Danielle R. Hamill
Associate Professor

Office: Rm. 308 CWSC
Phone: (740) 368-3888

Research interests

Courses taught

Curriculum Vitae

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Research interests:

Dr. Hamill uses the roundworm, Caenorhabditis elegans, to study cell division and developmental processes. Cell division is a complicated process that must by exquisitely regulated, as improper regulation can result in cancer. Hamill conducted a genetic screen for mutants defective in cell division. Her lab is characterizing several of these mutants using a combination of genetic, molecular, and microscopic techniques. As the process of cell division is very similar from one type of organism to another, what they learn from studying cell division in worms, will likely provide a better understanding of this important process in other organisms as well. Hamill's research currently is funded primarily by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

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Courses taught:

Click on a course title to view a brief description of that course.

These courses cover some of the most exciting and timely topics in biology. It's great fun to share this subject matter with students in lectures, discussions, group activities, and the laboratory.

Genetics (BOMI / ZOOL 271-272):
Tremendous advances have been made recently in the field of genetics including the cloning of mammals (e.g. Dolly the sheep), the identification of many diseases with a genetic basis, and sequencing the nearly complete human genome. The objective of this course is to provide students with important historical information as well as exciting new findings in genetics so that they develop a foundation in all aspects of genetics including Molecular Genetics, Transmission Genetics, Genomics, and Population Genetics.

Development (ZOOL 333):
Development is one of the most exciting and fastest growing fields in biology. Much of the excitement has to do with the subject matter. Consider the fundamental question: How does a single fertilized egg become a complex multicellular organism? The answers to this basic question are tremendously complex, and they are at the heart of developmental biology. Furthermore, Development is like a melting pot of biology integrating material from many disciplines including classical embryology, cellular and molecular biology, genetics, ecology, evolution, and medicine. The goals of this course are to combine various aspects of these disciplines to gain a broad background in the exciting world of animal development.

Cell biology (ZOOL120):
This course is essential to provide a strong foundation for many of the other courses offered at OWU. The principles of cellular life are explored including the chemical foundations of cells, cell replication, cell structure and function, cell metabolism, and more. In addition, the basic principles of inheritance are covered which includes, among other things, patterns of inheritance, DNA structure and function, regulation of gene expression, and genetic engineering.

Developmental Genetics seminar (ZOOL499):
This course, geared towards upper classmen, involves substantial student participation. The topics covered vary depending on what's "hot" in the field, and what interests the students in the class. Much of the course is spent reading, interpreting, and presenting current papers in the literature.

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Department of Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH - August 2001 to present

Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oregon, Eugene Oregon --
March 1997 to July 2001

Ph.D. in Cell Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas --
Graduated with Honors, 1997

B.A. in Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin --1987

Research Assistant, Department of Microbiology, University of Kansas Medical Center,
Kansas City, Kansas -- July 1989 - August 1990

Research Assistant, Infectious Disease Lab, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa --
August 1987 - May 1989

National Institutes of Health AREA grant -- Sept. 2004 - Aug. 2008

American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship -- July 1997 - 2000
American Cancer Society, Inc., Atlanta, GA

William King Candlin Memorial Physiology Scholarship -- April 1996
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Kansas Health Foundation Predoctoral Scholar -- July 1995 - July 1996
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Newmark Award for Biochemical Research -- April 1995
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Stanley L. Twomey Memorial Award -- April 1992
Dept. of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Kansas

William Randolph Hearst Fellowship -- July 1991
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA.

Ida H. Hyde Scholarship -- May 1991
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

American Society of Cell Biology
Developmental Biology Society
Genetics Society of America
Sigma Xi

Rodriguez, Alexis J.; Seipel, Susan A.; Hamill, Danielle R.; Romancino, Danielle P.; Di Carlo, Marta; Suprenant, Kathy A., and Bonder, Edward M. (2005) Seawi-a sea urchin piwi/argonaute family member is a component of MT-RNP complexes. RNA 11(5): 646-656.

Hamill, Danielle R., Severson, Aaron F., Carter, J.Clayton, and Bowerman, Bruce (2003). Centrosome maturation and mitotic spindle assembly in C. elegans require SPD-5, a protein with multiple coiled-coil domains. Developmental Cell 3, 673-684.

