Comps, honors papers, and prize-winning works of the Biology Department are featured here. All works have been self-submitted by the student authors. Descriptive information about each work is available to search or browse. Access to the full text of the works is limited to current Carleton affiliates with faculty permission. Learn more about how to submit your work and how to request access to the full text of works.
In addition to this digital archive, physical copies of past Biology comps are available for browsing in the Biology office (Hulings Hall 214).
Submissions from 2022
Anna Bridgeman, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Human Development and Cancer Show Parallels in Alternative Splicing
Athena Brooks, Biology (BIOL) 2022, IRF4 as a Central Transcription Factor Determining Long Lived Plasma Cell Fate in the Germinal Center
Garrett Chappell, Biology (BIOL) 2022, The Role of Blimp-1 in the Metabolism and Resulting Longevity of Long-lived Plasma Cells
Allen Cheng, Biology (BIOL) 2022, BLIMP-1 is an Essential Master Regulator of the Metabolic Shift from Naïve B-Cell to Plasma Cell
Egan Choi, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Current research on IL-13 shows potential of personalized treatments
Eloise Cowan, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Fate, It’ s About the T Cells You Connect With: Fate Determination of Germinal Center Memory B Cells
Lucy Cui, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Bcl6 Regulates Expressions of Transcription Factors Blimp1, Irf4 and Bach2 Leading to Naïve B Cell Fate Decision
Bennie Dai, Biology (BIOL) 2022, CD28-Mediated Survival in Long-Lived Plasma Cells
Maia Danks, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Animal-based seed dispersal increases seedling establishment and species richness in tropical forest restoration
Satya Das, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Mutations in the ciliary proteins, polycystin-1 and polycystin-2, inhibit the function of renal primary cilia and promote cystogenesis
Andi Delgado, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Size-Selective Predation in Kelp Forest Trophic Cascades and Their Effects on Marine Protected Areas
Lydia DiIulio, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Mutations in IFT-B Proteins IFT52, IFT81, and IFT88 Cause Human Skeletal Ciliopathies by Disrupting Hedgehog Signaling through Alterations to the Structure of the Cilium
Jimena Dominguez, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Effects of multi-species interactions and trophic dynamic on declining kelp forest abundance and the implications for future ecosystem restorations
Elizabeth Farr, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Comparing the Role of Cis- and Trans-Acting Factors in Regulating Alternative Splicing and Their Contribution to Human Disease
Eve Farrell, Biology (BIOL) 2022, The complex roles of plant-soil feedbacks in promoting and maintaining biodiversity in native grassland restoration attempts
Brie Forster, Biology (BIOL) 2022, The Utility of Trans-splicing as a Treatment for Genetic Disease
Elijah Goldberg, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Hyperexpression of TNF-α Due to Severe Infection Promotes a STAT5 Mediated Reduction in T Follicular Helper Cells and Immune Memory
Emily Hall, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Mutated Ciliary Ultrastructure: Dysfunctional Motility and Implications for Clinical Outcomes
Yelena Hallman, Biology (BIOL) 2022, The Relationship Between Diet and Genomic Plasticity in the Human Gut Microbiome
Julaluck Intasin, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Two-speed Genome Theory in Fungi
Sydney Marie Jones, Biology (BIOL) 2022, When Fire Feeds Fire: Evolution of Flammability Induces Positive Fire-Vegetation Feedback Loops in Subgenus Pinus
Alec Kotler, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Alternative Splicing: A Focus on Disruptors to the Mechanism Leading to Disease and Illuminating Therapeutic Possibility
Todd Laffaye, Biology (BIOL) 2022, The Role of Cilia and Hedgehog Signaling in Medulloblastoma: Complex Drivers and Advantageous Targets for the Treatment of Shh-Dependent Oncology
Nghi Lam, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Alternative splicing: determinative role of cis elements and trans factors in disease and therapy
Serena Lee, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Disturbance Amplifies Predator Pressure: An Analysis of Predators in Restoration Projects
Alec Leonetti, Biology (BIOL) 2022, The Evolution of the Role of Cilia in Asymmetric Left-Right Axis Patterning
Zachary J. Lewis, Biology (BIOL) 2022, The transcription factor Bach2 drives memory B cell differentiation from the germinal center as a result of low-affinity B cell receptor signaling.
