Over the break, a University of Tampa professor received a faculty/student research grant. The grant, worth $3,200, was awarded to Dr. Rebecca Bellone. Bellone, who has taught at UT for 10 years, received the grant from TriLink BioTechnologies. This grant was awarded for her research in the “tiger eye” in Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses.
In her 10 years at the university, Bellone has participated in other research, mainly surrounding horse genetics. Recently, she has been internationally recognized for her research on 25,000-year-old cave paintings of spotted horses in caves in Pech Merle, France. She spoke of a recent research opportunity surrounding the nature of Appaloosa’s spot patterning. She said, “[research projects] are fun and exciting and you get to meet new people.”
In this research project, she travelled up to the University of Saskatchewan and studied with veterinary ophthalmologists. The interesting discovery this research uncovered was that the genetic markers, what is found on the DNA to show certain traits, behind the spots on an Appaloosa horse were linked to congenital night blindness.
According to the article found on the UT website, Bellone’s specialty is in molecular biology related to animal genetics. She said that her passions are the genetics behind and related to horses and their pigmentation and teaching. “I can do both!” she said.
What this research project is about is a specific genes that causes “tiger eyes” in horses, specifically Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horses. Typically, horses have brown eyes or if they have white spotting, they tend to have blue eyes. “Tiger eyes” are an orange-yellow to an amber color.
“I was originally contacted by breeder JoAnne Ferre Crosseley to find out what markers can be found on the DNA,” said Bellone.
She also mentioned that this is the primary research done on this trait, so they have to make sure to find the right markers. For help on her research, Bellone chose UT student Elizabeth Kowalski. Kowalski is a senior biochemistry major who has received previous research grants and has done previous independents studies through the university. Bellone chose her to do her research because she has shown interest since she was “in her lab freshman year.”
The grant is what is known as an external grant, which Bellone applied for independently. In the UT website article, it mentions that she has received previous
grants from them in 2003 and 2005.
“I stumbled upon this firm a while back when I first started teaching,” Bellone said. “I then found out that the CEO, Richard Hogrefe, was a UT alumnus and that was pretty neat.”
TriLink has a program called TriLink Research Rewards. This program, according to the UT website, targets “educators and academic researchers” who need additional funding. Bellone said that the grant helps them purchase the necessary items for their research.
One biology major, Jessica Fernandez, is very interested in this grant. “I know Dr. Bellone is a great professor who takes all her research to heart,” she said. “Anything that she is willing to put her time towards has to be worthwhile.”
Fernandez does have a few questions about the grant after finding out about it. She commented, “My question would be how does it benefit the breeders? It does mention that it is a favorable trait but does that mean that it would make the horse more valuable or that it would benefit the horse in any other way?” Bellone’s dedication and passion for the research that she is executing translates directly to her students’ lessons on how to apply their majors to a broader cause.
Laurel Sanchez can be reached at lsanchez@spartans.ut.edu