COLSA Grant Recipients

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 2024 

Graham Collinsworth, Genetics 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Subcellular Localization and Expression Patterns of Two Protein S-acyl Transferase Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana 

Jacob Dumais, Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cellular Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: NMDA Receptor Blockade, Hippocampal Memory Formation and Dissociation 

Caylin Grove, Genetics: Genomics 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Bonnie Brown, Biological Sciences 

Topic: Examination of Haplosporidium nelsoni and Perkinsus marinus infections in Crassostrea virginica, Eastern Oysters, during Early Larval Stages in Great Bay Estuary Waters 

Madison Henry, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Effects of TWS-119 Resistance in Triple Negative Breast Cancer 

Reka Ivanyi, Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Plachetzki, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Hagfish Skin 

Peter King, Biomedical Science 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Esmaeil Bahalkeh, Health Management and Policy 

Topic: Quantitative Effects of Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Devices in Rural American Emergency Medical Services 

Jenna Loporcaro, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Konstantinos Sousounis, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Role of KLF4 During Lens Regeneration in the Newt Pleurodeles Waltl 

Allison Mackey, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Targeting BCL6 Transcription Factor in Ovarian Cancer 

Erin McCarthy, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brittany White-Mathieu, Chemistry 

Topic: Development of a Clickable Probe for Imaging Hydrogen Peroxide in the Bilayer 

Caleb Morrill, Biochemistry & Molecular/Cell Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Linqing Li, Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering 

Topic: Bio-Gel Material Property Effects on ECM Generation & Vascularization/Angiogenesis 

Sarah Nicholls, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Using Spatial Transcriptomics to Examine Encephalic Gene Expression in Cactus Mice 

Cassidy O'Brien, Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Using Spatial Transcriptomics to Examine Uterine Estrogen Receptors in Different Stages of Estrous in Peromyscus eremicus 

Torin Scalora, Environmental Sciences: Ecosystems 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jessica Ernakovich, Natural Resources and the Environment 

Topic: Permafrost Microbial Community Characterization along Depth and Salinity Gradients 

Zach Tzianabos, Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cellular Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rick Cote, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Structural Analysis of Cone Regulatory Domains 

Riley Wilson, Genetics 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rick Cote, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: The Effect of RNA Interference on Phosphodiesterase Gene Expression and Phenotypes in the Nematode C.elegans 

Amanda Wittemann, Neuroscience and Behavior 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jolie Wormwood, Psychology 

Topic: Stress and Decision Making 

Daniel Zogby, Zoology, B.S. 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Laura Kloepper, Biological Sciences 

Topic: Quantifying Temporal Effects on Common Tern Vocalizations 

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Teams (SURF IT) 2024** 

**Given their interdisciplinary nature, SURF IT projects will appear under more than one college. 

Christopher Boujaoude, Biomedical Science (COLSA) 

Emily Russell, Applied Math (CEPS)  

Faculty Mentors: Prof. Xuanmo Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences; Prof. Mark Lyon, Mathematics and Statistics 

Topic: Mathematical Modeling of EEG Waveforms of Mice in Ketamine-Induced Comas 

Braelyn Hilsenbeck, Neuroscience and Behavior (COLSA) 

Lyra Joson, Psychology and Linguistics (COLA) 

Faculty Mentors: Prof. Kate Christison-Lagay, Biological Sciences; Prof. Casey Roark, Psychology 

Topic: Rhythms of Cognition: Exploring the Nexus of Neural and Eye Movement Oscillations during Auditory Learning 

Nikhila Lampman, Environmental Engineering (CEPS) 

Nathan Taylor, Civil Engineering (CEPS) 

Sarah Tupper, Community and Environmental Planning (COLSA) 

Faculty Mentors: Prof. Fei Han, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Prof. Weiwei Mo, Environmental Engineering; Prof. Ryan Gibson, Sociology 

Topic: Consequences of Engineers' Considerations of Social Equity and Prioritization 

Undergraduate Research Award (URA) 2024 

Nicole Benjamin, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Discovering the Functions of an Arabidopsis thaliana Protein S-acyltransferase that is Expressed in Pollen

Graham Collinsworth, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Characterization of Pollen-Expressed Palmitoyl Transferase Double Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana

Alisa Ivantsova, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jingwei Cheng, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Targeting Merkel Cell Carcinoma by Inhibiting PRMT5 and the ATR/CHK1/WEE1 Pathway to Promote R Loop Formation

Caylin Grove, Genetics: Genomics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Bonnie Brown, Biological Sciences

Topic: Examination of Haplosporidium nelsoni and Perkinsus marinus Interactions with Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea virginica, in the Great Bay Estuary Waters during Early Larval Stages

Sae Matsumoto, Nutrition: Dietetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Noreem Mena, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Topic: Characterizing What and How Mothers Feed Infants and Toddlers

Lauren McDowell, Marine, Estuarine and Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Easton White, Biological Sciences

Topic: Differences in Vessel Behavior around Southern Resident and Bigg’s Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Populations in the Salish Sea from 2011-2022

Andrew Ricketts, Genetics, Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Christopher Hernandez, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Topic: Developing a System for Speed Breeding and Genetics in Squash

Research Experience and  Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2024 

Joseph Faherty, Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. István Mikó, Biological Sciences 

Topic: Exploration of North American Ceraphronoidea (Hymenoptera:Apocrita) with Special Emphasis on the Genus Aphanogmus (Thomson 1859) 

Kara Hatalsky, Zoology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources and the Environment 

Topic: Exploring the Heritability of Nesting Traits in Female Saltmarsh Sparrows: An Interdisciplinary Research Experience in Ecology, Genetics and Conservation 

Matthew Hooper, Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Understanding the Role of STAT5 in STAT3 Driven Breast Cancer 

Elliot Meine, Neuroscience & Behavior 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences 

Topic: Primary Cilia Directionality in the Cortices of Different Vertebrate Species 

Tyler Olkkola, Wildlife & Conservation Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Remington Moll, Natural Resources and the Environment 

Topic: Assessing Fisher (Pekania pennanti) Population Dynamics across New Hampshire 

International Research Opportunities Program 2024 

Morgan Breen, Zoology 

Research Site: Bambelela Limpopo, South Africa 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Conroy, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems 

International Mentor: Ms. Silke von Eynern 

Topic: Vervet (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) Orphans Raised via Surrogacy and How Their Behaviors Differ from Those Born and Raised in the Wild 

Research Presentation Grants 2024 

Sydney Crotteau, Biochemical, Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering 

Topic: Electrochemical Detection of L-arginine via Cyclodextrin Mediated Platform 

Conference: Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy 

Julia Edgar, Biomedical Science, Medical and Vet Science 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering 

Topic: Metabolic Analysis Using Charged Cyclodextrins in an Electrochemical Biosensor 

Conference: American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 

Georgia Gempler, Emily Komerska, Neuroscience and Behavior 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. William Stine, Psychology 

Topic: The Effects of Contrast on Motion Induced Blindness and Perceptual Filling-In 

Conference: National Conference for Undergraduate Research 

Grace Higgins, Biochemical, Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering 

Topic: Adiponectin Electrochemical Detection via AdipoR2 Modified Gold Surfaces 

Conference: Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy 

Aaron Hoag, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Istvan Miko, Biological Sciences 

Topic: Undergraduate Journeys in Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy for Insect Collection Digitization 

Conference: Entomological Collections Network Annual Meeting 

Sae Matsumoto, Nutrition 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Noreem Mena, Agriculture Nutrition and Food Systems 

Topic: Characterizing Infant and Toddler Feeding Occasions 

Conference: Nutrition Education and Behavior Conference 

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 2023

Casey Baumann, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Detecting mRNA and Protein Production from a Transgene in Arabidopsis

Melanie Burley, Marine Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jennifer Dijkstra, Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Topic: Physiological Responses of the Invasive Species Botrylloides violaceus to Temperature

Georgianna Fischer, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Wilfred Wollheim, Natural Resources and the Environment

Topic: Predictors of Summer Chloride Exposure in Diverse Urban Aquatic Ecosystems

Becaye Gueye, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Christopher Hernandez, Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems

Topic: Phenotypic and Genetic Exploration of Plant Architecture in Cucurbita

Bryce Hannon, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jingwei Cheng, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Identifying Proteins Associated with YTHDC1

Kayleigh Hummel, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Wilfred Wollheim, Natural Resources and the Environment

Topic: Changes in Upland, Riparian, and Streambed Sediment C:N and Associated Water Quality in Response to Agricultural Activity

Margaret Krein, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jessica Ernakovich, Natural Resources and the Environment

Topic: Influence of Microplastic Contamination on Soil Microbial Community Composition

MacNeill Matthews, Genetics: Genomics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Elizabeth Harvey, Biological Sciences

Topic: Capabilities of Bacteria from the Genus Marinobacter for Increasing Siderophore Production Due to Iron Stress Levels in Their Dinoflagellate Hosts

Shea O’Connor, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Russell Congalton, Natural Resources and the Environment

Topic: Land Cover Mapping in the New Hampshire Coastal Watershed

Undergraduate Research Award (URA) 2023

Kelsey Alimandi, Biology

Hannah Manning, Biomedical Science: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sergios Charntikov, Psychology

Topic: Individual Behavioral and Neurobiological Markers Associated with Vulnerable to Alcohol Use Phenotype

Nicole Benjamin, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Discovering the Functions of Arabidopsis thaliana Protein S-acyltransferases That Are Expressed in Pollen

Eleanor Braun, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Conroy, Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems

Topic: The Prevalence and Impact of Dairy/Beef Crosses on Cattle Producers in New Hampshire and Perspectives of Stakeholders

Graham Collinsworth, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Phenotypic Characterization of Arabidopsis thaliana with Mutations in Two Different Pollen-Expressed Palmitoyl Transferase Genes

Graham Collinsworth, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Characterization of Messenger RNA from Arabidopsis thaliana Palmitoyl Transferase Mutant Genes

Samuel Comeau, Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nathan Furey, Biological Sciences

Topic: Using eDNA and Minnow Traps to Characterize Shallow Water Baitfish Assemblages in New Hampshire Coastal and Estuarine Waters

Daisha Drake, Biomedical Science: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Maria Carlota Dao, Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems

Topic: The Relationship between Human Neutrophil Peptide 1 (HNP-1) and Gut Microbiome Composition in a Population of Bhutanese Refugee Adults with a High Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes

Keegan Eveland, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Laura Kloepper

Topic: Investigating the Role of Social Calls and Echolocation during Flight in a Species Rich Environment

Georgia Gempler, Neuroscience and Behavior

Emily Komerska, Neuroscience and Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. William Stine, Psychology

Topic: The Effects of Contrast on Motion-Induced Blindness and Perceptual Filling-In

Rachel Lewis, Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michelle Fournet, Biological Sciences

Topic: Investigating the Relationship between Sea Ice Extent and Bearded Seal Breeding Phenology in the Alaskan Artic

Marissa Paine, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jingwei Cheng, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigating Transcription Factors in the SLaP Cellular Complex in Merkel Cell Carcinoma Using the Novel CUT&RUN Technique

Emily Pratt, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigating the Crosstalk between STAT3, GSK3-beta, and Integrin Signaling in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Alexzandria Sheppard, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Krisztina Varga, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Expression and Purification of an Antifreeze Protein from a Broadleaf Desert Shrub 

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2023

William Brandenburg, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Laura Kloepper, Biological Sciences

Topic: Linking Bioacoustics of Adelie Penguin Colonies to Their Phenology

Zachary Dolfini, Neuroscience and Behavior, Philosophy

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Donald Robin, Communication Sciences and Disorders

Topic: Focusing on Understand of Self with Improvisation and Ownership of Neuroscience (FUSION)

Julia Edgar, Biomedical Science: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Investigation of Using Charged Cyclodextrins to Increase Specificity to Charged Analytes

Zachary Hooper, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Amy Ramage, Communication Science and Disorders

Topic: Neural Bases of Implicit Learning of Natural Language in Healthy Adults and Adults with Aphasia

Soren Maret, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Probiotic Curtailment of Morphine-Induced Inflammation in a Mouse of Opioid Use Disorder

Olivia Martin, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: HIF-1alpha and STAT3 in Ovarian Cancer Metastasis

Eleora McCay, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Remington Moll, Natural Resources, and the Environment

Topic: Monitoring Mammals across the Granite State

Leo Napoleon, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Konstantinos Sousounis, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Role of Thrombin and FGF Signaling During Newt Lens Regeneration

Andrew Ricketts, Genetics and Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Chris Hernandez Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Topic: The Genetics of Female Flowering Time in Cucurbita pepo

Caroline Savage, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Remington Moll, Natural Resources and the Environment

Topic: How Humans Shape Carnivore Coexistence in Cleveland, Ohio

Ria Varki, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Vicki Jeffers, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Ready, SET, Go! Identifying the Essential Function of a Parasite Transcription Factor

Research Presentation Grants 2023

Kostandina Bicja, Neuroscience and Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Regulation of Postnatal Cortical Development by Neuronal Primary Cilia

Conference: American Society for Cell Biology Conference

Allison Carl, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sherine Elsawa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Promotion of Cell Proliferation under Hypoxia in Waldenström macroglobulinemia

Conference: Autumn Immunology Conference

Christopher Clark, Biomedical Sciences: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sherine Elsawa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Testing Different BTK Inhibition Therapies against Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) Lymphoma

Conference: Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society

Samuel Comeau, Marine, Estuarine and Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nathan Furey, Biological Sciences

Topic: Shallow Water Baitfish Assemblages in New Hampshire’s Coastal and Estuarine Waters

Conference: Joint Meeting of the Southern New England Chapter and Northeastern Division of the American Fisheries Society

Sydney Crotteau, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Cyclodextrin Electrochemical Biosensors for Arginine Detection

Conference: American Institute of Chemical Engineers Undergraduate Student Poster Competition

Keegan Eveland, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Laura Kloepper, Biological Sciences

Topic: The Soundscape of Dense Bat Swarms: Differences Based on Location within the Group

Conference: Acoustical Society of America Annual Meeting

Grace Higgins, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Scrambled Sequence Controls of Insulin Binding Polypeptide Used to Determine Surface Binding Behavior

