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In the Spotlight: Robert Miranda, Department of Biological Sciences

Robert Alan Miranda
PhD student in Department of Biological Sciences
Research Area: Behavioral and Environmental Endocrinology
Anticipated Graduation: December 2011

Working with my advisors Dr. Catherine Propper and Dr. Kiisa Nishikawa, the general hypothesis of my dissertation research is that environmental contaminants impact the expression of behavior through effects on specific brain chemistry.  My project goes from gene expression to behavior in order to gain a better understanding of the interaction between sex hormones, environmental chemical exposure, and this neuroendocrine system.  I have been working to develop the Western clawed frog (Xenopus tropicalis) as a model species for neuroendocrine research.  I have identified the role of a specific neurohormone in vocal communication, and I have established state-of-the-art molecular tools to evaluate how the expression of neurohormone-related genes impact behavior.

The specific aims of my future endocrine disruption studies are 1) to determine whether adult exposure to common contaminants, at levels found in the environment, impacts neurohormone gene expression and related social behavior and 2) to determine the impact of developmental exposure to these compounds on neurohormone signaling and behavior.

My work should help us better understand how chemicals in the environment may affect neuroendocrine-regulated behavior in wildlife and humans. Since the neuroendocrine system I am studying has also been linked to human mental disorders, my research may also be important in identifying environmental factors that play a role in these disorders. 

Featured Events & Sites

• The 2010 CEFNS UnderGraduate Research and Design Symposium
  Submit your abstract for the 2010 CEFNS UGrad Research and Design Symposium
  Abstracts are due by March, 8 2010.
  
  
• Undergraduate Student Career Workshop
  Preparing for Your Next Task – Getting that Job
  Thursday, February 11, 2010, du Bois Center (64), Agassiz Room
  Resumes 3-4 PM & Interview Techniques 4:15-5:15 PM
  Resume and interview techniques to help get that job!
  
  
• Spring 2010 CEFNS Career Fair     
  Tuesday, March 2, 2010, Noon - 4 PM, High Country Conference Center
  Meet employers hiring students in engineering and natural sciences.
  
  
• On-Campus Interviews     
  Wednesday, March 3, 2010, Engineering Building (69)
  Sign up for an interview at the CEFNS Career Fair.
  
  
• Navigating the Job Search Maze
  Thursday, March 11, 2010, Engineering, Room 101, 4-5 PM
  Improve your job search effectiveness with job search strategies that work.
  
  
• “True Colors” Workshop
  Tuesday, March 30, 2010, Engineering, Room 101, 4-5 PM
  Find out your specific personality type, the characteristics of that personality type, what differentiates you from other personality types, and how you work in groups or relationships that have the same or differing personality types.
  *LIMITED to 20 students, please RSVP to Graylynn.Hudson@nau.edu*  
  
  
  
• The NAU/NASA Space Grant Undergraduate Research Internship Program.

  The NAU/NASA Space Grant program is currently accepting applications from students and their mentors for the 2010-2011 Undergraduate Research Internship Program (UGRIP) through March 12, 2010.  This is your opportunity to have an undergraduate student be paid by NASA Space Grant funds to work on a research project with you.   NAU Space Grant typically supports about 12-15 students under this program each year.   Students will begin work in late August, 2010, and finish in April, 2011.