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College of Science and Mathematics 2023-2024 Projects

Click here to return to the main project listings page. Questions: Email our@kennesaw.edu.

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Iona Alatar, Julia Franz, Rosa Leap, and Jhonatan Stincer

    • Small molecule drugs often induce harmful off-target effects and lead to therapy resistance on prolonged use. Peptide therapeutics, in contrast, are highly target specific and thus induce less toxic effect compared to small molecule drugs. Recently, peptidomimetics (small and short protein-like structure) received great attention as they can circumvent the challenges faced by natural peptides including quick enzymatic degradation and lack of oral formulation. Peptidomimetics is used as a medicine for various diseases including diabetics, antiviral, antimicrobial, degenerative, cancer and cardiovascular. Globally, 88 peptide drugs are approved, and 170 peptides are currently being evaluated in clinical trials.

      However, how these therapeutic peptides interact with protein target and change the proteomic response to a pathogen or cell type are rarely investigated. To understand the complete description of a biological system occurring in every living cell, knowledge of genomic and transcriptomic information is not adequate. Large-scale investigation and detailed information on the proteome including its structure, function and dynamics are equally important. In proteomics, one can study all proteins acquired from a cell or organism or pathogen in terms of their abundance, identification, structures, modifications, interactions, and networks. Chemical Proteomic is a powerful mass spectrometry-based approach for identifying proteome-wide peptide-protein interactions and can provide comprehensive assessment of cellular activities in clinical research of different diseases. The long-term goal of our project is to design potent peptide therapeutics and determine peptide-target interactions for infectious (SARS-CoV-2 and Resistance Bacterial stain) and neurodegenerative diseases.

      State-of-art computational tools will be employed to design and optimize the peptide. The best peptides will be synthesized using N-Fmoc protected amino acids and Rink amide resin on a Liberty Blue microwave peptide synthesizer (CEM). The purity of each peptide will be estimated by Agilent 1290 ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with LTQ XL mass spectrometer. Moreover, target profiling of these peptides will be performed by chemical proteomics approach using Thermo Scientific Vanquish HPLC coupled with high-resolution Orbitrap Exploris 240 mass spectrometer. The expected outcome of this project to identify potent peptides to treat infectious and dementia diseases and advance our knowledge of how these peptides can be further improved.

    • This research training will help students to learn basic biochemistry, peptide synthesis, molecular modeling, mass spectrometry-based proteomics and gain experiences on performing interdisciplinary research, collecting, and analyzing experimental and computational data, interpreting, and presenting results, presenting in conference, writing, and publishing manuscripts.

      These diverse research experiences in peptide synthesis, molecular modeling and peptide characterization by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, and chemical proteomics will help students to pursue their PhD on biomedical science, obtain their degree in MD/PhD or secure position in CDC, FDA, and pharmaceutical/biochemical industry.

    • Student will do various tasks in the different phase of the projects including:

      1. Completing project specific assignments
      2. Reading and reviewing scientific articles
      3. Performing computer aided peptide design
      4. Synthesizing and characterizing peptides
      5. Acquiring and interpreting mass spectrometry-based proteomics data
      6. Drafting poster, presentation, and manuscript

    • Hybrid

    • Dr. Mohammad Halim, mhalim1@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Jacob Erasmus and Lilianna Kocai

    • Because they are highly selective, well-tolerated, and have less side effects than small-molecule drugs, peptide therapies have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. 70 therapeutic peptides are commercially available, 200 are undergoing clinical studies, and 600 are in pre-clinical development. Over the following five to ten years, the market for peptide-based medications is anticipated to expand significantly.

      All of these peptide drugs, however, must be injected into the patients because they are destroyed in the stomach if taken orally. The extreme acidic conditions in the stomach and the proteases of the small intestine provide significant hurdles. To pass the endothelium barrier, the peptide must possess appropriate intrinsic qualities such as small size and lipophilicity. One solution is to insert unnatural amino acids that are not recognized by the protease and so protect the peptide containing unnatural amino acids from proteolysis. Unnatural -amino acids have gotten a lot of interest in recent years, from peptide design to pharmaceutical chemistry to materials research.

      This project's long-term goal is to synthesize, α,α-disubstituted amino acids and incorporate them into peptide therapies. A special emphasis will be placed on the synthesis of, α,α-disubstituted phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan amino acids. We hypothesize that the α,α-methyl groups in aromatic amino acids provide additional steric hindrance in the peptide backbone and can promote π–π stacking interactions between the two aromatic phenyl rings on the same side of the peptide, resulting in a noncovalently stapled helical peptide. Because unnatural amino acids are not recognized by proteases, this peptide based on unnatural amino acids will be highly stable in serum.