Carly Lo, Biology (BIOL) 2022, An Explosion of Aquatic Life: A Comparative Evaluation of the Impact of Wildfires on Freshwater and Marine Phytoplankton Communities
Nothando N. Mangena, Biology (BIOL) 2022, In malaria, Interferon gamma induced T-bet expression increases B cell affinity but reduces their capacity to clear infection
Sydney Marsh, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Therapeutic Application for Cis and Trans Splicing Mutations
Katherine McFerrin, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Genomic Signatures of Virulence: The Effects of Pathogenicity Islands on Pathogen Fitness
Ben Mellin, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Faunal Biodiversity and Pyrodiversity in Western North American Forests: Flaws in the Current Literature
Ayasa Michii, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Alternative Splicing in Development, Aging, and Diseases
Colleen Milligan, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Restoring Patchy Coniferous Forests through Prescribed Fires and Thinning Efforts to Better Prepare Them for the Effects of Climate Change
Ella Milliken, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Unique E. globulous Chemistry in Eucalypt Forests Influences Abnormal PyOM Production in Response to Fire Severity
Katherine Nowak, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Optogenetics as a Means to Improve Human Perception
Mark Paine, Biology (BIOL) 2022, A Comparison of the Ciliary Mechanisms and Genetic Mutations Underlying Situs Inversus and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
Jackson Piccirillo, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Improves Plant Health, Productivity, and Tolerance to Environmental Stress By Influencing Plant Physiology, Soil Ecological Interactions, and Soil Structure Engineering
Isak Poulsen, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Fire-Induced Evolutionary Traits and How They Will Fare Against Short-Interval, High-Intensity Fires
Paul Ready, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Pancreatic cancer as a ciliopathy: the role of primary cilia in driving and suppressing tumorigenesis and metastasis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas
Anna Roberts, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Optogenetic and Chemogenetic Approaches to Studying Neural Circuitry and Therapeutic Mechanisms in Parkinson's Disease
Jevon Robinson, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Exploring the Viral-Cilia Interface
Leah R. Snidman, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Interactions Between Insects and Other Organisms Impact Grassland Ecosystems and Restoration Efforts
Andrea Tartaglia, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Disruption of RNA splicing: A pathway to disease and a target for modern therapeutics
Zichen Tian, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Changes in B cell populations in the Dura Mater meninges: Homeostasis VS. Multiple Sclerosis
Finn Uyeki, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Application Of The Stress-Gradient Hypothesis to Restoration Efforts
Will Walsh, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Antisense Oligonucleotide-mediated Manipulation of the Alternative Splicing Regulatory Machinery Corrects Disease-causing Aberrant Splicing
Walter Williamson, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Evaluating the Importance of SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Droplet Dispersal and Persistence in Indoor and Outdoor Environments
Talia Williams, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Ciliary Intraflagellar Transport in Embryonic Craniofacial Patterning
Xavier Xiong, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Exploration of the Effect of CRISPR-Cas Systems on Horizontal Gene Transfer: A Cost and Benefit Analysis
Mathew Zappa, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Impacts of Fire on Fluvial Macroinvertebrates; The Effects of Resource and Habitat Shifts
Mary Zhang, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Toolkits for Controlling Microbial Consortia
Submissions from 2021
Sarah Allaben, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Complex Interactions between the Coral Holobiont and Environmental Stressors Necessitate a New Paradigm of Disease Research
Kano Amagai, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Bats Exhibit Suppressed Inflammation Upon Viral Infection Due to Flight-Induced Oxidative Stress
Jessalyn Ayars, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Evaluating the Mechanisms of the Dilution Effect Hypothesis of Pathogen Prevalence for Hantavirus, Leptospirosis, and Lyme Disease
Asha Bozicevich, Biology (BIOL) 2021, The Positive Feedback Loop between IL-10 Production, STAT3 Activation, BLIMP-1 Expression, and T cell Exhaustion
Brevin A. Clark, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Small Change, Big Impact - the Role of a Four Amino Acid Addition to the S1/S2 Site of SARS-CoV-2
Josephine Conn, Biology (BIOL) 2021, It's Batty! The Unique Antiviral Response of Type-I Interferons in Bats
Maris Daleo, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Black and White Patterns Deter Biting Flies: An Analysis of Zebras and Related Ungulates
Nina Denne, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Key Epigenetic & Transcriptional Factors Regulating T Cell Exhaustion Indicate Exhausted CD8+ T cells Cluster Into 4 Distinct Subsets
Danielle Dudley, Biology (BIOL) 2021, SARS-CoV-2 Induced Cytokine Storm Inhibits mTOR Function in CD8+ T cells
