Dr. Kristin R. Bozak,  Associate Professor Biological Sciences Department Cal Poly Pomona Office:  Bldg. 4, Room 3-545 Phone:  (909) 869-3656 (with voice-mail) Email:  kbozak@csupomona.edu (909) 869-4038 (Biological Sciences Department Office) (909) 869-4078 (Department's Fax Machine)

 

Links	Mailing Address
Courses Professional Interests Return to Biological Sciences home page Return to Cal Poly Pomona home page	Dr. Kristin Bozak Biological Sciences California State Polytechnic University 3801 W Temple Ave Pomona CA 91768-4032 United States of America

Courses taught

• BOT 422: Plant Physiology (Fall)
• BIO 490: Scientific Communication II (Fall)
• BIO 310:Cell, Mol, Developmental Biology (Winter)
• BIO 111:Bio for non-majors, lab (Winter)
• BOT 456:Plant Tissue Culture (alternating Winters)
• BOT 124:Plant Structures and Functions (Spring)

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Professional Interests

• The focus of research in my laboratory is to determine the mechanism by which the plant hormone ethylene regulate gene expression in either wounded avocado tissue, or during the ripening of avocado fruit. We are currently studying the wounding- and ripening-induction of a cytochrome P450 named cyp71A1 by the P450 nomenclature committee. I am extremely fortunate to have joined the faculty of CAl Poly in Fall 1993, because the rich heritage of the Cal Poly Pomona campus includes the presence of one of the oldest avocado groves in Northern America: the Fuerte orchard located adjacent to building 8 which were planted by WK Kellogg in the 1920s. We also grow five other varieties of avocado: Bacon, Hass, Macarthur, Pinkerton, and Zutano. My teaching areas (Plant Physiology and Recombinant DNA) merge beautifully through my studies which are generally termed "Plant Molecular Biology". My research laboratory is currently funded at both the private (California Avocado Grower's Society) and Federal (National Institutes of Health) levels.
• The students involved in research in my laboratory include the graduate students:
• Airica Baxter-Burrell who duing the past three years initiated the transition in our lab from ripening to wounding studies, is just now leaving to enter a PhD program in Botany at UCRiverside.
• Additionally Kathy Kurtz is now entering the lab and intitiating studies into how ozone damage induces ethylene as a wound response, in avocado seedlings.
• John Fowler will be entering the lab sometime this year to begin gel-mobility shift assays to identify ripening and wound-related elements upstream of the cytochrome P450 gene, cyp71A1.
• Currently two excellent undergraduates are being funded by the NIH-MBRS program:
• Dave Serrano who is analyzing the effect on ripening-induction of CYP71A1, of deleting positions -332 and -400 upstream of cyp71A1. These constructs will be analyzed by transient expression assays in ripe avocado protoplasts.
• Ben Castro who is in the process of creating transgenic Arabidopsis plants carrying chimeras consisting of CYP71A1 promoter fragments fused to the reporter gene, GUS (beta-glucuronidase). These plants will be monitored for the wounding- and ethylene-induction
• Here are some links to important web sites in my field:
  • http://www.csupomona.edu and locate Don Hoyt's home page to view a abstract of the Bozak research proposal funded by the NIH.
  • http://www.avocado.org The Avocado Commission's home page:get great guacamole recipes and hear about the fury over Mexico avocados potentially flooding th US market
  • http://www.bio.com Students should click on this site to be linked to a hot site for all biotechnology-related job openings in the greater LA area. Amgen (Thousands Oaks CA) alone lists hundreds of openings and updates them weekly.
  • http://www.biotech-calendar.com Students should click on this link to access a monthly calendar of biotechnology seminars in the LA area or the San Diego area and also listings of many jobs available in the biotechnology field.

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