Hale Lab @ Cedar Crest College

Left to Right: Grace Patton, Shannon Ronca, Danielle Pilla, Emily Eshleman, Brandy Haines, Laura Werner
lab mascot (far right): Harry

Research Focus

Millions of children and adults die each year from a diversity of infectious diseases. Malaria (Plasmodium spp.), AIDS (HIV), polio (poliovirus), tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), tetanus (Clostridium tetani) and cholera (Vibrio cholerae) are just a few. Many infectious diseases are caused by bacteria or viruses, and in some cases, bacteria carrying viral genes. The focus of the Hale Lab is to further our understanding of the pathogenic nature of disease-causing agents and to determine how widespread these pathogens are in nature. Members of the Hale Lab work with bacteria and viruses in an assortment of projects. Some conduct DNA and protein studies associated with virulence factors in bacterial species, others work with viruses that may or may not carry genes that could convert a bacterium into a pathogen. And still others investigate pH resistance, the competitive nature of pathogens, and the impact these pathogens have on red blood cells, murine cell cultures, and normal intestinal flora. [Useful Resources]

Janthinobacterium lividum, Virus KLø1 and Chromobacterium violaceum

J. lividum Plate Colonies / SEM of J. lividum / Virus KLø1 / C. violaceum Plate Colonies

Current Lab Members & Recent Graduates

Recent Grads	Carol Dao¹	Meghan Feltcher²	Stefanie Frace³	Kristen Rennoll⁴
Seniors	Brandy Haines	Danielle Pilla
Juniors	Emily Eshleman	Grace Patton	Laura Werner
Sophomores	Shannon Ronca

¹M.D. Program, Thomas Jefferson Medical School ²Ph.D. Program in Microbiology & Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ³M.S. Program in Genetic Counseling, University of Pittsburgh ⁴Ph.D. Program in Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins University

Research Teams from the Past

Pre-1996	'96/'97	'97/'98	'98/'99	'99/'00	'00/'01	'01/'02	'02/'03	'03/'04	'04/'05
'05/'06	'06/'07	'07/'08	'08/'09

Accomplishments & Activities

Publications & Presentations	Student Grants/Fellowships	Summer Internships
Freshman Research	Memories	Alumnae

Fall Schedule

Spring Schedule

Where's Chromo

- Brandy Haines, Sherri Rennoll, and Dr. Hale ready to share their discoveries* with scientists from around the world. -
* Although not present, Danielle Pilla (co-author) and many others contributed significantly to these discoveries.
"Strains of an Opportunistic Human Pathogen, Chromobacterium violaceum: Hemolytic Activity, pH Resistance,
and Competition with Normal Intestinal Flora"

- Sherri Rennoll, Kristen Rennoll, and Meghan Feltcher ready and waiting for the inevitable barrage of Chromo questions. -
"Variability of Hemolytic Activity and Cytotoxicity of Environmental Isolates of Chromobacterium violaceum"

- Morgan Schrock, Meghan Feltcher and Kristen Rennoll at their ASM poster in Orlando (May 2006). -
"Virulence Factors Associated with Environmentally Acquired Chromobacterium violaceum and Janthinobacterium lividum"

- Heather Cook, Andy Beyer, Erin Nedderman, Johanna Schwingel,

Leanne Follweiler, Megan Miller and Amanda Sheard on a

Research Retreat in the Poconos. -
"Notice the Coke, and not Pepsi, at the head of the table!"

Morgan Schrock, Megan Miller, Kim Bieniek, Johanna Schwingel

Sarah Libertoski and Leanne Follweiler [Co-authors Heather A. Cook and Andrea Beyer not present.]

- The crew out for dinner in New Orleans after presenting their poster at the 104th ASM Meeting -
"Population-Level Analyses of Phages and Their Bacterial Hosts"

Veteran Members

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