Student Honors Research: 2000 - 2004

mherst's Biology Department has a long tradition of active research by its faculty and participation of senior majors and other students in this research. Biology majors who enter the Honors Program devote about half of their academic effort during the senior year to research, and the resulting thesis is often the basis of their first scientific publication.


Class of 2004

Arroyo, Jazmine E. "The effect of bill length and curvature of female Eulampis jugularis on feeding efficiency and cost at three St. Lucian heliconias" (Advisor: Prof. Temeles).

Chien, May C. "Obtaining catalytic antibodies using phage display" (Advisor: Prof. Ratner).

Eaton, Christian T. "Phospholipid transport properties of P 4 -type ATPase mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae" (Advisor: Prof. Williamson).

Kudla, Alexei U. "The effect of increased nectar availability and competition on traplining behavior in female Eulampis jugularis" (Advisor: Prof. Temeles).

McGaughey, David M. "Localization of APH-1 protein in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos" (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).

Murphy, Caleb E. "Costs and benefits of aggressive behavior in female Betta splendens : Evidence for intersexual conflict?" (Advisor: Prof. Clotfelter).

Savage, Anna E. "Molecular characterization of the S -locus in Lycium : Breakdown of gametophytic self-incompatibility and the evolution of gender dimorphism" (Advisor: Prof. Miller).

Stanton-Geddes, John L. "Breeding systems and reproductive ecology of Lobelia spicata and L. siphilitica (Campanulaceae) in Massachusetts." (Advisor: Prof. Miller).

Tu, Hieu M. "In vitro phagocytosis: Recognition and engulfment of apoptotic cells" (Advisor: Prof. Williamson).

Waffarn, Elizabeth E. "Intraclonal adoptive transfer of secondary immune responses to naive bovine neonates" (Advisor: Prof. Goldsby).


Class of 2003

Appelbaum, Jacob S. "Approaches to the identification of proteins important in nuclear envelope assembly" (Advisor: Prof. Poccia).

Claggett, Julia M. "Investigation into the role of aph-1 during vulval morphogenesis of C. elegans using GFP" (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).

Goldman, Robin S. "The economics of territorial defense in the purple-throated carib hummingbird: A cost-benefit analysis" (Advisor: Prof. Temeles).

Hernandez Rojas, Daniela F. "Sodium calcium exchange, supernormality, and the depolarizing afterpotential in the median giant axon of Lumbricus terrestris" (Advisor: Prof. George).

Machao, Joshua T. "The evolution of virulence and antibiotic resistance in Vibrio cholerae from Bangladesh" (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Newman, Jamie J. "The role of DG17 in Dictyostelium discoideum" (Advisor: Prof. Ratner).

Rothschild, Jodie K. "A search for a method of gene introduction and selection in Scott cells" (Advisor: Prof. Williamson).

Scangos, Katherine W. "Physical mapping of the sap-1(ik-1) gene in C. elegans" (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).

Tran, Thanh C. "Space use in syntopic small mammals, Peromyscus leucopus and Clethrionomys gapperi" (Advisor: Dr. Bruseo).

Wexler, Elizabeth M. A The use of microsatellites and PCR to determine relatedness of Peromyscus leucopus @ Bruseo.

Yeboah, Shormeh O. "Genetic interactions between presenilins, aph-1 and sao-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans" (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).


Class of 2002

Amiel, Eyal. "Gene targeting of homologous RING finger genes in Dictyostelium discoideum" (Advisor: Prof. Ratner).

Harrison, Nicole M. "Evolution of virulence in Vibrio cholerae: a comparison of strains from Latin America and Bangladesh" (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Heller, Paul J. "The association between virulence and antibiotic resistance in isolates of Vibrio cholerae 01 and 0139 in Bangladesh" (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Malowitz, Jonathan R. "A genetic investigation of the role of ABC1 in phospholipid transport" (Advisor: Prof. Williamson).

Morelli, Meisha A. "Phage display: Using bacteriophages to detect and isolate catalytic antibodies" (Advisor: Prof. Ratner)

Peloquin, Lauren E. "The economics of territorial defense in purple-throated Carib hummingbirds" (Advisor: Prof. Temeles).

Schulz, Jacob F. "Cheating for dummies: RegA and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis in Dictyostelium discoideum" (Advisor: Prof. Ratner).

Slutsky, Elon B. "The relative importance of food and sex in the territorial behavior of male E. jugularis" (Advisor: Prof. Temeles).

