King's College - Biology Department

Dr. Ann Yezerski
Office: P303
Phone: 570.208.5900 ext. 5602
E-mail: amyezers@kings.edu

Recent News:

Education:

Ph.D.: University of Vermont, July 1999 - Biology (Dr. Lori Stevens); Thesis title: "Genetic and Ecological Descriptions of Benzoquinone Production in the Confused Flour Beetle, Tribolium confusum"

M.S.: University of Vermont, 1997- Biology (Dr. Lori Stevens); Thesis title: "Phenotypic and Molecular Genetic Characterization of Genetic Strains of Flour Beetles, Tribolium confusum."

B.A.: Juniata College, 1992 - Biopsychology

Professional Employment:

2005-present Associate Professor of Biology, King's College
1999-2004 Assistant Professor of Biology, King's College
1993-1999 Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Vermont
1992-1993 Anatomy and Physiology Asst. Instructor, Lehigh County Community College

Courses Taught (as a professor at King's College):

Biology 111 and 112: General Biology with laboratory
Biology 223: Genetics with laboratory
Biology 330: Evolutionary Analysis and Bioinformatics
Biology 447: Human Physiology with laboratory
Biology 370: Biology Seminar
Biology 490/491: Senior Level Biology Research

Extramural Professional Activities:

1999-present Council on Undergraduate Research

2000-present Mid-Atlantic Association of College Biologists

2002-present Association for College and University Biology Educators

2003-present Association for Biological Laboratory Education

2005-present Society for Neuroscience

2005-present Sigma Xi, member and grant reviewer

2005-present Delta Epsilon Sigma, National Scholastic Honor Society

Publications: (* undergraduate)

Yezerski, A., C. Ciccone*, B. Volingavage*, J. Rozitski*. (2007) "The effect of a naturally produced benozoqinone on microbes common to flour." Journal of Chemical Ecology 33:1217-1225.

Yezerski, A., L. Stevens. (In review) Identifying the genetic basis of benzoquinone production in tribolium beetles using quantitative trait loci studies. Journal of Chemical Ecology

Yezerski, A. (2005). "Molecular Genetic Linkage Mapping in Tribolium Beetles." Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching, Virginia Tech University, Association for Biology Laboratory Education.

Yezerski, A., G. Cussatt*, D. L. Glick and M. Evancho* (2005). "The effects of the presence of stored product pests on the microfauna of a flour community." Journal of Applied Microbiology 98(2): 507-515.

Yezerski, A., T. P. Gilmor and L. Stevens (2004). "Genetic analysis of benzoquinone production in Tribolium confusum." Journal of Chemical Ecology 30(5): 1034-1044.

Yezerski, A., L. Stevens and J. Ametrano* (2003). "A genetic linkage map for Tribolium confusum based on Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA's (RAPD's) and Recombinant Inbred (RI) lines." Insect Molecular Biology 12(5): 517-526.

Yezerski, A., T. P. Gilmor and L. Stevens (2000). "Variation in the production and distribution of substituted benzoquinone compounds among genetic strains of the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum." Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 73(2): 192-9.

Articles:

Yezerski, A. (2006). "Why students can learn more from bad professors." Labstracts 27(2): 1.

Yezerski, A. (2005). "Putting a Grant into Practice: Molecular Genetic Linkage Mapping Can Be Done by Undergraduates!" Labstracts 26(2): 1.

Yezerski, A. (2005). "Building a better student by having them build it themselves." Labstracts 27(1): 1.

Presentations:

Keystone Symposia, Lake Tahoe, CA: Genetics of Microbial Communities (2006). "The effects of the presence of stored product pests on the microfauna of a flour community." Co-authors: Gina Cussatt, Daivd Glick, Melena Evancho.

Neuroscience 2005: 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C. (2005). "Bioavailability of fluoxetine in the tank water of Betta splendens." Co-authors: Brian Mangan, Jess Kohlert, Donald Roland, Andrea Saksek.

