Summer Research Scholars

Joel Daniel Arias
Sarah Baker
Adan Cortez
Jevaughn Davis
Christopher Dishop
Eric Fallon
Carl Ferber
Andres Fernandez
Jasmine Haddad
Claire Kuelbs
Hanna Larson
Quinn Montgomery
Dom Pera
Alyssa Rodriguez
Shannon Trujillo

Joel Daniel Arias
Mentor: Dr. Peter Iovine

My work involves the synthesis and investigation of biocompatible, amphiphilic starch hybrid polymers.

Sarah Baker
Mentor: Dr. James Bolender

My project's aim is to find a method to control the size that lanthanide nanocrystals may be produced and characterize them using fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Being able to create these nanocrystals in specific size ranges is important for further use in biological applications within the human body.

Adan Cortez
Mentor: Dr. James Bolender

My research is in analytical chemistry concerning water analysis and purification for East Africa.

Jevaughn Davis
Mentor: Dr. Joseph Provost

My research involves using mutational analysis and circular dichrosim to determine the amino acids that participate in the binding and regulation of NHE, CHP1 and CHP2.

Christopher Dishop
Mentor: Dr. Veronica Galvan

My research project focused on cell-phone distraction to a bystander. Preliminary results suggest that cell-phone conversations are more distracting than a normal conversation between two people.

Eric Fallon
Mentor: Dr. Adam Siepielski

I am currently assisting my professor in discerning patterns of community composition focusing on damselflies.

Carl Ferber
Mentor: Dr. Timothy Clark

I am investigating the synthesis of an array of phosphine boronate esters for use as catalysts in the reduction of carbon dioxide to methanol for the purpose of reducing carbon emissions.

Andres Fernandez
Mentor: Dr. Stacy Langton

My research consisted in the manipulation of q-series in order to find an infinite family of integer partition identities.

Jasmine Haddad
Mentor: Dr. Adam Siepielski

I am currently assisting my professor in analyzing community composition across a latitudinal gradient

Claire Kuelbs
Mentor: Dr. Sue Lowery

My project is analyzing the effect of internal waves on the distribution of fish eggs of different species.

Hanna Larson
Mentor: Dr. Lauren Benz

This summer I analyzed the adsorption activity of alcohols (methanol and butanol) in zeolitic imidazolate framework nanoporous thin films (Zif-8) in ultra high vacuum and low temperature conditions.

Quinn Montgomery
Mentor: Dr. Drew Talley

For my research I helped Prof. Talley study the population dynamics of the Fungulus fish.

Dom Pera
Mentor: Dr. Octavio Rodriguez

I researched and documented human rights abuses committed by the Federal Police in Mexico.

Alyssa Rodriguez
Mentor: Dr. Drew Talley

I study kinetics and pH dependence of aqueous-phase reactions of glycolaldehyde with glycine, ammonium sulfate, and methylamine

Shannon Trujillo
Mentor: Dr. Geoffrey Morse

I am studying the diversity of armored scale insects in tropical rain forest sites around the globe using molecular phylogenetic techniques.

Effie Albitz
Francisco Hildalgo
Ngoc-Tram Nguyen
Kyra Thrush
Carlos Aleves Jesus
Mia Ivos
Emily Pitsch
Shannon Trujillo
Sarah Baker
Nikia James
Fernanda Pocopio
Vanessa Vargas
Ecio Bosi Junior
Kendall Kehr
Hannah Shapiro
Eric Wang
Joseph Chiappe
Crash Ketcham
Daniela Silva
Hannah Warde
Megan Dotterweich
Soho Kim
Frank Slykas
Praveen Wickremasinghe
Selena Garcia DuBar
Lauren Maalouf
Sydney Smith
Charli Worth
Kaylee Gil
Amaris Martinez
Zachary Stewart
Megan Goodman
Olnita Martini
Maaron Tesfaye

Effie Albitz
Menotr:Dr. Timothy Clark

I am optimizing reaction conditions for C-H borylations of aryl phosphines using an iridium catalyst.

Carlos Aleves Jesus
Mentor: Dr. Nigel Calcutt

I am investigating a potential effect of different growth factors in the recovery of nerve loss, a characteristic signal of Diabetic Neuropathy. I evaluate occupancy of nerves in the eye's tissue of mice using confocal microscopy.

Sarah Baker
Mentor: Dr. James Bolender

My research involves investigating how pH of synthesis effects the size distributions of terbium-doped lanthanide fluoride, chloride, and phosphate nanocrystals.

Ecio Bosi Junior
Mentor: Dr. James Kohl

This summer I am researching the wear behavior and mechanical properties of polymer materials.

Joseph Chiappe
Mentor: Dr. Bethany O'Shea

I am researching arsenic in mines at Black Mountain.

