Justin Choe

Despite the growing prevalence of diabetes, the exact biological mechanisms leading to the onset of this disease still remain painfully unclear. Type 1 diabetes in particular is caused by an autoimmune attack to an individuals insulin secreting beta cells; this cell population cannot be regenerated and an adverse condition known as hyperglycemia ensues. The immune cells and chemokines present in the pancreas at the onset of this autoimmune response are of interest when considering this disease. Recent studies have suggested that the activity of a particular G-coupled protein receptor may […]

Katie Hitchcock

Since its foundation in the early 20th century, ethological research has provided countless fascinating insights into the evolutionary significance of animal behavior. While the adaptive importance of behavior is often well understood, its molecular causes are still poorly known. Behavioral adaptations are often driven by sexual selection, one extreme example has been found in the males of the black widow spider species, Latrodectus hasselti and L. geometricus. As the result of strong sexual selection, these Latrodectus species have evolved obligate sexual cannibalism in which males somersault their abdomen on the […]

David Rothblum

As our society focuses on reducing the drivers of global climate change, a primary goal is to look at the ways in which we can generate and use electricity in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner. These challenges require broad and complex solutions. However, in order to implement these, it is imperative that broad swaths of the population be well informed in the nuances and technical complexities of electrical power systems. That is where Griddle comes in. The brainchild of researcher Michael Cohen, Griddle is an educational game that […]

Courtney Sarkin

My mother once told me: I tell doctors that my partner is my sister so she can be present during my appointments and hospitalization without prejudice. My mom, who identifies as an LGBT individual, was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was a first year at UC Berkeley. Although the LGBTIQA communities are diverse and represent a wide range of identities, the discrimination and stigma surrounding these social and gendered minorities is common, including in healthcare. In the US context, discrimination and ignorance by health professionals create disparities in LGBTIQA […]

Lochan Shah

The protein Cbl is a key component of receptor tyrosine kinase transduction, acting both as an E3 ligase and as an adaptor in the ubiquitination pathway. In fact, overexpression of Cbl has been found to inhibit tumor growth; therefore, understanding Cbls specificity will be key to the development of relevant therapeutic drugs. Interestingly, Cbl is known to ubiquitylate over one dozen targets, and its specificity for tyrosine kinases is achieved by its unique activation mechanism. Recent work has found that Cbl recognizes multiple lysine residues from the same substrate and […]

Ila Shimabuku

In Situ Chemical Oxidation – A Close Look at Peroxide and Persulfate Benzene is an organic compound that causes birth defects, cancer, a decrease in red blood cells and many other health impediments upon inhalation. Benzene is just one of many toxic chemicals flowing through our groundwater. Pumping out contaminated water to treat harmful chemicals is ineffective because it is too inefficient and slow, which is why in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) is necessary. ISCO degrades harmful compounds in the soil, removing both the cost of pumping and injecting groundwater […]

Leo Steinmetz

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is ancient light radiation emitted during initial expansion of the universe. Theorists believe that gravity waves (like light waves, but related to gravity rather than to electricity) bounced around in the early universe and left measurable imprints on the CMB. Searching the CMB for these imprints can be done with a technique called bolometry, which works by measuring the heat that photons transfer to a superconducting wire. Because radiation background noise from instruments drops at low temperatures, colder bolometry equipment gives more precise results. Our […]

Michelle Zhang

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays an important part in purposeful, goal-directed behavior through the representation and maintenance of internal goals. In particular, the PFC has been implicated in post-error correction, an important aspect of adaptive cognitive control whereby animals perform better immediately after punishment than after reward. However, the contributions of the PFC to this phenomenon on a trial-by-trial basis are still unclear. Our hypotheses are that the PFC affects overall performance because of its contribution to stimulus-based decision-making and that outcome responses in the PFC underlie the phenomenon of […]

Lucy Li

Cataracts, which are a clouding of the lens in the eye, affect nearly 22 million Americans age 40 and older, and are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. By the age of 80, more than half of the American population will have had cataracts or cataract surgery. To maintain lens transparency, connexin protein subunits are crucial in forming intercellular gap junction channels for the transportation of metabolites, ions, and secondary messengers. Previous studies have shown that knocking out connexin in the 129SvJae mouse strain results in dense cataracts, while disrupting […]

Chris Lin

Bacterial survival depends on the cells ability to adapt to diverse environmental pressures. Many of these adaptive pathways involve small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) that bind to the 5 untranslated region of their target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Depending on the sRNA, the interaction between sRNA and mRNA either silences or activates mRNA translation. Although sRNAs are important regulators of gene expression, their signaling properties and regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Identifying the localization of sRNAs, their target mRNAs, and their site of interaction is key to gaining new insights into bacterial gene […]