Amy Sprowles Ph.D.
Associate Professor - Cellular/Molecular Biology
Amy grew up in a small college town in Maine. After completing her B.A. in Biology at Clark University, she spent a year doing research at a Boston biotech company before heading to Vanderbilt University Medical School to complete a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. She has taught and mentored students at Humboldt since 2006. In addition, she currently serves as the Co-Director of the Humboldt CIRM Bridges Program, Program Director of the Humboldt Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence ’17 Program, Co-Director of the Humboldt HSI STEM grant, Co-PI NSF INCLUDES Transcending Barriers Planning Grant, the Program Lead for the Humboldt Transcending Barriers to Student Success Pilot Project, and she serves as the Humboldt CSU STEM NET Faculty Advisor. In 2020, she was honored to be a recipient of the CSU Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award.
Education
B.A. (1995) Clark University,Biology / Minor: Piano Performance
Ph.D. (2003) Vanderbilt University, Biochemistry
Courses Taught
BIOL544/544L - Stem Cell Biology
BIOL340 - Genetics
BIOL440 - Genetics Laboratory
SCI100: Becoming a STEM Professional in the 21st Century
Research
Biochemical regulation of the cellular biology associated wtih early embryonic development and cancer. Inclusive excellence in STEM education.
Graduate Students
Current: Natalie Pedicino, Amin Cressman, Ariah Mackie
Former:
- Manal Hosawi, '16: Regulation of Oct4 expression by Jun-N terminal kinase/cJun signaling in murine embryonic stem cells
- Rachel Brewer, '17: The developmental implications of the regulatory relationship between cJun and OCT4 in murine embryonic stem cells
- Monique Lacourse, '18: The effect of the loss of Lgl1 in murine neural progenitor cells on MAPK signaling and proliferation
- Kristine Teague, '18: Characterizing the effect of cJun on the expression of Oct4 variants and how they correlate with the expression of genes associated with potency and cell fate of murine embryonic stem cells
- Elizabeth Zepeda, '18: The effects of increased camp levels on neuronal differentiation in murine embryonic stem cells, and the creation of a CRISPR-induced c.1252c>t point mutation in the ADCY5 gene
- Sharon Otis
- Jacob Nowatske
Publications
- Johnson, M. D., Sprowles, A. E., Goldenberg, K. R., Margell, S. T., & Castellino, L. (2020). Effect of a place-based learning community on belonging, persistence, and equity gaps for first-year STEM students. Innovative Higher Education, 45(6), 509-531. Available at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10755-020-09519-5
- Harper, M., Bernard, T., Sprowles, A., and A. Jacobson. 2020. Energy Requirements of the Screening Sites in a COVID-19 Hub and Spoke Testing Approach. Covid-19 Resources. Washington D.C. Lightening Global.
Available at: https://www.lightingglobal.org/resource/energy-requirements-of-the-screening-sites-in-a-covid-19-hub-and-spoke-testing-approach/ - Sprowles, A.E., Goldenberg, K. , Goley, P. D. , Ladwig, S. , Shaughnessy, F. J. , Malloy, K. J. , Baldy, C. R. , Mola, M. M. , Smith, J. R. et al. (2019). Place-Based Learning Communities on a Rural Campus: Turning Challenges into Assets. Learning Communities Research and Practice, 7(1), Article 6.
Available at: https://washingtoncenter.evergreen.edu/lcrpjournal/vol7/iss1/6 - Johnson, M.D., Sprowles, A.E., Overeem, K.M., Rich, A. (2017). “A Place-based Learning Community: Klamath Connection at Humboldt State University”. Learning Communities Research and Practice Vol. 5:2, Article 4.
https://washingtoncenter.evergreen.edu/lcrpjournal/vol5/iss2/4 - Eschenbach, E., Cashman E., Johnson, M., Sprowles, A. (2017). Connecting Environmental Engineers to the Klamath River via a Place Based Learning Community. Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Indianapolis, IN. DOI: 10.1109/FIE.2017.8190541, IEEE.
- Sprowles, A and Malloy, K.J. 2017. Klamath Connection and Critical Histories/Activist Futures: The Role of Interdisciplinary Discourse in Addressing Racism and Inequity in STEM Education. Somatosphere. http://somatosphere.net/2017/10/klamath-connection-and-critical-histories-activist-futures-the-role-of-interdisciplinary-discourse-in-addressing-racism-and-inequity-in-stem-education.html (accessed October 24, 2017)
