ARRA: Circadian Rhythms and Skeletal Muscle

This application is in response to the NIAMS ARRA Administrative Supplements for Providing Summer Research Experiences for Students and Science Educators. The parent grant (AR055246) is focused on understanding the regulation and function of circadian rhythms is adult skeletal muscle. A component of Aims I and 2 of the grant require that mice be entrained to a 12 hour light-dark cycle pre- and post- experimentation (i.e., denervation). Stephen Hunt is a 7~ grade science teacher who will be taught the method used to entrain mice as well as how to analyze and interpret wheel running data obtained from the entrainment phase of the experiment. Stephen's involvement in the project is fully expected to expedite the progress of the project by insuring entrained mice are readily available for use by other key personnel involved in the project. Once trained, it will be Stephen's responsibility to provide and insure entrained mice are available. It will be his responsibility to identify, by analyzing the wheel running data, those mice that demonstrate entrainment and remove those mice that fail to properly entrain. Insuring the availability of entrained mice for downstream experiments will enhance completion of the proposed project. Furthermore, learning how to entrain mice will provide a relatively simple mechanism for introducing many of the key principles of circadian biology. Stephen's laboratory experience will be complimented by his attendance at weekly laboratory meetings in which research data as well as research articles on circadian rhythms are presented. It is also anticipated that toward the end of his training, Stephen will work to integrate his knowledge of circadian rhythms into his science curriculum which will also include an experimental component.