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2009 SURP Faculty-Student Research match Day
The College of Science and Technology's first Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Faculty-Student Match Day was held Tuesday, March 31, 2009.
SURP is a new CST program that encourages undergraduate research participation by matching faculty grant funding used for stipends, helping undergraduate students get a head start on a career in research. Through SURP's fund-matching program, which is open to scientific research faculty anywhere at Temple, CST students may receive up to $4,000 in stipends over the course of the summer.
The Match Day included four consecutive 30-minute group interview sessions during which faculty described their research and invited students to present their qualifications. More than 150 students interviewed with 21 Temple faculty from the College of Science and Technology, School of Medicine, and College of Engineering. Students who weren't hired for one of nearly 40 available positions gained valuable experience interacting with researchers and insight into the requirements of a research position.
Part of the College's ongoing commitment to growing the total quantity and quality of research opportunities at Temple University, the SURP program will be continued and expanded in 2009-2010. Temple News Communications story
SURP 2008-2009 Projects (Pre-registered)
Eric Borguet: Surface Chemistry at Environmentally Important Aqueous Interfaces
Acid-Base Equilibria at Mineral-Water Interfaces The Borguet group has received a grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF) to investigate the acid-base chemistry of aqueous-mineral interfaces. Professor Borguet and his students propose to use an in situ, surface-specific method; vibrational Sum Frequency Generation (SFG), to measure the mineral surface OH-group concentration directly, in the presence of OH groups of the aqueous medium. This is a non trivial challenge but they convinced the ACS-PRF) that they have a solution. Their proposed experiments will use a novel ultra-broadband, infrared optical parametric amplifier (OPA) developed in the group.[1] This OPA will provide IR photons to enable the simultaneous acquisition of SFG spectra over >2000 cm-1 of bandwidth. This work is important for understanding geochemical environments and has potential impact in optimizing enhanced oil recovery. Initial measurements for the silica-aqueous interface indicate that we can indeed distinguish the surface silanol groups from the interfacial water species. Our preliminary results indicate that is possible to follow the protonation-deprotonation chemistry that is key to understanding the acid-base chemistry of aqueous-mineral interfaces. Our first studies will focus on silica aqueous systems, but will be extended to other important mineral interfaces, including alumina and iron oxide. We will probe the effect of pH, ionic strength and temperature on the acid base chemistry, as well as the effect of the various ionic and neutral, organic and inorganic species, that might be encountered in geochemical environments. 1. Generation of Ultra-Broadband Pulses in the Near-IR by Non-Collinear Optical Parametric Amplification in Potassium Titanyl Phosphate Oleksandr Isaienko and Eric Borguet Optics Express, 16 (6), 3949-3954 (2008)
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: undefined
Hours / Week: 40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 12 weeks
Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen (Proj I): Regulation of kappa opioid receptor trafficking along the export pathway
The number of receptors on cell surface is an important factor in determining the the strength of response to its cognate agonists. We have found three proteins (GEC1, 14-3-3 proteins and sortilin) interacting with the kappa opioid receptor and regulate its cell surface level. The project is to delineate the mechanisms underlying their effects.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 30 - 40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 8 or more weeks
Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen (Proj II): A118G mu opioid receptor single nucleotide polymorphism
A118G is the most common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the coding region of the human mu opioid receptor. This SNP has been shown to be associated with higher incidence of drug abuse and lower morphine-induced analgesia. A mutant mouse line harboring the equivalent SNP has been generated. The project is to characterize biochemical and pharmacological changes caused by the SNP.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Academic Credit, Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 30 - 40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 8 or more weeks
Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen (Proj III): Is there sex difference in kappa opioid receptor signaling?
