Andrew Levine-Murray

The Castro District in San Francisco, California is frequently referred to as the Gay Mecca, a home for those of us who have been pushed to the margins because of our sexual orientation. However, demographics of and race relations within the Castro tell quite a different story, as people of color are largely absent or excluded from the community. Thus, my research question asks how queer people of color who congregate in the Castro neighborhood perceive their membership within the community. To answer this, I will conduct participant observation within […]

Michael Reeves

Human Cytomegalovirus Virus (HCMV) may go unnoticed in people with healthy immune systems; however, this opportunistic pathogen can be life threatening to immunodeficient individuals including AIDS patients, newborns, and transplant patients. Nucleic acid molecules such as ribozymes are promising gene – interfering agents. This enzymatic RNA accomplishes gene-interference by targeting and cleaving a specific region of mRNA e.g., viral mRNA. In my research I will take advantage of the ability of Salmonella bacteria to enter human cells and transfer genetic material to host cells, leading to efficient expression of the […]

Gabriel Weingart

Lipid droplets are vital organelles present in various cell types that act as a site for energy and vitamin storage, lipoprotein and cholesterol synthesis, and detoxification. Abnormalities related to lipid droplets in liver cells have been shown to correlate to the pathogenesis of fatty liver disease and diabetes. Copper also plays an indispensable role in the body, functioning as a cofactor for several key proteins, the improper regulation of which has been linked to Wilsons disease, Menkes disease, and diabetes as well. Previous work from our lab has demonstrated that […]

Jennifer Su

Contrary to previous dogma that we are born with all the brain cells well ever have, adult neurogenesis continues to occur in the central nervous system of mammals, including humans. Neural precursor cells (NPCs) proliferate and differentiate into new neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in response to the input from their cellular environment, termed the neurogenic niche. This niche contains astrocytes, cells that are essential players in neuronal development, synaptic physiology, and stem cell regulation. It has been discovered that the introduction of chronic stress and stress hormones, glucocorticoids (GC), cause […]

Rotem Aboody

Why do children spend so much time engaged in pretend play, imagining fictional scenarios? Could children actually be learning new things through this process, exploring new possibilities inaccessible to them in daily life? My SURF project seeks to explore whether imagination can indeed enable children to learn about and successfully intervene on novel causal structures, even in the absence of a demonstration of the structures. Children will be introduced to a novel causal structure, and will be asked to choose one of three possible interventions on the structure to produce […]

Cathy Dai

Dopaminergic projections from the midbrain to the striatum and prefrontal cortex are known to affect widespread brain processes, including reward, movement, cognitive control and working memory. Lower dopamine levels in the striatum are linked with higher body mass index, poorer decision making in relation to food choice and a skewed sense of healthiness of food items. I propose to investigate the role of dopamine in a working memory task and decision making on the food task and examine if a relationship exists between the two tasks. I will also investigate […]

Jacob Lewis

Myopia occurs when the eye becomes too long for the cornea and lens to properly focus the light on the retina. In myopia progression, the sclera thins and weakens causing the eye to grow axially. This summer, I will determine the effect of myopia on the mechanical properties of whole chick eyes and to determine how the sclaral creep response is affected by treatment with the myopia-control drug atropine. I will utilize a method of inflating intact eyes in order to characterize the creep response. Using intact globes allows for […]

Jacob Richards

The brain is a system of cells that electrically interact with each other in complex ways. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on a human at rest or doing a task, we can identify clusters of cells that work together to transmit electrical messages to other clusters of cells. These functional networks allow us to connect what is happening physiologically in the brain to mental phenomena. It is useful to find a baseline organization of functional networks in the brain to characterize what changes occur when a human begins a […]

Amelia Weiss

While there have been relatively many studies of cave ecology in temperate regions, tropical cave ecology is vastly understudied. The purpose of my research is to identify some of the non-living environmental features that influence species distributions through Cueva Nibida, a large cave on an island off Panamas Caribbean coast. It is of growing importance that this ecosystem be understood so that conservation measures can be enacted to mitigate human impact brought upon by increasing tourism to the region. To accomplish this, I will map invertebrate distributions and abundances through […]

Derek Shapiro

Not too many people can say they have ever heard of a caecilian, however, these worm-like, tailless amphibians, are an intriguing and understudied organism. For my project, I will be conducting an in depth, observational study of the lung development of one particular species, Dermophis mexicanus. This tropical species has two lungs, similar to other vertebrates, but one distinguishing characteristic is that these lungs are of unequal size. In Dermophis mexicanus, the left lung is significantly smaller than the right lung and the goal of my project is to detail […]