Biology Commons^™

Guano Among Bat Species From Two Regions Shows Influence Of Geography And Diet On Bacterial Community, Rahma Ahmed, Thomas Mcelroy, Shannon Whitney, Lydia Moore

Symposium of Student Scholars

Studies of bat guano have shown that the diversity and structure of associated microbial communities can be related to factors such as host phylogeny, life history and reproductive stage, geography, and diet. Many insectivorous bat species in the southeastern U.S. have generalist diets that may shift seasonally to take advantage of abundant prey species or maximize caloric intake. Seasonal shifts in prey availability or consumption should be reflected in a guano microbiome change. We also expected to detect distinct guano microbiomes within species. Within species, distinct microbial communities related to geography, and finally life history and reproductive stage. We compared …

Insect Availability And Parental Care Behavior In A Common Bird, Cole Bourque

Symposium of Student Scholars

Populations of aerially insectivorous birds are declining throughout North America. Urbanization may indirectly contribute to this decline through its negative effects on populations of insects, an important food source in insectivores' diets, where low insect availability may be especially challenging for birds during breeding. How fluctuations in insect populations impact various species at higher trophic levels is an important area of current study for future conservation biology. Here, we examine whether nestling provisioning, brooding and guarding behaviors in a breeding bird—the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)—may be altered depending on the relative insect availability in the environment. We found …

Characterization Of Caenorhabditis Elegans F07a5.4, Human Ortholog Of Olfactomedin 1, Sade K. Thomas, Karunambigai Kalichamy, Martin Hudson

Symposium of Student Scholars

Accurate control of nervous system development is critical for normal brain patterning, and defects in this process can lead to neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The transcription factor neurogenin is necessary for the development of neural subtypes and is deeply conserved across species. However, the transcriptional targets of neurogenin are poorly understood, creating an imperative for further study. We have used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to better understand ngn-1/neurogenin function. Previous work from our lab revealed that ngn-1 plays a role in nerve ring architecture, and neural cell fate specification. In addition, …

Pollution And Littering: Land And Water Pollution Control In The Wright State Woods, Alyssa Vanwinkle, Heidi Orloff, Madelynn Mitchell, Samuel Jackson, Josh Hivner

Runkle Woods Symposia

Students present proposals and options to combat the effect of sodium chloride pollution in ground water and waterways.

Stormwater Bioretention Through The Establishment Of Native Wetland Flora, Spencer Thomas, Davis Taylor, Elise Berry

Runkle Woods Symposia

Students Elise Berry and Spencer Thomas presents a proposed conservation plan through the establishment of wetlands.

The Ecosystem Value Of The Dominant Native And Invasive Shrubs In The Wsu Woods, Jaedynn Duell, John O. Stireman Iii

Runkle Woods Symposia

Jaedynn Duell presents her research in how invasive honeysuckle impacts the ecology of the Wright State University Woods, focusing on spicebush, a comparative counterpart to honeysuckle, and native a local caterpillar species.

The Parasitic Relationship Between The Woods And Wright State, Aubrey Garman

Runkle Woods Symposia

English Literature student Aubrey Garman discusses the recent history and relationship between Wright State University and the Woods the institution stewards.

The Threat Of Plant Invaders And The Plan To Reduce Their Impact In The Wright State Woods, Brandon Thompson, Elizabeth Dunn, Tomee Norris

Runkle Woods Symposia

A presentation by students from the Conservation Biology class presenting on their proposals for reducing the impact of invasive plants species in the Wright state University Woods.

Bat Conservation In The Wright State Woods, Heather Wilson, Morgan Hill, Riley Patrick, Rebecca Sanders

Runkle Woods Symposia

A presentation by students from the Conservation Biology class presenting on their variety of proposals for the conservation of bat species int the Wright State University Woods.

Biodiversity Done The Right Way, Brad Kerry

Runkle Woods Symposia

Economics graduate student Brad Kerry discusses biodiversity through the lens of resource allocation.

