Ellen Thompson
For the past 2 semesters, I have been working with observations of accreting compact objects (such as binary systems containing a speculated black hole) made by the NuSTAR X-ray telescope. My work focuses on stray light, the result of photons bypassing the instrument’s optics and landing directly on the detector array. I have written a python program that takes in observation event files and outputs region files highlighting areas that contain stray light. This summer, I will be refining this program as well as applying it to the process of […]
Alice Wang
This summer I will be researching the effects of using kilohertz transcranial magnetic perturbation (kTMP) to stimulate the brain at sub threshold firing rates. My mentor and I intend to analyze kTMP’s effects on cortical excitability and motor output. Our ultimate goal is to see if kTMP induces changes that can prime or inhibit brain activity.
Jenny Chau
During the development of plants, specific genes are expressed to induce the formation of different plant structures. There are genes that control vasculature, branching, floral growth, and much more. Mutating these genes result in abnormal growth. This summer, I will continue to assist my mentor in analyzing the function of genes important for plant branching and inflorescence development. To do so, I will be genotyping and phenotyping mutant Setaria plants and comparing them to wildtype. In addition, I will be using fluorescence microscopy to analyze where these genes are being […]
Zoë Cramer
This summer I plan on looking at the correlation between Orientalism, within the framework provided by Edward Said’s work Orientalism, and the collection formerly on display at the Bancroft library “Object Lessons: Berkeley’s Egyptian Collection.” Exploring the role that Orientalism played in the excavation of the objects on display and permanent collection, I am hoping to show how a form of Orientalism is activated when visitors engage with certain objects within the collection. Furthermore, I will also utilize Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad, as Twain details what a grand tour typical […]
Sarah Bakir
This summer, I will be assisting Dr. Haar on one of her projects that analyzes the impacts of violence against healthcare in Syria. I will be recruiting participants, assisting in conducting key informant interviews and focus groups discussions, and analyzing qualitative data.
Alexander Amram
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, which makes understanding the ability of certain vertebrates to regenerate damaged heart tissue by replacing lost cardiomyocytes crucial for developing regenerative heart therapies. Recent studies suggest that the suppression of cardiomyocyte proliferation coincides with the augmentation of metabolic rates and thermogenesis post-birth in vertebrates, in part driven by changes in endocrine signaling hormones including thyroid hormone, glucocorticoids, and vitamin D. Glucocorticoid and vitamin D protein signaling are potential regulators of cardiomyocyte proliferation, but studies have found conflicting proliferative […]
Reet Mishra
Pompe disease is a lysosomal disorder caused by deficient activity of the GAA enzyme due to mutations in the GAA gene. This can be fatal to patients with infantile onset and cause patients of other onsets to develop muscular dystrophy and respiratory dysfunction. However, early detection can immensely help treatment of patients! Thus, our lab has been working on assessing the predictions derived by the participants in the Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation Challenge (CAGI 5) – a global experiment that evaluates the phenotypes that result from genetic variation. Through […]
Ayla Weitz
Type Ia supernova is a kind of exploding star that is important to understanding the expansion of our universe. This project focuses on obtaining more accurate location measurements for approximately 1500 supernovae. I will be determining the locations of known foreground stars using astrometry.net and then using that information to determine supernova locations using custom software.
Pearl Zhou
Diet and exercise induce changes in metabolism that are associated with longer lifespan and decreased mortality from age-associated diseases. However, the specific bioenergetic changes within cells that cause these beneficial effects are not known. Professor Titov and I have been working on developing a genetically encoded tool to manipulate metabolism (GEMM), allowing us to control a single bioenergetic parameter in living cells. I plan to test the activity of this GEMM in different compartments of the cell using various experiments.
Nonnie Coelho
The overarching project investigates the drivers of near-surface groundwater availability in wet meadow ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada. It combines field study and remote sensing data analysis, building upon studies and instrumentation at UC’s Sagehen Field Station by the Kondolf Lab. This summer, I will be continuing fieldwork, monitoring groundwater levels in established well transects, and working to process a combined set of satellite and phenocam imagery. The high resolution satellite imagery will be processed in a time series analysis looking at the phenology of a number of defined plant […]