Veronica A. Segarra

Goucher College · Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry

Undergraduate students majoring in the life sciences benefit from experience with data analyses that connect mathematical calculations to the biological systems they are studying. Monitoring the optical density and cell number of Saccharomyces cerevisiae liquid cultures allows students to gain quantitative experience generating standard curves and...

Despite decades of interventions aiming to sculpt the STEM workforce to be more inclusive and diverse, little progress has been made in creating long-lasting, sustainable change. For a long period of time, the STEM workforce has been described as a leaky pipeline. While there has been some utility to thinking about the STEM workforce in this way, i...

Undergraduate students majoring in the life sciences benefit from experience with data analyses that connect mathematical calculations to the biological systems they are studying. Monitoring the optical density and cell number of Saccharomyces cerevisiae liquid cultures allows students to gain quantitative experience generating standard curves and...

While the identified function of the C-terminus of Atg27p, a transmembrane protein that contributes to cellular self-eating or autophagy, is to control the localization of the protein throughout the endosomal/vacuolar system, the function of its lumenal domain remains unknown. Using bioinformatics tools, we confirm that Atg27 has a predicted mannos...

Hsp70 interactions are critical for cellular viability and the response to stress. Previous attempts to characterize Hsp70 interactions have been limited by their transient nature and the inability of current technologies to distinguish direct versus bridged interactions. We report the novel use of cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) to compreh...

ABSTRACT The wound healing assay is a simple and inexpensive method that allows researchers to experimentally mimic cell growth and migration leading to wound healing. In this assay, a wound is created on a monolayer of cultured mammalian cells and cell migration is monitored. Micrographs are captured at regular intervals during the duration of the...

Historic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplinary cultures were founded in a system that was predominately male, white, heterosexual, and able-bodied (i.e., “majority”). Some societal norms have changed, and so has demand for inclusive STEM engagement. However, legacy mental models, or deeply held beliefs and assumptions...

Scientific societies serve as communities of practice in which scientists develop many of the skills and connections required for the progression of their careers. For example, scientific societies offer their members opportunities to attend career development programs, gain experience in communicating science, and receive recognition for achieveme...

Professional STEM societies have been identified as an important lever to address STEM diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this Perspectives article, we chronicle the highlights of the first Amplifying the Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success (ACCESS+) convening held in September 2021. Here, we introduce the three-part ACCESS+ ap...

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professional societies (ProSs) are uniquely positioned to foster national-level diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) reform. ProSs serve broad memberships, define disciplinary norms and culture, and inform accrediting bodies and thus provide critical levers for systems change. STEM ProSs co...

The sorting nexins (SNX), constitute a diverse family of molecules that play varied roles in membrane trafficking, cell signaling, membrane remodeling, organelle motility and autophagy. In particular, the SNX‐BAR proteins, a SNX subfamily characterized by a C‐terminal dimeric Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) lipid curvature domain and a conserved Phox‐hom...

Scientific societies serve as communities of practice in which scientists develop many of the skills and connections required for the progression of their careers. For example, scientific societies offer a range of opportunities to attend career development programs, gain experience in communicating science, and receive recognition for achievements...

Professional societies (ProSs) are instrumental in shaping science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) cultural norms. Existing legacy structures designed to serve majority groups and constructed in service of dominant norms and values present a clear obstacle to attracting, retaining, and serving minoritized STEM professionals, suc...

Hsp70 interactions are critical for cellular viability and the response to stress. Previous attempts to characterize Hsp70 interactions have been limited by their transient nature and inability of current technologies to distinguish direct vs bridged interactions. We report the novel use of cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) to comprehensively...

Autophagy is a conserved catabolic process by which eukaryotic cells respond to stress by targeting damaged or unneeded molecules or organelles for sequestration into specialized vesicles known as autophagosomes. Autophagosomes ultimately facilitate the digestion and recycling of their contents by fusing with the degradative organelle of the cell....

Experiential learning can facilitate the development of transferrable skills necessary for success in attaining tenure and promotion in academia. In this article, we discuss the benefits of designing and implementing an individualized professional development experience or practicum. By doing this, we describe the experiential learning component of...

