This week, The Hilltop Monitor had the opportunity to sit down with William Jewell College’s Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Joseph Shih to discuss all things biology, from graduate careers in biomedical sciences to second generation biotech to his patent.

Dr. Shih was moved to a tenure-track position at Jewell last year. This, combined with the departure of Dr. Rose Reynolds from the biology department, means that Dr. Shih took on a heavier course load than in past years. One of his favorite courses to teach is BIO 234: Genetics. Dr. Shih said he enjoys teaching the course because “genetics is all biology and constantly [an area of focus in biology] because it ranges from the central dogma of transcription and translation… to the organismal [level].” It serves as a constant language across multiple levels of analysis, from “the micro of micro levels” to an entire organism. He said he “loves the intersection between science, genetics [and] culture.”

Dr. Shih is also co-owner of a U.S. patent. During his time at Stanford University, he advised a team of students in creating systems to protect infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). When infants are in the NICU, the easiest way to take samples and give nutrients is through the umbilical cord. When designing the device, Dr. Shih and his team sought to “standardize care, make it faster and easier for nurses, and protect the umbilical cord from…getting a bacterial infection

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Shih stressed the importance of human factors – collaboration and improvement – in science and research. When he applied to both graduate school and medical school, a process he “would not recommend to anybody,” he chose to attend graduate school because of how competitive medical schools were at the time. Dr. Shih said he thinks that there’s still a competitive atmosphere at the top medical schools, but “medicine is getting around to the fact that it needs to be collaborative and not as competitive…it’s always a team to treat a patient.”

This philosophy of collaboration and improvement has had a significant impact on the way that Dr. Shih does research. He collaborates with his wife, Biology Chair Dr. Lilah Rahn-Lee, on second-generation biotech. This second-generation biotech focuses on introducing, rather than making, the desired product; “the idea is [to] make a transgenic organism that will do [a] natural process, just better.”

Outside the classroom and the lab, Dr. Shih enjoys the company of Dr. Lilah Rahn-Lee and their 2- and 4-year-old boys. His hobbies include surfing (he’s even surfed the day before a hurricane), swimming and camping.

A great deal of myths and misconceptions surround so-called “Genetically Modified Organisms.” From health influencers advising consumers to stay away from them to pictures of fruits stabbed with syringes, these misconceptions have led to very negative views about GMOs amongst the general population. As such, it is an ongoing project in science communication to clarify these misconceptions.

Before it is possible to understand both the benefits and flaws of GMOs, it is important to understand what GMOs are. In a sense, humanity has been genetically modifying its crops since the dawn of agriculture. Modern corn is derived from a grass called teosinte that grows only a small number of small green kernels. Compared to its wild counterparts, even corn listed as non-GMO has a horrifying level of genetic modification. 

Rather than a biological definition, GMOs have a legal distinction. The term mandated by the Food and Drug Administration is “bioengineered.” Bioengineered organisms are defined as organisms that contain DNA that they could not have received from conventional plant breeding. For example, crops such as BT corn are made through a process called transgenesis, the introduction of genes from other organisms into a desired host. Transgenesis is the only way by which any FDA approved GMOs have been made. Due to the specificity of this definition, other methods of genetic modification are often able to use non-GMO labels.

There are many such methods that are used. Selective breeding has been used for most of human history to produce and amplify crops with more beneficial traits. With enough patience and thoughtfulness, humanity has been able to achieve some truly incredible effects. Brassica oleracea is a plant that has been bred into many different cultivars, with broccoli and kale being just two of the dozens of cultivars listed by the North Carolina State University’s plant atlas. There are two large inefficiencies with this method. Due to its reliance on natural mutations in plants, certain plants are not able to be modified this way. It can also take a long time for the required mutations to appear.

In an attempt to speed up this process, humans have been using mutagens to induce mutation for the last century. This process, known as mutation breeding, allows for the large-scale introduction of new genetic material into a crop population. This increase in variance allows conventional breeding methods to push crops to have both higher productivity and higher tolerances to stress. Despite this being a very human endeavor to modify the genetics of a plant, all genes present in the final crop could have been obtained by conventional breeding techniques. As such, mutagenic crops do not have to disclose this fact to the consumer.

GMOs gain a great deal of precision over these conventional methods. Where mutation breeding uses random mutations, biological engineering inserts specific genes into a crop. There are three primary uses of GMOs: resistance to pests, resistance to herbicides and increased yield. When, in the 1990s, papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) nearly destroyed the Hawaiian papaya industry, a genetically engineered papaya known as the Rainbow papaya was engineered with resistance to PRSV. This additional resistance allowed the papaya industry to recover, and only minor differences in their nutritional values have been found. Roundup Ready (RR) sugar beets have added genes which give them increased resistance to glyphosate, a common herbicide. This herbicide resistance allows for farmers to plant crops closer together, reducing both land and herbicide usage. AquAdvantage salmon have been modified to include a growth hormone promoter from a faster growing fish called an ocean pout. The additional active growth hormone allows for AquAdvantage salmon to grow faster, requiring less total feed and land usage. 

These positives shouldn’t imply that GMOs are without their issues, though. Due to the risk of crossbreeding with both wild and conventionally grown crops, the FDA has put large restrictions on the growing of genetically modified crops. In addition, due to the technological nature of these crops, they are eligible for patents. This means that biotechnology companies such as Monsanto are able to require very specific practices from farmers growing their crops. Farmers who choose to grow RR sugar beets are required by contract to remove any beets that flower. This can both reduce yield and increase costs for the farmer. Despite these restrictions on farmers, many farmers choose time and time again to grow genetically modified crops rather than conventional crops.