Conference: American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Student Conference

Jaxson Libby, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Matrix Properties Regulate 3D Tumor Spheroid Growth and Cancer Drug Response

Conference: American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting

Hannah Manning, Biomedical Sciences: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sergios Charntikov, Psychology

Topic: Establishing Behavioral and Neurobiological Markers Associated with Ethanol Vulnerable Phenotype

Conference: Council on Undergraduate Research

Hannah Manning, Biomedical Sciences: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Paul Robertson, Classics, Humanities and Italian Studies

Topic: Understanding Ancient Alcoholism: Comparative Approaches in Physiology, Symptoms, Culture, and Psychology

Conference: Society of Biblical Literature Annual Conference

Emily Pratt, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Targeting STAT3 in TNBC with GSK3ꞵ and Integrin Inhibitors

Conference: American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting

Evelyn Proctor, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jingwei Cheng, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Targeting the ATR Pathway in Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Conference: National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 2022

Cameron Banks, Biomedical Sciences: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sherine Elsawa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Induction of Class Switching in Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia Cells

Quinn Beek, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Identifying Inhibitors to Target BCL6 in Ovarian Cancer

Kostandina Bicja, Neuroscience and Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Postnatal Primary Cilia Development Pattern in the Hippocampal CA3

Luke Botticelli, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixa Chu, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Epichaperome of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Madeleine Clement, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jingwei Cheng, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigating the Role of JMJ OIC in Cell Pluripotency and Possible Drug Target in Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC)

Samuel Comeau, Marine, Estuarine and Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nathan Furey, Biological Sciences

Topic: Shallow Water Baitfish Assemblages in Great Bay

Grace Finch, Animal Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Erickson, Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems

Topic: Evaluating the Difference in Growth of Katahdin Lambs vs. Dorper x Katahdin Lambs on Pasture

Margaret Hayes, Animal Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Needle, Senior Veterinary Pathologist

Topic: Skunk Adenovirus-1 Surveillance Geospatial and Genomic Characterization Study

Grace Higgins, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Music

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Detection of Adiponectin, a Biomarker for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, with Gold-Modified Surfaces

Isabelle Lopez, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Russell Congalton, Natural Resources and the Environment

Topic: Evaluating the Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems to Detect and Monitor Beach Bark Disease in New England Forests

Hannah Manning, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sergio Charntikov, Psychology

Topic: Establishing Behavioral and Neurobiological Markers Associated with Ethanol Vulnerable Phenotype

Andrea Pecora, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Analyzing the Effects of Rock Surface Composition on Bacterial Biofilm Formation

Emily Pratt, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Drug Combination to Target STAT3 in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Evelyn Proctor, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Justice Studies

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jingwei Cheng, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Testing Potential Inhibitors for the PISK-AKT-mTOR Pathway in Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Jacqueline Robidoux, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Needle, Senior Veterinary Pathologist

Topic: Comparison of the Microbiome of Mange-Infected and Mange-Free Red Fox

Matthew Scott, Marine, Estuary and Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nathan Furey, Biological Sciences

Topic: Modeling the Impacts of Invasive Streamside Plants and Food Availability on Brook Trout Feeding and Growth

Megan Wimsatt, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner,

Earth Sciences

Topic: Lake Sediment Incubations to Understand Temperature Control on Methane Production Rates

Undergraduate Research Award (URA) 2022

Rachel Achong, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Nathan Oldenhuis, Chemistry

Topic: Synthesis of Enzymes and pDNA for Biotechnology

Nicole Benjamin, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Discovering the Functions of Arabidopsis thaliana Protein S-acyltransferases That Are Expressed in Pollen

Jason Hansen, Biomedical Science: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Maria Carlota Dao, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Topic: Relationship between α-Defensins, Gut Microbiome, and Glycemic Status in Bhutanese Refugees

Hannah Manning, Biomedical Science: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Ethan O’Keefe, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Sergios Charntikov

Topic: Identifying Individuals Vulnerable to Heroin Use and Their Endophenotype

Jessica Mulligan, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology/Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Sergios Charntikov

Topic: The Role of the Coricostriatal Projection to the Anterior Dorsomedial Caudate Putamen on Learning with Interoceptive Nicotine Stimulus in Rats

Samantha Swartz, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Vicki Jeffers

Topic: Determining the Essentiality of Key Transcription Binding Proteins in Toxoplasma gondii through the Tetracycline Off Inducible Knockdown System

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2022

Heather Adams, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jingwei Cheng, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigating the Roles of SRSF Proteins in Merkel Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis

Amanda Ares, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Summer Cook, Kinesiology

Topic: An Immersion in Exercise Science Research from Inception to Dissemination

Corinne Fernald, Biomedical Sciences: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Characterization of Different Elastin-Like Polymer Surfaces towards Sensor Applications

Madison Henry, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Don Wojchowski,

Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Define Effects of a Novel Mediator of EPOR/JAK2 Action, C1ORF150/GCSAML, on the Growth and Development of Human Erythroid Progenitor Cells

Ellianna Jordan, Biomedical Sciences: Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andre Brito, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Evaluating Taste Preference in Dairy Calves Offered the Brown Seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum

Kennedy McGrath, Marine, Estuarine and Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Bonnie Brown, Biological Sciences

Topic: Body Burden of Microplastics in Two Great Bay Fishes

Sarah Nicholls, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Spatial RNA Sequencing and Desert Adaptation in Cactus Mice (Peromyscus eremicus)

Mikayla Shubert, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Remington Moll, Natural Resources and the Environment

Topic: Wildlife Responses to Exurban Landscape Features

Research Presentation Grants 2022

Angelica Dziurzynski, Marine Biology and Earth Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth K. Varner,

Earth Sciences

Topic: Assessing Controls of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from a Temperate Reservoir

Conference: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting

Aislinn Low, Neuroscience and Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof John Mayer, Psychology

Topic: Do I Have Your Attention Now?

The Need for an Advanced Data Screening Protocol for Online Research

Conference: The National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Natalie White, Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth K. Varner,

Earth Sciences

Topic: Historical and Contemporary Controls on Methane and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from a Temperate Forest Soil

Conference: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 2021

Rachel Badger, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Thomas Foxall, Biological Sciences

Topic: Determining the Health and Anticoccidial Activity of Limit-Fed Heifers with Sodium Butyrate Supplemented Diets

Julie Bobyock, Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jessica Ernakovich, Natural Resources

Topic: Analyzing Permafrost Active Layer Microbial Communities and Chemical/Physical Properties

Justine Cassel, Marine, Estuarine, & Freshwater Biology with Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Prof. James Haney, Biological Sciences

Topic: Assessing the Predictive Power of Pigment/Cyanotoxin Regressions in Fresh and Brackish Lakes

Victoria Denovellis, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: EEG Brainwave Pattern of App23 Mice (an Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model) Under Anesthesia

Angelica Dziurzynski, Marine Biology & Earth Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Topic: The Impact of Productivity Levels on Inland Water Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Ellie Hulit, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Use of Hybrid Genes to Investigate the Function of Protein Phosphotase 2A in Arabidopsis thaliana

Maeve Kelley, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jennifer Purrenhage, Natural Resources

Topic: Assessing Wetland Connectivity for the Endangered Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) in Southern New Hampshire

Aislinn Low, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. John Mayer, Psychology

Topic: People's Understanding of Personality and Their Everyday Behavior

Laura Lynch, Nutrition: Dietetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jesse Stabile Morrell, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Topic: Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security in New Hampshire Communities

Samantha Lynch, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nancy Whitehouse, Agriculture, Nutrition, & Food Systems

Topic: Determing the Effectiveness of Adi-Flow on Natural Mixed Mycotoxin Contaminated Feed Fed to Lactating Dairy Cows

Forest MacKenzie, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Elucidating the Role of Splice Variants for the Presynaptic Calcium Channel N-type on Behavioral Responses to Thermal and Mechanical Noxious Stimuli

Hannah Manning, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sergios Charntikov, Psychology

Topic: Effects of Inactivation of the Corticostriatal Pathway Projecting from Infralimbic Cortex to Posterior Dorsomedial Caudate-putamen on Learning in Male Rats

Stephen Mrenna, Marine, Estuarine, & Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Plachetzki, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Integrative Studies on Photobehavior and Visual Physiology in the Enigmatic Species Cristitella mucedo

Demetrius Phofolos, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Burdick, Marine Science & Ocean Engineering

Topic: Comparative Analysis of Change in Percent Cover of Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens at Two Massachusetts Salt Marshes Following Mosquito Ditch Remediation

Emily Pratt, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Targeting STAT3 in Breast Cancer

Vladimir Tkachev, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Comparing the Performance of Glutamate Sensors with Conventional Electrophysiology in vitro using Hippocampal Slices

Sarah Waleryszak, Nutrition: Nutritional Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jesse Stabile Morrell, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Topic: The Effects of Covid-19 on Food Insecurity in UNH Students

Catherine Wardinski, Marine, Estuarine, & Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gregg Moore, Biological Sciences

Topic: Microplastics in the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary: Analyzing Trends and Comparing Methodologies in Sample Collection

Natalie White, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Topic: Historical and Contemporary Controls on Methane Fluxes in Temperate Wetlands and Forest Soils

Undergraduate Research Award (URA) 2021

Diya Anad, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Identifying the Effects of Various Fractions of the Devil's Club Plant on SARS-CoV-2

Quinn Beek, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Testing the Effectiveness of Three Promoters to Fix a Root Growth Defect in Arabidopsis thaliana

Alexus Day, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Impacts of Obesity on Ceramide Treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2021

Rachel Achong, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nate Oldenhuis, Chemistry

Topic: The Topological Arrangement of Polymers

Madeleine Clement, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jingwei Cheng, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Reprogramming Role of PRMT5 in Virus-Positive Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Chloe Gross, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jennifer Andrews, Sustainability Institute

Topic: Assessing Opportunities for Regional Collaboration to Reduce the Impacts of Organic Waste

Kelsey MacCallum, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Primary cillia Regulation of EEG Patterns Associated with Trace Memory Formation

Research Presentation Grant 2021

Tyler Stetson, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Caitlin Mills, Psychology

Project Title: A Computational Approach to Understanding Computer-Mediated Health Conversations

Conference: National Undergraduate Research Conference (NCUR)

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 2020

***Indicates a student who received a grant in 2020 but could not follow through with their plans to conduct or present their research due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emma Arsenault, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Identifying the Most Effective Fraction of Devil’s Club Root Extract to Treat Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Jacob Dearborn, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Russell Congalton, Natural Resources

Topic: Evaluating the Use and Accuracy of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for Forest Health and Individual Tree Measurements in New England Forest Communities

Gianna DeMarco, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Daniel Howard, Biological Sciences

Topic: A Neurological Comparison of Gryllus and Allonemobius Species Response to Seismic Vibrations

Angelica Dziurzynski, Marine Biology, Earth Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Topic: The Impact of Sedges on

Belowground Methane Concertation and Diffusion in Temperate Peatlands

Abigail Flaherty, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Carrie Hall, Biological Sciences

Topic: Behavioral Plasticity and Burying Beetle Body Size

Tanner Frost, Forestry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Vadeboncoeur, Earth Systems Research Center

Topic: Comparison of Methods to Quantify Changes in Tree Productivity under Drought Conditions

Alyssa Greig, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Victoria Jeffers, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Role of Bromodomain Protein TgBDP1 in Regulating Gene Expression in the Protozoan Parasite Toxoplasma gondii

Olivia Lachapelle, Environmental Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Serita Frey, Natural Resources

Topic: Fungal Production of Enzymes, Melanin, and Metabolites in Artificial Soil

Troy LaPolice, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Investigating Gene Duplication Origin in a Non-Model Organism

Christopher Lenox, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Investigating Sphingolipid Regulation of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment

Yuri Makar, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Creation of a Three Dimensional Ovarian Cancer Mesothelial Invasion Assay

Griffin Nye, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Genomic and Phylogenetic Analysis of Antibiotic-Producing Streptomyces Bacteria from New Mexico and Utah Deserts

Julia Paquette, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Victoria Jeffers, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Identification of Novel TFIID-like Complexes in T. gondii

Robyn Parker, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rebecca Rowe, Natural Resources

Topic: Effects of Small Mammal Seed Predation on Seedling Establishment in Northern New Hampshire

Ryan Puterbaugh, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Krisztina Varga, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Structural Studies of a Regulator of G-Protein Signaling

Andrew Shapiro, Marine, Estuarine & Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nathan Furey, Biological Sciences

Topic: Impacts of Invasive Japanese Knotweed on Stream Habitat Quality for Brook Trout in the White Mountain National Forest

Maksim Shklyar, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Characterization of Acetylated Histone H3K56 Chromatin Subdomain

Julia Squillace, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources

Topic: Linking Nest Timing Phenotypes to DNA Methylation of Circadian Rhythm Genes in Breeding Female Tidal Marsh Sparrows

Tyler Stetson, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Caitlin Mills, Psychology

Topic: A Computational Approach to Understanding Computer-Mediated Heath Conversations

Ciara Devereaux, Biology

Grace McGrew, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jolie Wormwood, Psychology

Topic: Unintended Consequences of Fitness-Based Social Media Content for Mental Health and Well-Being

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Abroad 2020

***Olivia Rose, Animal Science: Pre-vet

Research Site:  Kildare, Ireland

Faculty Mentor:  Prof. Drew Conroy, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Foreign Faculty Mentor:  Mr. Joe Osborne, Managing Director of Kildangan Stud Farm

Topic:  A Case Study Exploring the Use of Nurse Mares and Their Effect on Foals in the Thoroughbred Industry

***Jillian Broadhurst, Biomedical Science:  Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Research Site:  Otjiwarongo, Namibia

Faculty Mentor:  Prof. Drew Conroy, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Foreign Faculty Mentor:  Ms. Annetjie Siyaya, Research and Education Manager, Cheetah Conservation Fund

Topic:  Perceptions of Wildlife, Livestock Management and Mitigation Strategies in Communal Conservancies in the Okakarara District Namibia

International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) 2020

***Lilly Friedman, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences   

Research Site: Montpellier, France

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr.Sergio Svistoonoff, National Research Institute for Development

Topic: Cell Signaling in the Actinorhizal Symbiosis

***Emily Gerraughty, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences  

Research Site: Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Conroy, Agriculture, Nutrition, & Food Systems

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Mrs. Angela Ferguson, ALERT, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Topic: Determining the Effect of Human Presence on Giraffe Vigilance Behaviors

***Hayleigh Hildebrand, Environmental Science: Ecosystems & Russian   

Research Site: Moscow, Russia

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stuart Grandy, Natural Resources

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Ms. Anna Yudina, Russian Federation

Topic: Investigating a Primary Control over Agriculture Soil Carbon: Mineral Associated Organic Matter in Moscow, Russia

***Kelsey Mercurio, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems / Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology   

Research Site: Palmarin & Dakar, Senegal

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nathalie Diagne & Dr. Mariama Ngom, Centre National de Recherches Agronomiques

Topic: The Impact of Casuarina, its Symbionts, and Seasonal Variation on Microbial Communities and Soil Properties in a Salt-Affected Field

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2020

Kostandina Bicja, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Primary Cilia under Traumatic Brian Injury

Claire Christopher, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Toward Understanding the Role of S-Acyl Transferases in Pollen: Creation of Null Mutants with CRISPR

Holly Farrell, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

 Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Role of Ciliary Adenylyl Cyclase 3 (AC3) in Trace Memory Formation

Delaney Hayward, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: How Do Organisms Respond to Extreme and Ever-Changing Environments?