    • This research training will assist students in gaining experience in synthetic organic chemistry as well as characterizing the product using TLC, 1H and 13C NMR experiments, and mass spectrometry. Students will also learn how to collect experimental and spectroscopic data, evaluate, and present their results, present at conferences, write and publish articles, and present at conferences. These varied research experiences in organic synthesis and spectroscopic characterization will assist students in pursuing graduate studies in chemistry, pharmaceutical, and medicinal chemistry.

    • Students will perform a variety of tasks, including:

      1. Conducting research and data collection using various techniques and procedures
      2. Assisting in an organic chemistry laboratory on the synthesis of unnatural amino acids
      3. Carrying out characterization experiments using 1H and 13C NMR, as well as mass spectrometry, to interpret and analyze data
      4. Planning and modifying research techniques, procedures, tests, and equipment
      5. Writing and editing materials for publication and presentation
      6. Meeting on a frequent basis with the faculty supervisor to continue ongoing communication about the quality of the assistant's performance
      7. Presenting preliminary results at a regional symposium
      8. Performing other related duties as required.

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Carl J. Saint-Louis, csaintlo@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Aidan Gerdis

    • This proposal describes an integrated approach to research and education in organic and organometallic chemistry at KSU. This integrated research and education program is designed to engage undergraduate students in hypothesis-driven research projects and provides undergraduate students the opportunity to develop as young scientist-scholars in laboratory and as presenters at scientific meetings. The research component explores the synthesis and study of a series of rigid ligands (organic compounds that bind to transitional metals) that are designed to support metallic complexes derived from silver and gold for use in medicine. Central to these tasks is the development of new synthetic methodologies and strategies to facilitate the synthesis of the target molecules. Preliminary studies of the antibacterial and antitumor activity of these complexes will be carried out.

    • By participating in this project, the students will get an intensive immersion in the practice of science, including the foundation of scientific knowledge, experimental design, data handling and collaboration. They will learn to critically read manuscripts, to prepare reports and poster presentations, to keep records and to plan strategy. They could become coauthors on publications. Upon graduation, the students will be equipped with the fundamental knowledge and problem-solving skills needed for a successful career in chemistry. This research experience will significantly enhance their competitiveness for admission in graduate schools or potential employment, as most graduate school and companies place great value on such experience.

    • They will receive in the beginning training with our standard techniques and instrumentation (NMR, UV-Vis, IR, glovebox/Schlenk-line operation, chromatography etc.). Each student will be actively involved in the preparation and characterization of the proposed targets. They will attempt improvements in product yields and product purification. Each student will initiate his/her own exploratory experiments and will keep an accurate and complete experimental record of laboratory data. The students will participate in group meetings (online or in person, as the situation allows) where discussions about experimental design, problems, concepts and interpretations will take place. The students will be involved in writing and editing the manuscripts and preparation of their poster/oral presentations. 

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Daniela Tapu, dtapu@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Lizzet Arizmendi

    • The surge in bacterial infections coincidental to COVID-19 lung disease has increased dramatically in recent years and suggests that opportunistic bacterial pathogens are taking advantage of the partially blocked airways. This is particularly true for infections caused by the soil bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), which is normally associated with cystic fibrosis related infections but is emerging as a more general and common opportunistic pathogen in COVID patients.

      In order to find and develop additional methods to treat PA infections new and different protein targets and metabolic pathways must be identified and screened for antibiotic leads. As part of future work to use rational structure-based drug discovery of proteins from PA we have preliminarily determined the structure of toxin important in regulating cell integrity. This project will help finish that structure determination and establish a template for computational drug design and development.

    • The student will learn how to use Polymerase Chain Reaction to modify DNA, perform heterologous expression and chromatographic methods to produce and purify the protein targets, and assist in spectroscopic experiments.

      • Perform PCR (once or twice)
      • Sequence DNA (once or twice)
      • Express/purify proteins (two or three times during the period)
      • Perform NMR spectroscopic experiments (once or twice).

