Aikaterini Skokotas

I am an Associate Professor of Biology and I have been a faculty member at Rosemont College since the fall of 1997. I was awarded tenure, June 2011. I was awarded the Lindback Award for Distinguished teaching in 2008. I have been the Discipline Chair of the department since 2002 and have also served as the Division chair. I received my BA degree from Rutgers University in Biology (1989) and my Ph.D. from Drexel University (1995). The title of my Ph.D. thesis is “The isolation and characterization of mutants of Tus, the replication arrest protein of E. coli and the identification of its replication arrest domain”.  I have also completed a two year post-doctoral fellowship (1995-97) at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. This research examined the use of the Herpes Simplex Virus on treating brain tumors. Currently, my research examines the regulation of meiosis in the yeast, S. cerevisiae. This work is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Edward Winter at Thomas Jefferson University and has allowed me to involve our undergraduate students to conduct research in my laboratory at Rosemont. As a result of this work, twelve students have conducted research in my lab and they have presented their work in numerous local and national meetings (see list attached). Two of these presentations received awards (see below). It has also led to two recent publications in the journal of Molecular Cell Biology and the Proceedings of the Annual Conference for Biology Laboratory Education (see below).

My teaching areas include cell and molecular genetics. Currently, I teach the following courses at Rosemont College: Life Science I lecture and laboratory, Genetics lecture and laboratory, Microbiology lecture and laboratory, Molecular Genetics lecture and laboratory, Immunology, Virology, Senior Seminar and Undergraduate Research. In the past, I have also taught Science Issues lecture and Lab (a course for non-majors), Life Science II lecture (general biology courses for majors), Advanced Experimental Biology and Senior Seminar II. During the summer, I also teach a graduate level course, Medical Microbiology at Arcadia University which supports their Physician Assistant Program.

 PRESENTATIONS:

1. Winifed Wolfe, Aikaterini Skokotas, and Edward Winter (2011). Analysis of meiotic commitment using a GFP tagged protein in S. cerevisiae, Discovery Research Day, Drexel University College of Medicine, Poster 17
2. Winifed Wolfe, Marcus Shin, Volodymyr Yefymenko, Edward Winter and Aikaterini Skokotas (2011). Assessing the role of Sum1 mutants in the meiotic development of S. cerevisiae, 13th Annual SEPCHE Honors Conference, Cabrini College, Session I-I
3. Hizamar Ponce, Winifred Wolfe, Tetyana Churyi, Ameema Hashmi, Edward Winter and Aikaterini Skokotas (2011). Assessing the role of Hst1 sirtuin in meiotic development in S. cerevisiae, 87th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, Penn State University Altoona, Altoona, poster 154
4. Annie Wu, Jeffy Mathew, Hizamar Ponce, Winifred Wolfe, Edward Winter and Aikaterini Skokotas (2011). Assessing the role of Hst1 sirtuin in meiotic development in S. cerevisiae, Joseph’s University Sigma Xi Student Research Symposium, Poster 61
5. Tetyana Churiy, Ameema Hashmi, Hizamar Ponce, Winifred Wolfe, Edward Winter and Aikaterini Skokotas (2010). Assessing the role of the Hst1 Sirtuin in the meiotic development of S. cerevisiae, Undergraduate Research Symposium, University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, Poster 71
6. Marcus Shin, Aikaterini Skokotas, and Edward Winter (2010) The Cdk1 and Ime2 protein kinases trigger exit from meiotic prophase by inhibiting the Sum1 transcriptional repressor. Annual Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting, University of British Columbia, BC Canada, poster 233C
7. Aikaterini Skokotas (2010). “Medical Advances of the Decade”, Rosemont College, Reunion Weekend.
8. Aikaterini Skokotas, (2010). “The Century of Biology: The Human Genome Project and Beyond” Presentation at SEPCHE summer course, Rosemont College
9. Fizza Hashmi, Disha Shah, Marcus Shin, Noreen Ahmed, Edward Winter and Aikaterini Skokotas (2010). Analysis of sum-1 regulation by Cdk1 during meiosis in S. cerevisiae. St. Joseph’s University Sigma Xi Student Research Symposium, Poster 47
10. Disha Shah, Fizza Hashmi, Marcus Shin, Noreen Ahmed, Edward Winter and Aikaterini Skokotas (2010). Analysis of sum-1 regulation by Cdk1 during meiosis in S. cerevisiae. Thomas Jefferson University Sigma Xi Student Research Day, poster 44 (AWARD WINNER)
11. Disha Shah, Fizza Hashmi, Marcus Shin, Noreen Ahmed, Edward Winter and Aikaterini Skokotas (2010). ). Sites involved in Meiotic regulation in S. cerevisiae. 12th Annual SEPCHE Honors Conference, Arcadia University, Session II, IIA
12. Winifred Wolfe and Nidha Azam (2010). Glucose regulation of meiosis in S. cerevisiae via PKA. 12th Annual SEPCHE Honors Conference, Arcadia University, Session I, IA
13. Winnie Wolfe, Nidha Azam and Aikaterini Skokotas (2009). Regulation of meiosis in S. cerevisiae via PKA. Undergraduate Research Symposium, University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, Poster 48 (AWARD WINNER)
14. Aikaterini Skokotas and Edward Winter (2009). Regulation of meiosis in S. cerevisiae via PKA. Annual Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, University of Delaware. Abstract No. 23
15. M. Mathew, A. Skokotas and E. Winter (2009). Regulation of meiosis in S. cerevisiae via PKA. Sigma Xi Research Symposium, St. Joseph’s University, poster 71
16. Aikaterini Skokotas (2009). A Mendelian genetics web-based interactive biology laboratory simulation. The SouthEastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE) Faculty Development Conference, Lafayette Hill, PA
17. Aikaterini Skokotas, (2009). “The Century of Biology: The Human Genome Project and Beyond”, Keynote presentation at Academic Honors day, Rosemont College
18. Charles R. Daniels, Neeti Bathala, and Aikaterini Skokotas (2006). Molecular techniques used in comparative studies of organisms. SEPCHE Institute for Mathematics and Science Conference, Immaculata University, poster
19. A. Skokotas, S. Kesari, B. Randazzo, M.S. Brown and N.W. Fraser (1996). "Studies of reactivation of HSV-1 by the superinfection of a second HSV-1 strain", 21st Herpesvirus Workshop, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, Abstract No. 487
20. A. Skokotas, M. Wrobleski, and T. M. Hill (1994).  "Isolation and characterization of mutants of Tus, the replication arrest protein of E. coli", Cold Spring Harbor Conference on Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phage, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, Abstract No. 226
21.  F. F Coskun-Ari, A. Skokotas and T. M. Hill (1992). "Physical and biochemical properties of the E. coli Tus protein", Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, Taos, New Mexico, Abstract No. F311.
22. A. Skokotas and T. M. Hill (1991). "Characterization of Tus protein in E. coli by mutational analysis", Scientific Research Symposium, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, Abstract No.