Quick Links

'IEGs and hypoxia in chick embryos of different ages: a comparative study' - NSCI 396 Undergraduate Research Project Application Form

INSTRUCTIONS - PROFESSORS: Please print and review this form. Complete or correct the sections, as applicable, from "Supervisor's Name" to "Ethics, safety, and training". Please sign and date near the bottom ("Supervisor's signature").

INSTRUCTIONS - STUDENTS: You may receive this form by email, or you may download it after it has been posted here. Either way, print and review this form. Complete or correct the sections, from "Student's Name" to "Student's Level", and sign ("Student signature"). Ask your supervisor to sign her/his section near the bottom. Take it to the department* corresponding to the course number in Section A; this may or may not be your own department. (* EXCEPTIONS: For NSCI 396 and COGS 396, please bring it to the Interdisciplinary Programs Adviser in Dawson Hall.) Do not register for a '396' course on Minerva until you receive departmental permission. Have a discussion with your supervisor about time/work expectations, keeping in mind that this is a 3-credit course (roughly, 10 hours per week for 12 weeks). Remember that a '396' course is an elective.

INSTRUCTIONS - DEPARTMENTS: After the unit chair/director/designate approves (or not) this project, please notify student. If approved, please give student permission to register on Minerva, and send a copy of this form (with signatures) to the Office for Undergraduate Research in Science (either fax, or internal mail to Dawson Hall 408-A, or PDF scan + email).

QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK? Contact the Office for Undergraduate Research in Science.


Supervisor's Name: Maria Pompeiano

Supervisor's Email: maria [dot] pompeiano [at] mcgill [dot] ca

Supervisor's Phone: 514-398-6080

Supervisor's Website:

Supervisor's department: Psychology

Course number: NSCI 396 (Neuroscience)

Term: Winter 2012-2013

Project start date: Monday, January 7, 2013

Project end date: Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Project title: IEGs and hypoxia in chick embryos of different ages: a comparative study

Project description: The chick embryo is an established animal model for the study of the development of respiratory control from a physiological point of view (Mortola 2009). However, the brain areas activated by hypoxia in chicken and chick embryos are not known.

We will expose in ovo chicken embryos to hypoxia (10% O2) at two stages of their late prenatal development: before pipping (E18) and after pipping (E20). We will examine the brain areas that are activated by hypoxia compared to normoxia (21% O2), as evaluated using immediate-early gene (IEG) expression (cFos and/or Egr1) and immunohistochemistry.

We will test the hypothesis that in response to hypoxia, the spatial pattern of immediate-early gene activation differs before and after the onset of pulmonary ventilation that occur at pipping. Based on previous physiological observations (Mortola 2009), we expect that areas belonging to the neural network controlling respiratory rhythm to be preferentially activated after pipping (at E20) and cardiovascular regulatory areas and hypothalamic areas involved in metabolic control to be preferentially activated before pipping (at E18).

Prerequisite: 1 term completed at McGill + CGPA of 3.0 or higher; or permission of instructor.

Grading scheme (The final report must be worth at least 50% of final grade): 50% lab performance; 50% final report

Project status: This project is taken. The professor has no more '396' projects this term.

How students can apply: N/A; this project is filled.

Ethics, safety, and training: Supervisors are responsible for the ethics and safety compliance of undergraduate students. This project involves handling chemicals.

Student's Name:


Student's McGill ID:


Student's McGill Email:


Student's Phone:


Student's Program:


Student's Level (U0 / U1 / U2 / U3):


Student's signature - I have not applied for another '396' course in this term:


Supervisor's signature - I give my permission for the student identified above to register for this project under my supervision:


Date:


Unit chair/director/designate's name:


Unit chair/director/designate's signature - I certify that this project conforms to departmental requirements for 396 courses:


Date: