EDUCATION

 2002    Ph.D. University of Tennessee ( Knoxville, TN ) Botany Department Dissertation: Enhancer and gene trap analysis of the light signaling circuitry in Arabidopsis thaliana. Advisor: Dr. Albrecht von Arnim

 1996    Master Degree  University of Tennessee ( Knoxville, TN ) Department of Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design. Thesis: Heavy metal, salts and osmotic pressure effect on shoot regeneration from leaf explants of Dendranthema grandiflora. Advisor: Dr. Robert N. Trigiano

 1991    Bachelor's Degree - Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Department of Biology. Thesis: In vitro propagation of Statice (Limonium sinuatum Mill.). Advisor: Dr. Margarita Perea

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Plant molecular biology, Plant tissue culture, Plant-microbe interactions.

ACADEMIC POSITIONS 

Utah Valley State College (UVSC) - Assistant Professor (Fall 2003-present) - Courses taught: General Biology (BIO 1010 and BIO 1610, Biology Honors (BIO 101H), Cell Biology and Cell Biology Laboratory (BIO 3400, BIO 3405), Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology laboratory (BIO 4600, BIO 460L), Principles of Genomics and Bioinformatics (BIO 4300).

University of Tennessee - Postdoctoral Research Associate: February 2002- August 2003 Research:         symbiotic relationship between Frankia sp. and Alnus glutinosa with Dr. Beth C. Mullin.  

University of Tennessee , Biology Division- Graduate Teaching Assistant Cell Biology 140 (Fall 2001) -General Genetics 240  (Spring and Fall 1995, Spring and Fall 1998; Fall 1999) -Plant Molecular Biology 404 (Spring 1997; Spring 1999) -General Biology 110 (Fall, 1995)

Universidad Nacional de Colombia Gave lectures and directed laboratory exercises in the "Plant tissue culture" courses organized by the Biotechnology Institute of the National University on November, 1989, December, 1990 and March 1991. - Teaching Assistant: Plant Tissue culture 1990 - 1991.

Ruhul Kuddus, Jonathan Oakes and Olga Kopp. 2006. Globalization and international molecular biotechnology transfer: Ethical, technological and organizational issues. Spheres of globalization. Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Utah Valley State College Conference by the Faculty.

Jarvis, D. E., O.R. Kopp, E.N. Jellen, M.A. Mallory, J. Pattee, A. Bonifacio, C.E. Coleman, M.R. Stevens, D.J. Fairbanks, P.J. Maughan. Submitted to Molecular Breeding on September 14, 2006. Simple Sequence Repeat Development, Polymorphism and Genetic Mapping in Quinoa.

Oakes, J., Sharp, C.L., Kopp, O., Burt, W.R., Slater, K., Kirsi, J. and Kuddus, R.H. 2006. Fungal colonization of Ginkgo biloba leaves and herbal supplements. Submitted to: Letters in Applied Microbiology

Kuddus, R.; Kopp, O. R., Burt, W.R.; Bracken, M.; Kirsi, J.; Slater, K.; Robbins, R. and Van Buren, R. 2006. Fungal infection of the living fossil Ginkgo biloba introduced to North-eastern and Mid-western United States. Submitted to: European Journal of Plant Pathology.

Ruiz-Marín, O., Augé, R.M. and Trigiano, R.N. (2001) Effect of heavy metals in the regeneration in vitro of chrisanthemum. In:Biotecnología agrícola. M. Perea Dallos (Ed). Editora Guadalupe. Bogotá. pp.89-98.

Stacey, M.G., Kopp, O.R., Kim, T.H. and von Arnim, A.G. (2000). Molecular domain structure of Arabidopsis COP1. Reconstitution of activity by fragment complementation and mutational analysis of a nuclear localization signal in planta. Plant Phys. 124: 979-989.

Kopp, O.R., Martienssen, R. and von Arnim, A.  (1999).  Enhancer trap analysis of the light signaling circuitry in Arabidopsis.  American Society of Plant Physiologists.  Abstract #665 Plant Biology ’99. Baltimore .

Ruiz, O., Reguerro, M.T. and Perea-Dallos, M. (1988). Stevia rebaudiana: a promising species. Aceviv Boletín Científico 4: 32-39. 

POSTERS

Joshua S. Bentley, Scott W. Robertson, Olga R. Kopp. 2007. Characterization of the bacterial population of the red gypsiferous soil supporting the growth of the endangered species Arctomecon humilis. Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research (UCUR) February 2, 2007. University of Utah. Salt Lake City

Olga R. Kopp,  Melanie Mallory, Christina McArthur, Justin Pattee, Eric N. Jellen, Mikel R. Stevens, Daniel J. Fairbanks, Craig E. Coleman, Peter J. Maughan. Development of Microsatellite markers for Chenopodium quinoa. Plant and Animal Genomes conference. San Diego, California . January 14-18, 2006.

