Which grant that you received do you want to talk about?
Summer URG

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
I studied the genetics behind the drug resistance of parasitic nematodes. Parasitic nematodes impact an estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide. Benzimidazoles, one of the primary drug classes used to treat parasitic nematode infections, target beta-tubulin in the microtubules in nematode cells. There is one gene that encodes for beta-tubulin that has been extensively studied, ben-1, but there are also five other genes that also encode for beta-tubulin that haven’t been as studied: tbb-1, tbb-2, tbb-4, tbb-6, and mec-7. I used CRISPR to knock out these genes in the model organism C. elegans in two different backgrounds, a wild-type and one with a ben-1 deletion already, and then conducted a variety of experiments to determine whether the gene has been deleted. Once that was confirmed, I ran a high-throughput assay to investigate the implications of these gene deletions on drug resistance by exposing these mutant strains to Albendazole, a specific benzimidazole. Data analysis is still underway, being done through R, but as of right now, it appears that only mutant strains with the ben-1 deletion were resistant to Albendazole.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
One of my core values is the dedication to a project that feels like it has a large impact on the broader community. This is why I decided to dedicate my life to value systems such as those imposed by Effective Altruism, which focuses on making your career have the greatest impact it can possibly have. As an overall fairly neglected issue and one that impacts billions of people, I was honored to receive this project when I first started in my lab under the Posner grant.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I’ve always been interested in many different things. As a STEM kid, I did theatre in high school and even won an art award. I’m a double major in Psychology and Biology simply because I love both. I think some of the best projects are the ones that surpass the boundaries of multiple disciplines, and that is often what leads to the most learning.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
It was definitely tricky. There is a lot of room for error and many of the techniques we use need to be developed over time. I’ve definitely messed up a couple of times, but I put in the work to fix the mistakes. I’ve gained not only the ability to do these techniques, but also the ability to think more critically about genetics and my project. I’ve also gained an extensive network of grad students, post docs, lab techs, and my PI, which I am forever grateful for. I’ve learned a lot about myself, too – as a FGLI student, I’ve felt like I am behind of all of my peers ever since I started university. However, doing this project has helped me gain confidence in the work I am doing while I am an undergrad at Northwestern.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Get out there. I cannot begin to express how important it is to just get out there and try new things, even if you don’t feel like you are good enough. You never know until you try and you put in the work. I started as a team of many undergraduates, all of whom were much more qualified than I am. However, I put in the work and the dedication to my project and I am now the singular undergraduate on my project and am writing the paper. It is insane what can be accomplished if you just put in the work.

What would you name a boat if you had one?
S.S. Allison after my father (RIP) and I’s middle name

What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff?
The lore of the appalachian mountains

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
The one that goes “there were 10 in the bed and the little one says “roll over”” because my mom used to read that to my brothers and I every night

Which grant that you received do you want to talk about?
Summer URG

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
My research this summer focused on determining whether mixtures of peptide amphiphiles (PAs) with the peptide sequences A2G2 and V2A2 would result in molecularly mixed or phase-separated (non-mixing) supramolecular nanofiber assemblies. To test this, I utilized variable temperature polarized light microscopy (VT-PLM) to record the temperature at which PA fiber assemblies transitioned into spherical micelles. This transition temperature was denoted by the complete loss of birefringence signal, produced by anisotropic nanofiber assemblies, indicating a complete transition to isotropic spherical micelles.

Based on previous work, the A2G2 peptide sequence is known to form weak β-sheets that produce less cohesive nanofibers, leading to lower transition temperatures. In contrast, the V2A2 sequence is known to form strong β-sheets and more cohesive nanofibers, resulting in higher transition temperatures. Thus, increases in mol % composition of A2G2-based PAs mixed with V2A2-based PAs were expected to decrease cohesion within fiber nanostructures and therefore decrease the transition temperature. This trend was seen in my past work on mixtures of A2G2E2 with V2A2E2 PAs and A2G2E4-GIKVAV with V2A2E4-GIKVAV PAs, which indicated some degree of mixing between the PA pairs.

