CST Undergraduate Research Program Fall 2013

Email: achary@temple.edu

a. Validation of genomic and gene expression markers for differentiating human metastatic and non-metastatic primary breast cancers. b. Inhibition of human glioblastoma tumors by betulinic acid combined with ionizing radiation in a nude mouse model.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biology

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: None to one summer lab research experience - Sincerity

Courses: The research plan could be designed depending on the time the student can spare

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: randrade@temple.edu

The student will undertake the multistep synthesis of

Class Year: Juniors & Seniors

Email: mautieri@temple.edu

Vascular restenosis, atherosclerosis, and other vascular diseases are inflammatory in nature. Accordingly, any compound which may decrease inflammation could represent a y to attenuate most vascular diseases. Interleukin-19 (IL-19) is a cytokine which occurs naturally in humans and functions to modify inflammatory cells. We have previously shown that IL-19 is turned on in arterial cells under inflammatory conditions. We have generated IL-19 knock out mice to test the hypothesis that IL-19 is protective for vascular diseases. In this project, the student will prepare and analyze tissue sections from these mice by histology and immunohistochemistry to determine if these mice are protected against atherosclerosis and/or restenosis. If these experiments are successful, then IL-19 could represent a new class of naturally occurring therapy to combat multiple vascular disease.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: 1- biology, 2- pre-med

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: manual dexterity. ability to get along with others. ability to take direction. punctuality and dependability. - honesty, dependability, willingness to learn new techniques

Courses: any general biology, anatomy, physiology, or the similar.

Hours Per Week: 8, but we can be flexable

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: eborguet@temple.edu

The position involves the use of vibrational Sum Frequency Generation (SFG) to investigate molecules at interfaces, such as mineral surface. Students will learn about surface chemistry and laser spectroscopy We are also investigating the ultrafast vibrational dynamics of aqueous species, including water, at mineral surfaces http://www.temple.edu/borguet/index.html

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Chemistry Physics

Class Year: Sophomore or Junior

Skills: Interest in research - Aptitude for careful laboratory research

Courses: Gen Chem Gen Physics

Hours Per Week: 10 to 15 hours per week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: eborguet@temple.edu

.Develop nanoscale materials for rapid, high sensitivity detection of biological and chemical agents. Students will learn to use a variety of analytical techniques such as IR, Atomic Force Microscopy http://www.temple.edu/borguet/index.html

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Chemistry

Class Year: Sophomore or Junior

Skills: Interest in research - Aptitude for careful laboratory research

Courses: Gen Chem Gen Physics

Hours Per Week: 10 to 15 hours per week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: coast@temple.edu

The new Coastal and Aeolian Research Laboratory at Temple is focused on understanding modern processes and the geological record of the Earth's most dynamic environments and ecosystems at the land-sea interface. - Fieldwork will include investigation of modern coastal processes, geological record of storms, and biogenic sedimentary structures within beaches and dunes along the Atlantic Coast (Maryland, New Jersey, and New England). - Laboratory work will involve sediment examination using a new particle-size analyzer, post-processing of geophysical records (from sites ranging from the dunes of New Mexico to the shores of eastern Europe), and opportunities for projects with a biological component (trace fossil analysis and coastal paleoecological indicators).

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Geology Environmental Science Biology

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Ability to work in the laboratory and in the field as part of a research team; strong quantitative and writing skills; willingness to present data at student forums and professional conferences.

Courses: 2001 Physical Geology or higher-level EES courses or equivalent - The proposed work is part of a new research initiative at Temple and will provide undergraduates with a range of skills necessary for a career in Geological and Environmental Sciences or a related field.

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: kchen@temple.edu

Electron tunneling is a quantum phenomenon that can be utilized to probe materials with a energy resolution and richness of information that many other techniques cannot achieve. It can also be used to construct portable sensors to detect molecules, magnetic field, radiation, etc. This project is to fabricate a tunneling device and apply it to chemical sensing. Students will be training to use basic micro-/nano- fabrication and characterization tools, including atomic force microscope, photolithography, evaporator, etc. and gain knowledge and hands-on experience in vacuum technology, cryogenic measurement, nano-fabrication that can lead them for future studies in related areas.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Physics, Chemistry, Electric Engineering

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Hard working, good motivation, fond of problem solving by independent study, as well as basic training in physics, chemistry, or electronics.

Courses: general physics e.g. PHYS 1061, 2021

Email: seo.hee.cho@temple.edu

Using mouse as a model system, we are trying to understand the role of Hippo-Yap and TSC1/2-mTOR signal transduction cascades during eye development. We use neural retina and non-neural lens tissues for the study. Molecular biological, cell biological, immunohistochemcal and imaging techniques will be used to assay cell proliferation, growth, death, and differentiation in wild type and conditional knock-out animals of the genes involved in the above signal transduction pathways.

Location: Health Science Campus, MERB 6th floor

Majors: Biology related

Class Year: Freshman,Sophomoe, Junior or senior

Skills: Recombinant DNA techniques

Courses: General Biology recommended

Hours Per Week: 20 hours a week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: seo.hee.cho@temple.edu

Our research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the normal development and degenerative diseases of the mammalian retina. Topics we currently study include: (I) Functional analysis of apical polarity gene Pals1 during retinal development. (II) Pathophysiology study of degenerative retinal diseases (LCA and RP) to understand the underlying disease causing mechanisms. We are particularly interested in polarity defect in retinal progenitor cells, which causes early-onset, photoreceptor degeneration in Leber Congenital Amaurosis 8 (LCA 8) and/or late-onset Retinitis Pigmentosa 12 (RP12). (III) Cell-transplantation and gene-based therapies: Our goal is to customize therapy strategies using cell- and gene-based approaches to restore vision loss in LCA8-like mouse model in preclinical settings. (IV) Investigating the function of tumor suppressor genes, TSC2 and Hippo-Yap signal transduction pathway components, in the eye development.

Location: MERB, 6th Fl. Shriners Hospital Pediatric Research Center

Majors: Biology related

Class Year: any

Skills: not required

Courses: General Biology recommended

Publication and Conference Potential: co-authorship possible

Email: pchong02@temple.edu

The goal of this research is to design novel liposomes for targeted drug delivery to treat cancers. We will use bipolar tetraether lipids (BTL) as the matrix lipids and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-linked conventional lipids as the minor component to make liposomes (100-200 nm in diameter) with entrapped anticancer drugs. BTL will be isolated from the thermoacidophilic archaea Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Physical properties of these BTL-based liposomes will be characterized using a variety of biophysical techniques. Drug release and the inhibitory effect of liposomal drug against breast cancer cells will be monitored. These BTL-based liposomes are expected to show remarkable stability against temperature, pH gradient, mechanical stress, pressure, serum proteins, bile salts, and enzymatic digestions; and, they can be tailored for targeted delivery and controllable release of anticancer drugs to solid tumors. This multidisciplinary research involves microbe growth, lipid purification, chemical modification and characterization of archaeal lipids, fluorescence spectroscopy, microscopy, calorimetry, and the usage of cell biology techniques. The obtained results may lead to new designs of liposomal drugs to treat cancers with a higher efficacy.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Chemistry, Biology, and Physics

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: GPA, research interest -Basic chem. lab skills

Hours Per Week: 10-15 hours per week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: ecordes@temple.edu

Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing at an alarming rate, mostly due to human activities such as fossil fuel combustion and deforestation. About 30% of the CO2 produced by human activities is absorbed by the oceans. Absorption of atmospheric CO2 by the oceans results in a decline in seawater pH and is hence termed Òocean acidificationÓ. Ocean acidification is expected to negatively affect species that produce skeletons and hard parts of calcium carbonate, and numerous studies have shown deleterious effects on reef-building species such as corals. However, almost all work to date has focused on the effects of ocean acidification on corals restricted to shallow waters. In addition, the deep ocean has experienced warming and deoxygenation resulting from recent global climate change. In the Gulf of Mexico and beyond, the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa inhabits depths greater than 200 meters and forms robust reefs that harbor diverse communities of fishes and invertebrates. The objective of this research project is to test the effects of lowered pH, increased temperature, and decreased dissolved oxygen on growth and mortality on live specimens of L. pertusa. The successful undergraduate intern will be responsible for measuring weekly growth of live L. pertusa specimens in different pH treatments. Additionally, the intern will be responsible for basic aquarium maintenance related to the project. The student selected for this project will receive training on all tank maintenance requirements and growth measurements. While prior experience with marine aquaria is preferred, it is not required

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biology, Environmental Science

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: Marine aquaria or other animal husbandry experience preferred but not required. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel highly preferred.

Courses: Biology 1111 & 2227, Chemistry 1031 & 1032. Prior courses in marine biology (Biology 3196, 3245, 3316) preferred but not required.

Hours Per Week: 20 (some weekend hours are required)

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: dattapk@temple.edu

The Excitatory amino acid transporter-2 (EAAT2) is the major glutamate transporter expressed predominantly by astrocytes in the brain. Dysregulation of glutamate transport induces neurotoxicity associated with HIV-1-associated dementia. Our laboratory is interested in understanding the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the dysregulation of EAAT2 expression in the context of NeuroAIDS. Our long term goal is to identifying therapeutic approaches that are capable of modulating EAAT2 expression that could potentially inhibit, ameliorate, or prevent various neurodegenerative diseases, including NeuroAIDS.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry.

