DR. REBECCA L. SEIPELT-THIEMANN
Associate Professor

CONTACT:
E-mail: Rebecca.Seipelt@mtsu.edu
Phone: (615) 904-8393
Fax: (615) 898-5093
Office Location:
Davis Science Building 120D
MTSU Box 60
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Web Address: www.mtsu.edu/~rseipelt

EDUCATION:
Post-doctoral Work, 1997-1999, Thomas Hunt Morgan School of Biological Sciences, University of Kentucky, "Biogenesis of an essential RNA molecule in Saccharomyces cerevisiae"

Post-doctoral Work, 1996-1997, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, "Spectrin gene regulation in the human red blood cell"

Ph.D., Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 1996, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, "Regulated Alternative mRNA Processing in Tissue Culture Cells and Transgenic Mice"

B.A., Biology, 1991, cum laude, Berea College, Berea, Kentucky

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
I use molecular biology and bioinformatic techniques to: study gene expression in budding yeast and mammalian immune cell development, examine gene conservation among yeast species as well as and other species, and analyze environmental conditions that may protect against genetic damage

PUBLICATION RECORD:
R. L. Seipelt and D. C. Clark. Student Study Guide to Accompany Principles of Genetics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.

R. L. Seipelt, B. Zheng, and B. C. Rymond. (1999) U1 snRNA is cleaved by RNase III and processed through an Sm site dependent pathway. Nucleic Acids Res. 27(2):587-495.

S. Lybarger, K. Beickman, V. Brown, N. Dembla-Rajpal, K. Morey, R. Seipelt, and B. C. Rymond. (1999) Elevated levels of a novel snRNP protein, Spp381p, rescue a mutant defective in spliceosome maturation. Mol. Cell. Biol. 19(1):577-584.

R. L. Seipelt, B. T. Spear, E. C. Snow, and M. L. Peterson. (1998) A non-immunoglobulin transgene and the endogenous Ig m gene are coordinately regulated by alternative RNA processing during B cell maturation. Mol. Cell. Biol. 18(2):1042-1048.

Y. Takagaki, R. L. Seipelt, M. L. Peterson, and J. L. Manley. (1996) The polyadenylation factor CstF-64 regulates alternative processing of IgM heavy chain pre-mRNA during B cell differentiation. Cell 87:941-952.

R. L. Seipelt and M. L. Peterson. (1995) Alternative RNA processing of the IgA gene to produce as and am mRNA responds like the IgM to alterations in the efficiency of the competing splice and cleavage-polyadenylation reactions. Molecular Immunology 32(4):277-285.

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS:
2001 Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtable Award Nominee; 2000-2001 Golden Apple Award Nominee; 2000-2001 MTSU Outstanding Achievement in Instructional Technology Award Finalist; 2000-01 MTSU Outstanding Achievement in Instructional Technology Award Nominee; AAUW Post-doctoral Fellowship, 1998-99

GRADUATE PROGRAM ROLE:
Graduate student research advisor and graduate student committee member.

OTHER:
Director for the Biotechnology Resource Group, which seeks to provide biotechnology research opportunities in academia, industry, and state agencies for students and public school teachers. The Group is also engaged in interdisciplinary, collaborative biotechnology-related research between MTSU departments and organizations beyond MTSU.

Co-Editor for BioUpdate Online, a website designed to help students, faculty, and alumni distribute and learn the latest Biology department news.

Biotech Resource Group