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).

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Submissions from 2025

Navya Murahari, Biology (BIOL) 2025, RBM39 Degradation Catalyzed Aberrant Splicing Confers Cellular “Sight” for Human Cancer Immune Response

Submissions from 2024

Conor Babcock O'Neill, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Human-Accelerated Regions (HARs) & Schizophrenia: Evidence for a Genetic Driver and Recent Negative Selection

Margaret Blaney, Biology (BIOL) 2024, The Autoimmune and Disease-Specific Susceptibility Tradeoffs of Protective Pathogen-Driven Selection

Paloma Bravo, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Intestinal Epithelial Cells Expressing Toll-like-Receptors Communicate with T Regulatory Cells by Shaping the Commensal Microbial Community to Promote Gut Homeostasis

Kate Burton, Biology (BIOL) 2024, A New Immune System Danger Signal: Virally Induced Celiac Disease

Amy Chen, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Targeting proteins in the midgut of mosquitoes to prevent transmission of the malaria parasite

Natalia Crimmel, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Differential Regulation: Brains, Behavior and Disease

Vanessa Czerniecki, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Disordered Flanking Regions of Viral Short Linear Motifs potentially enhance Antibody Recognition

Sophie Draper, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Early Evolution of Homo sapiens: Origins From a Weakly Structured Stem

Anna Greenlee, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Future consequences of woody encroachment in U.S. grasslands

Abby Ignasiak, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Turn Up the Heat: The Importance of Temperature-Mediated Regulation of fHbp in N. meningitidis

Trevor Jones, Biology (BIOL) 2024, The Molecular Pathology and Therapeutic Potential of Autophagy in Alzheimer's Disease

Jelimo Kaitany, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Influence of Symbiodinium Heat Tolerance is Larger than Scleractinia on Coral Holobiont Recovery after Bleaching

Nicholas Lattal, Biology (BIOL) 2024, The evolutionary implications of adaptive introgression of Neanderthal and Denisovan genes in Eurasian

Makena Layton, Biology (BIOL) 2024, The Gut Microbiome, Leaky Gut and Autoimmunity

Sebastian Lee, Biology (BIOL) 2024, The Role of Gut Microbiota in the Pathogenesis of Major Depressive Disorder and Potential Gut-Targeted Antidepressant Therapies

Alice McClain, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Gardening the reef: future-proofing approaches to coral conservation

Ewan Miller, Biology (BIOL) 2024, A Coordinated Effort: The Recruitment of Regulatory T cells Involves Gut Microbes and the Vagus Nerve

Anya Mitton-Fry, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Latitude and avian life history strategies

Nicholas Moore, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Schizophrenia and the Human Noncoding Revolution: a New Evolutionary Framework

Shreya Nair, Biology (BIOL) 2024, A Gut feeling : Understanding the relationship between Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, the Gut Microbiome and Butyrate

Wanying Na, Biology (BIOL) 2024, The Role of VgrG-Associated Effectors in T6SS Structural Assembly, Firing and Interbacterial Competition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Brenna Russell, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Butyrate’s Maintenance of Colonic Homeostasis via PPARγ Activation

Emilie Scott, Biology (BIOL) 2024, α-synuclein and neuroinflammation pathology in Parkinson's Disease and Baicalein as an approach to halting disease progression

Ian Scott, Biology (BIOL) 2024, One Fish, Two fish, Hot Fish, Dead Fish: Effects of Temperature and Flow on Pacific Chinook Salmon

Mira Stephens, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Inhibition of Host Protein Synthesis by Legionella pneumophila as a Strategy for Amino Acid Acquisition and Host Cell Cycle Arrest

Micah Jay Strike, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Water flow as a rescue mechanism for corals during marine heatwaves

Blake Tran, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Saving Salmonids: Preparing Southwest Trout for Heat Waves and a Changing Climate

Vasilii Vaganov, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Decoding the Intricacies of Cajal Body Formation: Unveiling the Sequential Cascade of RNA Seeding, Coilin N-Terminal Oligomerization, and Coilin C-Terminal Recruitment

Isabella Vazquez, Biology (BIOL) 2024, The impact of heatwaves on temperature-dependent sex determination mechanisms in Trachemys scripta elegans

Aniketh Vipparla, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Duel of the Fates: Type VI Secretion System versus Biofilm in Acinetobacter baumannii Virulence

Jisoo Yeom, Biology (BIOL) 2024, Deciphering the Role of Phosphorylation in Period2 Using Frequency as a Model

