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.

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

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.

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.

Do everyday chemical or environmental exposures affect the cellular and molecular integrity of XXX?
Karin Streifel, Regis University

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.

Genetic variability of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes across counties in South Florida
Jaime Mayoral, Florida International University

The effects of virtual companion animals on human emotional health
Mika Maruyama, Clark College
In this CURE, we will be investigating the effects of virtual companion animals on human emotional health. Recent advances in the development of VR technology and content have brought about a rapid proliferation of VR devices that provide for realistic, life-like sensorimotor experiences of virtual environments. Although there are significant numbers of studies that have examined positive clinical outcomes using virtual reality (VR) in managing pain and psychological treatment, the effectiveness of virtual companion animals on human emotions to promote mental well-being has not been studied. In order to study whether technology (e.g., VR) can provide similar benefits that companion animals have been providing to humans, we must investigate how we could provide similar experiences of interacting with companion animals in the virtual worlds. The findings from the current study will contribute knowledge on the use of VR technology in the context of experimentation on individual emotional response in a healthy population. We expect that our study will provide evidence for the positive effects of immersive VR technology and content on indicators of physiological and emotional well-being. Our CURE will investigate the effects of virtual companion animals with different populations (students will choose a population group they will investigate) to examine the effects of virtual companion animals on various populations. Specifically, we will investigate therapeutic applications of personal VR technologies in the context of reducing loneliness, psychological disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety disorder), and in promoting quality of life.

Urban Wildlife Information Network (UWIN) CURE
Sarah St. Onge, University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus