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Biology Department Instructor Steve Thompson

The end of a glorious eighteen day private trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, AZ, USA.

Steven M. Thompson:
Curriculum Vitae

Valdosta State University, Biology Dept.
BioInfo 4U - Schedule - BookMarks

Internet:  stthompson@valdosta.edu
http://www.valdosta.edu/~stthompson/

 VSU Office: 1103 Bailey Science Center
229-333-5773

 Home: 2538 Winnwood Circle, Valdosta, GA, 31601-7953
229-249-9751

 Personal: 6'4", 230 lbs.
 Birth date: 1-18-56
 Spouse: Theresa M. Thompson, Ph.D.
since 12-21-85

Objective

Primary professional ambition: contribute to the understanding of fundamental questions in molecular biology -- evolution, structure/function, development, and regulation -- with computer-aided genomics and sequence analysis tools, and make these powerful bioinformatics resources available to the scientific community through cooperative collaboration and instruction with curricular implementation at all levels of higher education.

Experience

Instructor: Valdosta State University Biology Department, Valdosta, GA (August 2009-present). Teach non-major, undergraduate students general biology in two lectures and one laboratory course:

  • BIOL 1010 Introduction to Biology: The Evolution and Diversity of Life Section C -- Lectures.
  • BIOL 1030 Introduction to Biology: Organismal Biology Section B and Section D -- Lectures.
  • BIOL 1040L Organismal Biology Lab Section M.

    Lectures, where applicable, are found through appropriate links in the above list.

Independent BioInformatics Consultant/Instructor: BioInfo 4U. Present clients -- Dr. Susanne Cappendijk, Florida Sate University, College of Medicine, 850-645-1483; and Dr. Brian G. Miller, Florida Sate University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 850-645-6570 (both, from May 2009-present).
Previous clients have included -- the Institute of Molecular Biophysics, at Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (April 1999-June 2000); the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (April 1999-June 2000); and the Genetics Computer Group, then in Madison, WI (January 2000-March 2000). Services -- design and implementation of sequence analysis workshops, particularly using the Genetics Computer Group's (GCG, a 'retired' subsidiary of Accelrys, Inc.) Wisconsin Package SeqLab interface, and individual research consultation and collaboration.

Course Faculty Member/Laboratory Instructor: The Workshop on Molecular Evolution, at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA (1992-present, every late July/earlyAugust); and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA (February, 2008). Responsibilities -- lecture, instruction, and assistance in the computer laboratory portion of the course, particularly that related to multiple sequence alignment and analysis. Students are graduate candidates, post-doctoral fellows, and university faculty members from worldwide, diverse scientific backgrounds. Computational techniques taught include GCG's SeqLab, SeaView, MAFFT, T-Coffee, PAUP*, PHYLIP, PAML, and MrBayes.

Assistant in Research: the Department of Scientific Computing (DSC), at Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (non-tenure track faculty August 2001-April 2009; visiting scientist September 2000-May 2001). Bioinformatics support -- research collaboration; curriculum development, instruction, and coordination (workshops, modules, and two different courses: An Introduction to Bioinformatics and Comparative Genomics); and maintenance and management of bioinformatics software and databases.

US CRDF Peer Reviewer: U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation Cooperative Grants Program competition (2005). Member grant proposal review committee.

Staff Scientist, Consultant, and Instructor: Center for Visualization, Analysis, and Design in the Molecular Sciences (VADMS), Washington State University, Pullman, WA (August 1990-May 1998). User assistance, consultation, and collaboration; software evaluation and installation; facilities maintenance; resource administration; technical writing; and public relations. Formal and informal instruction, and curriculum development, particularly self-paced tutorials.

Section Co-Chair: Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing -- Education Sessions (January 1996 & 1997). Organization, participant correspondence, and direction of symposium subsection concerned with the methodology, pedagogy, and curricula for teaching bioinformatics and computational biology.

USDA NRICGP Peer Reviewer: Mechanisms of Animal Disease Program (1993) and Sustaining Animal Health and Well-Being Program (1997 & 1998). Member ad hoc grant proposal review committee.

Project Associate: Biochemistry/Biophysics Department, Washington State University, Pullman, WA (September 1988-August 1990). Independent site-directed mutagenesis research on isocitrate lyase; general laboratory management and maintenance; radiation safety and control.

Graduate Assistant: Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ (1983-1985). Set up and teaching of undergraduate laboratory courses: Cellular & Molecular Biology, Medical Anatomy & Physiology, General Genetics, General Biology, and Microbiology.

