Ayla Weitz

Type Ia supernova is a kind of exploding star that is important to understanding the expansion of our universe. This project focuses on obtaining more accurate location measurements for approximately 1500 supernovae. I will be determining the locations of known foreground stars using astrometry.net and then using that information to determine supernova locations using custom software.

Alexander Amram

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, which makes understanding the ability of certain vertebrates to regenerate damaged heart tissue by replacing lost cardiomyocytes crucial for developing regenerative heart therapies. Recent studies suggest that the suppression of cardiomyocyte proliferation coincides with the augmentation of metabolic rates and thermogenesis post-birth in vertebrates, in part driven by changes in endocrine signaling hormones including thyroid hormone, glucocorticoids, and vitamin D. Glucocorticoid and vitamin D protein signaling are potential regulators of cardiomyocyte proliferation, but studies have found conflicting proliferative […]

Reet Mishra

Pompe disease is a lysosomal disorder caused by deficient activity of the GAA enzyme due to mutations in the GAA gene. This can be fatal to patients with infantile onset and cause patients of other onsets to develop muscular dystrophy and respiratory dysfunction. However, early detection can immensely help treatment of patients! Thus, our lab has been working on assessing the predictions derived by the participants in the Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation Challenge (CAGI 5) – a global experiment that evaluates the phenotypes that result from genetic variation. Through […]

Rebecca Johnson

The project I will be concentrating on this summer will produce independent research and establish a community outreach program helping both the Education and Collections Management departments at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology. With my background in education, and previous experience working hands-on with objects in the Hearst Museum, this project will bring together my interests to help bring the museum’s behind-the-scenes content directly to Bay Area K-12 communities.

Pearl Zhou

Diet and exercise induce changes in metabolism that are associated with longer lifespan and decreased mortality from age-associated diseases. However, the specific bioenergetic changes within cells that cause these beneficial effects are not known. Professor Titov and I have been working on developing a genetically encoded tool to manipulate metabolism (GEMM), allowing us to control a single bioenergetic parameter in living cells. I plan to test the activity of this GEMM in different compartments of the cell using various experiments.

Nonnie Coelho

The overarching project investigates the drivers of near-surface groundwater availability in wet meadow ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada. It combines field study and remote sensing data analysis, building upon studies and instrumentation at UC’s Sagehen Field Station by the Kondolf Lab. This summer, I will be continuing fieldwork, monitoring groundwater levels in established well transects, and working to process a combined set of satellite and phenocam imagery. The high resolution satellite imagery will be processed in a time series analysis looking at the phenology of a number of defined plant […]

Claire Black

Professor Mattes’ project analyzes the conditions in which countries apologize, or refuse to apologize, to each other for historic wrongs. I will continue to look into international apologies, including Japanese apologies after WWII, to understand the reactions to these apologies and the context of giving them. Do international apologies really help with reconciliation between two states. If not, why not?

Alexandra Ro

This qualitative research project explores the social significance of high rates of interracial marriage between Asian and white Americans with regard to race relations and the assimilation of Asian Americans in the United States. The data from more than a hundred in-depth interviews are utilized in examining how racial, ethnic, and gendered meanings and boundaries are negotiated and reproduced among Asian American and white spouses, in their childrearing practices, and with their extended families and those outside their families. There are differences across these groups that are considered and investigated […]

Dina Ghandour

This summer, I will be working with my post-doc researcher to attempt and study rates of cell death in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infected corneal epithelial cells. We will compare and contrast the different effects that different strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have on the corneal cells to learn the details of how this bacteria enters, infects and kills cells. Because most of the research will now be remote, I will be working more on the data analysis portion of the research, studying microscope images and quantifying the data within them.

Tara Najafi

This summer I will be working on a project which ultimately aims to give us a better understanding of how the cerebellum is involved in motor learning. We will be implementing noninvasive experimental techniques, which can reveal the brain’s behavior through external movements and strategies in game-like tasks. These tasks often consist of participants reaching towards various targets and being provided with different types of feedback. A significant part of our trials this summer will be carried out in online tasks, in which we will test control individuals, as well […]