The Minorities Affairs Committee of the American Society for Cell Biology through its Accomplishing Career Transitions (ACT) program aims to ease critical transitions for postdocs and junior faculty from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM or from minority-serving institutions as they work towards promotion and tenure at a wide range of academic i...

The function of the budding yeast YML018C protein remains to be determined. High-throughput studies have reported that the YML018C protein localizes to the vacuolar membrane and physically interacts with the autophagy-related protein Atg27p. While this evidence suggests a potential role for this uncharacterized protein in the process of autophagy,...

Many professional societies utilize travel awards programs to foster inclusion and facilitate the professional development of underrepresented minority (URM) scientists. All member societies that participate in the Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success (ACCESS) do so to some degree. Members of this meta-organization recently came t...

The sorting nexins (SNX), constitute a diverse family of molecules that play varied roles in membrane trafficking, cell signaling, membrane remodeling, organelle motility and autophagy. In particular, the SNX-BAR proteins, a SNX subfamily characterized by a C-terminal dimeric Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) lipid curvature domain and a conserved Phox-hom...

Atg27p, a single-pass transmembrane protein that functions in autophagy, localizes to a variety of cellular compartments including the pre-autophagosomal structure, late Golgi, vacuolar membrane, as well as early and late endosomes. Its cytoplasmic C-terminus contains a tyrosine sorting motif that allows for its transport to the vacuolar membrane a...

The autophagy-related protein Atg27p has been previously shown to localize to the autophagy-specific pre-autophagosomal structure (PAS) as well as to several organelles, including the late Golgi, the vacuolar membrane, and the endosome. Given that Atg27p localization to the vacuolar membrane in particular has been shown to be dependent on both its...

Clonogenic assays are a simple and robust method that allow researchers to characterize mammalian cell line features, including the ability of a single cell to grow into a colony. We have used this assay as a tool in the undergraduate biology laboratory, exposing students to a more specialized form of mammalian cell culture and helping them refine...

Experiential learning can facilitate the development of transferrable skills necessary for success in attaining tenure and promotion in academia. In this article, we discuss the benefits of designing and implementing an individualized professional development experience or practicum. By doing this, we describe the experiential learning component of...

While understanding macromolecular structural elements and their roles in dictating cellular function is critical to grasp basic concepts in biology, it can be challenging for students to master this content—these elements naturally exist at the nanoscale and are not observable with the naked eye. Oftentimes this understanding is catalyzed by impac...

Undergraduate students in the biomedical sciences are often interested in future health-focused careers. This presents opportunities for instructors in genetics, molecular biology, and cancer biology to capture their attention using lab experiences built around clinically relevant data. As biomedical science in general becomes increasingly dependen...

Scientific societies aiming to foster inclusion of scientists from underrepresented (UR) backgrounds among their membership often delegate primary responsibility for this goal to a diversity-focused committee. The National Science Foundation has funded the creation of the Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success (ACCESS), a meta-organ...

STEM outreach experiences provide aspiring scientists and healthcare professionals with opportunities to grow into new roles, integrate knowledge, and acquire soft skills. While STEM outreach publications often describe the outreach performed, few focus on how to establish strong partnerships, which are essential for outreach endeavors to succeed....

Scientific societies aiming to foster inclusion of scientists from underrepresented (UR) backgrounds among their membership often delegate primary responsibility for this goal to a diversity-focused committee. The National Science Foundation has funded the creation of the Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success (ACCESS), a meta-organ...

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the best model organisms for the study of endocytic membrane trafficking. While studies in mammalian cells have characterized the temporal and morphological features of the endocytic pathway, studies in budding yeast have led the way in the analysis of the endosomal trafficking machinery components and their funct...

Clonogenic assays are a simple and robust method that allow researchers to characterize mammalian cell line features, including the ability of a single cell to grow into a colony. We have used this assay as a tool in the undergraduate biology laboratory, exposing students to a more specialized form of mammalian cell culture and helping them refine...

The ability of yeast to survive freezing and thawing is most frequently considered in the context of cryopreservation, a practical step in both industrial and research applications of these organisms. However, it also relates to an evolved ability to withstand freeze–thaw stress that is integrated with a larger network of survival responses. These...

