Life Sciences Seminar: GSoLS Student Seminar

Life Sciences Seminar
GSoLS Student Seminar
Paige Arieno, Evan Batte, Sam Conflitti, Shui Li Eu-Balint, Nikki Fuller, Jayson Kucharek, and Serena Tuytschaevers
GSoLS BS and MS Students, RIT

Students will present four research projects they have been working on in GSoLS this year.

Abstract: Students will present four research projects they have been working on in GSoLS this year. "Closing the gap on sources and sinks of anthropogenic debris across an urban to rural gradient in the Great Lakes Basin" Plastic pollution is a significant threat to ecosystem and human health. This research aims to better understand this threat by assessing the sources of plastic pollution from rural to urban regions in the Lake Ontario watershed, evaluating hot spots of debris accumulation and degradation that retain pollution in the watershed, and developing a regional budget for plastic pollution to estimate quantity and identity of debris entering the Lake. "Unveiling the Signaling Pathways of Mother of Millions, an emerging Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) model" Kalanchoe delagoensis, also known as Mother of Millions, is an obligate CAM plant that rapidly proliferates through plantlet formation on its leaf edges, making it an ideal CAM model species. Despite its unique biology, little is known about its molecular signaling and defense responses. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by profiling key signaling molecules in response to phytohormone treatment. "Pairing is Sharing: Critical thinking improves when working in pairs" Analogies are often used by experts to communicate complex ideas in science. In this study, we explored how learners communicate their ideas about genetic information flow using analogies and how different environments (working alone or working with a partner) impact critical thinking skills. "Isolation, Whole-Genome Sequencing, Annotation and Characterization of Two Antibiotic-Producing and -Resistant Bacteria, Pantoea rodasii RIT 836 and Pseudomonas soli RIT 838, Collected from the Environment." Several bacterial strains isolated from the environment near the RIT campus were found to be resistant to multiple clinically relevant antibiotics. We found that two strains, Pantoea rodasii RIT 836 and Pseudomonas soli RIT 838, produce bactericidal compounds against Escherichia coli and hope to further analyze their genomes to get insights into the antibiotic resistance and production by these bacteria.

Intended Audience: Beginners, undergraduates, graduates. Those with interest in the topic.

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