Hughes Mentor:  Carl Hopkins

Department: Neurobiology and Behavior

More Information

A Day in the Life of an Undergraduate in the Hopkins Lab

I was very lucky in that I came across the Hopkins lab during a meeting with Laurel Southard before beginning the search for research. I had waited until the end of my freshman year, so I could be settled into living on my own and the college routine before starting work. I would recommend any Cornell biology undergrad talk with Laurel if they can before starting to apply to labs- she was an amazing resource. I came to her with my subject interests and researchers I was possibly interested in, and she was able to help me decide what lab would be the best fit. Prior to that meeting, I hadn’t really considered the Hopkins’ lab, but when she informed me how it would be a lab I could stay with for a long time and complete an independent or thesis project, I was intrigued. I knew I didn’t want to be in a lab with a ton of other undergrads, just doing the cleaning or busy work that others didn’t want. So I started emailing those top choices Laurel and I had decided on- I got back some rejections, as well as interviews. Many other labs seemed very interesting, but I felt that I would fit in the Hopkins’ lab: I would have a lot of guidance, but be able to work on my own independent project. I was also impressed that Dr. Hopkins’ already had an idea for a project I could work on.

When I began working in the lab, I didn’t need science knowledge as much as technical skills and acquainting myself with the lab itself. I was very lucky in that I had a great mentor, our lab technician Garry, who knew the ins and outs of the lab and was very patient as I began learning experimental techniques. As I began work on my independent project, basic neurobiology became handy, but ultimately it was specific knowledge from scientific articles in the field and experience about lab techniques that I needed the most.

There is really no way to describe a typical day in the Hopkins lab; Dr. Hopkins is a neuroethologist, which means his work combines neurobiology, behavior, and evolution of sensory systems, particularly the sensory system of the weakly electric Mormyrid fishes of West Africa. Projects in the lab include everything from microscopy, brain surgeries, observations of behaviors, and phylogenic and genetic analysis. My research is primarily concerned with the Knollenorgan, an electroreceptor on the Mormyrid skin that is used for communication and species recognition. One can record the electric discharges these fish emit by using a large electrode connected to an amplifier; different species emit different durations and waveforms of electric discharges. To record from the electroreceptors that encode these electric discharges, one must paralyze the fish using a Curare-like chemical (it stays alive as the chemical wears off on an artificial respirator that flows water over its gills); a small electrode picks up the responses of these electroreceptors: Knollenorgans give off a small spike when stimulated (and also spontaneously, which I studied in my first year in the lab).

As I said, its difficult to describe a typical day in the Hopkins lab; my days can consist of reading scientific articles, creating a new part for my experiment, analyzing data collected, and finally, actually doing an experiment. Unlike many genetics or biochem labs, my experiments only take one day, which may suit some better than others- on the one hand, you don’t have to wait a week for a result, but on the other hand, during that day you have an experiment, you have to be committed to it, as there is very little downtime if you want to record from as many Knollenorgans as possible. You have to be prepared to react quickly on occasion, ensuring the fish is safe and that your recordings are as clean as possible. You also have to be prepared to problem solve quickly, as a glitch in the electrical equipment that occurs after the fish is injected must be fixed right then.

As a result, I have learned the ability to react quickly under pressure working in this lab, and I have also learned how attached one can get to their research project- it really becomes a part of you. The days I plan to do an experiment I experience this combination of nerves and excitement; I know I will have to think on my toes and hope to find something new and exciting. At the same time, I’m also prepared for tedious and repetitious work. I’ve learned my limits for this type of tedious work, but I’ve been able to work around it, occasionally taking breaks from analyzing data over and over by creating a new part or checking on my fish. I’ve learned that I NEED to work with people, even if I’m doing an independent experiment it helps if there are other people around that I can talk to or ask for help.

Students who would like to work in this lab should be interested in firstly, neurobiology with an emphasis on sensory systems, they should be independent workers with determination to problem solve and think on their own, they should be willing to do many types of research with an eye for detail, and be fine with the occasional repetitious task (but that’s a given with any research job).

Working during the school year is entirely different from working in the summer and I would advise any student that is seriously interested in research to do it in the summer; it will really give you an idea about what day to day life in the lab is like, and allow you to see a project take shape completely. It is extremely difficult to do many experiments or collect a lot of data during the school year- I was able to complete my independent project only as it was part of my course load- but even then it was very difficult. Research is not a Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:10-11 sort of thing, you may have days that require hours and hours of work and others that require none. If you really want to do a project during the school year, be prepared to occasionally work on a weekend or plan your schedule to have a day off: that’s when you can do an experiment. That’s how I was able to do a project sophomore year, but I still wished my schedule had more large spaces of free time to be in the lab.

During days where I don’t have an experiment, or I’m waiting for more fish to come in, I enjoy working on new parts for my set-up. Electrical parts are especially fun to make: though I’m not an engineer, it’s enjoyable to put something together (especially if it involves the soldering iron J, and it works after you make it ).

Meet Carl Hopkins!

Carl Hopkins is currently a Neurobiology and Behavior professor at Cornell. Located on the second floor of Mudd Hall, his lab focuses on the study of the mormyrid electric fish. His interest in biological science was realized when he took a Genetics class during his senior year at Bowdoin College, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Math. Carl Hopkins then went to Rockefeller University majoring in animal behavior with a minor in neuroscience. He worked under the famous Peter Marler, who specialized in bird songs.

