Project Mentor

Dr. Corey Acker
Department of Cell Biology

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Description

Project Description	The student will support testing of new voltage-sensitive dyes using cell culture assays. Custom fluorescence microscopy equipment is used along with patch clamp electrophysiology to control and monitor the voltage inside cells, including human stem cell derived heart cells, by recording voltage changes optically as well as electrically. MATLAB is used for all aspects, from hardware control to data analysis.
Project Direction	Probes such as voltage-sensitive dyes allow researchers to study electrically excitable cells, tissues, and organs including the heart and brain. By developing better probes we hope to better enable a broad range of neuroscience and cardiac researchers studying human disorders of the brain and heart.
Mentorship and Supervision	Student will receive direct training and supervision from Dr. Acker until familiar with cell culture, electrophysiology, and microscopy tools in the lab. Once familiar, student will work independently to perform testing of dyes and application procedures. Specific engineering projects to change or improve the systems will be determined during the internship and will likely be carried out together with the supervisor. Student will attend regular biweekly lab meetings where both chemistry and engineering are discussed and will present progress by the end of the internship.
Student Qualifications	General engineering. Signals and Systems. Circuits. Programming, especially MATLAB. Cell culture. Microscopy.
Summer Schedule Options	Research Dates: May 24 to July 30, 2021 Schedule: M-F, 9am-6pm
Project Continuation	Fall 2021, Spring 2022
Academic Year Time Commitment	6-9 hours/week
Possible Thesis Project	Yes

Application

Submit an online application for this research opportunity at https://quest.uconn.edu/prog/HRP21-1. The application deadline is Monday, February 1, 2021.

This application requires a resume or CV and an unofficial transcript.