Project Presentation Day - Biology and Biotechnology

Ajulemic Acid, a Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoid
Acid, Suppresses Osteoclastogenesis in
Mononuclear Precursor Cells and Induces
Apoptosis in Mature Osteoclast-like Cells
Kerri George
Advisor: Jill Rulfs
Sponsors: Dr. Jane Lian, Dr. Robert Zurier,
UMass Medical School

Post-Mortem Pb Detection in Birds
Amanda McCullough, Amanda Tarbet
Advisor: Jill Rulfs
Sponsor: Tufts Wildlife Clinic

Limulus Receptors
Christopher Vacher
Advisor: Daniel Gibson

Analysis of Nutrient Starvation of Pichia pastoris
Fermentation and the Regulation of Alcohol
Oxidase (AOX) as a Simulation for Expanded
Bed Chromotography
Eric Mueller
Advisor: Alex DiIorio
Sponsor: Bioprocess Center

Effects of Chemoradiotherapy on
Pancreatic Cancer
Jillian Wise
Advisor: Jill Rulfs
Sponsor: Dr. Cheryl Baker

The Management of Hepatitis C Treatment
in Massachusetts State Correctional Facilities:
An Update and Analysis of the Current HCV
Database
Kathryn Carpenter, Danielle Sorenson
Advisor: Jill Rulfs
Sponsor: Carol Bova, UMass Graduate School of
Nursing

Chlorophyll Extraction Using DMSO
Kurtis Allain
Advisor: Theodore Crusberg

Suppression of Human Macrophage
Interleukin-6 by Ajulemic Acid,
a Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoid Acid
Jennifer Parker
Advisor: Jill Rulfs
Sponsor: Dr. Robert B. Zurier

Design of a Scalable Method to Produce
Cardiogenic Cells from hMSCs through
Embryiod Body Formation and PDGF
Treatment
Gharam Han, Tom Hayes, Mike Riccio,
Cem Saracel
Advisors: Glenn Gaudette, Elizabeth Ryder

Evaluation of Environmental Enrichment
and Pup Exposure on Maternal Behavior
Sensitization Latencies in Virgin Female Rats
Kristen Gervais
Advisor: David Adams

Dominant Cyanobacteria Found in
Cryptobiotic Soil Crusts
Claudia Aguilar
Advisor: Theodore Crusberg

Minimal Requirements for Assembly of a
Stable Inner Membrane Platform for
Vibrio cholerae Pilus Biogenesis
Audrey Jajosky
Advisor: Jill Rulfs
Sponsor: Dartmouth Medical School

The Role of Pheromones in Crayfish
Mating Behavior
Kelly Martin, Heather Watkins
Advisor: Lauren Mathews

Crayfish as Bioindicators of Polycyclic
Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Jennifer Goscila, Nick LaBue, Joy Trahan-Liptak
Advisor: Lauren Mathews

Caspase Activity in Valvular Interstitial Cells
Martin Bazinet, Jessica Blanchette
Advisor: Jill Rulfs

Limulus Blood Cells
Richard Biagiotti, Michael Bruninghaus
Advisor: Daniel Gibson

Horseshoe Crab Limb Regeneration
Yaralia Castillo, Laurie Garabedian
Advisor: Daniel Gibson

A Search for Cervical Stem Cells Using
Immunofluorescence
Hillary Perkins
Advisor: David Adams

Ethanol on the Brain
Marc Bouchard
Advisor: David Adams
Sponsor: Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research
Institute, UMass Medical School

Nematomucin Antigen Expression Identification
Using Anti-Peptide Antibodies
Batsirai Mutetwa
Advisor: Samuel Politz

Characterization and Use of Replication
Competent HIV-1 Genomes
Ryan Sinapius
Advisor: David Adams

Higher Levels of ER Stress in Diabetes-Prone
Rats Plays a Role in Apoptotic Signaling
Jenna Geddes
Advisor: David Adams

Developing Strategies for the Characterization
of Cellular Senescence
Victoria Ruhl
Advisor: Jill Rulfs
Sponsor: Paul Kaufman, UMass Medical School

PER and TIM Oscillate Normally in Cryb
Mutant Drosophila
Alissa Paquette
Advisor: David Adams
Sponsor: Patrick Emery
UMass Medical School

Comparison of Parthenogenetic Artemia
Populations using PCR-RFLP of the Ribosomal
ITS1 and ITS2
Carlos Perez-Torres
Advisor: Joseph Bagshaw

Role of MSX1 in Cell Fate
Katherine Mucci
Advisor: Eric Overstrom

A Study of Cancer Therapeutics in Drosophila
Cassie Leduc
Advisor: Joseph Duffy

Stem Cell Survey of Human Sebaceous Tumors
Belinda Barbagallo
Advisor: David Adams
Sponsor: Stephen Lyle

An Endocytic Signal for the Potassium Channel
KCNK3
Demetra Orthodoxou, Marsha D'Souza
Advisor: Elizabeth Ryder
Sponsor: Haley E. Melikian, Brudnick

Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, UMass
Medical School
Development of an Assay to Screen
Pharmaceuticals that Increase the Exclusion
of Tau Exon-10 and a Less Toxic Tau
Meghan Kelly, Shannon O'Connell
Advisor: David Adams
Sponsor: Jianhua Zhou

Study of Protein Requirements for
Histone Deposition
Megan Stowell
Advisor: Jill Rulfs
Sponsor: UMass Medical School

DNA Binding and Recognition of
Drosophila AEF1
Maceo Braxton, Shirley Braxton
Advisor: David Adams

The Inhibitory Role of the NF-kB Subunit RelB
Donna Davidson
Advisor: David Adams

Effect of Yeast on C. Elegans: A Genetic Study
Linsley Kelly, Brendan O'Brien
Advisors: Samuel Politz, Reeta Prusty Rao

Colorimetric Assay for Ethanol Production
in Microbes
Rachel Robillard
Advisor: Reeta Prusty-Rao