Clara Manley, Animal Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Proctor, TSAS

Topic: Evaluation of Fecal Testing in Shelter Dogs

Olivia Williams, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Liz Harvey, Biological Sciences

Topic: Intercalibration of Methods for Detection of Dinospores in the Natural
Environment

Undergraduate Research Award 2020

Andrea Cote, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Streptomyces Produces Novel Anti-Cancer Metabolites for the Treatment of AML

Jennifer Mydosh, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Identifying Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence Genes in Staphylocuccus epidermidis Using Whole Genome Sequencing and Bioinformatics

Stephanie Petrovick, Environmental Sciences: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Heidi Asbjornsen, Natural Resources

Topic: Change in Oak Tree Vessel Diameter under Drought Conditions at Thompson Farm, NH

Bert Prince, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects of Devil’s Club Extracts on Sphingolipid Metabolism through GDF1 Expression

Samantha Schultz, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

 Topic: Effect of Rosiglitazone on STAT 3 Inhibition in Breast Cancer Cells

Summer Smith, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Ursolic Acid Blocks the NADPH Oxidase in Pathways of Neuroinflammation

Hailee Whitesel, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

 Faculty Mentor: Prof. Erin Hale, Sustainability Institute

Prof. Justin Monroe, Sustainability Institute

Topic: An Evaluation of Volunteers and Educators to Develop a Farm to School Volunteer Educator Program

Research Presentation Grant  2020

Holly Hoag, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Buck, Earth, Oceans, & Space

Project Title: Lunar Cycle and Haul-out Abundance of Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina) and Gray Seals (Halichoerus Grypus atlantica)at Duck Island, Maine and Surrounding Ledges

Conference: Gulf of Maine 2050 International Symposium

Kayli Neil, Biomedical Sciences: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: Atovaquone Targets STAT3 in Ovarian Cancer Spheroids

Conference: Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research (AACR)

David Walker, Biomedical Sciences: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: Neuroepidemiology of Chronic Pain: A Meta-Analysis of Regional Brain Activation in Chronic Pain

Conference: Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research (AACR)

Noah Waller, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Donald Robin, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Project Title: STAT3 Promotes Ovarian Cancer Spheroid Growth and Metastasis

Conference: American Physical Health Association 2019

Honors Thesis Grant 2020

Anika Frink, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Janet Anderson, Zoology

Thesis: Impacts of Inappropriate Human Possession of Wildlife on the Animal's Wellbeing

Molly Hanlon, Biomedical Sciences: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Marta Lima, Agriculture, Nutrition, & Food Systems

Thesis: Antioxidant Activity and Phytochemical Composition of Grapes

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA - 2019

Daniel Banas, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Thomas Foxall, Biological Sciences

Topic: Effects of Two Diabetic Conditions on Inflammation Molecules Related to Atherogenesis

Maddisun Barrows, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sherine Elsawa, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Long Non-Coding RNA Expression in Waldenstrӧm’s Macroglobulinemia

Draven Bishop, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Don Wojchowski, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Role of Phosphoprotein “C10RF186” During Epodependent Erythroid Progenitor Cell Formation

Sarah Blatchley, Marine, Estuarine and Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Daniel Howard, Biological Sciences

Topic: Come on Feel the Noise: Vibrational Communication and Mating Signal Disruption in the Potato Leafhopper, an Insect Pest in New England Vineyards

Hailey Carter, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. James Haney, Biological Sciences

Topic: Investigating Environmental Drivers of Toxin Producing Cyanobacteria Aerosols

Andrea Cote, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Devil’s Club: The Alaskan Ethnobotanical Plant and the Opportunity for the Development of Foregut Cancer Therapeutics

Alexa DeMember, Genomics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects of White-Nose Syndrome on Bat Wing Microbiome

Diane DeVries, Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Topic: Comparison of Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions Along a Nitrate Gradient in the Ipswich River, Massachusetts

Daniel DiRocco, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigating the Role of Protein Phosphatase 2A in the Salt Stress Response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Hannah Duperry, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Ross, Psychology

Topic: The Importance of Proactive Control in the Targeted Retrieval of Content Specific Memory

Jessica Hodgkins, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Identification of Virulence Factors in Serratia marcescens

Troy LaPolice, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effect of Transcriptome Assembly Quality on Phylogenetic Relationships

Kaitlyn Magner, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Determining How Surrounding Landscape Composition Influences Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) Occurrence in Fields in Southeastern New Hampshire

Vincent Pagano, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Russell Congalton, Natural Resources

Topic: Determining Viability of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to Map Forest Edge Influence in New England Forest Communities

Benjamin Phillips, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jennifer Purrenhage, Natural Resources

Topic: Reassessing the Effects of Urbanization on Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) Population Structure after 18 Years of Environmental Change

Ryan Puterbaugh, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Krisztina Varga, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Effects of Mutation on Structure and Binding of the Intrinsically Disordered Protein PopZ

Adriana Radosavljevic, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects of Methamphetamine on Histone Modifications

Fern Schrader, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Differentiation of 3t3-11 Cells into Adipocytes

Brennan Senecal, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Gene Dosage May Explain Phenotypic Differences between Mutants in Arabidopsis

Ryan Spelman, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Anissa Poleatewich, Agriculture, Nutrition, & Food Systems

Topic: Effect of Temperature on the Efficacy of Chemical Disinfectants for Greenhouse Sanitation

Hannah Stewart, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability, Environmental Resource Economics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Russell Congalton, Natural Resources

Topic: Evaluating the Benefits of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in the Assessment of Forest Health and Associated Ecological Processes

Andrew Sullivan, Marine, Estuarine & Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Plachetzki, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Evolutionary Genomic Insights on Novel Trait Evolution in Hagfish

Bonnie Turek, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Gardner, Civil Engineering

Topic: Remote Sensing of Rivers: Assessing Topographic Mapping Accuracy Based on the Use of Terrestrial and Submerged Aquatic Ground Control Points using Drone Technology

Tyler Wade, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Don Wojchowski, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Functional Roles of the Novel Cytokine Receptor Adaptor Protein “C10RF150” During Human Myeloid Cell Development

David Walker, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Determining Novel STAT3 Target Genes Involved in Metastasis of Ovarian Cancer

Benjamin Wymer, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rebecca Rowe, Natural Resources

Topic: Habitat Associations of Small Mammals and Their Impact on Forest Regeneration in Northern New Hampshire

Allison Stefanelli, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Jenna O’del, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources

Topic: Investigating Threats of Small Mammal Populations and Associated Predation in Captive Breeding Pens of New England Cottontails (Sylvilagus tranitionalis)

Griffin Nye, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Michael Pellitteri, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Genomic and Phylogenetic Analyses of Multidrug Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Associated with Pet Animals

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Abroad - 2019

Jacob Gehrung, Environmental Science: Ecosystems  

Research Site: Quito, Ecuador

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Shadi Atallah, Natural Resources

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rommel Montúfar, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador 

Topic: Community Dependence on Ivory Palm in Ecuador

Undergraduate Research Award (URA) - 2019

Samantha Allen, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: How Do Field Size, Shape, and Openness Influence Bobolink Distribution among Fields in Southeastern New Hampshire

Sharlene Amador, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Insights on the Role of Genome-Wide Recombination in the Evolution of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi

John Ball, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Genetic Determinants of Antibiotic Resistance in Rare Species of Staphylococcus Bacteria

Emily Berry, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Culligan, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Do RPA-Dependent Epigenetic Modifications Regulate Early Flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana

Aaron Dollin, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ronald Croce, Kinesiology

Topic: EEG Patterns of Motor Memory Consolidation Depend on Practice Structure

Juan Gomez-Rivadeneira, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Dissecting Cell-Specific Roles of ɑ₂ δ- Proteins in Seizure-Like Activity of Drosophila melanogaster

Anna Haber, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: Metabolic Engineering of Polyamine Biosynthetic Genes in Rice to Improve Drought and Salt Tolerance

Emily Johnson, Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Heidi Asbjornsen, Natural Resources

Topic: Measuring the Effect of a Long-Term Drought on Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Communities

Colin McGonagle, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Genetic Diversity and Evolutionary Relationships of Staphylococcus Bacteria in Co-Infected Animal Hosts

Kara Rzasa, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Developing Galleria mellonella as an Infection Model for Virulent Mutations in Vibrio parahaemolyticus With Flp-FRT Recombination

Emily Sullivan, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

 Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Gdf1 Regulates Sphingolipid Metabolism in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

David Walker, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Walker, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Effect of STAT3 Reduced Expression on Ovarian Cancer Mesothelial Clearance Ability

Dania Zaiter, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Exploring the Potential of Marine Actinobacteria as Source of Novel Antibiotics

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) - 2019

Kylee Casner, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Studying the Genetics of Peromyscus eremicus

Grace Roy, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Donald Robin, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Topic: Music, Improvisation and Brain Education Promotes Creativity, Cognitive Growth and Neural Plasticity

Tyler Silverwood, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

 Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Determining the Epigenetic Basis of Methamphetamine Addiction in the Dorsal Striatum Region of Rats

Natalie White, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gregg Moore, Biological Sciences

Topic: Examining Living Shorelines in Tidal Marshes of Great Bay Estuary

Research Presentation Grant - 2019

Kathryn Bennett, Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Project Title: Using Stable Isotope Analysis of Methane in the Bubbles and Sediment Porewater of Ponds to Determine Methane Production Pathways

Conference: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2018

Colleen Donovan, Nutrition / Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology

Project Title: Individual Vulnerability to Traumatic Stress Predicts Increased Demand for Heroin and Cue-Induced Reinstatement: A Novel Preclinical Approach to Study Individual Differences Underlying Traumatic Stress and Heroin Use Comorbidity

Conference: Society for Neuroscience

Alyssa Greig, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Semra Aytur, Health Management & Policy

Project Title: Using Data to Support the Healthy Brain Initiative: Assessing Risk Factors Associated with Cognitive Decline and Cardiovascular Disease

Conference: American Public Health Association Annual Meeting

Anna Haber, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Project Title: Understanding the Role of Polyamines in Rice under Drought and Salt Stress

Conference: Plant Biology 2019

Jessica Haskins, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Alison Watts, Civil & Environmental Engineering

Project Title: eDNA and the American Eel; A Comparison of PCR and Metabarcoding to Detect Eel Returns in NH Rivers

Conference: 9th Annual Summit on Coastal & Estuarine Restoration and Management

Paige McKibben, Environmental & Resource Economics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. John Halstead, Natural Resources

Project Title: Community Economic Impacts of Lowering the Drinking Water Standard for Arsenic in New Hampshire Municipal Water Supplies

Conference: Southern Regional Science Association

Jordan Strater, Environmental & Resource Economics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. John Halstead, Natural Resources

Project Title: Potential Solutions for a Recycling Crisis: The Case of Mixed Paper

Conference: Southern Regional Science Association

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – USA 2018

Marie Akiki, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Regulation of Cav2.2 Pre-mRNA Splicing by Stress

Bethany Balstad, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stuart Grandy, Natural Resources

Topic: Using a Novel Isotopically Labelled Method to Determine Gross Immobilization and Depolymerization of Amino Acids in Conventional and Organic Agriculture Soils

Emily Beard, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentors: Prof. Heidi Asbjornsen & Matthew Vadeboncoeur, Natural Resources

Topic: Measuring the Effects of Drought on Water Use in Mid-Canopy Tree Species

Jessica Brown, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Ross, Psychology

Topic: The Modulation of Episodic Memory by Value

Julian Brown, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Functional Characterization of the CACHD1 Protein, a Member Closely Related to the Gabapentinoid Receptor ɑ2σ

Jason Cournoyer, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Marc Boudreau, Chemistry

Topic: Synthesis of Enduracididine through C-H Amination of Protected Arginine

Corina Danielson, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rebecca Rowe, Natural Resources

Topic: Factors Influencing Seed Selection by Small Mammals in New England Forests

Justin Furrow, Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Smith, Natural Resources

Topic: Assessment of Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in Cover Crops Affected by Pesticide Seed Treatments

Anna Haber, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: Metabolic Engineering of Spermidine Synthase in Rice for Improvement of Drought and Salt Tolerance

Jessica Haskins, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Alison Watts, Civil & Environmental Engineering

Topic: Using eDNA to Evaluate American Eel Populations

Madeline Juffras, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Topic: Scaling Methane Emissions Using Vegetation Cover Type at Sallie’s Fen

Owen Kanter, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Comparing the Use of Clear Cuts and Transmission Line Rights-of-Way by Adult and Juvenile Mature-Forest Songbirds