Undergraduate students in the biomedical sciences are often interested in future health-focused careers. This presentsopportunities for instructors in genetics, molecular biology and cancer biology to capture their attention using lab experiences built around clinically relevant data. As biomedical science in general becomes increasingly dependent...

The common view of art and science as polar opposites along the educational spectrum can sometimes mask the degree to which they inform one another. In fact, art can also serve as a way to foster interest in querying the natural world, ultimately allowing us to recruit highly creative individuals to join the scientific community. We have experience...

Diversity-focused committees continue to play essential roles in the efforts of professional scientific societies to foster inclusion and facilitate the professional development of underrepresented minority (URM) young scientists in their respective scientific disciplines. Until recently, the efforts of these committees have remained independent an...

Promoting diversity and inclusiveness in the STEM academic workforce remains a key challenge and national priority. Scientific societies can play a significant role in this process through the creation and implementation of programs to foster STEM academic workforce diversification, and by providing mentoring and skills development training that em...

Recent studies demonstrate that significant learning gains can be achieved when instructors take intentional steps to address the affective components of learning. While such efforts enhance the outcomes of all students, they are particularly beneficial for students from underrepresented groups and can reduce performance gaps. In the present study,...

Diversity-focused committees continue to play essential roles in the efforts of professional scientific societies to foster inclusion and facilitate the professional development of underrepresented minority (URM) young scientists in their respective scientific disciplines. Until recently, the efforts of these committees has remained independent and...

In subjects like cell biology, genetics, and immunology, a solid understanding of signal transduction is key to mastering new content. Often times students’ approach to learning signal transduction pathways relies heavily on memorization. In this paper, we describe a modular method to introduce students to signal transduction. In this method, stude...

Promoting diversity and inclusiveness in the STEM academic workforce remains a key challenge and national priority. Scientific societies can play a significant role in this process through the creation and implementation of programs to foster STEM academic workforce diversification, and by providing mentoring and skills development training that em...

The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) is a community dedicated to helping prepare the next generation of scientists to advance our understanding of the cell to an unprecedented level of sophistication and detail. Its Education Committee fosters this process by creating educational and professional development opportunities around best practi...

Objective: A classical method to quantitatively determine the starvation sensitivity phenotype of autophagy mutant budding yeast strains is to starve them for a period of time and then to assess the proportion of cells that retain the ability to form colonies when the availability of nutrients is restored. The readout of this colony-formation assa...

Objective: Response-validated multiple-choice assessments are used in college courses to assess student learning gains. The ability of a test to accurately reflect student learning gains is highly dependent on the students' effort. Within our institution, lackluster student effort is common on response-validated multiple-choice concept assessments...

Modern high-throughput screening is a versatile method used widely in academic and industrial labs for genetic and pharmacological testing, but is underutilized in undergraduate laboratories. We designed an open inquiry-based laboratory activity exploiting a small-scale high-throughput screening assay of the budding yeast S. cerevisiae to promote a...

While the demand for a strong STEM workforce continues to grow, there are challenges that threaten our ability to recruit, train, and retain such a workforce in a way that is effective and sustainable and fosters innovation. One way in which we are meeting this challenge is through the use of the arts in the training of scientists. In this Perspect...

Science outreach often requires undergraduates to assume new roles as teachers, science communicators, role models, and mentors. Transitioning into these roles is a rewarding part of science outreach but can be daunting and challenging for students at this educational stage. We have created developmental psychology and science pedagogy primers to h...

Appendix 1: Primer on the cognitive development of high school students, Appendix 2: Primer on the cognitive development of high school seniors

Undergraduate students learn about mammalian cell culture applications in introductory biology courses. However, laboratory modules are rarely designed to provide hands-on experience with mammalian cells or teach cell culture techniques, such as trypsinization and cell counting. Students are more likely to learn about cell culture using bacteria or...

