Agriculture News

Dr. Hilary Katz, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Western Kentucky University (WKU), was one of only 24 researchers in the nation selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as an NSF Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Research Fellow.

The program aims to support researchers from EPSCoR jurisdictions, Kentucky being one of 28, by funding travel to institutions in non-EPSCoR states to conduct research that would not otherwise be feasible at their home institution.

Dr. Katz, who works with spinal cord regeneration in the larval sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in The Katz Lab at WKU, will travel to the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, to develop new research protocols.

The Marine Biological Laboratory, founded in 1888, hosts thousands of researchers, students, and faculty from all over the world. According to their website, the lab strives to maintain a welcoming environment where diverse perspectives and experiences are combined with an atmosphere of collaboration and training in efforts to advance scientific inquiry and discovery.

Dr. Katz plans to incorporate these new research protocols into her lab at WKU.

Research in the lab seeks to identify mechanisms that facilitate successful neuronal regeneration within the vertebrate spinal cord. After a spinal injury, these animals have the remarkable ability to regenerate their neurons and regain nearly full recovery of swimming behavior.

“Most research in the field of spinal cord regeneration has, understandably, focused on pathways that drive motor output,” Dr. Katz said. “However, much less is known about mechanosensory feedback, like touch and pressure, that allows animals to maintain stability and control their speed during movement.”

The fellowship will allow this project and the Katz Lab to investigate changes in spinal sensory networks associated with spinal cord regeneration. “

Examining these changes in spinal sensory networks will contribute to our understanding of how local spinal circuits respond to neural trauma and subsequent recovery,” Dr. Katz said.

This award will also support the acquisition of an intracellular electrophysiology unit at WKU, which will provide exciting new research opportunities in Neuroscience for our undergraduates.

“It is a tremendous achievement by Dr. Katz to be one of only 24 scientists in the nation to receive this research fellow distinction,” Dr. David Brown, Dean of Ogden College of Science and Engineering, said. “The whole college takes pride in her accomplishment.  It's rewarding to see that her research, which has important medical implications, has received such recognition.  It's also rewarding to know that students in her research group will receive high-quality training on an important matter.”

EPSCoR Research Fellows are selected for their exceptional promise in their fields. For more information, visit https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/epscor-research-infrastructure-improvement-epscor-research.