PhD Students -- Gary H. Dickinson
DUML,
Lab 2, Room 8
135 Duke Marine Lab Rd.
Beaufort, NC 28516
Phone: (252) 504 - 7570
Fax: (252) 504 - 7648
E-mail: ghd2@duke.edu
Education:
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B.S. Biology. Binghamton University (SUNY). 2003.
Research Interests:
- Application of evolutionary concepts to complex biological phenomena
- Highly evolutionarily conserved proteins and biochemical mechanisms
- Chemical ecology and the evolution of chemical-based communications systems
My Ph.D. research has focused on barnacle adhesion. The goal of my research is to develop a model for the polymerization of barnacle cement based on evolutionary concepts. I have employed a wide variety of techniques in my research including standard molecular assays, atomic force microscopy, IR spectroscopy, mass spec based proteomics and biomechanical testing. I've had the opportunity to work the past two summers at the Naval Research Lab in Washington D.C., and have traveled to collaborate with researchers at the University of Puerto Rico and Clemson University. Before beginning my work on barnacles I was involved in research projects on blue crab spawning biology, chemical ecology of snake-salamander interactions and synthesis of "green" solvents.
Publications:
Ramsay, D. B., G. H. Dickinson, B. Orihuela, D. Rittschof and K. J. Wahl. 2008. Base plate mechanics of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite (= Amphibalanus amphitrite). Biofouling 24: 109-118
Dickinson, G.H., D. Rittschof, and C. Latanich. 2006. Spawning biology of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, in North Carolina. Bulletin of Marine Science 79: 273-285.
Handy, S.T., Okello, M. and Dickinson, G. 2003. Solvents from biorenewable sources: Ionic liquids based on fructose. Organic Letters 5:2513-2515. As corrected in 6:4137.
Handy, S.T., Okello, M., Dickinson, G. and Egrie, C. 2003. Ionic Liquids from Biorenewable Resources: Nicotine and Fructose. In Thirteenth International Symposium on Molten Salts; Trulove, P.; DeLong, T.S.H., Eds.; Electochemical Society: Pennington, New Jersey.
Hobbies: Bicycling, Running, Traveling, Cooking