Disclaimer:  The following information is drawn from materials prepared by candidates for promotion to associate professor in one of the scholarship-requiring tracks (RS and CS).  It is intended to illustrate activities and materials that might support promotion.  In using these materials, please note the following:

            *The Provost (and, in some cases, the President) are the University officers authorized to approve promotions.  All levels of review below these officers are advisory.

            *Only Departments are empowered to propose promotions, and the Divisional Dean is charged with transmitting such proposals to the Provost or returning them to the Department.

            *The judgment of the Department, Dean, and Provost will therefore be critical to assessing qualification for promotion.

            *Materials considered by the Department, Dean, and Provost will also (and always) include confidential evaluations obtained from outside the University.  Materials considered by the Provost will include the confidential evaluations of the Dean and Department, and those considered by the Dean will include the confidential evaluations of the Department.

            *Thus, the following materials are ONLY PART of a complete proposal for promotion, whereas promotion is based on the ENTIRE proposal.   Therefore, it should not be assumed that a record comparable to that below will necessarily result in promotion, or that a record not comparable to that below will fail to result in promotion.  The Departmental Chair is likely to be the best source of advice as to whether promotion is feasible and, when it is not, what additional activity may result in qualification for promotion.

            *This document has been prepared as a tool for use by assistant professors in the Division of the Biological Sciences.  Other individuals who may find it informative are Department Chairmen, Section Heads, Committee Chairmen, senior faculty and potential recruits.  Its intent is to help guide individuals and their departments as they think about promotion to Professor.  This document is not intended to list the elements that every promotion proposal will be expected to address.  The following information is presented for information purposes only and is not intended to create any contract or agreement, and its contents are subject to addition, deletion, and change without prior notice.

Name

Melina Elisabeth Hale, Ph.D.

 

Preferred email address:

mhale@uchicago.edu

 

URL for web page :

http://pondside.uchicago.edu/oba/faculty/hale_lab/index.html

 

Department of Primary Appointment:

Organismal Biology and Anatomy

 

Secondary appointments:

Committee on Neurobiology

Committee on Computational Neuroscience

DEPARTMENT: What is the candidate's field or specialization?

Comparative and evolutionary neuroethology

LAY SUMMARY:

 

During her tenure at the University of Chicago Melina Hale has published 14 publications and from those papers the following discoveries stand out.

Four of her discoveries include:

(1)  Dr. Hale specifically demonstrated that the frequencies of axial movements are represented along a dorsoventral gradient within the spinal cord. This frequency map is a novel finding in spinal cord physiology. It will most certainly trigger a general search for similar motor representations in the spinal cord of mammals, which when identified will have clinical implications in the context of spinal cord injuries.

(2)  Dr. HaleŐs analysis of pectoral fin function and control revealed that fish exhibit distinct gait transitions that are similar to those known in limb gaits of terrestrial vertebrates. This finding has biomechanical as well as evolutionary implications.

(3)  It was long believed that the startle response of fish (as well as of mammals) depends on a small set of fast-conducting ŇbigÓ nerve cells (in case of fish – the Mauthner cell). Although, not the first study that challenges this view, Dr. HaleŐs work contributes to a revision of this concept by demonstrating that startle responses involve and in fact depend on a larger set of smaller reticulospinal neurons. This demonstration was achieved through a series of experiments in which Dr. Hale selectively lesioned the Mauthner cells.

(4)  In collaboration with the Prince laboratory, Dr. Hale demonstrated that genetically produced ectopic startle neurons are functionally incorporated into existing neuronal circuits. This has evolutionary implications as it demonstrates that segmental duplication could be a mechanism underlying increases  in the the complexity of the nervous system. This finding re-instates an evolutionary view that has fallen out of favor.

Educational — Dr. Hale has developed new courses for our most advanced first year students and for graduate students; she also teaches a segment of the Gross Anatomy course for medical students.  All these teaching efforts have received outstanding student evaluations.

Administrative — Dr, Hale serves on the Governing Committee of the Committee on Neurobiology.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Awards and Fellowships

 

2000                         Grass Foundation Fellowship, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA.

 

2002-2008              CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (see also grants).         

 

2006-2007              Defense Science Study Group (DSSG) Fellow, Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA) with support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) (see also external service for description).

 

Service External to the University of Chicago Since Beginning Faculty Position.

