Yechong Yu
My current project is about reading performance across different methods of text presentation. The standard form of text presentation is by printed words on a page or screen in blocks of sentences and paragraphs. This way of text presentation is difficult for people who have diseases of the eye that hinder eye movement. One way to correct this problem is through rapid serial visual presentation, or RSVP, where text is presented one word at a time in sequence on a monitor. Do reading speed and comprehension improve when this method […]
Alexandra Carstensen
How does the brain represent concepts outside of perceptual experience? Relatively little is known about the neural mechanisms and brain areas involved in abstract thoughtthose enabling us to conceptualize domains for which we lack dedicated perceptual systems. Theories of embodied cognition suggest that understandings of such abstract domains are constructed from co-experienced perceptual input; for instance, Lakoff & Johnson (1999) have proposed that we build representations of time based on experiences of movement through space, as we consistently experience the passage of time while moving. This research seeks to determine […]
Dayoung Park
Degradation reactions of alkyl radicals are of interest in combustion chemistry, planetary atmospheres, and the interstellar medium. However, the nature of their reaction pathways is not easily understood as the intermediates are highly reactive. My project will investigate the dissociation dynamics of a simple primary alkyl radical, 1-propyl, upon excitation at 248 nm using a detection scheme known as photofragment translational spectroscopy. Four distinctive product channels are assessed at this wavelength. A preliminary experimental work seems to indicate that the C-C bond cleavage is energetically the most favorable product channel. […]
Jae Young Ryoo
Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is a process by which a cell absorbs molecules with the help of the protein clathrin. Cell biology studies often employ a variety of different cell types to study a single cellular pathway but how these pathways operate often differ depending on the cell type observed. Unfortunately, in most cases, little is known about the mechanisms that give rise to these differences. I aim to explore how cells differ in the process of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, with the ultimate goal of understanding why these differences exist and what it […]
Hoiyi Ng
Although Random Matrix Theory has been developed for almost a century, its application in finance is underutilized. A random matrix is a Hermitian matrix with its entries drawn from a normal distribution with mean zero and variance one. Most of its interesting properties lie in the distribution of its eigenvalues. Not until recently has RMT been employed to estimate the profits and risks of financial portfolios. My project focuses on exploring new ways to manipulate current methods frequently adopted to maximize the profit of a financial portfolio given a certain […]
Rebecca Yue
Salmonella enterica is a bacterium that causes major food borne disease in the world. It infects people by inducing the uptake of the bacteria by secreting proteins into cells in the host’s intestines. A crucial system of Salmonella enterica pathogenesis is the Type III Secretion System (T3SS) which transports bacterial proteins into host cells. Previous experiments indicate that the Disulfide Bond Formation (Dsb) System is needed for the Type III Secretion System. However, a direct interaction between the two systems is not currently known. Through molecular cloning and a bacterial […]
Hasan Dani
The immune system monitors the inner workings of all cells of the body in its search for abnormal cells, whether they be infected or otherwise transformed. Every cell displays its intracellular peptides on its surface, and specialized cells of the immune system called T cells examine these peptides. The repertoire of peptides presented on the surface is a representation of the state of the cell; an abnormal peptide repertoire indicates an abnormal cell. An important part of the processing pathway that peptides undergo before being presented is ERAAP, an enzyme […]
Geoffrey Iwata
Laser light has been proven to be an effective and elegant method of probing sensitive physical systems, providing many seminal, precision methods in experimental physics. These experiments must prove free of systematic errors and be minimally perturbative to the phenomena to be examined. Along these lines, I am researching the properties of zero-birefringent acrylic polymers in a range of temperatures from room temperature down to a couple Kelvin. In exhibiting this unique property of zero-birefringence, these materials do not affect the polarization of light passing through them, even when under […]
Jimmy Ng
Discovered in 2004, graphene is a single atom thick sheet of carbon arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It is also the most conductive material at room temperature known to humankind and many believe it could replace silicon and change the future of computers and other electrical devices. Despite this, there is a long way to go before reaping the benefits of its potential applications. Because graphene is a relatively new material, scientists and engineers are still in the process of learning about its production, properties, and capabilities. For my summer […]
Robert Hicks
My research project focuses on elucidating the visual and cognitive abilities of Stomatopod Crustaceans through animal behavior experiments. Commonly known as Mantis Shrimp, these marine crustaceans comprise a family of 350 species, some of which evolved over 100 million years ago. As active predators, they need excellent eyesight to locate and attack prey in their underwater environments, where light is filtered and reduced. I am investigating Stomatopods ability to learn to respond to a particular visual stimulus, and how this relates to their eye structure and brain function. Through repeated […]