USC College Department of Biology

Faculty

Biological Sciences has more than 60 full-time faculty members, as well as more than 20 faculty with joint appointments and 15 visiting or adjunct professors. Among its many distinctions and honors, the Ph.D. program faculty includes two members of the National Academy of Sciences, four members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and 18 holders of endowed chairs and professorships.

Albert Herrera

Professor of Biological Sciences

Contact Information
E-mail: aherrera@usc.edu
Phone: (213) 740-9177
Office: HNB 116

LINKS
Curriculum Vitae

Education

B.S. Zoology, University of California, Davis, 1/1972
Ph.D. Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1/1977

Postdoctoral Training

NIH and MDA Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles, 1977-1981

Academic Appointment, Affiliation, and Employment History

Tenure Track Appointments

Professor, Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, 08/1992-
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, 08/1987-07/1992
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, 08/1981-07/1987

PostDoctoral Appointments

NIH and MDA Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles, 06/1977-07/1981

Description of Research

Summary Statement of Research Interests

Professor Herrera's research focuses on the development, growth, regulation and plasticity of synapses in the vertebrate nervous system. Herrera studies the formation and subsequent elimination of the nervous system's overabundance of synaptic connections during embryonic development. He has shown this occurs through an activity-dependent, competitive process controlled by the expression of ion channels, which results in the permanent adult set of neural connections. His research on neural development, learning and memory, and neural recovery from injury focuses on long-term effects of altered activity on synaptic efficiency. He uses a frog model to focus on events at the neuro-muscular junction in this research. In another project, Herrera's lab investigates the role of Schwann cells in the development and the growth of peripheral synapses. Schwann cells are glial cells that cover and sustain the synapse. He has revealed that Schwann cells lead the growth of motor axons during new synapse formation and synaptic enlargement.

Funded Research

USC Funding

Provost's Office Undergraduate Research Program. Activity-Dependent Elimination of Synapses at Neuromuscular Junctions: Anatomical and neurophysiological studies of synapse development in frog neuromuscular junctions, conducted by a team of three undergraduate students under faculty supervision., $10,000, 2007-2008
USC Fund for Innovative Undergraduate Teaching. Redesign of a Large Introductory Biology Class: Lectures were recorded and archived for online access. In groups of about 50, students read and discussed original research papers. Extensive polling was done to correlate opinions with performance., $15,000, 2006-2007

Publications

Journal Article

VanSaun, M., Herrera, A. A., Werle, M. (2004). Structural alterations at the neuromuscular junctions of matrix metalloproteinase-3 null mutant mice. Journal of Neurocytology/Kluwer Academic Press. Vol. 32, pp. 1129-1142.
Herrera, A. A., Zeng, Y. (2003). Activity-dependent switch from synapse formation to synapse elimination during development of neuromuscular junctions. Journal of Neurocytology/Kluwer Academic Press. Vol. 32, pp. 817-833.
Reddy, L. V., Koirala, S., Sugiura, Y., Herrera, A. A., Ko, C. (2003). Glial cells maintain synaptic structure and function and promote development of the neuromuscular junction in vivo. Neuron/Cell Press. Vol. 40, pp. 563-580.
Herrera, A. A., Qiang, H., Ko, C. (2000). The role of perisynaptic Schwann cells in development of neuromuscular junctions in the frog (Xenopus laevis). Journal of Neurobiology/Wiley. Vol. 45, pp. 237-254.
Herrera, A. A., Qiang, H., Ko, C. (2000). The role of perisynaptic Schwann cells in development of neuromuscular junctions in the frog (Xenopus laevis). Journal of Neurobiology. Vol. 45, pp. 237-254.

Multimedia Scholarship and Creative Works

Undergraduate Research Web Site, This website features research results obtained by undergraduate researchers supervised by Albert Herrera: www-rcf.usc.edu/~aherrera, 2004-

Teaching Innovations and Multimedia Teaching

Online quizzes, just-in-time teaching, audio podcasts, interactive video webcasts, in BISC 220 & 307, 2004-2009
Grant from Provost's Fund for Innovative Undergraduate Teaching, to radically re-design BISC 220., 2006-2007
National conference on teaching introductory biology, Santa Fe, NM., Spring 2007
Biology Leadership Conference on Teaching Introductory Biology, La Jolla, Spring 2005
BISC 220&307: Blackboard, clickers, online quizzes, just-in-time adjustments, peer instruction, Spring 2005
Natl. Conference on Integrating Research into Undergrad. Education- spons. by NSF and Wilson Found., Fall 2004

Honors and Awards

USC or School/Dept Award for Teaching, Honored Faculty Member, Mortar Board Senior Honor Society, 2009
Mellon Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring, 2008
Mellon Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring, 2006
USC Fund for Innovative Undergraduate Teaching: Redesign of a Large Introductory Biology Class, 2005-2006
NIH/NSF Career Development Award, 1985-1990
USC or School/Dept Award for Teaching, Professor of the Month, Mortar Board Senior Honor Society, 1985

Service to the Profession

Professional Memberships

Society for Neuroscience, 1981-2007