While there are valid reasons to be concerned about the biotechnological industry, most of the concerns raised about GMOs lack a scientific basis. Humans have been changing the genetic content of the plants and animals they cultivate since the beginning of agriculture. Every study on the nutritive quality of GMOs has shown that their nutritive value is well within the normal differences between different lines of traditionally grown crops. Ultimately, GMOs are a powerful tool to prevent food shortages.

Sam Fulte, senior biochemistry major who is engaged in research about the human gut microbiome, described that attending conferences enables students to develop networks and learn about opportunities beyond Jewell.

“One of the cool things about conferences for undergraduates is that they normally have a networking session or a graduate school information session. Conferences are a good place to explore different graduate schools or career opportunities after college,” said Fulte.

Fulte recently attended the annual “Out in STEM (oSTEM)” conference in Houston, TX, along with Alexis Mann, senior Oxbridge: Molecular Biology major, and Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe, junior chemistry and communication major.

(From left to right) Alexis Mann, Sam Fulte and Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe at the oSTEM conference in Houston, Nov. 2018.

Mann, who focuses on trying to better determine the mechanism behind axonal degeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease as well as potential pathways that could rescue (or slow the degenerative process) said degeneration, noted that attendance at this conference was made possible only through support and funding from faculty and staff at Jewell.

“Jewell was willing to fund those of us that attended oSTEM this year which was really nice since the conference took place in Houston,” said Mann. “Additionally, many of the science faculty, especially Dr. Wetmore and Dr. Reynolds, are really good about encouraging us to go to different conferences to both get in practice presenting and to begin networking within the field we want to go into after graduation.”

At the oSTEM conference Arthurs-Schoppe, Fulte and Mann each presented their research to students and professionals in the STEM field. Approximately 1,000 students were in attendance of the conference and representatives from companies including Boeing, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) were present.  

Emily Dema, senior Oxbridge: Molecular Biology major, has spent the past few years studying the genetics of innate immunity in model organisms. This research has potential application in the field of medicine and is particularly relevant in response to the global rise in antimicrobial resistance.

Dema was recently able to take this knowledge abroad to participate in a mentorship program at the Women Leaders in Global Health (WLGH) Conference hosted at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Emily Dema (second from left) at the WLGH conference in London, Nov. 2018.

Participation in this conference enabled Dema to develop a strong network and attain insight into her field of choice.

“[At the WLGH conference] I was able to meet researchers, policymakers, and students involved in the field of global health. Individuals represented organizations including the World Health Organization, United Nations, Centers for Disease Control, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, International AIDs Vaccine Initiative, Medicins sans frontier, and academic research institutions,” said Dema. “I really enjoyed speaking with people from all over the world about their involvement in the field, including the challenges and successes that come with the job.”

Many Oxbridge students utilize the opportunity to present to international audiences while abroad in their junior year.

Haley Hart, senior Oxbridge: Molecular Biology major, has been researching cancer treatment options by working to design and create a nanoparticle drug delivery system combining positive aspects of different types of treatments to eliminate the negative side effects of current treatment options.

Hart’s research has widespread potential for application across the globe and she was able to develop her knowledge base by attending diverse conferences while abroad.

“Most of the conferences I have attended were in Oxford. I took advantage of some memberships there and attended as many relevant conferences as I could. A few examples are Oxford University Psychology and Neuroscience seminars and workshops, Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK Neuroscience Symposium, Oxford Nuffield Clinical Neurosciences Symposium,” said Hart.

Fulte, Hart and Mann all presented their research at the Heartland Undergraduate Biochemistry (HUB) Forum hosted at the Kansas University Medical Center this November. There Mann was given an award for the best presentation of an undergraduate poster.

Haley Hart presenting at the HUB conference, Nov. 2018.

Mann attributes her win to practice and advises students to invest time into honing their presentation skills.

“In my opinion, doing these poster presentations [at] conferences is just something people need to practice to prepare. Understanding your research and being comfortable talking about it is the first step, but when you talk to different audiences about your work you need to learn and adapt to the audience so that everyone that talks to you at least has some level of understanding of your work,” said Mann.

This was Mann’s second time presenting at the HUB Forum – both Dema and Mann presented at the Nov. 2016 Forum where Jewell students were awarded first, second and third place in the poster presentation category, Mann was a member of the team who placed second.

Fulte, Dema, Hart and Mann are all planning to present their research at the Tribeta District Conference in April 2019. Tribeta is the national biology honors society and students must fulfil strict academic standards in order to be initiated and awarded the opportunity to present at conferences.

Fulte will also be attending the Keystone Symposium over the Microbiome in Montreal, Canada, in March 2019. Her application to present at this conference is in the review process.

After receiving sponsorship from an alumnus, the chemistry department at Jewell is able to send some students to present at the national American Chemical Society meeting in Orlando, Fl, in Spring 2019.

Approximately 14,000 people are expected to attend this conference and Arthurs-Schoppe, Travis Colpitts, Zach Hand and Nick Hartwig will be there to represent Jewell.

STEM is the term used to describe the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. At Jewell some of the most popular majors in these fields are chemistry, biology, biochemistry and physics.

Biochemistry, biology and chemistry majors at Jewell are required to conduct two years of research under the mentorship of a professor. Physics majors are required to complete one year of research.

Photos courtesy of Dr. Lori Wetmore, Emily Dema and Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe