Maria Pizzano

Butterflies are known for the remarkable patterns and colors of their wings. There are precisely arranged rows of microscopic single-cell scales across the wing surface. The color of scales can result from either the biosynthesis of pigments within the scale, or from structural coloration (sometimes both). Structural colors, such as iridescence, are of particular interest because they originate from the interaction of light with complex nanostructures that are found within or at the surface of each scale. A remarkable example of iridescence is seen on the wings of the Gulf […]

Nare Janvelyan

Metalloporphyrins are found in various different organisms ranging from humans to plants. Metalloporphyrins consist of a porphyrin macrocycle with a coordinated metal atom at their center. They are part of many biological systems such as chlorophyll, vitamin B12, cytochrome P-450, and hemoglobin. Synthetic metalloporphyrins are used as commercial dyes and catalysts in the design of solar cells, molecular electronics, and supramolecular building blocks. The metalloporphyrins interaction with light plays a critical role in many systems therefore it is important to characterize the molecules interactions with light. The goal of my […]

Angel Jung

Increasing crop yields has always been a global issue. One of the largest studies of domestic hunger, Hunger in American 2010, reported, hunger is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States (Feeding America). My research this summer focuses on identifying a bHLH gene, ms32, which promotes fertility in maize (corn), the most widely grown grain crop. As the anther – the male reproductive organ in plants – matures during early development, five distinct layers are formed and required for meiosis to function properly. One of the five layers, […]

Jared Nathanson

All land plants undergo an alternation of generations. This alternation occurs between a haploid gametophyte and a diploid sporophyte. In the early-diverging lineages of land plants, such as liverworts, hornworts, and mosses, the haploid gametophyte is dominant in the life cycle. However, in later-diverging lineages, such as gymnosperms and angiosperms, the diploid sporophyte is dominant while the haploid gametophyte is transient. It is possible that this evolution of sporophyte dominance may have been caused by a delay in Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2)-triggered meiosis in the sporophyte generation. PRC2 functions […]

Nan “Chuck” Ye

Bioconjugation reactions, the chemical reactions connecting two biomolecules together, have been heavily studied to chemically modify proteins, allowing the possibility of augmenting the biological activity of proteins with small molecules. This field of research is crucial to many pharmaceutical applications, such as drug targeting that requires the conjugation between drug molecules and soluble proteins. In order to install new synthetic molecules onto a protein site specifically and bioorthogonally, there is an increasing need for chemical strategies that can effectively attach synthetic molecules site specifically to proteins. However, many of these […]

Salman Aljilani

Exercise has been shown to be an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, and also as an adjuvant to enhance vaccine efficacy in the elderly. Evidence accumulated by others suggests that lactate production formed as a byproduct of exercise may fuel many cellular functions. This includes improving energy metabolism, even in the presence of glucose, by boosting bioenergetic efficiencies in many different cell types (i.e. skeletal muscle and neurons) through a shuttling mechanism that facilitates movement of lactate into recipient cells. My project will monitor lymphocytes, a major player of […]

Yung-En Perng

My project examines an aspect of the robustness of the hexapodal design. Cockroaches are one of the fastest terrestrial animals for their size and mass, and have been shown to negotiate many different types of externally caused perturbances, such as uneven or slippery terrain. Previous research suggests that cockroaches use passive mechanical control, which is built into the physical properties of the locomotory system, to overcome uneven terrain (Sponberg and Full, 2008). But how about a perturbance brought about by altering the cockroach itselfleg loss? I seek to determine whether […]

Robert Saxton

The Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) is an essential protein that allows cells to divide in a timely and proper manner. Inhibition of the APC/C prevents proper cell division, making it a protein of interest for cancer therapies. While many targets of the APC have been identified, its full spectrum of substrates is not yet characterized. In this project, I will be studying the interaction between the APC and a proposed novel substrate, KIF20A, a motor protein that is also essential for cell division, and which is also of interest in […]

Michelle Carney

The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a highly social passerine that heavily relies on vocal communication during social interactions. Over one third of its brain is dedicated to auditory functions. Vocal recognition has been studied previously in mated pairs of this species using a particular type of calls, the distance call. However, zebra finches communicate with a full repertoire of vocalizations. Here I am investigating whether they can discriminate voices of other individuals. More precisely, Im testing the capacity of zebra finches to discriminate between different emitters irrespective of the […]

Jacqueline Lee

Delayed puberty is a reproductive strategy seen only in a few species of seasonally breeding birds. These birds go through puberty several years after reaching adult size unlike most birds that experience puberty right as adult size is reached. Little is known about the mechanism behind puberty, and even less is known about delayed puberty. To investigate why some species of bird experience delayed puberty, my project involves observing neuronal cell populations of two important reproductive hormones in the brains of California Gulls and Western Gulls, two species that display […]