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Remembering Roxana Bejarano Hughes

Our colleague Roxana Bejarano Hughes, who was instructional lab supervisor in the department, died April 25 in Denton. Roxana, a native of Bolivia, who was associated with the Department since 2002, earned her MS degree (1997) under the tutelage of the late G. Roland Vela at UNT. Prior to her tenure at UNT, she earned her BS in pharmacy from Federal University of Rio Grande in Brazil, and trained and worked as a medical microbiologist in Argentina and Bolivia, respectively. Roxana developed and grew the Microbiology lab into what it is now. Other lab courses she updated and supervised during her employment included Applied Food Microbiology (for Hospitality students), Medical Bacteriology, Bacterial Diversity & Physiology, and the internet course, Microbes and Society, for which she also taught the lecture as Adjunct Faculty. Because of her vast knowledge and experience with parasites, she also taught the summer Parasitology lecture annually. Roxana attended and presented at the American Society of Microbiology conference each summer. She always returned with new ideas to implement and/or stories of how others were planning to implement her ideas. Roxana looked forward to summer when she could network with others in the field of microbiology. She co-authored Microorganisms: A Laboratory Manual with Dr. Lee Hughes, University Distinguished Teaching Professor and her husband. Roxana loved working with students and her teaching assistants, who loved working under her supervision while simultaneously respecting her for the high quality of work she expected. The following thoughts from our colleagues reflect the wonderful and caring personality of Roxana.

‘A flurry of activity around the glow of a Bunsen burner, the smell of tiny life growing on a plate or in a tube, the sound of several conversations going all at once, sometimes in more than one language, that is a brief glimpse into the microcosm of Roxana’s lab. She had a way of making everyone around her feel heard and respected while simultaneously giving a correction or firing off a list of things to do. Her absence is palpable now, but I am comforted when I think of all the students she taught, and all the student workers, GAs and TAs who had the good fortune to experience the microcosm of her lab. She will live on in the wisdom and love she shared with us all.’

‘She was a wonderful mentor, colleague, and friend. She was helpful, encouraging, and her door was always open to me to drop by for “a quick chat” or a longer discussion. I will miss her always in our department and during our TA Supervisor meetings-- where Roxana would bring chocolates, her enthusiasm for her work, and her vacation stories from all over the world. It is a deep and profound loss to lose a mind as rich and keen as hers. She was kind but sharp, funny, and fair. Her students, friends, family, and everybody in our department were touched by her spirit, by her unique way of supporting and helping others.’

‘Roxana taught me not only how to work with microbes, but more importantly how to have fun while running thousands of samples. She was a bright light, every moment in every day at work. She brought cheese snacks, taught me about Bolivia, and how bacteria can be beautiful to look at. I admired the caring relationship she and Lee had. I loved watching her become a mother; she was a shining example of how to tackle a career and motherhood.’

‘Roxana was the kind of friend, lab supervisor, and colleague who would always pick up right where we left off anytime we were together. Even though Roxana’s passing was sudden, her impact cannot be contained in her short lifetime. Her memory will live on with us at UNT, her family, and all her friends around the word. If she was here with us today, I know she’d be smiling.’

Roxana’s legacy and her passion for working with our students will continue at UNT. The Department of Biological Sciences in collaboration with the College of Science has created ‘The Roxana Bejarano Hughes Memorial Biology Scholarship Endowment’, which will provide scholarship support for graduate students in the Department of Biological Sciences.

June 2021 Volume 8; Issue 2

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Awards and Recognitions

Regents Professor Dr. Kent Chapman, was named Fellow of American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), an award given in recognition of distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology and service to the Society in areas that include research, education, mentoring, outreach, and professional and public service (https://blog.aspb.org/aspb-names-2021-award-recipients/).

Graduate Student (MS) Mehrnaz Moghimi, received the People's Choice Award for the 3MT 2021 Spring Master's Competition (https://tgs.unt.edu/3mt). Graduate Awards and Scholarships

