Current Student Presentations at Conferences

The following undergraduate students presented their research at conferences in the 2023–2024 Academic Year.

American Society of Nutrition Annual Meeting
Boston, Massachusetts July 22—25, 2023

Presentation:  "Investigating Seasonal and Yearly Variations in the Intestinal Microbiome of African Elephants"
Student:  Alexandra Amos, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Peko Tsuji (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Effects of High-Polyphenol Sorghum on NRF2-Regulated Cell Defense Enzymes in Colon Cancer Cells"
Student:  Alexandria Jupinka, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Peko Tsuji (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Leaf Extract from High-Polyphenol Sorghum Varietal Affects Selenoprotein Expression and Activity in Human Colon Cancer Cells"
Student:  Scott Gallagher, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Peko Tsuji (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Gut Microbiome Analysis of Captive Polar Bears"
Student:  Dajaha Kenney, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Peko Tsuji (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Effects of High-Polyphenol Sorghum on NRF2-Regulated Cell Defense Enzymes in Colon Cancer Cells"
Student:  Alexandria Jupinka, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Peko Tsuji (Biological Sciences)

Microscopy and Microanalysis Meeting
Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 24—27, 2023

Presentation:  "Role of VEGF Inducer GS4012 on Blood Vessel Formation and Regeneration as Assessed by Low Magnification Microscopy in Live Larval Axolotls"
Student:  Malikeya Chaudhary, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Renee Dickie (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Clearing and Whole Mount Immunohistochemistry for Smooth Muscle Actin Visualization during Regeneration"
Student:  Madison Gamble, Biological Sciences
Student:  Chauncey Liffiton, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Renee Dickie (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Tissue Clearing of Whole-mount Alcian Blue and Eosin Stained Tissue to Investigate Cells Implicated in Regenerative Patterning"
Student:  Joshua Wilmer, Pre-Medical
Mentor:  Dr. Renee Dickie (Biological Sciences)

Baltimore Ecosystem Study Annual Conference
Baltimore, Maryland, October 12, 2023

Presentation:  "Quantifying the Community Nitrogen Footprint of Baltimore City"
Student:  Ayal Alkhateeb, Environmental Science and Studies
Mentor:  Dr. Brian Fath (Biological Sciences)

Entomological Society of America 2023 Program
National Harbor, Maryland, November 5—8, 2023

Presentation:  "High-throughput Screening of Natural Benzyl Esters for Potential Spotted-wing Drosophila Repellents"
Student:  Anisa Greene, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Vonnie Shields (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Ingestion Rate Variation Among Distinct Species of Habitat Mimicking Ecomorph Praying Mantids and Relations to Mandible Morphology"
Student:  Elizabeth McMillan, Biological Sciences
Student:  Marlena Wood, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Christopher Oufiero (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Effects of Prey Size on Prey Capture Kinematics in the Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus)"
Student:  Mary Katherine Sullivan, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Christopher Oufiero (Biological Sciences)

The Maryland Section of the American Chemical Society’s Falling for Research Student Poster Symposium
Towson, Maryland, November 10, 2023

Presentation:  "The Effects of Salt Concentrations and Mammalian Macrophages on the Expression of TcpC, a Virulence Factor Found in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli"
Student:  Tatah Lamin, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry & Bioinformatics
Mentor:  Dr. Michelle Snyder (Biological Sciences)

Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS)
Phoenix, Arizona, November 14—18, 2023

Presentation:  "Exploring the Impact of Escherichia coli TcpC, a Bacterial Domain-containing Protein Using Planaria and Dictostelium discoideum as Model Organisms"
Student:  Victoria Akingbehin, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Michelle Snyder (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Investigating Transcriptional Regulation of Complement Genes During Endotoxemia Using a qPCR Array"
Student:  Phoebe Calkins, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Erin Harberts (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Skewing of UV-Induced Cell Death Pathways Using TLR4 Ligands"
Student:  Sumra Chaudhry, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Erin Harberts (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Characterizing LPS-Induced Complement Activation Over the Course of Murine Endotoxemia"
Student:  Mehnaz Falguni, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Erin Harberts (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Harnessing the Sensitivity and Specificity of Innate Immune Receptors to Identify Food Contaminants"
Student:  Junela Hunat, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Erin Harberts (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Comparing Antibody Production in WT and TLR4 KO Mice"
Student:  Jessica Lopez, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Erin Harberts (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Comparing Gene Expression in the Liver of Wild-Type vs. TLR4-/- Mice Over the Course of Endotoxemia"
Student:  Glory Omodia, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Erin Harberts (Biological Sciences)

Presentation:  "Effects of Antibiotics on Expression of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli TcpC"
Student:  Erica White, Bridges to Baccalaureate Program
Mentor:  Dr. Michelle Snyder (Biological Sciences)

23rd Triennial Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences
Sydney, Australia, November 20—24, 2023

Presentation:  "Assessing the Performance of Next Generation Sequencing as Compared to Capillary Electrophoresis for Human DNA Typing for Modern and Historic Bone and Tissue and Body Fluid Samples"
Student:  Brianna Hutson, Forensic Chemistry
Mentor:  Dr. Kelly Elkins (Chemistry)

Biophysical Society Annual Meeting
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 12, 2024

Presentation: "Single-particle Investigations of the Drug's Partition Behavior and Dynamics Using Fluorescence Microscopy: Towards a Better Drug Delivery and Release"
Student:  Mac Crimmins, Forensic Chemistry
Student:  Mary McDonald, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Khanh-Hoa Tran-Ba (Chemistry)

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Discover BMB
San Antonio, March 23—26, 2024

Presentation:  "Developing a (BiTE) to Eliminate Factor VIII-specific B Cells"
Student:  Eber Guzman-Cruz, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. John Weldon (Biological Sciences)

National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)
Long Beach, California, April 8—10, 2024

Presentation:  "q-PCR Assay Exploring Planarian Ability to Clear Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) in the Presence of the Protein TcpC. "
Student:  Lenora Ingram, Biological Sciences
Mentor:  Dr. Michelle Snyder (Biological Sciences)