Christine Campbell, a rising senior at Hamilton College, received a stipend from the Ralph E. Hansmann Science Students Support Fund to study the role of programmed cell death in the development of down feathers in chicken embryos. The Ralph E. Hansmann Science Students Support Fund is given to support research in all sciences and mathematics. Her faculty advisor is Professor of Biology Sue Ann Miller, an embryologist.
Mouse and chick embryos are common models for understanding processes that cannot be studied in humans. In the case of this study, there are also broader interests among biologists about feathers. Discovery of what appear to be feather imprints in fossils has renewed interest in the evolution of feathers and also in a basic definition of what is real feather form as opposed to what might be something that only resembles a feather. Little is known about the actual development of modern feathers, so the chick embryo offers a perfect opportunity for undergraduate research to address questions about the early formation of feathers.
Campbell focus on how programmed cell death might specifically help to shape the first down feathers of a chicken. According to Miller, Campbell's role is a beneficial on many levels. "Summer work is great background for students who plan on continuing their education, and it is also the best way for getting the research done -- neither of us has to schedule the work around classes. Christine will take away a better understanding of some research methods, and in the process she will provide new information for biologists all over the world to integrate into their understanding of feathers," said Miller.
Campbell is the daughter of Joel and Mary Campbell of Brothertown Road in Waterville and a graduate of Waterville Central School. She is majoring in biology at Hamilton.
