2024 REU Participants

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Jenna Blauser

Delaware State University
Mentor: Motoki Takaku, Ph.D.
Project: Progesterone Receptor Regulates miRNA Expression to Suppress Breast Cancer Proliferation

Derik Bull

Cankdeska Cikana Community College, ND
Mentor: Brent Voels, Ph.D.; Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D.
Project: Confirming Species Identity of Pollinators on the Tribal Lands of Spirit Lake Nation by Sequencing the Mitochondrial COX1 Gene

Caroline Cambron

Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Mentor: Vasyl Tkach, Ph.D.; Joseph Mehus, Ph.D.
Project: Ecology and Feeding Preferences of Mosquitoes in Traill County, North Dakota

Maycee Carter

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Melanie Nadeau, Ph.D.; Corey Smith, Ph.D.
Project: Maternal Mortality and Racial Misclassification of American Indian and Alaska Natives on Death Certificates

Daniel Castillo

Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Mentor: David Bradley, Ph.D.
Project: Intracellular survival of Yersinia pestis in M1 & M2 Macrophages

Antoinette Chalmers

Sitting Bull College, ND
Mentor: Mafany Mongoh, Ph.D.; Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D.

Wacantkiya Eagle

Sitting Bull College, ND
Mentor: Mafany Mongoh, Ph.D.; Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D.

Makala Fabrizio

Middle Georgia State University, GA
Mentor: Vasyl Tkach, Ph.D.; Joseph Mehus, Ph.D.
Project: Ecology and Feeding Preferences of Mosquitoes in Traill County, North Dakota

Alex Gaitan

Iowa Western Community College
Mentor: Motoki Takaku, Ph.D.
Project: Impact of GATA3 Expression on Migration, Invasion, and Anchorage Dependency in Breast Cancer Cells

Kenicia Godinet

University of Hāwai’i at Hilo, HI
Mentor: Brian Darby, Ph.D.; Kathryn Yurkonis, Ph.D.
Project: Evaluating p-Nitrophenyl Phosphate in Soil Health of the Conservation Reserve Program Across Midwest and Northwest United States

Trea Gustafson

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D.
Project: Comparing Apis and Bombus gut microbiota

Anna Hovious

Emporia State University, Emporia, KS
Mentor: Brian Darby, Ph.D.; Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D.
Project: Signs of sharing between pollen and pollinator gut microbiota

Lauryn Jeanotte

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Scott Hanson, Ph.D.; Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D.
Project: Flower Flies: The Unsung Heroes of Pollination

Sam Johnson

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Brian Darby, Ph.D.; Kathryn Yurkonis, Ph.D.
Project: Quantifying Arylsulfatase Activity and its Implications on Soil Health across the Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands

Ashley Koenigs

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Brian Darby, Ph.D.; Kathryn Yurkonis, Ph.D.
Project:Improving Soil Quality:  The Impact of the Conservation Reserve Program in Active Carbon Sequestration​

Annick Lawson-Body

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Keith Henry, Ph.D.
Project: Substitutions at the glutamate 494 residue in the outer gate of the human serotonin transporter affects serotonin transport.

Chloe Ludwick

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Sarmad Al-Marsoummi, Ph.D.
Project: Response of CD133, CD24, ALDH1A1, PAX2, and SOX9 genes to Hypoxia and Proteasomal Inhibition in a Kidney progenitor Cell Model

Aiyana Montclair

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Amanda Haage, Ph.D.
Project: Using Stereolithography to Produce 3D Inserts to Imitate Cell Culture Scratch Assays

Jasmine Orea

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Benjamin Roche, Ph.D.
Project: Decoding the Secrets of Translation in Quiescent Cells using TRAP-seq

Jaelyn Palmer

Ashland University, OH
Mentor: Sarmad Al-Marsoummi, Ph.D.
Project: Effect of Hypoxia and Proteasomal Inhibition on NFKB1, NFKB2, NFKBIA, and NFKBIB Genes Expression in CD133+CD24+ Kidney Progenitor Cells

Jack Peterson

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Aaron Mehus, Ph.D.
Project: Proteasomal Inhibition Attenuates the Hypoxia-Induced Upregulation of Pro-Inflammatory Genes in Renal Progenitor Cells

Salome Puletiuatoa

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Brian Darby, Ph.D.; Kathryn Yurkonis, Ph.D.
Project: Assessing NAGase Activity in Soil Health within Conservation Reserve Program Areas

Raycee Reed

Turtle Mountain Community College
Mentor: Scott Hanson, Ph.D.; Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D.
Project: Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Populations in the Turtle Mountains, North Dakota

Cora Reinholt

University of North Dakota
Mentor: Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D.

Maverick Vang

University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, WI
Mentor: Vasyl Tkach, Ph.D.
Project: Helminths of Bowfin Amia calva at the Edge of its Distribution

Sonya Williams

Cankdeska Cikana Community College
Mentor: Brent Voels, Ph.D.; Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D.
Project: Confirming Species Identity of Pollinators on the Tribal Lands of Spirit Lake Nation by Sequencing the Mitochondrial COX1 Gene

Maggie Young

University of North Dakota
PI: Vasyl Tkach, Ph.D.
Project: Revealing New Relatives of Black Spot Parasites