Co-Advisor of oSTEM (Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Co-Director of Carolina Biology Education Research Lab (CBER Lab) Donate today!

Office (235 Wilson) (Appointments on Zoom, by request ehastie@email.unc.edu)

Education:

Ph.D., Immunology, North Carolina State University (2010)

B.S., Microbiology, Michigan State University (2005)

 

Courses taught:

BIOL 101: Principles of Biology (Fall 2022)

BIOL 103: How Cells Function (Fall 2023, Spring 2024)

BIOL 252: Human Anatomy & Physiology (Spring 2024)

BIOL 295: Educational and Social Science Research in Biology (Fall 2023, Spring 2024)

BIOL 395: Undergraduate Research in Biology

BIOL 448: Advanced Cell Biology (Fall 2023)

 

Office hours:

Please email leott@email.unc.edu to schedule a meeting.

 

Select STEM education publications:

(* denotes UNC Biology undergraduate coauthors)

Harrington M*, Lane A*, Yencha C*, Kelly-Rajan K*, Ott LE. (2023). Pete and the Missing Scissors: a primary literature-focused case study that highlights the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on splicing.  Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 24.

Shoaf PT*, French KS, Clifford NJ*, McKenney EA, Ott LE. (2022). A gut microbiome tactile teaching tool and guided-inquiry activity promotes student learning. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13.

Ott LE, Godsay S, Stolle-McAllister K, Kowalewski C, Maton KI, LaCourse WR (2020).  Introduction to Research: A scalable, online badge implemented in conjunction with a classroom-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) that promotes students’ matriculation into mentored undergraduate research.  Understanding Interventions, 11.

Goller CC and Ott LE (2020).  Evolution of an 8-week upper-division metagenomics course: Diagramming a learning path from observational to quantitative microbiome analysis.  Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 48

Ott LE, Hodges LC, LaCourse WR (2020).  Supporting Deaf students in undergraduate research experiences: Perspectives of American Sign Language interpreters.  Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 21

Ott LE, Carpenter TS, Hamilton DS, LaCourse WR (2018).  Discovery Learning: Development of a unique active learning environment for introductory chemistry.  The Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 18

Ott LE, Kephart K, Stolle-McAllister K, LaCourse WR (2018).  Students’ understanding and perceptions of assigned team roles in a classroom laboratory environment.  Journal of College Science Teaching, 47

LaCourse WR, Sutphin KL, Ott LE, Maton KI, McDermott P, Bieberich C, Farabaugh P, Rous P (2017).  Think 500, not 50! A scalable approach to student success in STEM.  BMC Proceedings, 11

Lentz TB, Ott LE, Robertson SD, Windsor SC, Kelley JB, Wollenberg MS, Dunn RR, Goller CC (2017).  Unique Down to our Microbes — assessment of an inquiry-based metagenomics activity.  Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 18

Ott LE, Carson S (2016).  Who Scared the Cat? A molecular crime scene investigation laboratory exercise.  Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 17

Ott LE, Carson S (2014).  Immunological Tools: Engaging students in the use and analysis of flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).  Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 42

At a Glance

• Ecological genetics of intertidal mussels
• Population biology and regulation of terrestrial gastropods
• Impact of highways on selected fauna (with Chris Brooks, graduate student)
• Importance of small-scale movements in stream fish (with Brad Lamphere, graduate student)

Synopsis

My research interests encompass population and community phenomena in a variety of aquatic and terrestrial environments. My work with mollusks deals with genetic and ecological aspects of population regulation processes. Estuarine investigations are focused on predation, control of benthic communities, and on mechanisms structuring the genetic and ecological properties of intertidal bivalve populations.

My research involves mostly studies of chromosome rearrangements and, to a lesser degree, the investigation of sensitives, resistants, and killers of the Spore killer phenotype obtained in wild-collected Neurospora species. The cytogenetic investigations make use of particular rearrangements to study the activities of genes by making duplications or deficiencies or new orders of genes on the chromosomes. The Spore killer studies show that although the main effect of the killer activity is a meiotic drive mechanism that functions during meiosis (B. Turner and D. Perkins research studies) there is also a somatic or vegetative reaction that appears to indicate, at this stage of the studies, that the sensitive nuclei will eliminate the killer nuclei in a contest in heterokaryons composed of the two types.