Eliana Durnbaugh, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Mood – Modifying Microbes: Bacterial Production of Anti-Inflammatory Tryptophan Indoles Link Probiotic Use and Reduced Depression
Kate Engel, Biology (BIOL) 2021, A Mechanistic Approach to PD-1 Metabolic Restriction of CD8 T Cell Fate and Function
Ben George, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Genomic and Epigenetic Variance in HPV16 Affect Viral Carcinogenicity and Cervical Cancer Outcomes
Emma Greenlee, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Invasive Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Alter Biogeochemical Cycling in Native Ecosystems
Glenn Peter Gullickson IV, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Cephalopod Crypsis: The Production of Camouflage Patterns in Response to Photoreception in the Eyes and Skin
Alec Jacobson, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Spike Mutations in B.1.1.7 and Other SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern Modify Viral Pathogenicity and Interfere with Antibody Neutralization
Erin Jenson, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Tracking Transmission of Measles Virus by Sequencing Various Regions of the Genome
Helen Keithahn, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Tolerating Viruses Right Off the Bat: The Unique Innate Immune Response in Bats
Zach Kulstad, Biology (BIOL) 2021, PD-1 and Tim-3 Cooperate to Inhibit TCR Signaling in Severely Exhausted CD8+ T Cells
Grace Leuchtenberger, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Every Breath (of COVID-19) You Take: Aerosols Driving COVID-19 Superspreader Events
Amy Lin, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Porphyromonas gingivalis Induces MyD88- and LPS- Independent Inhibition of PROS1 Anti-Inflammatory Function
Kaela Mali, Biology (BIOL) 2021, ARF We There Yet?: The H. pylori Driven, Subnuclear Translocation of ARF Protein
Maxime Munyeshyaka, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Uncovering Mechanisms of Oligodendrocytes in Learning and Memory
Lucy Neumann, Biology (BIOL) 2021, The Applicability of the Costly Signaling Hypothesis and the Index Hypothesis as Adaptive Explanations for Honest Quality Signaling in Carotenoid-Based Male Bird Plumage
Rose Newell, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Fungal and Viral Coinfection: The Impact on Viral Shedding in Bats
Lucy Newman, Biology (BIOL) 2021, R-loop Structures Are Implicated in Epigenetic Dysregulation Characteristic of Trinucleotide Repeat Expansions in Non-Coding Genomic Regions
Maggy Osha, Biology (BIOL) 2021, The Role of Repeat RNA in TriNucleotide Repeat Disease Pathology and Treatment
Alex Poeschla, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Tim-3 Mediates Cytotoxic T Cell Exhaustion in Cancer but Beneficially Maintains Maternal-Fetal Tolerance in Pregnancy
Thomas Rubino, Biology (BIOL) 2021, An Assessment of the Factors That Modulate Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2
Ben Schnieders, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Critical Factors Predict Whether Evolutionary Rescue Will Occur in Bats and Amphibians Threatened by Novel Fungal Pathogens: Chytridiomycosis and White-nose Syndrome
Claire Schregardus, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Effect of a Strong Type I Interferon Response on Interferon-Stimulated Gene Expression and Viral Persistence in Bats
Lakshya Seth, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Blimp-1: A Key Transcription Factor in Mediating T cell Response to Persistent Antigen Stimulation
Emma Shedd, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Shifting U.S. Temperate Forests from Ecto- to Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Associations: How Will Carbon Stocks Respond?
Raba Tefera, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Role of Constitutive Expression of Type I Interferons and the Effects of Virus Coevolution in Bats
Maria Thurow, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Catching My Breath - Aerosol and Droplet Deposition of SARS-CoV-2 in Lung Tissue
Matthew Watowich, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Chronic Type-I Interferon Stimulation Accelerates Established HIV-1 Infection and Progression to AIDS
Parmida Yazdanpanah, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Bats Avoid the Pathologies of Viral Infection via Immune Dampening
Gavin Young, Biology (BIOL) 2021, Predicting Pathogen Danger Through the Use of Biodiversity Metrics
Cloris Zhang, Biology (BIOL) 2021, The Contradictory Role of Reactive Astrocytes in Alzheimer’s Disease
Submissions from 2020
Daniel Alexander, Biology (BIOL) 2020, Optimizing CAR T Cell Signaling Domains to Modify Metabolism and Increase Efficacy Against Neuroblastoma
Nof Babajide, Biology (BIOL) 2020, Incidence of Autism in Response to Changes in Brain Asymmetry
Nicholas Baer, Biology (BIOL) 2020, The Role of Ion Channels in ATP-Induced Microglial Chemotaxis
Julie Bailard, Biology (BIOL) 2020, Cation Channels Cooperate to Influence Microglial Necroptosis and Inflammatory Signaling in White Matter Neurodegenerative Disease
Stan Birdsong, Biology (BIOL) 2020, Effects of Habenular Nuclei Asymmetry on Behavior
Caroline Boroughs, Biology (BIOL) 2020, Initiation of Parturition in Humans
Am Bovornvirakit, Biology (BIOL) 2020, The Cascading Effects of Intraguild Predation and Refugia on Animal Behavior
Julia Braulick, Biology (BIOL) 2020, Why Plants Become Invasive: Enemy Release, Resource Availability, and Herbivore Preferences
Christian Cavan, Biology (BIOL) 2020, Reduced Age and Premature Juvenile Salmon Migration Impacts a Decrease in Adult Size
Celeste Chen, Biology (BIOL) 2020, The Role of β-NGF in Induced Ovulation in Camelids