Class Year: Junior, Senior

Skills: Juniors or seniors who are contemplating a career in biomedically related sciences. General laboratory experience. Experience with microsoft excel program. The applicant must also demonstrate a commitment to a serious learning experience. The candidate should be punctual, sincere and have the willingness to learn and execute the assigned task on time. Applicants should have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and should have completed at least college-level general biology,

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: dux@temple.edu

Mobile cloud computing is one of today's hottest new technology markets. In mobile cloud computing, users lease computing/storage services from cloud service providers, and access the cloud from their mobile devices (smart phones, tablets). Gartner (2011) predicts that mobile cloud computing will reach a market value of US$9.5 billion by 2014. Mobile cloud computing shares with cloud computing the notion that some level of service is provided by a cloud but accessed by mobile platforms. Typical mobile cloud computing platforms include smart phones and tablets. The most-used mobile operating systems are UNIX variations such as Google Android and Apple iOS. Tablets are larger than a smart phone but interact with the user in a similar way, using a touch screen as the primary input device. As of October 2011, the top-selling tablets are the Apple iPad and Android tablets made by Samsung, Motorola, and Acer. Companies are being driven to the mobile cloud by demand. Customers are demanding smart phone and tablet applications so they can access key business applications. Employees are demanding access to companiesÕ computers from their mobile devices. For example, BlackBerry capitalized on this need with its popular cloud-based mobile e-mail program. In June 2011, AppleÕs CEO, Steve Jobs introduced iCloud, which includes a set of free new cloud services that work seamlessly with applications on a userÕs iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store user content in cloud and automatically and wirelessly push it to all of userÕs devices. IBM predicts that by 2015, there will be 1 trillion cloud-ready devices. In this project, the undergraduate student will work with Dr. Du and his Ph.D. students on Security and Performance Issues of mobile cloud computing. First we will identify possible attacks on iPhone/iPad security and privacy mobile cloud computing. Second, we will design effective security schemes to defend these attacks. Third, we will implement the security schemes in real smartphones and tablets. Fourth, we will perform real experiments by using the smartphones and tablets to evaluate the effectiveness of the designed security schemes. If the experimental results are good, we will publish research papers based on the work.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: CS/IST/Math-CS majors

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Good programming skills - High GPA -Solid math background - Good communication skills - Team working skills

Hours Per Week: 10 or more hours per week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: dux@temple.edu

In this project, the undergraduate student will work with Dr. Du and his Ph.D. students on 4G/Hybrid Wireless Networks (HWNs). 4G is the new trend of wireless networks, and it includes the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMAX technologies. The research will focus on efficient Quality-of-Service (QoS) provisioning and communications in 4G/HWNs. An HWN consists of an infrastructure network (e.g., a 4G cellular network) and a few ad hoc components (e.g., mobile ad hoc networks). By forming an HWN, one can achieve the benefits of both infrastructure wireless networks, such as good reliability and QoS support, and ad hoc networks, e.g., larger coverage, low deployment cost, and flexibility. During the URP, first, we will design efficient schemes for QoS routing and resource allocation in HWN. Second, we will implement our schemes (i.e., writing codes) in simulation software, such as MATLAB and network simulator 2 (ns2). Third, we will evaluation the performance of our design using the simulation software. Fourth, we will write research papers based on the design and experiments, and submit them to ACM/IEEE conferences.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: CS IST ECE

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Good programming skills - Good programming skills Team working skills High GPA Sound math background

Hours Per Week: 10 or more

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: dux@temple.edu

Security is a major concern for today's Internet. Today Internet was not designed with security in mind. Every year, billions of dollars are lost due to security attacks launched over the Internet. In this project, undergraduate students will work with Dr. Du and his Ph.D. students on Internet Security. The topics include (but not limited to): _ Malicious Software (Malwares) - worms, virus, Trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, crime ware, and root kits, _ Botnet, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet _ Intrusion Detection / Prevention

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: CS IST ECE

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Good programming skills GPA Sound math background

Hours Per Week: 10 or more

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: dux@temple.edu

Gartner Report has ranked Cloud Computing as a top two technology in 2009. A Cloud is a virtual network of physical or virtual machines Ð a web-scale distributed computing system built with private and public computers over the Internet. Cloud resources are dynamically provisioned and de-provisioned with low reconfiguration overhead. Cloud is client/mission-oriented, formed by service-level agreements (SLA) between provider and paid clients. Cloud is huge and web-scale, easy to access, intelligent and personalized, and programmable. Several major companies (such as Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon) have started providing Cloud Computing to middle/small businesses and individuals. The new concept of Cloud Computing offers dynamically scalable resources provisioned as a service over the Internet and therefore promises a lot of economic benefits to be distributed among its adopters. On the other hand, along with these benefits, Cloud Computing also raises severe concerns especially regarding the security and reliability provided by such a concept. Completely relying the own data and execution tasks to an external company, eventually residing in another country with a different regulatory environment, may cause companies not to consider Cloud Computing but to stick to the conventional local data center approach. In this project, the undergraduate student will work with Dr. Du and his Ph.D. students on Security and Privacy Issues in Cloud Computing, which are critical to the success of Cloud Computing.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: CS IST ECE

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Good programming skills High GPA Sound math background

Hours Per Week: 10 or more

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: noraengel@temple.edu

The Kcnq1 domain is comprised of at least 9 imprinted genes that have different patterns of expression during mouse embryogenesis. To completely understand how these patterns are established and maintained, we need to identify tissue-specific enhancers and silencers. This project has the goal of identifying and validating candidate DNA sequences that fulfill the role of directing tissue-specific expression during development.

Location: Health Sciences Campus

Majors: Biology, Genetics

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: Some previous lab experience

Courses: Biology, Genetics

Hours Per Week: 10 to 15 hours per week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: noraengel@temple.edu

Dna methylation and chromatin status of p57, an important cell cycle inhibitor, will be determined during embryonic development in the mouse.

Location: Health Sciences Campus

Majors: Biology, Genetics

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: Some previous lab experience

Courses: Biology, Genetics

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: feitelso@temple.edu

This work involves verifying that a gene that appears to be up-regulated in a liver cell line by the hepatitis B encoded oncogene, HBx, is also up-regulated in formalin fixed tissues from hepatitis B infected patients with liver cancer.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: biology

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: enthusiasm, GPA > 3.5, mature, hard working, willingness to learn, background classes in cell and molecular biology - undergraduate lab courses in biology and chemistry with at least a grade of B.

Courses: na

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: tanyaf@temple.edu

Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive movement disorder that affects 2-4 per 1000 live births annually.Ê In addition, approximately 60% of those with cerebral palsy also have mental retardation, as well as seizures and vision and hearing loss.Ê The exact cause of cerebral palsy is unknown for the majority of the cases seen today.Ê Children with cerebral palsy have classic patterns of brain damage involving the motor cortex, as well as the white matter around the ventricles of the brain.Ê My lab is working in collaboration with Shriners in Sacramento to further understand what causes cerebral palsy.Ê Specifically, I am examining what role the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate plays in causing cerebral palsy.Ê Excess glutamate in the adult brain is known to cause brain damage and seizures.Ê I will examine the role of excess glutamate in the neonatal brain using a newly developed mouse model of cerebral palsy. Some techniques will include: molecular biology techniques such as DNA gel electrophoresis, cloning and mutation production using PCR and DNA analysis; sterile techniques such as tissue cultures; biochemical techniques, such as Western blot analysis; histological techniques such as preparing tissue samples and staining; animal work such as small animal surgery and fly husbandry.

Location: Health Science Campus 6th Floor MERB

Majors: Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology

Class Year: sophomore, junior

Skills: A general knowledge of laboratory workings and equipment (from class work or previous work experience), DNA to protein synthesis, basic enzymology, some knowledge of neuroanatomy is helpful.MUST have blocks of time available, 4 hour blocks preferred.Ê Also must be able to follow directions, desire to learn new things and get along well with others.

Courses: General Biology, Chemistry.Ê Helpful if also have completed Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and/or Neuroscience classes or any classes in cellular biology.

Hours Per Week: ÊMinimum of 10 hours a week up to 20 hours, if desired.

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: fergusto@temple.edu

In man recovery of function after peripheral nerve injury is often incomplete, minimal, or accompanied by pain. For example, brachial plexus injury often leaves injured children or adults with some shoulder function, but little or no hand function. While microsurgical repair/grafting can augment recovery, such interventions are often not optimal, and no other therapeutic options exist for nerve injury. This failure of nerve repair and regeneration in humans has been attributed to the time- and distance-dependent waning of both the neuronÕs and Schwann cellÕs regenerative response to injury. In this project we aim to improve the regenerative potential of both axons and Schwann cells to foster axon regeneration. ÊTo accomplish this aim, the interested student will aid our lab analyzing genetically altered mice after injury and determine if such manipulations may enhance axonal regeneration.Ê The skills learned will include mouse genetics, basic molecular biology, animal models of nerve injury, fluorescent microscopy, among others.

Location: Health Science Campus 6th Floor MERB

Class Year: sophomore, junior

Skills: Basic coursework required includes general chemistry and biology. Cell Structure and Function and genetics are useful but not required.

