UNews - Justin Miller

Biology student projects earn awards at international conference

caroline.zentner — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 17:05:38 +0000

Two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge biology students earned first-place awards for their research at the recent 40th annual North American Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, the largest yearly gathering of environmental toxicologists in North America.

Darren Van Essen, a fourth-year student, was awarded first place in the undergraduate poster presentation competition, and Justin Miller, a master’s student presenting his undergraduate research, was awarded first place in the undergraduate oral presentation competition. Both are supervised by Dr. Steve Wiseman, a biological sciences professor.

Justin Miller, left, and Darren Van Essen have both used zebrafish in their research; zebrafish embryos are nearly transparent so researchers can easily observe development.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” says Van Essen. “Dr. Wiseman’s lab has been a perfect fit for me and I’ve had many different opportunities, including conducting research and attending conferences.”

“I’ve never done an oral presentation at a conference this size,” says Miller. “I was shocked when my name popped up, I was very excited.”

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge produces great undergraduate students and Darren and Justin are no exception,” says Wiseman. “They have worked hard on their research so it’s nice for them to be rewarded. Seeing my students be successful is the most rewarding aspect of my job.”

“I’m using zebrafish embryos to determine if a flame-retardant chemical is toxic to fish,” Van Essen says. “I found that it increases mortality, decreases heart rate and increases developmental malformations.”

Van Essen also used gene expression to investigate mechanisms of effects of exposure. He continues to examine the effects of the same chemical for his honours thesis.

Miller also used a zebrafish model to study the effects of dicamba, a herbicide used to control broadleaf weeds.

“I was building off of my previous project where I used rainbow trout to see how their liver cells responded to dicamba exposures,” says Miller. “I wanted to do a multi-species comparison. I took zebrafish embryos and exposed them to dicamba and I looked into the methylation profile of the genome in early life stages of zebrafish.”

DNA methylation can affect gene expression, which can alter physiological processes, but does not alter the genome. In zebrafish, Miller found exposure to dicamba didn’t cause early life malformations or changes in heart rate or gene expression. He found no alteration of the methylation profile in rainbow trout liver cells.

“Negative results are still results and they push research forward,” Miller says. “Dicamba is detected in many freshwater systems in southern Alberta. It’s nice to see that a chemical which is valuable to our agricultural industry might not pose a threat to freshwater fishes. Of course, more research is needed to fully understand this.”

Van Essen, who grew up on a farm near Picture Butte, chose to attend the U of L because of its Research Internship Concentration, which offers students the opportunity to be involved in biological research in their first year and to build their research skills in subsequent years.

“The Research Internship has made a huge difference in terms of meeting other students and professors and getting involved in research in various labs,” says Van Essen. “By the time I reached my fourth year, I’d already worked on multiple research projects. It gave me a lot of background that’s important for my thesis.”

Through his involvement with the program, Van Essen discovered he preferred working with an animal model. Wiseman’s lab allowed him to combine his interests in using an animal model and molecular biology, providing him with the material for his poster presentation in the process.

Both Van Essen and Miller credit Wiseman for giving them the opportunity to be involved in research and to develop research projects based on their own interests.

“Having two undergrads produce such strong work that’s recognized is really a testament to both the U of L and especially Dr. Wiseman’s commitment to producing strong undergraduate researchers,” says Miller.

The awards provide Miller and Van Essen with complimentary registration for next year’s conference in Fort Worth, Texas.

Congratulations to our Leaders of Tomorrow award winners

caroline.zentner — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 17:32:53 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge congratulates all Leaders of Tomorrow award winners; they are shining examples of engaged citizenship. As part of National Volunteer Week, Volunteer Lethbridge announced the winners at a gala Thursday evening.

Among the winners are several U of L students and their volunteer work highlights their desire to give back to the community. They truly are the leaders of tomorrow.

In the 19-to-24 age group, U of L students Marissa Hsu, Jesse Wamsteeker, Chelsea Kleckner, Antoine Gendron and Justin Miller each received an Excellence Award.

Hsu has served on a medical-volunteering trip to the Dominican Republic. Her involvements include the Student Refugee Program, the Canadian Armed Forces and the Delta Eta Iota Sorority.

Wamsteeker is a respected volunteer leader known for his dedication, motivation, compassion and exceptional planning and organizational skills. He volunteers at Chinook Regional hospital and with Canadian Blood Services and is dedicated to helping those around him.

Kleckner embodies leadership and selfless service in her volunteer work. She’s involved with the U of L Rotaract Club, Volunteer Lethbridge, Eagles Nest Ranch, Hillcrest Evangelical Church, Lethbridge Food Bank and Whispering Pines Camp.