 

Consultant, Institute for Defense Analysis (arranged for  9/2007)

 

Fellow, Defense Science Study Group. DSSG familiarizes academics with the research needs of the Department of Defense (DoD), fosters communication between academia and the military and provides academicians with valuable insight into the DoD.  Fellows spend approximately 20 days per year for two years visiting military bases and other facilities including the pentagon and CIA. During that time we are briefed on many aspects of the defense department and current issues that the military and others national security agencies are facing. At the end of the fellowship, we write think pieces addressing issues we have identified as important areas for investigation and present them to our mentors, including former congressmen and members of the joint chiefs of staff as well as to people from DARPA and IDA. I am currently working on two of these papers with other DSSG fellows, one is on improvised explosive devices and traumatic brain injury and another is on biologically inspired materials.  (2/2006 – 10/2007)

 

Panelist, National Institutes of Health, Special Emphasis Panel: Tools for Zebrafish Research (2/2006)

 

External Examiner for the dissertation defense of Dr. Talitha van der Muelen, University of Wageningen, The Netherlands (12/2005)

 

Panelist, National Science Foundation, Behavioral Neuroscience Panel (4/2003, 10/2003, 4/2004, 10/2004).

 

Preparation of research and teaching information to be featured at the National Science Foundation booth at the Society for Neuroscience Meetings (10/2004) including a video of my research (http://research.uchicago.edu/highlights/science/index.shtml) prepared by the University of Chicago.

 

Preparation of my research and education summary and slides for a talk by Dr. Tom Brady, the National Science FoundationŐs director of the Integrative Organismal Biology Division, for NSFŐs Biology Advisory Committee Meeting (11/2004).

 

Louisiana Regents grants reviewer (2003).

 

Editorial Board, Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (2003-continuing).

 

Sigma Delta Epsilon Elouise Gerry Grants Committee (2003), Reviewer (2004).

 

Davis Prize Award Committee - Vertebrate Morphology, Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (2001).

 

Nominating Committee - Vertebrate Morphology, Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (2001).

 

Papers reviewed for journals including:  The Journal of Neuroscience, The Journal of Experimental Biology, Brain, Behavior and Evolution, The Journal of Comparative Physiology, Functional Ecology, Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society and others.

 

 

Professional Societies:

 

Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology

Society for Neuroscience

Sigma Xi

Society of Graduate Women in Science

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

Abstracts since starting faculty position.

 

Hale, M. E.  2002.  The neural basis of aquatic locomotion: Examining neuron activity and behavior with functional imaging. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 41:1463-1464A.

 

Bierman, H. S. and M. E. Hale.  2003.  The role of early movement in the development of swimming motor circuitry of larval zebrafish.  Society for Neuroscience Abstracts.

 

Bierman, H.S., J. E.  Schriefer, and M. E. Hale.  2003.  Head and tail retraction in startle behaviors of the bichir Erpetoichthys. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 42:1196A.

 

Schriefer, J. E. and M. E. Hale.  2003.  Are strikes and startles similar? Kinematics and EMGs of S-start escape and feeding in northern pike. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 42:1308A.

 

Hale, M. E., M. A. Kheirbeck, and V. E. Prince.  2003.  Hox gene misexpression generates functional neurons in zebrafish locomotor neural circuits. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 42:1238-1239A.

Hale, M. E., M. A. Kheirbeck, and V. E. Prince.  2003.   The function of Mauthner cell duplicated in startle behavior: Insights into the evolution of new neural circuits. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts.

 

Thorsen, D. H. and M. E. Hale.  2004.  Neural development of the zebrafish pectoral fin. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts

 

Paul, J. C., T. L. Creech, and M. E. Hale.  2004.  Kinematics and reticulospinal cell activity in alternative forms of the startle response in larval zebrafish.  Society for Neuroscience Abstracts.

 

Thorsen, D. H., J. J. Cassidy and M. E. Hale.  2004.  Development of pectoral fin morphology and locomotion in the zebrafish Danio rerio. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 43:903A.

 

Becker, T. S., M. E. Hale, M. Laplante, J. Ghislain, P. Mourrain, A. Geling, A. Bruce, M. Kšnig and S. Ellingsen.  2004. Noninvasive Brain Mapping in transgenic zebrafish.  Norwegian Biochemical Society Meetings.

 

Fan, J., H. S. Bierman and M. E. Hale. 2005. Excitatory descending spinal interneurons influence thw degree of axial bending during startles of larval zebrafish. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts

 

Bierman, H. S. and M. E. Hale. 2005. Desscending excitatory spinal interneruosn are active in multiple motor circuits. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts.

 

Skromne, I., D. T. Thorsen, M. E. Hale, V. E. Prince, and R. K. Ho. 2005. Homeobox-containing CDX transcription factors mediate hindbrain and spinal cord determination from the caudal neural plate in zebrafish. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts

 

Paul, J. C. and M. E. Hale.  2005.  Locomotor behavior of zebrafish with aberrant muscle morphology. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 44:735A.

 

Day, R., M. W. Westneat, D. H. Thorsen and M. E. Hale. 2005.  Alternative patterns of fin-based locomotion: Fin coordination and gait transitions in juvenile fishes. Integrative and Comparative Biology.44:688A.

 

Prince, V. E., I. Hurley, J. Stockert and M. Hale.  2005.  Vertebrate axial patterning and the consequences of duplication events. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 44:625.

