Meet Krithika Santhanam ’25, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) double majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and Health Policy & Racial Disparities (individualized major).

What is the focus of your research?

The long bones of the adult arms and legs are originally completely made of cartilage. During embryonic development and adolescence, nearly all of the cartilage disappears and becomes replaced by bone through a process called endochondral ossification. The critical step of endochondral ossification is chondrocyte maturation; A stepwise differentiation program in which the chondrocytes that comprise the cartilage of the long bones proliferate, enlarge in size, and ultimately change into bone.

A key signal that promotes chondrocyte differentiation during maturation is the BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) pathway; A critical positive regulator of chondrocyte differentiation during maturation, however which individual BMP factor(s) mediate this role and their influence on promoting proliferation and/or stem cell behaviors are unknown. My project aims to identify a new chondrocyte population that emerges below the growth plate and into the bone marrow space by using markers to identify their properties. My project provides insight into how understanding signals that control the balance of stemness and differentiation may help restore articular cartilage loss in adults by stimulating cartilage growth.

Why did you get involved in research?

In all honesty, I got involved in research because it was something I saw high-achieving individuals pursing around me. As a Freshman, I wondered if I would be able to write a research proposal, present at a conference, and go through the experimental design process. I wanted to engage in this process to learn more about myself and try something new. Once I found a project I was passionate about, digging deeper into my work came naturally and going through difficult processes like applying for SURF, creating a poster, and experimental design allowed me to grow valuable skills of presentation, communication, and collaboration which is what I hoped for going into the experience. Continue reading →

Meet Lucie Lopez ’24, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) double majoring in Psychological Sciences and Spanish.

What is the focus of your research?

I am currently working on an IDEA Grant project that combines two of my research interests I had previously explored separately: social-emotional development and food insecurity. My research explores how participation in a free or reduced school meal program impacts sense of belonging at school, particularly for adolescents.

Why did you get involved in research?

Before coming to UConn, I didn’t have much of an understanding of what research really was and what the process entailed. I knew UConn was a Research I institution and had read about so many cool student-led research projects in the UConn Today magazine and always wondered how I could do something like that. I wanted to explore more of what research as an undergraduate could look like, so I joined a lab during my second semester. That experience in my lab and the SHARE summer apprenticeship taught me what the research process was like and made me realize that I really enjoyed it. After those experiences, I wanted to investigate my own ideas, so I applied for the IDEA Grant Program. I am currently working on an IDEA Grant project that combines two of my research interests I had previously explored separately: social-emotional development and food insecurity. My research explores how participation in a free or reduced school meal program impacts sense of belonging at school, particularly for adolescents. Continue reading →

Meet Stephanie Schofield ’23, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and minoring in Psychological Sciences.

What is the focus of your research?

My research focuses on combating the global problem of antibiotic treatment failure. Roughly 35,000 people die per year in the United States alone from bacterial infections that are unresponsive to antibiotics, stressing the need for more effective treatment methods. Specifically, I am currently investigating genetic bacterial stress mechanisms and determining how each of these stress-response genes plays a role in treatment. With this information, I am working to find better ways to potentiate bacteria towards succumbing to antibiotics faster by manipulating their genetic mechanisms and finding substances that can inhibit vital machinery they need to evade treatment.

Why did you get involved in research?

I’ve always been super passionate about my education, and I craved for more than just diagrams in a textbook! My fascination with the “molecular world” of life began from a young age and I always yearned to learn more about the mechanisms of cells through hands-on experiences. I feel that in order to make the most of my education, I needed to understand the real-life implications of what I studied in my classes. Research was the best and most motivating way to do this! I saw it as an immense opportunity to grow and narrow down what I wanted to pursue as a career. So far, it has done all of this and more for me! Continue reading →

Meet Jerome Jacobs ’23, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Allied Health Sciences, with a concentration in public health and health promotion, and minoring in Global Studies.

What is the focus of your research?

My research is a mobile-based HIV prevention project in Malaysia. I have helped develop research-informed HIV prevention content and evaluated various features of the mobile app, which helped me realize that HIV stigma is one of the most persevering barriers to effective HIV/AIDS services in Malaysia.

Why did you get involved in research?

