Undergraduate Research Forum 2021 - Schedule of Presenters
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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FORUM APRIL 16, 2021 Thank you to our sponsor Table of Contents Freshman Research Initiative Poster and Oral Presentations Poster Presentation Categories: Poster Presentation Categories Poster # ▶ Astronomy, Mathematics, and Physics 1–10; 113–122 ▶ Biochemistry 11–26 ▶ Biological Sciences 27–56; 102; 106; 108 ▶ Chemistry 57–67 ▶ Computational Biology / Computational Biochemistry / 68–78 Computational Chemistry ▶ Computer Science 79–84 ▶ Human Ecology 85–112 ▶ Molecular Biology 123–139 ▶ Neuroscience 140–158 Oral Presentations ▶ Group 1 159–179 ▶ Group 2 180–200 Alphabetical Index of Authors Undergraduate Research Forum 2021 - Schedule of Presenters College of Natural Sciences Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science Virtual Undergraduate Research Forum The University of Texas at Austin April 16, 2021 • Return to table of contents Undergraduate Research Forum 2021 - Schedule of Presenters Freshman Research Initiative AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS Full Stream Name: Autonomous Intelligent Research Stream Poster Robotics Presentations Principal Investigator: Peter Stone Research Educator: Justin Hart The Freshman Research Initiative The goal of this stream is to create a system of fully (FRI) offers first year students the autonomous robots inside the new Gates complex opportunity to initiate and engage in to aid people inside the building. Students will learn authentic research experiences with about and contribute to cutting-edge research in faculty and graduate students in areas artificial intelligence and robotics. such as chemistry, biochemistry, Students in the Autonomous Intelligent Robotics stream are designing software for a system of robots nanotechnology, molecular biology that will exist within the new Bill and Melinda Gates and computer science. Computer Science Complex. The stream’s goal is to enable robots, and associated software agents, to FRI spans three semesters of interact with building visitors and residents. integrated coursework and laboratory FRI students are working on a different autonomous research in newly renovated, robotics challenge, namely the multi-robot interactive dedicated research labs. Students system. Topics include indoor navigation, wifi localization, human interaction, activity recognition, move through the program in cohorts multi-robot coordination, and many others. of about 30. Students emerging from This is a large programming project in which students FRI have experience with experimental experience many CS ideas that they can learn in detail techniques, lab work, and a deep as juniors or seniors in the Department of Computer understanding of the scientific Science. These include: software engineering, threads, message passing, distributed computing, process and sometimes publications. real-time systems, and AI algorithms. Additionally, students with engineering backgrounds can apply control theory and other engineering principles to the APTAMER design and control of the robots. Students also learn Full Stream Name: Aptamer about, and often contribute to, cutting-edge research Principal Investigator: Andrew Ellington in robotics and autonomous agents. Research Educator: Gwen Stovall BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE How can we use biochemistry and nucleic acids for Full Stream Name: Behavioral Neuroscience drug development and sensor applications? Principal Investigator: Nigel Atkinson Research Educator: Thilini Wijesekera The Aptamer Stream uses oligonucleotide chemistry, in vitro selection methodology, and The Behavioral Neuroscience stream, students will biochemistry to develop novel therapeutics, learn behavioral analysis, concepts in neuroscience, diagnostics, and molecular sensors. The tool of and genetics. Specifically, we will use the Drosophila choice for the development of these applications is an melanogaster model system and simple behavioral «aptamer,» an oligonucleotide binding species. In the assays to study the effects of alcohol and Stream, students use the methods of in vitro selection neuroimmune signaling. Many effects of alcohol on methodology to identify aptamers against a variety of behavior and health may arise from an effect on the targets and develop their downstream application. For neuroimmune system. We will first examine the effect example, aptamers targeting the precursors of of alcohol on agression (male-male fighting over disease states could offer inhibitory functions, thus resources), circadian rhythmicity and sleep, voluntary serving as therapeutics to alleviate disease. Still alcohol consumption, leraning, alcohol tolerance other aptamers against disease biomarkers (defined as alcohol-induced alcohol resistance), could