Research Projects
Seeing the first incidence of the Assassin bug instars rub their tarsi (hands and feet) on the eggs they were born from.
Determining experimentally why the first instars Assassin bugs rub their tarsi on the eggs they emerge from. Many theories have been developed such as the sticky residue being the substitute for a paramount gland that is developed, and used by the later instars that make their tarsi stickier making two convincing theories of why this occurs; either the sticky residue allows them to hunt more effectively and or it allows them to have a better grip on the surface they are on.
Using specific enzymes to determine the bioavailability of phosphorus in agricultural soil.
Since plants need phosphorus to grow well, it is important to plant them in a field with sufficient phosphorus levels. Since there is no physical way to measure phosphorus, This project will be researching how chemical reactions can be used to indirectly measure phosphorus levels in soil. He will use the product of the reactions to determine phosphorus levels.
Testing various genetic forms within the species Arabidopsis.
Our lab will be analyzing seed development in plants through the genetic transformation and crossing of Arabidopsis plants. In some reproductive crosses between members of this species, development of the seed fails. She will attempt to locate this specific point in development by inserting extra copies of a certain growth gene at various stages and seeing whether its expression makes the cross successful.
The relative contribution of the soleus and the gastrocnemius muscles to ankle plantar flexion torque in cyclist and runners.
There are two primary objectives to this study. The first is to quantify the relative force contribution the two primary muscles on the back of the lower leg (the soleus and gastrocnemius) make to ankle strength in cycling and running athletes as a function of the position of the knee and ankle joints when these athletes extend their ankle in a motion similar to pressing the gas pedal of a car to the floor. The second objective is to test the hypothesis that maximum ankle strength is achieved at different ankle and knee joint angles for cycling and running.
Maggot Aggregation
The presence of certain insects, such as maggots, that are found at a crime scene are useful in determining the time of a person’s death. Currently, when forensic entomologists collect insect samples from crime scenes, they collect only a few samples since they assume that the sample sizes accurately represent how other insects are spread throughout the decedent. Thus, if Arjun Chandra’s research demonstrates that maggots aggregate themselves based upon species lines, forensic entomologists would have to change the way in which they collect insect samples from crime scenes.
How aerosol particles at ground level are resuspended in the atmosphere
This project explores the ways that particles on the ground, particularly pollution and fine dusts, are re-suspended into the atmosphere by forces such as wind. After these particles are swept into the air, they can threaten human health when inhaled. This research study also considers detrimental effects on humans such as the development of asthma.
Design, construct, and characterize various artificial RNA temperature switches that control gene expression in living cells
The project is about controlling gene expression with RNA switches. There are many switches in nature which respond to temperature in their environment that will turn on or off the production of certain proteins. Most switches turn on production at higher temperatures, but the project involves creating and understanding a switch which turns on at lower temperatures and off at higher temperatures.
Chemotaxis and how napthalene affects the genes that regulate this natural occurrence and possibly make it better
The specific goal of my research is to determine, that if a neighbor gene to the already known helpful gene known as nahY, how it helps the bacteria function in ridding of toxic organic chemicals in the environment. The research lab knows this gene, aka nahX, does aid in this function, however, by me cloning a plasmid with all the bacteria’s genes on it, I can help aid in discovering it’s real contrubution towards this process.
Developing a web-based interface to facilitate customized and adaptable physical activity prescription
The goal of this project is to create and program a secure website that can receive, log, and process information from online surveys and remote physical activity monitors, as well as send information back to a remote user. This goal will be achieved by (1) analyzing the features/compatibility of different web development programs, programming languages and database management software, (2) selecting the most appropriate software or combination of software that will satisfy the requirements of a physical activity monitoring and prescription program currently in development while ensuring rigorous security, and (3) create and test a website that provides the desired functionality and expandability.
Matching the behavior of the parasitic root-knot nematodes’ ability and tendency to form galls in plant roots to a specific gene sequence in the organism’s genome
Observations will be made of nematode behavior and their ability to create cancer-like growths called “galls”. Then, certain known gene sequences will be turned off, and the resulting organism will be observed. The gene sequence that affects the tendency of nematodes to form galls will be known when there is no observable formation of the growths.