Department of Biology
MSC 03 2020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-0884
Department of Biology
MSC 03 2020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-0884
· Present research at local & national scientific meetings
· Meet other scientists and students from around the country
· Participate in a 3 cr/hr seminar course on Ethics in Research
· Advisement to track timely graduation & post graduation plans
· Learn about graduate school possibilities
· Guidance to apply for graduate school
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Student: Marissa Anderson
Mentor: Laurie Hudson, Ph. D.
Hometown: Jemez Springs, NM
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2011
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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Student: Melanie Connick
Mentor: Rebecca S. Hartley, Ph. D.
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
I'm working in the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Dirk in the Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering and the Center for Biomedical Engineering. Our lab focuses on aortic heart valve tissue engineering and biomaterials applications. The valve consists of two cell types, valvular interstitial cells (VICs) and valvular endothial cells (VECs). Current research has shown there are five types of VIC cells present in heart valves and these different cell phenotypes all play an important role in tissue homeostasis. By studying how the different phenotypes are expressed, we will gain more insight into how the cells can be effectively used for tissue engineering applications.
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2010; 2010 Biology Research Day; 2010 David G. Whitten Symposium; SACNAS 2011
Poster/ Presentation Titles: Influence of Harvesting Method on Valvular Interstitial Cell in vitro, 2010
Summer Research Program: Coming Soon!
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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Student: R. Antonio Gomez
Mentor: Kelly Miller, Ph. D.
Hometown: Coming Soon
I work in Dr. Kelly B. Miller’s insect systematics lab as an undergraduate student researcher. The lab, in general, is tasked with describing and understanding the biodiversity of insect and non-insect arthropods of the world, while focusing on the Southwest U.S. My research revolves around a subfamily of short-horned grasshoppers commonly known as band-winged grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Oedipodinae). The current phylogeny of these insects is currently under studied, and I am examining and reexamining traditional morphological characters used to delineate species in the Chortophaga genus group, some of whose members can be found in N.M. Along with studying the morphology of the group, I am also using molecular data in order to determine the validity of this group’s currently listed genera and species. This work will constitute one of only a handful of modern cladistic analyses on band-winged grasshoppers. In addition to this investigation, my research interests are primarily evolutionary biology, particularly sexual selection, and organismal biology. My future field of study in graduate school is still tentative, but I am lured more and more into entomology because of the tremendous diversity of forms, behaviors, and life histories of insects.
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2010
Poster/ Presentation Titles: Identification and Sequencing of T Cell Receptor Delta Lotus Expressed in the Spleen of the Duckbill Platypus, Ornithorhynchus Anatinus, 2010
Summer Research Program: Coming Soon!
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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Student: Diane C. Jimenez- Stinson
Mentor: Bridget Wilson, Ph. D.
Hometown: Coming Soon
We are currently quantifying cytoplasmic proteins that regulate FcεRI activity focusing on Lyn and Fyn, kinases responsible for phosphorylating FcεRI, and Csk, a negative regulator of these kinases. Estimates of protein numbers will be incorporated into mathematical models to identify rate-limiting interactions in the pathway, which could potentially aid in the development of novel treatments for allergic diseases.
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2010; SACNAS 2011
Poster/ Presentation Titles: Characterization of Transcription Factors for the Regulation of the Capsaicinoid Biosynthetic Pathway, 2010
Summer Research Program: University of Arizona
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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Student: Daniel Lujan
Mentor: Bruce Hofkin, Ph. D. and Robert Miller, Ph. D.
