Each June, immediately following final exams, BioCORE Scholars participate in an intensive week of independent research with faculty in the Biology and Chemistry departments. The week culminates in a symposium, in which scholars present their results to the SPU community, family an friends. The Symposium allows the scholars to demonstrate how much they have accomplished in a short amount of time - developing an understanding of their project, learning and troubleshooting experimental techniques, and collecting data.
Research Symposium 2022
Research Students
Members of the 2021 BioCORE Scholars cohort spent winter and/or spring quarters working with SPU Biology faculty in their labs, and presented their research at the annual BioCORE Scholars Research Symposium on June 10, 2022. The scholars and their projects were:
- Anthony Hernandez, Meridiana Mendez and Ayrieanne Terrell. Outdoor or Indoor? Treadmill or Track? How does running location impact your health? Mentored by Dr. Cara Wall-Scheffler, Professor of Biology
- Angie Moten and Gum Nau. Quantitative Analysis of Salicylic Acid in Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Willow (Salix sp.). Mentored by Dr. Ryan Ferrer, Professor of Biology
- Itzel Aparicio, Bella Camarillo and Lay Paw. Glucose and fructose differentially regulate microglia-neuronal interactions. Mentored by Dr. John Douglass, Assistant Professor of Biology
- Milan Brkic and Yaira Ponce. Exploring the Relationship Between Anosmia and Parental Recognition in Peromyscus californicus. Mentored by Dr. Janet Bester-Meredith, Associate Professor of Biology
Research Week 2021
After a hiatus due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2020 BioCORE Scholars cohort finally had the opportunity to participate in Research Week. During the week of June 14-18, 2021, eight Scholars participated in independent research with faculty in the Biology department. The scholars and their projects were:
- Ayysta Htoo, Geana Nicolas, Niyah Thurman-Henry and Esmeralda Vazquez-Sagrero. Biology or Sociology? What determines human walking speed? Mentored by Dr. Cara Wall-Scheffler, Professor of Biology
- Malanda Clamoungou, Insiya Nehal, Ivy Ta and Jashley Terrado. A genetic analysis of homologous sex determination genes in the tardigrade, Hypsibius exemplaris. Mentored by Dr. Jenny Tenlen, Associate Professor of Biology
Research Week 2019
Research students and mentors
During the week of June 10-14, 2019, eight BioCORE Scholars participated in independent research with faculty in the Biology and Chemistry departments. The scholars and their projects were:
- Scarlett Amezcua, Jessica Bekele and Giovanny Gonzalez: Assay Development for Siderophores Binding to Siderocalin Proteins: the Claw Experiment (mentored by Dr. Ben McFarland, Professor of Chemistry, and Mary Chaffee, BS Physiology '14)
- Zoie Bailey, Abdullah Bashmail and Victoria Bowman: Quantifying Metals in Algae, Clam and Oyster Samples by Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (mentored by Dr. Karisa Pierce, Professor of Chemistry, and Israel Zamudio, BS Physiology '21 and BioCORE Scholar)
- Egypt Adams and Yoska Habtom: Identifying Homologs of RNA Binding Proteins in Tardigrades (mentored by Dr. Jenny Tenlen, Associate Professor of Biology)
Research Week 2018
Research students and mentors
During the week of June 11-14, 2018, ten BioCORE Scholars participated in independent research with faculty in the Biology and Chemistry departments. The scholars and their projects were:
- Mercy Alsworth and Sawa Tecle: Exploring the Conservation of PAR proteins in Tardigrades (mentored by Dr. Jenny Tenlen, Associate Professor of Biology)
- Beth Gebre, Marichung Duncan and Cindy Huang: The Effects of Olfaction and Arginine Vasopressin in California Mice (mentored by Dr. Janet Bester-Meredith, Associate Professor of Biology)
- Mariam Alkorashy and Rasah Barem: Algae Whisperers: Determining Green Seaweed Species by Listening to DNA (mentored by Dr. Tim Nelson, Professor of Biology, and Kora Krumm, BS Ecology '19)
- Alexandra Gonzalez, Sherion Jenkins and Israel Zamudio: Metals in Mussels: Quantifying Metals in Environmental Samples from Puget Sound By Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (mentored by Dr. Karisa Pierce, Professor of Chemistry)
Research Week 2017
Research students and mentors
During the week of June 12-16, 2017, seven BioCORE Scholars participated in independent research with Biology department faculty. The scholars and their projects were:
- Ketsia Kahambwe and Jennifer Tung: The Effect of Age on Renal Function In Satin Cavies (mentored by Dr. Cindy Bishop, Assistant Professor of Biology)
- Laarni Aguila and Menna Hailemariam: What genes are involved in the RNAi pathway in tardigrades? (mentored by Dr. Jenny Tenlen, Assistant Professor of Biology)
- Ngan Dang, Antavea Green and Lucress Saint-Louis: Human walking behavior at crosswalks (mentored by Dr. Cara Wall-Scheffler, Associate Professor of Biology)
Research Week 2016
Research students and mentors
During the week of June 13-17, 2016, six BioCORE Scholars participated in independent research with Biology department faculty. The scholars and their projects were:
- Cienn Joyeux and Simone Neal: AVP Regulates Mammalian Social Behavior (mentored by Dr. Janet Bester-Meredith, Associate Professor of Biology)
- Adelaine Buenavista and Leslie Rodriguez-Salas: Exploring Argonaute Genes in a Tardigrade Genome (mentored by Dr. Jenny Tenlen, Assistant Professor of Biology)
- Hayley Cheyney Kane and Anita Karr: How do people maintain a healthy body temperature when running (mentored by Dr. Cara Wall-Scheffler, Associate Professor of Biology)