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Thomas C. Leeper, tleeper@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Kayla Gossett Roper

    • Phosphorus is one of the six essential elements for life, playing a key role in our nucleic acids (DNA, RNA), cell membranes (phospholipid bilayers), and coenzymes (e.g., ATP). Discovering the mechanisms by which phosphorus is released from minerals and characterizing the subsequent reactivity is crucial to understanding the origin of life on Earth and the potential for life to exist elsewhere in our universe. In this project, students will monitor the chemistry of phosphorus-containing minerals with water and small organic molecules to determine what abiotic or non-biological reactions occur. (Note: Many analytic tools will be used in this project and are named below. Students are not expected to know them beforehand. We’ll teach you!)

      First, students will learn to synthesize metal phosphite and schreibersite samples. Following synthesis, metal phosphite samples will be analyzed using infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and NMR or nuclear magnetic resonance to confirm their structure. (NMR is essentially the same instrument as MRI or medical resonance imaging.) Polished schreibersite samples will be analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with electron backscattering to determine the surface structure and the distribution of phosphorus atoms.

      Following characterization, students will learn to perform reactions between these phosphorus-bearing minerals, water, and prebiotic molecules such as methanol, propanol and glycerol. Schreibersite samples will be examined in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber before and after being bombarded with electrons that mimic the solar wind. Extremely low pressures and temperatures will be used to approximate the conditions of comets (less than 10-9 torr and -150oC). The relative abundance of small phosphorus molecules produced in these reactions (e.g., PH3, PO, HPO2, etc.) will be determined using infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Meanwhile, metal phosphite samples will be reacted at modest temperatures (60oC) and atmospheric pressure, approximating the conditions in tidal pools on the early Earth. The formation and relative abundances of organic molecules containing phosphorus, especially phosphonates and organophosphates, will be identified using NMR.

      The proposed experiments will address the research question, “What products can be formed when phosphorus-bearing minerals reacted abiotically with prebiotic molecules in comets or on the early Earth?” The information obtained during this project will help astronomers and mission scientists evaluate the feasibility of using phosphorus molecules as potential biomarkers in extraterrestrial environments by identifying which molecules form abiotically or in the absence of life.

    • By the end of this research experience students should be able to:

      • Describe the importance, opportunities, and challenges associated with the role of phosphorus-containing minerals in the origin of life
      • Summarize the current knowledge of phosphorus chemistry on the early Earth or in extraterrestrial environments
      • Explain the benefits and limitations of the experimental methods being used in this project
      • Locate and distinguish between primary, secondary and tertiary sources
      • Use reference management software such as RefWorks
      • Read, comprehend, and summarize scientific journal articles
      • Describe and apply ethical research practices
      • Collect, organize, and perform a basic analysis of experimental data
      • Work effectively as part of a team
      • Communicate their research to an audience through a poster, oral presentation, or written research paper
      • Identify transferable skills that they can use in future work experiences

    • In the first two months of the year, students will learn to:

      • identify and use safe practices while working in a chemical laboratory
      • maintain an electronic laboratory notebook
      • perform a literature review using chemical databases
      • read, comprehend, and summarize scientific journal articles and explain the rationale for their research project within the Abbott-Lyon Lab.

      Beginning in the third month, students will learn to prepare phosphorus-bearing mineral samples (i.e., schreibersite and metal phosphites) and to operate the instrumentation used in the laboratory, including the ultrahigh vacuum system, which includes an infrared spectrometer and a mass spectrometer, or NMR.

      By the fifth month in the lab, students should be able to start collecting and analyzing experimental data using NMR, infrared spectroscopy, and/or mass spectrometry. Additionally, students will start creating either a scientific poster or research paper on the project during the third month, which they will submit in the fourth month of their experience.

      Students who continue with the project beyond the first year will learn to perform more complicated experiments and to work independently.

    • Hybrid, but mostly face-to-face

    • Dr. Heather Abbott-Lyon, habbott@kennesaw.edu
      Dr. Tom Leeper, tleeper@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Nishad Pandya

    • Mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) are critical enzymes in key signaling pathways. Alterations to these enzymes impact important diseases including diabetes, atherosclerosis and cancer. MAPKs ERK, p38, JNK are ubiquitously expressed and very near the end of their signaling cascades, where they activate the downstream MAPKAP kinases. Together the MAPKs and MAPKAP kinases are key modulators for the output of many different signals.

      The NOS family includes three members: NOS1, NOS2 and NOS3, though only NOS3 has been shown to bind MAPKs. NOS3 responds to a wide variety of signals (e.g. bradykinin, VEGF, insulin) to regulate production of nitric oxide (NO), itself an important signaling molecule. Extensive experimental evidence shows that regulation of NOS3 occurs through protein interactions, posttranslational modifications, and changes in subcellular localization.

