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Hannah Alexander

Associate Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences
PhD, 1992 University of Missouri

Email: alexanderh@missouri.edu
Office: 304 Tucker Hall
Phone: 573-529-4020
Additional: Website
Headshot of Hannah Alexander

Research

Research summary

Science outreach programs for adult audiences.

Research description

My interest is in promoting the public’s understanding and appreciation of the role of science in our everyday lives. My activities are geared toward providing training for students to explain their science to the general public and generating opportunities for them to do so.

I have been instrumental in developing two graduate-level courses in the Division of Biological Sciences and a graduate certificate in science outreach. In Public Understanding of Science, students are mentored as they prepare a presentation and talk about a scientific topic of their choice, depicting the role of science in these issues, for an adult lay audience. Integrating Science with Outreach is a vehicle for graduate students to acquire academic credit for science outreach related activities they are involved with. The Science Outreach Graduate Certificate is based on 6 credit hours of academic work, and 6 credit hours of Outreach activities.

More recently, I have been focused on promoting science outreach more broadly. I adopted “Public Understanding of Science” to an undergraduate course at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. I also am a member of the Public Outreach Committee of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), where I have been involved in the development and tutoring of the “Art of Science Communication,” an online course focused on providing fundamental science communication skills to students and faculty.

Select Publications

Select Publications

Alexander, S., Swatson, W.S., Alexander, H. (2013) Pharmacogenetics of resistance to cisplatin and other anticancer drugs and the role of sphingolipid metabolism. Methods in Molecular Biology, 983:185-204

Alexander, H. Waldron, A. and Abell, S. (2011) Science and Me – A student driven science outreach program for lay adult audiences. Journal of College Science Teaching 40 (6): 38-44.

Alexander, S, and Alexander, H. (2011) Lead genetic studies in Dictyostelium discoideum and translational studies in human cells demonstrate that sphingolipids are key regulators of sensitivity to cisplatin and other anticancer drugs. Seminars in Cell. and Dev. Biol. 1 97-104.

Alexander, H. and Abell, S. (2010) Science and Me: Intergenerational interaction rewards both sides. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships 8 (1): 79-82.

Sridevi, P., Alexander, H., Laviad, E.L., Min, J., Mesika, A., Hannink, M., Futerman, A.H., Alexander, S. Stress-induced ER to Golgi translocation of ceramide synthase 1 is dependent on proteasomal processing. (2010), Exp. Cell Res. 316, 78-91. epub. October 2, 2009.

Sridevi, P., Alexander, H., Laviad, E.L., Pewzner-Jung, Y., Hannink, M., Futerman, A.H., Alexander, S. (2009) Ceramide synthase 1 is regulated by proteasomal mediated turnover. Biochem. Biophys. Acta, 1793: 1218-1227.

Min, J., Mesika, A., Sivaguru, M., Van Veldhoven, P.P., Alexander, H., Futerman, A.H., and Alexander, S. (2007) (Dihydro)ceramide Synthase 1–regulated sensitivity to cisplatin is associated with the activation of p38 MAP kinase and is abrogated by sphingosine kinase 1. Mol Cancer Res 5: 801-812. (Cover article)

Van Driessche, N., Alexander, H., Min, J., Kuspa, A., Alexander, S., and Shaulsky, G. (2007) Global transcriptional responses to cisplatin in Dictyostelium discoideum identify potential drug targets. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104(39) 15406-11.

Honors & Awards

Selected honors and awards

ASBMB Public Outreach Committee Member 2012