Kurz, Thimo, Pintard, Lionel. Willis, John H., Hamill, Danielle R., Gonczy, Pierre, Peter, Matthies, and Bowerman, Bruce. (2002) Regulation of microfilament and microtuble function by the Nedd8/Rub1p ubiquitin-like conjugation pathway in C. elegans. Science 295, 1294-1298.

Sandra E. Encalada, Paula R. Martin, Jennifer A. Phillips, Rebecca Lyzcak, Danielle R. Hamill, Kathryn A. Swan, and Bruce Bowerman (2000). DNA replication defects delay cell division and disrupt cell polarity in early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. Developmental Biology 228(2), 225-238.

Andy Golden, Penny L. Sadler, Matthew R. Wallenfang, Jill M. Schumacher, Danielle R. Hamill, Gayle Bates, Bruce Bowerman, Geraldine Seydoux, and Diane C. Shakes (2000). Metaphase to anaphase (mat) transition-defective mutants in Caenorhabditis elegans. Journal of Cell Biology 151(7), 1469-1482.

Aaron F. Severson, Danielle R. Hamill, J. Clayton Carter, Jill Schumacher, and Bruce Bowerman (2000). The Aurora-related kinase AIR-2 recruits ZEN-4/CeMKLP1 to the mitotic spindle at methaphase and is required for cytokinesis. Current Biology 10(19), 1162-1171.

Verna Jantsch-Plunger, Pierre Gönczy, Alper Romano, Heinke Schnabel, Danielle Hamill, Ralf Schnabel, Anthony A. Hyman, and Michael Glotzer (2000). CYK-4: A Rho family GTPase activating protein (GAP) required for central spindle formation and cytokinesis. Journal of Cell Biology 149(7), 1391-1404.

Marc D. Meneghini, Tohru Ishitani, J. Clayton Carter, Naoki Hisamoto, Jun Nimomiya-Tsuji, Christopher J. Thorpe, Danielle R. Hamill, Kunihiro Matsumoto, and Bruce Bowerman (1999). MAP kinase and Wnt pathways converge to downregulate and HMG-domain repressor in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature 399, 793-797.

Danielle R. Hamill, Bonnie Howell, Lynne Cassimeris, and Kathy A. Suprenant (1998). Purification of a WD repeat protein, EMAP, that promotes microtubule dynamics through an inhibition of rescue. Journal of Biological Chemistry 273(15), 9285-9291.

Danielle R. Hamill and Kathy A. Suprenant (1997). Characterization of the sea urchin major vault protein: A possible role for vault ribonucleoprotein particles in nucleocytoplasmic transport. Developmental Biology 190(1), 117-128.

Danielle R. Hamill, Jill Davis, Julie Drawbridge, and Kathy A. Suprenant (1994). Polyribosome targeting to microtubules: enrichment of specific mRNAs in a reconstituted microtubule preparation from sea urchin embryos. Journal of Cell Biology 127(4), 973-984.

Julie L. Halling, Danielle R. Hamill, Mei-Guey Lei, and David C. Morrison (1992). Identification and characterization of lipopolysaccharide-binding proteins on human peripheral blood cell populations. Infection and Immunity 60(3), 845-852.

Bradley E. Britigan and Danielle R. Hamill (1990). Effect of the spin trap 5,5 Dimethyl-1-pyrroloine- N-oxide (DMPO) on human neutrophil function: novel inhibition of neutrophil stimulus response coupling. Free Radical Biology and Medicine 8(5), 459-470.

Bradley E. Britigan, Daniel J. Hassett, Gerald M. Rosen, Danielle R.Hamill, and Myron S. Cohen (1989). Neutrophil degranulation inhibits potential hydroxyl-radical formation. Biochemical Journal 264(2), 447-455.

Bradley E. Britigan and Danielle R. Hamill (1989). The interaction of 5,5-Dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide with human myeloperoxidase and its potential impact on spin trapping of neutrophil-derived free radicals. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 275(1), 72-81.

Bradley E. Britigan, Thomas Coffman, Danielle R. Adelberg, and Myron S. Cohen (1988). Mononuclear phagocytes have the potential for sustained hydroxyl radical production: Use of spin-trapping techniques to investigate mononuclear phagocyte free radical production. Journal of Experimental Medicine 168(6), 2367-2372.

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