Hughes Mentor:  Ronald Hoy

Department: Neurobiology and Behavior

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An Interview with Dr. Ronald Hoy

Dr. Ronald Hoy is Professor in the department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. Dr. Hoy grew up in the state of Washington. Like many young students, he had wanted to go to a college far away from home, but he gave in to his parents wishes of staying close to home and attended Whitman College and Washington State University for his undergraduate degree in psychology and zoology. There, he became fascinated in the study of the brain and later received his Ph.D in neuroscience from Stanford University, where wrote a thesis on neural regeneration. Dr. Hoy’s interest in behavior led him to UC Berkeley for his postdoc work on auditory communication in crickets. Dr. Hoy taught at Stonybrook for a couple of years and came to Cornell in 1974.

The Hoy lab studies neurobiology using various model organisms based on the founding assumption that Mother Nature invented structural and functional principles early on that retain their identity. Thus, we can use insects to model the way neurons work and are put together into networks in humans but with the advantage of fewer numbers of brain cells (ie. from 1012 in the human brain to 104 in crickets), making it easier to trace the role of a single neuron. Dr. Hoy’s openness and varied research interests are reflected in the diverse array of research topics that his lab investigates. Dr. Hoy often comes back from his sabbatical leaves with new projects for his lab to work on. One such project that the Hoy lab is currently investigating is how animals, specifically the parasitic fly Ormia, can hear directionally. The lab has discovered a novel ear for detecting sound in the parasitic fly, which possesses the tiniest ears (1 mm from eardrum to eardrum) known to detect the direction of a sound source. Dr. Hoy’s discovery has sparked his colleagues in the department of Mechanical Engineering to use the Ormia’s ear as a model in designing a new kind of directionally sensitive nanoscale microphone for use in very small, enhanced hearing aids that will enable its users to hear directionally. Dr. Hoy’s research on the Ormia’s hearing system may also have potential applications for cellphone microphones in the near future.

The Hoy lab is also investigating the genetics and physiology of seizures in drosophila mutants. The lab is interested in these flies that have been selected for to have seizures, because seizures in flies have similar aspects to human epilepsy. Dr. Hoy describes epilepsy as an electrical storm in the brain that results from over excitability of the neural network. Currently, epilepsy can only be controlled and not cured, so it is the hope that researching seizures in drosophila will elucidate the molecular basis of seizures in the human brain.

During the day, Dr. Hoy may be found either teaching, advising students, or among his research team. Dr. Hoy teaches two courses: BioNB 111 Mind, Brain, and Behavior, an introductory course for nonmajors, and BioNB496 Bioacoustic Signals in Animals and Man, a more specialized course for neurobiology majors. Dr. Hoy’s commitment to teaching goes beyond Cornell as a winner of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant, which enabled him to develop a multimedia teaching tool depicting neurobiology laboratory experiments that has now been adopted in classrooms all over the country.

Dr. Hoy also currently advises seven undergraduate students in his lab with the belief that even undergraduates should be involved with primary research and become integrated into the research team. He finds it very satisfying to watch the development of researchers and believes it one of his most important duties at Cornell to mentor and train the next generation of scientists. Dr. Hoy is always looking for students who have a burning desire to tackle a question, are committed, and are also able to work together as a team.

The Hoy Lab

In the Hoy Lab, I am investigating the acoustic behavior of a parasitoid fly. This fly has a novel hearing organ which allows it to detect the location of its cricket hosts. The main focus of the lab is the investigation of the biology of animal communication. Another major area of research in the lab is focused on mutant fly larvae and how changing gene expression affects larval locomotion. For my experiments, I am using a variety of skills from various disciplines. No specific course information is essential, but knowing a basic knowledge of physics (phys101-102) and insects (entom212) has been useful in understanding my experiments in greater detail. Currently, we are using a device that measures the torque that flies exert on a tether during tethered flight. We play various stimuli to the flies and measure their responses with this apparatus. At this stage, my research is purely behavioral, but there is ability to also do neurobiological explorations on the nervous system of the fly to understand the mechanisms of the auditory system.

A typical day in the lab is centered on my data collection experiments with the flies. In the first part of the day, I work with the experimental setup, making any adjustments or improvements before data collection. The afternoons are dedicated to data collection, running trials with the flies. I discovered the Hoy Lab rather serendipitously through a friend and setup a meeting that led to my participation in the research. The lab is always looking for enthusiastic undergrads who are willing to apply themselves to animal behavior projects. There are always a good number of students in the lab, which creates a friendly working environment and a feeling of camaraderie.

Summer research is also an option at the Hoy Lab. This summer there are at least 8 undergrads active in some role. Ron Hoy is very open to new ideas and is helpful moving your projects along, but also gives you independence in running your experiments. For the first year here I was supervised by a postdoc, which was a valuable learning experience.

Overall, my experience in the Hoy Lab has been very educational. I have received great exposure to the field and have been given the opportunity to excel and push myself in my experiments. If you are a student looking for this type of experience, I suggest looking at the lab website (hoylab.cornell.edu) and seeing if it is a good fit for you. You can then inquire about a postion by contacting Pat Rivlin, who manages the taking-on of undergraduates. Good luck!

