Gwendolyn Hubner
The area in and around Tilden Regional Park in North Berkeley is home to both a growing human population and a number of species of wild carnivorans. Little is known about the population densities and distributions of the latter and their interaction with human populations in this area. In this study, I will use camera traps to determine baseline densities of ubiquitous species, such as the coyote (Canis latrans) and the bobcat (Lynx rufus). Camera traps with scent lures will be used to establish the presence of the more elusive […]
Elaine Liu
My project seeks to solve the structure of the binding interaction between Mb11 and -tubulin in microtubules. Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal polymers essential to life, composed of tubulin subunits, heterodimers of – and -tubulin, which align longitudinally into linear protofilaments and assemble laterally into a cylinder, forming the microtubule. Mb11 is an antibody that has been found to bind specifically to tubulin in the GTP bound conformation. In contrast to GDP bound tubulin, GTP-bound tubulin is straighter and more stable. This difference allows for the specific recognition of the antibody […]
Elina Serrano
KCNK18 is a two-pore potassium channel that is hypothesized to play a key role in pain and touch. Mutations in the KCNK18 gene have been found in people suffering from familiar migraine. Furthermore, this channel is targeted by a variety of anesthetics as well as hydroxy–sanshool, the active ingredient in Szechuan peppercorn responsible for its tingling and numbing analgesic properties. Since the parts of the protein responsible for function and modulation of the channel have not been identified, the specific goal of my project is to create and screen a […]
Christopher Andersen
Diarrhea and respiratory infection are the two leading causes of death among children in India. Hand hygiene is arguably among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent these diseases. In particular, alcohol-based hand sanitizer solutions are shown to be as or more efficacious as handwashing in preventing diarrheal and respiratory disease. Yet at present, information about hand sanitizer within the cultural and socio-economic contexts of developing nations is scarce. In response to this gap in knowledge, I will implement a study using qualitative focus groups and quantitative questionnaires to […]
Stephanie Lo
Because reading any piece of literature is a personal experience for me, I was drawn to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre because of how its first-person narrative voice strongly solicits feelings of sympathy from the reader, thus emphasizing the importance and necessity of the reader’s role and response to the novel. My interest in Jane Eyre led me to read Bronte’s Villette, a novel which still conjures sympathetic feelings from the reader, but makes problematic this sympathy with its narrative voice that minimizes the role of the reader and which treats […]
Alex Siegel
How does the urban geography of San Francisco shape access to education? By studying the San Francisco School District archives and exploring the city on foot and by bus, I seek to illuminate the relationships between transportation, housing, and the quality of public of schools. In light of the Districts unique student assignment policy, how does the relative accessibility or inaccessibility of a school lend shape to its demographics, performance, and ability to meet students needs? In order to understand the present conjuncture in San Franciscos school system, my research […]
Jamie Andreson
Throughout my 6 month journey through Brazil I will investigate and experience the conflicts of race relations in a different colonial and historical context. Since arriving in January, I have explored through personal travels and a 3.5 month UCEAP program in Salvador, Bahia studying the History and Culture of Afro-Brazilians. My SURF research focuses on the legacy of Sociologist Edison Carneiro, who worked as one of the first Afro-Brazilian Ethnographers to analyze the history and culture of African descended people in Brazil in the 1930-1950’s. His academic, journalistic and activist […]
Jessica Lopez
My research will look comparatively at how the ideology of public education, the ideology of American parenthood, and the ideology of the Latino cultural community come to intersect into existing and developing parental practices. Using participant-observation methods and a framework of discourse theory, I will analyze the linguistic practices of the Latino mothers and fathers at the Centro Latino for Literacy in Los Angeles as they index values of parenthood, education, and power hierarchies. By engaging in ongoing discussions about parenthood and conducting personal interviews, I hope to gain an […]
Gregory Swain
My research will look at the impact of English laws on the importation and use of coal in the Netherlands in the 17th and 18th centuries. During this period, both England and the Netherlands were prosperous nation with high demands for fuel. The English increasingly relied on coal, which influential theories tie to Englands being the worlds first country to industrialize. Due to the location of mines, however, it would have been easy to deliver coal to the Netherlands instead of central England. Various historians have examined the historical prices […]
Roi Bachmutsky
I am interested in developing a deeper understanding of the current system of thought and discourse surrounding Israel among the new generation of American Jewish young adults, seen as the stakeholders for the future of American Jewry. This new generation’s commitment to Judaism and Israel are bitterly debated in public articles and community events; unfortunately, none of this debate has been grounded in rigorous ethnographic study.I am taking the first step in this direction by using anthropological public observation, survey, and open-ended interview methodologies to study Jewish university students and […]