student research projects

Laura Wynn ’11
“As a CURO apprentice in my first two years at UGA, I worked with the head of the Germanic and Slavic Studies Department on his work in current German studies as well as my own in-depth research on Turkish-German women writers. This experience was invaluable to my learning at the university, and I now am taking an Honors capstone course with my mentor.”

Joseph Rimando ’11
“I’ve worked for the past three years in Dr. Ralph Tripp’s infectious disease laboratory, which focuses specifically on respiratory viruses. I’ve presented work from my project, titled “Analyzing the Role of Glycosaminoglycans in the Interaction between Respiratory Syncytial Virus G protein and the CX3C Chemokine Receptor,” at the CURO Symposium in 2009 and 2010 and at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in 2008. This research experience has boosted my skills in scientific inquiry enormously, improved my time management, helped me to network with other scientists and students, and opened my eyes to a completely different avenue for improving human health.”

Tori Akin ’12
“I have been working as a research assistant for Dr. Andreas Handel since May 2009 to design a computer program that models the progress of influenza A in the respiratory tract. With this program, we hope to find data supporting a relationship between neuraminidase and hemaglutinin activity that could lead to more efficient production of antiviral medication.” 

Tiffany Hu ’12
“I started conducting research in Dr. Stephen L. Hajduk’s Biochemistry & Molecular Biology lab this spring semester. My project works with African trypanosomes, specifically Trypanosoma brucei, the parasite that causes Human African Trypanosomiasis, commonly known as African sleeping sickness. My specific project is focused on localizing an alternatively-edited protein (AEP-C) in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, using SDS-PAGE and Native Gel Electrophoresis, and immunofluorescence techniques.”

Emily Reed ’10
“I have conducted or helped with multiple research projects this year under Dr. John Maerz and Dr. Sonia Hernandez-Divers. I am just beginning my own project, but I gained experience working with reptile and amphibian husbandry, blood sampling, and examination of blood and fecal samples from different reptiles and amphibians.”

Jung Kim ’11
“I conducted bio-imaging research on the zebrafish brain to study spatio-temporal dynamics of seizure propagation under Drs. Sornborger (mathematics, faculty of engineering) and Lauderdale (cell biology) at the Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences.”

Daniel Jordan ’10
“With the support of a CURO Summer Research Fellowship, I’m on my way to Germany to conduct a photo-documentary project on sustainable farming in Bavaria. I’m registered through WWOOF and helpx.net to live and work on four different farms. My mentor is Dr. Betty Jean Craige, comparative literature professor and director of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts.”

CURO 2010 & 2009 Symposium Presenters

2010

Alex Brown - On a Generalization of the Frobenious Problem
Craig Hayes - MicroRNA let-7f Regulates STAT1 Activity in Human Lung Epithelial Cells

Tiffany Hu - Investigating a Novel Alternatively Edited Protein’s Involvement in Mitochondrial DNA Maintenance

Daniel Jordan - Shaped Like Steiner: Biodynamic Farmers of Southern Germany Enacting a Century-Old Tradition of Sustainability

Joseph Rimando - Respiratory Syncytial Virus G Protein Heparin-Binding Domain Interaction with Cell Surface Glycosaminoglycans Facilitate CX3C Chemokine Receptor Mimicry

Matthew Sellers - Here and Queer: Creating Equal Protection for LGBTQ Students in Georgia Public High Schools

Stephen Thompson - Application of Protein Interface Footprinting via Hydroxyl Radical Oxidation to Endopolygalacturonase II

2009

Nisha Gupta - The Role of Hirano Bodies and the Amyloid Precursor Protein in Alzheimer’s Disease

Marcus Hines - Analyzing the Function of O-GlcNAc in the Drosophila Nervous System

Haylee Humes - How AICD and Fe65 Are Recruited to Hirano Bodies

Lindsay Jones - Characterization of an RNP Complex Involved in Invader Defense in Pyrococcus furiosus

Betsy Katz - How Has the Gospel of John Been Used to Denigrate the Jews?

Jung Kim - Imaging of Seizure-Induced Ca2+ Waves in Developing Zebrafish

Madison Moore - Behavioral Changes Following Daily Practice of Saccade Tasks in Schizophrenia

Joseph Rimando- Evaluating the Antibody Response to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) for the Inhibition of the RSV G Protein Interaction with the CX3C Chemokine Receptor

Laura Wynn - A Sense of Self: Questions of Identity in Contemporary Novels by Second-Generation Turkish-German Women Writers

CURO Summer Research Fellows

Camille Gregory, Marcus Hines, Tiffany Hu, Haylee Humes, Daniel Jordan, Jung Kim, Madison Moore, Joseph Rimando, Matthew Sellers, Stephen Thompson, Laura Wynn

Presentations at National Conferences

Many Ramseys have made presentations at national conferences, such as the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students and the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research.