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

I first entered Hoy Lab during Fall of 2005; while I’ve been doing research every summer for the past few years, this was the first time I worked in a Cornell Lab. At the time, I was taking a BioNB 420 course called “Disorders of Brain and Behavior in Humans: Your Inner Fly” taught by Dr. Hoy (whom I eventually came to know as Ron). Ron did a great job of sparking our interest in neurological disorders, and after looking up some of his past publications, I was sold. After class one day, I gave Ron my resume and spoke of my interest of being in his lab. Within a few weeks, I was set up to help Sandra, a former Hughes scholar, in her genetic screen of fruit flies.

Since it was a genetic screen, I was glad that I was taking genetics that same semester so that I had a basic idea of the concept. Although I was mainly responsible for changing fly food for the last two semesters, I was able to familiarize myself with the animals and their life cycle. Having voiced my interest in becoming a more integral part of the research experience, I was placed with Jake to learn more about electrophysiology of the drosophila larval neuromuscular junction as summer was fast approaching. While I do have a background in electrophysiology, the drosophila prep was very different from what I was used to. During the weeks that I trained with Jake, I truly learned a lot. However, Jake was the sole electrophysiologist in Hoy lab, and he was leaving Cornell at the beginning of June. Since my knowledge of electrophysiology did not allow me to set up my own rig and start my own experiments, I was given several other options by the time Hughes started.

What I ended up focusing on was a more in depth study of the genes that came out of the genetic screen that I had helped with. There are many techniques that I’ve gained from working on this project. While the identification and filleting of the larvae was familiar from electrophysiology, this time the larvae became the preps for immunostaining. It was exciting to take what I have just learned from biochemistry, and apply it to my own research. From there, I then received confocal microscopy training in order to view the slides that I have prepared. There are still much to do, and I am now confident in my ability to accomplish my goals.

Other than having a concrete project of my own to work on, doing research in the summer was different from working during the semester in many aspects. Instead of being able to work for two or three hours a day, having the whole day free to do research enables me to carry out long reactions in the span of eight hours. There are no class work to take up my time and focus. Also, because I am in lab everyday for long hours, I was able to get much better acquainted with everyone at Hoy Lab. Along with the grad students and associate professors, many undergraduates also work in the Hoy Lab: this year, there are four of us who are participating in Hughes or New Horizons. I only wish I had the opportunity to get to know the five seniors who graduated this year. Having practically finished up my graduation requirements, I plan on spending a good amount of time doing research during the academic year as well. Those long procedures can be broken up into multiple days, and I can study while waiting for the reactions to take place. This year is also the time for graduate school applications and preparation of senior thesis. It will be challenging, but I am also very excited.

Faculty Biography

Dr. Ronald Hoy grew up in Washington state, where he attended Whitman College, exploring a number of different majors including business, chemistry, psychology, and finally biology. He became interested in the study of the brain during his junior year and so delved into the biological sciences for a better understanding of this complex organ. Although he was offered a full medical scholarship to Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Hoy turned to research instead, graduating with a Ph.D. from Washington State University, where he studied the regeneration of the nervous system in crayfish. He now manages his own lab in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior in Mudd Hall, exploring the physiology and evolution of what he affectionately calls, “animal music”.

Dr. Hoy’s passion for research is rooted in its open-ended character, which allows room for progress and expansion. He also enjoys reading and working with his hands, both of which are involved when conducting experiments. Recalling the influence of his early experiences in research as an undergrad, Dr. Hoy now offers the same opportunity for Cornell undergrads. The two summers he spent working in a physiology lab at Whitman served as a key factor in his decision to pursue research instead of medicine. But while he is currently supporting the efforts of seven undergraduate students, Dr. Hoy feels that he also benefits from the refreshing perspective afforded by these young disciples.

The Hoy lab is currently studying sensory systems in insects, a part of which includes the capture and processing of acoustic signals in crickets. While studying the calls produced by crickets during courtship, mating, and territorial aggression between males, the lab discovered that parasitic flies of these insects use a specialized ear that can detect the direction of the source of these calls. As a result of these findings, engineers have been inspired to construct a tiny device that mimics the mechanism of the fly ear, which may afford deaf individuals directional sensitivity in their hearing aids, a feature of which they have never before had the benefit. In addition to hearing aids, research within the Hoy lab has also served as the basis for one specific episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in which a substitute teacher mutated into a praying mantis. The lab had previously found that this insect was able to detect ultrasound produced by predatory bats and used such signals to avoid attacks. Accordingly, Buffy used ultrasound to kill the antagonist of the show! The scope of the Hoy lab is quite extensive and includes work on visual and other neurophysiological system within species that range from invertebrates to bats. For more information on any one specific project, please visit http://www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/hoy/webpage/hoyhome.html. Dr. Hoy is a strong advocate of interdisciplinary research and also welcomes undergraduates from fields as distinct as music, physics, and computer science to work alongside biology majors.