Looking at organisms in isolation often proves to be useful to study behavior objectively in most cases. However, it may not paint the accurate picture of what really happens. In Dr. Bollmann’s lab we look at AOB (ammonia oxidizing bacteria) and AOA (ammonia oxidizing archaea) not just in isolation but also how they interact with […]
A10-P: Introduction to Neuroscience Class Project: Exploring Dr. Del Rio-Tsonis’ Regeneration lab
In the Seminar in Neuroscience course taught by Dr. Fernandes, the students split into groups to learn about the topics being researched in labs on Miami’s campus. We chose Katia Del Rio-Tsonis and studied her lab on retinal regeneration. Katia Del Rio-Tsonis’ lab focuses on retinal regeneration using mainly embryonic chicks in order to “understand […]
A02-P: Muscle Electrical Responses to Simultaneous Dual Frequency Activity
Voluntary behaviors, such as chewing or locomotion, are produced by rhythmic neuronal circuits and can adapt to environmental changes. Some neurons participate simultaneously in two different neuronal circuits, known as dual activity. Ultimately, behaviors are produced by muscle responses to output of these circuits. Although muscles can switch between different rhythmic behaviors, I wanted to […]
A05-P: Going Viral: Using Viral Genes to Sensitize Human Cancer Cells to Medical Intervention
This investigation aims to gather foundational knowledge for harnessing viral genes to combat cancer cell resistance to traditional cancer therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy. Our study asks if it is possible to improve the cancer-killing capacity of drugs like etoposide by inactivating cellular proteins that cause resistance to chemotherapy through activation of DNA repair. […]
A03-P: Mental Health During Quarantine
Our project, Mental Health During Quarantine, was focused around seeing how Miami students were affected mentally by the quarantine period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research question asked if students felt effects of quarantine on their mental health, our prediction being that students have had an overall negative effect on their mental health. We chose […]
A06-P: Prevention of Apoptosis By Chlamydia
Pamela Lewis, a student of Dr. Joseph Carlin’s lab of the Microbiology Department and Director of the Mallory-Wilson Center for Healthcare Education at Miami University, is a microbiology major who is interested in studying Chlamydia trachomatis. She is interested in seeing how HeLa cells infected with C. trachomatis are avoiding apoptosis. Because of this, she […]
A11-P: The Effects of Ocean Acidification on the Seafood Industry and the Implications on Human Health
Over the past 50 years, global seafood consumption has increased, with the most noticeable changes taking place in the least developed and food insecure countries. However, the threat of climate change and its effects on ocean chemistry, have the potential to seriously jeopardize the health of marine organisms and their consumers alike. The purpose of […]
A07-P: Using a Machine Learning Approach to Identify Potential Metallo-β-Lactamase Inhibitors
This project combines the fields of biochemistry and data science by applying a machine learning approach to the identification of potential metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) inhibitors. MBLs are enzymes expressed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria and are becoming more clinically prevalent, leading to an increasing number of severe cases of once easily-treatable infections. In recent years, there has been […]
A04-P: Evaluating How Adenovirus Proteins Regulate DNA-PK
Adenovirus (Ad) infection can lead to the activation of DNA damage response (DDR) pathways such as non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) if unchecked. To avert DDR interference, Ad encodes several proteins in early region 4 (E4) that regulate the DDR to promote viral replication. Specifically, E4 11kDa and 34kDa have been shown to interact with DNA-dependent […]
A01-P: Different Barriers in Different Countries: A Global Health Case Study Investigating Vaccination Barriers in Countries of Varying Socioeconomic Status
The benefits of vaccination are demonstrated through the eradication and significant decrease in vaccine-preventable disease incidence, although the coverage of highly recommended vaccines is often below the threshold. This threshold is the minimum coverage required to eliminate the circulation of the virus and development in susceptible subjects. By not achieving the minimum coverage, cases will […]