Anandita Mathur
Autophagy is a fundamental pro-survival cellular process by which superfluous proteins and damaged organelles are delivered to the lysosome for degradation and reuse.. Numerous human disorders have been linked with dysfunction in autophagy including heart disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration. The molecular mechanisms of autophagy are currently not well understood. My project goal is to study how the autophagosome, the double membrane vesicle which contains cargo and fuses with the lysosome membrane, is generated. Based on previous studies, we hypothesize that the CTAGE5 protein plays a role in autophagosome biogenesis. I […]
Jooyoung “Paul” Park
The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights -UN Economic and Social Council General Comment No. 15 Although the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to reduce by half the number of people without access to improved sources of water by the year 2015 was supposedly met in 2010, about 748 million people around the world, especially in rural areas, are still without improved clean water sources. For my research project, I will be working […]
Hannah Oh
Grapevine leafroll disease (GLD) has spread to all grape-growing regions and is one of the most important viral diseases affecting grapevines worldwide. GLD has adverse effects on fruit quality and plant health, leading to significant economic losses. Grapevine leafroll associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) is the primary causative virus involved in GLD. Given the economic importance of grapes and the consequences of GLD, it is crucial to develop efficient ways of managing this disease. Recent studies have demonstrated that abiotic conditions such as plant nutrient status, accumulation of inorganic metals, temperature, […]
Jasper O’Leary
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the emerging network capability between ordinary objects and promises novel interactions between devices and between people in everyday scenarios. For example, in an IoT-networked smart-house, temperature sensors embedded throughout the building sense changing environmental conditions and strategically close windows to conserve energy. Traditional user interfaces for programming interactive devices focus on single-device programming, but a programming interface for IoT networks must account for coordinating large amounts of devices as well as the autonomous nature of the devices themselves. My research focuses on building […]
Divya Patel
Asthma is caused by chronic inflammation in the lungs, which leads to inappropriate contraction of smooth muscle cells that surround the lung airways, causing them to narrow and impair breathing. Contraction of the smooth muscle occurs when the level of calcium ions inside the cells increases, and relaxation only occurs once muscle cells return to their resting state. This relaxation process is regulated by a potassium channel, the BK channel. Chronic inhibition of BK channels can result in airway muscle hyper-contraction and eventually lead to asthma. The steroid hormone, progesterone, […]
Eileen Phan
Emmetropization is the process in which the eye adjusts its length based on the defocus it receives in order to achieve better clarity of vision. Ocular refractive errors such as myopia (near-sightedness) or hyperopia (far-sightedness) occur when there is a dysregulation in emmetropization, resulting in a mismatch of the eyes axial length and optical power creating blurred vision or defocus. Understanding the underlying mechanisms to this process is thus crucial to a cure for myopia which is a disease that affects hundreds of millions world-wide. Prior research in the chick-model […]
Patricia Pierry
A defining feature of human language is its creativity; we can express an infinite number of ideas from a limited number of words. One well-analyzed source of such creativity is the rules of grammar, which let us combine words into sentences in new ways. However, we know much less about another source of creativitythe flexible use of words, known as lexical flexibility, which allows us to use one word to express multiple different meanings. For example, the word chicken can mean both an animal and meat. My research, with the […]
Sari Rickansrud
Relatively recently there has been a surge of interest in investigating the social value of fiction. For example, some researchers claim that fiction fosters the development of perspective taking abilities by serving as social practice as the reader mentally simulates narrated events. By perspective taking abilities I mean the capacity to understand another persons thoughts, feelings, and point of view. Extending upon such research, I plan to investigate via an experimental study with young children whether or not the narrative point of view from which a story is told (i.e. […]
Avery Kim
The large scale matter distribution allows to answer the fundamental questions about the Universe including the cosmological constituents and the origin of the Universe. The Universe seems homogeneous on a very large scale (~100 kpc), yet on the smaller scales such as on the order of clusters and galaxies, the cosmological structures exhibits non-Gaussianity. This non-Gaussian matter field created by non-linear gravitational evolution is proved to be hard for modeling. Since the majority of matter is almost non-interactive dark matter, the science we learn from a direct observation has a […]
Griffin Rodgers
P-N junctions are the basis of most modern electronicsthe foundation for the diodes and transistors that make up our computers. Current research in low dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) heterostructures aims to make these junctions smaller. TMD p-n junctions are made of atomically thin, stacked TMD layers and have been hailed for their novel properties, diverse applications, and potential to revolutionize electronics. My research project will provide improved understanding of the performance, functionality, and limits of atomically thin, stacked TMD p-n junctions. I will use Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM)a […]