Submissions from 2023

Collin Adams, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Multifaceted Role of Codon Usage Bias in Regulating Gene Expression

Kelsie Armstrong, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Acclimation and Fluctuating Temperatures Affect Ecological Performance and Development in Frogs

Sophie Baggett, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Alzheimer's Disease: Turning Towards Tau

Aaron Berkowitz, Biology (BIOL) 2023, ApoE-TREM 2 Interaction: An Important Regulator of Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis

Maddie Boulis, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Human Cytomegalovirus RNA2.7 aids Viral Immune Evasion

Ross Burnside, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Common Is Not Always Optimal: The Reasons for Using Rare Codons in Genes

Emma Carlson, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Codon usage bias as a regulatory mechanism of gene expression

Isabella Charlton, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Regulation of Abiotic Stress Response in Arabidopsis Via Alternative Splicing

Eleanor Chen, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Torpor-Associated Thermoregulation and Appetite Regulation in Endothermic Mammals: A Concerted and Tailored Process

Canute Collins, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Behavioral Torpor Regulation of the Little Brown Bat

Justin Crawmer, Biology (BIOL) 2023, SRSF1 is an Oncoprotein and is a Key Regulator of Bcl-x Alternative Splicing in Lung Cancer

Thang Dao, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Anthropogenic Noise Modulation of the Avian Gut Microbiome Drives Phenotypic Differentiation Between Urban and Rural Environments.

Adela Dujsikova, Biology (BIOL) 2023, SRSF1 and SRSF3 regulate the crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy through interactions with Bcl-x and BECN1.

Charles Dvergsten, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Ineffective Erythropoiesis and Anemia in Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Ringed Sideroblasts: The Role of SF3B1 Mutation

Alyssa Ehrhardt, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Interactions Between Copper Dysregulation and Biological Markers of Alzheimer's Disease

Kaylin Eliza Engerman, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Large-Scale Consequences of Ecological Mismatch between Bark Beetles and Their Host Trees

Max Felland, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Calcium Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s Disease: A view on NMDA receptors and Calcium Homeostasis Modulator Proteins

Will Feng, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Epstein-Barr Virus uses MicroRNAs as part of its Strategy for Host Immune Evasion

Connor Flinn, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Assessing the Combined Impacts of Anthropocene Stressors and Atmospheric/Geographic Features on Global Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) Aggregations

Allie Fridkin, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Phenological mismatch and specialist pollinators: a comparison of current hypotheses and case studies

Maia Li Garby, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems: An Analysis of Soil Carbon Storage, Sequestration, and Respiration

Thomas Gatewood, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Epstein-Barr Viral Proteins EBNA1 and vIL-10 Facilitate Immune Evasion by Supporting a Latent-Lytic Cycle of Infection

Faith Hanshaw, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Balancing the Autonomic Regulation of Metabolism in Diving Mammals During Voluntary Dives

Elliot Hanson, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Genomic Plasticity in Prokaryotes and its Benefits in Dynamic Environments

Bailey Harmon, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Viral Inhibition of MHC I Pathways: Essential for Enhanced Efficacy of Oncolytic Virotherapy

Abdisalan Hawadle, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Sponge Microbial Response to Thermal Stress and Ocean Acidification is Species-Specific

Claire James, Biology (BIOL) 2023, An Un-Bear-ably Incredible Phenomenon: Atrophy Prevention via IGF-1/Akt Signaling Pathway in Skeletal Muscle of Hibernating Bears

Chloe Jones, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Impacts of Arctic Warming on Vegetation and Migratory Caribou (Rangifer tarandus): The Case for Ecological Mismatch

Elijah Jones, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Role of Climate Change and Microbial Communities in Increased Coral Reef Disease Prevalence

Maggie Kerwin, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Investigating the Role of the Alternative Splicing Isoform SRSF1-3 in Promoting Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase Mediated Somatic Hypermutation

Nadia Khayat, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Impact of Ocean Acidification on the Marine Food Web: Low pH Alters Marine Invertebrate Behavior via Chemical Cue Reception Impairment and Drives Predation Rate

Aya Klos, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Evolution of the early nitrogen cycle in the face of the Great Oxidation Event (GOE): How transition metal abundances influenced the evolution of the modern nitrogen cycle

Bryan Le, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Microbial Warfare in the Permafrost Front: How Direct & Indirect Competition Influence Bacterial Composition in Thawing Permafrost

Aashutosha Lele, Biology (BIOL) 2023, MicroRNAs Aid in Herpes Virus Latency: a Strategy for Immune Evasion