I chose to further analyze this trend by altering the equivalents of NaOH added to PA mixtures of the A2G2E4-GIKVAV with V2A2E4-GIKVAV PAs, which were originally prepared with 4 equivalents of NaOH. This mixture was selected in particular to better analyze the effect of epitopes like GIKVAV on the mixing of PAs. As greater equivalents of NaOH tend to reduce cohesion within a fiber assembly and therefore reduce the transition temperature, I was curious to see if the same transition temperature trend would persist in mixtures of 3 and 3.5 equivalents of NaOH as well. Under VT-PLM, the same trend in transition temperature was observed for all equivalents of NaOH, noted by a more rapid decrease in birefringence signal intensity with increasing % A2G2E4-GIKVAV. In addition, for the 30% and 50% A2G2E4-GIKVAV samples at all NaOH equivalents, there appeared to be multiple inflection points along the heating profiles; however, these inflections became less distinct with greater equivalents of NaOH. These inflection points suggested that there was a two-phase mixture at intermediate compositions of the two PAs, i.e., the appearance of a miscibility gap at lower equivalents of NaOH. Therefore, this further confirmed that rather than PA mixtures forming either fully phase-separated or completely molecularly mixed fiber assemblies, there seemed to be an upper limit on the degree of mixing between the different PAs.

To add a little context for the photos – this is a photo of the birefringence signal detected from various fiber assembly mixtures of peptide amphiphiles under a polarized light microscope (PLM).

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
When I first looked into doing research, I came across the Stupp lab group’s 2021 Science paper on spinal cord regeneration utilizing peptide amphiphile assemblies. I was almost immediately sold on wanting to learn more about peptide amphiphiles and how they could be manipulated to perform such amazing feats in medicine. With my project, I had the opportunity to not only look into the mechanisms involving mixtures of peptide amphiphiles but specifically those containing one of the two epitope sequences used in the spinal cord regeneration study. Suffice to say, my project entailed an amazing and fascinating first experience in research.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I had never done research in the past, so I was quite curious to see what it would entail. I also have a passion for chemistry, and I was always interested in conducting some kind of lab work in the future.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
I am really glad that I had the opportunity to conduct research in such a wonderful lab group! I learned a lot about how important and helpful working with other researchers can be for fostering new ideas for a project. I often had to present my research at subgroup meetings, and the feedback that I received from other lab members helped a lot to both answer some of the questions that came up in my project as well as provide new approaches to answering my research question. These subgroup meetings also allowed me to develop my communication and presentation skills to best explain my findings to a more unfamiliar audience. I also worked on a paper describing some of my discoveries, which allowed me to practice reading scientific papers as well as better understand my own project overall.

I would say the trickiest part about my research was making sure to keep a detailed record of my previous data and samples. Throughout the course of my project, I had made a ton of samples of various buffer solutions and peptide amphiphiles that had been used in different experiments at different times. Thus, I learned to take very thorough notes during my sample prep and data collection to make my experiments more easily reproducible.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Definitely do it! It can be a very rewarding as well as eye-opening experience into different fields of work that not many people get to witness first-hand or even be a part of. I think research is also a great way to see how what you learn in classes gets applied to real world issues/questions.

What would you name a boat if you had one?
Larry

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax

What was a memorable interaction that you had on campus this week?
Said “Hi” to my former organic chemistry lab TA and he remembered me 🙂

Which grant that you received do you want to talk about?
Summer URG

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
My SURG project entailed writing a dramatic play, centered around the topics of immigration, wealth inequality, and cultural perceptions of Colombians in upper-middle-class Eastern coast communities. This creative project required in-depth research into the history of immigration in the United States, financial and demographic trends among Colombian immigrant families, and the predominant factors that influence the socioeconomic statuses among those families, as it pertains to literature, film, and the historical and socioeconomic context of these issues.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
As a Latino journalist and undergraduate at the Medill School of Journalism & Integrated Marketing Communications, I came across some prevalent data indicating both the rising rates of Latino immigrants to the United States and wealth inequalities among different groups. I began to ask myself questions such as why are Latinos continually stereotyped across the media? Why has there historically been a lack of Latino representation in the film and television industry? What is driving the discrepancies in cross-generational wealth and how is race rooted in these issues?

Despite the major presence of Latino immigrants in the United States, many migrant groups continue to be marginalized and mistreated. I was interested in subverting the stereotypical narratives we’ve seen in pop culture and examining subtextual elements of class and privilege through the lens of immigration in upper-middle-class Eastern coast communities.

