| Faculty Advisor |
Brett White
|
|---|---|
| Contact Email | bwhite2@unl.edu |
| Website | |
| Advisor College: |
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
|
| Potential Student Tasks |
Responsibilities include reading and learning about reproductive biology, general lab maintenance, preparing materials for experiments, conducting experiments and analyzing data alongside graduate student mentors and the adviser. Trainees are expected to keep a thorough lab notebook, attend weekly lab meetings and present their progress twice a semester. |
| Student Qualifications |
As scientists, we are strongly driven to understand “why.” Why do certain biological traits act in a specific fashion? Why do some animals have “good” characteristics others have “bad” characteristics for a specific biological trait? Why are some animals fertile, whereas others are infertile? Our laboratory primarily focuses on biological mechanisms associated with reproductive traits. We are looking for students with an animal science, veterinary science or reproductive biology interest. Moreover, trainees should be detail-oriented, strong at reading and writing skills, enthusiastic to learn new skills and motivated to understand “why.” |
| Training, Mentoring, and Workplace Community |
 Based on 25 years of experience teaching reproductive biology to undergraduate students and his involvement with the recruitment of high school students, Dr. White and members of his laboratory are highly relatable to students from different backgrounds and truly enjoy training/mentoring young people. Our laboratory works as a team, an attribute that is very important to successful scientific research. Weekly lab meetings help build teamwork and include fun events like birthday celebrations. New students in the laboratory work alongside graduate students and technicians to develop skills for conducting research experiments and analyzing the results. As trainees gain experience, they become more independent and can explore research questions specific to their interests. We realize that academics and extracurricular activities are very important to student success. So, we are also flexible with student course and activity schedules. Secondary contact: Scott Kurz, skurz2@unl.edu |
| Available Positions |
2
|
Infertility is a huge problem in the swine industry, limiting the profits of producers. Given that 740,000 sows gave birth to piglets in Nebraska last year, a 5% increase in the number of females producing piglets would lead to 440,300 additional piglets. Our lab is interested in methods to solve fertility issues in swine. We are investigating the biological mechanisms underlying how a hormone (gonadotropin-releasing hormone 2) and its interacting partner (gonadotropin-releasing hormone 2 receptor) influence reproduction in pigs. To accomplish this, we created a unique, genetically engineered line of pigs with reduced levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone 2 receptor. Moreover, these pigs also express a green fluorescent protein that causes them to glow in the dark! Males from this line exhibit 80% reduced levels of the hormone, testosterone, the primary reproductive hormone in the male. Females from this strain produce 25% lower levels of the hormones, estrogen and progesterone, major drivers of female reproductive function. These research studies are especially rewarding because they could lead to increased profitability/sustainability of pork producers, but also have implications to human infertility including ovarian disfunction in women and “Low T” in men.