University Scholars 2008 Brief Descriptions

Amanda Buckley (Physiology & Neurobiology)
The Effects of Acute Dehydration on the Cognitive Abilities and Mood of Women
My project will deal with testing the effects of mild dehydration on women’s cognitive abilities in the Human Performance Lab.  The subjects will walk on the treadmill for forty minutes in the environmental chamber.  After this time, they will move to a cool room, rest for twenty minutes, and then perform eight cognitive tests, which will last about one hour.  The women will then repeat the exercise followed by the cognitive test two additional times.  Their cognitive abilities will be compared to the level of dehydration to see what effect dehydration has on cognitive function. 

Heeren Makanji (Molecular and Cell Biology)
Characterization of the Biochemical Properties of the C-Terminus of Bacterial Virulence Regulator BipA
Bacterial GTPases regulate many cell functions, including the stress response, signal recognition, protein synthesis, and cell differentiation (Caldon et al., 2001). BipA, a member of the translational family of bacterial GTPases, is a 67 kD protein essential for virulence and associated with the stress response (Farris et al., 1998). My project aims to uncover the key regions in the tertiary protein structure of BipA that are responsible for its activity. By using site-directed mutagenesis and several biochemical assays, we will develop a deeper understanding of BipA’s structure to function relationship. As multi-drug resistant bacterial strains become more prevalent, we need to find novel antimicrobial targets. Translation GTPases, like BipA, represent such targets. 

Charlayne McStay (Chemistry)
 Mutagenesis of 8-OxoGuanine Adjacent to an Abasic Site in Human Embryonic Kidney Cells
Ionizing radiation is known to cause a variety of molecular damage to DNA.  These damages are sometimes found as clustered lesions known as multiply damaged sites (MDS).  The focus of my University Scholar project will be determination of the mutagenicity and genotoxicity of MDS in human embryonic kidney cells.  Specifically I will evaluate the biological outcome of a tandem DNA lesion, in which an oxidized guanine base is placed adjacent to an abasic site.  The hypothesis to be tested is that misreplication occurring at one lesion will be affected by the presence of another lesion in close proximity.  Mutations caused by DNA damage have been linked to cancer in humans; therefore, insight into the mutation mechanisms of cells is essential to developing more effective treatment strategies.

Shawn Miller (Chemistry)
Towards an Understanding of Carbohydrate Conformational and Structural Dynamics through Synthesis and Kinetics
The manipulation of carbohydrates has been demonstrated to result in beneficial pharmaceutical properties for the human body and can lead to treatments for conditions such as diabetes and HIV.  One modification that has shown promising results is the expansion of natural six-membered ring to seven-membered ring sugars.  Characteristics of these new sugars that determine their viability as pharmaceuticals, such as flexibility and stability, have not been studied extensively.  Flexibility will be examined by monitoring the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the representative methyl septanosides in a polarimeter. Stability will be investigated by determining type and amount of equilibrium structures using NMR.

Thomas Murawski (Actuarial Science)
Attribution Analysis of the Capital of a Life Insurance Company under Fair Value Accounting
This project will examine the surplus of a life insurance company in the context of fair value accounting. Statistical methods and stochastic principles will be employed to study the impact of specific economic and financial factors on the surplus. Changes in the term structure of interest rates, market volatility, hedging imperfections, policyholder behavior, credit ratings, and taxes are some of the factors that will be analyzed. After identifying key components that influence surplus, a model will be constructed to show how the surplus behaves under several assumptions and scenarios.

Anu Nellissery (Physiology & Neurobiology and Molecular & Cell Biology)
Genetic Optimization of Bacteriorhodopsin for Use in Photovoltaic Devices
Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) is an integral membrane protein, which functions as a light-driven proton pump in the archaeon Halobacterium salinarum. The goal of this project is to generate variants of BR for use in artificial retinas and other sensory devices. Because modern semiconductors lack the ultra-fast response time of BR, BR-based photovoltaics may be better suited for high-speed devices, motion detection, and high-resolution imaging.  Genetic optimization, via cysteine-scanning mutagenesis, may improve BR for use in such devices. Cysteine-containing variants will be generated and characterized for gold binding affinity using atomic force microscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.  The ultra-fast response will also be examined using electro-optic sampling to determine variants suitable for photovolotaic devices.

Amanda Ploch (Political Science and Individualized)
NGOs and the Pursuit of Economic Rights in South Africa and the United States
I will explore the paths which NGOs in the United States and South Africa have taken concerning the achievement of economic human rights, such as the right to housing and the right to work. This project will utilize critical analysis of relevant literature concerning the varied political/social contexts in either nation; however, the most revealing information will come from interviews with NGO members, conducted while I am studying abroad in Cape Town and after my return to the States, which will illuminate the methods used and challenges encountered by these NGOs as they work to advance economic human rights.