Henry Godinez, who served as my faculty sponsor for this project, attended a performance of my debut play last spring, which I actually wrote through a 2022 SURG. I was already a fan of Godinez’ work in Latino theatre so hearing his praise and support for my writing was very inspiring, and it was an honor to work with him on my 2023 SURG.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I completed a 2022 SURG, writing a Latinx social justice play that was selected by an SPP Committee and produced by The Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for The Performing Arts this past spring, with my 2022 SURG faculty sponsor and Tony Award Winner David Catlin serving as the faculty mentor for this production. After seeing the success of this project, I was inspired to pursue another SURG and write my next play, conducting research for it on topics such as discrepancies in cross-generational wealth and class.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
Like any creative or artistic project, research will always have obstacles that arise, but learning how to overcome adversity has helped me gain invaluable skills and empowered me to grow as a writer, scholar, and human in profound ways.

I’m particularly grateful to the Office of Undergraduate Research for the amazing opportunities I’ve been able to pursue during my time at Northwestern.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Pursue what you’re passionate about and above all, WRITE! I’ve had the privilege of having some incredible mentors who have been integral to my intellectual, creative, and artistic growth, and have encouraged me to continue writing even after the grant period. I would recommend first identifying your area of interest to find the right mentor who can help you develop your passion project and refine your work through a SURG.

What would you name a boat if you had one?
Buena Hora

What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff?
New Girl

If your (speaking) voice were an instrument, what do you think it would be?
Acoustic Guitar

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
Up

What was a memorable interaction that you had on campus this week?
Volunteering at a food pantry with RUF friends or catching up with my sophomore year roommate on the way to a meeting for my Latin dance group, Dale Duro!

Which grant that you received do you want to talk about?
Summer URG

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
My research was focused on theaters for young audiences in Berlin, Germany, and the best practices they implement in order to serve a multi- and intercultural audience. It was structured around interviews with arts administrators and observations of productions at 5 different theaters, from which I was able to gather a more holistic understanding of TYA (theatre for young audiences) in Berlin and the ways in which many artists and companies there work to prioritize theatre that is engaging and impactful for all of the young people living in Berlin. I sought to understand further the ways in which Berlin’s socio-cultural landscape influences the companies and artists creating theatre for young people, as well as identifying room for growth in this area and what plans those companies and artists have to further develop.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
In addition to my work as a theatre artist positioning me uniquely in both TYA spheres and spaces devoted to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the theatre industry, Berlin is a city close to my heart. My mother is German, and I have spent all of my life visiting Germany, particularly Berlin. I spent 6 months living there with family friends as an au pair after I graduated from high school in 2020, and learned much about the specific socio-political contexts that exist in both past and present Berlin. The combination of my academic and professional interests and my personal history and culture led to the development of my research.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I found that in addition to my personal interest in the subject and the desire to learn more about it, I was enthusiastic about how the research process could help be become a better student and person. The opportunity to meaningfully engage with a subject and industry that I was excited about and to explore new skills and perspectives was attractive to me for my academic and professional development but also for my personal growth.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
I found the research process to be time-consuming but rewarding. Being able to learn and further develop a number of skills, such as the ability to analyze qualitative data, the ability to interview people in a personable yet direct manner, speaking confidently to large groups of people, and taking meaningful notes while staying engaged in an experience, will allow me to continue to grow in my academic and professional careers. I also found particularly meaningful the relationships I was able to build with a number of the theatre artists and companies that I connected with in Berlin, the opportunity to bear witness to so many artists pursuing their dreams and working day in and day out to create theatre that will resonate with and uplift young people of all backgrounds, and the chance to make discoveries and experience them in practice, as opposed to just in theory.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
I would absolutely encouraged anyone interested in undergraduate research to go for it. The point of undergraduate research, in my opinion, is not to discover world-changing findings; it is to allow undergraduate students to engage with subjects they are excited about and to develop important life and career skills. I would recommend that students are genuinely interested in the subject of their research, as it is time-consuming, but that if they really are excited about what they’re engaging with, research is a truly rewarding process.

