor early at class so you can develop a good relationship and you can get a good recommendation because often times your competition has either as good a GPA as you do or even better, so you need something that can set you apart and recommendation letters are one of those things. Go to the Shriver Center. Find students who have done internships before and ask questions.

What are your career goals?
I plan to complete my B.S in Chemical Engineering and either apply for an MD/PhD program or Medical school.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am involved in AICHE, NSBE, Pre-Med Society and I am also involved in a new organization called “Unite Africa”.

Read his abstract here...