The Gordon Lab at UNC studies interactions between the germ cells and somatic support cells of C. elegans. We want to learn how the germ stem cells influence their stem cell niche and vice versa, and how these interactions change over developmental and evolutionary time.

Research Synopsis:

Appropriate allocation of cellular lipid stores is paramount to maintaining organismal energy homeostasis and is coordinated by a network of multi-tissue endocrine signals. Dysregulation of these pathways can manifest in human metabolic syndromes, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. The goal of my lab is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that govern the storage, metabolism, and intercellular transport of lipids; as well as understand how these circuits interface with other cellular homeostatic pathways (e.g., growth and aging). We utilize C. elegans as a model system to interrogate these evolutionarily conserved pathways, combining genetic approaches (forward and reverse genetic screens, CRISPR) with genomic methodologies (ChIP-Seq, mRNA-Seq, DNA-Seq) to identify new components and mechanisms of metabolic regulation.

Recent Publications:

Dowen, RH. CEH-60/PBX and UNC-62/MEIS coordinate a metabolic switch that supports reproduction in C. elegans. Developmental Cell 2019 Apr 22;49(2):235-50. PMID: 30956009

Dowen, RH, Breen, PC, Tullius, T, Conery, AL, Ruvkun, G. A microRNA program in the C. elegans hypodermis couples to intestinal mTORC2/PQM-1 signaling to modulate fat transport. Genes & Development 2016 Jul 1;30(13):1515-28. PMID: 27401555

Riedel, CG, Dowen, RH, Lourenco, GF, Kirienko, NV, Heimbucher, T, West, JA, Bowman, SK, Kingston, RE, Dillin, A, Asara, JM, and Ruvkun, G. DAF-16 employs the chromatin remodeller SWI/SNF to promote stress resistance and longevity. Nature Cell Biology 2013 May;15(5):491-501. PMID: 23604319

Dowen, RH, Pelizzola, M, Schmitz, RJ, Lister, R, Dowen, JM, Nery, JR, Dixon, JE, and Ecker, JR. Widespread dynamic DNA methylation in response to biotic stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2012 Aug 7;109(32):E2183-91. PMID: 22733782

Lister, R*, Pelizzola, M*, Dowen, RH, Hawkins, RD, Hon, G, Tonti-Filippini, J, Nery, JR, Lee, L, Ye, Z, Ngo, Q, Edsall, L, Antosiewicz-Bourget, J, Stewart, R, Ruotti, V, Millar, AH, Thomson, JA, Ren, B, and Ecker, JR. Human DNA methylomes at base resolution show widespread epigenomic differences. Nature 2009 Nov 19;462(7271):315-322. *Equal contribution. PMID: 19829295

Damon Waitt is Director of the North Carolina Botanical Garden and Professor of the Practice in Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As Director, Waitt has broad responsibility for overall leadership and management of the North Carolina Botanical Garden and for ensuring that the Garden fulfills its mission to inspire understanding, appreciation, and conservation of plants and to advance a sustainable relationship between people and nature.
As a practicing botanist, Waitt’s primary interest is in building capacity in the human, scientific, technological, organizational, institutional and resource capabilities that support botanical education, research and management currently declining across government, academic, and private sectors. Increasing our Botanical Capacity will be essential to solving the grand challenges of the next century, including climate change, sustainability, food security, preservation of ecosystem services, conservation of threatened species, and control of invasive species.

Waitt comes to the North Carolina Botanical Garden from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas in Austin where he served as Senior Director and Botanist from 2001-2015 and had broad responsibility for developing the Wildflower Center’s 279 acres of gardens and natural areas and authored the Center’s Native Plant Information Network (www.wildflower.org/explore).