Students

2018-2019 Graduate Research Assistants

Sara Wilbur	Dr. Cory Williams	UAF	Telomere dynamics and tissue-specific oxidative stress in arctic ground squirrels
Austin Morrell	Dr. Jason Burkhead	UAA	Influences of sex, dietary fructose and copper deficiency on NAFLD progression
Cassandra Duncan	Dr. Cory Williams	UAF	Ultrastructural modulation of hypothalamic and pituitary cells during puberty
Alexandra Francian	Dr. Max Kullberg	UAA	Enhancing tumor antigen presentation with complement targeted liposomes
Anna Rix	Dr. Kristin O’Brien	UAF	Probing the hypoxia inducible factor-1 response of Antarctic Notothenioid fishes
Valentina Melica	Dr. Shannon Atkinson	UAF	Biomarkers for reproduction and metabolism in large whales from the North Pacific
Amy Klink	Dr. Eric Bortz	UAA	Susceptibility of Marine Mammals to Acute RNA viruses
Sarah Rice	Dr. Kelly Drew	UAF	Cross Talk between Metabolism and Nervous System Initiates Arousal in Hibernating Squirrels
Karen Carlson	Dr. Khrys Duddleston	UAF	Urea-nitrogen salvage and ureolytic microbes in the arctic ground squirrel gut

2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants

Student	Faculty Mentor	Campus	Project Title
Rachael Kramp	Dr. Kat Milligan-Mhyre	UAA	Colonization Areas of Obligate and Facultative Anaerobes within Threespine Stickleback Fish
Shannon Medlock	Dr. Khrys Duddleston	UAA	Toward elucidating the relationships between maternal dietary protein consumption on maternal milk and maternal and juvenile fecal microbiotas
Jessica Reisinger	Dr. Rachael Hannah	UAA	Trachmys scripta (red-eared slider turtle) cerebral pial blood artery reactivity to acidosis under acute anoxia, anoxia acclimation and normoxic conditions.
Diarmid Hall	Dr. Jonathan Stecyk	UAA	The impact of temperature and anoxia on the contractile ventricular force of the red-eared slider turtle
Chanta Spain	Dr. Meagan Weltzin	UAF	Rabies glycoprotein interact with neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in a subtype-selective manner
Heidi McKee	Dr. Tom Kuhn	UAF	Role of c0-receptor CCR5 in gp120-mediated HIV-associated neurodegeneration
Michael Kaden-Hoffmann	Dr. Kelly Drew	UAF	Development of the first thermolytic to suppress shivering and seizure
Alisha O’Brien	Dr. Bill Howard	UAF	Synthesis of novel organoplatinum (IV) iodido compounds and evaluation of biological activity
Sarah Thrower	Dr. Lisa Hoferkemp	UAS	Evaluation of Ocular Protrusions Observed in Steller Sea Lions, Eumatopias jubatus, with Comparison to Other Pinnipeds
Julia Merritt	Dr. Lisa Hoferkemp	UAS	Biotransformation mechanisms of brominated flame retardants in staghorn sculpin hepatic tissue

2017-2018 Graduate Research Assistants

Student	Mentor	Campus	Project Title
Christopher Cavanaugh	Rebecca Robinson	UAA	Pathways to Recovery: Defining Recovery and Exploring the Journey
Alexandra Francian	Max Kullburg	UAA	Targeted liposomal tumor-antigen delivery to antigen presenting cells
Christopher Kasanke	Mary Beth Leigh	UAF	Distribution of Sulfolane Degrading Microorganisms in a Contaminated Aquifer
Amy Kirkham	Jennifer Burns	UAA	Molecular control of the hair cycle in a wild seal population: establishing a health baseline
Nicole Knight	Thomas Trainer	UAF	Health implications of industrially released tellurium in different climates
Kyle Milke	Jennifer Guerard	UAF	Coal fly ash metal(loid) liberation and association with dissolved organic matter in aquatic boreal systems
Jaspreet Osan	Andrea Ferrante	UAF	Structural analysis of HA derived peptides for MHC-II molecules
Sarah Rice	Kelly Drew	UAF	Cross Talk between Metabolism and Nervous System Initiates Arousal in Hibernating Squirrels
Kenneth Shin	Robert Coker	UAF	Condition-Specific Nutrition during Alcohol Rehabilitation
Davis Stewart	Jason Burkhead	UAA	The role of COMMD1 in membrane protein sorting
Sara Wilbur	Brian Barnes	UAF	The effect of torpor and arousal on telomere dynamics in arctic ground squirrels

