James Leavitt and Dr. Michael Whiting, Department of Biology Goal/Purpose of the Project The orthopteran superfamily Acridoidea (Orthoptera, Caelifera), which includes grasshoppers and their nearest relatives, is the largest of the orthopteran superfamilies and provides an excellent model for studying the evolution of mitochondrial genomes. Ultimately I was able to reconstruct a phylogeny for Caelifera […]
Search Results for: dna
Assessing the Effects of the IRF5 Exon 1B on Translation
Jared Lambert and Dr. Brian Poole, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology With our lab’s previous finding revealing a hairpin folding structure in exon 1B (IRF5 risk allele), not found in the other first exons, this project was focused towards more fully understanding the role of IRF5 exon 1B’s hairpin structure and its effect on […]
Accumulation of Attached Chemokines on Gram-negative Bacterial Membranes
Peter Janzen and Dr. Eric Wilson, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology The purpose of this project was to see if a genetic alteration to gram-negative bacteria would affect the phenotypic ability to resist the attachment of chemokines. In other words, we were trying to see if we could change the structure of a bacterium […]
Novel and Integrative Approaches to Articulating the Pancrustacean Tree of Life
Alan Colver and Dr. Keith Crandall, Department of Biology The taxonomic group Pancrustacea encompasses more than half of the world species. The two main groups within Pancrustacea are the crustaceans and hexapods (insects). Understanding these two groups will aid in preservation, population control, and economic pursuits involving these groups. In our evolutionary analysis, six different […]
Genetic Diversity and Conservation of Old-Growth Cross Timbers Forest
Warren Chatwin and Dr. Leigh Johnson, Department of Biology My project “Genetic Diversity and Conservation of Old-Growth Cross Timbers Forest” has been undoubtedly the best learning experience of my undergraduate career. The project did not go at all like I had planned, but it gave me a taste of realworld scientific exploration and allowed me […]
MDCK Gene Expression During EMT
Jason Burton and Professor Marc Hansen, Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. This is mostly due to a lack of understanding into the function of cancer and the different mechanisms it uses to spread. The process by which cancer cells detach from the […]
Genomic and Proteomic Analysis of an Erwinia amylovora Phage
Alicia Brighton and Dr. Julianne Grose, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology Introduction Fireblight is a disease, caused by the bacteria Erwinia amylovora, that can infect some fruit trees, including apple and pear trees. When an infection occurs, the effects can be devastating—any infected part of the tree must be removed and destroyed, sometimes resulting […]
Gauchos, Charruas, and the Hombre Nuevo: Redefining Masculinity Through Revolution in Argentina and Uruguay, 1959- 1983
Robert Christensen and Dr. Jeffrey Shumway, Department of History One of the least studied aspects of the Cold War in Latin America has been the complex relationships between guerrilla organizations. The project I undertook aimed to begin a dialogue on the interchange of ideas that took place, focusing on how that was expressed through the […]
Scaffold Design of a Novel Nano-Particle for Single-Target Imaging
Chad Varner and Dr. Brad Bundy, Department of Chemical Engineering The purpose of this project has been to help develop a novel nano-imaging particle. Current methodologies have limitations that preclude them from being used for nanometric (1-500nm) imaging processes in living organisms. These include, but are not limited to, low signal to noise ratios, limited […]
Secretory phospholipase A2
Dr. John Bell, Department of Physiology & Developmental Biology Abstract of original proposal Secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) binds to and hydrolyzes cell membranes. It is important in inflammatory responses and diseases including septic shock, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Normally, cells resist the enzyme’s action, but they become susceptible early during the process of either biochemically-programmed or […]