      NOS3 is a substrate for MAPKs; while the phosphorylations MAPKs catalyze (S114 and S600) do not alter NOS3 activity in vitro, the phosphorylations do impact binding to other proteins (Pin1, c-Src) which can regulate NOS3. The physiological importance of the S600 phosphorylation site is unknown. MAPKs interact with proteins (activators & substrates), including NOS3, through protein-protein interactions largely directed through two different interaction surfaces - the CD and DEF domains. We recently found that different MAPK family members can meaningfully bind NOS3 (nanomolar affinity in vitro and observed with proximity ligation assay in cells) at two independent sites, the N-terminal MAP site (NtMAP) and an insert in the autoinhibitory (AI) loop. Our findings provided an opportunity for us to re-think the interactions. We hypothesize that MAPK binding to NOS3 is a mechanism of scaffolding MAPKs to regulate them and this is what students in my lab will be investigating.

      Students will be using a variety of techniques to better understand the role of p38-NOS3 binding in cells, including protein purification, enzyme assays, biolayer interferometry and tissue culture. 

    • They will learn about the environment of a research lab. They will learn how to plan and execute experiments. They will evaluate their results. They will learn about standards and controls. Students will gain comfort and experience in articulating and describing the work they are doing. 

    • Students will be part of weekly lab meetings, they will be part of planning experiments including protein purification, kinase and other enzymatic assays. They will do quantitative and qualitative analysis. They will gain experience in working with a team. 

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Carol Ann Chrestensen, cchreste@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Samantha Deniz Gonzalez and Miriam Raggs

    • The demand for cooling and air conditioning technologies continues to increase with society’s standard of living, economic growth, and population increase. Refrigeration and air conditioning account for a significant percentage of energy consumption and current gas compression technology is falling short by enhancing the greenhouse effect and having a low cooling efficiency resulting in a larger energy consumption and worsening the energy shortage. However, recent breakthroughs with the emerging solid state magnetic refrigeration competitor have shown the potential to revolutionize not only cooling in household devices but for medical health care, industry and even national defense. The exciting behavior behind magnetic refrigeration is based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) which can be described as a temperature change in response to an adiabatic change of the magnetic field. Not only can the MCE improve the energy efficiency of cooling and temperature control, but it is also environmentally friendly making these highly advantageous materials to design. However, magnetocaloric materials face a major challenge with scaling up for widespread use because they are mostly composed of expensive rare-earth elements or toxic elements. Therefore, it is crucial that we pursue nontoxic rare-earth free magnetocaloric candidates.

      The goal of this research is to investigate new rare-earth free magnetocaloric candidates that can compete with the top performing rare-earth counterparts currently available, for magnetic refrigeration technology. Here we will utilize materials that have geometrically frustrated lattices. These types of atomic arrangements can be used to our advantage to enhance the entropy change and therefore the MCE effect. The material can be further engineered through various external and internal stimuli such as temperature and chemical pressure by elemental doping. The materials will be grown using solid-state crystal growth techniques. Structural characterization will be performed using both powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction instrumentation and the magnetocaloric properties will be analyzed using a Physical Property Measurement System. The expected outcome of this research will promote advancements to magnetic refrigeration technology by identifying new magnetocaloric candidates grown with nontoxic earth-abundant constituents and provide key insights into the role that materials with geometrically frustrated lattices play for the enhancement of the MCE. 

    • This research training will teach students solid-state chemistry techniques from synthesis methods to various characterization methods as well as help students develop their critical thinking and scientific mindset. Students will gain experience with characterization techniques for phase identification and structural analysis using powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy and for analyzing physical properties including magnetic, electrical and thermal. Through this research training students will take part in interdisciplinary research, collect and analyze experimental and computational data, and gain experience writing and presenting results and publishing manuscripts. This research experience will help students pursue a PhD or MS in areas such as solid-state chemistry, condensed matter physics and materials science and provide students with the opportunity to explore a broad range of career paths including positions at a national laboratory, in advanced materials industry and in academia. 

    • Depending on at what stage the students are in the research process, the weekly duties will range from:

      1. reading scientific literature and completing assignments
      2. synthesis and crystal growth
      3. characterizing and interpreting chemical structures and physical properties
      4. theoretical assessments
      5. drafting manuscripts, posters and presentations. 

