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I am an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at ºÚÁÏÍø’s Salem Campus.  Working at Salem reminds me of the positive experiences I had as a student because I began my own undergraduate education at a regional campus of Penn State.  I completed my B.S. in biology at Penn State Behrend, and earned my Ph.D. in molecular biology from Case Western Reserve University.

In the classroom, I enjoy teaching biology courses for students entering our nursing and radiology programs.  I also like sharing my enthusiasm for science in courses for biology and non-science majors. 

In the lab, I study the biological effects of ultrasound (high-frequency sound) by using microscopic C. elegans worms as a model organism.  A talented group of undergraduate researchers and I have found that therapeutic ultrasound alters worm movement, reproduction, and survival.  We are now investigating subtler forms of ultrasound-induced damage and repair.

Courses Taught

• Human Genetics
• Honors Human Genetics
• Human Physiology
• Anatomy & Physiology Lectures & Labs
• Structure & Function Lecture & Lab
• Biological Diversity Lecture & Lab
• Biological Foundations Lecture & Lab
• Life on Planet Earth
• Lab Experience in Biology
• Individual Investigation

Selected Publications

• Steele LM, Kotsch TJ*, Legge CA*, Smith DA*.  2021.  Establishing C. elegans as a Model for Studying the Bioeffects of Therapeutic Ultrasound.  Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, 47:2346-2359.  []
• Steele LM, PG Morgan. 2018. General Genetic Strategies. In: Eckenhoff R & Dmochowski I, Ed. Chemical and Biochemical Approaches for the Study of Anesthetic Function Part A. Methods in Enzymology 602:113-132. []
• Steele LM, MM Sedensky. 2018. Approaches to Anesthetic Mechanisms: The C. elegans Model. In: Eckenhoff R & Dmochowski I, Ed. Chemical and Biochemical Approaches for the Study of Anesthetic Function Part A. Methods in Enzymology 602:133-151. []
• Morgan PG, R Higdon, N Kolker, AT Bauman, O Ilkayeva, CB Newgard, E Kolker, LM Steele, MM Sedensky. 2014. Comparison of proteomic and metabolomic profiles of mutants of the mitochondrial respiratory chain in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mitochondrion. 2014 Dec 18. pii: S1567-7249(14)00187-1. [Epub ahead of print] []
• Gentry, KR, LM Steele, MM Sedensky, PG Morgan. 2013. Early developmental exposure to volatile anesthetics causes behavioral defects in Caenorhabditis elegans. Anesthesia & Analgesia 116:185-9. []
• Steele, LM, MM Sedensky, PG Morgan. 2010. Alternatives to Mammalian Pain Models I: Use of C. elegans for the Study of Volatile Anesthetics. In: A. Szallasi (Ed.). Methods in Molecular Biology - Analgesia. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, Inc. pp. 1-17. []
• Steele, LM, PG Morgan, MM Sedensky. 2007. Genetics and the Mechanisms of Action of Inhaled Anesthetics. Current Pharmacogenomics 5:125-141. []
• Bondarenko, VA, LM Steele, A Újvári, DA Gaykalova, OI Kulaeva, YS Polikanov, DS Luse, VM Studitsky. 2006. Nucleosomes Can Form a Polar Barrier to Transcript Elongation by RNA Polymerase II. Molecular Cell 24:469-479. []

*undergraduate research mentee