J. CHRIS LEWERS

* *** **** ****; Shrewsbury, MA *1545 206-***-**** ac7nr6@r.postjobfree.com

EDUCATION

M.S., Master’s Program in Microbiology, Northern Arizona University Thesis: A comparison of chemical versus bacteriological weathering in a gypsum-based karst model. Thesis Advisor: Dr. Gordon Southam

B.S. in Microbiology, Northern Arizona University

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Seattle University

Seattle, WA

2007-2017

Microbiology Teaching Laboratory Manager and Research Associate in the Department of Biology. Supply guidance and organization for the operation of the university’s teaching laboratories while contributing to departmental research and discoveries.

Contribute to design and methods for laboratory exercises that promoted understanding of basic and advanced microbiology techniques.

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● Assist in teaching undergraduate students in the introductory microbiology laboratories.

● Cultivate and preserve the bacterial culture collection library for the microbiology teaching laboratories.

● Implemented the necessary paper work required to acquisition essential supplies.

● Developed qualitative RT-PCR protocols to determine operon pairs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

School of Medicine

Department of Neurology

2002-2006

Research Technician for an institution renowned for excellence in research. Key member of a research team, which uses anatomical, biochemical and physiological studies to investigate the brain processes underlying the link between a genetic defect in purine recycling and dopamine loss. Designed and performed biochemical investigations of the link between purine recycling and dopamine loss in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient cell lines; models for Lesch-Nyhan disease.

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Served as lab manager with responsibility for equipment maintenance and purchase of scientific reagents, tools and supplies.

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● Generated and analyzed data that facilitated three peer reviewed scientific publications. Hometest Laboratories

Waldorf, MD

2001-2002

Laboratory Manager and Head Mycological Analyst for an environmental services laboratory. Services include high quality, certified laboratory analysis for consumers and professionals, which have earned the distinguished accreditation of the American Industrial Hygiene Association for Lead and Microbiology. Developed standard operating procedures (SOP) for methods to achieve necessary accuracy and repeatability for mycological samples.

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● Ensured high quality analysis and maintained a professional work environment. Supervised 15 analysts in the normal operations of a private laboratory that assessed air quality by determining fungal spore content.

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Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, AZ

1999-2001

Graduate Student for a Master’s thesis in the Department of Biology

● Developed experiments that compared chemical and bacterial weathering in a gypsum-based karst model. Analyzed and concluded that the colonization of gypsum by karst-derived bacteria promoted the transformation of a homogeneous karst matrix into a conduit controlled flow regime. In this model, boundary layer dissolution occurred as nanoenvironments between the bacteria and the mineral surfaces or as microenvironments in regions colonized by bacteria.

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Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, AZ

1999-2000

Microbiology Teaching Laboratory Manager in the Department of Biology. Supplied guidance and organization for the operation of the University’s Microbiology Teaching Laboratories. Cultivated and preserved the algal, bacterial and mycological culture collection library for the microbiology teaching laboratories.

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Assisted in design and methods for laboratory exercises that promoted understanding of basic and advanced microbiology techniques.

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Managed three undergraduate-students in daily tasks such as media preparation and aseptic conditions for the laboratory.

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● Supervised graduate teaching assistants with lecture development and laboratory experiment protocols.

● Implemented the necessary paper work required to acquisition essential supplies. Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, AZ

1999-2000

Research Assistant associated with Northern Arizona University through a grant from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Led a team that collected, processed and analyzed backcountry water samples from the Paria Canyon region of Utah and Arizona for coliform and chemical composition.

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Assisted in reporting findings using the processed data to identify potential contaminant sources and quantity that infiltrate the Colorado River basin via the Paria Canyon tributary.

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LABORATORY SKILLS

Cell Culture: Expertise in the growth, maintenance, manipulation and cryogenic preservation of aerobic and anaerobic bacterial cultures, mammalian cell lines and primary cells employed. Preserved and maintained the teaching laboratory algal cultures.

Molecular Biology: Primer design for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with PCR product analysis for genotyping specimens. Analysis of DNA through Restriction Enzyme Cleavage and Agarose Gel Electrophoresis. Qualitative RT-PCR to determine potential operon pairs in that co-occur on a single RNA molecule in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Biochemical Analysis: High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to separate and quantify the small-molecule neurotransmitter content of neuronal cell cultures. Designed and developed functional assays for cultured cells. ELISA Bacterial Physiology: Analysis of protein antibiotic production by extreme Archaea halophiles and biochemical characterization of unknown bacteria using selective and differential media. Microscopy: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) including Electron Dispersive Spectrometry and light microscopy utilizing brightfield, phase contrast, dark field, Nomarski, and fluorescence methods. Animal Care: Maintenance of a high quality care and use program for transgenic and knockout mice used in medical research studies. Responsible for a breeding program and surgical procedures such as dosing and organ harvesting for the above mentioned mice.

Water Quality Analysis: Biological oxygen demand (BOD), coliform analysis (including Total, Fecal and E. coli), total suspended solids and total dissolved solids.

COMPUTER SKILLS

MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Mac and Unix environments, Microcal Origin, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator and DNA Star suite.

PRESENTATIONS

•€ Thomas L. Shirley, J. Chris Lewers and H.A. Jinnah. 2007. HPRT-deficient human neuroblastomas as a model for Lesch-Nyhan disease. 12th International Symposium on Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism in Man, Chicago, IL, USA, June 24-28.

•€ J. Chris Lewers, Irene Ceballos-Picot, Thomas L. Shirley, Lionel Mockel, Kiyoshi Egami and H. A. Jinnah. Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD, 21287 and Deparment of Biology, Neckar-Enfants Malades Hospital and Faculte de Medecine Rene Descartes, Paris 5, France. 2007. HPRT-Deficient Mouse Neuroblastoma Cells as a Model for Lesch-Nyhan Disease. 12th International Symposium on Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism in Man, Chicago, IL, USA, June 24-28.

•€ Lewers, J.C., T.L. Shirley, E.J. Hess and H.A. Jinnah. 2006. Unknown relationship between dopamine and intracellular purine metabolism. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C. November 11-16.

•€ Lewers, J.C., T.L. Shirley and H.A. Jinnah. 2005. Enigmatic relationship between dopamine and intracellular purine metabolism. 9th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, New Orleans, LA March 5- 8.

•€ Neely K., J. C. Lewers, G. Southam and R. Foust Jr., 2000. Trace metal transport in arid environments. American Chemical Society National Meeting. April 14-15.

•€ Lewers J. C. and G. Southam. 1999. A comparison of chemical versus bacteriological weathering in a gypsum- based karst model. The Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America, Denver, CO. October 25-28. PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH – PUBLISHED:

•€ J. Chris Lewers, Irene Ceballos-Picot, Thomas L. Shirley, Lionel Mockel, Kiyoshi Egami, H. A. Jinnah. 2008. Consequences of Impaired Purine Recycling in Dopaminergic Neurons. Neuroscience 152: 761-772.

•€ Thomas L. Shirley, J. Chris Lewers, Kiyoshi Egami, Alokes Majumdar, Mairead Kelly, Irene Ceballos-Picot, Michael M. Seidman and H.A. Jinnah. 2007. A Human Neuronal Tissue Culture Model for Lesch-Nyhan Disease. Journal of Neurochemistry 101: 841-853.

•€ Kiyoshi Egami, Silaja Yitta, Suhail Kasim, J. Chris Lewers, Rosalinda C. Roberts, Mohamed Lehar, H. A. Jinnah. 2007. Basal Ganglia Dopamine Loss Due to Defect in Purine Recycling. Neurobiology of Disease 26: 396-407.

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