Big East Undergraduate Research Symposium
Providence College is proud to be participating in the third Annual Big East Undergraduate Research Symposium on Saturday, March 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Each BIG EAST school was invited to send five research projects. Congratulations to these Providence College students representing PC!
Read about last year’s inaugural symposium and the second annual symposium.
Investigation of cell signaling components affected by microneedles in cultured human skin keratinocytes
Alexandra Delano ’25
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yinsheng Wan, Biology
Microneedles have been applied to deliver genes, drugs, and vaccines through human skin for more than two decades, mainly because microneedles remarkably increase the skin permeability of those agents. Most recently, microneedles have been in vogue in cosmetics on the premise that microneedles may rejuvenate skin cells. Studies have demonstrated that repeated application of microneedles does not alter skin appearance or barrier function, suggesting the safety of this fashionable cosmetics approach. While microneedles are applied with successful effects, there are only a few reports on the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which microneedles affect skin cells. Without understanding the mechanism behind microneedling, over-usage may lead to skin cancer or other diseases. The objectives of this study are 1) to study the cytoskeletal and mitochondrial proteins, 2) to investigate autophagy-related pathways, 3) to study chromatin remodeling and its associated proteins, and 4) to investigate the expression of specific genes via RNA sequencing. Our results demonstrate that microneedles alter cytoskeleton structure, induce nuclear translocation of autophagy related proteins ATG-5 and ATG-12, phosphorylation increase of Histone-3, and downregulate growth related genes such as SMAD6 and CHCHD10.
Mapping Star Formation Histories in Nearby Galaxies to Understand the Early Universe
Katherine Kudla ’24
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joseph Ribaudo, Engineering and Physics
The Epoch of The Epoch of Reionization (EoR), or the final transition phase of our universe, occurred between 150 million and 1 billion years after the Big Bang. This was when Lyman continuum photons escaped galaxies and ionized the neutral hydrogen that surrounded them. There are many mysteries, from the EoR, we must explore to more fully understand how galaxies formed and evolved through time. We map the star formation histories in 6 nearby Extreme-Emission-Line-Galaxies (EELGs), considered local analogs of those from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). We use integral field spectroscopy to extract and analyze the emission and absorption spectra (Balmer lines) for the different stellar complexes identified in each galaxy. Using stellar population synthesis model, BEAGLE, to generate mock galaxy spectra, we compare the Balmer lines of our sample stellar complexes to those of the simulated stellar complexes. We use this comparison to approximate stellar population ages and their distributions throughout each galaxy. In addition to providing a preliminary theory for Lyman continuum photon escape, a phenomenon crucial to the EoR, this research motivates future research on these 6 local analog galaxies. We can investigate why it is that these 6 “modern-day” galaxies so closely resemble those from the EoR.
Nos Populi: Classical Influences on James Madison’s Mortal Disease
Raymond Jarvis ’24
Faculty Mentor: Fr. Christopher Justin Brophy, O.P., Political Science
The solutions to the mortal disease of faction that James Madison raised in Federalist No. 10 in 1787, are no longer viable in the modern age due to the invention of the internet and a decline in political sentiment. Through an analysis of Madison’s Greek and Roman influences, this issue can be approached in the same manner that he did, and new solutions (or at least salves) to this perpetual problem can be created in order to secure the future.
Characterizing the Enzymatic Activity of Azoreductases in the Gut Microbiome
Audrey Long ’24 and Emma Mortara ’24
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tyler Stack, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The human gut microbiome is home to trillions of microbes which produce various enzymes that have the capacity to react with drugs, food, and other compounds we consume. These reactions create metabolites that can have different effects than the original compounds. However, these interactions are difficult to predict due to variation in gut microbiome composition over time and between individuals, and because of the unknown activities of these human-dwelling microbes. Our lab focuses on a promiscuous family of enzymes, known as azoreductases, which chemically reduce a variety of drugs, food dyes, and other biological molecules. By monitoring the time-dependent visible light changes of these molecules, we tracked the reactions of an azoreductase found in a gut bacterium with various substrates and determined the kinetic rates of these transformations. These reactions were also examined to determine the chemical identity of the metabolites produced by this enzyme after reacting with a library of drugs and food additives. We plan to further characterize the activity of more azoreductases using similar methods, and through this characterization of the total enzymatic activity found in various human microbiomes, we can one day predict an individual’s response to compounds, minimizing side effects, and improving personalized medicine.
Hunger-sensing hypothalamic neurons drive food consumption despite environmental threat
Madeline Rahilly ’24 and Emma Morley ’25
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ryan Post, Psychology
Animals have multiple competing drives that attempt to differentially influence behavior. How does a coherent behavior emerge when faced with conflicting survival needs like hunger and fear? To address this question, we optogenetically stimulated a population of hunger-sensing neurons in the hypothalamus in at variable frequencies when food was only available in locations that signaled threat—either in the center of a large open field or adjacent to predator odor. We found that mice gradually consumed more food as stimulation frequency increased, suggesting that neural circuits for hunger may outcompete circuits for simultaneous needs to drive behavior.