Megan Dotterweich
Mentor: Dr. Nathalie Reyns

I'm researching barnacle larvae dispersal in the rocky intertidal.

Selena Garcia DuBar
Mentor: Dr. Jessica Bell & Dr. Hugh Ellis

I am investigating the structure and function of suppressor of IKKε (SIKE) which interacts with TBK1, a key convergence point in multiple innate immune signaling pathways.

Kaylee Gil
Mentor: Dr. James Bolender

The goal of my research is to modify surface of lanthanide ion based nanocrystals through various amino acids.

Megan Goodman
Mentor: Dr. Drew Talley

My research project involves two species of clams that are currently inhabiting Mission Bay, a native and an invasive species. I am  interested in whether or not the invasive species are outcompeting and inhibiting the growth rate of the native species.

Francisco Hildalgo
Mentor: Dr. Peter Iovine

We are working on the preparation of peptide-starch conjugates for applications in peptide stabilization and release. We anticipate these hybrid biomaterials will have potential applications in drug delivery and as therapeutic coatings on biomedical devices.

Mia Ivos
Mentor: Dr. Lauren Benz

Currently working with metal organic frameworks (zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, in particular) and testing their gas adsorption levels, nanoporosity, and surface chemistry properties that specialize in storage.

Nikia James
Mentor: Dr. Jessica Bell & Dr. Hugh Ellis

This summer I have been studying MDH, which is an dimer enzyme that plays a large role in the Krebs’s cycle.  I have been studying the specific mutations, S266 and L269, which are located at the interface and seeing how the mutations affect the kinetics.

Kendall Kehr
Mentor: Dr. Lauren Benz

This summer I am studying zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) thin films and investigating a more successful procedure for adhering the films to gold coated wafers using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs).

Crash Ketcham
Mentor: Dr. Drew Talley

I will be helping Dr. Talley in his wetland fish project, studying minnows in the Kendall Frost salt marsh in Mission Bay. We are trying to understand how the populations differ between two of the major creeks in the wetland by quantifying the invasive fishes that seem to be more common in recent years.

Soho Kim
Mentor: Dr. Jessica Bell & Dr. Hugh Ellis

My research project focuses on learning about the mechanism of suppressor of IKKε (SIKE) phosphorylation and the interaction between SIKE and TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1), an enzyme involved in the innate immune system.

Lauren Maalouf
Mentor: Dr. Joseph Provost

Brief description of your research project: The purpose of my project is to optimize expression of His tagged proteins.

Amaris Martinez
Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Schotter

My research focuses on cognitive psychology regarding eye movements during reading and other visual processes. I am currently researching preview benefits in reading in the English language using eye trackers. My research experience has been though collaboration in the Rayner Lab at the University of California, San Diego.

Olnita Martini
Mentor: Dr. Joan Schellinger

Our research entails identifying peptide ligands for catalytic RNA's. This identification involves synthesis and purification of these different peptides.

Ngoc-Tram Nguyen
Mentor: Dr. Richard Gonzalez

Our research investigates and compares the mechanism of ion transport in various characid and cichlid fish (both native and non-native to the Rio Negro). These fish have adapted various mechanisms to cope with the harsh environmental conditions such has highly acidic and ion poor waters.

Emily Pitsch
Mentor: Dr. Lauren Benz

I am studying the reactive properties of ZIF-8 and trying to chemically adhere a uniform thin film on copper foil.

Fernanda Pocopio
Mentor: Dr. Leonard Perry

I am currently assisting my professor in developing a mobile App course about Lean Six Sigma.

Hannah Shapiro
Mentor: Dr. Geoffrey Morse

I am studying the biodiversity and diet breadth of armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in tropical rainforest canopies (Panama, Australia, Borneo, and Africa) using molecular phylogenetic techniques.

Daniela Silva
Mentor: Dr. Joachim Latzer

In my research I use frustrational analysis to guide mutational studies of NHE1, CHP1 and CHP2 to determine the amino acid residues that participate in the binding and regulation.

Frank Slykas
Mentor: Dr. Jessica Bell

I study the role of SIKE in phagocytosis

Sydney Smith
Mentor: Dr. Adam Haberman

This summer I am conducting research on a Drosophila eye model of Alzheimer's disease, specifically looking at the role of the lysosome in the progression of this disease. I will be raising drosophila expressing Alzheimer's proteins in light and dark conditions to manipulate stress of the lysosome and then comparing cell death between these two conditions.

Zachary Stewart
Mentor: Dr. Jessica Bell & Dr. Hugh Ellis

I am trying to further understand the conformation and flexibility of native and mutants H90Q and E256Q of glyoxisomal malate dehydrogenase. H90Q and E256Q both have electrically charged side chains so I'll also look at how the pH environment of the protein affects the subunit interaction since the amino acids are located in the subunit interface. By running kinetics experiments, mass spectrometry, and potentially x-ray crystallography, I should achieve this goal.