Venerable Trees Of The Wright State Woods, Don Cipollini

Runkle Woods Symposia

Dr. Don Cipollini highlights and discusses major tree species in the Wright State University Woods.

Assessing The Risk Of Road Salt To Trees In The Wsu Woods, Shamal Chetty, Mark Crockett, Courtney Crone, Adebayo Djanman, Christopher Griesmeyer, Benjamin Kressbach, Brandon Noel, Israel Odoh, Jennifer Sally, Audrey E. Mcgowin

Runkle Woods Symposia

Students discuss the risk of high amounts of road salt in the ground water in and around the Wright State Woods. Using chlorides as a target anolyte, the students discuss findings, how the abnormally high chloride content in the ground water is effecting the trees in the Wright State Woods, and what they propose for further investigation and action.

Discussion About Conserving The Woods, Volker Bahn

Runkle Woods Symposia

Dr. Volker Bahn discusses the work being done at Wright State to help conserve the Wright State Woods. His discussion introduces subjects later student presentations will cover including Bat Conservation in the Wright State Woods, The Threat of Plant Invaders and the Plan to Reduce Their Impact in the Wright State Woods, Stormwater Bioretention through the Establishment of Native Wetland Flora, and Pollution and Littering: Land and Water Pollution Control in the Wright State Woods.

Woods Symposium 2022 Program, Wright State University

Runkle Woods Symposia

The program for the 5th annual Wright State University Runkle Woods Symposium that took place on November 18, 2022

Comparison Of Assessment And Teaching Modalities For A Quantitative Biology Course, Dmitry Kondrashov

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Stochastic Models Of Zoonotic Avian Influenza With Multiple Hosts, Environmental Transmission, And Migration In The Natural Reservoir, Kaia Smith

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Cougars In The Eastern United States, Justina Raleva, Kenneth Rieche

Scholars Week

Since the 1900s, cougars have been extirpated from nearly everywhere except the western United States parks and wilderness areas. In recent years, cougars have been starting to spread their range outside of the Rocky Mountains, towards eastern states like Illinois, Missouri, and Louisiana. The purpose of this project is to conduct outreach and education through a brochure that would educate locals in Kentucky and Tennessee regarding cougar safety and conservation importance.

Retrieve, Race, Release, Karamello Young, Paige Mccord, Madison Morrison, Emily Fitzgerald

Scholars Week

Title: Retrieve, Race, Release

by: Paige McCord, Karamello Young, Madison Morrison, Emily Fitzgerald

Abstract: This poster represents a service-learning project that was done for our conservation biology class. Our main goal is to educate the public about the negative impacts of turtle derbies. We did this by using educational materials to raise awareness about turtle races and the impact of painting them with toxic substances before releasing them into a habitat that is not their natural one. We did not seek out to prohibit or stop the races as that would cause people to shut down and not listen as …

Trick To The Treat Of Internships And Research: Health Literacy Project: Awareness Of Autism In Black And Brown Communities, Varun Kota, Mark Jaffe

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

No abstract provided.

Global Research In Anatomy And Physiology During Covid-19: Lessons Learnt And Future Recommendations, Harsh Chheda, Jeet Patel, Santanu De

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

The ongoing Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a significant disruption in several areas of research within the fields of Anatomy and Physiology. With the whole world coming to a standstill, research of any kind was difficult to pursue, especially in these disciplines requiring kinesthetic/tactile application of concepts or testing hypotheses through hands-on engagement, as the new social guidelines and risks to certain groups of people hindered up-to-date research-data collection. However, with new technology and protocols created or adopted, there has been an effort to better help students and scientists to conduct research remotely; such alternatives cannot effectively …

Global Education In Anatomy And Physiology During Covid-19: Lessons Learnt And Future Recommendations, Sean Mahajan, Sneh Patel, Santanu De

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted several essential aspects of anatomy and physiology education worldwide. With this pandemic, dynamic instructional and technological interventions have been taking place rapidly in an effort to minimize the adverse repercussions of moving away from the traditional means of education in these critical scientific disciplines. COVID-19 has necessitated higher educational administrations, faculty, and students to pursue teaching, learning, and assessment of anatomy and physiology courses/curricula through innovative strategies without compromising on the quality or rigor of education. Our study encapsulates, for the first time, globally published reports on the key implications of …