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards: Congratulations to the Department of Biological Sciences Outstanding Teaching Assistant (OTA) Awardees. The OTA, which is awarded annually, recognizes the excellence of our graduate students for their outstanding service as Teaching Assistants in our undergraduate laboratory courses. The winners of the 2020-2021 OTA were Andrea Gibbons and Mehrnaz Moghimi for excellence in Non-Majors lab courses, Rocio Jara Millar and Angelica Valencia Torres for excellence in Environmental Science Lab courses, Rajashree Pradhan for excellence in Microbiology lab courses, Dua’a Quedan and Soham Sengupta for excellence in Upper Division courses. Mary Beth Baird Scholarship: Mary Beth Baird was a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences who left an endowment to the department, which provides scholarships to our graduate students. Twenty-three graduate students were recipients of the Mary Beth Baird Summer RA Scholarships, which included awards that ranged from $1600 to $5,000. The awardees were Amanda Reynolds, Ann Price, Bhuiyan Swapan, Brianne Soulen, Brittany Harried, Danielle Phillippi, David Elliott, Devasantosh Mohanty, Dua’a Quedan, Garima Saxena, Kate Lester, Kelsey Biles, Lani Archer, Janak Sunuwar, Jessica Shrestha, John Evers, Justin Conner, Moon Twayana, Sara Wilmsen, Soham Sengupta, Sonya Layton, Steven Gore, and Yen-Tung Lin. In addition, Fatemah AlMalki and Jaspreet Gill were recipients of the Mary Beth Baird Tuition Scholarship, which provided them with $1,500 to facilitate summer graduation. AERI Water Resources Scholarship: Fabrizio Bonatesta, graduate student in Assistant Professor Dr. Ed Mager’s lab, received the AERI Water Resources Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a graduate student who has an interest in pursuing studies in environmental research to preserve, protect, and restore our nations water resources. The award comes with a $1000 award to be used over the fall 2021 and spring 2022 semesters.

Undergraduate Scholarships

Nineteen students were the recipients of the David R. Redden Scholarship, which included a $2,500 award. The awardees were Habsat Badmus, Brinkley Cover, Kathleen Earhart, Brehyn Evans, Shaina Grissell, Karina Guzman, Zachary Lane, Mikhaella Linang, Isbi Malla, Mikaila Mason, Tram Nguyen, Victoria Nguyen, Lauren Pohl, Franscisco Rodriguez, Hunter Santogrossi, Maureen Serworwora, Akshay Som, Dennis Tei-Muno, and Kayla Thompson. David Redden taught physiology at UNT for over 40 years. He was the pre-med advisor in the department for decades and shepherded dozens of UNT’s students through their undergraduate programs into medical and dental schools. He had a passion for sharing his knowledge with students and helping them to begin their careers.

The Gladys H. Crawford Scholarship, which includes a $1,000 award, was awarded to Samikshya Adhikari, Anuja Kattel, Mia Massie, and Crystal Njogu. Gladys worked in Biological Sciences Department at UNT for over 50 years. She was an undergraduate student in Biological Sciences and after graduation she ran the Medical Technology program and guided hundreds of students at UNT through the program into their clinical rotations.

Emily Hinkie and Victoria Lanhgam were the recipients of the Robert H. and Jimmie G. Nobles Scholarship, which included a $1,000 award. Dr. Nobles and his wife supported UTN for many years. They specifically loved Ecology and the Elm Fork program that is hosted in the EESAT building.

Claire Spann was the recipient of the Isom Eugene “Gene” Medford Scholarship, which includes a $1,000 award. Gene graduated from North Texas State Teachers College in the Biological Sciences. He furthered his studies at the University of Chicago, never forgetting his experiences at North Texas State. Gene served in WWII as a meteorologist; however, he dedicated his life to teaching high school.

Sneha Mathew was the recipient of the James R. (Tad) Lott Scholarship, which included a $1,000 award. Tad Lott was a longtime physiology teacher in UNT’s Department of Biological Sciences. He was loved for his humor and wit. Due to his high expectation of his students in his A&P class, those students that passed got to wear a T-shirt with “I survived Dr. Lott’s A&P class.” He was unique and is still missed by those who knew him.

The Eric P. S Ho Scholarship, which included a $1,000 award, was awarded to Vi Thi Khanh Nguyen. Dr. Ho graduated from UNT with a MS in Basic Health Sciences, a B.S. in Medical Technology, and a B.S. in Biology.

Alexandria Childers was the recipient of the Tracy Lynn Quay Memorial Scholarship, which included a $500 award. Tracy received a BS in Biology at UNT and worked at UT Southwestern Medical School in cancer research, where she had a productive career.

Other scholarship recipients included, Para Ghofrani who received the Nlomstrom Scholarship, which included a $500 award, Daniel Simmons who received the Albert Lee Halff Scholarship that included a $200 award, and Belle Chongphakdee, Kristen Miguel, and Drew Porter who received the Paramount/Outstanding Senior Scholarship that provided a $100 award.