Jingjing Lou, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Krisztina Varga, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Structure and Function of the Bacterial Scaffolding Protein, PopZ

Alexis Maillet, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Cote, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: PDE1 as a Potential Target for Nematicide Development

Lily Mooney, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Uncovering Roles of PAT Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana

Amber Nurse, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Quantitative Histone Modification Characterization of Endoderm, Mesoderm, and Neural Progenitor Cells

Jessica Ohrenberger, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jessica Bolker, Biological Sciences

Topic: A Guide to Fish Larvae around the Isles of Shoals, ME

Hannah Pare, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sandra Rehan, Biological Sciences

Topic: Maternal Aggression and Nestmate Interactions in a Facultatively Social Bee

Marissa Prizio, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Proctor, TSAS Veterinary Technology

Topic: Evaluating Factors Related to Spay/Neuter Status at the Cocheco Valley Humane Society 2008-2018

Michael Thompson, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Assessing Forest Songbird Use of Narrow and Wide Transmission Line Rights-of-Way in Southern New Hampshire

Noah Waller, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Don Robin, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Topic: Regional Brain Activation in Chronic Pain: A Quantitative Meta-Analysis for Therapeutic Protocol

Michael Zampini, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Topic: Impact of Nitrogen Inputs on Plant Species Composition in a NH Fen

John Ball, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Krista Mastrogiacomo, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Exploring the Diversity of Antibiotic-Producing Streptomyces Bacteria in the Earthworm Mucus

Emily Sullivan, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Alexander Thorpe, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Gdf1 Regulates Sphingolipid Metabolism and Stem Cell Biology in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Sharlene Amador, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Colin McGonagle, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

 Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Epidemiology and Antibiotic Resistance of Staphylococcus Species from Veterinary Animals and Wildlife in New England

International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) 2018

Amanda Kabel, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology    

Research Site: Aachen, Germany

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences  

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Bjorn Falkenburger, Aachen University  

Topic: Elucidating the Structure of Neuronal Primary Cilia using Expansion Microscopy

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – Abroad 2018

Kathryn Bennett, Environmental Science: Sustainability  

Research Site: Abisko, Sweden

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Patrick Crill, Stockholm University 

Topic: Patterns of Growth and Ebullitive CH4 Flux from Subarctic Thaw Ponds in Abisko Sweden

Emma Faddoul, Biomedical Science: Medical/Veterinary Sciences  

Research Site: Chingola, Zambia

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Conroy, Applied Animal Science & Integrated Agriculture 

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Mr. Edwin Van Leeuwen, University of St. Andrews  

Topic: Observing Gregariousness in Chimpanzee Mothers Based on Gender

Ian Lichtenstein, Biomedical Sciences: Microbiology   

Research Site: Kumasi, Ghana

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adele Marone, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alex Owusu-Ofori, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital  

Topic: A Descriptive Study of Transfusion Practices within Areas with High Malaria Rates in Ghana

Amber McElhinney, Equine Studies: Equine Science   

Research Site: Edinburgh, Scotland

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Conroy, Applied Animal Science & Integrated Agriculture

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Keen, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies 

Topic: Analysis of Equine Aortic Valve Function

Peter Tansey, Environmental Science   

Research Site: Abisko, Sweden

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andreas Persson, Lund University  

Topic: The Fate of Dissolved Organic Carbon in a Subarctic Watershed

Undergraduate Research Award 2018

Sharlene Amador, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Distribution of Methicillin-Susceptible and Methicillin-Resistant Strains of Staphylococcus Species in Pets and Livestock Animals

Nathan Blais, Environmental Science: Soils & Watershed Management

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Alexandra Contosta, Earth Systems Research Center

Topic: Quantifying the Effects of Forest-to-Pasture and Forest-to-Silvopasture Conversions on Supporting and Regulating Ecosystems Services

Stephanie Copeland, Biomedical Sciences: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources & the Environment

Topic: DNA Analyses of Prairie Warbler Population Structure and Dispersal in Southern Maine and New Hampshire

Kevin Marc Dioneda, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Antibiotic Resistance Profile of Escherichia coli from Fecal Samples of Wild Bears (Ursus spp.)

Colleen Donovan-West, Nutrition/Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology

Topic: The Role of Anxiety on the Development of Anorexia in Females: An Investigation of Individual Differences

John Durant, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Identifying Genetic Interactions among Protein Phosphatase 2A C-Subunit Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana

Olivia Fortuna, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rebecca Rowe, Natural Resources

Topic: Lasting Effects of White-Nose Syndrome: Wing Damage and Reproductive Status of Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus)

Mary Hurley, Biomedical Sciences: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Devil’s Club-Derived NADPH Oxidase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Allison Lehoux, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Faculty Mentors: Anissa Poleatewich & Todd Guerdat, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

Topic: Enabling Hydroponics; Evaluating Root Development using Synthetic & Aquaponic Nutrient Sources

Shrimika Madhavan, Genetics & International Affairs

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: Effect of Polyamine Manipulations on Acrolein Production in Plants (Arabidopsis thaliana)

Mary Mullins, Biomedical Sciences: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences

Topic: Analysis of Whelk, Busycotypus canaliculatus, Circadian Rhythms of Locomotion

James Pazzanese, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: Microbial Degradation of Barnacle Glue Post-Barnacle Death

Melissa Perry, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

 Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Quantification of Histone Modifications of Neural Progenitor Cells

Emily Ray, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. James Haney, Biological Sciences

Topic: The Role of Daphnia in the Aerosolization of Bloom Forming Cyanobacteria

Nicholas Ritzo, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Diversity and Biotransformation Potential of Gut-Associated Streptomyces Bacteria for Anti-Cancer Activity

Taylor Schwartz, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Environmental Reservoirs and Antibiotic Resistance Profile of the Coliform Bacterium Klebsiella pneumonia

Alexander Thorpe, Biochemistry, Molecular, & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Anti-Leukemic Action of Dihydrosphingosine-1-Phosphate in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Caitlyn Vincent, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jennifer Purrenhage, Natural Resources

Topic: Occurrence of Blood Parasites in Raptors, Waterfowl, and Seabirds Admitted for Wildlife Rehabilitation in the Northeast, United States

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2018

Jillian Broadhurst, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Proctor, TSAS Veterinary Technology

Topic: Evaluation of Antibiotic Use in Shelter Cats with Upper Respiratory Infection: A Prospective Study

Matilda Delgado, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kang Wu, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Engineering a Thermostable Regulator LacI for Inducible Expression in Geobacilli

Travis Fischer, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

 Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sherine Elsawa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Role of GLI3 in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

Jeremiah Friedman, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

 Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Developing a Toolkit of Higher-Order Mutants to Understand Gene Function in Plants

Alyssa Greig, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Semra Aytur, Health Management & Policy

Topic: Risk Perception Provision of Aquatic Ecosystem Services

Joshua Hall, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sandra Rehan, Biological Sciences

Topic: Status of Native Pollinators: Bee Biodiversity and Conservation in New Hampshire

Sierra Kruser, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Pharmacological Effects of Antidepressants on Neuronal and Astrocyte Primary Cilia

Sydney Lambert, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigation of Diverging Evolutionary History of Symbiotic and Planktonic Vibrio fisheri Strains through Genetic and Phenotypic Characterization

Troy LaPolice, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources

Topic: Interdisciplinary Research Experiences in Wildlife Conservation

Mary MacMillan, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Genomic Comparisons between Wild-Type and Captive Mice

Kelsey Mercurio, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology; Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

 Faculty Mentor: Prof. Anissa Poleatewich, Agriculture, Nutrition & Food Systems

Topic: The Effects of Tomato Cultivar on Population Genomics of Bacillus Subtillus over Time: Developing a Model Assay

Alexandra Papadakis, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Joanne Burke, Agriculture, Nutrition & Food Systems

Topic: On the Challenges and Opportunities in the NH Food System: A Farmer and Consumer Perspective

Adriana Radosavljevic, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Epigenetic Regulation in Drug Abuse

Hailee Whitesel, Animal Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Erickson, Agriculture, Nutrition & Food Systems

Topic: The Effect of Meloxicam on the Ability of Neonatal Dairy Calves to Absorb Nutrients Provided by Colostrum Replacer

Research Presentation Grant

Maura Donovan, Nutrition/Dietetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Pietro, Agriculture, Nutrition & Food Systems

Project Title: Evaluating Measured and Predicted Thoracic Gas Volumes during Air Displacement Plethysmography to Determine Body Composition in Male College Athletes

Conference: American Society for Nutrition 2018 Conference

Anna Haber, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Project Title: Understanding the Role of Polyamines in Rice under Drought and Salt Stress

Conference: American & Canadian Plant Biologist Annual Meeting

Amanda LeBel, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. William Stine, Psychology

Project Title: Reducing Between-Subject Variation in Motion-Induced Blindness using the Method of Constant Stimuli

Conference: Annual Meeting of the International Society of Psychophysics

Alexis Mack, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Troubleshooting the Process of Creating an Electrochemically Active Elastin-Like Polymer

Conference: American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference

Jessica Ohrenberger, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jessica Bolker, Biological Sciences

Project Title: To Bend or Not to Bend? Hinged Teeth in the Goosefish (Lophius americanus) Have Multiple Functions and Two Distinct Lever Systems

Conference: Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Annual Meeting

Elizabeth Suschana, Nutrition

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Pietro, Agriculture, Nutrition & Food Systems

Project Title: Evaluating Measured and Predicted Thoracic Gas Volumes during Air Displacement Plethysmography to Determine Body Composition in Male College Athletes

Conference: American Society for Nutrition 2018 Conference

Kadianne Tommasi, Marine, Estuarine & Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Mr. David Buck, Shoals Marine Laboratory

Project Title: The Interspecific Interactions and Habitat Preferences of Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina concolor) and Gray Seals (Halichoerus grypus) on Duck Island and Ledges, ME

Conference: Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium

Honors Thesis Grant

Alexis Mack, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Thesis: Development of Electrochemically Active Elastin-Like Polymer Biosensor for a Novel Biosensor Application

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – Abroad 2017

Shrimika Madhavan, Genetics & International Affairs

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Research Site: Chiba University, Japan

Topic: Acrolein Production and Cytotoxic Diseases

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – USA 2017

Zoe Beausoleil, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Effects of Housing Environment on Thermal and Mechanical Nociceptive Responses in Mice

Audrey Berenson, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Steve Jones, Natural Resources

Topic: The Significance of Sediment Associated V. Parahaemolyticus on Oyster Contamination

Kevin Marc Dioneda, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Diversity of Antibiotic-Producing Streptomyces Bacteria in Lumbricus Worm

Timothy Gray, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Ross, Psychology

Topic: An Analysis of Phase-Amplitude Coupling in Working Memory via Endogenous Attention

Kyle Hacker, Environmental Science: Soil & Watershed Management

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Wilfred Wollheim, Natural Resources

Topic: The Effect of Sediment Properties on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Three Differently Human Impacted Fluvial and Reservoir Systems

Katherine Hyson, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ronald Croce, Kinesiology

Topic: Sleep Quality’s Effect on Oscillatory Activity Underlying Information Processing during Motor Control

Amanda Kabel, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects Type 3 Adenylyl Cylcase Ablation Have on the Satiety Hormone Peptide YY (3-36) in Regards to Signaling in the Hypothalamus

Kiley Kennedy, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sandra Rehan, Biological Sciences

Topic: Empirical Insights into Inter-Individual Behaviors in a Facultatively Social Bee at the Earliest Stages of Social Transition (Ceratina calcarata)

Victoria Kleiner, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Mutational Analysis of Salt Tolerance in Casuarina Isolate Frankia

Amanda LeBel, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. William Stine, Psychology

Topic: The Effect of Types of Motion on Microsaccade Rates in Motion-Induced Blindness

Kaelina Lombardo, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Exploring Renal Microcirculation in the Cactus Mouse

Kevin Newton, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Comparing Bird Communities Using Shrubby Transmission Line Rights-of-Way Dominated by Either Native Shrubs or Invasive Shrubs

Hieu Nguyen, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Developing a Method to Predict Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) Conformation that Binds to Anticancer Drug PU-H71 Using Cross-Linking Percentage and Bovine Albumin as a model

Emily Perry, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Heidi Asbjornsen, Natural Resources

Topic: Assessing the Vulnerability of New England Trees to Drought by Measuring Hydraulic Conductivity

Joseph Poggi, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Foster, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects of White Nose Syndrome (Pseudogymnoascus destructans) on the Health of Myotis incifugus in Summer Colonies in the Northeast

Alissa Scinto, Animal Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Foster, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Molecular Diet Analysis of Hawaiian Birds

Ivey Telles, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Genetic Characterization of Osmoregulation in a Desert-Adapted Cactus Mouse – (Peromyscus eremicus)

Kelly Trainor, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sergios Charntikov, Psychology

Topic: Functional Involvement of Dorsomedial Caudate-Putamen in Associative Learning with Intravenous Nicotine Stimulus

Kathleen Wadiak, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Comparing Bird Communities within Shrubby Transmission Line Rights-of-Way Managed by Mowing or by Selective Herbicide Application

Taylor Schwartz, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Nicholas Ritzo, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Andam, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Characterization of Antagonistic Interactions among Animal-Associated Streptomyces Bacteria

International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) 2017

Luke Daly, Biomedical Science – Medical & Veterinary Science   

Research Site: Aachen, Germany

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences 

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stefan Gründer, Aachen University 

Topic: Identification of New ASIC Inhibitors in the Chemical Family of Aromatic Diamidines

Courtney Kamyk, Animal Science   

Research Site: Livingstone, Zambia

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Conroy, Thompson School of Applied Science

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jackie Abell, African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 

Topic: Boldness and Natural Behaviors in Lions (Panthera leo): How Are They Related?

