Each term there is a meeting to discuss options BEFORE you can take the steps to register.
- Fall 2023 Research Options: TBA
Research Meet & Greet with the Biology Faculty
Ed Cluett: Cell Biology
Cholesterol—can’t live with it, can’t live without it. Investigations in several aspects of cholesterol trafficking:
-- How and where cholesterol goes inside cells
-- How the cell regulates synthesized and internalized cholesterol
-- How changes in the distribution of cholesterol affect the function of certain proteins particularly in relation to certain cancers and Alzheimer’s disease
Nanda Cortes: Ornithology
-- Field of molecular ecology--I am particularly interested in the role that past or present geographic barriers play in the evolutionary history of species, emphasizing their phylogeography, genomics and conservation.
-- Song variation between populations of closely related bird species
Dave Gondek: Microbiology
-- Compare, via in silico identification, virulence factors which are unique to Chlamydia species and allow for host adaptation
-- Create Chlamydia virulence factors fusion with fluorescent proteins via in vitro moleculer cloning
-- Contrast spatial and temporal regulation of Chlamydia virulence factors via in vivo over expression during infection and "immunity".
-- Develop hybrid Chlamydia strains for in vivo screening of increased/decreased host specificity
Jean Hardwick: Neurobiology, Animal Physiology
-- Electrophysiological characterization of individual neurons in the cardiac ganglion
-- Analysis of changes in neuronal gene expression using PCR and immunohistochemistry
-- Biochemical analysis of changes in protein levels using Western Blot analysis
Maki Inada: Molecular Biology
How are genes turned on and off?
--Identifying factors involved in splicing via high throughput screens
--Cloning a library of mutants via complementation
--Identify mutations in factors involved in splicing by whole genome sequencing
--Examining the role of RNA polymerase C-terminal domain in regulation via mutagenesis
Leann Kanda: Behavior, Ecology
Animal personality and environment shaping animal movements
-- Lab: personality of dwarf hamsters influencing social and foraging behaviors
-- Field: wildlife personality in urban vs rural landscapes
-- Field: habitat use and movement of mammals and amphibians
Te-Wen Lo: Genetics
-- Understanding protein signaling specificity and how developmental processes evolve.
Learn more about the Lo Lab.
Learn more about the Woods-Lo Lab tardigrade collaboration.
Peter Melcher: Whole Plant Physiology
Investigations on plant responses to the environment.
Current focus on:
-- Impacts of introduced species in Puerto Rico
-- Adaptations to seasonal freezing and drought
Brooks Miner: Aquatic Evolutionary Ecology
-- Adaptation to UV radiation exposure in alpine ponds
-- Divergence in thermal tolerance between lake and pond populations
-- Molecular methods to measure DNA damage and identify species
Andy Smith: Animal Physiology, Biomechanics
How animal glues work: guiding the development of bioinspired medical adhesives
-- Characterize the components of a biological secretion that forms an unusually tough glue
-- Determine how different proteins and metal ions create toughness and adhesion in this glue
Susan Witherup: Plant Systematics and Evolution
Research on Puerto Rican Fan Flowers:
- Pollination Biology
- Genetic Diversity
- Impacts of Invasive Species on Islands
Projects in Sustainability Science
Ian Woods: Computational & Developmental
Computational & Developmental Bio
-- Computational biology: learn and apply bioinformatics and programming skills to genome-scale analyses in humans and model organisms
-- Developmental biology: analyze the roles of genes acting in sensory neuron development and tissue regeneration.
Also, Learn more about the Woods-Lo Lab on tardigrade collaboration.