Clinical research have shown that women respond better to kappa opioids as analgesics than men in postoperative pain. The project is intended to determine if guinea pigs can be used as an animal model for sex difference studies in kappa opioid receptor-mediated signaling since guinea pigs, but not rats or mice, have similar distribution and level of kappa opioid receptors as humans.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 25-35 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 10 weeks
Parkson Chong: Tetraether Archael Liposomes
Tetraether lipids derived from thermoacidophilic archaea can form remarkably stable liposomes against temperature, pH gradient, mechanical stress, pressure, serum proteins, bile salts, and enzymatic digestions. Tetraehter archaeal liposomes (TAL) can be used as targeted drug carriers, biosensors, microbubbles for imaging and diagnosis, sterilized storage devices, and coating materials. While TAL particles hold great promise for many different applications, the structure-property relationship of TAL is still not clearly understood. To gain a better understanding of this relationship, this research proposes four specific aims to test the following hypotheses: (1) an increase in the number of cyclopentane rings in archaeal lipids will increase membrane rigidity and tightness; (2) a change in vesicle curvature will induce a change in transmembrane asymmetry, which in turn changes membrane packing; (3) there exist optimal membrane compositions and sugar contents that will yield the most stable TAL structures. To test these hypotheses, a variety of physical techniques such as dynamic light scattering, high pressure probe techniques, fluorescence spectroscopy, calorimetry, and electron microscopy will be employed. The obtained results will provide guidance for designing TAL as biomaterials for real applications.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Learning biotechniques and interacting with others, Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 20 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 10-12 weeks
Nora Engel: Regulation of Genomic Imprinting at a Cancer-Related domain
Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic mechanism of transcriptional regulation in which expression of a gene occurs solely from its maternal or paternal allele. Many imprinted genes encode growth factors and maintenance of the correct pattern of expression is vital to normal growth and development. Loss of imprinting plays a causative role in a significant number of human diseases and cancers. We are studying a group of imprinted genes that control growth and development on human chromosome 11. We will be characterizing regulatory elements and testing whether they interact physically to maintain the imprinted expression pattern. These studies are important basic knowledge that will help elucidate disorders in which the imprinted genes are perturbed.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 12 - 20 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 8 weeks
Ana Gamero: STAT2 and Interferons as Catalysts for Promoting Tumor Cell Death
Kathleen M. Giangiacomo: Molecular Basis of Neurotoxin Specificity for Potassium Channels
Voltage-dependent potassium (KV) channels are integral membrane proteins that are key components of cardiac pacemaking, nerve transmission and the immune system. Selective potassium channel inhibitors from scorpions, a-KTxs, are invaluable tools for understanding the roles of these channels in disease and in drug development. The project involves generating novel a-KTx peptides using novel high through-put molecular biological and protein chemistry techniques
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Academic Credit, Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 35 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 10 - 12 weeks
Lawrence Goldfinger: Molecular biology and protein interaction studies
Our lab studies protein-protein interactions in mammalian cells. For this project, the student researcher will generate cDNA plasmid constructs by shuttle cloning for recombinant bacterial expression. Once completed, the student will use the plasmids to induce expression of the recombinant proteins in bacteria and isolate and purify those proteins. Time permitting, the student will then apply the purified proteins to protein-protein interaction studies in vitro. Training in the relevant laboratory techniques will be provided for the successful candidate.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 10 weeks
Longin Jan Latecki: Generating test images in controlled settings
The contemporary approach to test computer vision algorithms is to use databases of real images of real scenes. Real images are important because they represent the ultimate goal of computer vision, and also because they tend to be difficult. However, real images are not under direct control of the experimenter. Real images differ from one another in very many ways and the differences are never systematic. It follows, that results of tests of a given computer vision algorithm with one or more sets of real images are usually difficult, if possible at all, to interpret. Note that real images are never used in psychophysical experiments with human subjects. A full control of experimental stimuli is a standard requirement of scientific methodology. Only when the stimuli differ in some systematic ways across experimental conditions, can the experimenter infer the nature of the underlying visual mechanisms and make conclusions which theories are most plausible and how the existing theories should be elaborated. We plan to use computer graphics tools to prepare synthetic images of synthetic objects and scenes and use these images to test Object Detection and Recognition algorithms. Here we benefit from the fact that realistically looking images can be generated using modern computer graphics software like 3ds Max. Therefore, the generated test images will look like real to a human observer, but they will be generated in a full control of all parameters.
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: Academic Credit, Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 30 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 10 weeks
Longin Jan Latecki: Airborne Dynamic Detection and Discrimination of Dismounts
Our goal is development of innovative image and video exploitation algorithms to detect and discriminate dismounts (personnel)) in difficult environments, including foliated and urban environments in wide area coverage airborne ISR sensors.
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: Academic Credit, Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 30 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 10 weeks
Marjatta Lyyra: Coherence Effects in the Interaction of Light with Molecules
Coherence effects in the interaction of light with matter have led to interesting new applications such as slow light, electromagnetically induced transparency etc. In our work we emphasize molecular applications of these effects in molecular quantum optics.
