Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Exploration Of K2 Mycobacteriophages With Bred​, Colby Agostino, Olivia Schmitt

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Colby Agostino ’22
Major: Biochemistry and Computer Science

Olivia Schmitt ’22
Major: Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen A. Cornely, Chemistry and Biochemistry

ZoeJ and Marcoliusprime are mycobacteriophage capable of infecting tuberculosis causing bacteria via the lytic and lysogenic cycles. The lytic cycle is the form of viral replication that results in cell death. Lysogeny involves phage DNA being integrated with the DNA of the host cell and preserved through binary fission. However, the bacteria causing tuberculosis do not die in the lysogenic phase. This research project will involve creating mutants of ZoeJ and Marcoliusprime that will not contain the genes …

Mycobacteriophage Morphology As A Diagnostic For Cluster Assignment, Ethan Dionne

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Major: Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen A. Cornely, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Phages are viral bodies that infect bacterial hosts, and have shown promising applications as alternatives to antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. This project examines the morphology of siphoviridae mycobacteriophage, which have long, flexible, non-contractile tails as well as the characteristic head, called a capsid. Using electron microscopy photos of sequenced phages, tail length and capsid diameter were measured and compared to further characterize morphological relationships between genetically distinct phages. The data presented has the potential to work as a diagnostic tool to classify unsequenced phages to genetically …

Towards The Development Of Low-Cost And Easily-Deployable Sensing Platforms For Phosphate, Maureen Pontarelli, Thomas Koch

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Maureen Pontarelli ’20
Major: Chemistry

Thomas Koch '20
Major: Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Breen, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Research And Review Of Polymethyl-Methacrylate Copolymers In The Development Of Enhanced Pharmaceutical Delivery Systems, Jake Dyess

Senior Honors Theses

The following thesis shall primarily explore the current research regarding the implementation of modifiable microscopic and nanoscopic polymer particles as novel pharmaceutical delivery systems. Polymethacrylate-based copolymers, such as Eudragit^TM, are sensitive to alterations in pH levels, becoming increasingly more soluble in response to an increase in pH. The selective solubility and modifiable nature of these polymers allows for greater flexibility of treatment options for patients (Patra et al., 2017). The wide range of functionality of polymethacrylate (PMA) may provide solutions to challenges relating to the current treatment and therapy of certain conditions. Research indicates that PMA based micro- …

Periodic Table Club, Makayla Gill, Kailynn Jensen

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

This club is dedicated to teaching the generation of future scientists the periodic table. This is designed to be a unique take on a STEM club that uses the periodic table as a backbone for a solid foundation in chemistry.

Comparative Analysis Of The Human Serine Hydrolase Ovca2 To The Model Serine Hydrolase Homolog Fsh1 From S. Cerevisiae, Jessica S. Bun, Michael D. Slack, Daniel E. Schemenauer, R. Jeremy Johnson

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Over 100 metabolic serine hydrolases are present in humans with confirmed functions in metabolism, immune response, and neurotransmission. Among potentially clinically relevant but uncharacterized human serine hydrolases is OVCA2, a serine hydrolase that has been linked with a variety of cancer-related processes. Herein, we developed a heterologous expression system for OVCA2 and determined the comprehensive substrate specificity of OVCA2 against two ester substrate libraries. Based on this analysis, OVCA2 was confirmed as a serine hydrolase with a strong preference for long-chain alkyl ester substrates (>10-carbons) and high selectivity against a variety of short, branched, and substituted esters. Substitutional analysis …

Development Of A Computer Algorithm For Generation Of Primers For Nucleic Acid Sequence Based Amplification (Nasba), Rohit Karnati

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA) is a primer based isothermal method of RNA/DNA amplification. Currently, primer design for NASBA has been restricted to hand creating sequences of oligonucleotides that must follow a set of rules to be compatible for the amplification process. This process of hand-creating primers is prone to error and time intensive. The detection of mutants, post amplification, also offers a benefit in point of care scenarios and the design of hybridization probes for sequences in the region of amplification is also an erroneous and time intensive process. By creating a program to design primers and hybridization …

Isotopes In The Estuary: Conception And Application Of Stable And Radioactive Carbon, Derek Detweiler

Reports

Grades: 9-12 Subjects: Chemistry | Environmental Science | Oceanography

In this interactive estuary-focused activity, students will examine stable and radioactive isotope data which provide information about the source and age of environmental samples such as plant and soil matter. Students will calculate average isotope ratios from five reference land types (forest, wetland, agriculture, industry, aquatic) and an unknown site within an estuary. Students will graph their calculated ratios and determine the land type that most impacts their estuary based on reference-to-unknown comparisons.