Biology, School of Science

A Siena biology professor has received a prestigious three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will support scholarship and result in more undergraduate research opportunities.

Anna McLoon, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, was granted $309,172 to study the soil and plants associated with Bacillus subtilis. McLoon hopes that learning more about the multicellular processes carried out by this non-pathogenic species in the laboratory will provide broader insights into a variety of processes that influence bacterial pathogenesis and the roles of bacteria in the natural environment.

McLoon said that in addition to pursuing the project goals, the grant will also help improve research infrastructure by covering software and lab equipment such as a BioAnalyzer and nanodrop spectrometer. The equipment can also be used by students and faculty on other biology projects as well as for the grant funded research.

She said financial support for more weeks of research and for a paid term-time student research position that she is hoping to fill in the fall will make it more feasible for economically disadvantaged students, who are most likely to be members of groups underrepresented in biology, to conduct research instead of seeking other employment. 

“The NIH is committed to increasing diversity in the biomed workforce and support those in groups that historically have not been given access to opportunities,” she said. “Their support will also make it easier to recruit students to conduct research beginning in their freshman year, which is instrumental to keeping students in the field, particularly underrepresented students.”  

The grant will also cover travel costs for students to present their work at regional and national scientific conferences.

“I am really looking forward to introducing more students to the thrill of presenting their own new discoveries to peers across the country,” she said. “It is such an amazing experience to be a knowledge creator and then to be the one to share that knowledge for the first time.”

Dana Unser, director of grants and sponsored research, added that the grant will also support longer duration projects. 

“Because the host institution supports research access for students in all academic programs, faculty are limited in how many students they can take for the project duration,” she said. “This funding will increase the total number of students able to carry out summer research, and will make it easier for students to make scientific progress on their projects, and to master new technical skills.” 

The long-term goal of McLoon’s biology project is to understand how the laboratory environment itself selects against and/or changes the fitness effects of multicellular bacterial behaviors. The project will also open up possibilities for collaboration within Siena and with scientists at other institutions.

“I have already started a new collaboration with scientists at the University of Virginia, and have had good conversations about the work with colleagues in our chemistry and biochemistry department,” she said. “I know that support from colleagues and access to the state-of-the-art equipment offered in the SAInT Center was instrumental in helping my grant application succeed.”  

V. Denise Mondelo ’25, Safiya Alvi ’25 and Justin Gejo ’25 are currently working under McLoon's guidance. 

“This past summer, we witnessed Dr. McLoon working many hours to get the data we all desired,” said Mondelo. “It's a fun and knowledgeable environment, so I'm excited for what's to come!”

Alvi added, “Dr. McLoon’s grant will play a critical role in better equipping us to continue pursuing our growing research goals. After having the incredible opportunity to learn alongside her, I’ve developed a strong passion for microbiology research, and this grant will support us in expanding both collaborative and independent research. I am so appreciative for the strong bonds we’ve formed, and eager to keep learning together!”

Justin Gejo ’25 said the grant will open up new opportunities in the lab for Siena undergraduates. 

“We will be able to work on new independent projects of our own and get new equipment that will help us work more efficiently.” 

The team is already seeing the benefits of the funding: they will be spending much of the rest of the semester analyzing genomic sequence data from 50 unique lab-adapted bacterial strains, which represent more than 200 million base pairs of DNA sequence.

“That’s a lot of As and Ts and Gs and Cs!” said McLoon.