Journal of Undergraduate Research

Hamilton, Lorna Sheradyn Genome-wide association study of Prolactin in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Kauwe, Department of Biology: Bioinformatics Prolactin is the major hormone involved in milk lactation for pregnant women and has been discovered to play a role in a variety of biological functions. Several other functions include the immune system, […]

Kristen Crofts and John S. K. Kauwe Brigham Young University, Biology December 31, 2016 pVAAST Analysis of Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project Pedigree Data Introduction Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder affecting more than 10 percent of Americans over the age of 65 (1). This disease destroys memory and thinking skills and is a leading […]

Jensen, Samantha Alzheimer’s Risk Genes and Pathways of Expression Faculty Mentor: John Kauwe, Biology Although Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been the subject of research for nearly 100 years, these decades of research have not led to a unified understanding of the mechanisms behind the disease pathology1 ,2. Recent improvements in whole genome sequencing have made […]

Thomas, Anne Modelling Climate Suitability for Ephedra viridis in Space and Time Faculty Mentor: Richard Gill, Biology Introduction Climate change is expected to decrease soil moisture in the sensitive, water-limited ecosystems of America’s southwestern deserts, leading to shifts in plant distributions and altering ecosystem function. Studies have already documented the loss of desert grasses and […]

Saunders, Theresa Investigating species boundaries and taxonomy in the California pincushion plants Faculty Mentor: Leigh Johnson, Department of Biology Introduction Species in the genus Navarretia are annual wildflowers found almost exclusively in California. The Navarretia atractyloides group consists of just two species, N. atractyloides and N. hamata, that are more similar to each other morphologically […]

King, Taylor Damselflies of Patagonia: A phylogeographic study utilizing EPIC DNA and mitochondrial sequence markers Faculty Mentor: Seth Bybee, Biology Department Introduction While working on my original project, “In Situ Hybridization of Opsins in Odonata,” I encountered abundant setbacks that led to refocusing my efforts on a similar project. Patagonian Odonata is one of the […]

Splice Site Predictor Mark Wadsworth; mew225@gmail.com ; Route Y ID: mwadswor; Mentor: Dr. Perry G. Ridge, Biology Abstract With the advent of nextgeneration sequencing, one of the unintended consequences is the sheer number of genomic variations requiring interpretation. Mutations in splice sites have been shown to contribute to the development of cancer [1], and dementia […]

Clement, Rebecca <h2>Flies as bioindicators of grazing pressures in Mongolia</h2> Faculty Mentor: C. Riley Nelson, Department of Biology Introduction For over fifty thousand years, humans have affected their surrounding environments in a negative way. As the human population continues to increase, concerns about extinction and other human-influenced problems including climate change, habitat degradation, pollution and […]