Undergraduate Research Award 2017

Dan Birnstihl, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ryan Dickson, Biological Sciences

Topic: Evaluating Height Control Strategies for Hydroponically Grown Leafy Greens and Herbs

David Macomber, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Foster, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Correlating Insect Abundance with Bat Diets

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2017

Katherine Anderson, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Role of Ciliary Adenylyl Cyclase 3 (AC3) in Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis

Melanie Bertolino, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Alternative Splicing of Presynaptic N-Type (Cav2.2) Calcium Channels Influences Blood Pressure and Heart Rate

Julian Brown, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Histochemical Characterization of Spinal Cord Endothelial Cells and Pericytes that Express Cholecystokinin

Cierra Cowan, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Daniel Howard, Biological Sciences

Topic: Eavesdropping on Aliens; Using Substrate-Borne Signature Analysis to Identify Forest Invasion by the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Jackson Hastings, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: To Quantitatively Discern the Genetic and Epigenetic Architecture of the Poison Dart Frog (Ranitomeya imitator) and it’s Different Morphological Variations in Different Stages of Development

Jessica Hodgkins, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Krisztina Varga, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Antifreeze Proteins: Nature’s Cryoprotectants

Mary Hurley, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Devil’s Club-Derived NADPH Oxidase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Owen Kanter, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Pekins, Natural Resources

Topic: Measuring Productivity in NH Moose

Kayli Neil, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jill McGaughy, Psychology

Topic: Persistent Effects on Attention and the Prefrontal Cortex of Early Life Exposure to Marijuana-Like Drugs

Amber Nurse, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Trophoblast Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Vincent Pagano, Environmental & Resource Economics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. John Halstead, Natural Resources

Topic: Market Structure and Analysis of Monopolistic Competition for Regional Craft Breweries

Brennan Senecal, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Isoform Swapping: Can Members of a Gene Family be Functionally Interchanged?

Alexander Thorpe, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Exploring the Mechanism of Action of Dihydrosphingosine 1-Phosphate in Leukemia Cell Lines through the Regulation of Polycomb Repressive Complexes

Emily Winfrey, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: Antibacterial Peptides in the Treatment of Equine Disease: The Role of DEFA-1 and eCATH-1 in the Treatment of Rhodococcus equi Infections

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – Abroad 2016

Kira Rasmussen, Animal Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Erickson, Biological Sciences

Research Site: Vancouver, Canada

Topic: Research Project to Study Living Conditions Impacts on Stress Levels of Dairy Cows

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – USA 2016

Alison Bean, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigation of the cAMP Signal Transduction Pathway in Neuronal Primary Cilia

Caitlin Bucksbaum, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Clyde Denis, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Analysis of SUP35 Protein Aggregation in Relation to Neurodegenerative Disease Development

Luke Daly, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Does Type III Adenylyl Cyclase Regulate Memory Formation in Adult Mice?

Molly Dawson, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Assembly of the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio) Transcriptome

Nicholas de Diego, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Determining Protein Phosphatase 2A C-Subunit Gene Interactions on Root Growth Under Salt Stress

Christina DiMeo, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Plachetzki, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Determining the Larval Sensory Genetic Repertoire of the Cnidarian Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus

Nicholas Duggan, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. William Stine, Psychology

Topic: Exploring Spatial Frequency Channels in Stereopsis

Yusuf Ebrahim, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Effects of Two Selective Anti-Cancer Agents on Patient-Derived Samples of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Benjamin Gallo, Marine, Estuarine & Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Erik Chapman, Biological Sciences

Topic: Using Ocean Temperature & Water Chemistry to Understand Catch Patterns in the NH Gillnet Fishery; Enhancing Fishermen’s Ecological Knowledge to Improve Selectivity

Lily Harris, Environmental & Resource Economics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. John Halstead, Natural Resources & the Environment

Topic: Perception and Purchasing of Local Agricultural Products by Restaurants in the Seacoast Area

Molly Jacobson, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sandra Rehan, Biological Sciences

Topic: Biodiversity and Conservation of Native Bee Pollinators in Southern New Hampshire

Sean Lombard, Biomedical Sciences: Medical & Veterinary Science 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sandra Rehan, Biological Sciences

Topic: An Ecological Study of Georgian Populations of Ceratina calcarata

Jacqueline Marshall, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Barth, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Comparing the Regulation of Alternatively Spliced Isoforms of Ceramide Synthases in AML

Sarah Martini, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Seeing What Sticks: An Integrative Approach to Examine the Effect of Adhesion Mutation in Experimentally Evolved Vibrio fischeri Symbionts

Seth McNutt, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Are Leukemic Hemocytes Transmissible Between Soft-Shelled Clams (Mya arenaria)?

Hieu Nguyen, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Using Chemical Cross-Linking and Mass Spectrometry to Identify the Binding Mechanism of PU-H71 on Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) in MDA-MD-468 Human Breast Cancer Cells

Alyssa Richman, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Dennis Mathews, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: The Effect of Age on Adventitious Root Formation in Arabidopsis

Kathryn Slebodnik, Environmental Science: Soil & Watershed Management

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Alexandra Contosta, Earth Systems Research Center

Topic: Effects of Land-Use Change on Soil Nitrogen Retention at the University of New Hampshire Organic Dairy Research Farm

Daniel Turner, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences Topic: Investigation of the Relationship Between the Thyroid and Reproductive Systems in Sea Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus

Emily Van Gulick, Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Lamprey Behavioral Studies and the Development of an Interactive Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Brain Database

Casey Coupe, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Cooper Bryer, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: The Influence of Shrubland Type and Area on the Abundance, Age Structure, and Site Fidelity of Male Prairie Warblers and Field Sparrows

Zachary Tepper, Neuroscience & Behavior (COLA)

Sumeet Panesar, Neuroscience & Behavior (COLSA)

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Role of CACNA1B Pre-mRNA Alternative Splicing on the Actions of Analgesic Drugs

Hannah Sargent, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Caleb Grot, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Arturo Andrade, Biological Sciences

Topic: Sex-Dependent Regulation of Pre-Synaptic N-Type Calcium Channels mRNA in the Pain Pathway

Undergraduate Research Award 2016

Shenandoah Crook, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Smith, Natural Resources

Topic: Assessing Re-Growth Potential of

Summer, Fall, and Spring Available Alternative Forage Crops in New Hampshire

Robert LeBel, Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Development Defects Caused by Ablation of Type III Adenylyl Cyclase

Eric Macdonald, Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigation of the Relationship Between the Thyroid and Reproductive Systems in Sea Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus

Alexis Mack, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Electrochemical Monitoring for Condensation of Elastin-Like Polymers with Quartz Crystal Microbalance

David Macomber, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Foster, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Genotyping of Brucella DNA for the Creation of a Phylogenetic Tree

Kishan Patel, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: KDAMP: Antibiotics of the Next Generation

Nicole Petersen, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Characterizing Two New Sodium-Induced Root-Skewing Mutants, srs4 and srs10

Lily Poland, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rebecca Rowe, Natural Resources

Topic: Missing Digits: Using Demographics and Abundance to Investigate Intraspecific Competition in Shrews

International Research Opportunities Program 2016

Lizzie Gill, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems & International Affairs   

Research Site: La Garita, Costa Rica

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Ogden, Biological Sciences 

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Walter Barrantes, Universidad de Costa Rica  

Topic: Exploring the Diversity of Tropical Pumpkin, Cucurbita moschata, in Costa Rica

Alison Jeffrey, Biomedical Science –Medical & Veterinary Science  

Research Site: Harkerville, South Africa

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Drew Conroy, TSAS

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Debbie Young, Knysna Elephant Park

Topic: Social Daily Activity Patterns of Captive African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana)

Garrett Thompson, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology   

Research Site: Chester, England

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Trevor Davies, University of Chester

Topic: Electrochemical Detection of DNA Methylation Related to Cancer

Elisabeth Wise, Biomedical Science – Medical & Veterinary Science   

Research Site: Otjiwarongo, Namibia

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Drew Conroy, TSAS

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laurie Marker, Cheetah Conservation Fund

Topic: Mapping the Daily Movements of Cheetahs on Namibia’s Commercial Farmlands

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2016

Jasmina Cesko, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The p53/Mortalin Complex in Patient Derived Cells: Can the Chemical Agents MKT-077 or Withanone Disassociate These Two Proteins and Promote Programmed Cellular Death?

Colleen Donovan, Nutrition

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology

Topic: The Effects of Intermittent Swim Stress on Heroin Self-Administration

Sarah Filion, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Clyde Denis, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Quantitation of Chaperone Abundance in Huntingtin Protein Aggregates

Anna Haber, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Anita Klein, Biological Sciences

Topic: Domestication of the Red Alga Porphyra Umbilicalis

Amanda Kabel, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof Xuanmao Chen, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Role of Type 3 Adenylyl Cyclase (AC3) in Obesity

Brianna Looney, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Does a Truncated Version of the Transcription Factor p53 Exist in the Acute Myeologenous Leukemia Cell Line KG-1 and Does It Behave Like Full-Length P53 Documented for Other Cancer Cells?

Krista Mastrogiacomo, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof Richard Cote,

 Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Are Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) Expressed in Primary Cilla?

Research Presentation Grant

Alana Davidson, Nutrition

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jesse Morrell, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: Food Insecurity Among College Students

Conference: 2016 Northeast Regional Honors Conference

Jessica DelGreco, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michael Palace, Earth Science

Project Title: Characterization of Vegetation Change in a Sub-Arctic Mire Using Remotely Sensed Imagery

Conference: American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Erin Ducharme, Marine, Estuarine & Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences

Project Title: The Impact of Feeding on Horseshoe Crab Activity

Conference: Benthic Ecology Meeting

Jennie Marinucci, Biomedical Science: Medical / Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Natalie Porter, University of Notre Dame

Project Title: A Good Life in Old Age: A Thai Model for Cross-Culture Gerontology in the United States

Conference: CUR - Posters on the Hill

Honors Thesis Grant 2016

Garrett Thompson, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering

Thesis: Electrochemical Antioxidant Detection using Modified Macroelecrodes

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Abroad 2015

Jessica DelGreco, Environmental Science-Ecosystems
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michael Palace, Earth Systems Research Center
Research Site: Abisko, Sweden
Topic: Characterization of Vegetation Change in Arctic Mire Using Remotely Sensed Imagery

Eva Golden, Marine Estuarine Freshwater Biology & Spanish
Faculty Mentors: Prof. Andrew Ogden & Prof. Larry Harris, Biological Sciences
Research Site: Uvita, Costa Rica
Topic: Survey of Sponge Population Diversity and Distribution in the Coral Foraging Zones of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate) Located in the Parque Nacional Marino Ballena, Uvita, Costa Rica

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 2015

Katie Accashian, Environmental Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Heidi Asbjornsen, Natural Resources
Topic: Evaluating Seasonal Variability of Wood Properties in Red Oak and Eastern White Pine

Susan Campbell, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: The p53/Mortalin Complex in the Human Colon Carcinoma Cell Line HCT-116: Can the Chemical Agents MKT-077 or Withanone Disassociate These Two Proteins and Promote Programmed Cellular Death?

Kimberly Celona, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Foster, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Detection of White-Nose Syndrome Pathogen in Abandoned Military Bunkers

Marissa Cyr, Wildlife & Conservation Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rebecca Rowe, Natural Resources
Topic: The Effects of Variance in Small Mammal Density on Diet Breadth

Blair Downey, Neuroscience & Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brett Gibson, Psychology
Topic: Role of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Tasks with Differing Memory and Planning Requirements

Molly Hartley, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Plachetzki, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Double In Situ Hybridization of Evolutionarily Ancient Sensory Intermediary Enzymes and Ion Channels in the Cnidarian Hydra magnipapillata

Crystal Hermawan, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Townson, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Effects of Glycosylation on Keratin Filaments and Cytokine-Induced Apoptosis of Cervical Cancer Cells

Megan Honeywell, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology  
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Characterization of the Plant Palmitoyltransferase Mutant PAT14

Sean Lombard, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sandra Rehan, Biological Sciences
Topic: Analysis of C. calcarata Cuticular Hydrocarbon Chains across a Latitudinal Gradient

Allison Nash, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences
Topic: Localization of Circadian Clock Neurons and Analysis of Behavioral Modulation by Conopressin and Melatonin in the Nudibranch Melibe Ieonina

Adam Parker, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Cote, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Use of Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors as Nematicides

Richard Shepardson, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Erickson, Biological Sciences
Topic: Effects of Supplemental Lactoferrin in Milk Replacer on IgA Concentrations in Preweaned Holstein Calves

Stephanie Sykes, Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences
Topic: Exploring the Effects of Bait Quality on the Feeding Response of the American Lobster (Homarus americanus)

Garrett Thompson, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Halpern, Chemical Engineering
Topic: Electrochemical Analysis of Beta-Carotene, Lycopene, and Lutein Cyclodextrin Interactions

Kathryn Totten, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Larry Harris, Biological Sciences
Topic: Nutrient Effect on the Parasite, Z. rubellus in Its Intermediate Host, H. diversicolor

Emily Van Gulick, Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Expression of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH-I, -II, and –III) in the Brain of Adult Sea Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, by In Situ Hybridization as a Result of Exposure to Conspecific Stimuli

Jacqueline Watts, Neuroscience & Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology
Topic: The Effects of Intermittent Swim Stress on the Potentiation of Morphine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference

Gwyneth Welch, Neuroscience & Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jill McGaughy, Psychology
Topic: The Effects of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Treatment on Executive Function in a Developmental Rodent Model of Attention       

Erica Holm, Wildlife & Conservation Biology
Jennifer Kerr, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources
Topic: Predicting the Abundance of Scrubland-Dependent Songbirds in Managed Shrublands in Southeastern New Hampshire

Rebecca Scialabba & Eric Macdonald, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology
Christopher Cape, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Investigation of the Relationship between the Thyroid and Reproductive Systems in Sea Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus

Undergraduate Research Award (URA) 2014-15

Jennifer Allen, Biomedical Sciences: Medical & Veterinary Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Natalie Porter, Anthropology
Topic: An Assessment of Clinician Competence Based on Past Experience

Christopher Burke, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rebecca Rowe, Natural Resources
Topic: Frequency of Bone Abnormalities in Small Mammals: A Life History Comparison

Judith Hoskin, Genetics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Identification of Palmitoyltransferase Mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana

Hillary Manning, Biomedical Sciences: Medical & Veterinary Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Wayne Fagerberg, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: A Comparative Quantitative Study of Anatomical Homogeneity between the Distal and Proximal Regions of a Sunflower Leaf

Luke Miller, Sustainable Agriculture
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Ogden, Biological Sciences
Topic: Novel Production Methods for Greenhouse African Marigolds: Sensor-Based Irrigation and Controlled-Release Fertilizers

Luke Miller, Sustainable Agriculture
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Ogden, Biological Sciences
Topic: Geranium Growth and Nutrient Release under Use of Controlled Release Fertilizers

Stacie Powers, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Heidi Asbjornsen, Natural Resources & the Environment
Topic: Growth Rate of Calcium – Fertilized Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch Trees at Hubbard Brook

Kristina Spencer, Neuroscience
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology
Topic: Stress Reactivity Following Long Versus Short Acclimation Period in Rats Exposed to Intermittent Swim Stress or Home Cage Control

India Stribling, Neuroscience & Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology
Topic: Effects of Exercise on Intermittent Swim Stress-induced Ultrasonic Vocalizations and Subsequent Behavioral Depression

Jacqueline Watts, Neuroscience & Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology
Topic: Do Ultrasonic Vocalizations during Intermittent Swim Stress Predict Resilience to the Potentiation of Morphine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference?