Interestingly, before acquiring my research assistantship, I had never done any research in m-health, stigma, or HIV and other STIs. However, since immersing myself in this position, I have grown passionate about it and am pursuing it for the UConn IDEA Grant and my Honors Thesis project. Continue reading →

Meet Kira Cuneo ’23, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Civil Engineering and minoring in Engineering Management.

What is the focus of your research?

I work in the Geo-environmental laboratory within the Civil and Environmental Engineering department on the Crumbling Foundations research project. The project focuses on exploring solutions to combat the foundation crisis that homeowners in Connecticut are experiencing due to the reaction of pyrrhotite, an iron sulfide mineral, with oxygen and water.

Why did you get involved in research?

I first started to look into research as a freshman because I wanted to find a way to further explore my major outside of the classroom and become more involved on campus. I was interested in learning more about what research was and how I could become a part of it. Continue reading →

Meet Alyssa Daniels ’23, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Physiology & Neurobiology and minoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and Psychological Sciences.

What is the focus of your research?

I work in the Randall Walikonis Lab in the PNB department. Currently, we are investigating the effects of heat shock on a genetic mutation known to cause severe neurological disorders and seizures due to the overactivation of a binding protein. It is hypothesized that heat may reduce this hyper-activity in this seizure causing mutation. Additionally, I am a part of the fourth cohort of the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network. This experience has enabled me to develop my own research project and network with some amazing faculty at UConn and other universities! My research focuses on the intersection between autism, alexithymia, and eating disorders. It has been neat to participate in both molecular and psychological research!

Why did you get involved in research?

I was fascinated by the concept of research. I wanted to get involved right away after entering college. I felt as though a lot of my lab-based courses were too structured. I wanted to develop my lab skills outside of the classroom. I was interested in better understanding how genetic mutations are studied at the molecular level and the major impacts they can have on an organism. I have always been interested in neuroscience and psychology, specifically in how autism impacts development. The BOLD program allowed me to delve into these interests by allowing me to design and implement my own project. Continue reading →

Meet Ayushi Patel ’23, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and minoring in English.

What is the focus of your research?

My main research focus is based in genetics and science in general. Right now, I’m working with Drosophila melanogaster to understand how female meiosis and these additional B chromosomes are passed down through generations, and the implications this has, in the Hanlon Laboratory. I’ll be working on my senior honors thesis in the laboratory as well.

Previously, I worked with the Korey Stringer Institute to understand how high school heat policies affect the students within those schools, Dr. Kent Holsinger’s lab in EEB as a research assistant, and most recently at Hartford Hospital to analyze patients with overactive bladder and learn which treatments worked most effectively under Dr. Tulikangas.

Why did you get involved in research?

I initially got involved in research to check off a box for myself, and just to say that I was a part of a lab. I knew research would be interesting, but didn’t realize how much I would love it. Through the last three years, I realized there’s much more to research than meets the eye. At first, everything seemed to make no sense and I was overwhelmed. As I began to do research within my major, and tying the things I was doing every day to information I had learned in classes, the pieces came together. I learned that research is a unique way to make a connection to the things we learn in school and help broaden your understanding of complicated subjects. Now, I just can’t imagine not being involved in some type of research and trying to answer a large-picture question. Continue reading →

Meet Paul Isaac ’23, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and Diagnostic Genetic Sciences, and minoring in Bioinformatics.

What is the focus of your research?

Horseshoe crab blood contains proteins that have high affinity to bacteria and fungi. For this reason, the pharmaceutical industry has been bleeding these crabs to create a sterility test used on most biomedical devices and drugs. My research is focused on sequencing and analyzing the genome of the North Atlantic Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) to study the genes behind these clotting proteins to eventually create a synthetic version of this sterility test and eliminate the need for bleeding practices.

Why did you get involved in research?

Ever since I was diagnosed as being color-blind at age 6, I’ve been curious about genetics and how genetic technology and theory is applied. In high school, my biology teacher taught us about genetic engineering through a basic transfection experiment that made a bacteria fluorescent. In the moment I thought, “if we could add a gene to make bacteria glow, what if we could add a gene that could “fix” disorders or help other organisms?”. I googled the concept and was bombarded by a slew of literature by researchers working towards that same goal. Wanting to pursue and contribute to that ideal at UConn is what led me to design my first formal research project and my PI’s amazing personality and mentorship have helped me turn those projects into a passion to not be a bystander to progress, but to actively contribute to it through research. Continue reading →