The Senior Program

The centerpiece of the Senior Program in biochemistry/molecular biology is the senior project. Under the guidance of a professor, students conduct independent laboratory research and experimentation. For most students, the project involves two semesters of lab work, with several periods dedicated to writing a thesis and preparing for an oral presentation to departmental faculty and student peers. The senior thesis is a culmination of each student’s undergraduate experience; it synthesizes coursework, research and discussion into a focused statement of intellectual growth and insight.

Recent projects in biochemistry/molecular biology include:

• Ab10 Identification in Native Species of Zea mays
• Ab10 Identification in North American Maize Landraces via FISH Microscopy and PCR
• Ciliate Macronuclei Shape Analysis and Evolutionary History
• Direct Amide Bond Formation Catalyzed by the Spore Peptidoglycan Biosynthetic Enzyme SwsB
• Effects of Different Carbon Sources on T. thermophila Growth
• From Pond to Proteome, Comparing Protein Expression and Composition of Reproductive Structures in Frogs and Toads
• Further Exploring Fluoropyridyl Ethers as Leaving Groups in Photoredox-Catalyzed Radical Allylation Reactions
• Investigating Maize’s Abnormal Chromosome 10 Kinesin Proteins and Their Efficacy at Segregating a Whole Chromosome in Yeast
• Investigating Permanent Decrease in pH in T. thermophila Food Vacuoles
• Investigating the Metal and pH Dependence of the Sporulation Enzyme SwsB Using a Minimal Peptidoglycan Substrate
• Macrocyclization of Peptide Pharmaceuticals via Ultrasound-Assisted Disulfide Bond Formation at Infinite Dilution Condition
• Optimized Reaction Conditions for Amide Bond Formation in the Synthesis of a Fibrin-Targeted Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging Probe
• Progress Toward the Purification and Characterization of the Germinant Glycosidase CwlJ
• Stereochemistry of Photoredox-Catalyzed Radical Allylation Reaction
• Synthesis of Fluorescent Probes Targeting Somatostatin Receptor II for In Vivo Macrophage Imaging in Carotid Plaque
• Tethering Cse4 via LexA-LexO to Create a Synthetic Kinetochore
• The Role of Retinal Determination Genes During Retinoblastoma Formation
• The Synthesis and In Silico Analysis of Pyridinyl Indoles Displaying Antimicrobial Activity
• TLR2/7 Agonist CL413 Enhances Influenza A Vaccine Response in Mice
• Ultrasound-Assisted Cyclization of Cardioactive Peptides
• Unlocking the Potential of Biomass, Optimizing 5-HMF Oxidation to FDCA via Bimetallic Catalysis