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Tag Archives: ucdavis
Got a Spare?
By Harrison Manacsa, Biological Sciences, ‘17
Author’s Note:
“This started as a case study I wrote on my friend’s chronic kidney disease for UWP104F. She was diagnosed during our freshman year; and I see the impact of her weekly dialysis on her family, diet, and college schedule. Knowing that a kidney transplant will greatly improve her health, I researched the processes one would undertake to donate their kidney. As it turns out, there are numerous factors one should consider. My article briefs on the current state of kidney donation. It is an expression of my amazement of turning our bodies into tools.”
Christianson Syndrome
By Madison Dougherty, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ‘18
Author’s Note:
“I wrote this paper as a supplement to a presentation in my genetics class. I believe it is important to inform people about mental disabilities other than the most commonly seen disorders, such as Down Syndrome or autism. This paper serves to educate readers about Christianson Syndrome, an X-linked genetic disorder that, although phenotypically similar to more widely-known disorders, is actually quite different at the genetic level.”
A New Role for Mosquitoes in Disease-Outbreak Prevention
By Chantele Karim
Author’s Note
“I became interested in vector-borne diseases in Spring of 2016, when I conducted an independent study on the ethical advancement of genetically modifying technology. I discussed the potential application of CRISPR to mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti, in the effort to combat dengue. Throughout my extensive research, the danger posed by mosquitoes was commonly emphasized by diverse sources. It was thus surprising to read that Microsoft’s Project Premonition is based on the assertion that mosquitoes can be useful to us in our quest to control vector-borne diseases. My intrigue led me to research the project further to better understand its method, application, and potential.”
Current discussion surrounding Dr. Canavero’s human head transplant proposal
By Carly Cheung, Microbiology, ’17
Author’s Note:
“The controversial topic of a human head transplant caught me by surprise when I read about it in the news. I was curious about the psychological, immunological, and technical complications of this procedure. After researching it, I became more knowledgeable and open-minded towards it.”
Review of Horizontal-flow and vertical-flow constructed wetlands’ efficiency to remove pathogen indicators in tropical area
By Yufei Qian, Environmental Horticulture and Urban Forestry, ‘18
Author’s Note:
“As an international student, English is not my first language. I never felt such confidence writing in academic English before taking Professor Matthew Oliver’s UWP 104E class. This class is about writing in science, and the literature review is the basis of many scientific research projects. To develop future experiments, literature reviews help researchers maintain an up-to-date understanding of the field, identify strengths and limitations in current experimental designs, and get inspirations for their own research. I am interested in ecology and the relationship between humans and environment, so I decided to write about constructed wetlands. Since I am a plant-lover, a focus in my literature review research is plant selections and impacts on E. coli removal efficiency. UWP 104E is a great class that combines my interest with professional writing and helps me overcome language barriers in academic English.”
Factors Involved in the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
By Nicole Strossman, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, ‘17
Author’s Note:
“I chose to write this review for my UWP 104F after reading about potential treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease. As this is a disease that affects such a wide variety of people, and currently has no cure, I wanted to educate myself about the developments regarding it. Although the potential treatments are still under investigation, they provide hope for people affected by a currently incurable disease.”
The Consequences of Tropical Deforestation
By: Wincy Yu, Biological Sciences, ‘17
Author’s Note:
In light of climate change and environmental talks among world leaders, as well as rising media attention for endangered species around the world, I realized that people were concerned about the consequences, but may not have paid attention to the underlying reasons. Inspired by an ecology class I took last year, I wrote this piece to discuss one of the reasons for climate change and ecosystem loss, which is deforestation.
The multi-functional protein kinases: ATM and ATR
By Carly Cheung, Microbiology, ‘17
Author’s Note:
“The goal of this paper is to portray the multifunctionality of proteins involved in the cell and how interconnected one process is to another, even though two processes appear to be unrelated. I am fascinated by the system of signal transduction in our cells and admire how elaborate and complicated the network is. This is best shown by examining the two proteins, ATM and ATR, that are known for their functions in cell cycle regulation and DNA break repair. The paper explores the changes in their transduction pathways seen in mammals with cancer, metabolic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.”
Looking Deeper into Life: How a Nobel Prize Winner Advanced Microscopy
By Madison Dougherty, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ‘18
Author’s Note:
“I was encouraged to attend and review Nobel Prize winner Eric Betzig’s lectures on campus, and I am extremely glad that I did. As a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, I did not think that I would find microscopy very interesting, but after listening to Betzig talk about his developments in the field, I felt a new sense of appreciation for microscopy, and even for telescopes and space. If you are interested in astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, or all of the above, I highly encourage you to watch and absorb the wealth of information that he has to share with the scientific community. Full video presentations of Betzig’s lectures can be found on the CBS Storer Lectureship website: http://biology.ucdavis.edu/seminars-and-events/storer-endowment/past-lectures/2016-2017.html”
Aggie Transcript Interview—Dr. Daniel Starr
By Lauren Uchiyama, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ’17
Author’s Note:
“I chose to write this piece because I felt Dr. Dan Starr is unique in that he is equally passionate about teaching and research. As an undergraduate in his BIS 104 cell biology class, I feel he highlights research well by teaching us from an experimental and historical perspective, which makes learning even more fun and interesting. His reputation as a difficult, yet acclaimed educator has made him one of the most prominent biology professors at UC Davis. I hope you enjoy getting to know him as much as I did!”