Maaron Tesfaye
Mentor: Dr. Odesma Dalrymple

This summer I am assisting in the development of more affordable robotics kits (including identifying hardware and programming software, along with the development of accompanying curriculum), supporting the teaching of two summer STEM programs for middle school students, creating STEAM kits, and assisting in the collection and evaluation of data to measure the impact of the STEM programs.

Kyra Thrush
Mentor: Dr. Jeremy Kua

In my project, I am mapping the energy landscape of a variety of small molecules, determining their energies and the activation energies required for their reactions using computational chemistry methods.

Shannon Trujillo
Mentor: Dr. Geoffrey Morse

I am studying the diversity of armored scale insects in tropical rain forest sites around the globe using molecular phylogenetic techniques.

Vanessa Vargas
Mentor: Dr. Jeremy Kua

This summer I am trying to develop a new method of group additivity for aqueous organic molecules. In addition, I will be using the Benson method as a reference throughout my project.

Eric Wang
Mentor: Dr. Rae Anderson

Our research examines the effects of crowding on the diffusion of and conformation of linear and circular DNA molecules. Through single molecule fluorescence microscopy and particle-tracking, videos of the DNA can be taken and quantified as data. I just wash the dishes though.

Hannah Warde
Mentor: Dr. Nathalie Reyns

I am examining onshore larval barnacle transport in the surf zone.

Praveen Wickremasinghe
Mentor: Dr. David De Haan & Dr. Melanie Zaucher

Identification of the glass phase transition range of reactions between amines and aldehydes in the atmosphere, investigation into sulfite and aldehyde reactions/products in the atmosphere, and designing/building a photolysis chamber.

Charli Worth
Mentor: Dr. Lisa Baird & Dr. Steven Morrison

I study the different reactions between two strains of switchgrass, summer and kanlow, when infested with sugarcane aphids by looking at their peroxidase activitiy levels as well as where superoxides and reactive oxidative species form in their tissues.

Effie Albitz
Mariam Dawood
Caitlin Hart
Raj Patel
Taylor Volkman
Dale Allen
Sarah Dempsey-Prioleau
Stephen Hyland
Jill Pryor
Karli Wittenberg
Alyssa Andretta
Carson Edwards
Mia Ivos
Flowreen Shikwana
Charli Worth
Michael Bennett
Edward Fisher
Kyra Krynicki
Marina Silva Malta
Jillian Wothe
Lindsay Benster
Bridget Fitzgerald
Carl Kyrillos
Rebecca Simpson
Cristina Clark
Diego Giordani
Alyssa Morse
Alexander Spilde
Sarah Clark
Jazmyn Gonzalez
Alexis Ogtong
Maaron Tesfaye
Sergio Cuadra
Sarah Gray
Meredith Olson
Kyra Thrush

Effie Albitz

Mentor:Dr. Timothy Clark

I am optimizing reaction conditions for C-H borylations of aryl phosphines using an iridium catalyst, as well as utilizing these borylated products in further functionalizations. 

Dale Allen

Mentor: Dr. Terry Bird 

Alyssa Andretta 

Mentor: Dr. David De Haan

Using Dr. De Haan's chamber, I am able to study and simulate the formation of organic aerosol particles that form from a glyoxal and OH radical reaction. This reaction is frequent in the atmosphere and can contribute to climate change.

Michael Bennett 

Mentor: Dr. Suzanne Walther

I will be studying fluvial geomorphology at a number of sites in Southern California. I will work with a graduate student and an upperclassmen, and eventually develop my own research project based on my interests.

Lindsay Benster 

Mentor: Dr. Jena Hales

Investigating the role of the Medial Entorhinal Cortex in Odor Sequence task in rats. The MEC is the major projection to the hippocampus which has been implicated in the task at hand, so we are researching whether the MEC also influenced this type of memory.

Cristina Clark

Mentor: Dr. Ron Kaufmann

Sarah Clark

Mentor: Dr. James Bolender

My research project is to examine the impact on the longitudinal relaxation time of D2O upon addition of gadolinium doped lanthanum fluoride nanocrystals.

Sergio Cuadra

Mentor: Dr. Timothy Clark

I am working in the Organic Chemistry Lab with Dr. Clark.  Our research deals with changing the carbon-boron bond to other carbon-X bonds, which could be used to synthesize biologically relevant compounds.

