David Hopper, professor of veterinary pathology at ISU, uses computers to study animal behavior.

Hopper, who is one of eight ISU faculty to receive a citation for outstanding and inspiring service on the university faculty, studies the effects of environmental toxins like pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals on the behavior of animals.

Hopper and his colleagues have been developing and using a computerized video system called a “pattern recognition system” to study the effects of environmental neurotoxicants on animal behavior. The sophisticated program is used as a substitute for human observers when collecting data.

Animals in a plexiglass cage are filmed by as many as three different video cameras on different sides of the cage, Hopper said. Over time a computer collects an image from each camera simultaneously and records an array of black and white pixels determined by the position and movement of the animal in the cage. The computer mathematically compares these “binary system” images with preset criteria and makes a decision on the behavior of the animal being studied.

The computer system can measure how frequently behaviors occur, how long they last and most importantly what the ordered sequence is of the behavioral tasks, Hopper said. Scientists look at what levels of toxicants it takes to affect these behaviors, and the computer allows a reliability that cannot be achieved by human observers.

“One of the benefits of this is that you have a 100 percent reliable observer,” Hopper said. “The goal there was to get a screening device that could be used by regulatory agencies to look at what the effect of different compounds might be on an animal’s behavior.”

Another advantage is that the computer can examine many behaviors, not just individual ones. Hopper said one of the difficult problems when working with animals is that you usually have to train them to do a particular task.

“With this pattern recognition [system] you don’t have to train them for anything,” he said. “You can expose them to the toxicants and immediately start collecting data.”

One of Hopper’s larger research projects was to examine the effects of mercury exposure on primates to look at what it might do to their motor skills and learning ability. He discovered that relatively low doses of mercury had an effect on both of these behavioral skills.

He also looked at effects of lead exposure during pregnancy and found that relatively low blood lead levels caused significant learning disabilities on a number of different primate behaviors. Some of that data has been used to formulate new regulations regarding the level of lead exposure in the work environment for pregnant women, he said.

“The patterning, how the organism organizes its behaviors into an environmentally significant pattern, seems to be most related to the level of environmental toxicants,” Hopper said.

He is most concerned with innate behaviors with which animals are born. These behaviors require very little in the way of learning and experience, like sucking behavior, he said.

“When you disrupt these innate behaviors, you have a toxicant that is very disrupting, because innate behaviors are thought to be critical for survival,” Hopper said.

The Alumni Association awarded Hopper the faculty citation in recognition of his teaching, research and service to students and Alumni, Karen Tow, associate executive director of the ISU Alumni Association, said.

“The alumni association is extremely proud to present Dr. Hopper with the award, not only for his contributions, but because he is also a graduate of Iowa State,” Tow said.

She said Hopper has been the driving force behind the College of Veterinary Medicine’s development of computer assisted teaching and research and the computerization of diagnostic and service functions for the [veterinary] college.

Hopper has been teaching at ISU since 1977 and chaired the University Computation Advisory Committee from 1990-1994.

“I have used computers as a part of my research work, and as a result I have served on the [University Computation Advisory] committee,” Hopper said. “That effort helped to bring computers to research and teaching at the Vet College and university. I am absolutely delighted, humbled really, and very appreciative that my colleagues recognize my service.”