What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff?
Cassandra of Troy

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
Momo by Michael Ende

Which grant that you received do you want to talk about?
Summer URG

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
I was investigating how A549s, a patient derived lung cancer cell line, essentially hijack the circadian clock. Every cell in our body has a circadian rhythm, and we can visualize how long a cell’s circadian period lasts in a device called the LumiCycle. There have been numerous studies investigating the relationship between circadian disruption (via shift work) and the development of cancer. Previous research by Dr. Clara Peek showed a bidirectional interaction between HIF-1a (a protein involved in the cellular response to low oxygen conditions) and BMAL1 (a core circadian clock component). Since tumor cells are naturally in low oxygen conditions, this relationship is pathologically relevant. Other scientists showed that circadian disruption leads to lung tumorigenesis, but we were investigating the opposite pathway – that being how A549s take over the circadian clock to benefit their growth and proliferation . My goal was to treat cells with different drugs that worked on our proposed signaling pathway and measure the length of the cell’s circadian period.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
I didn’t have a particular interest in circadian biology until I took Bio 203, where we briefly went over how the circadian clock works. From there, I knew I wanted to work in a circadian lab. I had a previous interest in muscle physiology and injury repair, which is the main focus of the Peek lab and my initial reason for joining. When I arrived, one of the research techs, Adam Steffeck, mentioned that he needed help with the lab’s lung cancer project. Although lung cancer and muscle physiology share few commonalities, the shared circadian component was my main motivation for helping with this project. From there, I began training in the lab and was ready to commit to the project full time when summer rolled around.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I knew I wanted to start doing research because of my classes. I always found everything we learned so interesting, but never felt like I could fully grasp how these concepts applied to a real world setting. Techniques always seem practical when learning about them in lecture, but I wanted to experience the scientific process myself. I wanted to see how the things we learned failed, understand why they failed and make judgement calls as to what the next move should be to push the project forward. I saw research as a way to bring the content we cover to fruition, which was my main motivation to get involved.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
I’ve loved my experience so far, but I can’t say that every moment has been easy. Seeing your experiments that you’ve planned and set up for weeks fail because of reasons outside your control can be frustrating, and you have to learn to come back and think about your own work critically. I think the trickiest part is being able to ask the right questions at the right times. If you didn’t get the result you wanted, was it because of a procedural error? Or is something mechanistic? I think I’ve gotten better at knowing when and where to ask these questions over the summer. Furthermore, my bench skills and scientific intuition have increased greatly over this time as a result of the experience, even when things failed.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
I think the best thing I’ve learned over the past few months working in the lab is to never feel scared to ask questions or reach out to others, whether that is your PI, a potential PI, or someone who’s project you are particularly interested in. There were a few times I was scared to reach out to my PI with questions or to present data, just because I was worried she would be too busy. Those meetings, which I thought would only last a few minutes, often turned into hour long discussions criticizing the pathway and developing new experiments. I am by no means an expert in the field, so it was critical for me to ask questions to further my understanding. Even if you think your questions are elementary or are wasting someone’s time, everyone was in your shoes learning at some point. People are always willing to help if you show initiative, so never, ever be afraid to reach out.

Which grant that you received do you want to talk about?
Summer Undergraduate Research Grant

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
For 8 weeks (June 12th-July 31st) I researched eight Black female activists during the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968) whose contributions appeared invisible in history because as Bernice McNair Barnett elucidates, Social Movement scholarship focuses on male leaders. My goal in this project was to recognize Black women and their leadership. The intersection of these women’s identities have resulted in the erasure of their contributions to American History furthering the notion that men were the only leaders during this time. The purpose of this project was to show Black women the power their voices hold, by highlighting the voices of Black figures that came before them. The women I researched are as follows: Claudette Colvin, Gloria Richardson, McCree Harris, Septima Poinsette Clark, Pauli Murray, Diane Nash, JoAnn Robinson, and Georgia Gilmore. I wrote first-person poetry from the perspective of the women I studied using journal articles, interviews, archives, and oral histories to elucidate their lives. I chose poetry as the medium to tell the stories of these women because of its accessibility and relatability as a modern medium of communication.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
Originally I wanted to do a research program, but after meeting with Megan Novak we realized I already had an interest in doing poetry centered research. Megan helped me to hone in on what marginalized community I wanted to focus my poetry on, so that my research wasn’t too broad.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I became interested in pursuing research after taking SESP 251 Pathways class that focused on doing meaningful work during the summer through SURG or SIGP. I also attended events where UGR would present, so I was very interested in doing research and poetry.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
Research is fun, rewarding, and thorough. I found it fun researching each women and learning anecdotes about them that I was never taught in history class. It was difficult when I couldn’t find information on some of the women after trying different avenues to obtain it. It was also tricky revising poems, some poems would have revisions that would take a few days, while others would take weeks. From my research experience I have gained patience and flexibility. Some days, I would have to wait for sources to come through interlibrary loan, so I would be flexible and start researching another activist.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Schedule a meeting with Office of Undergraduate Research they are really helpful in understanding how your interests can become a research opportunity.

