The PAS Undergraduate and Graduate Research Grants Program has awarded grants to 29 students from fourteen different Pennsylvania colleges and universities.

Grants were awarded to:

Abbi Waltz and Stephen Mech, Albright College: “The Short and Long-Term Effects of Anthropogenic Habitat Disturbance on the Geographic Range Distribution of Terrapene carolina

Kayla Sompel and Angela Hess, Bloomsburg University “Associating melanoma tumor cell plasticity with resistance to clinically relevant MAPK inhibitors”

Stephanie Barr and Andre Walther, Cedar Crest College: “Development of Molecular Tools for Rapid Genotyping of Yeast Strains Used in Beer Production”

Kimberly Hane  and K. Joy Karnas, Cedar Crest College: “Identification of Menstrual Blood Using High Resolution Melt Analysis”

Sapanna Chantarawong and Joshua Slee, DeSales University: “Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcumin and Piperine on THP-1 Cells”

Veronika Tews and Austen Barnett, DeSales University: “Interrogating the Ancestral Developmental Role of TGF-a Ligands in Insects Prior to Ancient Gene Duplication Events”

Claudio Velardo and Austen Barnett, DeSales University: “Exploring the Ancestral Role of the Transcription Factor Anterior-open (Aop) in Insect Eye Development”

Tianna Johnson and Thomas LaDuke, East Stroudsburg University: “Estimating the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) population in Pennsylvania based on mark-recapture data”

Abigail Onufer and Abdalla Aldras, East Stroudsburg University: “Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in New Jersey Black Bears (Ursus americanus)”

Sarah Schwartz and Nicole Chinnici, East Stroudsburg University: “Evaluation of white-tailed deer as potential reservoir host for Borrelia miyamotoi

Lauren Bahr and Meg Laakso, Eastern University: “PCR and ELISA to assess tomato yellow leaf curl virus kinetics and distribution in vegetative and reproductive tissues, and seed transmission in host plant species”

Karli Rathof and Akeisha Belgrave, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology: “The Effects of Acid Mine Drainage Heavy Metal Byproducts on Biofilms of Swatara Creek Basin, Schuylkill Co. PA.”

Rebeccah Bailey and Paul Nealen, Indiana University of PA: “Survivability of Rehabilitated Fox Squirrels, Sciurusniger vulpinus

Daniel Dudek and Josiah Townsend, Indiana University of Pennsylvania: “Unraveling the Evolution and Taxonomy of Pacific Coast Leopard Frogs (Ranidae: Rana: Pantherana)”

Madeline Mark and Megan Knoch, Indiana University of Pennsylvania: “Analysis of Lipid Peroxidation in Euglycemic and Hyperglycemic Red Blood Cells”

Brandon Michalides and Seema Bharathan, Indiana University of Pennsylvania: “Comparison of isolates in Anastomosis Group 13 of the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Rhizoctonia solani

Mariana Valenzuela and Paul Nealen, Indiana University of Pennsylvania: “To Sleep, the First Step Towards an Optimal Athletic and Cognitive Performance”

Jenny Willis and Daniel Widzowski, Indiana University of Pennsylvania: “The impact of a modified ketogenic diet on autoimmunity in a murine model of multiple sclerosis”

John Minora and Christopher Brey, Marywood University: “In vivo promoter analysis of the klf-1 gene in Caenorhabditis elegans

Alec Buttner and Michael Bertucci, Moravian College: “Synthesis of Peptide-Based Quorum Sensing Modulators for S. pneumoniae

Makenzie Nolt and Jessica Petko, Penn State York:  “Behavioral and genetic analysis of the circadian rhythm of Parasteatoda tepidariorum

Mindy Gruzin and Jessica Petko, Penn State York: “Influence of developmental starvation on octopamine and serotonin modulation in the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum

Sebastian Harris and Amy Savage, Rutgers University-Camden: “Exploring the Relationship Between Allegheny Mound Ant Colonies and Neighboring Reptile and Amphibian Species Richness”

Grace Cieri and Nicholas Sizemore, University of Scranton: “Studies Toward the Total Synthesis of Pantocin A”

Steven Parrinelli and Nicholas Sizemore, University of Scranton: “Computational Determination of Stereoselection in Oxazolone Cycloadducts for Alkaloid Construction”

Cassio Cossa and Meda Higa, York College of Pennsylvania: “Determining the Inhibitory Effect of Antimycin on Sin Nombre virus (SNV) Viral Entry of Host Cells”

Alyssa DeMutis and Meda Higa, York College of Pennsylvania: “Impact of Cigarette Smoke Extract on Vero E6 Cell Susceptibility to New World Hantavirus Entry”

Kathleen Kline and Karl Kleiner, York College of Pennsylvania: “Population structure of Northern Saw-Whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus): a Genetic Analysis of Nomadism”

Jacqueline Provost and Bridgette Hagerty, York College of Pennsylvania: “Predicting Prevalence of Frog Virus 3 (FV3) Ranavirus in Constructed Wetlands using Environmental Indicators”

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