A Bioinformatics Analysis of Plant Aspartic Protease Nepenthesin I

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Stephan Girard, “A Bioinformatics Analysis of Plant Aspartic Protease Nepenthesin I” Mentor: Madhusudan Dey, Biological Science The carnivorous pitcher plant Nepenthes alata produces digestive enzymes including proteases which degrade proteins in captured insect prey. Nepenthesin I (NEP1) is an aspartic…… Read More

Among-Female Assessment Variation and Male-Male Spacing in Eastern Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor)

Emma Oldehoeft, “Among-Female Assessment Variation and Male-Male Spacing in Eastern Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor)” Mentor: Gerlinde Höebel, Biological Sciences Female preferences have been widely researched as a source of sexual selection on male mating signals. The complexity of mate choice…… Read More

Assessment of Auditory and Vestibular Function in Cabin1 Knockout Larval Zebrafish

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Jacob Exline, “Assessment of Auditory and Vestibular Function in Cabin1 Knockout Larval Zebrafish” Mentor: Ava Udvadia, Biological Sciences The auditory and vestibular systems mediate hearing and balance, respectively, and are critical for an organism’s survival. Cabin1, a gene encoding a…… Read More

Comparing Gold Nanoparticle and Magnetite Nanoparticle Penetration into Platelet Rich Plasma Clots

Hannah Edens, “Comparing Gold Nanoparticle and Magnetite Nanoparticle Penetration into Platelet Rich Plasma Clots” Mentors: Julie Oliver & Cammy Truong, Biological Sciences We are investigating alternative treatments for patients with ischemic stroke that are unable to receive tissue plasminogen activator…… Read More

Deep Learning Applications in Wastewater Treatment

Nathan Kohls, “Deep Learning Applications in Wastewater Treatment” Mentor: Rudi Strickler, Biological Sciences Wastewater treatment currently requires careful testing at multiple points in the treatment process. These tests are often slow and expensive, requiring trained personnel and lab time. Here…… Read More

Detection of Tissue Factor Expression on Transfected Cells

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Lantrell Stewart, “Detection of Tissue Factor Expression on Transfected Cells” Mentor: Julie Oliver, Biological Sciences We detected human tissue factor (TF) expression by direct and indirect methods on transfected clones of the 300.19 mouse pre-B cell line. TF is a trans-membrane…… Read More

Does Deletion of chpC Cause a Loss of Swimming Phenotype or is There a Hidden Secondary Mutation?

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Tamia Williams, “Does Deletion of chpC Cause a Loss of Swimming Phenotype or is There a Hidden Secondary Mutation?” Mentor: Sonia Bardy, Biological Sciences Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is able to live in a wide range of…… Read More

Does Size-Assortative Mating Improve Fertilization Success in Grey Treefrogs?

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Abigail Moore, “Does Size-Assortative Mating Improve Fertilization Success in Grey Treefrogs?” Mentor: Gerlinde Höebel, Biological Sciences Success of external fertilization is often optimized by the closeness of egg and sperm release. In frogs, males and females perform amplexus, mating embrace,…… Read More

Factor Xa Generation Reveals Tissue Factor Fusion Protein Does Not Affect Procoagulant Activity

Ryan Nelsen, “Factor Xa Generation Reveals Tissue Factor Fusion Protein Does Not Affect Procoagulant Activity” Mentor: Julie Oliver & Brittany Vanderhoof, Biological Sciences The expression of tissue factor (TF) outside of the vasculature regulates initiation of blood coagulation by recruiting…… Read More

Going with the Flow: Silicate Influxes from Soil and Grasses to the Milwaukee River

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Stephan Girard, “Going with the Flow: Silicate Influxes from Soil and Grasses to the Milwaukee River” Mentor: Erica Young, Biological Sciences Silicate is a common mineral compound of silicon and oxygen and is an important nutrient for some algae in…… Read More

Kelp Gametophyte Culturing and Genetic Analysis Techniques for Conservation and Breeding

Gabriel Heller de Messer & Chantel Jenrette, “Kelp Gametophyte Culturing and Genetic Analysis Techniques for Conservation and Breeding” Mentors: Filipe Alberto, Gabriel Montecinos & Rachael Wade, Biological Sciences Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) is experiencing decreases in population size and local…… Read More

Lifetime Changes in Mate Choosiness in Enchenopa binotata Treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae)

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Sara Seidita, “Lifetime Changes in Mate Choosiness in Enchenopa binotata Treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae)” Mentors: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla & Bretta Speck, Biological Sciences Mate choice decisions are influenced by choosiness, the effort individuals are prepared to invest in securing their preferred…… Read More

Motility is Important for Competitive Nodulation of Mimosa pudica by Paraburkholderia phymatum

Sara Saleh, “Motility is Important for Competitive Nodulation of Mimosa pudica by Paraburkholderia phymatum” Mentors: Gyaneshwar Prasad & Shashini Welmillage, Biological Sciences Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient for plants and plant growth requires supplementation with N-fertilizer that results…… Read More

No Place Like Home: Do Black Widow Spiders Use Path Integration to Navigate Their Webs?

