2022-2023 U-RISE Scholars
2021-2022 U-RISE Scholars
 | Abigail Finn TxSt Degree: B.S., Biology with Chemistry minor Mentor: Robert J.C. McLean, Ph.D. Project: Sampling and detection of microbes in rainwater collection at ground level. Originally, Abi had hoped to collect atmospheric samples from weather balloon flights in association with a collaborating lab’s planned experiments, but due to logistical issues, those flights have not yet taken place. As an alternative, Abi obtained bacterial isolates from initial rainfall events during the fall (which conceivably would contain representative cloud-seeding bacteria) and is in the process of identifying several isolates using Biolog identification plates (mostly completed) and will continue in her project to test the resistance of several isolates to ultraviolet light, and survival at cold temperatures as these factors would be relevant to survival at higher altitudes. Currently: Ph.D. student in Microbiology at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. |
 | Madisyn Johnson TxSt Degree: B.S., Biochemistry with Biology minor Mentor: Karen A. Lewis, Ph.D. Project: Role of interdomain linker prolines in RNA binding activity and protein dynamics. La-related protein 6 (LARP6) is an RNA binding protein that binds its mRNA substrate via the La module (LaMod), which consists of La motif and RRM domains. The two domains are linked by a short, flexible linker that allows the LaMod to sample multiple conformational states; altering the length of this linker ablates RNA binding activity. To test the structural and functional role of flexibility in this linker, Madisyn has used multiple sequence alignments to identify select prolines in both the human and zebrafish LaRP6 LaMod linkers. She has performed site-directed mutagenesis to mutate these prolines to either alanine or glycine. Currently: Ph.D. student in Biochemistry and Structural Biology at University of Texas Health - San Antonio. |
| Coming soon! | Maranda McDonald TxSt Degree: B.S., Biochemistry with Biology minor Mentor: Ryan L. Peterson, Ph.D. Project: Characterization of the transcriptional response of Cu-metal ion withholding and overload in the pathogenic fungi Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Maranda piloted a series of small-scale experiments to identify culture conditions and metal chelators which will be use large scale growth studies. She also developed working protocols for the isolation of total RNA and conversion to cDNA. Maranda then scaled those conditions to obtain material for RNA-seq. Currently: Ph.D. student in Chemical Biology at Johns Hopkins University . |
 | Joanna Zepeda TxSt Degree: B.S., Biology with Biochemistry minor Mentor: Tania Betancourt, Ph.D. Project: Development of a photothermally responsive hydrogel biomaterial for a novel drug delivery system. Preceding her U-RISE appointment, Joanna had established the synthesis protocol for hydrogel polymeric precursors and hydrogel preparation. Since her U-RISE appointment, Joanna has successfully created hydrogels embedded with PEDOT nanoparticles in buffered saline solutions that resemble physiological conditions and demonstrated photothermal responsiveness. She has since synthesized more precursors and is currently developing methods for characterization of the hydrogel’s viscoelastic changes upon photothermal stimuli. Additionally, she has trained a graduate and undergraduate student to reproduce the synthesis. Currently: Ph.D. student in Biomedical Sciences at University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. |