February 2023

By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC

When cold and dry air collide in a battle of wind and debris, a tornado begins to form.

This process got Leah Whitley into the field of science, intrigued with how things materialize in the world.

“I’ve always had a fascination with how things build up, and how everything has to come together to produce the weather, and that’s what interested me in science” Whitley said.

Between meteorology, anesthesiology and more, Whitley found a premed academic track, studying biological sciences, to be the path that’s stuck thus far and one that can lead to the biggest difference for her.

Whitley sees that potential to make an impact in her research of preeclampsia at Bond LSC. The condition leads to serious pregnancy complications including high blood pressure and protein in the urine that can threaten the life of a mother if left untreated. It affects many pregnant women around the world, especially women of color. Whitley works on the condition in Bond LSC thanks to a collaboration between Bond LSC scientist Mike Roberts and her adviser Laura Schulz, director of Institute for Women’s Health Research.

“Being able to just come in and talk to minority women about their bodies and educating them is rewarding in trying to figure out a way to close that gap,” Whitley said.

Whitley applies her interest in the weather to her lab work by breaking down a storm, or a condition, into an identifiable set of patterns or symptoms. Whitley works specifically with ISTC cells, a type of cell that supplies the placenta with nutrients during pregnancy. With no way to observe the placenta early on in a woman’s pregnancy, researchers simulate a placenta in the lab by forcing healthy cells to act like cells inside the womb to study what happens with the condition preeclampsia.

Whitley found her way to Bond LSC thanks in part to the Initiative to Maximize Student Diversity (IMSD) and Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) programs, located on the first floor of Bond LSC. They give underrepresented minorities undergraduate research opportunities as well as mentoring to prepare students for research-focused graduate programs. Whitley is currently a Stage II apprentice in the program.

Preeclampsia is a fitting research area for Whitley, who wants to raise awareness for symptoms and conditions that differ among races and ethnicities. With undergraduate research experience at Bond LSC, she hopes to eventually become an OBGYN and find a fast-paced job such as working in a hospital, where she can discuss with patients the best treatment options or give them the support they need.

Outside of the lab, Whitley likes to paint in her free time. She applies skills from it when she breaks down the cells of an organism, creating a picture of how that cell will react to certain procedures. This is similar to Whitley’s fascination with the weather and how several factors can influence and escalate a forecast.

Whitley enjoys the team aspect of her position at Bond LSC, as well as how she can relate her interests to her research.

“I like to collaborate and interact with people within my work, and I have that capacity here that I enjoy,” Whitley said. “My work here is teaching me the knowledge I need to know and then once I’m in my classes it all starts to connect, becoming a full circle moment.”

By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC

With each fresh streak of transformed E. coli cells growing in a Petri dish, Adam Shoemaker finds a bigger purpose in the lab work he is doing every day.

“I’ve always had the philosophy that I want to have the world be a better place when I’m gone because of my work, and anything I can do to contribute towards that is work that I’m interested in,” Shoemaker said.

Missouri born and raised, Shoemaker is doing essential research that yields results with time and dedication. Although now working in the David Mendoza lab at Bond LSC studying plants, he once thought a career in biology was not for him.

It came as a surprise because Shoemaker once dreaded sitting down with organic chemistry problems and formulas or drawing molecular diagrams, but over time grew to love working with biological applications of plant molecular biology.

“I preferred spending time at the bench doing more wet lab work and occasionally going out into the field and working with plants directly,” said Shoemaker.

Shoemaker’s interest in nutrient uptake pathways and genetic editing of plants helped him decide to do this type of work because of how important it is to “build a network of understanding” between the nutrients iron and sulfur.

Plants have pathways of communication, too, and Shoemaker’s goal is to understand the cross-talk that occurs between the two nutrients. Once this comprehension is gained, the research can start to lend itself to a broader real-world use through breeding practices.

Populations in Africa and India often struggle with anemia, which is caused through an iron-deficient diet, and largely affects children and pregnant women. An anemic individual does not have enough red blood cells, which results in low amounts of iron in the bloodstream. This disorder affects around 1.6 billion people worldwide, according to The World Health Organization. To address this condition, Shoemaker’s research looks into one possible way to combat the problem: increasing the amount of iron that can be taken in and used by rice.

“One difficult aspect of this work is when things unexpectedly go wrong without understanding why, especially when they have worked in the past following the same steps,” Shoemaker says.