be used in the development of disease and alcohol withdrawal systems using behavioral diagnostics. Additionally, some aptamers may serve assays and statistical data analysis. Then, we will use as gene regulators (such as synthetic riboswitches) Drosophila genetics (mutants, transgenes) to identify or for targeted drug delivery (such as nanoparticle genes and neural circuits that produce the alcohol adjuncts). response. Students will have the opportunity to propose experiments of their own design! • Return to table of contents Undergraduate Research Forum 2021 - Schedule of Presenters BIG DATA IN BIOLOGY blot analysis. The students will get equipped with Full Stream Name: Big Data in Biology the laboratory techniques that could be applied in Principal Investigator: Hans Hoffman & Vishy Iyer any field of biological science. In particular, students Research Educator: Dhivya Arasappan in the Biobricks stream will apply these techniques in studying the biochemical activities of proteins How can we detect meaningful patterns from involved in RNA translation in A.thaliana. In one terabytes of sequence data? project, we are focused on examining the biochemical activity of a Cullin-based ubiquitin ligase (E3) called Advances in Next Generation Sequencing BPM3 in translation regulation in A.thaliana. BPM3 (NGS) technologies allow us to generate data has been shown to target transcription factors that at unprecedented speed and throughput. As a are involved in seed sizing and flowering time for consequence, we can now study biological systems at ubiquitin dependent degradation to regulate its the level of whole genomes and whole transcriptomes protein level. However, recent studies suggest that instead of at the single gene level. Importantly, this BPM3 may regulate protein level of its target by technology not only impacts research, but also inhibiting translation through its interaction with how medical care is provided; hospitals will soon eukaryotic initiation factors. Our current goal is to be generating sequence data for every patient who examine the direct impact of BPM3 on translation walks in the door in an effort to customize diagnosis using an in vitro translation system derived from and treatment to that patient. However, the biggest wheat germ. Our second project is focused on challenge for utilizing the power of such data is our elucidating the functional difference between eIF4G limited ability to quickly and reliably obtain insights and eIF-Iso4G in A.thaliana. Although eIF4G and its from this data. isoform, eIF-Iso4G, exhibit the same translational function in plants, the structural divergence of eIF- Iso4G, containing more substrate binding domains BIOACTIVE MOLECULES (FRI & ARI) compared to eIF4G, suggests it may have additional Full Stream Name: Synthesis and Biological functions in the cell. To study the binding partners Recognition of eIF-Iso4G, we have created a fusion protein called Principal Investigator: Stephen Martin Neddylator-Iso4G, to apply the Neddylator system to Research Educator: Elizabeth Ilardi identify novel binding partners of eIF-Iso4G. As the demand for therapeutic drugs increases, how are researchers working to better understand molecular interactions? BIODIVERSITY Full Stream Name: BioDiversity Discovery An understanding of the way proteins, enzymes, or Principal Investigator: David Hillis & David other macromolecules interact with small molecules Cannatella is integral to the process of drug design. The vast Research Educator: Thomas Devitt majority of drugs bind to such macromolecules initiating a biological response. In order for a The Biodiversity Discovery stream is interdisciplinary compound to be considered an efficient drug, it must and develops skills relevant for a variety of careers bind well, or with high binding affinity. Research in our in science. It is well suited for students interested in laboratory is focused on the design and synthesis of ecology, evolution, natural history, medicine, molecular small molecules that exhibit high affinities and biology, animal behavior, environmental science and specificities for selected macromolecules using genomics. Research occurs in the lab and in the field. laboratory techniques relevant to synthetic organic In the lab we measure and catalog specimens, map chemistry. and analyze distributions, and use molecular genetic tools to uncover evolutionary history and relationships between species. Outdoors we visit a variety of sites in the Austin area including two UT field stations – BIOBRICKS the Brackenridge Field Lab and Stengl Lost Pines Full Stream Name: Biobricks for Molecular Field station where wecollect specimens and make Machines observations about ecology and behavior. Students Principal Investigator: Karen Browning can choose among projects related to their interests Research Educator: Soo-Hyun Yang such as on systematics,