Neurobiology of Alcohol CURE
Elizabeth Crofton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Excessive alcohol use is highly prevalent in college students. Alcohol causes a multitude of alterations in the brain that can eventually lead to alcohol use disorder, but this shift is not fully understood. Evidence suggests that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to developing substance use disorders. Therefore, research into the neurobiology of alcohol has broad interest inside and outside the college classroom. The goal of this research project is to investigate the effects of chronic alcohol on gene and protein expression in specific regions of the rat brain. Students will critically evaluate existing alcohol research and design a well-controlled study to investigate a feasible and testable question. Students will use rodent brain histology, quantitative PCR analysis, or western blotting to investigate their hypothesis. This work will provide a better understanding of the effects of alcohol and provide students laboratory and research skills.

Assessing antibiotic resistance in E. coli isolates from environmental samples in urban Atlanta
Mauricio Lascano, American Intercontinental University

Drosophila as a Model Organism for Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Rick Topinka, American River College
There is concern that chemical exposure may contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) such as autism. Drosophila (fruit fly) is a model system for NDDs and flies with mutations in genes homologous to known human autism-risk genes exhibit behavioral abnormalities. As part of the course-based undergraduate research experience in this biology class we will be exposing developing flies to environmental toxins and measuring one aspect of their behavior, either mating behavior or grooming behavior. In addition, we will be investigating whether neural development is impaired in these flies using dissection and fluorescent labeling of particular brain structures.

Environmental Justice for North Troy and Beyond
Emilly Obuya, The Sage Colleges
Water quality in American cities is a major issue. Studies show that the increased level of water pollution is mostly due to aging supply infrastructure, which is notorious in post-industrial cities like Troy, and not necessarily from poor water treatment. Therefore, water quality can vary from city to city and across neighborhoods. We are especially interested in research studies and in educational projects that promote continuing discovery and learning. We work with youth, who learn that they, as individuals, can have a tangible impact on the health and wellbeing of our greater community. This summer, we will be working on a "Water Warriors: Youth Empowerment Through Science," which is a year-long research scientific project enabling local youth and neighbors to investigate the quality of water–especially levels of lead, cadmium, parabens and organic material–in homes and neighborhoods in Troy, NY. This project will empower the community with the scientific and educational tools necessary to understand, protect, and advocate for clean water, thereby using science to promote environmental justice and the health and welfare of their families and neighbors.

Flow Cytometry Based CURE – Genotoxic Stress and Immune Cells
Charlie Benson, Georgia State University; Megan Dickherber, Georgia State University
This lab will focus on learning laboratory techniques commonly used in cellular immunology and cancer cell biology research. Over the course of the semester students will conduct research investigating the impact of genotoxic stress and DNA damage agents on immune cell phenotype and function. It is not well characterized how diverse types of immune cells are changed following exposure to such agents. It is important to understand how exposure to such stressors influences cell biology as many such agents are used therapeutically in medicine (radiation and chemotherapy). In particular, the field of cancer immunotherapy relies on the function of immune cells to recognize and attack cancer cells. Thus, the impact of these standard therapies (radiation) on the immune cells themselves is useful knowledge that could help optimize immune based therapies. During the course they will learn the scientific process while also learning common research techniques for eukaryotic cell culture and diverse flow cytometry assays.

Generic Arthropod Behavioral Syndromes CURE
Donna McDermott, Emory University
Behavioral syndromes research can be done with many students and few expensive materials. This field is fairly recent, so much of this research begins with descriptive observational studies where researchers identify behavioral types in a study system of interest. An animal exhibits a behavioral type if their behavior is consistent through time and ecological context, but differs from other individuals of their species. For example, a spider might consistently behave aggressively while hunting, finding mates, and avoiding predators as opposed to another conspecific spider which behaves with relative docility in all of those contexts. In this example, the behavioral types present in the population are aggressive and docile. In this CURE, students perform an observational study followed by an experiment. In the observational study, students will devise an assay used to investigate whether or not their study species displays multiple "types" of one behavior (e.g. boldness, aggression, exploration, sociability, activity level.) In the experiment, students investigate the role of developmental factors on those behavioral types OR the fitness outcomes of those behavioral types in different ecological contexts.

Microbial Community Diversity and Interactions
Rachel Bleich, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Host-Parasite Interactions in Cuscuta campestris
Brandy Rogers, Georgia Highlands College; Tara Suswal, Georgia Highlands College
Cuscuta campestris (Field dodder) is a parasitic plant with a global distribution. It is an obligate stem parasite and a host generalist, capable of parasitizing a wide variety of hosts, many of which are economically important crop species. Cuscuta campestris is considered an agricultural pest due to its ability to cause significant reduction in host productivity. Here, we investigate parasite-host interactions to characterize foraging behavior by parasite seedlings in response to presence of available hosts, and also examine differential attachment success on various host species.