Email: gallucci@temple.edu

We aims to discover the component of the signaling pathway downstream of Type I IFN Receptor that is affected by TH2 cytokines and induces a block in the response of dendritic cells to Type I IFNs. These studies include techniques of cellular immunology and molecular biology of signal transduction of cytokines and will investigate processes occurring in immune cells from healthy mice and from mice genetically predisposed to the autoimmune disease Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Location: Health Science Campus

Majors: biology, pre-med

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Quick Learner

Hours Per Week: quick learner

Email: gameroa@temple.edu

Type I interferons (alpha/beta) are soluble proteins secreted by most cells and are approved biologicals to treat certain types of cancer. Treatment of tumor cells with interferon initiates a sequence of intracellular events that culminate in either cell death or cell growth arrest. The molecular basis of how interferons choose the fate of a tumor cell is unclear. Our studies conducted in cell lines and recently in animal models of cancer show that the transcription factor STAT2 is important in mediating the antitumor and apoptotic effects of interferons. We are now in the process of validating STAT2 binding partners and post-translational modification events that may be taking place as a result of exposure to interferons. Consequently, the selected student(s) will participate in the development of this project.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biology/Biochemistry

Class Year: Sophomore or Junior

Skills: Student must be enthusiastic and in his/her second or third academic year. No Freshmen students will be considered.

Hours Per Week: 7-9 hours per week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: dgill@temple.edu

The project will be to study the molecular mechanisms involved in calcium signal generation in mammalian cells. Project focuses on the study of channel proteins and their activation by receptors in smooth muscle and immune cells.

Location: Health Science Campuse - 617 Kresge, HSC

Majors: Biology, Chemistry or Biochemistry

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Some laboratory experience would be adventageous (eg. pipetting, ph measurement, cell culture, etc).

Courses: Introductory biology and/or chemistry courses required.

Hours Per Week: 10 -15 approx. hrs/week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: gonella@temple.edu

Emulsions and micelles are systems of fundamental importance to a wide range of industries including food, pharmaceutical and petroleum. Hyper-Rayleigh and second harmonic scattering techniques will be developed and applied to investigate their formation, structure and stability under conditions with varying parameters such as pH and ionic strength. The undergraduate student will learn about fundamental sciences and experimental techniques in colloidal chemistry and nonlinear optics.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Chemistry, Biochemistry or Physics

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: Good academic performance and interest in doing the proposed research - Common sense, proactive attitude, seriousness, dedication, good record keeping, some chemistry lab skills.

Courses: General Physics, General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry: one or more preferred but not required.

Hours Per Week: 9 hours or more

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: yury@temple.edu

Elastic properties of composite materials usually depend on the internal structure, or geometric arrangement of the composite. However, there is no good understanding of how one should choose such geometry in order to produce materials with desired properties. In order to advance our understanding we consider "exact relations" - the extreme cases, where certain properties of composites cannot be changed by the choice of geometry. Such extreme cases are rare, in general. However, in the context of fiber-reinforced elastic composites there are about a 100 of them. The project's goal is to compute as many as possible (and eventually all) exact relations. The computational procedure is neither too easy nor too difficult, providing an ideal problem, where an undergraduate student can learn a lot of new mathematics, while contributing to the research in theoretical materials science and applied mathematics.

Location: TU Main Campus

Class Year: Any

Skills: Advanced understanding and command of Linear Algebra. Abstract Algebra is a plus, but not required.

Courses: Math 3051

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: habas@temple.edu

My laboratory is focused on understanding the role of the Wnt signaling pathway during early vertebrate development and cancer. We are dissecting the Wnt signaling pathway by analyzing a number of new factors that we have identified. This analysis involves a multidisciplinary approach drawing on techniques from molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology and embryology. Our primary system is the Xenopus laevis (frog) and mammalian culture cells.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biology, Chemistry and Premed

Class Year: Freshmen,Sophomore and junior

Skills: Motivated and enthusiastic students with an interest in learning experimental approaches to key questions in the Biomedical Sciences. - Good hands-on skills, attention to detail and a passion for learning.

Courses: Courses in Biiology and Chemistry

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: wenzheho@temple.edu

Dr. HoÕs laboratory is using multidisciplinary approaches to understand virus-host interactions and the basic mechanisms that control virus replication and strategies for enhancing the innate immunity against viral infections, particularly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV, a major etiology of liver disease). Working closely with drug abusing populations in the regions of Philadelphia and China, the Ho laboratory is also investigating whether drugs of abuse such as heroin and methamphetamine have a cofactor role in promoting HIV and/or HCV diseases. Since HIV and/or HCV infection are frequently found in injection drug users (IDUs) and these two pathogens are likely to be responsible for the highest infectious disease morbidity and mortality rates among IDUs, Dr. HoÕs laboratory is investigating the role of drug abuse in the immunopathogenesis of HIV and/or HCV diseases. Dr. Ho and his research team use in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models to directly address the question of whether drugs of abuse (opioids and methamphetamine) have the ability to suppress host immune responses and promote HIV and/or HCV diseases. In collaboration with the investigators from the University of Pennsylvania and Wuhan CDC (China), studies in the HoÕs laboratory have shown that drugs of abuse such as opioids and methamphetamine impair antiviral functions of host innate immune cells (natural killer cells and CD56+ natural T cells) and facilitate HIV or HCV infection/replication. Current research in the HoÕs laboratory is investigating the specific effects of opioids such as heroin and morphine on type 1/III IFN-mediated intracellular immunity that control HIV or HCV infection and replication. In addition, to determine whether drugs of abuse (opioids and methamphetamine) and/or HIV impair the innate immunity in human neurons and compromise the efficacy of HIV treatment (HAART) is also a focus of Dr. HoÕs research.

Location: Health Science Campus

Majors: Prefer to have students with biology major

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior

Skills: Having a great interest in research (with or without experience, although research experience is preferred). Students should have attributes of paying attention to details, being a good listener, following instructions, getting along with others, and having ability to organize/present data. Students also have excellent communication skill, and are able to read and write in English.

Courses: undefined

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: srhouser@temple.edu

Description: We are studying mechanisms to improve cardiac function after a myocardial infarction using gnetically modified mouse models and a swine MI model. We are testing gene therapy approaches and the role of TRPC ion channels in post MI dysfucntion

Location: Health Science Campus

Class Year: ÊJunior or Senior

Skills: General lab skills

Hours Per Week: TBD

Email: srhouser@temple.edu

Description: We are studying the effects of electrical coupling on the ability of transplanted cardiac stem cells to engraft in the infarcted myocardium.Ê We have generated novel connexin43 constructs in lentivirus that display enhanced or inhibited engraftment in the face of ischemia.Ê We will transplant stem cells transduced with these lentiviral constructs into mouse and swine models of myocardial infarction in order to show the effects of these novel genetic modifications on the ability of stem cells to improve cardiac function and mediate regeneration at the cellular level.Ê Sharmeen will be assisting with the histology portion of this study, which is essential for identification of engrafted stem cells. After myocardial infarction and stem cell injection, animals are monitored with echocardiography and invasive hemodynamics to detect changes in cardiac functions.Ê At sacrifice, injected hearts are fixed and paraffin embedded, and samples are stained so that stem cells can be identified

Location: Health Science Campus

Class Year: ÊJunior or Senior

Skills: General lab skills

Hours Per Week: TBD

Email: sthsieh@temple.edu

The biomechanics field strives to understand the physics behind motion. While the field has been in existence for well over a century, our understanding of locomotion is limited primarily to movement on smooth, homogeneous surfaces in controlled laboratory environments. Yet, the natural environment is constantly changing, and seldom ever homogeneous in its properties. Furthermore, sudden and catastrophic loss of limb function is a real and regular problem. My lab is interested in understanding how animals compensate when they suddenly lose a limb. We are currently studying how tarantulas modify their movements before and after limb loss, on simple and challenging surfaces. The student selected for this project will be assisting in the collection and analysis of locomotor data. Being able to think cross-disciplinarily, and having a strength in math and physics will be helpful for this position.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biology, engineering, physics, computer science

Class Year: Sophomore or Junior

Skills: At least one year of enrollment due to the intensity of required training, and duration of commitment. Students must also be skilled in math and/or physics. - Ability or interest in handling and working with spiders. Prior programming experience not required, but helpful.

Hours Per Week: 10 to 12

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: sthsieh@temple.edu

ÊIt is well-known that when walking on soft surfaces such as snow, it is best to make your feet larger with snowshoes to keep from sinking into the surface. Yet, terrestrial crabs are commonly found on beaches and species such as ghost crabs are known for being able to run at extraordinarily high speeds on the surface of loose sand. We are conducting experiments to understand how these crabs manage such a feat using a combination of motion analysis techniques and granular media manipulation. The undergraduate selected for this project will assist with data collection and analysis, as well as some husbandry of the research crabs. S/he must also be creative, driven, a critical thinker, and have a strength in math and physics. Some programming experience is helpful but not required

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Any

Class Year: Sophomore or Junior

Skills: ÊStudents must be skilled in math and/or physics and be willing to work with crabs and cockroaches. Prior programming experience is helpful but not required.

