Shan Hays
Assistant Professor of Biology
Contact Information
Office: Hurst 238C
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 10-11am; Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2pm-3pm
Phone number: 943-2552
Email: shhays@western.edu
Courses I am teaching fall, 2011:
Courses I have taught:
- Biochemistry
- Biological Principles
- Cell Biology
- Cell Biology Lab
- Epigenetics
- Genes in Society
- Genetics
- Living Planet
- Meteorology
- Molecular Biology
- Organic Chemistry
- Scientific Writing
Education
- Ph.D., Biology, University of Oregon
- B.A., Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, B.A., Biochemistry, University of Colorado-Boulder
Research Interests
Using genetic and biochemical techniques, I examine the role chromatin (the DNA-RNA-protein complexes which make up chromosomes) plays in centromere formation and gene expression in the simple eukaryotic model organism Neurospora crassa. To determine its role in centromere formation, we delete a centromere and examine neocentromeres that subsequently form. To determine its role in gene expression, we modify the boundaries between transcriptionally silent and active regions of chromosomes and assay the expression of a nearby reporter gene.
Publications
- Hays SM, Swanson J, Selker EU. Identification and characterization of the genes encoding the core histones and histone variants of Neurospora crassa. Genetics. 2002 Mar;160(3):961-73.
- Hays SM and Selker EU. Making the selectable marker bar tighter and more economical Fungal Genetics Newsletter. 2000 Aug; 47:107.
