Robert A. Smith, MS
Distinguished Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
(215) 596-8918
E-mail: r.smith@usp.edu

Research Summary
Plant tissue culture as a means of secondary metabolite production; developing models for organogenesis and embryogenesis in plant tissue culture. Anthelmintic screening of natural products using C. elegans as a model.

Representative Publications (Undergraduates Underlined)
Smith, R. A. 2000. Plant Cloning: Somatic Embryogenesis. In: Madrazo, G. and Dyche, S. E. (Eds.), Exciting Plant Science Activities for the Secondary Classroom, University of North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network (MSEN): Chapel Hill, North Carolina, pp 72-79.

Smith, R. A., G. Burns, B. Freud, S. Fenning, R. Hoffman and Sabapathi, D. 2000. Demonstrating type I and type II errors using Rhizopus spore diameter data. The American Biology Teacher 62: 654-657.

Nguyen, T., Eshragi, J., Gonyea, G., Ream, R. M. and Smith, R. A. 2001. Studies on factors influencing stability and recovery of paclitaxel from suspension media and cultures of Taxus cuspidata cv Densiformis by high-performance liquid chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A 911:55-61.

Smith, R. A., Drummond, S, Haines, A., Porter, J. and Hock, R. 2001. Induction of umbelliferone in sweet potato cell suspension culture using mercuric chloride. Biotechnology Letters 23: 1397-1400.

Smith, R. A. and Belzer, N. 2002. Production of haploid tobacco plants using anther culture. The American Biology Teacher 6: 443-448.

Representative Presentations (Undergraduates Underlined)
Smith, R. A. Production of haploid tobacco plants using anther culture. Presented at the National Association of Biology Teachers 2001 Annual Meeting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on November 9, 2001.

Smith, R. A. Student biological research. Presented at the National Association of Biology Teachers 2002 Annual Meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 2, 2002.

DelCollo, J., Shepps, J. and Smith, R. A. Improved taxane production in callus cultures of Taxus media var. Hicksii with precursor feeding. Presented as a poster at the Seventeenth National Conference on Undergraduate Research at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, March 13, 2003. Also presented as a poster at the Fourteenth Annual Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA on April 10, 2003 and at the Fourteenth Annual SJU Sigma Xi Student Research Symposium on April 11, 2003 at St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA.

Bednarczyk , L. M., Clinthorne, G. and Smith, R. A. Influence of carbohydrates, hormones, and light on taxane accumulation in callus cultures of Taxus media cv Hicksii. Presented as a poster at the Third Annual Scholarly Day at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA on April 21, 2005 and at the Sixteenth Annual SJU Sigma
Xi Student Research Symposium on April 8, 2005 at St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA, and at the Nineteenth National Conference on Undergraduate Research at the Virginia Military Instutute in Lexington, Virginia on April 21, 2005.

Courses

Introductory Biology I (BS 130)

Intoductory Biology II (BS 131)

Microbiology (BS 241)

Plant Tissue Culture (BS 332)

Directed Research in Biological Sciences (BS 499)

Created by: Robert A. Smith
Last updated: May 2008