2017 Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants

Student	Mentor	Campus	Project Title
Alisha O’Brien	Bill Howard	UAF	Building novel organometallic platinum compounds to reduce toxicity and overcome resistance in cancer treatment: synthesis, characterization and evaluation of biological activity
Josh Hartman	Lisa Smith and Tom Kuhn	UAF	Characterizing neuronal response to R5 and X4 tropic strains of HIV-1 viral surface protein gp120
Taylor Seitz	Andrej Podlustky	UAF	Genotoxic effects of sulfolane on DNA damage and repair mechanisms
Savannah Green	Rachael Hannah & Jonathan Stecyk	UAA	Reactivity of turtle (Trachemys scripta) cerebral and mesenteric blood vessels under normoxic and acute anoxic conditions
Shannon Medlock	Khrys Duddleston	UAA	Toward elucidating the relationships between maternal dietary protein consumption on maternal milk and maternal and juvenile fecal microbiotas
Kenneth Sparks	Kat Milligan-Myhre	UAA	Effects of antibiotic exposure on growth of bacterial strains isolated from threespine stickleback guts
Kelly Ireland	Kat Milligan-Myhre	UAA	Interactions of Microbiota and the Immune Response in Threespine Stickleback
Kathryne Beauto	Sonia Nagoriski	UAS	How much mercury is arriving to Alaska in rain and snow? Collection of mercury precipitation samples and evaluation of site representativeness of a new Mercury Deposition Network station in Juneau, AK
Jacob Eberhardt	Lisa Hoferkamp	UAS	Persistent Organic Pollutants in Southeastern Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue

2016-2017 Graduate Research Assistants

Student	Mentor	Campus	Project Title
Melanie Alvarado	Dr. Eric Bortz	UAA	Relocation of Host Factors to Transcriptional Sites of HIV Reaction
Saurav Bhowmick	Dr. Kelly Drew	UAF	Modeling A1AR Agonist-induced Hibernation to Targeted Temperature Management
Karen Carlson	Dr. Khrys Duddleston	UAA	Urea-nitrogen salvage and ureolytic microbes in the arctic ground squirrel gut
Alexandra Francian	Dr. Max Kullberg	UAA	Targeted Drug Delivery to MDSC in Cancer
Skyler Hunter	Dr. Barb Taylor	UAF	Insulin Signaling Influences Morphology and Proteostatis in Neuronal Aging
Ryan Lucas	Dr. Kat Milligan-Myhre	UAA	Host genetic background contributes to microbiota stability & immune development
Swarup Mitra	Dr. Abel Bult-Ito	UAF	Impact of estrogen receptor subtype and circadian disruption on males and females of OCD mice
Austin Morrell	Dr. Jason Burkhead	UAA	Mechanisms of Dietary Copper and Fructose on NAFLD development and progression
Jaspreet Osan	Dr. Andrea Ferrante	UAF	Thermodynamic/structural Characterization of Peptides Binding to Class MCHII
Anna Rix	Dr. Kristin O’Brien	UAF	Induction of Protective Mechanisms Against Heat Stress in Antarctic Notothenioids
Kenneth Shin	Dr. Robert Coker	UAF	Condition-Specific Nutrition During Alcohol Rehabilitation
Krysta Yancey	Dr. Andrej Podlutsky	UAF	DNA Repair and Hibernation: Arctic ground squirrel’s perspective