Top row: Andrea Gibbons, Angelica Torres, Rocio Jara Millar; Bottom row: Dua’a Quedan, Rajashree Pradhan, Soham Sengupta

Dr. Kent Chapman

Fabrizio Bonatesta

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Faculty and Staff Appointments

Congratulations to Drs. Pamela Padilla, Aaron Roberts and Amie Lund on their new appointments. Dr. Padilla was appointed Dean of the College of Science (COS), effective June 16. She succeeds Dr. Su Gao as the COS Dean. Prior to her appointment as Dean, Dr. Padilla served as the Associate Vice President of Research. Dr. Roberts succeeded Dr. Padilla as the Associate Vice President of Research, effective July 1. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Roberts was the Director of the Advanced Environment Research Institute. Dr. Lund succeeded Dr. Roberts as the Director of the Advanced Environment Research Institute, effective July 1.

Dr. Mina Aziz who has joined the Biological Sciences Department as a Research Assistant Professor. Dr. Aziz received his B.Sc. in Pharmacy with honors from Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Texas Tech University. After obtaining his Ph.D., he completed a Postdoctoral Research Associate position at UNT in the Chapman Lab where he conducted research in protein biochemistry and structural biology. He made some important breakthroughs, where he solved the crystal structure of a protein called fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and discovered a novel family of FAAH enzymes in angiosperms. Recently, Dr. Aziz (as Co-PI) was awarded a research grant from the National Science Foundation, together with Prof. Kent Chapman (PI), to study the structure and function of the new family of FAAH enzymes and their role in plant growth and development and plant-microbe interactions. Taylor Knight has joined the department as an Office Support Associate. As an Office Support Associate, Taylor will assist with future travel needs, conference registration, conference room reservations, reimbursements, Web page updates, and overall administrative assistance. A long-time UNT employee, prior to joining this department Taylor worked for the Facilities-Grounds department as an Administrative Specialist I. Subsequently, Taylor worked in the Parking and Transportation office as a Community Service Officer. You can find Taylor in LIFE A210.

Thesis and Dissertation Congratulations to our graduate students who successfully defended their thesis/dissertation.

Megann Harlow defended her Doctoral Dissertation titled “Biomonitoring at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport: Relating land use with aquatic life use." Her defense date was April 13, 2021. Megann's major professor is Dr. James Kennedy. Megann is now a participant in a post-doctoral program studying invasive plant biocontrol agents at the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility.

Laci Adolfo defended her PhD thesis ‘Exploring flavonoid glycosylation in kudzu (Pueraria lobata)’ on April 19, 2021. Distinguished Research Professor Dr. Richard Dixon was Laci’s dissertation advisor.

Kari Northeim defended her PhD thesis “Ozone pollution monitoring and population vulnerability in Dallas – Ft. Worth: A decision support approach”. Kari’s Major Professor is Dr. Joseph Oppong.

Andrea Gibbons defended her MS thesis titled “Sociality in Harris’s Hawks revisited” on May 3rd, 2021. Andrea’s co-major advisors are Dr. Jim Bednarz, Senior Lecturer, and Dr. Jeff Johnson.

Extramural Grants and Contracts

Chemical-guided identification of primary metabolic targets for improvement of hydroxy fatty acid synthesis in Physaria fendleri. USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellowship. PI - Christopher Johnston, $163,864

Establishing the biochemical determinants of microRNA long-distance mobility in plants. The Welch Foundation. PI: Mauricio Antunes, $240,000

Fatty acid amide hydrolases and chemical communication in plants. National Science Foundation. IOS-2051636. PI: Kent Chapman; Co-PI: Mina Aziz. $1,013,884

G-RISE at the University of North Texas, National Institutes of Health. PIs: Pamela Padilla, Warren Burggren, Lee Hughes, Geraldo Andrés Cisneros, $2,195,255

Molecular coliform testing, Texas Green Star Holdings, LLC, PI: Calvin A. Henard, $7,347

Non-genetic inheritance of hypoxia tolerance in fishes: dynamics and mechanisms. National Science Foundation. PI: Warren Burggren. Co-PI: Pamela Padilla, $1,150,000. Multiple Collaborators at Autonomous Juarez University of Tabasco State, Mexico and Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Mexico.