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 25-35 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 10 weeks
Zein-Eddine Meziani: Test of Avalanche Photo Diodes (APDs) for Cesenhov Radiation detectors
Karen Palter: Identification of specific neurons that express a Drosophila sialyltransferase
One project in my laboratory is to identify the specific neurons in both larval and adult fly brains that express a neuron specific sialyltransferase. Sialyltransferases add the sugar sialic acid to sugar chains of glycoproteins. Our laboratory has previously shown that loss of sialylation in Drosophila, results in behavioral defects, paralysis and neurodegeneration. Furthermore, we have evidence that the target of the sialylation is a potassium channel in the nervous system. Utilizing the UAS/GAL4 targeted gene expression system, different fly lines can be obtained that express a fluorescent tag, GFP, in specific subsets of neurons. Both larval and sectioned adult brains from such flies will be used for in situ hybridization experiments using RNA probes for both the sialyltransferase and potassium channel genes. A co-localization of the hybridization signal with the GFP tag will indicate which neurons express the sialyltransferase and potassium channel. Ion channel dysfunction is associated with over 60 different channelopathy diseases including epilepsy, paralysis, ataxia, cardiac arrhythmias and memory and learning loss. It is therefore of tremendous importance to understand the role of modifications, such as glycosylation, that regulate ion channel function.
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: May be author of published work, Academic Credit, Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 8 - 10 weeks
Saqib Rehman: Expression of osteoactivin and related bone growth factors in human fracture hematoma
We are investigating the temporal expression of certain bone growth related proteins in human fracture hematoma, including osteoactivin, a protein discovered at Temple University. Patient's samples have already been collected. Quantitative protein analysis needs to be performed and analyzed.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Opportunity to be co-author on this manuscript
Hours / Week: 20 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 10 weeks
Abdelkarim Sabri: Inflammation and Cardiac Repair
Cell-based therapies hold promise of repairing an injured heart. Recently, different types of progenitor cells including hematopoietic progenitor cells, mesenchymal stem cells, and cardiac resident progenitor cells were shown to acquire a cardiomyogenic phenotype after infusion or injection in animal models after myocardial infarction. However, the efficacy of cell-based repair remains hampered by a low rate of sustained cell engraftment which results from subsequent massive death of cells that have been initially retained in the target tissue. Several factors may contribute to graft attrition including inflammation and loss of prosurvival signals emanating from the extracellular matrix and cell-cell interactions. We have previously shown that neutrophil derived protease cathepsin G (Cat.G) leads to myocyte detachment and apoptosis by anoikis that involves degradation of key proteins involved in cell survival and contractile function. However, the role of inflammatory proteases in cardiac progenitor cell homing, proliferation and differentiation in-vivo is still unknown. The project will determine whether neutrophil proteases inhibition, using knockout mice that lack an enzyme involved in the activation of neutrophil proteases, enhances myocardial regeneration after cardiac injury. We will perform these studies in a well established mouse model of myocardial infarction that involves the activation of an inflammatory cascade and is manifest by accelerated progression of cell death and apparition of cardiac resident progenitor cells. The effects of neutrophil derived protease inhibition and cardiac derived progenitor cell proliferation after MI injury will be measured and correlated to cardiac functional and morphological alterations. The research proposed will delineate whether neutrophil derived serine proteases could be considered as novel therapeutic targets to enhance cardiac regeneration and prevent cardiac dysfunction after myocardial infarction.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Prepare student for a post graduate experience
Hours / Week: 35 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 6 - 8 weeks
Mahmut Safak: The role of JC virus regulatory agnoprotein in viral replication and virion biogenesis
My research interest revolves around undertanding of the human polyomavirus, JC virus, life cycle. This virus is the etiological agent of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), a white matter disease of the human brain. JC virus specifically attacks the oligodendrocytes and astrocytes in the human brain and causes PML. This virus remains in dormant state in human population but is reactivated in immunocomprimised individuals, such as HIV and cancer patients. We apply many different virological, genetical and biochemical approaches to understand its biology. Our lab has trained a number of undergraduate students, many of whom went to different medical or graduate schools after graduation.
Location: TU Main Campus
Hours / Week: 35-40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 10 weeks
Bassel E. Sawaya: Involvement of HIV viral proteins Tat and Vpr in neuronal degeneration
It is well established that several viral proteins (e.g. Tat and Vpr) released from HIV-infected cells can be taken up by neuronal cells and got involved in neuronal degeneration. The mechanisms leading to such event remain unclear. We demonstrated that Tat protein can functionally associate with the tumor suppressor protein, p53, a phenomenon that might enhance neuronal degeneration. The focus of this study is to decipher the mechanisms involved. In addition to Tat, we recently showed that Vpr has the ability to increase calcium secretion in neuronal cells leading to activation of oxidative stress pathway and neuronal degeneration. We also found that this pathway implicates mitochondrial dysfunction. The focus of this second project is to identify the mechanisms involved in Vpr-increasing calcium secretion leading to neuronal degeneration.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Academic Credit, Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 35 - 40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 8 - 10 weeks
Christian Schafmeister: Development of protein binding and catalytic bis-peptides
We are developing functionalized organic nanostructures that can bind protein surfaces and others that act as small molecule catalysts. The projects will involve the synthesis of bis-peptide nanostructures and their characterization.