Council on Undergraduate Research: Tenth National Conference, La Crosse, Wisconsin. (2004). "Elucidating the role of benzoquinones secreted by Tribolium beetles." Co-authors: C. Ciccone, J. Coolbaugh, C. Coyle, G. Cussatt, M. Evancho, N. Fisher, W. Govern, C. Merz, A. Scatena, J. Rozitski, D. Smith and B. Volingavage.

Mid-Atlantic Association of College Biologists, Keynote Speaker (2001). "Undergraduate research using Tribolium beetles as a model
system: Studies in genetics, physiology, ecology, and analytical chemistry"

Keystone Symposia, Taos, New Mexico: Genetic Manipulation of Insects (2001). "Benzoquinones in Tribolium beetles: The
genetics and ecology of defense."

Northeast intermediate Unit, Keynote Speaker (2000). Interaction with high School students using a biological research project"

Student Presentations:

Sigma Xi, Thomas Jefferson University (2008): Joseph Alaimo, Mehgan Susek and Jason George, "Developing a Protocol for the Rapid Identification of SNPs Associated With Dyslexia"

Sigma Xi, Thomas Jefferson University (2008): Matthew Brice, "RAPD-PCR as a Novel Method for DNA Fingerprinting"

Sigma Xi, Thomas Jefferson University (2004): Gina Cussatt and Melena Evancho demonstrated their research with a poster entitled, "The effect of the presence of flour beetle species on the microfauna of flour"

Sigma Xi, Thomas Jefferson University (2004): Jennifer Coolbaugh and Dana Smith presented their poster on "The effect of parasitism of Hymenolepis diminuta on the defensive secretion of Tribolium confusum"

Sigma Xi, Thomas Jefferson University (2003): Walter Govern presented his work, "Testing the function of benzoquinones in Tribolium beetles: Will rats eat beetles full of chemicals?"

Sigma Xi, Thomas Jefferson University (2003): Ryan Verazin and Candice Kepich won an award for their poster on, "Looking at benzoquinone levels in Recombinant Inbred lines of Tribolium beetles: Is the trait correlated with emigration or parasite susceptibility?"

CUR's Posters on the Hill, Washington D.C. (2001): Carla Ciccone, Jill Rozitski, and Beth Volingavage presented a poster, ""The effect of naturally produced benzoquinones on microbes common to flour", to members of Congress on Capitol Hill

Sigma Xi, Thomas Jefferson University (2001): Carla Ciccone, Jill Rozitski, and Beth Volingavage also presented a poster in this forum and won an award.

Grants Awarded:

Sigma Xi, Grants-In-Aid of Research (2008): with Matthew Brice (Class of 2008), "RAPD-PCR as a Novel Method for DNA Fingerprinting", $1000

NSF Major Instrumentation Grant #0115600 (2001): "Acquisition of an HPLC System for Undergraduate Research in Insect Chemical Defense" $25,161

King's College Summer Undergraduate Research Grant (2001): "Genetic Linkage Mapping of Tribolium confusum, the Confused Flour Beetle." $4000

Association for Biology Laboratory Education (2003): "An Undergraduate Laboratory Exercise Using Recombinant Inbred Lines and RAPD Markers to do Molecular Genetic Linkage Mapping" $1960

George Alden Trust (2004): "A Mobile Computer Laboratory for the Sciences." $99,375

Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (2005): "A Unique Problem-based Learning Approach to Teaching Physiology" $500

Undergraduate Research:

1999-2008 - Supervised over 60 undergraduate senior research students and over 20 sophomore/junior level students. Projects included (not a comprehensive list):

Developing a cDNA library for Tribolium confusum
The effect of naturally produced benzoquinones on microbes common to flour
Variation in benzoquinone production among species and strains of Tribolium
Emigration behavior in Tribolium beetles
Quantitative Trait Loci studies in Tribolium
Expansion of the Tribolium confusum genetic linkage map
Effect of benzoquinone levels on rat eating preferences
Effect of parasitism on benzoquinone production
Studies on the microfauna of flour containing Tribolium beetles; identification of species by Biolog©, GC methods, and 16S rDNA sequencing
The effect of fluoxetine on fish behavior
New methods for determining twin zygosity in humans