Shane Davis

Mentor: Dr. Joseph Provost

Mariam Dawood

Mentor: Dr. Jessica Bell

Sarah Dempsey-Prioleau

Mentor: Dr. Adriana Molitor

I work in Dr. Molitor's Child Development lab and study how mother-child interactions can influence how a child learns a new task. My research team focuses on toddlers (2-3 years) and the extent to which a mother structures or gives appropriate guidelines so that her child can efficiently and successfully learn the new task. 

Carson Edwards

Mentor: Dr. Ernest Kim

Teddy Fisher 

Mentor: Dr. Jena Hales

My name is Teddy Fisher. I am a Behavioral Neuroscience major with a Sociology Minor. I am working in the lab of Dr. Jena Hales in the Psychology Department. We are doing research on the role of the Medial Entorhinal Cortex in Odor Sequence Memory in rats. We are presenting our research at the Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego in November! 

Bridget Fitzgerald 

Mentor: Dr. Divya Sitaraman

Our project is working to explore the role octopamine plays in sleep patterns in drosophila.

Diego Giordani

Mentor: Dr. Truc Ngo

Jazmyn Gonzalez

Mentor: Dr. Odesma Dalrymple 

Sarah Gray

Mentor: Dr. Odesma Dalrymple

My summer research is with Dr. Dalrymple in the Shiley Marcos School of Engineering. Our research is focused on the incorporation of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (S.T.E.A.M) and the execution and analysis of the Engineering Design Process in primary and secondary schools in California.

Caitlin Hart

Mentor: Dr. Lisa Baird

Stephen Hyland

Mentor: Dr. Timothy Clark 

My research deals with the borylation of sp^3 hybridized carbons alpha to amides and carbamides.

Mia Ivos 

Mentor: Dr. Lauren Benz

I am studying a specific type of metal organic framework (UIO-66) and identifying the surface groups that generate its unique chemistry. I am also investigating a more successful procedure for adhering the films to gold-coated or silicon-coated wafers using self-assembled monolayers.

Carl Kyrillos

Mentor: Dr. Rae Anderson

This summer I used to optical tweezers to analyze the viscoelastic properties of entangled biopolymer networks.

Alyssa Morse

Mentor: Dr. Jena Hales

Alexis Ogtong

Mentor: Dr. Timothy Clark

Meredith Olson

Mentor: Dr. Nathalie Reyns

Raj Patel

Mentor: Dr. Joan Schellinger

I am discovering ways to optimize peptide synthesis and, from there, to polymerize them with efficiency.

Jill Pryor

Mentor: Dr. Nathalie Reyns

Flowreen Shikwana

Mentor: Dr. Jessica Bell

Marina Silva Malta

Mentor: Dr. Leonard Perry

Rebecca Simpson

Mentor: Dr. Adriana Molitor

Alexander Spilde

Mentor: Dr. Ernest Kim

We worked on creating a Raspberry Pie cluster and then optimizing the cluster to improve the speed at which it analyzed simple programs. 

Maaron Tesfaye 

Mentor: Dr. Odesma Dalrymple

I am currently working under the mentorship of Dr. Odesma Dalrymple in the engineering department assisting in the development of engineering education kits and the accompanying curriculum, assisting in Next Generation Science Standards professional development programs, and collecting and evaluating data to measure the impact of the STEM programs.

Taylor Volkman

Mentor: Dr. Timothy Clark 

Karli Wittenberg

Mentor: Dr. Jessica Bell 

We are studying a small protein called SIKE, and want to know if SIKE functions in the rearrangement of the cytoskeleton upon detection of a pathogen.

Charli Worth 

Mentor: Dr. Lisa Baird

I study the effects of infestation by the yellow sugarcane aphid on the peroxidase expression of switchgrass by measuring peroxidase reactivity levels and its localization within the leaf.

Jillian Wothe

Mentor: Dr. Adam Haberman

Elizabeth Kresock

Mentor: Satyan Devadoss

Elizabeth Kresock is double majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics and minoring in Theology and Religious Studies. She will be a junior at the University of San Diego in fall 2018. She is currently conducting research with Dr. Satyan Devadoss and Dr. Lukasz Pruski in the Mathematics Department. She is working alongside a team of students to create interactive programs that visualize the unfolding of objects in space. She is extending Devadoss' research from last summer, which investigated the unique structures which appear when three-dimensional cubes and four-dimensional cubes unfold. She, Pruski, Devadoss, and the team are working together to transform mathematical patterns on paper into vivid, interactive graphics on a website. This requires mathematical reasoning and knowledge of programming languages such as Three.JS, JavaScript, WeBGL, HTML, and CSS.

Stefano Monzon

Mentor: Lukasz Pruski

We are creating an interactive, real-time 3D computer simulation of rigid spheres colliding in a container with a movable piston for classroom use. This project is also being used to research the maximum possible number of collisions for any ball quantity in any number of spatial dimensions in unbounded space.