2016 Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants

Student	Mentor	Campus	Project Title
Sarah Gering	Dr. Khrys Duddleston	UAA	Characterization of urea facilitative transporters and ureolytic bacteria from arctic ground squirrel gastrointestinal tract
Angelina Martushoff	Dr. Andrej Podlutsky	UAF	Iq’mik’s genotoxicity: DNA damage and repair
Monica Mikes	Dr. Kelly Drew	UAF	Validating Hibernation Model via Metabolic and Fecal Comparisons of Free Range to Laboratory Arctic Ground Squirrels
McKenzie Mucha	Dr. Abel Bult-Ito	UAF	CREB-mediated modulation of baseline and fluoxetine-attenuated compulsive-like behaviors in spontaneously compulsive-like mice.
Priscilla Natcher	Dr. Eric Bortz	UAA	Natural Killer Cell Immunotherapy for Eliminating Latent HIV Infection
Viktorija Podlutskaya	Dr. Andrej Podlutsky	UAF	DNA Repair Process in Virally Infected Cells
Olivia Rhines	Dr. Thomas Kuhn	UAF	Modification of ursolic acid to identify interactions with membrane proteins and visualize lipid rafts
Nina Ruckhaus	Dr. Andrej Podlutsky	UAF	DNA Repair Response to X-ray Radiation: Genomic Damage in Natural Hibernators
Alexander Thompson	Dr. Andrej Podlutsky	UAF	The protective role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the adverse health effects of obesity in subsistence Alaska Natives
Cody Crumpton	Dr. Sherry Tamone	UAS	Temporal and spatial variability in particulate saxitoxin (pSTX) concentrations at Auke Bay in Juneau, Alaska
Weiwu Li	Dr. Lisa Hoferkamp	UAS	Lead concentrations and organic carbon levels in soil and water from an open shooting range and its surrounding environment

2015-2016 Graduate Research Assistants

Student	Mentor	Campus	Project Title
Melanie Alvarado	Dr. Eric Bortz	UAA	Reactivation of latent HIV-1 by inducing interferon response with poly l:C
Karen Carlson	Dr. Khrys Duddleston	UAA	Urea-nitrogen salvage and ureolytic microbes in the arctic ground squirrel gut
Matthew Clark	Dr. Liliya Vugmeyster	UAA	Investigating fluctuations in the hydrophobic core of amyloid fibrils
Amy Kirkham	Dr. Jennifer Burns	UAA	The endocrinology of Weddell seal pregnancy and links to nutrition and outcomes
Saurav Bhowmick	Dr. Kelly Drew	UAF	Neuroglobin in neuroprotection via targeting nitric oxide signaling pathway
Carla Frare	Dr. Kelly Drew	UAF	Higher process controlling adenosine-induced cooling and torpor
Christopher Kasanke	Dr. Mary Beth Leigh	UAF	Distribution of Sulfolane Degrading Microorganisms in a Contaminated Aquifer
Swarup Mitra	Dr. Abel Bult-Ito	UAF	Impact of estrogen receptor subtype and circadian disruption on males and females of OCD mice
Mitchell Reed	Dr. Barbara Taylor	UAF	The effect of chronic teratogen exposure to the bullfrog retrotrapezoid nucleus
Terilyn Stephen	Dr. Thomas Green	UAF	Analysis of adenine ribonucleotides by capillary electrophoresis
Krysta Yancey	Dr. Andrej Podlutsky	UAF	DNA Repair and Hibernation: Arctic ground squirrel’s perspective