Tiffany Antonopoulos, “No Place Like Home: Do Black Widow Spiders Use Path Integration to Navigate Their Webs?” Mentors: Rafael Rodriguez & Clinton Sergi, Biological Sciences Animals store memories about the layout of their environment and use this stored information to…… Read More

O Cricket, Where Art Thou: Do Black Widow Spiders Remember the Site of Prey Capture in a Complex Web

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Margaret Marshall, “O Cricket, Where Art Thou: Do Black Widow Spiders Remember the Site of Prey Capture in a Complex Web.” Mentors: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla & Clinton Sergi, Biological Sciences Different animals form memories about varied aspects of their environment……. Read More

Optimizing the Penetration of Nanoparticles into Platelet-Rich Plasma and Whole Blood Clots

Courtney Cazzola, “Optimizing the Penetration of Nanoparticles into Platelet-Rich Plasma and Whole Blood Clots” Mentor: Julie Oliver, Biological Sciences Ischemic stroke patients have a limited number of treatment options available. The only FDA approved drug comes with a significant risk…… Read More

Rational Transitive Mate Choice in Enchenopa binotata Treehoppers (Hemipera: Membracidae)

Vladislav Melnikov, “Rational Transitive Mate Choice in Enchenopa binotata Treehoppers (Hemipera: Membracidae)” Mentor: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla, Biological Sciences Mate choice is a crucial decision for females. Mate choice decisions are based on mate preference functions, which are curves that describe…… Read More

Sizing Up the Memory of Western Black Widow Spiders, Latrodectus hesperus (Araneae: Theridiidae)

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Audrey Schlais, “Sizing Up the Memory of Western Black Widow Spiders, Latrodectus hesperus (Araneae: Theridiidae)” Mentors: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla & Clinton Sergi, Biological Sciences The memory capabilities of animals vary according to their ecology and the limitations imposed by the…… Read More

Social Experience and Reproductive Isolation in a Vibrational Insect

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Nour Abuomar, “Social Experience and Reproductive Isolation in a Vibrational Insect” Mentors: Rafael Rodriguez, Camille Desjonqueres & Jak Maliszewski, Biological Sciences Enchenopa binotata treehoppers are host plant-feeding insects that communicate through plant-borne vibrational signals. Typically, each species has a distinctive…… Read More

Targeting Chemosensory Array Formation for Safe Biofilm Dispersal of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Meredith Frank, “Targeting Chemosensory Array Formation for Safe Biofilm Dispersal of Pseudomonas aeruginosa” Mentor: Sonia Bardy, Biological Sciences Afflicting more than 700,000 people worldwide, Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a disorder characterized by the buildup of mucus within the airways of…… Read More

The Impact of Interspecies Interaction on Adult Male Treehoppers Signaling Behavior

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Nathaniel Wagner, “The Impact of Interspecies Interaction on Adult Male Treehoppers Signaling Behavior” Mentor: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla, Biological Sciences We focused on Enchenopa binotata, a species of treehopper that communicates through vibrational signals on a plant medium. While most species…… Read More

The Starvation Sensing Protein RspB Alters pel Expression in High C-di-GMP Condition in D. dadantii

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Nicole Wicker, “The Starvation Sensing Protein RspB Alters pel Expression in High C-di-GMP Condition in D. dadantii” Mentors: Ching-Hong Yang & Biswarup Banerjee, Biological Sciences Dickeya dadantii is a phytopathogenic bacterium with a wide host range. PelD, an endopectatelyase enzyme…… Read More

Where Will it Grow? Bull Kelp Distribution Modeling in the Salish Sea

Nathaniel Tennies, “Where Will it Grow? Bull Kelp Distribution Modeling in the Salish Sea” Mentor: Filipe Alberto, Biological Sciences The bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, is a foundational species for aquatic ecosystems in the Salish Sea on the border of Washington…… Read More