 

Skromne, I. Thorsen, D., Hale, M., Prince, V. and R. Ho. 2005. Molecular mechanisms specifying separate hindbrain and spinal cord regions from the neural plate. Dev. Biol. 283:660A.

 

Fan, J., R.-Y. Teow and M. E. Hale. 2006. Roles of multipolar commissural descending interneurons in the initiation and coordination of axial bending during slow rhythmic swimming of the zebrafish. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts

 

Fremont, R. T. and M. E. Hale. 2006.  Building neural networks: The response of the zebrafish startle circuit to ectopic expression of Mauthner cells. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts

 

McNeill, M., J. Fan, M. E. Hale, R. A. Cornell. 2006. Spinalization rescues paralysis in zebrafish TRPM7 mutants, a new animal model of Guamanian Parkinsonism. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts.

 

Hale, M. E. 2006. Cells, circuits and swimming: Examining the neural control and evolution of startle behavior in fishes.  Society of Experimental Biologists.

 

Hale, M. E. 2006. Cells, circuits and swimming: Examining the neuromuscular control of locomotion with the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Integrative and Comparative Biology. 45:1007A

 

Fremont, R. T. and M. E. Hale. 2006.  Building neural networks: The response of the zebrafish startle circuit to ectopic expression of Mauthner cells. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 45:1133A.

 

Bierman, H. S., J. Fan, and M. E. Hale. 2007. The role of excitatory spinal interneurons in the mechanics of startle movement in zebrafish. Integrative and Comparative Biology 46:e170.

 

Thorsen, D. H., M. H. Green and M. E. Hale. 2007. Motor control of the zebrafish pectoral fin. Integrative and Comparative Biology 46:e257.

 

Hale, M. E., J. S. Waters, W. K. Lee, J. J. Socha, K. Fezzaa and M. W. Westneat. 2007. Drawing inspiration from insect breathing and heaving conventional wisdom: Convective tracheal and air sac mechanisms in Drosophila visualized with x-ray imaging. Integrative and Comparative Biology 46:e54.

 

Westneat, M. W., J. J. Socha, J. S. Waters, M. E. Hale, and W .-K. Lee. 2007. Phylogenetic diversity of tracheal compression patterns in insects. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 46(1):e265.

 

Fremont, R. F. and M. E. Hale.  Submitted. Genetic Manipulation of the hindbrain in zebrafish demonstrates that spiral fiber neurons play an important role in modulating non-Mauthner components of the brainstem escape network. Society for Neuroscience.

 

Bierman, H. S., S. J. Zottoli, and M. E. Hale. Submitted. Evolution of the Mauthner axon cap and fast-start escape response. Society for Neuroscience.

 

Invited  

 

Invited Seminars at Other Institutions and Conferences 2002-2007

 

2002

University of Massachusetts at Amherst, MA.

 

Williams College, Williamstown, MA.

 

2003

Austevall Marine Laboratory, Austevall, Norway.

 

University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.

 

2004

The Whitney Laboratory, University of Florida with teleconference to University of Florida Gainsville.

 

Graduate student seminar in Systems Neuroscience course, University of Florida, Gainesville.

 

Zebrafish Course, Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, MA.

 

2005

University of Wageningen, The Netherlands.

 

University of Texas, Southwest Medical Center, Dallas, TX.

 

2006

Society for Experimental Biology (Canterbury, UK) Symposium honoring J. Videler.

 

Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (Orlando, FL), Symposium on Neuromechanics.

 

2007

Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI.

 

University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

 

Motor pattern evolution workshop, National Science Foundation. Organized by Dr. Peter Wainwright.

 

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (invited for Fall 2007).

 

Loyola University, Chicago, IL (invited for Fall 2007).

 

2008

Janelia Farms, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, VA (invited for Spring, 2008).

 

Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA (invited for Spring, 2008).

 

 

Seminars at the University of Chicago

 

Committee on Neuroscience/Committee on Computational Neuroscience (2002).

 

Kennedy Center for Cancer Research (2002).

 

Neurobiology Graduate Students Laboratory Introductions (2002).

 

Biomechanics Group Meeting (2002).

 

Systems Neuroscience Group Meeting (2002).

Computational Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Program (2002, 2004).

HHMI Summer Internship Program (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006).

Biological Sciences Division Visiting Committee, Talk and Laboratory Tour (2004).

Neurobiology Retreat (2005).

Institute for Biophysical Dynamics (2006).

UNACCEPTED INVITATIONS

I did not keep track of specific unaccepted speaking invitations. I had to cancel one seminar scheduled at the Field Museum. I declined several NSF study sections (Dr. Diane Witt, Program Officer). Because I have two young children, I have tried to limit the amount of time that I am working away from the lab. Despite this, I estimate for 2007, I will spend at least 45 days away from Chicago on work related trips.