“Figuring out how to problem solve and troubleshoot is one key skill that every scientist should work on developing and reading through current articles and the newest scientific methods or strategies to complete your research can be incorporated,” said Shoemaker.

A long-term goal of his research is to allow the plant — in this instance rice — to utilize nutrients in a more efficient manner, and eventually provide a healthier grain for human and/or animal consumption.

“If we can figure out a way to make rice take up and use iron more effectively and make it more nutritious for people worldwide, that is one way we can combat a global issue,” said Shoemaker.

Shoemaker was ready to get out into the field and fuel his passion for science after two years at Mizzou and after another two years at Maryville University in Chesterfield, Missouri, earning his bachelors in biology and sustainability. His prior experience with corn and sorghum while earning his master’s degree at Missouri State University and as a contractor at Bayer aids him in the work he does now with plant molecular biology in the Bond LSC.

The next step for Shoemaker is to get preliminary results for his research in order to apply for a USDA grant, start writing papers or manuscripts, and have his work published. He then plans to work in the plant biotech industry, on his own research projects and become the head of his own lab one day.

Outside of his lab work, Shoemaker likes to play tennis and try new recipes in the kitchen.  He often finds time after work to read a book or watch his favorite movie series, The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

“I have a soft spot for the movies because I like seeing the books come to life in a new and exciting way” Shoemaker said.

Much like the J.R.R. Tolkien stories where dreams are always encouraged and the notion that anyone can make a difference, Shoemaker actively works towards his life goal of leaving the world a better place than what he found it.

By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC

Roberto Nascimento believes a personal touch led him to where he is today. Nascimento found it essential to reach out via email to the programs where he might land, which is something many of his peers questioned.

But, Nascimento saw it very clearly.

“If you don’t try, you already have the no. If you take a chance, you might get it. It’s always worth trying,” Nascimento said.

One of those emails and a desire to combine new skills with his previous experience in mass spectrometry led him to become a postdoctoral fellow in the Jay Thelen lab at Bond LSC. He saw it as a program where he could learn and better himself the most.

Nascimento chose to be a biologist because of his longstanding interest with the inner workings of the plant metabolism process. That interest started with his undergraduate degree in biology from the Federal University of Ceara in Brazil. Nascimento was sold on his career path from the first time his professor explained the fundamentals of ATP being converted into energy in his beginning biochemistry course and onward.

“I found biology to be fascinating and decided from that point on that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life,” Nascimento stated.

While still completing his undergraduate degree, he received a scholarship from the Brazilian government to spend one year at Tulane University in New Orleans. This was his first time in the United States, and it ignited a dream of conducting research in the U.S. one day. When Nascimento went home, he finished his Masters and Ph.D in biochemistry from the Federal University of Ceara, spending two dissertation years experimenting with mass spectrometry at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Nascimento’s research at Bond LSC primarily focuses on how plants regulate the storage of lipids. He makes alterations — such as knocking out genes or transferring a gene from one organism to another — to see how the expression of that gene changes the plant’s metabolism. Nascimento is developing mutant plants that produce more oil, so he can work towards finding the “smoking gun,” the genes responsible for stopping the production of oil in the first place and deactivate them.

This information can be used for biofuels research, helping to determine how economical a crop is by measuring the amount of oil it is producing. Changing the quantity produced, even by a small percentage, can result in a million-dollar increase in the revenue that the plant yields.

Nascimento hails from a small town in Brazil, but relocated to a larger city for university. His move to Columbia, Missouri, has been a comfortable and a pleasant change. He loves many aspects of the city, but overall, he enjoys the ease of mind that it brings.

“My favorite part of Columbia is how calm it is. I have lived in bigger cities, where you are always paying attention to your surroundings. I really like how safe Columbia is.”

Nascimento’s favorite restaurant in Columbia is El Rancho, on E. Broadway. He describes the feel and ambiance as one of the key factors he enjoys the most about the place.

“I love eating the wonderful food that Columbia has to offer,” Nascimento says.

To pass the time Nascimento keeps up a gym regimen, but for a change of scenery he surrounds himself with nature by visiting Osage Lake or taking a walk on the MKT Trail.

“I like the MKT trail because it somehow reminds me of my small town,” Nascimento said.

