A SUMMARY OF 2017 UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY RESEARCH PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS March 5, 2018 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS About UBRP 3 Acknowledgements 4 Thank You to Our Private Donors! 5 2017-2018 UBRP Participants 6 2017 UBRP Activities 10 2017-2018 UBRP Ambassadors 12 2017-2018 UBRP Pen Pals 13 Summer 2017 UBRP Small Group Leaders 14 2017 UBRP Mentor Awards 15 Recipients of Travel Awards 16 Publications Co-Authored by UBRP Participants 40 Posters and Presentations at Scientific Meetings 108 2 ABOUT UBRP When Mike Wells conceived of the Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) in 1988, he knew it was a concept worth pursuing. Twenty- nine years later, even Wells would be surprised at the impact this program has had on individual students, on the University of AriZona (UA), and on science. Wells, a biochemist and long time faculty member, claimed that it was his student Teri Suzuki’s question, “What do you guys do around here?” that led him to create UBRP. As a scientist, he was concerned that few biochemistry majors were choosing to pursue careers in science. Suzuki’s question led him to believe that if students were involved in research, they would develop the passion for inquiry and problem solving that attracted him to his profession. Wells recogniZed the power of hands-on learning. He also believed in inclusiveness. From its inception, UBRP has embraced students from all majors, class standings, ethnicities or nationalities, and genders. Any faculty member who can define his/her work as biologically related can participate which allowed UBRP to span campus and to include off- campus scientists as well. UBRP was embraced by UA faculty and quickly became one of the largest undergraduate research programs in the country. In 1997, the National Science Foundation awarded the University of AriZona a Recognition Grant for the Integration of Research and Teaching (RAIRE) largely on the strength of the UBRP and BRAVO! Programs. Nationally, only ten RAIRE awards were made. In addition, Project Kaleidoscope designated UBRP as an exemplary program. The campus culture values and embraces undergraduate researchers. To date, more than 2,400 students have had a UBRP experience and even more UA undergraduate students became involved in research through programs inspired by UBRP. In the pages that follow are awards, activities, and special programs sponsored by UBRP, as well as the amazing accomplishments of our current students and alumni. UBRP alumni have used the skills developed through their research experience in a variety of ways. Roughly a third are now physicians; a third are involved in research in academia, government, or the private sector; and the remainder are allied health professionals, teachers, science writers, entrepreneurs, attorneys, and policy makers. In short, for 29 years, UBRP has enhanced the learning experience of hundreds of students. Our goal is to grow the program to reach even more students in the future! 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS UBRP is funded by private donors, internal contributions, and external grants. Internal support comes from the offices of the University of Arizona Provost, Senior Vice President for Research, and BIO5, and the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Science. External funding for UBRP comes from: • The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics for ASPET-SURF • The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation for the UA Beckman Scholars Program • The National Cancer Institute (U54 CA 143924) for the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) • The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R25ES025494) for Environmental Health Sciences - Transformative Research Undergraduate Experience (EHS-TRUE) • The Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities (WAESO) National Science Foundation (NSF-LSAMP) Cooperative Agreement No. HRD-1101728 UBRP simply would not be possible without the help of individuals who have given generously of their time. A hearty thank-you to: • The faculty, post-doc, graduate student, and staff mentors who educate our students. The Annual UBRP Outstanding Mentor Awards are only a small reflection of our gratitude for your time and commitment! • The UBRP Ambassadors - You have not only organiZed field trips, social activities, and educational experiences; you have helped to build life-long friendships, networks, and an enduring UBRP community. • The UBRP Pen Pals – Thank you for touching the lives of young people and for giving them the encouragement to know that their dreams are within reach. • The 2017 Summer Small Group Leaders – Your guidance, training, and advice got students off on the right foot last summer, and will carry them far! Thank you for volunteering. • Our volunteers – Thank you to all of our volunteers who have given of their time and talents to UBRP throughout the year! A special thanks to Dr. Stacey Tecot and Dr. Henry johnson granted UBRP permission to use their beautiful photography. We are grateful for your support! 