Carl Hopkins first encountered the electric fish during his postdoctoral work under Theodore Bullock at UCSD. At that time, Bullock went on board the research vessel Alpha Helix in an expedition in the Amazon. Alpha Helix served as an ideal floating laboratory for on-site, advanced technology research. When a colleague brought back an electrical fish from the expedition, Carl Hopkins became immensely interested. He proceeded to read all available publications on this species, and began electrophysiological studies on their circadian rhythm. From that point on, he focused his studies in the electrical fish and participated in field projects where he was able to identify new species of fish. It had been found that the electrical modality serves as means of communication, electro-location, as well as predation.

Before coming to Cornell, Carl Hopkins worked at the University of Minosota and became attracted to the combined study of animal behavior and neurobiology. With Cornell’s reputation in such studies, as well as the impressive faculty in the department, Carl Hopkins was excited to accept a position as a Cornell professor. Not only has Carl Hopkins excelled in his field of research, he also loves to teach! In the past, he has taught BioNB 222 Introduction to Neurobiology, BioNB 424 Neuroethology, and BioNB720 Temporal Coding. You will also find him this coming Fall, in the lecture hall of Bio 101, Introduction to Biology. He feels that curiosity is a very important quality in undergraduate researchers: for it is the driving force of science.

When he’s not focused on science, Carl Hopkins spends his spare time out in the beautiful Ithacan outdoors. He skis and hikes in the area, and also owns a 14 feet sail boat that he cruises out on Cayuga Lake.

Meet a Cornell Researcher: Dr. Carl Hopkins

Dr. Carl Hopkins is originally from Rochester, NY. He was always interested in science and knew from childhood he wanted to pursue a career in research. He attended Bowdoin College in Maine majoring in Physics and minoring in Mathematics. He then went on to attend graduate school in Biophysics at Rockefeller University. Before coming to Cornell, he taught at University of Minnesota and did research at the CNRS in Gif Sur Yvette in France. Attracted to the university because of it excellent reputation as both a teaching and research institution, he started working at Cornell in 1982 in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior.

His current research focuses on neural communication in electric fish. This type of communication, although limited to an aquatic environment, is found in six different groups of fishes. It is mainly a form of social communication: males use electric signals generated to attract females of their own species. However, the signal is also used by the fish to sense objects in their environment and to stun prey (in some species). As a model, Dr. Hopkins uses the freshwater African electric fish in the family Mormyridae. These fish have specialized electric organs located in their tails which they use to discharge electric current in the water. Other fish can receive and recognize these discharges by the waveform of the signal using electroreceptors scattered on their body surface. The fish use temporal characteristics, such as the timing of the waveform, to distinguish between males and females and between different species. This type of communication is especially efficient method of communication in water, which is a good conductor of electricity and offers less resistance to electric flow than air. The evolution of such a unique form of communication is likely to have arisen because of the unique advantages offered by the aquatic environment. This is another of Dr. Hopkins’ interests.

Although he is the only researcher working on electrical fish (at Cornell), Dr. Hopkins immensely enjoys working at Cornell with both its faculty and students. He finds the Cornell students to be responsible and careful, qualities he strongly appreciates in researchers. Dr. Hopkins looks for student researchers who are impelled by curiosity and interest yet are tenacious and persistent when working on their projects. In addition to conducting research, Dr. Hopkins has taught many classes at Cornell including Introductory Biology, Introduction to Neurobiology, and Neuroethology. He likes to attend musicals and operas, enjoys sailing and camping, and is learning how juggle.

An Interview with Dr. Carl Hopkins

“It’s almost like a gift,” says Dr. Carl Hopkins of Cornell’s Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, when describing the opportunity to uncover the unknown through scientific investigation. For him, the newness of discovery is a fabulous motivating factor in his career as a researcher. With more than 30 years experience, Dr. Hopkins is no stranger to science both in the lab and the field.

Hopkins lab, located at W263 Mudd Hall, is one of a handful of labs on campus that works primarily with fish. The research concerns aspects of electric signaling in a particular family of fish native to Africa called Mormyridae. This fish uses subtle electrical discharges to communicate; discharges stereotyped enough to allow for species and sex recognition. In the past, Hopkins lab has documented and studied the electric discharges as a means of speciation.

The work in Hopkins lab is a balance between field studies and neuroscience. Researchers not only study the selection pressures, communication behavior, and evolution of the fish, but they also investigate the cellular mechanisms of information processing and signal transduction. Important to the investigation is the concept of temporal coding, which describes a mechanism in the nervous system in which information resides in timeframes of spike patterns as opposed to simply the number of spikes by individual neurons. Researchers in Hopkins lab work on mathematical models to describe the mechanism of signal transduction and also use imaging technology to visualize neuron activation in the brains of live fish.

Dr. Hopkins believes his work is valuable because it applies to mechanisms of communication in animals, including humans, and allows insight into communication systems in general.

Hopkins lab typically includes anywhere from one to five undergraduates. Undergrads usually start out assisting with other projects and then move on to projects of their own. Dr. Hopkins believes it is important to have undergraduates and all people in his lab doing new science. For this reason, you won’t find undergraduates in his lab simply redoing old experiments – they are granted the same responsibilities as any other scientist searching for new answers.

To find out more about the lab and Dr. Hopkins’ research, visit www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/hopkins/hopkins.html.