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
My favorite childhood story was The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, my mom used to read it to me when I was younger.

Which grant that you received do you want to talk about?
Undergraduate Language Grant

What language did you study and why?
Professionally, I chose to study Spanish because I want to go into civil rights law, and I want to be able to work with the many people in the U.S. in need of legal support that speak Spanish. More personally, I want to be able to communicate with as many people in my communities and around the world as possible.

What program did you attend and why did you choose it?
I chose to study at a language institute in San Jose, Costa Rica. I knew I wanted to be in San Jose because it is surrounded by universities and museums, making it a very good place to meet other people my age as well as learn a lot about the the country. As a nature lover, I couldn’t miss the chance to see the incredible conservation efforts that Costa Rica has worked on.

Describe your experience doing summer language study. Was it tricky? How do you think your language skills improved?
Living in a Spanish-speaking country while learning Spanish did wonders for instilling the language in my mind. I had no choice but to practice, I would wake up and speak Spanish at the breakfast table with my family, then go to hours of Spanish classes, then go to lunch where I would have to speak Spanish to order my food, then have tandem conversations with English students where I would speak in English for about 30 minutes. This level of constant exposure made it a necessity for me to improve my Spanish to function in the world around me. After my experience in Costa Rica, I believe there is no way as effective to learn a language as intensive immersion. When I first arrived in Costa Rica, I was entirely overconfident in my language skills. I had just completed a year of Spanish at Northwestern and was feeling very good about where I was. But, as soon as I arrived at my host family, who does not speak any English, I found that I could barely understand anything they were saying, much less participate in any form of conversation with them. However, in my last week there, I found myself at the dinner table in the midst of an hour-long conversation with my host mom. This is just one specific instance of growth, but throughout my time there, I gradually felt myself becoming more and more capable of speaking and conversing in Spanish.

Did intensive summer language study change or solidify any of your future goals? If so, how?
It absolutely did! It solidified my goal of becoming bilingual for the work that I want to do in the future. I realized how crucial a common language is to building relationships, and I want to be able to truly accomplish that connection throughout my professional and personal life.

Do you have any tips or advice for students similar to you that are interested in pursing intensive language study?
You absolutely have to stay with a host family! I really think this is what pushed my language learning to the next level because I simply had to use Spanish to communicate with the people I was living with. I also think choosing a location that is not overly touristy is really important because, at least for me, if there is the option to lean on English as a crutch when you go to restaurants or stores, you won’t practice your language as much as you could.

If your (speaking) voice were an instrument, what do you think it would be?
In my heart I want it to be the bass clarinet but there is such a good chance I’m wrong.

What was your favorite childhood story?
One time when I was 7 I “accidentally” cut a massive chunk out of my friend’s super long and gorgeous hair like near her chin. It was really bad.

Which grant that you received do you want to talk about?
Undergraduate Language Grant

What language did you study and why?
Italian because my both SIGP and JR programs took place in Italy

What program did you attend and why did you choose it?
I attended an intensive Italian course at Scuola Leonardo Da Vinci in Florence

Describe your experience doing summer language study. Was it tricky? How do you think your language skills improved?
In the span of 8 weeks, from the beginner level I was able to get to intermediate. It was a very fun and culturally immersive experience as well. I traveled around Tuscany, visiting alpaca farm, vineyards, Florentine mosaic, Italian leather artisan houses, castles, museums, and even learned how to make pasta from scratch.

Did intensive summer language study change or solidify any of your future goals? If so, how?
Yes, it definitely made me narrow down what kind of reporting I would like to do in terms of my career, also I realized that I would most probably move to Europe after graduation.

Do you have any tips or advice for students similar to you that are interested in pursing intensive language study?
Don’t be afraid of making friends with teachers, staff and your host family. Usually, connections like that make you practice your language skills and open so many new opportunities.

What would you name a boat if you had one?
Wonder

What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff?
Cooking and baking

If your (speaking) voice were an instrument, what do you think it would be?
Violin

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
Harry Potter

What was a memorable interaction that you had on campus this week?
We had a Pulitzer Prize guest speaker