Gendron, a dedicated activist, has worked hard to create change. He started and planned the U of L’s first Earth Day celebration in 2018, including raising funds and recruiting volunteers and speakers. He organized this year’s Earth Day celebration as well. In addition, Gendron is involved with the Oldman Watershed Council and serves on their board of directors.

Miller is known for his ability to create an environment of trust, hospitality and rapport. He showed exceptional leadership in revamping the Emergency Room volunteer program at Chinook Regional Hospital. Miller gives his time to many other organizations, including the U of L Pre-Med Club, Taber Minor Hockey and Cranbrook Minor Hockey.

In addition, Recognition Awards were given to the following U of L students: Trinity Alles, Hana Bissett, Elani Bykowski, Abby Davis, Janey Deacon-Rosamond, Keely Goulding, Suraj Navani, Suzanne Stables, Sunil Stephenson, Olivia Tondevold and Tiffany Trinh.

Through a partnership with Volunteer Lethbridge, the UVolunteer program, administered through the School of Liberal Education, encourages volunteerism among students. One of the pillars of liberal education is citizenship, both local and global. The U of L is extremely proud of these bright lights in our midst who exemplify this ideal of citizenship. We applaud their many achievements through volunteerism.

Undergrad scores big with research poster

caroline.zentner — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 17:13:46 +0000

As an undergraduate student researcher, Justin Miller was simply excited to be attending the Canadian Ecotoxicity Workshop recently held in Vancouver. As Canada’s predominant annual conference for ecotoxicologists, he knew he’d be learning about the latest developments in the field. What he didn’t expect was to come away with a third-place award and a cash prize for his research poster.

“I was one of the only, if not the only, undergrad there,” he says. “That was cool in and of itself and then to take home an award was a complete honour. I couldn’t believe it and I still can’t, to tell you the truth.”

“This workshop is the largest and most important annual meeting of ecotoxicologists in Canada and it’s very rare that an undergraduate student wins one of these awards,” says Dr. Steve Wiseman, a U of L biology professor and Miller’s supervisor. “The award speaks volumes about the quality of Justin’s work and the U of L’s strong commitment to undergraduate research.”

Miller’s poster was built around the research he conducted in Wiseman’s lab during the summer, thanks to an Undergraduate Student Research Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). He investigated the effects of a commonly used herbicide in Canada on fish.

“The research I did over the summer was using rainbow trout raised in the lab,” says Miller. “I wanted to see how fish exposed to dicamba, an herbicide used to kill broadleaf weeds, would be affected. The main process I looked at was oxidative stress. The primary spot where these chemicals would be found is in the liver, as that’s where they’re processed.”

Oxidative stress occurs when an imbalance exists between anti-oxidants and pro-oxidants, something that can occur with exposure to environmental chemicals. Too many pro-oxidants can damage structures within the cell and can result in a variety of physiological impairments.

“What I found is that oxidative stress is not a mechanism of toxicity induced by dicamba but I did find there was a change in the methyl pool, specifically an increase in methyl groups, and I’m investigating that further,” says Miller.

He also looked at DNA methylation in his fish subjects. Methyl groups attached to DNA are important for regulation of gene expression. So far, Miller hasn’t found much in terms of effects of dicamba on DNA methylation but he’s waiting on more data. He also intends to explore whether any changes in DNA methylation caused by exposure to dicamba get passed on to future generations in upcoming research.

Miller, from Cranbrook, British Columbia, started his post-secondary studies at the College of the Rockies in a university transfer program after taking a year after high school to play junior hockey with the Columbia Valley Rockies and the Summerland Steam. Thanks to the college’s dual admission program with the U of L, Miller was able to complete his first two years in Cranbrook.

“Pretty much since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be a doctor,” he says. “I still want to be one and I’m working every day to do that. Everything I do is pretty much centred around that goal.”

As a youngster, Miller remembers helping his mother study when she was taking a medical transcriptionist course. He read her flashcards and was intrigued to learn the meaning of the words. Throughout his post-secondary schooling, he’s kept his grades up while getting involved in all kinds of activities.

“I do a lot of coaching; I’m a goalie coach and I run a goaltending clinic in Taber every week,” he says. “I’m involved in the U of L Pre-Med club and I also volunteer at the hospital in a leader rounding support position. I really enjoy that. It’s such an incredible experience and I’m really lucky to be doing it. I’m grateful I was chosen for that position.”

In this role, Miller talks to patients about the care they received, their future goals with their care and what kinds of supports they might need at home. As the medical representative on the Pre-Med Club, he’s organized events to help members learn about the admission process and held MCAT study sessions. One such event is the club’s Hoof-It Run, a fundraiser for the Students’ Union food bank, scheduled for March.

Miller is currently working on his undergraduate honour’s thesis, with plans to start a master’s program with Wiseman next spring and apply to medical school next summer.

UNews - Justin Miller

Biology student projects earn awards at international conference

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Undergrad scores big with research poster

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