The center for boenergy innovation- lignin design and valorization. United States Department of Energy. PI: Richard A. Dixon, Co-PI: Fang Chen. $127,600

Publications

Cai, J., Veerappan, V., Troiani, T., Mysore, K., Wen, J., and Dickstein, R. (2021) Whole genome sequencing identifies a Medicago truncatula Tnt1 insertion mutant in the VIT8 gene that is essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. The Medicago Genome (Sinharoy, S., Kang, Y. ed). Springer Nature. (https://www.springer.com/series/11805). It was submitted and accepted. Castro-Moretti, F.R, Cocuron, J.C, Cia, M.C, Cataldi, T.R, Labate, C.A, Alonso, A.P, Camargo, L.E.A (2021) Targeted metabolic profiles of leaves and xylem sap of two sugarcane genotypes infected with the vascular bacterial pathogen Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli. Metabolites 11(4), 234. doi: 10.3390/metabo11040234 Doner, N.M., Seay,D., Mehling, M., Sun,S., Gidda, S.K., Schmitt, K., Braus, G.H., Ischebeck, T., Chapman, K.D., Dyer, J.M., Mullen, R.T. (2021)

Taylor Knight Dr. Mina Aziz

Kari Northeim

Laci Adolfo

Dr. Pamela Padilla Dr. Aaron Roberts Dr. Amie Lund

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Arabidopsis thaliana EARLY RESPONSIVE TO DEHYDRATION 7 Localizes to Lipid Droplets via Its Senescence Domain. Frontiers in Plant Science. 12: 652-671. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.658961 Jun, J.H., Lu, N., Docampo-Palacios, M.L., Wang, X. and Dixon, R.A. (2021) Dual activity of anthocyanidin reductase supports the dominant proanthocyanidin extension unit pathway. Science Advances 7, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abg4682. Ha, C.M., Rao, X., Saxena, G. and Dixon, R.A. (2021) Growth-defense trade-offs as a result of lignin pathway engineering. New Phytologist 231: 60-74. doi.org/10.1111/nph.17383 Horn P.J., Chapman K.D., Ischebeck T. (2021) Isolation of Lipid Droplets for Protein and Lipid Analysis. In Plant Lipids: Methods in Molecular Biology (Bartels D., Dörmann P. eds). Humana, New York, NY: 2295, 295-320. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1362-7_16 Sturtevant D., Aziz M., Romsdahl T.B., Corley C.D., Chapman K.D. (2021) In Situ Localization of Plant Lipid Metabolites by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-MSI). In Plant Lipids: Methods in Molecular Biology (Bartels D., Dörmann P. eds). Humana, New York, NY: 2295, 417-438. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1362-7_24 Wynia, A.L, and Bednarz, J.C. (2021). Evidence of nest material kleptoparasitism in Worm-eating Warblers (Helmitheros vermivorum) in east-central Arkansas, USA. Ecology and Evolution 11: 4996-5000. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7339.