Molly Hartley, Biomedical Science: Medical/Veterinary Science
Connor Bell, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Plachetzki, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: The Flavor of Animal Life: Double in Situ Hybridization of Evolutionary Ancient Sensory Receptors in the Cnidarian Hydra magnipapillata

International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) 2015

Connor Breton, Environmental Science: Ecosystems  
Research Site: El Giral, Panama
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Heidi Asbjornsen, Natural Resources
Foreign Faculty: Dr. Jefferson Hall, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Topic: Can Tropical Teak Plantations be Managed Sustainably for Both Timer and Water? An Experimental Thinning Study in Panama

Caelie Kern, Neuroscience & Behavior    
Research Site: Lyon, France
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences  
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Cox, INSERM   
Topic: Targeting Breast Cancer: What Specific Polymorphisms in the Immune Pathways of Breast Cancer Cells Increase Risk of Breast Carcinogenesis?

Jennie Marinucci, Biomedical Science – Medical & Veterinary Science    
Research Site: Bangkok, Thailand
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Natalie Porter, Anthropology
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Chulanee Thianthai, Chulalongkorn University
Topic: Cross-Cultural Gerontology: Exploring Successful Aging in Thailand from a Health Professional View

Laura Van Beaver, Neuroscience & Behavior     
Research Site: Padova, Italy
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences  
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Fabio Vianello, University of Padova   
Topic: Towards the Production and Characterization of Surface Active Maghemite Nanoparticle (SAMN) Nano-bio-conjugates for Drug Delivery

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2015

Christina DiMeo, Genetics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources
Topic: Approaches for Genetic Monitoring of Imperiled New England Cottontails

Yusuf Ebrahim, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Can Withanone Free p53 from Cytoplasmic Sequestration in Human Neuroblastoma Cells of the Line IMR-32 and Thereby Induce Downstream Apoptosis in the Cancerous Cells?

Kaelina Lombardo, Genetics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Understanding the Genomic Architecture of Spot Phenotype in Harmonia axyridis

Valerie Nesom, Dietetics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Joanne Burke, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Food Systems Research

Alissa Scinto, Animal Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof Jeffrey Foster, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Determining Missing Link in the Transmission of a Deadly Fungal Pathogen

Daniel Turner, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Investigations of Molecular and Biomedical Comparative Neuroendocrinology on Brain and Pituitary Hormones in Fish Reproduction

Research Presentation Grant 2015

Bregieta Arvidson, Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Alan Baker, Biological Sciences
Project Title: Microanalysis of Photo-Active Gradients in the Colonial Cyanobacteria Nostoc using Fiber-Optic Probe Technology
Conference: Northeast Undergraduate Research and Development Symposium (NURDS)

Paige Clarizia, Environmental Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences
Project Title: Comparison of CH4 Emission and CO2 Exchange Between 2013 and 2014 in Subarctic Peatland
Conference: American Geophysical Union

Timothy Marquis, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science     
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: A Proto-Pluritropic Cell Type and its Expression on Novel Glycoprotein Hormones in the Pituitary of the Basal Vertebrate, the Sea Lamprey
Conference: North American Society of Comparative Endocrinology (NASCE)

Brandon McDonald, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: Convergent Mutations Improve Squid Symbiosis in Vibrio fischeri Strain H905
Conference: General Meeting of the American Society of Microbiology

Shersingh Tumber-Davila, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Ouimette, Earth Systems Research Center
Project Title: Estimates of Carbon Allocation to Ectomycorrhizal Fungi in a Temperate Forest
Conference: American Geophysical Union

Honors Thesis Grant 2015

Elsa Lindgren, Neuroscience
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology
Thesis: Correlations Between SLUMS Exam Scores for Dementia and Other Health Measures in Primary Care

2014 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Abroad 

Galina Kinsella, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Conroy, TSAS

Research Site: Queensland, Australia

Topic: Comparative Study of Behavioral Differences of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in Anthropogenically Populated Versus Unpopulated Environments

2014 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA  

Bregieta Arvidson, Marine, Estuarine & Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Alan Baker, Biological Sciences

Topic: Occurrence and Photosynthetic Activity of Nostoc in Selected New Hampshire and Maine Lakes

Kaylyn Bergquist, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Dennis Mathews, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects of Cytokinin on Adventitious Root Formation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Katherine Cart, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jonathon Pennock, Natural Resources

Topic: Changes in Turbidity in Maine Estuaries: Effect on Neomysis americana Feeding Behavior and Diet

Paige Clarizia, Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Systems Research Center

Topic: Carbon Exchange across a Permafrost Thaw Gradient

Lisa Edwards, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Culligan, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Investigation of Replication Protein A (RPA) Subunit 1B and 1D in Meiotic Synapsis and Pollen Viability in the Model Plant Arabidopsis thaliana

Caelie Kern, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Understanding the Molecular Mechanism behind Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML): Does the Heat Shock Protein Mortalin Sequester p53 Protein in the Cytoplasm of Human AML Cells?

Sarah Kremer, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Vaughn Cooper, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Effect of Elevated Mutation Rate on Biofilm Adaptation

Katharine Langley, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. James Haney, Biological Sciences

Topic: Assessment of the Cyanobacteria Toxin BMAA in Aerosols from Lake Attitash, MA as a Possible Link with Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Patricia Levesque, Integrative Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. William Stine, Psychology

Topic: Using Motion-Induced Blindness to Isolate the Cortical Location of Motion Streak Suppression

Emily Lundstedt, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effect of Nocardia Strains BMG51109 and BMG 111209 on Actinorhizal Symbiosis

Brandon McDonald, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: A Tad Disguised: An Immunological Approach to Determine the Role of TadC in the Colonization of Euprymna scolopes by a Native Symbiotic Vibrio fisheri Strain

Melissa McLaughlin, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigating the Symbiotic Relationship between Frankia Strains EAN1pec and EuIlc and Elaeagnus angustifolia

Erika Moretti, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences

Topic: An Investigation of the Potential Impacts of Invasive Green and Blue Crabs on the American Lobster Fishery in the Great Bay Estuary

Colleen O’Dowd, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences

Topic: Determination of the Location, and Patterns of Expression, of the Circadian Clock Protein Cryptochrome in the American Lobster, Homarus americanus

Apryl Perry, Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Systems Research Center

Topic: How Do Lake Characteristics Affect the Emission of CH₄ and CO₂ in Sub-Arctic Sweden?

Nicole Petersen, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Identifying and Characterizing Arabidopsis Sodium-Induced Root Skewing Mutants

Alexis Reddel, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kirk Broders, Biological Sciences

Topic: Population Genetics of Apple Scab Fungus Venturia inaequalis

Tyler Remick, Wildlife Conservation & Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Rebecca Rowe, Natural Resources

Topic: Truffle Abundance and Mycophagy by Small Mammals in Northern New England Forests

Stephanie Royka, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources

Topic: Landscape Effects on Host Populations of Black-Legged Ticks in New Hampshire

Kelsie Schanlaber, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Blocking Nuclear Import of p53 Leads to Cell Death in Severely Stressed Human Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Cells

Steven Troy, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: The Effect of Gold and Silica Nanoparticles on the Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bacteria and Plant Cells

Laura Van Beaver, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: Production of Decaffeinated Tea through Genetic Engineering

Gwyneth Welch, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Understanding the Role of Histone Modifications in DNA Damage Response

Erin Smith & Randy Shoe, Wildlife Conservation & Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Implications of New England Cottontail Habitat Management on the Metapopulation Dynamics of Declining Shrub-Dependent Songbirds – A Pilot Study

Saba Ilyas, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Tiffany DeGroot, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects of Temperature and Presence of Hemolysin Genes on Relative Abundance of V. parahaemolyticus Strains in the New England Area

2014 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)

Charlotte Border, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems    

Research Site: Guapilies, Costa Rica

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Ogden, Biological Sciences

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Mr. Antonio Bogantes, University of Costa Rica & INTA

Topic: Evaluation of the State of Agriculture in Costa Rica and Areas for Improvement

Avery Normandin, Medical Microbiology    

Research Site: Stockholm, Sweden

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, MCBS 

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Karin Loré, Karolinska University 

Topic: Characterizing Innate Immune Mechanisms that Mediate Vaccine Responses

Alicia Walsh, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science  

Research Site: Otjiwarongo, Namibia

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andrew Conroy, Biological Sciences  

Foreign Faculty: Dr. Anne Schmidt-Küntzel, Cheetah Conservation Fund

Topic: Identifying Diet of Cheetahs and Other Carnivores through Genetic Markers and Scat Analysis

2014 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

Eric Beaudoin, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kirk Broders, Biological Sciences

Topic: Characterization of the Colletotrichum Species Complex in the North Eastern United States

Alexander Buell, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. William Stine, Psychology

Topic: The Effects of Varying Coherence of Glass Patterns on the Perception of Motion-Induced Blindness

Christopher Carroll, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew MacManes, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Genome Annotation of Peromyscus eremicus: Identification of Genes and Regulatory Elements

Joyce Fontaine, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology

Topic: Effect of Socially-Induced Early Life Stress in Juvenile Rats on Stress Responsivity and Ultrasonic Vocalizations during Intermittent Swim Stress in Adulthood

Amanda Gagnon, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology

Topic: Effects of Chronic Reboxetine Administration on Intermittent Swim Stress-Induced Ultrasonic Vocalization and Subsequent Performance on the Forced Swim Test

Brian Hurley, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: Human α-Galactosidase A Production in Transgenic Plants

Kelsey MacDonald, Nutrition: Dietetics & Ecogastronomy

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Becky Sideman, Biological Sciences &

Prof. Joanne Curran-Celentano, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Culinary Assessment of Sweet Potato Varieties

Conor Madison, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Heidi Asbjornsen, Natural Resources

Topic: Drought Sensitivity of Slash Pine and Longleaf Pine Deduced by Tree Ring Analysis

Timothy Marquis, Biomedical Science: Medical/Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Center for Molecular and Comparative Endocrinology

Topic: Neuroendocrine Insights from a Basal Vertebrate: in-situ Hybridization of Glycoprotein Hormone Subunits, 1GpA2, 1GTHβ, 1GpB5, in the Sea Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus

Kendall Milkey, Biomedical Science: Medical/Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Characterizing an Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA Mutant

Audrey Petteruti, Biomedical Science: Medical/Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gale Cary, Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Do Flame Retardants Promote Vitamin D Deficiency?

Molly Williams, Neuroscience and Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Drugan, Psychology

Topic: Do Ultrasonic Vocalizations During Intermittent Swim Stress Forecast Subsequent Alcohol Reactivity?

Erica Brasley, Neuroscience and Behavior

Lydia Manzo, Neuroscience and Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Mair, Psychology

Topic: Memory Coding Properties of Central Thalamic Neurons: Relationship to Prefrontal Neuronal Coding

2014 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)  

Christin Badylak-Reals, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ju-Chin Huang, Economics

Topic: Examining the Effects of Beach Erosion Control Practices on Ecosystem Services: A Study of Plum Island, Massachusetts

Bria Frehner, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Is Mortalin Involved in Cytoplasmic Sequestration of p53 in Human SKBR32 Breast Cancer Cells?

Elizabeth Haas, Undeclared

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sandra Rehan, Biological Sciences

Topic: Status of Native Pollinators: Bee Biodiversity and Conservation Initiative in Southern New Hampshire

Molly Hartley, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Plachetzki, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Flavor of Animal Life: Molecular Cloning and Expression of an Evolutionary Ancient Taste Receptor in the Cnidarian Hydra magnipapillata

Megan Honeywell, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Characterization of Plant Palmitoyltransferase Mutants and Substances Using Genetic and Biochemical Approaches

Sean Lombard, Biomedical Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sandra Rehan, Biological Sciences

Topic: Molecular Evolution of Cuticular Hydrocarbons and Reproductive Division of Labor in Social Insects

Sarah Piet, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Townson, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Immunodetection of Akt Proteins in Bovine Granulosa Cells

Rebecca Scialabba, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Examine the Expression and Function of Recombinant Glycoprotein Hormones

Eric Van Dam, Wildlife Conservation & Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Eleanor Harrison-Buck, Anthropology

Topic: Human-Wetland Interactions and Changing Maya Landscapes in Belize: A Comparative Habitat and Zooarchaeology Study

2014 Research Presentation Grant

Miranda Francoeur, Neuroscience

Project Title: Supporting LGBTQ+ Survivors: Memory Coding Properties of the Prefrontal Cortical Neurons in the Rat

Conference: Society for Neuroscience

Taylor Warren, Biochemistry: Molecular, Cellular Biology

Project Title: Supporting LGBTQ+ Survivors: Evolution in Action: The Fitness Effects of Beneficial Mutations in Alternative Environments

Conference: Evolution 2013

2013 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

Andrew Blake, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Mair, Psychology

Topic: Localization of Different Types of Spatial Memory Cues in Prefrontal Cortex in the Rat

Matthew Cotton, Biochemistry, Molecular, & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: A Mutant Screen to Identify Arabidopsis with Abnormal Root Growth

Madeleine Gould, Dietetics & EcoGastronomy

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Joanne Curran-Celentano, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Assessing Quality of Olive Oils Available in New Hampshire

Emily Johnson, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Does a Reduction in Caterpillar Abundance Caused by the Exotic Shrub Frangula alnus Reduce Plasma Carotenoids in Nestling Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas)?