Steele, Denise B. " Pair-bonding and parental investment in the dwarf seahorse, Hippocampus zosterae" (Advisor: Prof. Masonjones).

Sullivan, Nora L. "The role of APH-1 in the notch signaling pathway of C. elegans" (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).

Vitousek-Bemis, Maren N. "The effects of energy reward and intruder type on territorial responses in the purple-throated Carib Hummingbird, (Eulampis jugularis)" (Advisor: Prof. Temeles).

Wexler, Bryan J. "The continuing evolution of antibiotic resistance in Vibrio cholerae from Bangladesh" (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Wieland, Courtney B. "A minimally altered primary cell line facilitates genetic modification of bovine fibroblasts" (Advisor: Prof. Goldsby).


Class of 2001

Dayaram, Tajhal "The evolution of antibiotic resistance in Vibrio cholerae isolates from Bangladesh" (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Gelin, Murline "Characterization of sap-2(ik4), a suppressor of the aph-1 gene in C. elegans" (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).

Hausmann, Jonathan S. "The relationship between sex roles, sex ratios and sexual dimorphisms in the mating system of the Gulf pipefish, Syngnathus scovelli", (Advisor: Prof. Masonjones).

Koehler, Elizabeth Y. "Oncogenic transformation of bovine fibroblasts with defined genetic elements" (Advisor: Prof. Goldsby).

Macharia, Edwin M. "The life and times of cholera: a comparative look at the evolution of virulence and antibiotic resistance of Vibrio cholerae in Bangladesh and Latin America" (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Mino, Alexander K. "The evolution of Vibrio cholerae in South America: geographic variation in the evolution of virulence" (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Muir, Amanda B. "The roles of food and sex in floral use by Eulampis jugularis" (Advisor: Prof. Temeles).

Oberst, Andrew A. "The fate of lipid rafts in the bilayer of apoptotic cells: a possible general mechanism for recognition of apoptotic cells in vivo" (Advisor: Prof. Williamson).

Reece, Naomi S. "Evolution and maintenance of monogamy in the dwarf seahorse, Hippocampus zosterae" (Advisor: Prof. Masonjones).

Rice-Townsend, Samuel E. "Evolution of antibiotic resistance in Vibrio cholerae from Ecuador, Chile and Peru" (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Robbins, Erika A. "Creating antibodies to Phosphorylated and unphosphorylated sperm-specific histones SpH1 and SpH2B" (Advisor: Prof. Poccia).

Roh, Jason D. "Characterization of the recombination activating gene-1 (RAG-1) in cattle" (Advisor: Prof. Goldsby).

Santos, John J. "An investigation into the role of ABC1 in the phospholipid movement of apoptotic and calcium-induced cells" (Advisor: Prof. Williamson).

Wynn, David J. "Localization of the APH-1 protein in C. elegans embryos using green fluorescent protein" (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).

Zylberberg, Maxine "Temporal and spatial variation in the virulence of Vibrio cholerae in Bangladesh" (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).


Class of 2000

Balthazar (Stablein), Ursula. "Mapping the Sites of in Vitro Phosphorylation of the Sea Urchin Sperm Specific Histones SpH1 and SpH2B." (Advisor: Prof. Poccia).

Chau, Christopher Y. Cytometric Assay of Translocase Activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae." (Advisor: Prof. Williamson).

Lang, Amanda J. "Evolution of Vibrio cholerae in Ecuador: Temporal Changes in Toxigenicity and Antibiotic Resistance." (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Libel, Camila. "Probing the Function of C. elegans aph-2: A Genetic Approach." (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).

Lin, Shin-Yi. "Characterization of Suppressors of aph-1 Mutants." (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).

Ng, Susie W. "A Pharmacological and Genetic Investigation of ABC Protein Involvement in Calcium-Induced Transbilayer Lipid Movement." (Advisor: Prof. Williamson).

Reavey, Patrick L. "The Use of R18-Dequenching and Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Assays in Monitoring Nuclear Vesicle Fusion in a Sea Urchin in Vitro System." (Advisor: Prof. Poccia).

Suderman, Tamara R. "Constructing a Molecular Phylogeny of the Aphnaeini (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)." (Advisor: Prof. Ewald).

Tsunozaki, Makoto. "Comparative Analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans and Caenorhabditis briggsae aph-2 Genes and a Search for the C. elegans aph-1 Gene", (Advisor: Prof. Goutte).


Last Updated:
1 May 2014 TLR