Hometown: Coming Soon
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2011
Many mosquito species preferentially take blood meals from either birds or mammals. Other mosquito species are less host specific and feed readily on both. Furthermore, some mosquitoes tend to alter their feeding patterns over the course of the year; early in mosquito season (May through mid-July), they feed primarily on birds. As the season progresses (mid-July through September), such mosquitoes take an increasingly larger proportion of their blood meals from mammals. We have examined the feeding patterns of three competent West Nile Virus (WNV) vectors in Bernalillo County, Culex quinquefasciatus (Say), Cx. tarsalis (Coquillett), and Aedes vexans (Meigen). This current study seeks to determine if any of these three species display this seasonal shift of feeding pattern that has been observed elsewhere. As such it may provide us with a more precise picture of mosquito feeding habits and the transmission dynamics of WNV in Bernalillo County
Poster/ Presentation Titles: Evaluation of Seasonal Feeding Patterns of West Nile Virus Vectors in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, USA: Implications for Disease Transmission
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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Student: Noelle Martinez
Mentor: Diana Northup, Ph. D. and Robert Sinsabaugh, Ph. D.
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2010; 111th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, 2011; SACNAS 2011
I work with Dr. Diana Northup and Dr. Robert Sinsabaugh in the Biology Department. My research focuses on the extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) in New Mexico caves in hopes of cave conservation. I can use the amount of EEA to understand the microbial activity within the caves to determine what nutrients (e.g. phosphorus versus nitrogen) are limiting for the microorganisms present. I want to determine the amount of EEA within these caves and how intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as type of soil, pH of the soil, relative humidity, depth below the surface, distance from the cave entrance, location within the cave, between carbonate & lava caves, and human impact on the cave, affect EEA.
Poster/ Presentation Titles: The Role of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines in Gastric Epithelial Cell Proliferation during Helicobacter pylori Infection, 2010; The Influence of Nutrient Availability on Extracellular Enzyme Activity in Caves, 2011; Human Impact on Extracellular Enzyme Activity within Carlsbad Caverns National Park and El Malpais National Monument Park, NM, 2011
Summer Research Program: Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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Student: Iris Olivas
Mentor: Christopher C. Witt, Ph. D.
Hometown: Coming Soon
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2011
I am studying the organisms that cause infectious diseases and their mechanisms. Currently, I am working on a project in Dr. Witt’s lab, concerning avian malaria. I am screening tissues of birds from Peru to look for malaria parasites. We are compiling data to analyze patterns of transmission relative to the bird’s habitat and elevation gradient.
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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Student: Amber L. Ortiz
Mentor: Helen Hathaway, Ph. D
Hometown: Corrales, NM
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2010; SACNAS 2011
I am currently working with Dr. Helen Hathaway in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the School of Medicine and we hope to target and localize treatment to specific cancer cells. Chemotherapy, a primary cancer treatment, is frequently effective but unfortunately has off-target effects due to influences on rapidly dividing cells. Our goal is to find a magnetic Nanoparticle (m-NP) based treatment that can cause cell death and treat cancer in a localized area by combined hyperthermia and localized chemotherapy.
Poster/ Presentation Titles: Interaction of Magnetic Nanoparticles (mNPs) with Breast Cancer Cells, 2010
Summer Research Program: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center SURP
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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Student: Marie Reyes
Mentor: Elaine Bearer, MD, Ph. D.
Hometown: Coming Soon
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2010; SACNAS 2011
I am working with Dr Changmei Liu (postdoctoral fellow) and Dr Xinyu Zhao in the Department of Neuroscience at the School of Medicine. Her project is to investigate the epigenetic mechanism that governs neural stem cells self-renewal and differentiation. Specifically, investigating how methyl-CpG binding protein 1 (MBD1) controls neural stem cell fate through noncoding microRNAs. Neural stem cells generate new neurons in the postnatal and adult brains, which is implicated in neuroplasticity and learning. Deficiency in postnatal neural stem/progenitor cells (NSC) may be linked to various neurological deficits in the mammalian brain. Gaining an understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms that regulate NSCs could lead to more effective treatments for debilitating disorders such as mental retardation, autism and depression.
Poster/ Presentation Titles: MBD1 Regulates the Expression of Numb Protein in Adult Neural Stem Cells, 2010
Summer Research Program: TBA
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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Student: Joseph Villanueva
Mentor: Charles Melancon, Ph. D.
Hometown: Coming Soon
Conferences or Scientific Meetings Attended: SACNAS 2011
Awards, Recognitions, & Honors:
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