Exploring the Structure-Function Relationship in RNA Biochemistry

A Bioinformatic Look at Iron Uptake in Insects
Emily Ragan, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Students will perform BLAST searches, make phylogenetic trees, identify putative orthologs, and investigate secondary structure elements of 5' untranslated regions (UTRs). The sequences used will be related to iron uptake in insects.

Effect of Vitamin C Abundance on Chloroplast DNA Integrity in Plants
Jeffrey Shaver, University of Arkansas at Ft. Smith
Our long-term research goal is to understand the impact that Ascorbic Acid (AsA, Vitamin C) levels have on the abundance of reactive-oxygen species (ROSs) and the maintenance (i.e. structural integrity and abundance) of chloroplast DNA, and their role in plant and human health. Towards attaining this goal, the overall objective of this application is to utilize low and high AsA Arabidopsis mutants to test for a relationship between AsA level, ROSs abundance, and organelle DNA (orgDNA) maintenance during organelle and plant development. Our central hypothesis is that high-AsA plants will maintain and low-AsA plants will degrade their orgDNA relative to wild-type plants, because increased AsA levels in organelles during leaf development will reduce ROS-mediated damage and subsequent degradation of unrepaired orgDNA.

Bugs on Drugs: Sublethal Effects of Pharmaceutical Compounds on Aquatic Insects
Kristofor Voss, Regis University

Applied Metagenomics
Stokes Baker, University of Detroit Mercy
The long-term objective of the proposal is to develop a metagenomics course that will support the goals of the ReBUILDetroit program at the University of Detroit Mercy. Genomics technologies are now revolutionizing biomedical research due to advancements in next genera¬tion sequencing (NGS) technologies. As a result, undergraduates that have significant exposure to metagenomics will be better prepared to enter graduate school. To meet the objective, high-impact activities that have been shown to increase retention among underrepresented minorities (URM) and women will be built into the pedagogical approaches. A new course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) course, entitled "Applied Metagenomics", will be created where undergraduates will be conducting authentic research that directly impacts their local community. Students will work on common projects and write laboratory reports in a cooperative manner within their learning communities. This course will advance public health because a diverse pool of future biomedical researchers will gain expertise in an emerging technology. The course involves using 16S rRNA metagenomics to evaluate the potential public health impacts of ponds found in city parks. The students will collect samples, isolate bacterial DNA, and make 16S rRNA gene libraries. A new NGS technology (the MinION by Oxford Nanopore, Oxford UK) will be used to sequence the students' libraries. The students will use the supercomputing resources provided by Argonne National Laboratory to publicly archive their data (thus directly contributing to the scientific community) and to analyze their data. The effectiveness of the instructional materials and pedagogies will be evaluated using standardized instruments and contemplation writing assignments. The results and instructional materials will be disseminated in peer-reviewed venues.

Climate change related shifts in ecosystem services
andrew harwood, Clark College
This CURE allows students to explore how climate change affects local and migratory wildlife habitat useage patterns, and the associated ecosystem services migrating wildlife such as salmon provide to Pacific Northwest communities.

Just Keep Swimming: A zebrafish based Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) for non-STEM majors
Melanie Peffer, University of Northern Colorado

BERT 2 (Beaver Ecosystem Research Team)
Chris North, University of Wyoming
The Beaver Ecosystem Research Team (BERT) series of CURE courses will introduce student to ecological literature and research methods within the context of beaver pond ecosystems. Beavers are the archetypal ecosystem engineer and strongly influence their environment, affecting other organisms and natural processes. The pond complexes created by beavers are centers of biodiversity in mountainous areas, and lend themselves to numerous study questions. They are also easily accessed from our campus in Laramie. Our overarching research goals are to understand the role of landscape context (i.e. are ponds surrounded by sagebrush steppe, aspen groves, or lodgepole forest, for example) on beaver pond biodiversity, and how does matter and energy flow between ponds and the surrounding landscape (often termed "terrestrial-aquatic linkages"). Within the context of these broader research goals, students will develop and carryout research projects in groups.

From coffee to fuel, in lab
Abbey Fischer, University of Wisconsin Baraboo/Sauk County
Overall, the purpose of this project is to develop a teaching laboratory aimed at first- and second-year students. The final laboratory exercise will have students convert spent coffee grounds to biodiesel and bioethanol. In the first iteration of this CURE (Spring 2019), students will focus on finding reliable and safe methods for extracting fermentable sugars from the coffee grounds and proving that sugars were extracted.

Nontraditional use of Silver Diamine Fluoride Applications in Patients of Need.
Amy Ewing Johnson, Clark College
A longitudinal study by which students implement and analyze the application of silver diamine fluoride on more nontraditional (permanent versus deciduous) tooth surfaces diagnosed with dental decay, where patients have no better viable option after fully informed patient consultation with a dental hygienist and diagnosis from a dentist. Essential to the study is the follow up evaluation on the efficacy of treated surfaces over a long period of time (3-5 years) to better determine the reliability and stability of silver diamine fluoride application as a stop gap restorative option for patients who can not access or afford traditional restorative methods in dentistry.