2014 URSCI Summer Scholars

Joseph Biggs. Joseph is a chemistry major. He is sponsored by Dr. Daniela Andrei. Joseph will be studying a branch of chemical synthesis know as Ugi-Smiles MCRs, with the specific research question: Under what circumstances are they most productive and what products do they yield? Joseph will also seek to identify the structure of these product compounds via H NMR analysis, using facilities at Southern Illinois University, which has agreed to allow him to use their H NMR machine for his analysis of product compounds. Joseph will present his findings at the 2015 Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Investigations Expo on April 7, 2015.

Catherine Conte. Catherine is a double major in psychology and neuroscience. She is the 2014 Jared-Beach Summer Scholar in Neuroscience. She is jointly sponsored by Dr. Irina Calin-Jageman, biology, and Dr. Bob Calin-Jageman, psychology. Catherine’s research will focus on how memories are stored within the brain. She will use Aplysia Californica as the model organism because they have a simplified neurological system and lend themselves to sensitization training using electric shocks (she will use different sides of the organism as experimental and control groups). Her ultimate goal is to determine if changes occur specifically in motor neurons that help produce Aplysia reflexes. Catherine will present her findings at the 2015 Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Investigations Expo on April 7, 2015, and also will submit a poster session for presentation at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience conference.