Robert J. Baker

Director and Curator of Mammals and Genetic Resources, Natural Science Research Laboratory, Museum of TTU

Horn Professor, Genome Organization, Chromosome Evolution, and Mammalogy, Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University

Robert.Baker@ttu.edu

NSRL Webpage

Biology Webpage

Ronald K. Chesser

ron.chesser@ttu.edu

Biology Webpage

Brenda E. Rodgers

Assistant Professor

brenda.rodgers@ttu.edu

Carleton J. Phillips

carl.phillips@ttu.edu

Biology Webpage

Heather N. Meeks
Research Assistant

Ph.D. student, Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University
B.S., Biology, Texas Tech University, 2002

My Ph.D. work has a dual focus, although the overarching theme is the evaluation of biological effects associated with radiation exposure.  One part of my dissertation work involves the study of native bank voles from Chernobyl, Ukraine.  Specifically, I am employing a variety of molecular markers (including both mitochondrial and nuclear markers) to examine populations residing in radioactively contaminated and reference regions of Ukraine, for the purpose of determining the genetic consequences that may have resulted from multigenerational exposure to chronic, low-dose radiation.  This work is part of a long-term project in Chernobyl spearheaded by Drs. Baker and Chesser at Texas Tech University.  The other major facet of my research is a laboratory study, for which I established a colony of inbred laboratory mice using the highly radiosensitive BALB/c strain.  Males were acutely irradiated with γ-radiation and then bred with unirradiated females, so that any mutations to the germline would be fixed in the somatic cells of resultant offspring.  The colony was subsequently bred through two more generations.  I am evaluating changes in the number and patterns of AFLPs (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms) in each generation to determine whether (1) genetic changes in the offspring associated with paternal radiation exposure are detectable using the AFLP method; (2) there is evidence of multigenerational genomic instability, and (3) changes in AFLP patterns reflect the differences, detected in the first two generations of breeding, in male and female reproductive indices.