Hours Per Week: 10

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: whu@temple.edu

The nuclear factor kappa B (NF_B) is a major mediator for inflammation, immunity, neural plasticity and neurogenesis. It plays key roles in many chronic diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases (AlzheimerÕs disease, HIV dementia, etc), autoimmunity, and cancer. We identified a novel protein NIBP that enhances cytokine-induced NF_B activation and neuronal differentiation. It is also a key member of trafficking protein particle (TRAPP) complex II, implying its importance in trans-Golgi transport. New clinical data showed that deletion or mutation of NIBP is closely correlated to mental retardation, autism, hearing loss, and stroke. Our recent study identified a novel role of NF_B signaling in initiating neural stem cell differentiation (Stem Cells 2012; 30(3): 510-24). The goal of this research project is to define the role and mechanisms of NIBP/NF_B signaling in neural stem cells from the brain and the gut (the second brain). The major techniques involve immunohistochemistry, Western blot, gene cloning, cell culture, cell-based functional assays, gene therapy and conditional gene knockout or knockin mice. The questions to be addressed could be 1) How does NF_B signaling control the self-renewal and differentiation of neural stem cells? 2) What stage of adult neurogenesis is regulated by NIBP/NFkB signaling? 3) What factors or partners modulate NIBP expression and function in neural stem cells or cancer stem cells?

Location: TU Health Science Campus, Department of Neuroscience, MERB

Majors: Neuroscience, Molecular biology, Genetics

Skills: Motivation, reliability and diligence Quick learning, Self-motivated, Well-organized, Dedicative

Courses: Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience, 2122 Developmental Biology, 3265 Stem Cell Biology, 4366

Hours Per Week: 10-20 hours/ week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: yanghu@temple.edu

Injuries of central nervous system (CNS) axons often result in permanent loss of vital functions due to retrograde neuronal degeneration and poor axon regeneration. Preventing neuronal cell death and promoting axon regeneration are therefore critical for minimizing the consequences of CNS injuries and achieving functional recovery, which have been long-standing challenges. We recently showed that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the unfolded protein responses (UPR) play a critical role in neuronal degeneration. We have used an optic nerve (ON) crush model, which leads to massive retrograde death of retinal gangli cells (RGCs), to demonstrate that axon injury induces ER stress and activates the UPR in RGCs. We further demonstrated that manipulating two key downstream molecules of ER stress, by inhibiting CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) or by activating X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1), exerted striking RGC-protection effects. Thus targeting ER stress could have therapeutic neuroprotective potential in CNS injury. In complementary experiments, we have identified a critical role for the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and protein synthesis in RGC axon regeneration. We reasoned that ER stress is another major regulator of protein synthesis through phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2_ (eIF2_), which may contribute to the down-regulation of protein synthesis after axon injury and the failure of axon regeneration. Thus we propose to determine whether combining these two approaches, i.e*., increasing RGC survival with ER stress inhibition and increasing regenerative response with mTOR activation* will have a synergistic effect on overall axon regeneration.*

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biology

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: PCR

Courses: Molecular Biology

Hours Per Week: 6 to 10 hours

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: sjoshi@temple.edu

Atherosclerosis is a heart disease that involves thickening of the arteries due to deposition of fatty materials such as cholesterol and lipids in the inner arterial wall. A fatty plaque is developed which grows in time, and could eventually rupture and cause serious complications such as a heart attack. The focus of this research is to develop a computational framework to understand the effects of blood flow in the growth of atherosclerotic plaques in arteries. One of the steps towards developing this framework is to numerically solve the three dimensional incompressible Navier Stokes equations that govern blood flow. Students involved in this project will generalize a MATLAB code that solves the Navier Stokes equations in two dimensional rectangular domains to three dimensionsal complex domains.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Mathematics, Bioengineering, CS

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: Programming in C and/or Matlab

Courses: M2043-Multivariable Calculus and M3041-Differential Equations

Hours Per Week: 10 to 15

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: lkilpat@temple.edu

A research student position is available to participate in research projects directed at studying mechanisms that regulate inflammation. A particular research focus is neutrophil dysfunction and the development of lung injury. Neutrophils are key components of host defense against infection but can also cause the tissue damage seen in inflammatory diseases such as sepsis and adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). My laboratory is investigating regulatory mechanisms involved in 1) neutrophil transendothelial migration, 2) cell survival and apoptosis, and 3) cytokine/chemokines signaling. The student will be trained in cell isolation techniques and culture of primary cells and cell lines. The student will also be responsible for the separation and identification of phosphorylated proteins using gel electrophoresis and Western blotting, and to carry out measurements of different cell function parameters using spectrophotometric and fluorometric techniques.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biochemistry, cell biology, biology

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Highly motivated, willing to learn and detail oriented - Some chemical or biochemical lab experience

Courses: undefined

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: ekrynets@temple.edu

Energy metabolism of cancer cells differs from that of healthy cells, and therefore provides a target for chemotherapy intervention. In this project, we use inducible knockdown of energy pathway to test the strategy targeted against the energy supply in cancer cells.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: interest in science and research - lab experience desirable

Courses: Biology; Organic Chemistry

Hours Per Week: 10

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: ekrynets@temple.edu

Chemotherapeutic agents induce DNA damage and thereby death of cancer cells. In this project, we assess the activity of DNA-modifying proteins involved in the cellular response to chemotherapy

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: interest in science and research - lab experience desirable

Courses: Biology; Organic Chemistry

Hours Per Week: 10

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: rjlevis@temple.edu

Nanomaterials include size as a design parameter for a materialÕs properties. For instance the color of a quantum dot changes as the size changes from 100nm to 10nm. The aim of this project is to discover new nanomaterials using femtosecond laser processing of precursors including chemical compounds, bulk metals, semiconductors and organic materials. The project involves the use of lasers and state of the art optics as well as characterization methods including UV-VIS, mass spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and a nanoparticle size analyzer.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Neuroscience, Cell and Developmental Biology

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: independent motivation

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: rjlevis@temple.edu

The ability to detect molecules at distances up to 50 meters is valuable for many applications including explosives detection, analyzing smoke stacks and probing urban environments. This project will involve working with femtosecond laser filamentation ("a light saber") and a new Raman spectroscopy method developed in the Center for Advanced Photonics Research. Interested students should read the publications on the Center's web site at www.temple.edu/CAPR for additional information.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Neuroscience, Cell and Developmental Biology

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: independent motivation

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: rjlevis@temple.edu

The ability to image the molecules making up tissue will revolutionize the diagnosis of disease states. This project will involve working with femtosecond laser vaporization of biological molecules using the Center for Advanced Photonics Research "Laser Electrospray Mass Spectrometry (LEMS)" system. Interested students should read the publications on the Center's web site at www.temple.edu/CAPR for additional information.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Neuroscience, Cell and Developmental Biology

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: Good experimental hands, independent motivation

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: yanhua.li@tuhs.temple.edu

Monoclonal immunoglobulins (Igs) are identified as M-spikes on serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) in the majority of patients with monoclonal gammopathies. However in some patients, monoclonal Igs can only be detected by immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) since their SPE displays an apparently normal pattern without abnormal bands or obvious M-spike. In these cases, SPE may show subtle abnormalities such as decreased globulins. Currently, many hospitals, including our institution, reflex all specimens with decreased ___globulins for IFE. Our experience is that most cases with low__ _ globulins but close to the normal limit have negative IFE. To improve the efficiency of reflex IFE, we need to have a more cost-effective and more defined concentration level of __globulins for reflex IFE. We plan to review all SPEs (total ~2000) and IFEs (~800) cases from January 1st 2010 to December 31st 2011 to investigate __ globulin concentration in the 3 groups: 1. M-spike negative SPE with decreased _ _globulins and negative IFE; 2. M-spike negative SPE with decreased _ _globulins but positive IFE; 3. M-spike positive SPE.We will determine a more accurate and cost effective _ _fraction cut-off to trigger reflex IFE. This study will be conducted in close collaboration with Dr. Adil Khan, Director of Clinical Chemistry.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology,

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Interested in Medicine and Biomchemistry, immunology, data collection and data analysis

Hours Per Week: 4-6 hours

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: yanhua.li@tuhs.temple.edu

Collect data from patient charts and follow-up the new patients including complications, past medical history and related laboratory data, as well as blood usage during the surgery. Then analyze the data using multiple variable analysis to identify the factors which associated with massive bleeding and to develop a transfusion guideline for C-section patients

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biology or statistics

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: is interesting in medicine or medical science. - data collection and data analysis

Hours Per Week: 4-6 hours

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: shan.lin@temple.edu

Despite recent growth, obstacles to widespread use of clinical telemedicine persist. For example, although many groups develop hardware and software standards, it remains frustrating and difficult to put together systems in which the components operate predictably and smoothly together. In this project, we will evaluate the new telemedicine technologies with data collected from telemedicine systems in Philadelphia area.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: CIS

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: GPA - C/Java

Email: shan.lin@temple.edu

smart transportation systems, e.g. taxi networks, consist of a large number of geographically distributed, interconnected computation, sensng, control and actuation components deeply embedded in mobile units. In this project, we will investigate the vehicle control and coordination networks. In vehicle control and coordination systems, cars are wirelessly connected, coordinated, and controlled to deal with dynamic requests and traffic state.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: CIS

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: GPA - C/C++

Email: lliuche@temple.edu

Examine kappa opioid receptor agonists and antagonists by in vitro cellular pharmcology and in vivo animal model