After Nascimento’s post doc is complete, he plans to find another. His goal is to eventually become a principal investigator (PI), leading his own research lab.

“The more experience you have with techniques, the better, so I want to develop my skills as much as I can here,” Nascimento said.

By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC

Barbara Sumner grew up in Houston, Texas, and discovered her enthusiasm for chemistry in high school, captivated by how chemical processes can explain how things work in our everyday lives.

“It was a subject that I just really loved,” Sumner stated.

Sumner originally pursued chemical engineering in college, which she thought she would love because of how much she liked piecing things back together or fixing problems that arise in an experiment. But after deciding she enjoyed learning about the detailed understanding provided by the fundamental chemistry more than the engineering aspect of it all, Sumner switched her studies to chemistry at Texas A&M and then went on to receive her Ph.D. in mass spectrometry. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she married a nuclear chemistry professor at Texas A&M while working at the Cyclotron Institute there. She hadn’t considered pursuing a Ph.D. before that, but while living in a small college town like College Station, Texas, she weighed the lack of opportunities that an individual with just a chemistry degree could have, and decided to go for it. She went on to teach chemistry at Texas A&M and eventually worked in the Mass Spectrometry Core Lab there as well.

After her first husband passed away, she moved to the Boston area and worked for an instrument company in the MALDI mass spectrometry division. She later married Lloyd Sumner and moved to Ardmore, Oklahoma, where he worked at the plant science division of a private research institute. Keeping with her passion for the subject, Sumner shifted to teach high school chemistry and Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry for 10 years. She found teaching to be rewarding and valuable, placing the experience as an important moment in her career. She valued teaching the subject she gained such a fascination with in high school.

“I think it is one of the most impactful things you can do, Sumner said. “I did enjoy it, but it’s also one of the hardest and most stressful jobs I’ve ever done.”

Teaching allowed Sumner to explain chemistry to others and encourage the ingenuity of young minds in and outside of the classroom.

In 2016, Sumner took off her teaching hat to move to Columbia in order to help out her husband with his new lab at the Metabolomics Center located at the University of Missouri. She works as a part-time Lab Manager and researcher in the Lloyd Sumner lab and for the University of Missouri Metabolomics Center, mainly working in mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry is used to find the molecular weight of certain particles, which contributes valuable data to research in the fields of medicine, agriculture, plant science and biochemistry.

Barbara Sumner inspects a sample, part of her daily work in the University of Missouri Metabolomics Center.                                                  Photo by Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC

Sumner’s work deals with identifying metabolites, “small molecules” that are the pieces present in samples of plants and animals when cells break down foods, drugs, and chemicals. Plant tissue, blood samples, animal tissues, cell cultures, as well as samples from tumors are taken and then tested for all types of metabolites, in order to make analyzes. Recognizing and measuring the levels of the metabolites in a given sample is an important part of many research projects such as determining the function of a gene and observing the responses that the sample has to different types of stress. One example of an important metabolite to test for would be the glucose levels of a diabetic individual, which can contribute to further research experiments and treatments.

Sumner reaches to grab a test tube from the tray, to make further analyses on the sample. Photo by Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC

Sumner looks at how changes can affect the metabolite levels, such as feeding a mouse a particular diet or a plant being put under stress because of a drought. These situations are measured in relation to their metabolite levels and compared to a control group to observe any changes.

Her work in mass spectrometry allows her to continue her interests in chemistry and molecular functions while still performing the hands-on work that she enjoys doing.

Sumner spends her time outside of her lab surrounded by a country landscape, populated with chickens and miniature horses that she and her husband own. It is here that Sumner finds herself emersed in projects galore, everything from replacing the water softener in her home to creating an underdeck drainage system for her backyard. Sumner finds herself cherishing every minute of these manual applications and keeping herself busy.

These projects apply to her work life as well, where she also helps fix instruments in the lab.

“I’m always doing projects and that’s one of the things I love about this job is the mechanical aspect, that I get to troubleshoot and repair instruments, which I do at home as well.”

Sumner’s early success in school transformed into a lifelong love and drive for the work she does. Whether it entails brainstorming solutions to a problem or testing out theories for the issue at hand, Sumner applies her chemistry knowledge in various ways, making her skills transferrable in and outside of the lab. No matter the environment, Sumner finds herself using chemistry wherever she goes.

“I love everything about chemistry,” Sumner said.