Abigail Felsted and Faculty Mentor: Kim O’Neill, Molecular Biology Our lab focuses on developing immunological techniques for diagnosing and treating cancer in a less invasive manner than current methods employ. New unique biomarkers are constantly needed to identify cancer in early stages in order to decrease mortality rates. When researching and publishing such biomarkers, many […]
Search Results for: gene
Predicting Bacteriophage Gene Function through Secondary Structure BLAST
Corinne Sexton and Faculty Mentor: Perry Ridge, Biology Introduction Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically target bacteria. With antibiotic resistance on the rise, some researchers are looking to bacteriophages as a viable treatment alternative. Phage therapy would be effective for a host of reasons, some of which are because phages are 1) highly specific to their […]
Preserving Oral History: Utah Nippo’s Influence on Second Generation Japanese Americans
Akiko Chau and Faculty Mentor: Joel Campbell, Communications Introduction A Japanese newspaper called Utah Nippo which headquartered in Salt Lake City became an integral part of the establishment of Japanese American community in Utah in the 20th century. Founded in 1914, Utah Nippo was one of the four newspapers in the U.S. that were allowed […]
“To Bring the Old and to Lead the Young:” Hmong Identity Formation in Transferring Cultural Knowledge Between Generations
Venice Jardine and Dr. Gregory Thompson, Anthropology Department While many theorists in Psychology have proposed various universalistic models for development, specifically ethnic identity development, and while these theories clearly have much to offer in the way scholarship on the topic of identity development, they are severely limited in their scope for the same reason that […]
Forward Genetic Screen to Identify Novel Genes Involved in NHEJ DNA Repair
Taylor Brown and Dr. Jonathan Alder, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction: DNA contains all the information a cell needs to grow, divide, differentiate, and survive. It also dictates how and when a cell should die. DNA damage (particularly double strand breaks i.e. DSBs) may lead to cell death and/or disease. To circumvent DNA breaks, cells […]
Insect visual systems and fossils to provide students a clear vision of 21st century phylogenetic systematics
PI: Seth M. Bybee Evaluation of how well the academic objectives of the proposal were met The proposal had three main aims: 1). Examine the evolution of opsins across dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) using transcriptomics. 2). CT-scan the internal morphology of extant and fossil taxa and 3). Build expertise in bioinformatics and create computational tools […]
BYU undergraduates validate novel genetic variants that protect from Alzheimer’s disease
John S.K Kauwe BYU undergraduates validate novel genetic variants that protect from Alzheimer’s disease Project Justification and Overview Successful enrollment in and completion of graduate programs requires a constellation of skills. Students must be prepared to plan and execute experiments, present their findings both verbally and in manuscript form and interact effectively with senior scientists […]
Assessing Genetic and Environmental Predictors of Infant Reflexive Attention
PI: Rebecca Lundwall Overview My students and I have been very productive during the two funding years of this grant. Together, we have published three peer-reviewed papers (one in an undergraduate research journal) and submitted six papers that are now under review (one in an undergraduate research journal). In addition, I have mentored student submissions […]
Function of Ric-8A in G protein e+- Subunit Biogenesis
PI: Barry Willardson Students Involved Grant Ludlam. The MEG award helped support Grant’s work from January 2015 through August 2016. During this time Grant has worked on three projects. He investigated the role of Ric8A in the folding of the G protein a subunit and its assembly into the G protein heterotrimeric complex. Unfortunately, his […]
Oxytocin and Infant Development: A Study of the Genetic Underpinnings Behind Social Behavior in Rhesus Macaques
Spencer Waters and James Dee Higley, Department of Psychology Introduction It is widely accepted that the neuropeptide oxytocin helps mediate pro-social behavior and bonding between humans as well as other primates. Current genetic research has shown a link between variants in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and measures of social skills in humans. Demonstrating a […]