Location: HSC

Majors: neuroscience, biochemistry biology,

Class Year: any

Courses: neuroscience, biochemistry

Hours Per Week: yes

Publication and Conference Potential: 2

Email: mamackie@temple.edu

Quantum mechanics is flat out weird. In no other theory is it possible for a cat to be both alive and dead at the same time. This cat belonged to Erwin Schrodinger, a founder of quantum mechanics, and the thought was to link the fate of the cat with the radioactive decay of an atom. Since quantum mechanics finds the atom in a superposition of decayed and not decayed, then the cat finds itself in a state of alive and dead. The catch is that the atom is microscopic and the cat is macroscopic, and quantum mechanical superpositions are supposedly restricted to microscopic objects. This project numerically investigates association of atoms into molecules in a Bose-Einstein condensate, focusing on the creation of a superposition of a macroscopic number of atoms and a macroscopic number of molecules, i.e., an atom-molecule Schrodinger cat.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Math, Physics, Computer Science

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: C/C++ programming experience; MatLab experience

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: Dimitrios.Mastrogiannis@tuhs.temple.edu

Currently, there is no national guideline for blood ordering and transfusions for in the peri-partum period following delivery. Blood ordering and transfusions are varied for these patients due to the preferred treatment styles of some physicians and patient tolerance for blood loss. Hemorrhage remains the third most common cause of maternal mortality. Specifically in Philadelphia, maternal mortality remains extremely high (*unpublished data - 70 per 100k compared to 13 per 100k on national average). Since maternal hemorrhage is an obstetrical emergency, optimization of blood product availability and usage is a priority for blood banks. Cost factors practically prohibit type and crossmatch non-selectively for pregnant, laboring patients. It is known there are both benefits and risks in blood transfusion. Evidence based guidelines are needed for blood product ordering and transfusions. In this study, we propose to investigate the risk factors for hemorrhage and blood product usage during the peri-partum period in order to optimize patient care (i.e., type and screen versus type and cross in various clinical scenarios). Based on this study, we will develop evidence based guidelines for ordering crossmatched blood and improve quality of care, morbidity and mortality, and decrease inappropriate blood transfusions. The students will collect patient data from patientsÕ medical recorders to construct a database and statistically analyze the risk factors with regard to blood product usage. The students will also perform a literature search and assist in the scientific research. They will be supervised by Dr. Mastrogiannis and Dr. Yanhua Li, Director of Transfusion Medicine. This project will benefit these students because it will introduce them to study design, clinical research, data collection/analysis and interpretation of the results. Additionally, the students will benefit from learning some basics of Transfusion Medicine and Obstetrical procedures.A separate study similar to this one concerning patients who have undergone cesarean section is being conducted. Dr. Li is the Primary Investigator and Faculty Preceptor, supported by Dr. Mastrogiannis. The above investigations will be conducted in close collaboration with the Director of Obstetric Anesthesia, Dr. Ihab Kamel, MD. Currently, there is no national guideline for blood ordering and transfusions for in the peri-partum period following delivery. Blood ordering and transfusions are varied for these patients due to the preferred treatment styles of some physicians and patient tolerance for blood loss. Hemorrhage remains the third most common cause of maternal mortality. Specifically in Philadelphia, maternal mortality remains extremely high (*unpublished data - 70 per 100k compared to 13 per 100k on national average). Since maternal hemorrhage is an obstetrical emergency, optimization of blood product availability and usage is a priority for blood banks. Cost factors practically prohibit type and crossmatch non-selectively for pregnant, laboring patients. It is known there are both benefits and risks in blood transfusion. Evidence based guidelines are needed for blood product ordering and transfusions. In this study, we propose to investigate the risk factors for hemorrhage and blood product usage during the peri-partum period in order to optimize patient care (i.e., type and screen versus type and cross in various clinical scenarios). Based on this study, we will develop evidence based guidelines for ordering crossmatched blood and improve quality of care, morbidity and mortality, and decrease inappropriate blood transfusions. The students will collect patient data from patientsÕ medical recorders to construct a database and statistically analyze the risk factors with regard to blood product usage. The students will also perform a literature search and assist in the scientific research. They will be supervised by Dr. Mastrogiannis and Dr. Yanhua Li, Director of Transfusion Medicine. This project will benefit these students because it will introduce them to study design, clinical research, data collection/analysis and interpretation of the results. Additionally, the students will benefit from learning some basics of Transfusion Medicine and Obstetrical procedures.A separate study similar to this one concerning patients who have undergone cesarean section is being conducted. Dr. Li is the Primary Investigator and Faculty Preceptor, supported by Dr. Mastrogiannis. The above investigations will be conducted in close collaboration with the Director of Obstetric Anesthesia, Dr. Ihab Kamel, MD.

Location: TUHS

Majors: Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Nuerosience

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: is interesting in medicine or medical science. - data collection and data analysis

Hours Per Week: 10-15 hours a week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: smatsika@temple.edu

Processes initiated by light play an important role in biological systems with primary examples found in photosynthesis, vision, and photochemical damage and repair in DNA. A fundamental understanding of these processes reveals the way nature works and also provides ideas on how to mimic or alter these mechanisms to our own benefit. The current project focuses on studies of the photophysical behavior of DNA bases and their fluorescent analogs. When UV radiation is absorbed by DNA, photochemical reactions may occur which can lead to photochemical damage. DNA, however, is proven to be quite photostable, since the absorbed energy can be converted to harmless heat. We examine what happens after one or two bases absorb light, and what is the fundamental mechanism for making these molecules photostable. We use quantum mechanics to study these processes. Large scale computations are employed to solve the Schroedinger equation approximately, and the results are analyzed to provide the electronic structure, properties and reactivity of the molecules studied. Apart from quantitative answers we also obtain qualitative pictures by visualizing orbitals and other properties, which give us physical insight.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Chemistry, Physics

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: Students should be motivated, interested in research and computational work, with an aptitude for math.

Hours Per Week: 10 to 15

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: nosek@temple.edu

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is the most effective treatment for autism spectrum disorders. GAINSª, an agent-based software technology solution, will encompass a suite of software products that reengineers ABA training and therapy processes to improve effectiveness and reduce costs. GAINSª will be used by program supervisors, trained/certified therapists, paraprofessionals, and parents.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: IS&T; CS

Class Year: Senior

Skills: Strong research and programming skills

Courses: Senior standing in CS or IS&T

Hours Per Week: 10-12 hours

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: palter@temple.edu

Our laboratory has previously shown that Drosophila melanogaster lacking a functional sialic acid pathway display a range of metabolic defects, that are similar to those observed in patients with Type II diabetes. We have demonstrated that one target of sialylation is a potassium channel in the nervous system. We hypothesize that the metabolic defects are a result of excess insulin secretion from insulin producing cells (IPC), due to channel dysfunction. However, we have been unable to detect any RNA encoding the sialic acid pathway enzymes by in situ hybridization in IPC cells in adult brains, and therefore, cannot rule out that the metabolic defects could result from defects in other brain neurons impacting the IPC cells. In order to establish whether the sialic acid pathway is functional in IPC cells, we have generated transgenic flies carrying an ectopic copy of the sialic acid synthase gene (SAS) under the Dilp2 (insulin promoter) that is active only in IPC cells. Fly strains were generated that express this transgene in a SAS 2d/2d (sialic acid synthese null) background and therefore will express the sialic acid synthase only in IPC cells. We wish to examine whether such flies will still exhibit the neuronal phenotypes characteristic of flies deficient in sialic acid (such as neurodegeneration), but will no longer display metabolic defects, establishing that the metabolic defects were due solely to loss of sialic acid in the IPC cells. A variety of both behavioral and biochemical assays will be used to assay for metabolic defects.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Bio, Biochem or Neuroscience

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Motivation, interest in project and academic accomplishment. Quick learner, careful and good at quantitiative skills.

Courses: Completed Biology 1111 and 2112

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: praticod@temple.edu

Alzheimers' disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease in the elderly. Today AD is viewed as the result of the interaction between modifiable and unmodifiable risk factors. Among the latter ones aging and some genes are considered strong risk factors for developing AD. To this end, in recent years the Lipoxygenase (LO) gene/protein has attracted attention as possible player in AD pathogenesis. However, the mechanism by which LO influence AD pathogenesis is not clear. The central theme of this project is to test the hypothesis that LO activation is a central pathogenetic event in AD since it modulates key metabolic and cellular pathways germaine to the development of an AD-like phenotype (i.e., neuropathologies and behavior).

