Undergraduate Research and Internships

Undergraduate research is an exciting opportunity for biology students to work with faculty and experience the process of discovery. The biology faculty has developed a culture of scholarship in which students learn how to use research to strengthen their understanding of biological concepts. Undergraduate research is actively encouraged throughout the students' curriculum to invigorate learning.

Nazareth students have completed research investigations in a variety of areas including genetics, developmental biology, ecology, microbiology, animal physiology, and plant biology.

Faculty/Student Research Projects

2024

Plant Biology

This is the second summer of research for Dr. Patrick Garrett's group.  The Garrett group is working on plant biology research projects centered on establishing a sustainable farming/agriculture program on the Naz campus.

Summer 2024 students:
Alex Clancy (BIO)
Lauren DeYoung (CLS)
Meghan Giessler (GSU)
Kendall Liapis (BIO)

 

Establishing left-right asymmetry in vertebrates
 
 
Dr. Alin Vonica led a group of research students during summer 2024. Using stains for nuclei and microtubules, the group discovered that cells of the embryo close to the midline divide along the length of the embryo, while more lateral cells divide at 90 degrees, sideways. This gives us a cellular mechanism for the propagation of the original asymmetry signal, present only on the left side, close to the midline, to lateral tissues where the signal acts on future organs.

The group also started molecular biology work: they recovered old plasmids (bacterial transformation, DNA purification and DNA electrophoresis analysis after cutting with restriction enzymes), and purified RNA.

As the research continues, they will analyze gene expression on the left and right sides of embryos using RT-PCR, use expression of a fluorescent protein to label individual live cells by time lapse microscopy, and inject RNA for intracellular transcription factors to turn on asymmetric signaling in a location of out choice.

Dr. Vonica's Summer 2024 students:

Brianna LaRose (ENVS)
Ismail Mohamed (BMS)

 

 

2023

During the summer of 2023, students participated in a variety of research projects with Biology Department faculty members:

Evolution and paleobiology of African snakes
(Dr. Jacob McCartney with students:  Lilianna Hanning and Catherine Zak)