Lobster Research at Assumption College Garners Grant:
Aggression and Dominance in lobsters will be studied
February 7, 2003—Assumption College professor Dr.
Stuart Cromarty, whose research includes, working with the American Lobster,
has recently been awarded a $250,000 National Science Foundation grant through
a joint proposal submitted with Dr. Gabriele Kass-Simon from the University
of Rhode Island.
The purpose of Dr. Cromarty's research is to identify and analyze the role and
nature of steroid hormones in aggressive behavior. Aggression is a vital component
of the survival strategies of all animals and is used in the acquisition of
food, mates, and territory. The American lobster is an ideal animal model to
use for scientific experiments due to its aggressive nature.
"We expect to show that steroids not only alter the internal aggressive
state of an animal, but are also used as signaling tools to modify the behavior
of an opponent in an aggressive interaction. These steroids are released in
the urine during fights, are smelled by each animal, and signal who is bigger,
stronger and dominant, and who is the winner and loser.”
Undergraduates from Assumption College will be paired with doctoral candidates
from the University of Rhode Island and will work with Drs. Cromarty and Kass-Simon
on various aspects of the research project. Students will be exposed to state-of-the-art
techniques which include the latest immunocytochemical (antibody staining),
neurophysiological (molecular probes and electrical brain recordings) and behavioral
techniques. Students will then continue their projects and research during the
academic year at Assumption College.
The grant was accepted with full funding support for three years starting in
June 2003. The three-year award totals approximately $250,000 and is equally
distributed between the two institutions. It also includes travel expenses for
the undergraduates to the annual Society of Neuroscience meeting and a local
conference at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
On the University of Rhode Island side, the grant will support two doctoral
candidates and one undergraduate student each summer.
For more information on this grant or research, please contact the Office of
Public Affairs at (508) 767-7160.