For this project titled “Investigating the Morphology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Does it Change Shape Under Stress?”, my general research area is bacteriology and morphological studies. I asked the question of whether or not M. pneumoniae cells experience a change in shape when grown in reduced oxygen concentrations, a question very relevant for research on the […]
C08: Literature Review of Interprofessional Education in Psychology
Interprofessional Education, IPE, is a method of improving the way that healthcare professionals can offer treatment to their patients by teaching them how to work together in a more collaborative and effective way. Specifically, this review is looking at interprofessional education that includes psychology professionals working with other fields of healthcare. This project consists of […]
B32: MBI 475: Influence of Extreme Environmental Conditions on Antarctic Lake Algae
There are a multitude of factors which affect both the growth and distribution of marine microbial environments, such as nutrient availability, salinity levels, temperature, and light. In Antarctic marine environments, microbes are exposed to extreme conditions, which further affect the community composition. In this project, we have analyzed the effect that different salt concentrations have […]
B33: MBI475: Resilience of Antarctic Lake Algae-Bacteria Interactions to a Salinity Gradient
Microbial Ecology explores the way microbes interact with their environment, and the greater impact it has on their ecosystems both local & global. Aquatic ecosystems are dependent on primary production by algae to fix carbon, which contributes to over 50% of CO2 fixation globally. This is especially the case for microbial communities found within Antarctic […]
A49: Carnitine Degradation in an Isolated Strain of the Gut Bacterium Citrobacter amalonaticus
The gut microbiome is home to several species of bacteria and other microorganisms that play an essential role in human health. For example, the normal bacteria in our gut provide resistance to pathogenic species and directly impact nutrient metabolism, such as the production of vitamin K. Carnitine, which is a molecule commonly found in seafood […]
A42: MBI475: The Effects of Environmental Stressors on Antarctic Algae
This study was intended to identify the impact of salt concentrations on the diversity of Antarctic microbial taxa. Lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valley(MDV) of Antarctica are permanently covered with 3-5 meters of ice and have substantially increasing salt concentrations as the depth increases in the lakes. Salinity is a harsh stressor for most organisms […]
A46: Impact of Chlamydia on Caspase Activation
The purpose of this experiment was to determine if Chlamydia psittaci is inhibiting caspase activation in HeLa cells through the sequestering of ceramide. This was done by treating cells infected with C. psittaci, as well as uninfected cells, with increasing concentrations of C6-ceramide. A fluorometric multiplex activity assay was used to measure caspase activation.It was […]
A43: Actinobacteria and Their Link to Unique Microbial Ecosystems in the Taylor Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Extremophiles, organisms that live in environments outside of the conditions that are well suited to life, need incredible amounts of adaptation to survive. One of the most extreme environments on earth are the lakes in the Taylor Dry Valleys in Antarctica. These lakes are subject to the polar night, as well as increased radiation.Low precipitation […]
A28: The Impact of Elevated Salinity on Palmelloid Formation and Disruption in Chlamydomonas Species
Soil salinity is a foreign term to most, yet it is now a global issue. With an increase in farming and irrigation worldwide, soil salinity is stunting crop growth and inhibiting its ability to produce viable yields. Salt exposure to photosynthetic organisms can severely inhibit their growth rate and cause cell damage, however, mesophilic green […]
A26: Phage of Enlightenment: What Has Been Learned from the Isolation and Characterization of Bacteriophages of Microbacterium foliorum and Streptomyces lividans
First-year students in Miami University’s Microbiology 223 and 224 class are among participants at over 100 colleges and universities in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s SEA-PHAGES program. This program is aimed at providing young scientists with an opportunity to carry out discovery-based science. In MBI 223 in the fall 2022 semester, students collected soil and […]