UNDERGRADUATE PRESENTATIONS Biology
Seydel Acuña * Measuring Biofilm Formation of Freshwater Fish Bacterial Isolates in Response to Various Environmental Conditions Biofilms are microorganismal communities formed in vivo on surfaces that benefit their survival that may have positive or negative impacts on humans and the environment . Research was conducted to examine the impact of various external factors on the biofilm formation of several bacterial species from fish skin . These factors were determined to have varying impacts on individual species ’ biofilm formation .
Diana Vasilevskaya * Antimicrobial Properties of Fish Mucus from Freshwater Fish Species Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern , making the development of novel antibiotics essential . Fish skin mucus is a potential source of novel antibiotics . The antimicrobial activity of mucus extracted from fish was examined . Mucus collected from banded killifish and creek chub possessed antimicrobial activity against several human and fish bacterial pathogens and may serve as potential sources of antimicrobial compounds .
Chemistry
Kyle Morse * Investigation of Ketoreductase Enzymes in the Enantioselective Reduction of Ketones Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 ( IDO-1 ) catalyzes the first step in the production of kynurenine and is highly expressed in malignant tumor cells . Inhibition of IDO-1 is a strategy for chemotherapy . The synthesis of effective inhibitors begins with stereoselective reduction of a ketone to an alcohol . This research investigates common plants as the source of a ketoreductase enzyme that catalyze this process .
* Presentations were also delivered at the in-person University Research Conference
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