Benjamin Plourde (Biological Sciences and Physics)
Life History and Wood Specific Gravity of Secondary Tropical Rainforest Trees
Over the last 50 years, a majority of the world’s tropics has been converted into a patchy landscape of agricultural lands, pastures, forest fragments and growing urban areas.  In Costa Rica and other countries, abandonment of pastures has led to the growth of secondary forests.  My project will study the regeneration of the tree community in experimental secondary forest plots at La Selva Biological Station.  I will measure wood specific gravity (WSG), a trait similar to density, for abundant species.  I plan to relate WSG data to growth, mortality and light conditions to develop novel insights into regeneration dynamics.

Victoria Price (Psychology)
The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in OEF/OIF Veterans
Victoria Price’s University Scholar project, in collaboration with Dr. Deane Aikins (director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the National Center for PTSD), will determine if Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is an effective treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veterans through patient self-report and clinician-administered measures (measuring heart rate, skin conductance, and respiration).  Emotional processing analyzed through the between-session habituation of both physiological and self-report responses to fear will also be assessed with the prediction that the amount of between-session habituation will correlate directly with the amount of improvement from pre- to post-treatment.

Michael Sanders (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)
Conservation Education Media Productions for the University Audience
My project will consist of six half-hour wildlife documentaries.  The subjects of the programs may include information pertaining to local wildlife species and conservation issues, as well as worldwide conservation issues.  A goal will be to breed appreciation and empathy for wildlife species in general, and raise awareness about local and worldwide conservation issues. Biological information presented may include a range of topics ranging from evolutionary history, to physiological ecology and threats. This information will enable viewers to understand how each animal species covered is able to fit into its unique niche, and will foster greater appreciation for world biodiversity.

Abena Sarfo-Mensah (Psychology)
Coping Methods and Meaning-Making of Liberian Refugees in the Buduburam Refugee Camp of Ghana
This project is an interdisciplinary study that uses qualitative research methods to gain insight into ways in which Liberian refugees cope with and find meaning in the day-to-day challenges they face while living in the Buduburam Refugee Camp located in Ghana. This project, unlike many that precede it, aims to understand the experiences of displaced West African communities from a perspective that incorporates their systems of thought.
 This line of inquiry can provide insight into the many ways in which discrepancies between Western philosophies and African philosophies have adversely affected the administration of mental health services in Africa.

Robert Slattery (Economics and Structural Biology/Biophysics)
Atoms to Eve: The Rotational Agent in Scale-Free Network Emergence
From the stock market to metabolic cycles, from global terrorism to the collaborations between film actors, a class of networks, defined as ‘scale-free’ have been discovered seemingly everywhere in recent years. Although the architectural and topological properties of these networks have been studied, very little work has been done in regards to their dynamics of formation.  My Project will investigate how the micro-behavior of a network’s agents can lead to the emergence of scale-free networks in the biological, physical, and social sciences using the concept of the economic rational agent.  Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of these real-world networks will provide insight into how self-organized networks form.

Dongnhu Truong (Psychology)
Let's get ready to mutate: A knockout study of Dcdc2 in mice and its possible behavioral and neurological implications
Several genetic linkage studies have provided strong evidence that DCDC2 is a candidate gene for developmental dyslexia, a disorder that impairs a person’s reading ability despite intelligence, education, or socio-economic status.  Studies investigating RNA interference (RNAi) of Dcdc2, a rat homolog of the DCDC2 gene in humans, have indicated impaired neuromigration within the rat cortex during development, an anatomical anomaly consistent with post mortem histological analysis of human dyslexic patients.  Other rodent models, displaying similar cortical malformations to rats transfected with RNAi of Dcdc2 and human dyslexic patients, exhibit difficulties in rapid auditory processing and learning spatial maze tasks.  By genetically knocking out Dcdc2 in mice, I may be able to characterize behavioral features associated with Dcdc2 through various auditory processing and spatial maze tasks as well as study other neurological abnormalities that may arise. 

Alexander Williams (Metallurgy and Materials Engineering)
A Safe Approach to Nanotechnology
I will use my status as University Scholar to conduct research which will quantify the forces involved in interactions of various types of nanoparticles with living cells. I intend to use an Atomic Force Microscope to measure these very small forces and to monitor the cells optically at the same time. I will use this data to draw conclusions concerning the issue of the hazards of nanoparticle exposure in the workplace or the environment. Nanoparticles are already used for medical, catalytic, mechanical, and semiconductor applications, and will become increasingly common in the future.