Appendix 1: Student handout – non-biology majors, Appendix 2: Sample student analysis – non-biology majors, Appendix 3: Student handout – biology majors, Appendix 4: Sample student analysis – biology majors, Appendix 5: Instructor preparation guide

As part of its mission, the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) works to increase diversity in the scientific workforce, in part through the work of its Minorities Affairs Committee. It is for this reason that the ASCB was happy to welcome the special September 2016 issue of CBE—Life Sciences Education (LSE) focused on broadening participation...

The design of programs in support of a strong, diverse, and inclusive scientific workforce and academe requires numerous difficult conversations about sensitive topics such as the challenges scientists can face in their professional development. Theatre can be an interactive and effective way to foster discussion around such subjects. This article...

Appendix 1: Supplemental Table 1: Sample scenarios for group skits and discussion, Appendix 2: Supplemental Table 2: Participant responses to reflection questions, Appendix 3: Supplemental Table 3: Themes in participants’ reflections: coding schema

Undergraduates are often familiar with textbook examples of human mutations that affect coding regions and the subsequent disorders, but they may struggle with understanding the implications of mutations in the regulatory regions of genes. We have designed a laboratory sequence that will allow students to explore the effect random mutagenesis can h...

In the biological sciences, students frequently equate understanding to compiling and memorizing information as a series of isolated facts. For this reason, they struggle to connect major concepts across course curriculums. In other disciplines, improvisation techniques have been introduced as a way to engage with millenials, who learn best through...

Appendix 1: Instructional handouts for students Appendix 2: Student discussion notes for semester review topics Appendix 3: Student feedback from three pilot institutions Appendix 4: Instructional tips depending on course context

Clathrin facilitates vesicle formation during endocytosis and sorting in the trans-Golgi network (TGN)/endosomal system. Unlike in mammals, yeast clathrin function requires both the heavy (CHC) and light (CLC) chain, since Chc1 does not form stable trimers without Clc1. To further delineate clathrin subunit functions, we constructed a chimeric CHC...

Service learning is a community engagement pedagogy often used in the context of the undergraduate classroom to synergize course-learning objectives with community needs. We find that an effective way to catalyze student engagement in service learning is for student participation to occur outside the context of a graded course, driven by students’...

Coat protein complexes contain an inner shell that sorts cargo and an outer shell that helps deform the membrane to give the vesicle its shape. There are three major types of coated vesicles in the cell: COPII, COPI and clathrin. The COPII coat complex facilitates vesicle budding from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), while the COPI coat complex perf...

Many of the didactic tools used in the undergraduate classroom, including textbooks, often highlight science as a body of knowledge, presenting learners with a field’s current “up-to-date” understanding of a subject. It is important that students grasp the idea that this body of knowledge is not static, but evolving through a process by which scien...

We frequently use diagrams or animations to reveal to others biological phenomena that are both invisible to the naked eye and difficult to conceptualize. But these didactic tools fall short in that they generally do not provide feedback or interaction with the user, nor adapt easily to the user’s needs and abilities. Adaptability to the user’s edu...

During autophagy, the transmembrane protein Atg27 facilitates transport of the major autophagy membrane protein Atg9 to the pre-autophagosomal structure (PAS). To better understand the function of Atg27 and its relationship with Atg9, Atg27 trafficking and localization were examined. Atg27 localized to endosomes and the vacuolar membrane, in additi...

As trained scientists, we become adept not only at analyzing and understanding figures in the scientific literature, but also at designing figures to effectively represent our own data and findings. As educators, we strive to pass on these skills to our students, some of whom will ultimately become scientists themselves. Conveying the principles of...

Phosphorylation regulates assembly and disassembly of proteins during endocytosis. In yeast, Prk1/Ark1 phosphorylate factors after vesicle internalization leading to coat disassembly. Scd5, a protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) targeting subunit, is proposed to regulate dephosphorylation of Prk1/Ark1 substrates to promote new rounds of endocytosis. In this...

Saccharomyces cerevisiae uses vacuolar storage to dynamically control the cytoplasmic calcium concentration. Vcx1p, a Ca(2+)/H(+) antiporter and a member of the CAX (Ca(2+)/anion exchanger) family of exchangers, is one of the proteins that sequesters calcium into the vacuole. Although the biological importance of Vcx1p is clear, the molecular mecha...