Science Alive, Trisha Sudhakar, Rajin Persaud

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

The goal of Science Alive is to provide a “sense of wonder” not only for the grade-school children but for the college students and their faculty as well. Science Alive serves to reinforce the scientific knowledge of local grade-school students and community members, while enhancing the education and career development opportunities for college students. Our group does this by providing opportunities for youth to explore science beyond the textbooks through hands-on, interactive discovery, which stimulates interest and fosters confidence for college and grade-school students alike. Our groups lead on-campus and in-class workshops, weekend clubs, after-school programs, and other community events. …

Stem-Away: Mentor Chains Internships, Isha K. Pasumarthi

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

No abstract provided.

Sea-Phages Research Opportunity, Sarah Ballarin

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Research opportunity targeted for freshmen and sophomores through the SEA-PHAGES program. The goal of the research is to discover new bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) to help combat antibiotic resistance. Phage therapy is a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics. Phages have also been widely used in the food industry to prevent microbial growth on certain foods and are currently being explored as a method for bioremediation of oil spills and wastewater treatment.

Last year, my research team discovered two new bacteriophages: Genamy16 and NovaSharks that were able to infect the bacteria Gordonia rubripertincta. These phages can possibly be used for …

Covid-19-Impacted Research And Education In Global Healthcare And Stem: Evaluation Of Case Studies, Yumna Indorewala, Santanu De

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

The zoonotic novel coronavirus has posed major challenges to the world’s economy, social development, and public health. Effects in the education and research in the field of healthcare and STEM are accentuated in lower-developed countries or communities where the access to technology and a reliable internet connection are luxuries making it difficult to attain education virtually. The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has also disrupted research and training in STEM and healthcare. With significant increases in infection rates there is an urge to redirect projects towards virology research and vaccine development. This comprehensive literature review includes case studies highlighting the …

Trick To The Treat: Penn Medicine Princeton Health Hospital, Divya Papaiya

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

No abstract provided.

Pfizer Summer Growth Experience, Arman Kakkar

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

From May 9, 2022 till July 29, 2022, I served as a Research Intern at Pfizer. Specifically, I worked in the Vaccine Research and Development Sector in the High Throughput Clinical Immunoassays and Diagnostics Group (HCID). In this group, I was responsible for Phase 3 testing of clinical trial material for the Covid-19 Vaccine. Over this time, I learned a great deal about the process of vaccine production from start to finish. Additionally, I was able to make numerous connections. This is definitely an experience I would recommend to others.

The Brain-Gut Axis Of Honeybees: Testing How Microbiota Affect Individual And Social Behaviour, Julia F. Lacika, Shenella George

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

My Summer Working With Two-Spotted Spider Mites, Renée A. Smith

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Two-spotted spider mites are a polyphagous pest, capable of eating a magnitude of food crops which causes a large problem for Canadian agriculture. Their ability to consume various crops stems from their ability to adapt to various chemical defence mechanisms. This ability allows them to acquire resistance to many commonly used pesticides. This has resulted in large infections in Canadian farms with few options to prevent the pests from affecting crop yields. Take a look at my project if you'd like to see how the Grbic lab is working to combat this issue using genetic engineering techniques!

A Bacterial Microbiome Analysis Of Solarized Ginseng Garden Soils, Anka Colo

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a highly valued perennial crop grown for its roots during a four-year cultivation cycle. American ginseng is subject to ginseng replant disease (GRD) in which severe root rot develops in newly planted ginseng grown in a former ginseng garden. A common strategy to mitigating GRD is not available and techniques such as fumigation, fungicides, and biocontrol are ineffective, banned, or are slowly being phased out. Alternatively, soil solarization is a pre-plant technique used to treat soil to reduce disease inoculum and alter soil microbiomes. In summer 2019, a six-week soil solarization experiment was …