Eric M. Kramer
Associate Professor of Physics
Education/Experience
- Carnegie-Mellon
University: B.S. 1990
- University
of Chicago: Ph.D. 1996
Contact Information
- Office:
Fisher 118
- Phone:
413-528-7476
- Fax:
413-528-7365
- E-mail: ekramer at simons-rock dot edu
Courses
- Fall:
Physics 100 and Physics 100 labs.
- Spring
(not all courses are offered every year): Relativity and Cosmology,
Scientific Computing, Biophysics, Classical Mechanics, etc.
Research
Interests
Plant Hormone Transport
and Signaling - Quantitative Approaches
Recent progress in cell and molecular biology is
clarifying many key aspects of plant hormone biosynthesis, transport and
signaling. Still lacking, however, is a comprehensive view of how these
molecules move within and between cells.
My research focuses on biophysical and biochemical aspects of
plant hormones, and the long-range transport systems that move hormones around
the plant. Computer simulations are used to model hormone transport and its
role in plant development. Biophysical theory and software predictors are used
to relate the chemical properties of hormone molecules to their distinct
functions within the plant. I have several ongoing research collaborations with
plant biologists interested in quantitative approaches. This includes a
visiting research fellowship at the Center for Plant Integrative Biology (CPIB) in Nottingham, U.K.
My research also has an experimental component. With Tobias Baskin at
UMass Amherst, I have a grant from the National Science Foundation to measure
the transport of small molecules in plant roots. Results will be used to
improve the accuracy of computer models of hormone transport, and should also be
useful for those interested in plant metabolism and nutrition.