Amanda Honaker uses gel electrophoresis to separate DNA bands following PCR genotyping of mice used in studies to understand the effects of traffic-related air pollution.
Emma Foster earned First Place for Best Undergraduate Poster for research using HPLC to quantify neurotransmitters in mice exposed to a common air pollutant.
The Department of Biological Sciences was well represented at fall regional science conferences with nine students receiving awards for presentations. The Kentucky Academy of Sciences met virtually on Nov. 6th. The following students received awards for their online presentations in the following divisions.
Ecology
First Place. Olivia Staten. "Traditional transect vs. drone imaging
methods for determining population size in milkweed"
Third Place. Erin Carleton. "Determining factors of why some trees in
temperate zones buttress their roots”
Environmental Sciences
Third Place. Caitlyn Helton. "Determination of honeysuckle leaf blight
effects on the growth of Amur honeysuckle in the field”
Health Sciences
Second Place. Amanda Honaker. "Evaluating neonatal reflexes in mice
exposed to benzo[a]pyrene during early brain development”
Zoology
First Place. Sam Bauer, Olivia Timmerding, and Emily Steele. "Metabolic
responses of adult Bluntnose Minnows (Pimephales
notatus) to a range of thermal conditions"
In addition, Emma Foster received the Best Poster Award in the Undergraduate Division at the Ohio Valley Society of Toxicology virtual meeting Nov. 6th for "Using high-performance liquid chromatography to measure the effects of genetic variation on dopamine and serotonin levels following prenatal exposure to benzo[a]pyrene."
Katie Clough received an award for her graphical abstract presentation in the Tox-on-the-Clock competition. Her project was "Assessing adult learning and memory in three genotypes of mice exposed to benzo[a]pyrene during early brain development.
