2018 Undergraduate Exhibition

Antibiotic resistance is problematic for the modern world, and new antibiotic targets are exceedingly necessary. trans-Translation provides a novel target for antibiotic development as it is a ribosome-rescue pathway present in bacteria and absent in mammals. KKL-1005, and inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was previously shown to inhibit trans-translation. This project aims to identify the molecular target of this compound in E. coli using chemical biology techniques and confirms that the compound is not inhibiting translation.

Fire blight, one of most egregious bacterial diseases of apple and pear trees, is caused by Erwinia amylovora. Our project identifies E. amylovora mutants that are not able to cause disease. One mutation was found in the rlsA gene, which is responsible for the regulation of the production of levansucrase, a polysaccharide. This project will help us understand previously unknown roles of the rlsA gene and how it contributes to disease development in the plant.

The goal of this experiment was to determine if ants exhibited an immune response in specific target genes after being infected with fungal spores.Three ant colonies were infected with metarhizium fungal spores and left for 2,4, and 6 days. To analyze their transcription rates, target immunogenes were selected for analysis. RNA extraction of the samples was completed, cDNA was synthesized, and qPCR was conducted.

Francisella tularensis is an infectious, gram-negative, coccobacilli bacterium responsible for causing Tularemia. Because F. tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium, it must function at physiological pH. However, the bacterium has reduced growth rate at pH 7.4 compared to pH 6.4. This study uses scanning and transmission electron microscopy to demonstrate that physiological neutral pH causes F. tularensis to exhibit morphological changes.

Conveyed through the medium of marimba and rap, this piece addresses the concern of increasing gun violence. A word from the composer, the piece is also colored by "organized conflicts, such as war, or spontaneous eruption, exacerbated no doubt by food shortages global warming and demographic explosion." The story being told through this work is not from the vantage point of spiritual certainty, but from the darkness of someone struggle to stay afloat in hopelessness.

Brazil has a rich and diverse history of admixture. It has been suggested that how individuals report "color" in Brazil is influenced by both known familial ancestry and phenotype. We examined demographic questionnaires, genomic ancestry, and pigmentation phenotypes from research participants (N=309) recruited in Brasilia, Brazil and found that both phenotype and parental ancestry likely influence how our study subjects chose to self-report "color". Our study supports the complex nature of "color" in Brazil.

In order to determine integration site preferences of endogenous retroviruses, my work focused on mapping previously collected genomic sequencing data to spatially determine insertion distance to genes. I then compared the data to previously simulated random distributions and conducted statistical analysis to determine the linear regression models that predict the integration sites. This project was authored in collaboration with postdoctoral scholar Lei Yang and under the supervision of Dr. Mary Poss.

It is crucial that we understand how neurons respond to injury, especially as these cells may be subject to some form of nerve damage. In our work, we used Drosophila larvae as a model organism to investigate the axonal neuroprotective pathway and attempt to identify key proteins in the largely uncharacterized pathway for response to dendritic injury. We have also been working towards establishing a new method for measuring neuronal response to injury.

A Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) is a bacterial killing mechanism found in many Gram-negative bacteria. In an active T6SS, a cell injects a "needle-like" apparatus into a neighboring cell. This needle, coated with toxic molecules, promotes death of the prey cell. Some strains of Vibrio fischeri, however, may be using a bacterial "escape mechanism" to avoid killing by T6S. I am investigating environmental factors that may play a role in this proposed escape mechanism.

A neurons capacity to repair itself is incredibly essential for an organism's survival, seeing as neurons do not reproduce like other cells in the body. A lot is known about the mechanism that neurons follow to repair themselves. However, a significant portion of this mechanism remains unclear. Our research investigates various aspects of neuron regeneration that are not as well characterized; bringing us closer to treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and brain or spinal chord injuries.

In today's world of finite humanitarian aid finances, it is important to ask - "Is foreign aid actually effective?" Many scholars have sought answers to this question using econometric and political science methodologies. However, economic and political indicators cannot paint the full picture, so in order to broaden this inquiry, we use sustainable development indicators in the WSS sectors as a basis for analysis. We utilize data gathered from AidData, the UN, and the Worldbank.

Drug delivery methods often suffer from problems ranging from pain and patient noncompliance to reduced drug bioactivity. A series of in-vitro assessments were performed to determine the mechanical strength, insertion ability, encapsulation efficiency, and bioactivity of polymer microneedles containing the model protein VEGF. In-vivo assessments were performed using live mice. The ability to control the release of bioactive proteins through the skin may provide revolutionary new treatments for a range of different pathologies.