Department of Biological Sciences

The Idaho State University Department of Biological Sciences combines the work of undergraduate and graduate students with the research of faculty.
The department is one of the largest on campus and spans the biology, botany, ecology, microbiology and zoology and biochemistry programs.
Erin O’Leary-Jepsen is the managing director of the Molecular Research Core Facility. The facility offers research resources for biomedical sciences.
“We’ve been here for over 17 years,” said O’Leary-Jepsen, regarding the program.
Over the years the Molecular Research Core Facility has expanded to meet the needs of a larger group of researchers. The facility has received grants on both state and federal levels.
Equipment in the lab is top notch. A NanoDrop spectrophotometer tests the concentration of DNA in very small samples.
“One to two microliters can be measured accurately,” said O’Leary-Jepsen.
The lab houses equipment similar to that used by the Human Genome Project. The machines are used to sequence genes, with colors to signify the different DNA bases.
A next-generation sequencer allows researchers to map the genome of an entire organism, said O’Leary-Jepsen.
The Advanced Imaging Core Facility is another important segment of the department. An Olympus FV1000 inverted confocal laser scanning microscope uses photon-emitting lasers to capture images of fluorescence in different organisms.
“We can look at things like protein and protein interactions,” said Lisa McDougall, a post-doctoral researcher.
Another powerful microscope housed in the Advanced Imaging Core Facility is an Olympus upright multiphoton microscope. The microscope uses two photons to take images.
“This is the best piece of equipment to have as a research facility,” said McDougall.
Graduate student Jamie Mayo works within Associate Professor Shawn Bearden’s lab. Mayo has had a long-time interest in research, both in psychology and biology. She previously worked in applied behavioral analysis with children with autism but eventually chose to pursue research in biology.
“This was definitely my place,” Mayo said of working in the biology lab.
The Department of Biological Sciences also features a greenhouse for students working in botany.