Prof. Matthew Smith

EDUCATION:

B.S. in Biology, Millersville University 2014
C.A.S. in Medicolegal Death Investigation, Syracuse University 2017
M.S. in Biomedical Forensic Science, Syracuse University 2017

 

COURSES TAUGHT:

BIOL 090 – Comprehending Scientific Terminology and Text (Harbin, China)
BIOL 100 – General Biology – Lab
BIOL 101 – Foundations of Biology – Lab & Recitation

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION:

Developmental Biology, Forensic Anthropology, Forensic DNA Analysis, and Genetics

RESEARCH INTEREST(S):

In addition to teaching within the Biology department, I have been conducting research in collaboration with Dr. Judith Cebra-Thomas since 2012. The focus of this research has been studying a population of multipotent cells, neural crest cells (NCCs), and their involvement in the formation of an evolutionary novelty, the bony shell of the turtle. The bones of the turtle shell do not form like the bones in the trunk of other vertebrates, instead they form like those of the vertebrate skull.

NCC populations express both pre-migratory and migratory NCC specifier genes. I am currently performing in situ hybridization to look at the expression patterns of several NCC specifier genes in Trachemys scripta embryos at various developmental stages to see if these specifier genes are downregulated or maintained during a quiescent period between two waves of NCC migration.