BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Brooke Christian '05, associate professor in Appalachian State University's Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) Award. Between July 2024 and June 2027, Dr. Christian will receive $306,783 to support work on her project, titled "Mechanism of Biomolecule Stabilization in Solution by Tardigrade-specific CAHS Proteins."
NSF RUI awards provide funding for research by faculty members at predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUI), such as App State. The awards support PUI faculty in research that engages them in their professional field, builds capacity for research at their home institution and supports the integration of research and undergraduate education.
With the support of the Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP) program in the Division of Chemistry, Christian will study the mechanism by which tardigrade-specific proteins can protect biomolecules from temperature-induced inactivation and degradation. Understanding how this protection occurs could shed light on how tardigrades survive elevated temperatures, which could allow the development of more robust formulations for commercial biomolecules such as enzymes and antibodies.
Christian will work with undergraduate students to complete this project, including students in an undergraduate course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) biochemistry lab and with high school students participating in Summer Ventures in Science & Mathematics.
About Dr. Brooke Christian
Christian is an alumna of the College of Arts and Sciences, graduating with her bachelor's degree in chemistry from App State. She went on to earn her doctorate in biological chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine, Christian returned to App State in 2015 as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences and was promoted to associate professor in 2021.
Christian teaches courses in biochemistry and research methods and advises chemistry majors. In recognition of her commitment to students, she received the Undergraduate Advising Council 2021-22 Excellence in Academic Advising Award and, earlier this year, the prestigious University of North Carolina Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award.
Christian also conducts research on cellular stress induced by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. Her work has been published in and was featured on the cover of Science Signaling, and her research on tardigrade proteins has been funded previously by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the UNC System. In 2021, Christian received a Major Research Instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation to purchase a multi-user flow cytometer.
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About the A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences
The A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry, a Bachelor of Science in chemistry with eight different concentrations and an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree in fermentation sciences. The department’s programs prepare students to attend graduate and professional schools, as well as for employment in the pharmaceutical and fermentation industries and other business sectors. Learn more at dcfs.appstate.edu.
By Lauren Gibbs & Dr. Brooke Christian
September 12, 2024
BOONE, N.C.
Dr. Brooke Christian '05, associate professor in Appalachian State University's Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) Award. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Dr. Brooke Christian '05, associate professor in Appalachian State University's Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) Award. Photo by Chase Reynolds