Every 17 years, the Brood X periodical cicadas of the genus Magicicada (M. cassini, M. septemdecim, and M. septemdecula) emerge in Indiana and western Ohio. Like many other species, these cicadas are facing the effects of habitat destruction and climate change. Magicicada needs a specific ground temperature in order to emerge. Given that warmer temperatures […]
B38: Investigating the Role of NKX6-1 in Lens Development
The lens consists of two cell types: 1) proliferative lens epithelial cells and 2) terminally differentiated lens fiber cells that arise from lens epithelial cells. Transcription factors (TFs) direct gene expression. TFs drive development by dictating which genes are expressed in particular cell types. PAX6 and NKX6-1 are TFs found in lens epithelial cells and […]
B39: Expression of MicroRNA in Mice Lens Epithelial Cells
MicroRNAs are short strands of RNA that bind to mRNA to prevent them from being translated into proteins. This project involved looking at expression levels of specific microRNAs to identify their functions in mouse lens cells of the eye. These miRNA expression values were compiled in 3 different trials for the 2 different cell types […]
B40: Genome Wide Identification of Active Promoters in Neonatal Mouse Lens Chromatin
Gene expression is controlled and maintained by a variety of regulatory elements, including histones, which are what was researched for this study. Trimethylation of lysine 4 of histone 3 (H3K4me3) is a characteristic of the promoter regions of actively expressed genes. This means that wherever H3K4me3 is expressed highly, it indicates a portion of the […]
B41: Comparing ATAC-seq and RNA-seq Data to Understand How Chromatin Accessibility and Gene Expression Correlate in Differentiating Lens Epithelial Cells
This project focuses on lens cells by analyzing the genetic changes that happen as lens epithelial cells differentiate into lens fiber cells and how these changes correlate to gene expression. The main question I am asking in this project is how does the accessibility of chromatin relate to the expression of genes in differentiating lens […]
B50: The Molecular Evolution of Papain and Papain-Like Cystiene Proteases
My research area pertains to molecular genetics with the focus of this project being molecular evolution. The purpose of this research is to understand the evolutionary relationship between papain-like cysteine proteases (PLCPs) in the Carica papaya genome to establish context for further investigation into the enzymes’ functions in various C. papaya tissues at different stages […]
C07: The Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization on Leaf and Root Economics in Prairie Plants
The midwestern prairies of the US are in decline and restoration of native biodiversity has proven to be a difficult process. The restorative role of the below-ground microbial communities in human-disturbed landscapes is a vital one. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have coexisted with land plants for millions of years, providing a number of benefits, but […]
C08: Predicting Plant Abundance in a Restored Prairie
In restoration ecology it is important to understand the processes that promote abundance in plant communities. Two of these processes are plant functional traits and plant-soil feedback. Plant traits have been proven useful in predicting abundance across many ecosystems due to their reflection of varying resource allocation in different environments. Plant-soil feedback estimates emerge through […]
C14: Psychological Impacts of Hearing Impairments
Focusing on diversity equity and inclusion in relation to our group’s majors of Speech Pathology/Audiology, Sociology, and Psychology, we specifically looked at how the quality of life, perception, and mental health were affected in the lives of individuals with hearing impairments. In the context of this study, hearing impairments are defined as mild to profound […]
C18: Role of Hypoxia on Chick Retinal Pigment Epithelium Reprogramming
The retina is one of the most important tissues since it is responsible for sight. Injury to the retina can lead to irreparable visual loss. Therefore, studying the process of retinal regeneration in vertebrates that are capable of doing so is important for understanding how the retina can be healed, instead of scarred, after an […]