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Madalynn Marshall, mmarsh83@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Cassie Ellenberger

    • Georgia is a hotspot for freshwater fish diversity in the United States, yet we know almost nothing about the parasites infecting these species. With my research program, I seek to survey and describe the parasitic diseases of freshwater fish in the state. I am requesting one undergraduate student to assist in this research. This project is a continuation of last year's project.

      KSU has 188 jars containing almost 1000 ethanol-preserved freshwater fish collected around the state between 1999 and 2016; 115 species of fish are represented in this collection! Students will learn how to dissect these fish using a stereo microscope and collect and identify their parasites using a compound microscope. They will collect data on the host and parasites on paper datasheets and then will input the data into a shared datasheet on OneDrive at the end of the week. We will use these data to publish surveys on parasitic diseases of these fish species and study the distribution of diseases across Georgia watersheds.

      Students will also use the data they collect to work on an independent research project. Under my guidance, students will formulate their own research questions, analyze data to answer these questions, and present their results. We will have regular meetings where I will teach students how to organize and analyze the data they collected using a common statistical program. I will also teach students how to create a poster sharing their results, and they will present this poster at KSU’s Symposium of Student Scholars in April 2024. In addition, students will be able to be coauthors on all manuscripts arising from the research due to their integral role in data collection. Lastly, students who enjoy this research will be able to continue working in my lab in the 2024-2025 academic year and beyond, where there will be opportunities to work on parasitic diseases of other vertebrates (including mammals and reptiles) and write and publish papers as a first author.

      No prior lab, research, or fish experience is required, just an eagerness to learn! These positions require handling and dissecting dead fish and collecting their parasites, so please keep that in mind.

    • By participating in this research project, students will learn how to:

      • Use natural history specimens in scientific research
      • Conduct fish dissections and learn about fish anatomy
      • Use a microscope
      • Diagnose parasitic diseases in fish
      • Identify different types of parasites
      • Develop an independent research project
      • Formulate research objectives and a plan to achieve those objectives
      • Collect, organize, and analyze data in the statistical program R
      • Make informative and aesthetically pleasing graphs
      • Work collaboratively with others and communicate effectively
      • Manage their time in the lab
      • Think critically and creatively to solve problems

      Students will present their work at KSU’s Symposium of Student Scholars in April 2024. Students will also be encouraged to continue to conduct research in my lab during the 2024-2025 academic school year. They will be coauthors on any manuscripts using the data they collected, as their roles were integral to the completion and success of this research; if the students continue on into the next academic year, they will have the opportunity to write a manuscript as first author.

    • Students will be responsible for working in the lab for five or ten hours per week. After initial training and as the students become more efficient and independent during fish dissections and parasite collections, students will be responsible for:

      1. Dissecting fish specimens and collecting parasites
      2. Transcribing written data into online datasheets and cleaning dissecting equipment and microscopes
      3. Meeting in a group to learn how to organize and analyze data
      4. One-on-one meeting with me to go over expectations, set benchmarks and goals, discuss progress, troubleshoot as necessary, and celebrate wins.

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Whitney Preisser, wpreisse@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: William Little

    • This study is based on one of the PI's previous research project titled "The growth, spread, and mutation of internet phenomena: A study of memes". Based on the previous results, the authors classified the memes dataset into four categories: “smoothly decaying” , “spikey decaying”, “leveling off”, and “long-term growth”.

      During this project, we would use supervised classification algorithms (such as SVC, KNN) and unsupervised classification algorithms (K-means) to apply on the memes dataset, and then investigate the results to make a deeper understanding about different classification machine learning algorithms. 

      1. Students will understand and be able to collect and clean the raw memes data and other general datasets.
      2. Students will be able to implement supervised classification algorithms (such as SVC, KNN) and unsupervised classification algorithms (K-means) with the programming language Python.
      3. Students will have a deeper understanding about the spread of internet memes and related research. 
      1. Students will read the literature and complete all the assignments from the supervisors.
      2. Students will also self learn basic python programming and complete all related assignments.
      3. Students will meet the supervisor once a week and make a 15 minute presentation with weekly progress report. 

    • Hybrid (mainly face-to-face)

    • Dr. Pengcheng Xiao, pxiao4@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Joy Davis

    • Insulin Degrading Enzyme (IDE) is a large protein with a clamshell-like dimeric structure. Using an IDE engineered to contain a disulfide bond between subunits acting as a 'clasp' on a container, we will use our cell-penetrating peptide (CPP)-adaptor system to deliver IDE to the cytoplasms of mammalian cells.