2014-2015 Graduate Research Assistants

Student	Mentor	Campus	Project Title
Melanie Alvarado	Dr. Eric Bortz	UAA	Reactivation of latent HIV-1 by novel chromatin-interacting proteins
Roxanne Beltran	Dr. Jennifer Burns	UAA	Using ecophysiology models to link environmental change and reproductive health
Matthew Clark	Dr. Liliya Vugmeyster	UAA	Investigating fluctuations in the hydrophobic core of amyloid fibrils
Pamella Conley	Dr. Colin McGill	UAA	The flexible role of malate as a neuroprotective treatment
Gaelen Dwyer	Dr. Cindy Knall	UAA	The effect of iqmik on inflammation, proliferation, and wound healing
Amy Kirkham	Dr. Jennifer Burns	UAA	Endocrine links between maternal nutrition and fetal outcomes in the Weddell seal
Kerry Kubly	Dr. Jonathan Stecyk	UAA	Characterization of the overwintering strategy of the Alaska blackfish
Saurav Bhowmick	Dr. Kelly Drew	UAF	Neuroglobin in neuroprotection via targeting nitric oxide signaling pathway
Savanna Chesworth	Dr. Brian Edmonds	UAF	A study of effect of clozapine on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Aline Collin	Dr. Kriya Dunlap	UAF	Potential properties of Alaskan Vaccinium berries on insulin sensitivity
Stephanie DeRonde	Dr. Jack Chen	UAF	Genotyping study of HCV circulating in Alaska using next generation sequencing
Carla Frare	Dr. Kelly Drew	UAF	Higher process controlling adenosine-induced cooling and torpor
Christina Hansen	Dr. Karsten Hueffer	UAF	Microbial infection of greater white-fronted goose eggs in the Arctic
Sara Janda	Dr. Mary Beth Leigh	UAF	Mechanisms and risks of home drinking water treatment systems for sulfolane
Malabika Maulick	Dr. Barbara Taylor	UAF	Alaskan botanicals and sirtuin mediated neuroprotection in Parkinson’s disease
Swarup Mitra	Dr. Abel Bult-Ito	UAF	Estrogens in mediating cognitive and affective functions in OCD mice
Courtney Scerbak	Dr. Barbara Taylor	UAF	The effects of Alaskan botanicals on the aging nervous system of C. elegans
Lisa Smith	Dr. Thomas Kuhn	UAF	Ursolic acid mediated inhibition of HIV-1 gp120 induced lipid raft coalescence
Megan Templeton	Dr. Andrea Ferrante	UAF	The effect of HLA-DM on the thermodynamics of peptide bonding

2014-2015 Undergraduate Research Assistants

Student	Mentor	Campus	Project Title
Mark Alday	Dr. Eric Bortz	UAA	The effect of HIV-1 latency-reversing agents on interferon induction in CD4+ T cells
Forrest Campnell	Dr. Todd O’Hara and John Harley	UAA	Concentration of total mercury in cigarettes and fish muscle tissue purchased in La Paz, Mexico – examining a route of human exposure
Chlesea DeStefano	Dr. Jennifer Burns	UAA	Measuring body composition in Weddell seals to describe links between reproduction, health, and environment
Honalee Elkan	Dr. Lisa Hoferkamp	UAS	Biotransformations of the Flame Retardant Hexabromocyclododecane in Hepatic Microsomes from Fish
Alicia Hernandez	Dr. Barbara Taylor	UAF	The impact of Alaskan botanicals on cellular signaling and gene expression
Kelsey Meacham	Dr. Jason Burkhead	UAA	Hepatic zinc transporter regulation in the ATP7B (-/-) mouse model of Wilson’s disease
Chelsea Parrocha	Dr. Frank von Hippel	UAA	Understanding the relationship between thyroxine (T4) content and kidney histomorphology in threespine stickleback
Angela Peterson	Dr. Andrej Podlutsky	UAF	Hibernation and DNA Repair in the Arctic Ground Squirrel
Melissa Rhodes-Reese	Dr. Heidi Pearson	UAS	The Relationship between Dissolved Iron and pH in a Southeastern Alaska Tidal Estuary
Pricilla Salazar	Dr. Jack Chen	UAF	Detecting HCV RNA in HCV antibody positive sera
Michael Schaake	Dr. Lisa Hoferkamp	UAS	Circadian Growth Patterns of Chlorella Vulgaris
Davis Stewart	Dr. Jason Burkhead	UAA	The role of ubiquitin modification on the copper transporter ATP7B
Krysta Yancey	Dr. Andrej Podlutsky	UAF	DNA repair and hibernation: Arctic ground squirrel’s perspective