...with the Drs. Pepeu!

The presence of Ileanna and Giancarlo Pepeu, Department of Pharmacology, University of Florence, was a special treat. They had an openness about them that was very welcoming. The Pepeu’s are from Florence, Italy. Ileanna has recently retired from her research in Pharmacology, but she still strongly supports her husband and his work. Over lunch, Dr. Giancarlo Pepeu talked about his life experiences and he stressed the importance of networking. He explained that he has developed many friendships simply by networking.

Dr. Giancarlo Pepeu sponsors BRAVO! students to work in his lab. His research focuses on the cholinergic system, including the release of acetylcholine in the brain. The purpose of his study is to find out what cognitive process in the forebrain plays a role in the cholinergic system. The cholinergic system is activated by arousal and Dr. Pepeu typically uses rats in his experiments. When a rat is exposed to a new environment there is a release of acetylcholine in the brain. As the rat becomes more familiar with the environment the release of acetylcholine decreases
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Lunch was very interesting and I learned quite a bit of information; not to mention the free food!

Heather Milliken, UBRPer in Dr. Carol Barnes’s lab, ARL-Neural Systems, Memory, and Aging

...with the Dr. Rolf Zeigler!

On Tuesday, September 30, 2003, a group of UBRP students including myself had a “Lunch on Us” with Dr. Rolf Ziegler, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics . There were eight of us including Carol, and we went to a Vietnamese restaurant called Miss Saigon. During our meal, Dr. Ziegler told us about his research in his European accented English. He reminded me of my high school Latin teacher who was also from Germany.

Dr. Ziegler is currently a visiting associate professor working in Dr. Michael Wells’ lab, Biochemistry nad Molecular Biophysics but his permanent position is in a University in Halle, Germany. He is an insect expert and is currently studying the metabolism of lipids in insects and how they are regulated. He uses Manduca sexta (tobacco hornworm) as his model. He chose the tobacco hornworm because it can generate tons of fats, and those fats can be removed and used for experiments. Interesting stuff aye? So what could be better than getting a free lunch, being able to drink bubba tea, and exploring new biological research opportunities?

If anyone is interested, Dr. Ziegler is actively recruiting more undergraduates to work for him. Hey, you may even get a chance to visit Germany!

Jack Luo, UBRPer in Dr. Josephine Lai’s lab, Pharmacology

If any UBRPer would like to host a Lunch on Us! for any faculty sponsor, contact the UBRP Office.