      Success will establish proof-of-concept for IDE as a therapeutic delivery system for molecules that cannot cross cell membranes themselves. Student involvement will include protein expression, purification and characterization, mammalian cell culture, confocal microscopy and other cell biology, biochemistry and biophysical techniques. It is ideal for students interested in preparing for graduate or medical school as a prelude to a biomedical research career. 

    • Students will learn cell biology, biochemistry, biophysics and microbiology techniques and laboratory skills, including unique-to-KSU biolayer interferometry and other optical biosensing techniques which will be useful to them in biomedical research careers beyond KSU.

      • 5-10 hours of laboratory research
      • meetings to discuss results and plan activities
      • presentation/manuscript preparation

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Jonathan McMurry, jmcmurr1@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Sidney Berrios and Alexander Eisenbart

    • Fungi are a kingdoms of life with tremendous untapped potential in biotechnological applications. this project focuses on solving issues of sustainability and resource utilization by using fungi in novel ways. From making foods to commodity chemicals and medicines, fungi possess an amazing capacity for biological conversion and synthesis. When approached from the perspective of a circular economy and the recapture of waste streams as feedstocks, we hope to leverage the intriguing capacities of this diverse and cryptic group of organisms to make the world more sustainable, safe, and delicious. 

    • Students will learn the following skills.

      • How to cultivate fungi
      • Identify products and processes where fungi may represent an improvement over current approaches
      • Screen, isolate, and characterize fungal products
      • Process waste streams into suitable growth substrates for fungi
      • Develop embedded systems approaches for the evaluation and optimization of fungal cultivation
      • Learn and contribute to Mycodo, a platform for the automation of environmental modulation
      • Evaluate and understand economic impacts and develop commercialization concepts for bringing solutions to markets
      • Attend a weekly lab meeting (1 hour).
      • Engage in 6 hours (minimum) of laboratory activity each week.
        • Laboratory activities include common microbiological and chemistry methods.
        • Routine laboratory maintenance.
      • Mushroom cultivation activities, some involving the use of the KSU Field Station.
      • Drafting of reports and preparation of presentations of data.

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Chris Cornelison, ccornel5@kennesaw.edu
      Dr. Kyle Gabriel, ktgabrie5@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Peyton Denson and Brooklyn Galvan

    • Anthropogenic changes to the environment and globalization continue to drive arbovirus emergence and reemergence, resulting in spillover events. These events often initiate new zoonotic transboundary transmission cycles between vector species and amplification hosts. However, the mechanisms underlying arbovirus maintenance, emergence, and spillover into human populations are poorly understood.

      My laboratory uses a multi-pronged approach that includes a combination of field and laboratory-based methods to identify and characterize emerging arboviruses (e.g., Zika, West Nile, and La Crosse viruses), determine the prevalence of virus infection in arthropods, vertebrate hosts and humans; investigate arbovirus vector infection and pathogenesis; examine vector biology; and identify risk factors for acquiring arbovirus infection. The results of our investigations are used to inform mitigation strategies to help prevent the spillover of arboviruses into human populations and protect vulnerable populations from disease. 

      1. Define the terminology associated with research and theory in their field
      2. Describe past research studies in their field of study
      3. Articulate how their research study makes a contribution to their academic field
      4. Locate primary and secondary sources related to their field of study
      5. Develop a hypothesis
      6. Collect data for a research study
      7. Analyze, synthesize, organize, and interpret data from their research study
      8. Work effectively as part of a team
      9. Present their research/creative activity to an audience (e.g., poster, oral presentation, performance, display)
      10. Develop time management
      11. Develop self-confidence/self-esteem
      12. Develop independent thinking
      13. Develop problem-solving
      14. Develop organizational skills
      15. Develop leadership skills
      1. Complete KSU safety training needed to conduct laboratory activities, including but not limited to General Lab Safety, Compressed Cylinder Safety, and Biological Hazards and Autoclave Safety.
      2. Aid graduate students in areas of their research projects, including literature searches, experimental design, data collection, and data analysis.
      3. Conduct individual research projects to present at KSU symposiums.
      4. Maintain colonies of mosquitoes by providing sucrose to adult mosquitoes, blood-feeding female mosquitoes, collecting and storing mosquito eggs, hatching eggs, and rearing larvae to adults.
      5. Conduct occasional field work to collect wild adult and larval mosquitoes.
      6. Identify wild-caught mosquitoes to genus and species.
      7. Pin wild-caught mosquitoes for future use.
      8. Assistance with the maintenance and cleaning of laboratory facilities.