Rakesh K. Gupta, John Dunlap, Svetlana V. Dobritsa, Cynthia A. Stiles, Michael E. Essington, Zhaoyang Liu, Chung-Hsuan Chen, Engin H. Serpersu, Olga Ruiz Kopp and Beth C. Mullin. Metallohistins: A new class of proteins with potential for use in the development of phytoremediation systems. 13^th International Symposium on Frankia and Actinorhizal Plants  Durham, NH , Aug. 1-4, 2004.

Brook Nelson, Olga R. Kopp, Ying Wang & Beth C. Mullin. In search of the biological role of actinorhizal nodulin AgNt84.13th International Symposium on Frankia and Actinorhizal Plants  Durham, NH, Aug. 1-4, 2004.

Lowe, R., B. Blackmon1, D. Main , O.R. Kopp, B.C Mullin, and J. Tomkins. Development of a Physical Framework for the Frankia Genome. 13^th International Symposium on Frankia and Actinorhizal Plants  Durham, NH , Aug. 1-4, 2004.

INVITED SPEAKER: 

Talk: Historical review of unethical experimentation with humans in the United States. January 20, 2007

Talk: Ethical issues of agricultural plant biotechnology. September 21, 2006. At the: Ethics of biotechnology and bioengineering issues. Ethics awareness week, Utah Valley State College. 

GTA seminar on college teaching 2000. Participated as part of the panel entitled "Outstanding GTAs discuss teaching". Knoxville, August 16, 2000 and August 19, 1998 (University of Tennessee ).  The GTA seminars are organized by the GTA Mentoring Program at UT, Knoxville .

Second National Meeting of Plant Biotechnology organized by Aceviv (Colombian Association for Plant Tissue Culture). Bogotá, June 1991. 

TEACHING AWARDS:  Teacher of the Semester – Athletes’ choice Award. Spring 2005. Utah Valley State College.  Chancellor's Outstanding GTA Award. 1998.  The Raymond W. Holton Graduate Student Teaching Award. Academic Year 1998-1999.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES MEMBERSHIPS

American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB); American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE); National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT); Council of Undergraduate Research; Sigma Xi Honors society

RESEARCH AWARDS

UVSC – School of Science and Health: Award for research with students 

UVSC – Travel award: $1200.oo  

UVSC – School of Science and Health – Scholary Activities Award 2004-2005         $3,570

UVSC Scholarly activities – 2004, $2000; 2003 $1000

Arthur E. Yates Graduate Fellowship. Academic year 2000-2001; $5,000 – University of Tennessee

Summer Graduate Research Assistantship, Summer 1996 and Summer 1999: $6,000 – University of Tennessee

Graduate student travel award, Summer 2000; $200 – University of Tennessee

OTHER AWARDS

Summer Faculty NSF fellowship – Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory – Building Leadership to Expand Participation of Underrepresented Minorities in Plant Genetics and Genomics. Cold Spring Harbor , July 12-30, 2004. The award included stipend for the faculty ($4,500) and the student ($1,500) involved in the project.

WORKSHOPS ATTENDED

Institute in Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics. Funded by the National Science Foundation: July 31-August 4, 2006. University of California Davis .

Bridging Research and Teaching Workshop: Beyond Cell Bio 101: Integrating Ground breaking research into the classroom. Washington University – St. Louis. June 21-23, 2006.

Genome Annotation workshop: Washington University – St. Louis. June 18-20, 2006 Funded by NSF.

GCAT – NSF supported DNA microarrays workshop. Morehouse College , Biology Department. Atlanta, GA. July 27- August 1, 2005.

Bridging research and teaching workshop: June 21, 2005. Washington University . St. Louis .

Teaching workshop: Model organisms to Bedside. June 22-24, 2005. Washington University , St. Louis .

Case Studies in Science Summer workshop. University at Buffalo, State University of New York . May 23-27, 2005.

Bioquest summer workshop: Biocomplexity in undergraduate education: from hard data to hard decisions. June 15-23, 2002. Beloit College . Beloit,WI .

Science with Fast Plants. University of Wisconsin, Madison . January 14-16, 2000.

WORKSHOPS ORGANIZED

Organized and held a Bioinformatics workshop at UVSC taught by staff from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI- Washington). August 14 and 15, 2006. Twenty two participants of the community, including faculty and students from UVSC and BYU participated in this course. The course included: Entrez Gene, Making sense of DNA and protein sequences, Gene Bank and MapViewer.

Organized a Plant Molecular Genetics and Bioinformatics workshop for High School and Junior College Faculty in collaboration with the Dolan DNA Learning Center (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory). June 6-8, 2005. Utah Valley State College. This workshop presented laboratory and Internet-based curriculum of modern plant research that could be used by teachers in their classroom.