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Neuroscience, Biology

Class Year: Junior, Senior

Skills: basic cell biology; neurioscience principles; basic lab techniques

Email: tue68462@temple.edu

The aim of this project is to study functional and metabolic alterations occurring in the failing heart. Heart failure, defined as the incapacity of the heart to pump adequate amounts of blood to organ tissues, is a major problem of current medicine: it has been calculated that 5,000,000 Americans suffer from heart failure. In particular, 7% of the population over the age of 65 displays some form of cardiac dysfunction. These numbers are enormous and imply also a tremendous cost for the health system. After many years of research in this field, really effective cures are still missing. Once in advanced stage, the progression of heart failure cannot be halted, therefore this is defined as a malignant clinical condition. In order to better understand the mechanisms causing failure and to identify new curative strategies, animal models are absolutely essential. For this particular disease, the animal of choice is the dog. In our laboratory, we induce heart failure in dogs and then we measure a number of parameters and we test new therapies. Of note, heart failure is common in some dog breeds, therefore the use of dogs to study this pathology will not only benefit humans, but also dogs themselves, so it will be important for both human and veterinary medicine. Ê

Location: Health Science Campus

Skills: Students should be strongly interested in clinically relevant biological phenomena. This is a Òpre-clinicalÓ type of research, and most of the methods adopted for it are identical to those utilized in clinical units. The Post-doctoral fellows involved in it are usually physicians with a training in cardiology. The students should be willing to learn the basics of cardiovascular anatomy and physiology. They should also be willing to assist with open-chest surgeries in dogs and with measurements of parameters such as blood pressure, body temperature and oxygen consumption. They will also be asked to acquire some skills necessary for the biochemical/molecular analysis of tissue and blood samples (bench work). The learning process usually takes 4-5 months. Dog research is physically challenging, so the students should be prepared to afford a type of work very different form the typical bench work. However, they will be constantly assisted and guided by experienced researchers.

Email: brad.rothberg@temple.edu

The project involves learning how to grow protein crystals for X-ray diffraction experiments, with the goal of solving the protein's atomic structure. Research in the laboratory is focused on potassium channels, which regulate the flow of potassium across the cell membrane and thus control action potentials in nerve and muscle cells.

Location: Health Science Campus

Majors: Preference for Biology/Biochem/Biophysics or Chemistry majors.

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: Strong communication and organizational skills with attention to detail. Most important selection criteria are strong communication skills, a strong interest and enthusiasm for science, and motivation to learn new skills.

Courses: No specific course requirements.

Email: grusso@temple.edu

MicroRNAs are a recently identified family of over 1,400 human small non coding RNA molecules of about 18Ð25 nucleotides negatively regulating protein expression by RNA degradation and/or translational inhibition, thus providing a post-transcriptional control mechanism acting on shorter time scales with respect to gene expression. MicroRNAs control different aspects of biology such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, development, differentiation and metabolism. MicroRNAs contribute to cancer pathogenesis targeting genes important for cancer initiation and/or cancer progression, and might be used to classify cancer and predicting patient outcomes. Different studies demonstrated aberrant expression of several microRNAs in prostate cancer (the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males in the Western world), but there is still not enough information regarding the potential of microRNAs as prognostic markers for prostate cancer. Our laboratory is interested to evaluate the role of novel human microRNAs as biomarkers in prostate cancer using different molecular biology techniques.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biology, Biochemistry

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior & Senior

Email: msafak@temple.edu

Research Summary: Our research projects revolve around understanding of the transcriptional and replicational regulation of one of the human polyomavirus, JC virus (JCV). We are particularly interested in investigating the regulatory roles of JCV agnoprotein in viral life cycle. Our recent findings suggest that this protein is involved in JCV virion biogenesis and replication and we have a NIH-funded research program to investigate these aspects of agnoprotein. JCV is a small DNA virus and causes a fatal demylelinating disease of the central nervous system, known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). JCV infects humans during the early childhood without apparent clinical symptoms and remains latent in the body until reactivation. It is generally reactivated in patients with underlying immunosuppressive conditions including HodgkinÕs lymphoma, lymphoproliferative diseases and AIDS. In a small number of cases, JCV was also found to affect individuals with no underlying disease. Upon reactivation, JCV undergoes deletions and duplications in its regulatory region and gains ability to infect oligodendrocytes, (the myelin producing cells) in the brain and causes PML. Our lab has extensive experience to train undergraduate, graduate and summer students. As such, it is an excellent opportunity for those who are interested in our projects to get lab experience.

Majors: Biology and Chemistry

Class Year: Sophomore or Junior

Skills: A person who is interested in doing research - Basic Science skills

Hours Per Week: 10-15 hours/week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: robert.sanders@temple.edu

Phytoplankton are usually considered to be photosynthetic autotrophs, but many species are mixotrophic - capable of ingesting bacteria or other algae in addition to photosynthesizing. This project will investigate factors affecting feeding of mixotrophs Ð primarily using cultures from polar marine waters and from temperate freshwaters.

Location: TU Main Campus, some field trips to lakes in Pocono Mountains, PA

Majors: Biology

Class Year: Sophomore or Junior

Skills: It is important that the student work well with other members of the lab. Interest in ecology/evolution. - Most skills can be acquired during the semester. Microscopy, micropipetting, data analysis with Microsoft Excel are all important skills.

Hours Per Week: 10 to 12

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: sawaya@temple.edu

At Experimental levels: Students will be exposed to Molecular biology techniques (cell culture, RNA and DNA isolation, protein purification, Western blot analysis, PCR, qPCR, Kinase assay, methylation assay, phosphorylation assay, animal work, immunostaining and imaging). At Education level: In addition to learning few techniques (depending on the project) the students will be also interacting with lab members, attending lab and Department meetings and exposed to Journal club. The students will be also challenged on their knowledge of their own projects. At a social level: The students will learn how to interact with other members in the lab and will learn lab ethics, they will learn to respect their equipments as well as other members equipments. They will be working in a friendly environment that will allow them to express their ideas and ask scientific questions.

Location: Health Science Campus

Majors: Biology, chemistry or engineering.

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: Serious, ability to learn and to interact with others 1- Someone who is serious, ready to learn. If the students does not have any lab experience, this will not work against him/her. Our mission is education and we are ready to help the student to require the min and necessary information that will help them to excel in their studies and we will make their lab experience rich as possible.

Email: seibold@temple.edu

A ``phantom'' traffic jam is a small congestion in vehicular traffic that occurs spontaneously, in the absence of bottlenecks, obstacles, or any discernible causes on the road. Observations and experiments show that uniform traffic flow can develop inhomogeneities, which turn into traveling traffic jams, called jamitons. The research in this project focuses on the modeling of jamitons by mathematical traffic models. In order to verify and calibrate these models, measurement data is employed. Students involved in this project will analyze measurement data and computational results to systematically ``hunt'' for phantom traffic jams and jamitons, and work towards an understanding of these important and highly annoying features of many people's daily commute.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Mathematics, CIS, Physics, Engineering

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: academic background, programming skills, past activities beyond coursework, impression from personal meeting

Courses: 2043. Multivariable Calculus required, 3041. Differential Equations recommended

Email: mselzer@temple.edu

Dr. SelzerÕs research involves studying mechanisms of axon regeneration after spinal cord transection in the sea lamprey, a primitive vertebrate.Ê This animal has a simple nervous system with identified neurons whose axons regenerate with known probabilities.Ê Some are good regenerators and some are bad regenerators.Ê Molecular and pharmacological manipulations are used to determine what makes a neuron a good or bad regenerator.Ê Pharmacological and molecular knock-down experiments are performed to determine how regeneration can be accelerated.Ê Current interests include the role of cytoskeleton in axon regeneration, the role played by local protein synthesis in the axon tip in axon regeneration, and the role of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in limiting axon regeneration and collateral sprouting.Ê The research on local protein synthesis is being led by Dr. Liqing Jin.Ê The research on the role of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans is being led by Dr. Kathy Zhang.Ê Drs. Zhang and Jin are collaborating on the work on cytoskelletal proteins. Students can become involved in these experiments, learning techniques such as Genebank data searches and reconstruction of genetic sequences, RNA amplification from micro-aspirated cytoplasm, histology, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.

Location: Health Science Campus 6th Floor MERB

Majors: Neuroscience, biology, biochemistry, molecular biology - at least one year of biology including some neuroscience.

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Facility with computers, on-line database searching (or we can teach), basic molecular lab techniques (pipeting, etc.).Ê Hisological skills are desirable but not required.

Hours Per Week: At least 6

Email: bjsewall@temple.edu

Biological diversity is under threat from a variety of local- and global-scale threats, including land use change, climate change, and invasive species. Ecologists and conservation biologists have worked for decades to document patterns of biological diversity and the threats facing biological diversity from the tropics to the poles. Recently, the results of some of these efforts have been compiled into several new spatially-explicit regional and global datasets. We will use these datasets, along with Geographic Information Systems software, to investigate large-scale patterns of biodiversity and change, and to identify spatial priorities for conservation action to protect the Earth's biological diversity.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biology, Environmental Science, or related

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Coursework, training, or experience in relevant subjects such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, statistics, ecology, or conservation biology. Also strong motivation for research and strong interest in this topic.

Courses: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) course (already taken or concurrent with first semester on this project) required. Intro Bio series (Bio 1111 and 2112), Principles of Ecology (Bio 2227), and/or statistics preferred.

Hours Per Week: 10 to 20

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: bjsewall@temple.edu

White-nose syndrome is an emerging fungal pathogen affecting hibernating bat populations of eastern North America. Although it only appeared for the first time in 2006, it has already spread rapidly and has had devastating effects, including the death of millions of bats across hundreds of caves and mines. Such losses have important implications for endangered species management, conservation biology, and the ecology of natural communities in North America. Little is known about the disease, but most research to date has focused on bat-to-bat transmission and site-level effects. Recently, however, the disease has spread across a broad geographic area, and an improved understanding of factors influencing both the impacts and spread of the disease is needed. We will investigate factors that may influence the susceptibility of bats to the disease and its spread across large geographic scales.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biology, Environmental Science, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Coursework, training, or experience in relevant subjects such as statistics, Geographic Information Systems, epidemiology, public health, ecology, or conservation biology. Also strong motivation for research and strong interest in this topic.

