David Earnest Ph. D. (Principal Investigator) CV

Dr. Earnest is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology. He grew up in western Michigan and graduated from high school as valedictorian with additional commitments to competitive sports and delinquent activities. In 1976, he received his bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of Michigan where he also obtained his first exposure to research. This influential experience entailed electrophysiological analysis of visual responses in the brain of the longnose gar under the guidance of the distinguished comparative neuroanatomist, Dr. Glenn Northcutt. After a two-year respite from academics, he entered the graduate program at Northwestern University and studied the photic control of circadian rhythms and reproduction under Dr. Fred Turek. He obtained his graduate degrees in Neurobiology, receiving his Master of Science degree in 1979 and his Ph.D. in 1984. He then moved to University of Rochester School of Medicine and with the support of a NIMH National Research Service Award, gained valuable training in the application of in vitro models to study the circadian clock in the mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus. In 1987, he became a Faculty Scientist in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester in 1991. He escaped from the inclement conditions in New York in 1994 and joined the faculty at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center.

His research is focused on the cellular and molecular neurobiology of mammalian circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and its regulation by light-dark cycles. He has pioneered the identification of key components of the pathway for circadian photoentrainment and the development of immortalized cell lines as models for studying the cellular and molecular components of the SCN circadian clock. His lab currently consists of 2 graduate students, 2 technicians and 1 postdoctoral scientist.

He discovered the importance of life outside of the lab with Barbara who he met by smashing her finger in volleyball and later married in 1988. They have two adorable children, Shannon and Jared, and a crazy dog named Jake. In memory of the glory days, he still participates in softball and anxiously awaits the day when College Station has a hockey rink.

- Laboratory Support Staff -

Gregg Allen Ph. D. CV

Gregg has been with the lab as a graduate student for 4-5 years before earning his Ph. D. last December (2001).

He has been instrumental in the direction and flow of the lab's projects. He is very eager and helpful in the laboratory often offering to take a time point after hours since "he will be here anyway."

Gregg is married to another science-minded whiz, Shannon (who is finishing up her Ph. D. work). Gregg and Shannon now have a new arrival, Ashlyn. Gregg may be "taken" but there is a clone of him in California if anyone is interested!

Yuhua Farnell Ph. D.

Yuhua is also a Post Doc. having recently graduated from the Genetics program here at Texas A&M University where she studied the effects of selective estrogen receptor modulators in sheep uterus and human endometrial cancer cell lines. While in the program, Yuhua also taught in a Gene Expression Lab and Molecular Genetics Lab. Her previous work at Bejng Medical University in China was in Medicinal Pharmacognosy where she studied medicinal herb affects on arthritis.

Yuhua is married to Morgan B. Farnell who is a Ph.D. student in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Heather Khanna M.S.

Heather came to this lab from Michigan where she worked on biodegradable polymers with regard to bioartificial organ and support technology.

She has three children under 5 years old. Her husband, Hemant, is a Medicinal Chemist also working with Texas A&M.

In our lab, she is working with Dr. Dalton Foster on signal transduction in relation to the SCN invitro system.

She is considering continuing her career in Medical-based research perhaps as a M.D./Ph.D.

Lea Marchette

Lea comes to us from the dusty town of Lubbock, Texas where she worked for a physician while attending Texas Tech.

She has two children under the age of 5. As a result of her exposure to the Lowes environment through her husband, Lea has been instrumental in creating some very custom support equipment for our experiments.

Lea is our "Veterinary Expert" as well. She loves on and cares for the animals we use in our lab. Her research revolves around how prenatal alcohol affect development of the brain with respect to circadian cycles and behavior.

Gus Menger (Graduate Student) CV

Gus has been working in the lab for about two years now. Focusing his efforts largely on cell culture experiments, he works many late hours keeping them healthy.

Gus brings a new dimension to the lab with a deep interest in science and experimental procedure.

Sang-Soep Nahm Ph. D., DVM CV

That's right! Sang is a Veterinarian as well a Post Doc. Sang is relatively new to our lab but you would never know it. His research interest is to understand the circadian output signal from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) using a co-culture system

My hobby is jogging daily so I that I can continue drinking my favorite beer and not have to buy new pair of pants each month. One day I hope to run a marathon.