Our field of research primarily includes Microbial Ecology, understanding microbial community structure and metabolic diversity in ecosystems based on the nutrients and environmental conditions that primarily drive the ecosystem functions. Antarctic lakes are a perfect resource for studying microorganisms, since the food web in the lake ecosystems consists of microorganisms that have acclimatized to extreme […]
A28-P: Characterizing the Role of NHE10 and NHE11 in Mammalian Sperm, A Transgenic Mouse Study
The James’ lab is focused on identifying and characterizing different proteins that are essential for male fertility. A specific family of proteins called Na+/H+ Exchangers (NHEs) are present in cells, and are known to regulate the internal pH of a cell. NHE10 is one Na+/H+ exchanger known to be expressed exclusively in sperm. Of particular […]
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 […]
B13-P: “No Days Off”: Addressing the Extent in which American Work Presenteeism Negatively Impacts Receptivity to Quarantine and Isolation Orders
“I don’t care, I’m going to work!” It is not uncommon for Covid-19 contact tracers to hear this sentiment while calling people to quarantine or isolate, especially now that the entire world is experiencing a global pandemic. This dialogue is the result of the pushback due to work presenteeism that contact tracers may experience while […]
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. […]
A17-P: Introduction to Neuroscience Class Project: Investigation of Dr. Blitz Lab
Our research was conducted as a part of BIO159, a Neuroscience seminar that seeks to inform neuroscience majors of the research occurring on campus. In order to become acquainted with ongoing research, the class worked in groups to identify a lab of our choice. We used the Miami University Libraries resources to obtain research articles […]
A23-P: #ClimateChange and Social Media Activism
On April 1, 2021, a Tweet by @Breaking911 quoted information from The Washington Post about the Environmental Protection Agency, and the new Administrator Michael Reagan. The Tweet stated how Reagan will “fire all experts hired under the Trump administration” and “restore ‘science’ and ‘trust in the agency.’” Replies to this Tweet included comments such as […]
C05-P: Metagenomic Analysis of Ammonia Oxidizer and Heterotrophic Bacteria Co-Cultures
Microbial ecology seeks to understand and characterize microbial community structure. Around 99% of microbes have yet to be cultured in the lab, as they require conditions we are unable to imitate. To circumvent this problem, researchers have developed a method to sequence all the genetic material of an environmental sample. This method, called metagenomic sequencing, […]
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 […]
C27-P: MBI 475: Testing Heat Stress Resilience in Antarctic Microbial Communities Isolated from Lake Fryxell
As in various other natural environments, the mixed communities of microbes occupying the Antarctic lakes are marked by dynamic interactions between two important groups of microorganisms, the protists and the heterotrophic bacteria. The community structure in the lake habitat is composed of microorganisms that operate a simple food web in a physically and chemically stratified […]