4 THANK-YOU TO OUR PRIVATE DONORS! For 29 years, the Undergraduate Biology Program has partnered passionate undergraduates with UA scientists to create unique and invaluable hands-on research experiences. UBRP participants study everything from Type 2 diabetes effects on the heart, to the ecology of Gila Monsters, from the transmission of HIV between mother and child, to the genetics of potential biofuel crops, and much more. These opportunities for students are made possible by support from internal contributors, external grants, and our generous donors, especially the 2017 Friends of UBRP! 2017 FRIENDS OF UBRP: MESQUITE MEMBERS ($2,000+) Drs. john Hildebrand & Gail Burd (in honor of Dr. Michael Wells) w Mr. Robert j. & Mrs. Kim A. Nelson Dr. Sheldon L. Trubatch & Ms. Katharina Phillips OCOTILLO MEMBERS ($1,000+) Dr. Susheela Carroll w Dr. Miriam C. Ruth w Mr. Norman P. Soloway & Ms. Kay Ransdell Dr. Teri SuZuki and Mr. Oleg Lysyj w Dr. john A. SZivek CREOSOTE MEMBERS ($500+) Dr. Richard Austin w Prof. Carol Bender w Mr. Robert F. Bender w Dr. Sajiv Boggavarapu w Dr. Margaret Briehl Mr. Brian D. Massey w Dr. Sarah K. Nelson-Taylor w Dr. Elena Plante w Mr. Robert E. Smith Ms. Samantha Szuter w Dr. Allison L. Titcomb w Drs. VK Viswanathan & Gayatri Vedantam AGAVE MEMBERS ($250+) Dr. Craig A. Aspinwall w Dr. Leonid Bartik w Mr. Richard P. Edelman w Dr. and Mrs. john Enemark Mr. Kirtland & Mrs. Nancy Gardner w Dr. Wulfila Gronenberg w Dr. Ronald P. Hammer w Dr. Paul A. Klekotka Dr. Christina M. Kochel w Dr. janna Mundt w Dr. Kenneth R. Teter w Drs. john Umbreit and M. j. Demetras Dr. Ilya Vilinsky w Mr. Doug & Mrs. Andrea Wellington And thank you to donors who have contributed to UBRP in 2017 and 2018! The American Endowment Foundation Dr. Henry Johnson The American Online Giving Foundation Mr. John S. L. Kim Dr. Anne K. Chung Dr. Michael S. Kuhns Ms. Alison E. Comrie Mrs. Shelley Lieser Mrs. Jennifer L. Cubeta Mr. Cesar A. Medina Eli Lilly and Company – Matching Gifts Mr. Juan Mena-Gonzalez The Fix – Arizona’s Mac ‘N Chz Headquarters Network for Good Dr. Jeffrey Frelinger (in honor of Carol Bender) Ms. Donna Njemanze Mr. David A. Gonzales Panda Restaurant Group (Panda Express) Ms. Shaina H. Hasan Raytheon Company – Matching Gifts Dr. James T. Hazzard Dr. Eugene G. Sander Ms. Xi He Dr. Daryn A. Stover Juice It Up Smoothies (Jamba Juice) Drs. Leslie Tolbert & Paul St. John Mr. Rohith Jayaram Dr. Josette Weibrecht A special thank-you to our UBRP Advisory Board: Dr. john SZivek, Chair Dr. Henry Johnson Dr. Sheldon Trubatch Dr. Nathan Ellis Dr. Teri SuZuki Dr. Ken Wertman Dr. john Enemark Ms. Samantha SZuter Dr. Raymond Woosle 5 2017-2018 UBRP PARTICIPANTS UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY RESEARCH PROGRAM (UBRP) The Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) is an educational program designed to teach students science by involving them in biologically-related research. Students are paid for their time doing research where they develop an understanding of scientific method and receive a realistic view of research. They also acquire the tools necessary to be successful in post-graduate studies should they choose careers related to biology or biomedical research. Funding for UBRP students comes from private donors and the Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities (WAESO), and internal funds from the UA Provost, Senior Vice President for Research (ORD Research Fellows), BIO5, and the deans of the Colleges of Medicine, Science, Public Health, Pharmacy, and Agriculture and Life Sciences. We gratefully acknowledge this support! Student Mentor Andrew Alamban Janis Burt Adam Aragaki Ronald Lynch Emma Armstrong Jean-Marc Fellous Kayenat Aryeh (ORD Research Fellow) Andrew Paek Sri Sai Swetha Atluri (ORD Research Fellow) Ronald Lukas Olivia Austin Jennifer Barton Areen Badwal (ORD Research Fellow) Julie Miller George Barnum Shaowen Bao Rachel Bear (ORD Research Fellow) Daniela Zarnescu Bailey Bellaire Jon Njardarson Shreya Bellampalli (ORD Research Fellow) Rajesh Khanna Ian Burton (ORD Research Fellow) Noel Warfel Danielle Cannon (ORD Research Fellow) John Konhilas Briggs Carhart Wulfila Gronenberg Ethan Carlson David Baltrus Shane Carr Jason Yuan Matthew Chaung Daniela Zarnescu Lindsey Chew (ORD Research Fellow) Rajesh Khanna Tiffany Cho (ORD Research Fellow) Haijiang Cai Kathryn Chung Jamie Edgin DeZ Coleman Tally Largent-Milnes Nicole De La Pena (ORD Research Fellow, WASEO) Carol Barnes Alyssa Lyn Fortier Ryan Gutenkunst Steven Fried Michael Brown Margret Fye