Katie Kozacka, Biochemistry: Molecular, Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Cote, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Proteomic Analysis of Binding Interactions between Transducin and PDE6

John Micozzi, Biomedical Science: Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Wayne Fagerberg, Biological Sciences

Topic: Anatomical Study of the Oak Apple Gall Nursery Chamber

Kendall Milkey, Biomedical Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: TAIL-PCR to Identify Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana

Katherine Rafuse, Marine Estuarine & Freshwater Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Elizabeth Fairchild, Biological Sciences

Topic: The Effects of Diet on the Growth and Survival of Juvenile Channeled Whelk

Patrick Sargent, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kimberly Babbitt, Natural Resources

Topic: The Effects of Urbanization on Stress and Hematological Characteristics in Salamanders

Timothy Marquis, Biomedical Science: Medical/Veterinary Science

Mary Hayes, Neuroscience & Behavior

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Center for Molecular and Comparative Endocrinology

Topic: A Comparative Study of Snap-Frozen vs. RNAlater® Tissue Preservation by In-situ Hybridization Characterization of Lamprey Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptors I, II, & III in the Brain and Pituitary of the Sea Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus

2013 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Abroad

Meghan Maguire, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Joan Hahn, Nursing

Research Site: Queensland, Australia

Topic: Perceptions on Oral Health: Adults with Disabilities

Joel DeStasio, Environmental Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Research Site: Abisko, Sweden

Topic: Methane and Carbon Dioxide Dynamics in Peatland Lake Sediments from Sub-Arctic Sweden

Samantha Werner, Environmental Sciences: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Sciences

Research Site: Abisko, Sweden

Topic: Carbon Dioxide Exchange Rates as a Function of Permafrost Thaw

2013 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 

Mary Awad, Biochemistry Molecular and Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Cote, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: A Proposal to Identify the Amino Acid Sequence that Supports Dimerization in the Regulatory GAF Domain of the Photoreceptor Protein PDE6

Amanda Berger, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Townson, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Effects of Keratin Filaments and ERK Signaling on Cytokine-Induced Death of Cervical Cancer (HeLa) Cells

Gabrielle Chesney, Nutrition

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gale Carey, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Drug Metabolizing Enzymes in Rat Liver and Their Role in Vitamin D Inactivation

Samantha Docos, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Townson, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Effects of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) on the Expression of cFLIP in Granulosa Cells

Miranda Francoeur, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Mair, Psychology

Topic: Analyzing the Role of Prefrontal Cortex in a Spatial Memory Task

Peter Goode, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Do Exotic Shrubs Reduce Caterpillar Abundance in Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) Breeding Territories?

Benjamin Grotton, Biochemistry / Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Townson, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects of Pregnancy on Uterine Macrophage Polarity in Dairy Cows

Jason McBurnie, Biomedical Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jill McGaughy, Psychology

Topic: The Effects of Prenatal Malnutrition on the Brain and Its Role in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

Lindsay Michaud, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brett Gibson, Psychology

Topic: Number Discrimination in the Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana): Using Number Ratios and Addition Tasks to Understand Number Comprehension in Corvid Birds

Alexander Nardone, General Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Treatment with Mortalin-Targeted Agents Will Promote Nuclear Translocation of p53 and Apoptosis of IMR-32 Neuroblastoma Cancer Cells

Avery Normandin, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: One of These Things Is Not Like the Other: Using Coordinated Temperature Regulation of Virulence-Associated Traits to Detect Pathogenic Variants of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Allison Pike, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Erickson, Biological Sciences

Topic: Evaluating Colostrum Quality with Niacin Supplementation in the Diet of Dairy Cattle

Kristen Pitkanen, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Designing and Implementing Genetic Tools for Geodermatophilaceae to Screen for Genes Involved in Pigmentation Production

Caroline Ward, Biomedical Science: Medical & Veterinary Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Vaughn Cooper, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Investigating the Connection between Cyanobacteria and Vibrio Species from the Great Bay Estuary and Their Impact on Human Health

2013 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)

Michael Casazza, Environmental Conservation Studies  

Research Site: Kiba, Uganda

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lisa Tiemann, Natural Resources

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lisa Tiemann, University of New Hampshire  

Topic: Nutrient Deficiencies in Uganda

Christine Hebert, Medical Microbiology 

Research Site: Lyon, France

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Cox, Cancer Research Center of Lyon

Topic: Targeting the p53 – mitochondria axis in Sarcomas Lacking p53 Mutations and MDM2 Amplification

2013 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 

Lisa Edwards, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Culligan, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Does RPA1C Play a Role in Meiotic Double-Strand Break Repair?

Cody FitzGerald, Mathematics / Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Vaughn Cooper, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Wrinkly Morphotype Reversion to Mucoid and Its Relevance to Cystic Fibrosis

Alyssa Kelley, Nutrition

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gale Carey, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Drug Metabolizing Enzymes in Rat Intestine

Caelie Kern, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Is the Molecular Motor Dynein Involved in Translocation of p53 from the Cytoplasm to the Nucleus in IMR-32 Cancer Cells under Severe Stress?

Amber Litterer, Zoology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Berlinsky, Biological Sciences

Topic: Investigating Salinity Tolerance of River Herring during Their Early Life Stages

Cristy Theriault, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Mair, Psychology

Topic: Memory Coding Properties of Rat Prefrontal Neurons

2013 Research Presentation Grant

Jenny Jing, Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: An Investigation of the Chemical Phenotype and Genotype of Alveolar Macrophage from Mice Sensitized to Ovalbumin and Fed Dietary Fatty Acids that Vary in N-6 and N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Conference: National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)

Sophia Burke, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Project Title: Acoustic Monitoring of Ebullitive Flux from a Mire Ecosystem in Subarctic Sweden

Conference: American Geophysical Union-Fall Conference

2013 Honors Thesis Grant

Elora Demers, Biochemistry 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Thesis: Arabidopsis thaliana Mutant Screen to Identify Mutations in the PP2A Pathway

Lauren Tassone, Biomedical Science: Medical Laboratory Science 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adele Marone, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Thesis: ABO Blood Type and Diet Correlation Study

2012 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

Peter Abdu, Wildlife Ecology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Pekins, Natural Resources

Topic: Standardizing a Non-Invasive Survey Method to Estimate Population Density of American Martens in Northern New Hampshire

Gina Chaput, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Transforming Chlorella accD Gene into Tobacco to Increase Lipid Production

Jonathan Fogel, General Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: Expression of Non-Native Lipases in Plants for Biodiesel Production

Alyssa Mixon, General Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Anita Klein, Biological Sciences

Topic: An Investigation of Zostera marina (Eelgrass) Resilience through Genetic Diversity

Scott Morin, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Cloning cDNA of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Isoforms from Brains of Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata

Elizabeth Natola, Wildlife Ecology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources

Topic: Phylogeography of New England Cottontails

Jennifer Roloff, Nutritional Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gale Carey, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: BAI vs. BMI as Predictors of Body Fat in College Students 

Jillian Smith, Nutrition, Dietetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Joanne Curran-Celentano, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Studying the Relationship Between Plasma and Milk Carotenoid Concentrations in Jersey Cows at the Two UNH Dairy Research Facilities

Taylor Warren, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Vaughn Cooper, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects of New Beneficial Mutations in Multiple Environments

Samantha Werner, Animal Science: Pre-Vet

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andre Brito, Biological Sciences

Topic: Enhancing Milk Components and Reducing Methane Emissions of Organic Dairy Cattle with Winter Supplementation of Ground Flaxseed

Cody White, Neuroscience: Integrative

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences

Topic: Toward Understanding Circadian Rhythm Entrainment in Juvenile American Lobsters (Homarus americanus)

Caroline Wuest, General Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences

Topic: Gene and Promoter Cloning and Gene Transfer in Porphyra

Sarah Yunes, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Cytoplasmic Sequestration of p53 in Human SKBR3 Breast Cancer Cells: Is Mortalin Involved?

2012 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Abroad

Sean Santos, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Thomas Davis, Biological Sciences

Research Site: Lyon, France

Topic: A Genome Wide Association Study of Ewing Sarcoma: Looking for Susceptibility to a Disease

2012 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA

Keith Breau, Medical Microbiology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Correlation of Heavy Metal Resistance Activity to Frankia gene P1B-type ATPase

Elizabeth Burgess, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Dennis Mathews, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Interaction of Auxin and Cytokinin during Root Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana

Sophia Burke, Environmental Science: Ecosystems

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Systems Research Center

Topic: How Does Thawing Permafrost Affect Methane Flux to the Atmosphere? Measuring Ebullitive Flux from Intermediate Thaw Ponds

Tyler Burks, Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Leah Woods, Art & Art History

Topic: Technological Trade-off

Benjamin Claxton, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Is Cytoplasmic Sequestration of p53 Characteristic of Patient-Derived Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) Cells and is the Mitochondrial Hsp70 Protein Mortalin Involved?

Logan Cline, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Effects of the Exotic Shrub Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus) on the Diet Composition of Nestling Common Yellowthroats

Sarah Dudek, Wildlife Ecology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Matthew Tarr, Natural Resources

Topic: Does Facial Mask Size Indicate Territory Quality of Male Common Yellowthroats?

Evan Ehrlich, Wildlife Ecology

Molly Hunt, Wildlife Ecology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources

Topic: Analysis of Behavior and Song in Hybrid Male Saltmarsh x Nelson's Sparrows

Sara Fechner, Nutrition

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gale Carey, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Development of an Obesity Prevention Program using Participatory Action Research

Katie Kozacka, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Cote, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Proteomic Analysis of Binding Interactions between PDE6 and its Inhibitory Subunit

Kaitlyn LaCourse, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Identification of the Genetic Loci Involved in Serratia sp. SCBI Production of Antimicrobial Agents

Feier Liu, Biomedical Sciences (MVS)

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: If at First You Don't Succeed, Evolve: An Experimental Evolution Approach to Elucidating the Basis of Dark Symbiont Exclusion in the Squid-Vibrio Symbiosis

Caitlin McCarthy, Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Townson, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Characterization of Cellular FLICE Inhibitory Protein (c-FLIP) in Cells of Human Cervical Cancer (HeLa cells)

Cameron Vergato, Medical Laboratory Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Does DNA Damage from Etoposide Stress Lead to Increased Expression of p53 and BAX in IMR-32 Neuroblastoma Cells?

Taylor Warren, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Vaughn Cooper, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Effects of Prior Adaptation on Ecological Niche Breadth

2012 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)

Elsa Lindgren, Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences

Topic: How do Lobsters Hear?

Timothy Marquis, Biomedical Sciences (MVS)

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Training and Learning Research in Molecular, Biochemical and Neuroendocrinological Studies of Brain and Pituitary Hormones of Fish

Avery Normandin, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Genomics Analysis of Symbiosis Traits

Abigail Van Note, Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. William Kelley Thomas, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Exploring the Role of Epigenetic Modifications in the Transition from Simple Bacterial Genomes to Complex Eukaryotic Genomes

2012 Research Presentation Grant

Gina Chaput, Genetics

Project Title: Biodiesel: Utilization of Waste Water to Cultivate Microalgae Oil Feedstock with CO2 Sesquestration and Nitrate Deprivation

Conference: Energy & Environment Conference/Expo

Elora Demers, Biochemistry

Project Title: A Screen to Identify Mutants with a Sodium-Induced Root Skewing Phenotype

Conference: Northeast Section of the American Society of Plant Biology

Jenny Jing, Biomedical Science

Project Title: Assaying Antioxidant Capacity in Strawberry Fruit

Conference: National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Alyssa Mixon, General Biology

Project Title: An Investigation of Zostera marina (Eelgrass) Resilience through Genetic Diversity

Conference: Northeast Undergraduate Research Development Symposium

Scott Morin, Biology

Project Title: Cloning cDNA of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Isoforms from Brains of Black Seas Bass, Centropristis striata

Conference: National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Isabella Oleksy, Environmental Science

Project Title: A Spatial Analysis of Didymosphenia geminate (Rock Snot) in the New York City Watershed

Conference: Ecological Society of America Conference

2012 Honors Thesis Grant

Michaela Barhite, Nutritional Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gale Carey, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Thesis: Do Environmental Chemicals Predict Weight Gain in College Students?

2011 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

Kelly Boisvert, Biology: Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michelle Scott, Biological Sciences
Topic: Social Learning and Problem Solving in the Common Raccoon (Procyon lotor)

Christopher Bottom, Wildlife Ecology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. John A. Litvaitis, Natural Resources
Topic: Using Remotely Triggered Cameras to Identify Habitat Use Patterns by Bobcats (Lynx rufus) in New Hampshire

Andrew Butler, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources
Topic: Hybridization between Rare New England Cottontails and Common Eastern Cottontails: Genetic Results Using Microsatellite DNA and Implications for Conservation of a Declining Species

Gina Chaput, Genetics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Isolating and Cloning the Chlorella accD Gene for Use in Increasing Lipid Production

Rachel Donner, Microbiology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: 20,000 Leagues Under tadC: The Adaptive Benefits of tadC in the Squid-Vibrio Symbiosis Experimental Evolution

Morgan Dube, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Donald Chandler, Zoology
Topic: Distribution and Abundance of Odonata from a Longitudinal Transect of the Lamprey River

Elizabeth Dwinell, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Cote, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Recombinant Expression of Phosphodiesterase (PDE) for Studying Differences between the Photoreceptor (PDE6) and Smooth-Muscle (PDE5) Enzyme Families

Ryan Finethy, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Quantitative Analysis of Histone Modifications Resulting from the DNA Damage Response

Bridget Foley, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources
Topic: Mitochondrial DNA Variation in the New England Cottontail

Haeleigh Hyatt, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michelle Scott, Biological Sciences
Topic: Can Dogs Understand Human Cues Even with Distractions?