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: Experience towards graduate school, Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 4 - 12 weeks
Dianne R. Soprano: Mechanism of Action of Retinoic Acid
Retinoic acid receptors (RARs) are transcription factors that mediate the actions of retinoic acid (RA), the most potent biologically active form of vitamin A. RA is critical for many important biological processes including mammalian development, differentiation, immune function, spermatogenesis and vision. RA is also effective in the treatment of certain epithelial cancers such as ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Two potential areas of investigator are: Project 1. There are three RAR genes and each gene encodes several difference isoforms resulting in at least 18 different RARs. It is believed that the unique functions of the different RARs are mediated by specific proteins that interact with each RAR isoform. The laboratory has isolated a number of proteins that specifically interact with RARs and are believed to mediate their function. Summer student would work on the characterization of one of the interacting proteins using a variety of molecular biology and biochemistry approaches. Project 2. Embryonal carcinoma cells are pluripotent stem cells that can be differentiated to either neuronal or endodermal cell upon treatment with RA. RA rapidly increases the expression of pre-B cell leukemia transcription factor, PBX. Knock-down of this RA-induced increase in PBX in these cells results in a failure to differentiate to both neuronal and endodermal cells. We have identified several potential target genes of PBX including Oct4, COUP-TFI, COUP-TFII, Ets1 and Ets2 using microarray analysis comparing wild type and PBX knock-down cells. Student would work on overexpressing and knocking down the expression of one of these genes to ascertain its function during RA-dependent differentiation of these stem cells.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Academic Credit, Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 8 to 10 weeks
Frank C. Spano: Numerical Simulations of Light-Matter Interactions in Organic Assemblies
CThe goal of this research project is to develop models describing the absorption and emission of light in clusters or aggregates of organic molecules. We seek a deeper understanding of how organic materials operate in a variety of applications from light-emitting diodes to solar cells. Computer programming is conducted in Fortran.
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 20-30 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 8 weeks
Barbara Stitt: Creation and characterization of a mutant Escherichia coli rho protein
Molecular biology and biochemistry techniques will be used to create, overproduce, purify, and characterize a mutated form of a bacterial protein. Some or all of the following techniques will be used, depending on how well the work progresses: site-specific mutagenesis of a gene, fundamental microbiological techniques, protein purification (precipitations, centrifugation, column chromatography, dialysis), enzyme activity assays, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
Location: TU Health Science Campus
Student Benefits: Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 40 hrs / week (flex)
Number of Weeks: 12 weeks
Rominder Suri: Emerging Contaminants, NSF Water & Environmental Technology
Students will work on Emerging Contaminants Research, specifically dealing with unregulated chemicals. They will have opportunity to work on new, state of the art instruments such as GC/MS/MS, LS/MS/MS, LC-QTOF and others in the newly established National Science Foundation Water and Environmental Technology Center - a collaboration between Temple (lead University), Univ of Arizona and Arizona State Univ. A number of pharma, DoD and other companies are partners in this center
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: Salary / Stipend
Hours / Week: 10 - 40 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 12 weeks
Laura Toran: Evaluation of stream sediments at an urban stream restoration site
The overall goal of the project is to evaluate stabilization structures on an urban stream near Philadelphia. The project involves helping conduct geophysical surveys of the stream sediment, sampling water, sampling macroinvertebrates, sampling sediment, and measuring grain size distribution of the sediment samples. One undergraduate assistant would focus on the sediment samples, looking for patterns of sediment size around the stabilization structures and changes in sediment over time. Another student would examine the biological samples.
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: Working with a team, learn new geophysical tools.
Hours / Week: 10 - 20 hrs / week
Number of Weeks: 6 - 8 weeks
Hong Wang : Mechanism of cardiovascular disease
Research in Dr. Hong Wang’s lab is focused on mechanisms of vascular cell growth control and the role of gene deregulation in cardiovascular disease. http://develop.temple.edu/medicine/faculty/w/wangh.asp. Research approaches include genetic cloning, molecular biology, protein chemistry and immunohistochemistry. Transgenic mouse and microsurgical models have also been applied to assess endothelial regeneration, vessel function and vascular pathology. The undergraduate intern will be supervised by a senior postdoctoral fellow or a PhD candidate to study mechanisms mediating cardiovascular disease.
Location: TU Main Campus
Student Benefits: Academic Credits
Hours / Week: Summer internship 8h/day, school year 4 hr/week
Number of Weeks: One academic year