    • Hybrid

    • Dr. Andrew Haddow, ahaddow@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Eric Campos, Shifa Maherali Jiwani, and Jayla Melvin

    • Arsenic is one of the most persistent and ubiquitous environmental toxins. To overcome this problematic element, life has evolved and acquired a number of arsenic detoxifying mechanisms. Bacteria, due to the immense environmental adaptability and biochemical versatility, have even flexibly devised various ways to utilize arsenic for biological functions such as energy production, osmotic adjustment, phosphate sparing, etc. Our recent studies indicate a new way of bacterial arsenic utilization – offensive weapons. Notably, bacteria wage “arsenic wars”, where some members weaponize environmental arsenic, synthesizing arsenic-containing antibiotics to kill neighboring competitors, while others develop countermeasures against the arsenic weapons. This new emerging “bacterial arsenic wars” concept provides a new dimension to understanding the arsenic biogeochemical cycle and brings new perspective to environmental arsenic biochemistry, as well as leads to discovery and development of new and potent antimicrobials.

      In this project, students will explore novel arsenic-containing antibiotics using 1) prospective bacterial strains that possess novel gene(s) involved in arsenic metabolism/transformation, 2) a genetically manipulatable bacterial strain (Escherichia coli) engineered with the novel gene(s), and/or 3) purified protein(s) encoded by the novel gene(s). The expected outcomes are identification and characterization of 1) novel arsenic-containing antibiotics, and/or 2) novel genes/proteins that carry out novel reaction on arsenic.

      The dramatic increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a grave threat to global health. A dearth of new antibiotics has fostered the emergence and spread of drug-resistant bacteria, resulting in an increase of serious infections with high mortality rates. To overcome this serious health concern, discovery and development of new antibiotics are urgently needed. The future and long-term goal of this project is to demonstrate the potentials of arsenic-containing antibiotics to establish a new pipeline for our shrinking antibiotic arsenal.

    • Students will learn various lab techniques in microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry and analytical chemistry from basics to advanced, including the state-of-the-art research instrumentation such as inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, arsenic detection), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-coupled with ICP-MS (HPLC-ICP-MS, arsenic speciation), and high resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS), etc.

      In addition to their main project, students may have opportunities to work on some of the ongoing projects in the lab, where they could learn more techniques and earn authorship in peer-reviewed scientific journals if their contributions are significant.

    • Students will be charged with, but not limited to:

      • performing experiments
      • reading scientific papers and books related to their projects
      • collaboratively working with other students in the lab
      • maintaining a laboratory notebook as a record of their research
      • maintaining lab equipment
      • participating in weekly laboratory meetings (where students will present their results)
      • assisting in the writing of manuscripts

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Masafumi Yoshinaga, myoshina@kennesaw.edu
      Dr. Mohammad Halim, mhalim1@kennesaw.edu

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Elizabeth Iaryguine, Chris Serrano, and Samuel Smith

    • Please note: No programming experience needed. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of this project, students interested in biology, computer science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, information technology, and engineering are welcome to inquire.

      Bacteriophages or phages are viruses that infect bacteria. There are estimated 10^31 phages on earth. Phages and their bacterial hosts make up a microbiome, where their collective metagenome can be studied in silico, or computationally, after next-generation sequencing (NGS), which deciphers genetic codes in a massively parallel fashion. Computational analysis, or bioinformatics, follows to elucidate the composition of the microbiome.
      In treating bacterial infections, phage therapy is timely and specific in eliminating specific harmful bacteria while preserving proper microbiota, or good bacteria. It can be used as a primary treatment or in conjunction with conventional antibiotics. With implementation of traditional and machine-learning approaches, this project aimed to identify uncharacterized phages from fermented dairy microbiomes to potentially serve as biocontrol agents for food safety applications.

      Proposed work will screen data sets from both Sequence Read Archive (SRA) at the National Center for Biotechnology Information and European Nucleotide Archive (ENA). The following are objectives for this proposal:

      1. Construct Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) from known phages to train software in identifying novel phages
      2. Identify novel phages from SRA and ENA datasets as potential candidates for therapy or as biocontrol agents

      Specific experimental approach will involve the following:

      1. Construction of training data sets from existing phages associated with dairy products
      Specific training data will be used to train machine learning-based software to optimally detect wanted phages. Data sets will be used to train MARVEL (Metagenomic Analysis and Retrieval of Viral Elements) and metaviralSPAdes for subsequent uses.