Oral Presentations

Comparative combined omics between high and low oil pennycress accessions: functional analysis and targets for increased oil production. BioDiscovery Institute Seminar series, University of North Texas, Denton, TX. May 3, 2021. Talk by Christopher Johnston. DAR1, a putative O-fucosyltransferase, in plant systemic immunity. Southern Section -American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting, Virtual, April 16-18, 2021. Talk by Devasantosh Mohanty (PhD Student); coauthors: Zulkarnain Chowdhury (PhD student) and Jyoti Shah Developing small RNA delivery for silencing plant and fungal gene expression for mitigating FHB. US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative’s Gene Development and Engineering Resistance Research Area Principal Investigator’s Meeting, Virtual, May 27, 2021. Talk by Brian Meckes; coauthors: Jyoti Shah Dynamic control of secondary metabolism in plants. Brazilian Bioenergy Science & Technology Conference (BBEST) and BioFuture Summit II, São Paulo, Brazil (virtual). May 24-26, 2021. Invited talk by Dr. Mauricio Antunes. Co-authors, S.S. Ferreira, S.C. Amack (M.S. Student), C. Anderson (M.S. Student). Effects of Co-Exposure to Hypoxia and Lead on Daphnia magna. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, South Central Regional Meeting (virtual). April 16, 2021. Cameron Emadi, Fabrizio Bonatesta, Subhayu Nayek, Guido Verbeck and Edward Mager. Engineering plant cell wall polymers for a sustainable bioeconomy. McCarter Lecture Series, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, April 29, 2021.Invited seminar by Richard A. Dixon (by videoconference) Genetic Engineering of Lignin Biosynthesis for Better Biomass Crops. ACS Spring 2021, SESSION: Biomaterials, Biofuels, and Biochemicals from Lignocelluloses (Symposium in Honor of Prof. Ann-Christine Albertson [2019] and Prof. Run-Cang Sun [2020] Anselm Payen Awards), San Francisco, CA, USA, April 5-30, 2021. Invited talk by Dr. Fang Chen. Co-authors, C. Zhuo and RA. Dixon. Increased production of aromatic amino acid precursor-derived carboxylic acids by methanotroph Methylotuvimicrobium alcaliphilum 20Z in response to carbon dioxide. BioDiscovery Institute Seminar Series. Presented by Sreemoye Nath (Ph.D. Student-Henard Laboratory) Latent Osmoregulatory Defects in Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) Associated with Early-Life Stage Exposure to Deepwater Horizon Crude Oil. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, South Central Regional Meeting (virtual). April 16, 2021. Fabrizio Bonatesta, Alexis Khursigara, Kerri Ackerly, Andrew Esbaugh and Edward Mager. Mitigating FHB by knockdown of plant susceptibility and fungal virulence genes. US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative’s Gene Development and Engineering Resistance Research Area Principal Investigator’s Meeting, Virtual, May 27, 2021. Talk by Jyoti Shah; coauthors: Isha Mittal (PhD student), Vijee Mohan, Syeda Alam, Nidhi Rawat and Harold N. Trick. PCB1, a membrane-localized calcium-binding protein modulates green peach aphid resistance in Arabidopsis. Southern Section -American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting, Virtual, April 16-18, 2021. Talk by Anil M. Girija; coauthors: Joe Louis, Devasantosh Mohanty (PhD student), Hossain A. Mondal, and Jyoti Shah Plant defense against green peach aphid (Myzus persicae): involvement of Resistance gene signaling. Arabidopsis. Entomological Society of America North Central Branch meeting, Virtual, June 21-23, 2021. Talk by Jyoti Shah; coauthors: Moon Twayana (PhD student), Anil Girija, and Vijee Mohan. Predicting coffee resistance with metabolomics. International Webinar on Mass Spectrometry and Separation Techniques. Virtual meeting, June 25-26 2021. Keynote talk by Fernanda Castro-Moretti. Co-authors: Humberto C. Gonzales, Efrain Escudero-Leyva, Oliveiro Guerreiro-Filho, Jason Slot, Priscila Chaverri, Ana P. Alonso. Targeting wheat genes associated with susceptibility to Fusarium graminearum for enhancing fhb resistance. Southern Section -American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting, Virtual, April 16-18, 2021. Talk by Isha Mittal (PhD student); co-authors: Syeda Alam, Bhavit Chhabra, Elena Shulaev, Vijee Mohan, Nidhi Rawat, and Jyoti Shah

Poster Presentations

Girija A.M., Louis, J., Mohanty, D., Mondal, H.A., and Shah, J. PCB1, a membrane-localized calcium-binding protein modulates green peach aphid resistance in Arabidopsis. 31st International Congress on Arabidopsis Research, Virtual, June 21-25, 2021.

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Hernandez, J., Mohanty, D., Archer, L., Patel, M., Girija, A., and Shah, J. Co-expression network analysis identifies hub genes and key pathways associated with defense response of Arabidopsis to the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae. 31st International Congress on Arabidopsis Research, Virtual, June 21-25, 2021. Mittal, I., Alam, S., Chhabra, B., Shulaev, E., Mohan, V., Rawat, N., and Shah, J. 9-lipoxygenase as a susceptibility factor in Arabidopsis and wheat interaction with Fusarium graminearum. 31st International Congress on Arabidopsis Research, Virtual, June 21-25, 2021. Mohanty, D., Chowdhury, Z., Venables, B., and Shah, J. Understanding the role of DAR1, a putative O-fucosyltransferase, in plant systemic immunity. 31st International Congress on Arabidopsis Research, Virtual, June 21-25, 2021. Twayana, M., Girija, A., Mohan, V., and Shah, J. A putative resistance gene RESISTANT TO MYZUS PERSICAE (RMP) is required for the plant defense against the green peach aphid. 31st International Congress on Arabidopsis Research, Virtual, June 21-25, 2021.

BIOsphere is a quarterly newsletter of the Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas

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