Courses: Statistics, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), or Epidemiology (PBHL 3101) courses (already taken or concurrent with first semester on project) required. Intro Bio series (Bio 1111 and 2112), Principles of Ecology (Bio 2227), and/or Intro to Public Health (PBHL 1101) preferred.

Hours Per Week: 10 to 20

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: bjsewall@temple.edu

for bioactivity, including anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activities.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biology, Environmental Science, or related

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Coursework, training, or experience in relevant subjects such as ecology, statistics, Geographic Information Systems, animal behavior, conservation biology, and/or French language. Also strong motivation for research and strong interest in this topic.

Courses: Intro Series in Biology (Bio 1111, 2112) or equivalent required. Principles of Ecology (Bio 2227) strongly preferred. Statistics, Animal Behavior (Bio 3254), and/or Conservation Biology (Bio 3307) preferred.

Hours Per Week: 10 to 20

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: jbs@temple.edu

Maturation of the retina includes movement of the component neurons and glia and the exclusion of vascular elements. We will use time lapse microscopy and immunological approaches to visualize changes in the tissue that are relevant to these processes.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Neuroscience, Biology, Biochemistry

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: Grades, success in Biology 2112 and/or 3096 - Willingness to learn, comfortable with dissection,

Courses: Biology 2112 and/or 3096

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: michael.shifman@temple.edu

The role of axonal guidance molecules in spinal cord regeneration

Location: 646 MERB

Majors: neuroscience, physiology, cell biology

Hours Per Week: 10

Publication and Conference Potential: yes

Email: george.smith@temple.edu

A major problem associated with many cancer drugs is the development of peripheral neuropathies in patients over time. The mechanism by which these drugs cause development of neuropathies is not known. Studies with mutant mice indicate that these drugs might effect mitochondrial bioenergetics leading to progressive retrograde degeneration of peripheral axons. We are constucting adeno-associated viruses to examine the transportation of mitochondrial proteins and how the aging of these proteins effect mitochondrial transport and localization. The student will use both molecular and cell biological tools to examine mitochondrial transport in the absence or presence of chemotherapeutic drugs. Microfluidics chambers will be used to assay directional transport of mitochondria in axons, and membrane-potential dyes will be used to examine general health of mitochondria.

Location: Health Science Campus 6t floor MERB

Majors: biologyor science related field

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Courses: biochemistry would be nice

Hours Per Week: 15

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: smutzerg@temple.edu

Although calcium is critical for the formation of dentin, the origin and regulation of calcium during dentinogenesis is not known. Odontoblasts are specialized cells that secrete proteins and other molecules during the formation of dentin in mammalian teeth. We reported that secretory odontoblasts express high levels of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor/channel, along with an associated GTP-binding protein. This receptor/channel releases calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum of cells. We are currently using cultured MDPC-23 cells as a model for dentin formation. The goal of this research is to demonstrate that the IP3 receptor, and a related GTP-binding protein are expressed in differentiated MDPC-23 cells. In addition, calcium flux will be measured in differentiated MDPC-23 cells by the calcium indicator dyes Fura-2 and calcium green-1. These experiments will demonstrate the importance of IP3 signaling in controlling intracellular and extracellular calcium flux during the formation of dentin by odontoblast cells

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biochemistry Biology Chemistry

Class Year: Sophmore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Willingness to learn new lab techniques. - Standard lab skills including ability to prepare solutions, ability to use pipettes, ability to carry out protein assays, ability to carry out SDS-gel electrophoresis, and basic computer skills GPA of 3.0 or higher in science.

Courses: A year of General Biology. Cell Structure and Function.

Hours Per Week: three hours per credit of research

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: smutzerg@temple.edu

Humans perceive five basic taste qualities, which include sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami taste. In addition, humans readily detect chemosensory irritants in the oral cavity, in the nose, and on the surface of the skin. One important chemical irritant is capsaicin, which is the pungent chemical that gives chili peppers their unique taste. Capsaicin is a vanilloid compound that activates TRPV1 receptors in trigeminal nerves in the oral cavity, and causes a stinging or burning sensation in the mouth. We recently developed a novel delivery method for examining capsaicin perception in the human oral cavity by incorporating this hydrophobic compound in edible taste strips. In addition, we recently identified compounds that temporarily block the stinging sensation of capsaicin in the oral cavity. Finally, we have found that capsaicin chemosensation contains both an olfactory and a trigeminal component. The goal of this research project is to examine the effect of inhibitors on capsaicin perception in the oral cavity by means of threshold studies, whole mouth suprathreshold taste studies, and regional studies on the tongue surface. Experiments will also be undertaken to examine how these inhibitors block TRP receptors when these gene products are expressed in a stable cell line. Results from this study could lead to effective oral and topical treatments for chronic pain.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry

Class Year: Sophmore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Ability to learn basic lab techniques. Standard lab skills include ability to prepare solutions, ability to use pipettes, and ability to carry out protein assays. Willingness to learn new lab techniques such as mammalian cell culture and fluorescence microscopy.

Courses: General Biology I and II. General Chemistry I and II. A course in cell biology is preferred, but not required.

Hours Per Week: three hours per credit of research

Email: yson@temple.edu

Assist or underway part of ongoing project which explores a novel mechanism preventing regeneration of sensory nerves using transgenic mice, in vivo imaging, 2 photon and confocal microscopes, cell culture, electron microscope and immunohistochemistry

Location: Health Science Campus 6th Floor MERB

Majors: Neuroscience, Cell Biology

Class Year: ÊJunior or Senior

Skills: no fear/allergy with mice, availability and interests/motivation

Courses: Physiology, Neuroscience, and/or Cell Biology - required

Hours Per Week: ÊÊ10 hrs or more per week

Email: dsoprano@temple.edu

The biological active form of Vitamin A is retinoic acid (RA). RA functions to regulate gene expression by binding to and modulating the activity of nuclear transcription factors called retinoic acid receptors (RARs). In order for RARs to regulate transcription accessory proteins bind to RARs. Novel RAR binding proteins have been identified. Studies are directed to understand the mechanism by wich these novel RAR binding proteins modulated transcription of target genes.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biology or Biochemistry

Class Year: Junior

Skills: General biology and chemistry lab skills, careful attention to detail, and familiarity with basic molecular biology techniques. Undergraduate GPA and motivation of the student.

Courses: It is expected that the student will have had a course in genetics, molecular biology or cell biology.

Hours Per Week: 10 to 12 hrs

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: spano@temple.edu

The research involves numerical modeling of charge transport in polymer films. Students are expected to write computer code to numerically solve the equations which describe charge mobility in ordered polymer films.

Location: Main Campus

Majors: Chemistry/Physics

Class Year: Juniors & Seniors

Skills: Successful applicant must have strong analytical (mathematical) skills and must be proficient at computer programming.

Courses: Quantum Mechanics/ Calc 1,2,3/ Linear Algebra preferred as well.

Email: rstanley@temple.edu

DNA is damaged by ultraviolet light. While damage occurs preferentially at adjacent pyrimidines (C,T) the effect of the surrounding bases on the yield of DNA lesions is not understood. We will use capillary electrophoresis to find those sequences that are most likely to be UV-active.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physics, Biology

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior

Skills: Wet chemistry lab skills, keeping a complete lab notebook. - Enthusiasm, attention to detail, a bright and inquiring mind!

Courses: Biochemistry I and/or Cell Structure Function and/or Physical Chemistry

Hours Per Week: 10

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: rstanley@temple.edu

DNA is constantly damaged by UV light. DNA repair is critical for life and similar repair proteins have been found in all kingdoms, in spite of widely conditions for life (temperature, pH, etc.). We will explore how the DNA repair protein, DNA photolyase, overcomes challenges to DNA repair in extreme environments, using the tools of molecular biology and enzymology.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Chemistry, Physics, Biology

Class Year: Sophomore or Junior

Skills: Persistence and enthusiasm, a some previous hands-on experience in biochemistry and/or molecular biology -basic laboratory wet-lab skills: weighing and measuring; pipetting; KEEPING A COMPLETE LAB NOTEBOOK!

Courses: Genetics Quantitative Analysis I Physics I & II

Hours Per Week: 10-Aug

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: cctan@temple.edu

Modern computational science (computational physics, biology, etc.) research often include working with large datasets. During computation process, the data will have to transferred across different servers, consuming significant network bandwidth. This project will explore how algorithms and coduct experiments to miminize the bandwidth necesssary during the migration process.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: CIS/IST, Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: For non-CS majors, familarity with scientific datasets and mathemtatical software like matlab will be helpful.

Courses: None

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: cctan@temple.edu

Collecting data from mobile phones (GPS location, WiFi beacons, etc) consumes energy. There lies a fundamental trade off between energy and accuracy. The more data the phone collects, the more accurate the result, but the more energy it consumes. This project will seek to develop a framework to allow users to easily configure this tradeoff using user specified policy requirements.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: CIS/IST, Math,

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Skills: Familiar with Android programming and/or Web programming

Courses: None

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: ltoran@temple.edu

Organize and analyze data collected from stormwater monitoring sites on and off campus.Ê Data collection and monitoring design will be included.Ê Extensive mathematical analysis needed.

