Goodell fosters students' passion for research

“We have really great funding for small undergraduate projects,” Goodell cites as one reason the Newark campus is a uniquely advantageous place to start research. “I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some of my Newark students develop their own research projects, obtain funding and complete a thesis.” Though science majors typically move to the Columbus campus after a year or two, Goodell feels that students who start research projects at the Newark campus are more competitive for research positions and fellowships once they transition to the Columbus campus.

Since 2004, Goodell has taught undergraduates at the Newark campus and led graduate research on both Newark and Columbus campuses. Her research focuses on the ecology and conservation of pollinators, especially of native bees. 

Goodell’s interest in pollinators was piqued during her master’s research on the genetics and evolution of plants. She realized the pivotal role pollinators played in the mating patterns of plants. When she moved to SUNY Stony Brook to complete her doctorate, Goodell interacted with a vibrant community of bee biologists. She met renowned bee biologist Jerome G. Rozen, PhD, then curator of the Hymenoptera collection at the American Museum of Natural History, who fostered her interest in bee ecology. 

“He was so kind and generous with his time,” she said. “He helped me obtain a pass to the collections. I spent every Friday in Manhattan at the museum. I’d show up in his lab, and he would give me little challenges, such as a new bee to identify. He taught me so much about taxonomy, that I was able to identify the species of bees that I found in the field.” 

Goodell acts as a similar figure to her students at Ohio State Newark. “I teach a lot of freshmen. Many of them are undecided about their careers. It’s a really wonderful time to meet a student because you can have an impact on the trajectory of their career,” she explained. 

Research doesn’t have to relate directly to a student’s ultimate career goals, Goodell explains. For example, one of her introductory biology students, who conducted research on bee viruses while an undergraduate, is now completing his medical school residency at Harvard University. 

Endangered pollinators and eDNA

Goodell, in partnership with a former Ohio State entomology graduate student, Rodney Richardson, PhD, wrote a proposal that was recently selected for [GK1] $948,000 in funding from the Department of Defense to develop a new environmental DNA (eDNA) technique for surveying rare and endangered pollinators on federally owned land. "eDNA surveillance is based on the idea that as organisms move through their environment, they shed DNA in the form of cells, hairs and scales” she explained. If those fragments of DNA can be collected and the genetic sequence obtained, in theory, one can discover which species they belonged to. eDNA is a well-established technique in aquatic ecology, but not as many people have used it in terrestrial systems.

Goodell and her research team set out to test their idea by tracking bumble bees in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, where the endangered rusty-patched bumble bee had recently been found. They collected flower samples from hundreds of locations likely to support bumble bees and washed DNA from the flowers. Back in the lab, the DNA was purified, amplified and sequenced. They used bioinformatics to compare the sequences to those from gene data libraries to determine which taxa could be detected as eDNA detects many taxa, not just the target species they were seeking.

To see how the new eDNA surveillance method compared to traditional survey methods, they compared a list of pollinator taxa to the pollinator species that they netted in the field. Their analyses showed that eDNA methods detected the same bumble bee species as traditional netting and the probability that a species would be detected with eDNA was positively related to its abundance in the net samples, suggesting that eDNA detection is a good proxy for abundance. With additional funding from the Department of Defense, Goodell and her team can refine their methods for detecting bees as well as extend the method to other rare pollinators, such as butterfly species, and other habitat types. They aim to develop simple protocols that can be used by non-taxonomic experts to conduct quick and inexpensive endangered pollinator monitoring on military bases that harbor threatened and endangered species. The methods will not replace traditional taxon surveys but will provide an accessible tool for regular monitoring.

 Goodell hopes that the eDNA project will engage a few new students. “It’s challenging for students to get involved. They have a lot on their plates and may not feel like they can indulge in just learning for the pleasure of learning,” she said. 

The new funding will open opportunities for undergraduates to work as research assistants, which can help overcome financial barriers to getting involved in research, Goodell acknowledges.