Emma Long, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Early Snowmelt and Phenological Mismatch Between Migratory Birds and Plant-Pollinator Interactions in Arctic and Alpine Environments

Clara Mayfield, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Impact of Methanogens on Climate Change: Improving our Understanding of Methanogenesis in Thawing Permafrost

Sam McCarthy, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Microbial degradation of PET plastic

Suad Mohamed, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Impacts of Increasing Drought on the Functioning and Stability of the Grassland Soil Microbiome

Elena Morales-Grahl, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Vital Role of Microglia and Astrocytes in Synaptic Loss and Disruption in Alzheimer’s Disease

Anwesha Mukherji, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Impact of Climate Change on Juvenile Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) Freshwater and Marine Juvenile Development

Charlotte Nahley, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Importance of F. prausnitzii and Butyrate Production in the Development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Cate Patterson, Biology (BIOL) 2023, All a-bat the UPRER: A Cellular Stress Response in Hibernating Bats

Astrid Petropoulos, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The “D”ebate: The Association Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Periodontal Disease

Ben Pham, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Influenza A mRNA splicing disrupts host mRNA splicing

Isabella Pozzi, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Role of Microglia and Tau in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology

Sophia Prichard, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Not So Silent: The influence of codon usage bias on gene expression

Tyler Quitmeyer, Biology (BIOL) 2023, SRSF1 Enhances Splice Site Recognition through an ESE-Independent Mechanism

Utsha Rai, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Subjective Nature of Optimality in Biology: Exploring Codon Usage Bias

Lora Randa, Biology (BIOL) 2023, [4Fe-3S] Clusters Mediate Oxygen Tolerance in [NiFe] Hydrogenases

Rhesel Rivera, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Upregulation of the UPR Signaling Pathway via IRE1⍺-XBP1 Splicing Favors ZIKV Infection and Maternal-Fetal ZIKV Transmission

Daven Rock, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Zika Virus Induced Downregulation of Tight Junctions and the Extracellular Matrix Disrupts Intercellular Integrity and Enhances Transplacental Pathogenesis

Henry Rousseau, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Mutant SRSF2 cooperates with mutant Isocitrate Dehydrogenase ll to progress myelodysplastic syndrome to secondary acute myeloid leukemia.

Amer Said, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Zika Virus Entry into Host Cells Is Mediated By Axl TAM Kinase and Its Associated Ligand Gas6

Caroline Saksena, Biology (BIOL) 2023, TDP-43 Protein Aggregation Leads to Missplicing of Neuronal Growth Proteins

Adi Satish, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Human Disease in a Fluctuating World

Srishti (Shelly) Seth, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Mechanisms for Codon Usage Bias and its Influence on Translational Efficiency and Gene Expression

Ming Shen, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Host MicroRNAs Provide Means of Innate Immune System Evasion During Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection

Jonathan Singleton, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Climate change induced mismatches between various predator-prey interactions in different life stages of the anadromous Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.)

Karina Suwal, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Microglial activation propagates tau pathology of Alzheimer's Disease

Neda Tehrani, Biology (BIOL) 2023, The Protective Immune Role of 17β-Estradiol against HCV Infection, Proliferation, and Progression

Tori Winter, Biology (BIOL) 2023, RNA Binding Protein Rbfox1 is Linked to Autism Spectrum Disorder Through its Dual Role in Alternative Splicing and Gene Expression

Ella Woodruff, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Dive to Survive: Dive Response, Myoglobin, and Antioxidants in Aquatic Mammals

Jimmy Zhong, Biology (BIOL) 2023, Coral And Symbiodinium: The Role of Disrupted Nutrient Cycling in Coral Bleaching

Submissions from 2022

David Ahrens, Biology (BIOL) 2022, A Tale of Many Mutations: The Role of Primary Cilia-Localized ARL13B in Joubert Syndrome

Carmel Al-Sheikh, Biology (BIOL) 2022, The Organization of Cilia in the Embryo and Its Role in Laterality of the Body

Eli Arbogast, Biology (BIOL) 2022, The Complex Web of the Soil Microbiome: Current Research on Soil Microbiota and Their Implications for Plant-Soil Feedbacks and Ecosystem Restoration

Alexander P. Battist, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Cis- and Trans-Acting Mutations to Retinal Genes Interrupt Alternative Splicing Mechanisms Causing Ocular Dystrophies

Lydia Boyum, Biology (BIOL) 2022, Heterogeneity is Essential: Wildfire and Habitat Selection in North American Forests