Location: Temple main

Majors: Geology or Environmental Science majors only

Skills: Must have B or better grade in Introduction to Hydrology. Do not apply without having completed this course.Ê Extensive experience with excel and other computer skills

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: ann.valentine@temple.edu

The Valentine Lab is interested in hydrolysis-prone metal ions of biological relevance. The student will investigate possible ligand systems for stabilization of titanium(IV) in a water environment, will make and characterize new inorganic coordination compounds, and will evaluate their interactions with biomolecules

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: chemistry biochemistry

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior

Skills: intelligence enthusiasm conscientiousness - will teach skills necessary

Email: voelz@temple.edu

A proteinÕs amino acid sequence uniquely determines its final folded structure and function. But how exactly do different proteins sequences code for particular folding pathways and dynamics? To answer this, we use molecular simulations to study the folding process. This project involves learning how to prepare and run molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to generate dynamical trajectories of every atom in protein, and analyzing the data to build models of the folding reaction. "This could be a good opportunity for students interested in computation/physics and its application to biology/chemistry."

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: From most to least preferred: Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering.

Class Year: Sophomore or Junior

Skills: Students should be motivated, independent, and interested in doing computational scientific research. Good math skills are essential. Computer

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: hongw@temple.edu

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the developed countries, but the mechanism remains largely unknown. Dr. WangÕs laboratory is focused on exploring molecular and biochemical mechanisms contributing to cardiovascular disease. The Wang lab has extensive expertise in the areas of cardiovascular inflammation, atherosclerosis, vascular function, molecular mechanism, and signal transduction. UPR studies will use bioinformatics, cell biology and molecular biochemical approaches to assess the potential fundamental mechanisms. We will examine monocyte differentiation, vascular and systemic inflammation, vascular cell growth control, apoptosis, gene expression control and DNA methylation. Each UPR student will be instructed by a PhD student or a postdoctoral fellow.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: Biology, Biochemistry, Computer Science

Class Year: Junior

Skills: GPA greater than 3.4, Cell culture or Protein biochemistry , Hard working and dedicative

Hours Per Week: TBD

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: pei.wang@temple.edu

NARS is an intelligent reasoning system that accepts knowledge and problems in a formal language, and uses some inference rules to derive new knowledge and to solve the problems (see online publications and demo). This system will be applied to various practical situations to test the expressive power of the language and the inferential power of the rules. Also under study will be the possibility of using this logic to reason on structured knowledge sources, such as databases and the Semantic Web.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: computer and information sciences, mathematics

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Strong interest in science, especially in human and machine intelligence; solid background in mathematics and computer science. - knowledge of formal logic, probability theory, and computer programming

Hours Per Week: 10

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: saraward@temple.edu

Each year, many late stage breast and other cancer patients must forgo effective chemotherapy treatment due to a debilitating, dose-limiting condition referred to as "chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain" or CINP. To date, no analgesics or other drugs have been approved for the treatment of CINP, but preclinical research has shown that cannabis-based medications, such as THC, can reverse CINP in rodent models. While drugs such as THC currently have limited clinical utility because of some adverse effects such as addiciton and memory impairments, our laboratory has recently shown that a safer non-addictive chemical found in cannabis can also reverse or even prevent the onset of CINP in a mouse model. We are currently assessing the effect of this chemical, called cannabidiol or CBD), in several mouse models of neuropathic pain, cognition, and reward, to demonstrate it's safety and efficacy in the treatment of CINP.

Location: Health Science Campus

Majors: Psychology, neuroscience

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Email: waring@temple.edu

Most DNA nucleases employed in molecular biology research cut DNA at a specific recognition sequence that is usually 4 to 6 basepairs in length (for example GAATTC on one strand of the DNA). A meganuclease is an enzyme that cuts DNA at a specific sequence that is approximately 20 basepairs in length. The likelihood of this sequence occurring by chance in the human genome is very small. For various reasons there are situations where researchers would like to be able to make a single cut in the DNA of a cell without cleaving any other regions and so we would like to understand how these nucleases cut DNA and how they can be modified so that they will cut novel sequences. We will be creating mutant versions of a meganuclease to understand its mode of catalysis based on the known three dimensional structure. The activity of the enzyme can be monitored in the bacteria E. coli using a phenotypic assay we have developed. If sufficient progress is made, mutant versions of the protein will be purified and tested using biochemical assays.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Biology and Biochemistry Majors

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: Interest in independent research - Solid arithmetical skills Ability to keep good lab notebook Reasonable hand dexterity

Courses: 1031 & 1032 General Chemistry 2112 Introduction to Biology preferred

Hours Per Week: 10-12 hours a week

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: holun@temple.edu

Nanoscale platforms can serve as carriers of anticancer compounds to improve their pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety. However, these platforms may also induce undesirable toxicity by themselves if not properly designed and tested. The goal of our research is to develop, characterize and optimize nanocarriers for advanced cancer treatment. OBJECTIVES: To perform literature search regarding cancer nanomedicine, evaluate physicochemical properties (e.g. carrier size, drug content) and conduct screening viability/toxicity assays mostly in cancer cell lines. TECHNIQUES INVOLVED: Literature search, HPLC technique, basic cell culture maintenance, cell viability assays and/or clonogenic assays. May involve polymeric or lipid nanoparticle preparation.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Majors: students with biological background

Class Year: Junior or Senior

Skills: Work independently and good work ethics, experience with HPLC highly preferred, biological knowledge, literature research. Experience with cell culture preferred but not required.

Hours Per Week: 10

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: wwuest@temple.edu

cCF10 plays an important role in antibiotic resistance transfer in the pathogenic bacteria E. faecalis. The goal of this project is to design compounds that can perturb the interaction of cCF10 with its receptor protein, PrgW. The student will utilize techniques from both organic chemistry and biochemistry to better understand the interaction.

Majors: Chemistry, Biochemistry

Class Year: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior

Skills: Grades - Completed Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Courses: CHEM 2201, 2202, 2203, and/or 2204

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: wwuest@temple.edu

c-di-GMP plays an important role in bacterial lifestyles as a second messenger molecule. The compound controls many important life processes including biofilm formation, virulence, and cell-cell communication. The goal of this project is twofold - (1) to synthesize analogs of the molecule to act as chemical probes for the identification of c-di-GMP targets and (2) construct non-hydrolyzable analogs to lengthen the chemical lifespan in vivo. The student will utilize techniques from organic synthesis and characterize compounds

Majors: Chemistry, Biochemistry

Class Year: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior

Skills: Grades - Completed Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Courses: CHEM 2201, 2202, 2203, and/or 2204

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes

Email: xiaoxing@temple.edu

My research focuses on the materials physics underlying the applications of oxide and boride thin films, in particular thin films at the nanoscale. Metal oxides are a class of materials that have a wide variety of novel properties such as superconductivity, ferroelectricity, colossal magneto-resistivity, multiferroicity, etc. Similarly, borides display a variety of interesting magnetic, transport, and structural properties. We study fundamental electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of thin film metal oxides and borides and the effects of structural and interfacial properties on them. Since these properties depend critically on the crystallinity of the materials, fabrication of high quality epitaxial thin films is an important part of my research activities. In my lab, Pulsed Laser Deposition and Laser MBE are used to fabricate oxide thin films and heterostructures. We have developed a Hybrid Physical-Chemical Vapor Deposition (HPCVD) technique to deposit epitaxial magnesium diboride thin films for both basic research and electronics, high-field conductor, and RF cavity applications

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Email: xfyang@temple.edu

Autoimmune and inflammation are the major mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, which is the number one killer disease in the USA. Identified risk factors of atherosclerosis include hyperlipidemia, oxidated low density lipoprotein, cigarette smoking, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and hyperhomocysteinemia. Dr. YangÕs laboratory has reported the following findings: First, similar to the regulatory T cell (Tregs) suppression of autoimmune diseases, vascular inflammation is also suppressed by Tregs; Second, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) belong to the pathogen-associated molecular patternsÕ (PAMPs) receptor families (PRRs) and are initiators of inflammation driven by exogenous PAMPs and endogenous sterile tissue insults. . Dr. YangÕs original model of three-tier tissue expression of PRRs would suggest a new concept of tissuesÕ inflammation privilege, and provides an insight to the differences among tissues in initiating acute inflammation in response to stimuli. Continuous improvement of our understanding on atherogenesis and vascular inflammation will lead to the development of novel therapeutics for this disease and other inflammatory diseases.

Location: TU Health Science Campus

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: computer and basic laboratory skills

Courses: Biochemistry

Hours Per Week: TBD

Email: mzdilla@temple.edu

We are seeking undergraduates to aid in the synthesis of manganese-nitrogen clusters by self assembly chemistry, and the preparation of macromolecules (peptides/bis-peptides) to serve as molecular scaffolds for the preparation of metalloclusters.

Location: TU Main Campus

Majors: Chemistry

Class Year: Sophomore, Junior or Senior

Skills: GPA, Intent to pursue Graduate education. Skills from General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry laboratory.

Courses: General Chemistry completed, Organic chemistry completed or in progress.

Hours Per Week: 5 to 10

Publication and Conference Potential: Yes