Becky Miller

1) Scholarship of teaching and learning in biochemistry & 2) Skeletal muscle function

PhD: San Diego State University and UC San Diego

Postdoctoral training: University of Vermont

Scholarship of teaching and learning in biochemistry: I have two areas of interest. 1) Analyze how students participate in a one semester nonmajors biochemistry course, why students make their specific choices and whether these decisions impact learning. 2) Assess collaboration between STEM faculty and English writing experts in writing-intensive courses for biochemistry majors.

Skeletal muscle function: Muscle is a complex tissue that couples the energy released from biochemical reactions to mechanical movement, resulting in contraction. To facilitate this contraction (shortening) of the tissue, two proteins, myosin and actin, interact directly and repeatedly. My graduate and postdoctoral training focused on the relationship between structure and function in both myosin and actin. Primarily, I compared the biochemical properties of isolated and purified myosin isoforms or actin isoforms. Here at UMass Amherst I do not coordinate my own research lab, but I support research activities and mentor students in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Miller, a faculty member in the Kinesiology Department. This laboratory investigates the effects of aging, exercise, and fatigue on skeletal muscle performance.