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A cohort of 11 students from the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology (BBMB) honed their research skills this summer, tackling a variety of issues that could, one day, have a profound societal impact.

From attempting to create pesticides that are safe for the environment to understanding the role vitamin D plays in kidney function, the students immersed themselves in laboratory work that helped propel their research to new heights. Eight of the students are in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS), and three students belong to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

All students participated in 10 weeks of paid, full-time research under the supervision of a faculty mentor and graduate students. Goals of the BBMB summer research program are to provide undergraduate researchers with professional experience, create continuity from their spring research efforts, and offer high-impact practice with real-world results.

Show and tell

On Sept. 5, the students presented their findings at the BBMB Summer Research Program’s πMT Research Showcase. In a nod to π (pi=3.14159265), each of the presentations lasted approximately 3 minutes and 14 seconds.

LAS students who participated in the research program are:

• Paige Davis (’26 biochemistry), “Investigating Protein Dynamics with NMR Spectroscopy”
• Elizabeth Dougherty (’25 biochemistry), “Mechanisms of Cascade-Cas3 as a Bacterial Defense System Against Bacteriophage”
• Mason Eisenhauer (’25 biochemistry), “The Search for Functional RNA Secondary Structure”
• Undral Erdenebat (’25 biology), “Developing a Structural Imitation of a Virus for a Biosensor”
• Max Quanrud (‘25 biochemistry), “Investigating Soybean Chemical Defenses Against Aphids”
• Chloe Smith (‘25 biochemistry), “Consumption of Fermentable Dietary Fiber for the Reduction of Urinary Vitamin D Loss in Type 1 Diabetes”
• Mac Thackery (‘25 biochemistry), “Investigating the Role of Connexin43 in Left-Right Asymmetry Establishment in Zebrafish Embryos”
• Eli VanDer Kamp (‘25 biochemistry): “Determining Optimal Method for Detection of Protein-Protein Interactions”

This year, student stipends and programming support were generously provided by Ana and Ed McCracken; the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology; Donald Beitz; and Karen and Jim Linder.