Classes, workshops, seminars, and course modules (not currently being taught):

Specialized methods and techniques:

    Computational sequence analysis and data mining --
    including the GCG Wisconsin Package and SeqLab, EMBOSS, BLAST, FastA, SeaView, ClustalW/X, Muscle, T-Coffee, MAFFT, Mummer, Mauve, HMMer, and MEME/MAST;
    Phylogenetic inference and coalescence analysis --
    including PAUP*, PHYLIP, Tree-Puzzle, PhyML, RAxML, GARLI, MrBayes, PAML, ModelTest, ProtTest, Migrate-n, and Lamarc;
    Genetics and sequence database maintenance --
    including GCG, SRS, and ACeDB format;
    Internet BioInformatics resource expertise --
    including ftp/sftp/scp, telnet/ssh, X-Windowing, and WWW;
    in Macintosh, DOS/MS Windows, UNIX/Linux, OpenVMS, and html environments.
    Laboratory skills --
    recombinant DNA technology; radioisotope methods; spectroscopy;
    microscopy and cytogenetics; immunochemistry; chromatography;
    cell propagation and culture; ultracentrifugation; electrophoresis.
    Pedagogy includes --
    instructional methodology, curriculum development and implementation,
    task analysis, experimental design, and evaluation procedures and construction.

Miscellaneous experience:

Manager: Imported Auto Parts, Flagstaff, AZ (1985-1988);
   cash and inventory control, employee supervision, public relations.
Trail crew/logging operation: Fairfield Snowbowl, Flagstaff, AZ (1983-1984);
   heavy equipment, chain saw, and skiing skills.
Coconino Equipment Rental, Flagstaff, AZ (1980-1982);
   maintenance, use, repair -- all construction equipment.
Yellowfront, Flagstaff & Tempe, AZ (1977-1980);
   automotive parts, sales and service.
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ (1974-1977);
   audio/visual technician, graphics, darkroom, and photography skills.

Personal interests:

outdoor activities -- whitewater boating, dual sport motorcycling, bicycling,
backcountry skiing, hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing, and camping;
home and automobile -- restoration and maintenance;
culinary arts and event host -- restaurant chef much of student life in AZ and full-time cook at home.

Education

Master of Arts in the Teaching of Biology (May 1988), Northern Arizona University. Admitted to program, February, 1983; supported Fall Semester, 1983 through Spring, 1985 with tuition waivers and Graduate Assistantships. 52 graduate hours: 31 biology/microbiology, 6 chemistry, 3 computer programming, and 12 community college education. Major emphasis: molecular and cellular biology, minor: community college education. Graduate GPA: 3.9.

Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry, Magna Cum Laude (May 1978), Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ; supported by Raymond and Frier foundation scholarships throughout undergraduate terms. Inaugurated to Phi Kappa Phi (October 1977). 130 undergraduate hours: 48 biology, 26 chemistry/physics, 12 calculus, 44 liberal studies education.

Public school education, Mesa, AZ (1962-1974); graduated Mesa High School, 17 of 700.

References

Department of Scientific Computing (DSC)
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4120
850-644-1010
current Director: Dr. Max Gunzburger
and previous Director: Dr. Joseph Travis
immediate Supervisor: Dr. Jim Wilgenbusch

Institute of Molecular Biophysics (IMB)
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-3050
850-644-4764
previous Director: Dr. W. Ross Ellington

Teaching colleague at Florida State University:
Dr. Gavin Naylor
Department of Scientific Computing, 850-645-0314

And former Florida State University teaching colleague, now at Duke University:
Dr. David Swofford
Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Center for Evolutionary Genomics, 919-613-7458

Research clients at Florida State University include:
Dr. Hank W. Bass
Department of Biological Sciences, 850-644-9711
Dr. Michael Blaber
College of Medicine, 850-644-3361
Dr. Susanne Cappendijk
College of Medicine, 850-645-1483
Dr. David M. Gilbert
Department of Biological Sciences, 850-645-7583
Dr. Hong Li
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 850-644-6785
Dr. Brian G. Miller
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 850-645-6570

Workshop on Molecular Evolution
current Director: Dr. Michael Cummings
Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-3360
508-540-2736
and previous Director: Dr. Mitchell L. Sogin
Marine Biological Laboratory
7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543-1015
508-289-7246
and previous CoDirector: Dr. Daniel B. Davison
Bristol-Myers Sqibb PRI, Bioinformatics Dept. 502
5 Research Parkway, Wallingford, CT 06492
203-284-7958

Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR)
University of Florida
PO Box 110580
Gainesville, FL 32611
352-273-8030
previous Director: Dr. Sheldon M. Schuster

Center for Visualization, Analysis, and Design
in the Molecular Sciences (VADMS)
Washington State University
Mail Stop 4660
Pullman, WA 99164
contact: Dr. Michael D. Griswold
509-335-1276
and former Supervisor: Susan J. Johns
1623 47th Ave. San Francisco, CA 94122
415-759-5284

Publications and Meeting Presentations

Bernett, M.J., Blaber, S.I., Scarisbrick, I.A., Dhanarajan, P. Thompson, S.M., and Blaber, M. (2002) Crystal Structure and Biochemical Characterization of Human Kallikrein 6 Reveals that a Trypsin-like Kallikrein is Expressed in the Central Nervous System. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 277: 24562-24570.

Johns, S.J., Thompson, S.M., and Dunker, A.K. (1995) An Introductory Course in Computational Molecular Biology: Rationale, History, Observations, and Course Description, in Proceedings of the 1996 Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing. Hunter, L. and Klein, T.E., editors, World Scientific, River Edge, NJ USA.

Larion, M., Moore, L.B., Thompson, S.M., and Miller, B.G. (2007) Divergent Evolution of Function in the ROK Sugar Kinase Superfamily: Role of Enzyme Loops in Substrate Specificity. Biochemistry 46: 13564-13572.

Speth, R.C., Thompson, S.M., and Johns, S.J. (1995) Angiotensin II Receptors: Structural and Functional Considerations, in Tissue Renin--Angiotensin Systems. Mukhopadhyay, A. and Raizada, M.K., editors, Plenum Press, New York, NY USA.

Suarez, C.E., Thompson, S.M., McElwain, T.F., Hines, S.A., and Palmer, G.H. (1994) Conservation of Oligopeptide Motifs in Rhoptry Proteins from Erythroparasitic Protozoa. Experimental Parasitology, 78: 246-251.

Thompson, S.M. (2009) An Introduction to Multiple Sequence Alignment -- and the T-Coffee Shop. Beyond just aligning sequences: How good can you make your alignment, and so what? In Bioinformatics for Systems Biology. Krawetz, S.A., editor, Humana Press, Totowa, NJ USA.

Thompson, S.M. (2004) Multiple Sequence Alignment and Analysis: Part I -- An Introduction to the Theory and Application of Multiple Sequence Analysis, in Computational Genomics: Theory and Application. Grant, R.P., editor, Horizon Scientific Press, Norfolk, UK.

Thompson, S.M. (2004) Multiple Sequence Alignment and Analysis: Part II -- A Practical Tour of SeqLab, the Accelrys GCG Wisconsin Package Graphical User Interface, in Computational Genomics: Theory and Application. Grant, R.P., editor, Horizon Scientific Press, Norfolk, UK.

Thompson, S.M. (2003) An Introduction to Multiple Sequence Alignment and Analysis, in Introduction to Bioinformatics, A Theoretical And Practical Approach. Krawetz, S.A. and Womble, D.D., editors, Humana Press, Totowa, NJ USA.

Thompson, S.M. (2003) Multiple Sequence Alignment and Analysis: The SeqLab Interface -- a Practical Guide, in Introduction to Bioinformatics, A Theoretical And Practical Approach. Krawetz, S.A. and Womble, D.D., editors, Humana Press, Totowa, NJ USA.

Thompson, S.M. (2003) Constructing and Refining Multiple Sequence Alignments with PileUp, SeqLab, and the GCG Suite, in Current Protocols in Bioinformatics. Baxevanis, A.D., Davison, D.B., Page, R.D., Petsko, G.A., Stormo, G.D. and Leonard, S.A., editors, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ USA.

Thompson, S.M., Johns, S.J., and Dunker, A.K. (1995) Educational Issues in Biocomputing, Session Introduction, in Proceedings of the 1996 Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing. Hunter, L. and Klein, T.E., editors, World Scientific, River Edge, NJ USA.

Thompson, S.M. and Speth, R.C. (June, 1997) G-Protein Coupled Receptors: Comparative Analysis and Phylogeny, poster presentation at Gordon Research Conference on Ligand Recognition and Molecular Gating, Sandberg, K., chair, Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH USA.