      2. Collection of relevant microbiome data
      Searches against PubMed and ENA with keywords involving dairy will reveal metagenomic data sets as potential candidates for data mining.

      3. De novo assembly of metagenomic data sets
      All aforementioned data sets will then be first filtered based on quality with adapters trimmed before assembly with metaSPAdes and metaviralSPAdes.

      4. Identification of novel phages
      MARVEL will first be used to identify phages from assembled genomes. Completeness of each phage genome will be subjected to evaluation by CheckV, viralVerify and viralComplete. Host prediction will then be carried out by vConTACT2 and PhaBox.

      The faculty mentor has already demonstrated success in finding three phages and related student achievement in various awards.

    • -Content
      Student researchers will learn vocabulary associated in the field of bioinformatics and basic microbiology. Many of these vocabulary will be gathered by student researchers when reading past research studies in the field. This will immediately result in student researchers becoming aware of how their research will make specific contributions to the field of phage biology. From reading about past literature, student researchers will gain understanding towards specific techniques used in their analysis and other methodologies.

      -Skill
      Student researchers will search PubMed, as well as utilizing Google Scholars. These references will then be organized with Zotero and synced with a cloud service. They will learn to gather the most recent sources from the field of metagenomics. Subsequently, they will download data sets from the Sequence Read Archive from the National Center for Biotechnology Information. While their results might be preliminary, these student researchers will be committed to participate at the Symposium of Student Scholars.

      -Disciplinary/Professional Socialization
      First Year Scholars will also learn from the PI on how research can propel them into desirable occupations or future educational opportunities. Success stories from former students will no doubt inspire these First Year Scholars.

      -Self-Identity/Improvement
      In order to become successful, First Year Scholars will also learn to manage their time and balance between coursework and research. Specifically, the PI will discuss strategies and remediation techniques to ensure proper progress in course work. If needed, students will be referred to academic support programs such as the SMART center or SI sessions to ensure academic performance. These student researchers will learn problem solving techniques that were developed by experts in the field by reading the latest literature articles. The PI will also reinforce the need to be persistent on tasks related to research and coursework.

    • Weekly meetings will be held between PI and student researchers either in-person or virtually with electronic calendar invites. Student researchers will maintain records of completed tasks based on agenda set by the PI in OneNote or similar. Students will review the agenda set by PI for discussion and carry out tasks based on said agenda. Students will present tasks completed to PI during weekly meetings for feedback.

      On a weekly basis, the PI will also prescribe video links from the Office of Undergraduate Research, instrument manufacturers, and other on-line course material to First Year Scholars to expedite integration into the PI’s research agenda. Most importantly, students will have to complete assigned reading for discussion with the PI in the weekly meeting. First Year Scholars will also identify gaps in knowledge and consult the PI on resources to remediate these issues. Student researchers will also report to PI on a weekly basis in terms of progress in coursework to ensure appropriate academic performance. The PI will also remind students to fulfill obligations towards the Office of Undergraduate Research.

      Towards the latter part of their research journey, student researchers will start performing calculations on computers that reside in the lab. First Year Scholars will routinely check for disk usage and overall health of our in-house computers to avoid any technical issues. Furthermore, PI will integrate poster making lessons into weekly meetings in preparation of Symposium of Student Scholars or other dissemination events.

    • Hybrid

    • Dr. Tsai-Tien Tseng, ttseng@kennesaw.edu

     

  • 2023-2024 First Year Scholars: Camille Santana

    • The process of muscle formation requires the careful coordinated expression of a number of genes both unknown and unknown during embryonic development. We use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism to study the formation and patterning of muscle in the developing embryo.   Key to this process is akirin, a nuclear protein that is essential for expression of a variety of muscle patterning genes.  We have a small number (i.e., 35) known or predicted gene loci that are likely candidate interactions with Akirin during Drosophila muscle development.  This project will involve creating novel genetic lines and collection of embryos from these genetic lines for analysis of their muscles. This project will use both classical and molecular genetic techniques to uncover new genes that interact with akirin during muscle patterning.  This project will also involve high-resolution confocal microscopy to describe the phenotypes of uncovered genes.

    • Students will use a wide variety of classical insect breeding and genetic techniques, techniques in labeling and imaging the muscles of insect embryos, and microscopic techniques for data analysis.

    • The student will be responsible for insect care and breeding maintenance, assisting with general lab duties, and planning experiments.  Weekly meetings with the PI will be essential to student success.

    • Face-to-Face

    • Dr. Scott Nowak, snowak@kennesaw.edu 



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