The 2017 STAR program had 17 participants, each adding to the wonderful experience of the summer session.

 

photo of Lily Bender

Lily Bender

  • North Carolina State University – Raleigh

STAR Mentor: Eric Belin de Chanteméle, PhD

Program Affiliation: Vascular Biology

STAR Project: Evaluating sex differences in sodium excretion between male and female mice on a high salt diet

photo of Carla Dominguez Gonzalez

Carla Dominguez Gonzalez

  • Wofford College

STAR Mentor: Neal Weintraub, MD

Program Affiliation: Vascular Biology

STAR Project: Adipose HDAC9 functions as a thermostat to regulate energy expenditure in response to housing 

photo of Alec Feather

Alec Feather

  • University of Georgia

STAR Mentor: Ellen LeMosy, PhD

Program Affiliation: Cellular Biology & Anatomy 

STAR Project: Does Tinagl1 Knockdown in Mouse IMCD3 Cells Lead to Polycystic Kidney Disease Cellular Pathology?

photo of Mary Sinclair Filchak

Mary Sinclair Filchak

  • Furman University

STAR Mentor: Larry Layman, MD

Program Affiliation:  Molecular Medicine & Neuroscience

STAR Project: Understanding the genetic basis of transgender identity

photo of Alex Kang

Alex Kang

  • University of Maryland – College Park

STAR Mentor: Muthusamy Thangaraju, PhD

Program Affiliation: Biochemistry & Cancer Biology

STAR Project: Role of DNA methyltransferase1 (DNMT1) in regulation of breast cancer  stem cells and its relevance to chemotherapy response

photo of Siena Krey

Siena Krey

  • University of Rochester

STAR Mentor: Betty Pace, MD

Program Affiliation: Biochemistry & Cancer Biology

STAR Project: Salubrinal Reduces the Presence of Reactive Oxygen Species in K562 Cells

photo of Samantha Lee

Samantha Lee

  • University of Minnesota- Minneapolis

STAR Mentor: Huidong Shi, PHD

Program Affiliation: Biochemistry & Cancer Biology

STAR Project: CDK7 inhibitor THZ1 inhibits glycolysis metabolism by suppressing HIF1α activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

photo of Annie Liu

Annie Liu

  • University of Georgia

STAR Mentor: Patricia Schoenlein, PhD

Program Affiliation: Cellular Biology & Anatomy

STAR Project: Obatoclax-induced death of MCF-7/TR5 antiestrogen resistant cells may result from  off-target effects on cathepsin-dependent autophagy

photo of Alice Ma

Alice Ma

  • Stetson University

STAR Mentor: Hasan Korkaya, PhD

Program Affiliation: Biochemistry & Cancer Biology

STAR Project: TNFAIP3/A20 inhibits TNFα-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells

photo of Peyton Mc Elhone

Peyton Mc Elhone

  • University of Virginia

STAR Mentor: Almira Vazdarjanova, PhD

Program Affiliation: Pharmacology & Neuroscience

STAR Project: Heightened Emotional State Decreases Plasticity-Related Gene Expression in the Hippocampus During Spatial Learning

photo of Stephanie Munie

Stephanie Munie

  • University of South Carolina

STAR Mentor: Kris Dhandapani, PhD

Program Affiliation: Neuroscience

STAR Project: Chronic Neurovascular and Behavioral Dysfunction in Post-TBI Mice

photo of Brooke Pace

Brooke Pace

  • Freed-Hardeman University

STAR Mentor: Ryan Harris, PhD

Program Affiliation: Physiology & Vascular Biology

STAR Project: Exercise Capacity in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis: The Role of HbA1c

photo of Johnathon Rast

Johnathon Rast

  • Georgia Southern University

STAR Mentor: Lin Mei, PhD

Program Affiliation:  Neuroscience

STAR Project: CMS Patients with RAPSYN Mutations Vary in Symptom Acuity Due to Multiple Mechanisms of Dysfunction.

photo of Eric Stokes

Eric Stokes

  • Morehouse College

STAR Mentor: Meghan McGee-Lawrence, PhD

Program Affiliation:  Cellular Biology & Anatomy 

STAR Project: Targeting Spectrin Increases Plasma Membrane Fragility in Osteocytes, Affecting Post-Wounding Cell Survival and Mechanotransduction

photo of Jacqueline Timmerman

Jacqueline Timmerman

  • University of South Carolina

STAR Mentor: Jennifer Sullivan, PhD

Program Affiliation: Physiology

STAR Project: LNAME Prevents an Increase in Tregs in Response to Hypertension in Females

photo of Sarah Yablonski

Sarah Yablonski

  • St. Lawrence University

STAR Mentor: Yutao Liu, Ph.D. 

Program Affiliation: Cellular Biology & Anatomy 

STAR Project: Differential Expression of Coding Genes in Human Keratoconus-Affected Corneas Using RNA Sequencing and ddPCR


Guests of STAR 2017

photo of Luis Martinez

Luis Martinez

  • Universidad Central del Caribe

Mentor: Mark Hamrick, PhD

Program Affiliation: Cellular Biology & Anatomy

photo of Natalia Del Mazo

Natalia Del Mazo

  • Universidad Central del Caribe

Mentor: Meghan McGee Lawrence, PhD

Program Affiliation: Cellular Biology & Anatomy

photo of Emanuel De Miranda

Emanuel De Miranda

  • Universidad Central del Caribe
Mentor: Mark Hamrick PhD

Mentor: William Hill, PhD

Program Affiliation: Cellular Biology & Anatomy