BIO SKETCHES OF AT-LARGE COUNCILORS

Jill Salvo, Associate Professor of Biology and Director, Government Grants

Address: 807 Union Street, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308

Degrees/Institutions: PhD, M. Phil: Yale University (Dept of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry); B.S., Denison University with honors, Major: Biology, Phi Beta Kappa

Research (or other Professional) Interests:  After 4 years as a half-time director of Government Grants (with College Relations) while still teaching 3 courses in Biology, I have moved to a strictly administrative position under the Dean of Arts & Sciences.

I mostly work one-on-one with faculty to facilitate the grant-writing process (reviewing, editing, drafting budgets, uploading files), but I also act as a faculty/administration liaison and advocate to reduce the concerns, needs and barriers that faculty have regarding grants. As part of this position, I have run workshops for faculty (bringing in speakers from NIH, NSF, NEH and Research Corporation), and attended workshops on grant-writing and specific grant opportunities (NSF, NIH, Dept. of Ed, NEH). I have also written successful NSF grants for our Deans to fund faculty development, student scholarships, curricular improvement and internship development. My interactions with College Relations also facilitate connections between our alumni and regional businesses with our faculty and students through collaborations in research and internships. I am also a member of CLASP (Colleges of Liberal Arts Sponsored Programs), which is focused on grants for faculty research at undergraduate colleges.

My research efforts in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology have: 1)  examined the role(s) of RNA structure and sequence in the control of prokaryotic gene expression through study of the RNA-protein interaction involved in rho-dependent termination;  2)  evaluated the structure/function relationship of a self-splicing intron in a prokaryotic system; 3) explored the self-splicing ability of uncharacterized Group I introns in the mitochondrial genome of the fungus Podospora anserina; and 4) initiated study of mitochondrial intron-encoded endonucleases (mobility endonucleases) in Podospora anserina where senescence or "aging" of the fungus is concomitant with drastic alterations in the mitochondrial genome.

Activities related to Undergraduate Research: My current responsibilities keep me involved with curricular and undergraduate research opportunities as they impact our entire student body, and we have recently focused on regional partnerships within the “Tech Valley” area to enhance workforce development through increased communication among government, industry and academe; collaborative research projects; and student internships and summer research opportunities.  I have attended on-campus and national (PKAL, Gordon Conferences) conferences on teaching and pedagogy for majors and non-majors in science.

Within the Biology department, I have been responsible for writing department grants including HHMI, NSF-MRI and Merck/AAAS. I have been active in curricular and pedagogical revisions in the Biology department, and helped develop and maintain the Biochemistry major. In my lab, I have supervised 22 research students over 13 years (including 3 high school student interns), and 11 research theses. Seven of my students have presented their work at NCUR or ACS National Meetings, and 10 in our campus-side Steinmetz Symposium. I served on the NCUR steering committee for NCUR 95 (Union College), where we introduced the “Arts Feast” to showcase the scholarship of artists and performers.

Grant Funding:

- Faculty Research Fund Grant, Union College (2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1997)

- NSF Research at Undergraduate Institutes (RUI) Award (1992-1997): $270,000

- NSF Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement (ILI) Award (1994 –1996):  $24,000

- PEW Science Program Award, March 1995 - computer purchase for introductory course

- NSF Research Planning Grant (1991-1993): $21,000

- NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA): $75,000 (declined)

Teaching Interests: My past teaching commitments (last taught Fall 2003) were to teach an upper level course/lab in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as well an introductory level course/lab in Molecular Biology. I have also taught Cell Biology, Senior Seminar and “The Technology of Biology”- a non-majors course (with a math component) focused on advances in biology.  In Fall 2003, my colleague in Chemistry and I piloted a new laboratory project which would allow a project begun in one course to be continued into another – in this case cloned and over-expressed mutant proteins generated by my students would be purified and tested by students in the subsequent course.  (Many students take the two courses sequentially.)  This pilot has provided the basis for a pending NSF-CCLI proposal which extends the concept to a third course in medicinal Chemistry.

Other Relevant Professional Service:

- CUR liaison for Union College

- December 1998: NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) review panel

- July 1995: NSF Committee of Visitors for the Genetics and Nucleic Acids Cluster in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences

- December 1993, 1994: NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Study Section in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences                 

- Reviewer: Fungal Genetics and Biology, Journal of Biological Chemistry, NSF

CUR Statement:

I believe that my experiences as both a faculty member and a grants administrator in College Relations (and now as part of Academic Affairs) have provided me with a relatively unique perspective. As an advocate for faculty who are trying to manage both research and teaching, I can present concerns and ideas to the Deans and Directors in the Development office on a regular basis. I have found that this combination is often very effective at moving good projects forward and with support from state and/or local resources that might have otherwise remained elusive to faculty.  My position also allows me to help identify issues that cross the academic/administrative boundary and focus attention on campus-wide solutions. In addition, I have had the opportunity to help develop and implement new programs for the College as a whole.  I believe my perspective is of value to CUR, and that I can help mentor junior faculty or new grant administrators through CUR