Suzanne Johnson, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences
Topic: The Effect of Burying on Horseshoe Crab Heart and Respiration Rate

Christina Loporcaro, Biochemistry/Pre-Med
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Cote, Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
Topic: The Molecular Basis of Differences in Light Responsiveness of Rods and Cones: Role of the PDE6 Inhibitory Subunit

Ashley Matthews, Nutritional Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences
Topic: Optimizing the Production of a Taste-Bud Modifying Protein (Miraculin)

Reed Mitchell, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Winsor Watson, Biological Sciences
Topic: Detecting the Presence and Location of Circadian Neurons in the Marine Gastropod Melibe leonina

Alyssa Mixon, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Anita Klein, Biological Sciences
Topic: An Investigation of Zostera marina (Eelgrass) Resilience through Genetic Diversity in the New England and New York Coastal Areas

Katrina Papanastassiou, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources
Topic: Investigating Fine-Scale Genetic Structure within Populations of Saltmarsh Sparrows

Hannah Rankin, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Anthony Tagliaferro, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Research Study to Characterize Phagocytosis Behavior of 3D4/31 Porcine Alveolar Macrophages In Vitro

Michael Sellarole, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences
Topic: Sticky Tomatoes: Production of Barnacle Glue in Tomato Fruit

Brittany Welch, ANSC: PreVet
Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Townson, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Comparison of Effectiveness of Daily Deworming with Pyrantel Tartrate to Rotational Deworming with Pyrantel Pamoate

William Wyman, Biomedical Sciences: Medical Microbiology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Culligan, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Identification of Novel atr “Suppressor” Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana

2011 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Abroad

Alyssa Mixon, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Anita Klein, Biological Sciences
Research Site: Groningen, Netherlands
Topic: An Investigation of Zostera marina (Seagrass) Resilience through Genetic Diversity in the Northern Hemisphere

2011 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA

Andrew Blake, Neuroscience and Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Mair, Psychology
Topic: The Effects of Subiculum on Pre-Frontal Cortex in Spatial Memory Tasks

Amanda Cavanaugh, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brett Gibson, Psychology
Topic: Long-Distance Travelling Salesperson Problem in Pigeons 

Jessica R. Child, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jill McGaughy, Psychology
Topic: The Effects of Enrichment on Sustained Attention

Elora Demers, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Plant Biology and Genetics
Topic: Arabidopsis thaliana Mutant Screen to Identify Mutations in the PP2A Pathway

Stephen Dunn, Genetics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. John Collins, Genetics
Topic: A Study of Src: Tracing the Evolution of a Cancer Gene

Umija Durakovic, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Louis Tisa, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Identification of Putative Genes Involved in Antimicrobial Production of Photorhabdus temperata

Hannah Eldred, Microbiology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Does Cytoplasmic Sequestration of p53 Occur in Patient Derived Neuroblastoma Cells and is the Mitochondrial Hsp70 Protein Mortalin Involved?

Ryan Finethy, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Investigating the Role of H2AX Serine 121 phosphorylation in the DNA Damage Response

Matthew Gerding, Microbiology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Genetics
Topic: Can a Direct Method for Characterizing the Virulence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Be Found within Fruit Fly Infections?

Taylor Hickman, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Feixia Chu, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Epigenetic Regulation in Rett Syndrome

Katherine Lantz, Medical Laboratory Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Topic: Production of Human Alpha-Galactosidase A in Plants: Do I Have the Right Thing?

Adam Marquis, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kimberly Babbitt, Natural Resources
Topic: Landscape and Local-Scale Effects on Stream Salamanders in Southeastern New Hampshire

Elizabeth Orlowicz, Biology: Marine & Freshwater
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Marion Girard-Dorsey, History
Topic: Total War and the Masters of Surviving: Propaganda and Advertising of World War II Companies

Jonathan K. Trudeau, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Pekins, Natural Resources
Topic: Ecology and Social Structure of Black Bears in Central New Hampshire

Lindsey Wright, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Smith, Natural Resources and the Environment
Topic: Do Forest Edges Mediate Community Invisibility in Pastures?

2011 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)

Jacqueline Amante, Environmental Science: Ecosystems
Research Site: Abisko, Sweden 
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Complex Systems Research Center
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Patrick Crill, Stockholm University
Topic: Quantifying Methane Ebullitive Flux from Subarctic Ecosystems

Tyler Burks, Biology: Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Research Site: Wageningen, Holland 
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Taylor, Biological Sciences
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Henk Parmentier, Wageningen University
Topic: Identifying Immune Spectratypes in Lines Selected for Differential Antibody Response

2011 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)

Emily Spognardi, Wildlife Ecology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Pekins, Natural Resources
Topic: Field Research in Wildlife Management: Habitat Use of American Martens and Movements of Translocated Nuisance Black Bears

2011 Research Presentation Grant

Alyssa Birt, Animal Science
Project Title: Genetic Expression of Fas in the Bovine Corpus
Conference: National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Gina Chaput, Genetics
Project Title: Utilization of Waste Water for Microalgae Oil Feedstock
Conference: Energy, Utility, & Environment

Elise Koob, Biology: Marine & Freshwater
Project Title: Age, Growth and Maturity of Golden Trevally (Gnathanodon specieosus) in Australian Waters
Conference: National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Stephen McKernan, Biology: Molecular, Cellular and Developmental
Project Title: A Comparison of Tide Pool Populations of Codim fragile ssp. fragile within the Brave Boat Harbor Estuary, York-Kittery, ME
Conference: Northeast Algal Symposium

2011 Honors Thesis Grant

Andraya Ehrlich, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Thomas Laue, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences
Thesis: Measurement of Ribonuclease Sa Charge Variants with Membrane-Confined Electrophoresis

2010 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA

Kimberly Archambault, Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: The Role of the Deubiquinase, HAUSP in the Induction of Apoptosis in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells and Cancerous Clam Hemocytes

Alyssa Birt, Animal Science: Bioscience & Technology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Townson, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Genetic Expression of Fas in the Bovine Corpus Luteum

Kirsten Bruell, Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Examining the Distribution of Auxin in the Root Tips of the Arabidopsis thaliana a1 Mutant in Response to Gravity Stimulation

Tyler Burks, Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Taylor, Biological Sciences
Project: Differential Gene Expression in Developing Immune Tissue from High and Low Antibody Response Chicken Lines

Jeremy Dobbins-Bucklad, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Clyde Denis, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: The Effects of Stress Conditions on Protein Translation: Observing Effect through Analysis of 48S Complex Formation and Steady-State Levels

Mitchell Granoff, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Clyde Denis, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences Project: Evaluating Identification of Novel Protein in the Translation Initiation Complex

Kristen Greene, Animal Science: Pre-Vet
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andre Brito, Biological Sciences
Project: Molasses as an Alternative Energy Feed Source for Organic Dairies

Suzanne LaChance, Zoology
Research Site: Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michelle Scott, Biological Sciences
Onsite Faculty Mentor: Ms. Holly West, Mote Marine Laboratory
Project: Environmental Enrichment of Blind (Chelonia mydas) and Fully-Sighted (Caretta caretta) Sea Turtles

Katherine Lantz, Medical Laboratory Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences
Project: Analysis of Plant-Produced Enzymes for Use in Enzyme Replacement Therapy

Stephen McKernan, Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Anita Klein, Biological Sciences
Project: An Investigation of the Invasion Pattern and Reproductive Strategy of the Invasive Species Codium fragile in the Northwest Atlantic Based on Molecular and Ecological Data

Allison McQueen, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gale Carey, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Brominated Flame Retardants: Do They Affect Liver Glucose Metabolism?

Ashley Miranda, Animal Science: Pre-Vet
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andre Brito, Biological Sciences
Project: In Vitro Gas Profile of High- and Low-Sugar Alfalfa Supplemented with Molasses or Corn Meal

Daniel Mulhern, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences Project: Is the Mitochondrial Heat Shock Protein Mortalin Involved in Cytoplasmic Sequestration of p53 in Human Neuroblastoma Cells?

Katrina Papanastassiou, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Adrienne Kovach, Natural Resources & The Environment
Project: The Effects of Researcher Activity on the Nesting Success of Saltmarsh Sparrows

Ciara Dimou, Biology
Dana Daukss, Biochemistry
Kristen Gazda, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: The Effects of Novel Lamprey Rfamide Peptides in Petromyzon marinus (Sea Lamprey) Neuroendocrine System

Kristin Duclos, Biology: Marine & Freshwater
Daniel Merselis, Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. David Berlinsky, Biological Sciences
Project: The Effect of Salinity on Growth and Relative Expression of Na/K ATPase in Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax)

2010 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Abroad

Elise Koob, Biology: Marine & Freshwater
Research Site: Brisbane, Australia
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Molly Lutcavage, Biological Sciences
Foreign Mentor: Dr. Shane Griffiths, Marine & Atmospheric Research
Project: Biology and Feeding Ecology of Golden Trevally (Gnathanodon speciosous) in Australian Waters

2010 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)

Abigail Boduch, Biochemistry/ International Affairs
Research Site: Madrid, Spain
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Culligan, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Foreign Faculty Mentor:  Prof. Cristano Gutierrez, University Autonoma of Madrid
Project:Exploration of GL2-Expression Modulator (GEM)

Henry Jones, Wildlife Ecology
Research Site: Evenstad, Norway 
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Peter Pekins, Natural Resources
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Torstein Storass, Hedmark University
Project: Predation on Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) Nests – Losses to Different Predators

Katherine Lawrence, Biochemistry
Research Site: Madrid, Spain 
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Thomas Laue,
Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. German Rivas, University of Madrid
Project: Determining Physical Properties of Macromolecules in Crowded Solutions

Natallia Leuchanka, Environmental Science/International Affairs
Research Site: Quintana Roo, Mexico 
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Barrett Rock, Natural Resources
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Mr. Sam Meacham, CINDAQ
Project: Remote Sensing of Forest Types in the Maya Mountains of Belize

Althea Marks, Environmental Science
Research Site: Nanjing, China 
Faculty Mentor: Prof. William McDowell, Natural Resources
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Honghua Ruan, Nanjing Forestry University
Project: Relationships between Soil C:N and Stream DOC, Stream Nitrate, and Elevation in the Wuyi Mountains, Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces, China

2010 Undergraduate Research Award

Audra Chaput, Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michelle Scott, Biological Sciences
Project: Courtship or Combat? How Male Siamese Fighting Fish Communicate in Mixed-Sex Social Environments and the Effect of Nest Possession on Their Display Behavior

Lindsay Chase, Animal Science, Pre-Vet
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Andre Brito, Organic Dairy Management
Project: Effect of Kelp on Growth of Dairy Calves

Alexander Cubberley, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Transport of p53 to the Mitochondria

Natalie Delfosse, Nutritional Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jesse Morrell, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Chronic Disease Risk Factors in College-Aged Adults

Kiely Feldman, Environmental Conservation
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Erik Hobbie, Complex Systems Research Center
Project: Comparing Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Conventional and Organic Dairies at UNH

Norman H. Hassell, Microbiology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Determining the Role of Siderophore in Vibrio-Euprymna Symbiosis: Iron Acquisition versus Protection from Oxidative Stress

Haeleigh Hyatt, Zoology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Orchid Propagation: Keiki Inducement in Phalaenopsis and Seed Germination

Ciara Kazakis, Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stacia Sower, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Specificity Determination and Characterization of a Specific Polyclonal Lamprey GnRH-II Antibody

Katherine Lantz, Medical Laboratory Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Subhash Minocha, Biological Sciences
Project: Inexpensive Production of Enzymes for Use in Enzyme Replacement Therapy: Using Tobacco as a Bioreactor

Andrew McDermott, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michael Lesser, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Sequencing of Superoxide Dismutase Genes in the Symbiotic Algae (Symbidinium sp.) of Tropical Anemones and Their Response to Oxidative Stress

Anna Tyzik, Medical Laboratory Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Whistler, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: A Killer in the Water: Environmental Vibrio cholerae Confirmed in the Great Bay Estuary

Evelyn Yuen, Nutritional Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jesse Morrell, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Physical Activity and Bone Health of College Students

Amy Dickson, Zoology
Katie Jennings, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Wayne Fagerberg, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Tissue Dynamics of the Capture Phase of the Venus Flytrap Closure

Melanie D’Andrea, Biology
Jordan Morelli, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Estelle Hrabak, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences
Project: Identifying Palmitoyltransferase Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana

2010 Research Presentation Grant

Caryn MacDonald, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
Project Title: Identification of Two Novel Type-II GnRH Receptors in the Sea Lamprey, a Basal Vertebrate
Conference: Society of Comparative and Integrative Biology, Seattle, WA

Margret Mansfield, Microbiology
Project Title: Using Confocal Microscopy to Study the Infection of Mentha longifolia by a GFP Strain of the Verticillium Wilt Pathogen
Conference: American Phytopathological Society 2010 Meeting, Nashville, TN

Riley Nolan, General Biology
Project Title: Potential of the Invasive Colonial Ascidian, Didemnum vexillum, to Limit Swimming Behavior of the Sea Scallop, Placopecten magellanicus
Conference: International Invasive Sea Squirt Conference, Woods Hole, MA

Rebecca Riding, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
Project Title: Detecting Interactions between PP2A C Subunit Genes and PP2A-Interacting Proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana
Conference: American Society of Plant Biologists, Garden City, NY

Kaylene Szeto, Zoology
Project Title: Assessing Rapid Evolution of the Chemical Recognition of an Invasive Crab Species in Tasmania
Conference: International Conference on Marine Bioinvasions, Portland, OR

2010 Honors Thesis Grant

Amy Beliveau, Nutritional Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Joanne Curran-Celentano, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences
Thesis: Phytonutrients in Microgreens