Jaewon (Jenny) Yoon
Some thymocytes, or T cell precursors, have the ability to respond to self-antigens. If these thymocytes were to leave the thymus, they would develop into conventional T cells with the potential to drive autoimmune diseases. To prevent self-reactivity, these cells are often deleted from the repertoire through a process known as negative selection. Some, however, undergo agonist selection, which results in the development of lineages with protective and regulatory roles. One agonist selected lineage is CD8 intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs). There is little known about what promotes the development of CD8 […]
Kevin Nuckolls
Carbon-based nanomaterials have been the focus of a myriad of research endeavors within the field of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics for the past few decades. Certain allotropes of carbon, such as single-layer graphene, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), and spherical carbon fullerene, have been thoroughly explored in their electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. These forms of carbon have exhibited extremely interesting physical properties, such as high carrier mobility, high tensile and elastic strength, and superconductivity. However, as recently as 2010, a new form of carbon has been discovered known as […]
Patrick Forrester
In the past ten years, scientific interest has grown in the field of two dimensional self-assembled molecular structures because of their promise for flexible nanoscale electronic applications including single molecule sensing, improved photovoltaics, and organic light-emitting diodes. Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) are strong candidates for these applications by virtue of their mechanical and thermal stability, transparency to visible light, and ease of large scale production, which could potentially revolutionize electronics and alternative energy. Currently, two-dimensional COF synthesis is not well understood and relies heavily on trial and error, and there […]
Chelsey Campillo Rodriguez
For decades, researchers have been experimenting with tools used for neural stimulation, modulation, and therapy. A greatly used and helpful tool includes optogenetics, which utilizes light waves to control cells expressing light-sensitive channels. While optogenetics is not an invasive recording technology, due to its dependence on visible light it cannot penetrate deep into the organisms tissue. The purpose of this project is to develop a wireless method similar to optogenetics which can overcome the issues optogenetics encounters. Rather than using light to manipulate neuronal behavior, an electromagnetic field will be […]
James Zheng
Melanoma is among the most common and lethal forms of cancer and its incidence has greatly increased in the last 30 years. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are a class of epigenetic regulatory molecules important to cancer development and progression, and can serve as tumor markers or even targets for therapy. My research is focused on two novel lncRNA important for the survival of NRAS mutant malignant melanoma. I aim to verify the effects of these lncRNA, as well as demonstrate that we can inhibit melanoma cell growth both in vitro […]
Susan Wang
Many factors come into play in the course of an organisms growth and development, one of which is the transcriptional coregulator C-terminal Binding Protein (CtBP). CtBP has been characterized in a variety of developmental pathways, including the TGF-beta and WNT pathways, and has been shown to produce growth abnormalities when studied in drosophila melanogaster. I plan to study transcription of drosophila CtBP by using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Although drosophila CtBP is encoded by just one gene, there are actually several isoforms of the protein that can each produce […]
Beth Connors
One of the most interesting components of the global carbon cycle is the movement of carbon from the atmosphere to the deep ocean, where it is deposited as particulates, a process called the Biological Carbon Pump (BCP). The BCP combines physical oceanography and biology, as the majority of the carbon dioxide that is pulled from the atmosphere into our oceans for biological processes in the photic zone, and then moves from the surface to the deep ocean as zooplankton excrement. Using robotic devices to monitor this chemical and biological cycle, […]
Kimberlie Le
My research is an interdisciplinary study of the effects of agrochemicals on river ecosystems. I will be travelling the Taichung, Taiwan to conduct my study in an area which predominately farms various fruits and vegetables. I’m interested in looking at the environmental effects of the agriculture on river ecosystems by performing bioassement arrays and looking at macroinvertebrate concentration as well as water sample analysis for pesticides. To piece together my project, I will also be tracing a history of farming practices in Taiwan too see how they have changed due […]
Stella Chen
Prosocial behavior is rooted in empathy, or the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Humans, like many other animals, have been shown to process the pain of in-group and out-group members differently, reflecting strong empathic bias towards ones own group. Encouragingly, research suggests that positive social interactions with an outgroup member leads to increased empathy for the out-group. Previous research with rats in a helping behavior test has demonstrated that rats will perform prosocial behaviors, such as releasing conspecifics trapped inside a restrainer, and will do so […]
Faustine Luo
The Wnt signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signal transduction pathway that regulates important developmental processes such as cell fate, cell migration, cell polarity, and cell proliferation when activated by secreted Wnt glycoproteins. Mutations in Wnt signaling or Wnt genes have been shown to lead to specific developmental defects, including many human diseases such as cancer. Using C. elegans as a model organism, we strive to more deeply understand how Wnt signaling shapes development in more complex organisms. My research project focuses on the Wnt pathway that establishes the polarity […]