Rachel Ajung Ryoo
This project aims to identify differences in ‘black (African American)’ and ‘white (European American)’ coming-of-age films. Over the past semesters, I have analyzed and collated such films that were screened between 1970 to 2015 and identified recurring topics and depictions. I mainly focused on portrayals of drug/alcohol usage, sex/sexuality, physical violence, oppression, and parenting/protection. Meanwhile, I have also collected previous literature on these films and themes.During summer internship, I will further the aforementioned study and review literature on group-expression through film and its effects on adolescent identity development. I hope […]
Gilberto Carrasco Urroz
My work for this summer will be a continuation of the research I have been doing for the past academic year. My research project focuses on reconciling the everyday learning practices of members of nondominant communities with the practices they undertake in formal educational settings, such as the classroom. This is a necessary step when seeking to address the disparities presented by the public education system. In order to accomplish this, my work requires me to become acquainted with a specific family’s video data, which I then organize, and for […]
Satya Karri
Mutualism is well characterized by the evolutionary relationship between a variety of legumes and their corresponding rhizobial bacteria. Determining which strains most benefit plant growth will help choose bacteria to use as cost-effective components of biofertilizers. These agricultural inputs can help developing countries ensure agricultural yields despite somewhat unfavorable environments. The project involves isolating and genetically sequencing several bacterial strains from Alfalfa, Soybean, and Chickpea plants. During this summer, we will experimentally evaluate the ability of isolated strains to solubilize phosphate and fix nitrogen. These traits will be used to […]
Mary Chan
The Pitx2 gene is involved in eye and teeth development and cancer regulation. This summer, I will be further studying how Pitx2 mutations may affect tooth number in threespine stickleback fish by studying the phenotypes of various genetic crosses. This work will consist of both individual and collaborative projects in the Miller Lab.
Shruti Satrawada
This summer, I will continue to work at the Grinberg Lab (I started there in Fall 2017) on the AVID project where the ultimate goal is to alter the PET scan to be able to identify Alzheimer’s disease earlier in patients. My team works to scan high-quality images of slices of the brain. We then stitch these images together and use machine learning to identify concentrations of tau, a protein linked to Alzheimer’s, in the human brain. One of our final products will be a heat map of the analyzed […]
Karna Baraboo
Throughout the summer I will be participating in a research project that is attempting to understand the role farmers play within the rising alternative food movement in the United States. Although the alternative food system has inspired food system activists, academics and community organizers to re-localize the food system through farm-to-table restaurants, farmer’s markets, and community supported agriculture, the experiences of farmers in such activities has not been explored in relation to their current role in the conventional food system. Additionally, the extent to which the “rural-urban divide” is either […]
Zoe Boosalis
This summer I plan to assist Dr. Carol Wilson in preparing the DNA samples for First-generation DNA sequencing. Our DNA samples include genus Iris and completion of the project will enable the phylogeny of the species.
Anna Boser
I will be going to Niger to analyse ethnographic research for the Center for Girls’ Education which is part of the OASIS initiative. The Center is expanding to Niger, and this research will allow it to take into account then specific dynamics and characteristic of rural Hausa communities in Niger in order to implement a more tailored program geared towards women’s empowerment in that region.
Camille Chen
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen associated with serious lung, skin, and hospital-acquired infections, as well as a major cause of contact lens wear-related eye infections. This summer, I am focusing on the role of an uncharacterized gene in P. aeruginosa called PA4308 during infection. We hypothesize that PA4308 might play a role in regulating normal bacterial toxin secretion during traversal across host cells, and therefore that PA4308 mutants may be hypervirulent and possibly more capable of serious infection. By using corneal cell cultures and fluorescence microscopy, I hope […]
Julia Ornell
This summer I will be continuing to provide research assistance for Professor Rule’s book that discusses privacy rights in the digital era. I began working with Professor Rule in the Fall of 2018 when the book was still in the outline stage. This summer I will be helping Professor Rule with Chapters 3-6 of his book. The books seeks to reveal threats to online personal data and then recommend steps of action. My research focuses on privacy related laws, public opinion polls as well as violations and misuse of personal […]