Adam De Groodt ’21 answers a question
about his poster presentation at the 2019 Central Arkansas Summer Undergraduate
Research Symposium. / Photo by Diane Mckinstry, UAMS
CONWAY, Ark. (August 12, 2019)
– Twenty Hendrix College students were among more than 115 undergraduates who
presented biomedical research at the eighth annual Central Arkansas Summer
Undergraduate Research Symposium, held July 24 at the University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock. The symposium was hosted by the
UAMS Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the UAMS Graduate
School, the UAMS College of Medicine, and the NIH-supported IDeA Network of
Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program.
The symposium consisted of
invited oral presentations, posters, and a keynote address. Haven Griffin ’20 was
selected to present an oral presentation at the symposium. Of the 10
“Excellence in Research” awards given for top poster presentations, two went to
Hendrix students, Adam De Groodt ’21 and J. Tristian Wiles ’21. Dr.
Andrea Duina, a professor in the Hendrix Department of Biology, delivered the
keynote address, “The Joys and Challenges of Research at an Undergraduate College.”
Hendrix students who
presented research at the symposium included:
David Addepalli ’20
Mentor: Dr. Andrea Duina,
Hendrix College, Department of Biology
Poster Title: Biochemical
characterization of chromatin environments at 3’ ends of genes as a way to
uncover mechanisms of FACT complex dissociation from DNA following
transcription
Alexis Baker ’20
Mentor: Dr. Richard Murray,
Hendrix College, Department of Biology
Poster Title: Identification
of genes involved in the development of nociceptive neurons in the mouse dorsal
root ganglion
Ashtyn Bell ’22
Mentor: Dr. Julie Gunderson
‘06, Hendrix College, Department of Physics
Poster Title: Unlocking the
molecular mechanisms of E. coli MutS
Madison Blue ’20
Mentor: Dr. Robert Eoff,
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
Poster Title: Investigating
DNA Polymerase κ Function as a Barrier to Replication Catastrophe and Genomic
Instability in Breast Cancer
Danielle Dilday ’21
Mentor: Dr. Samantha
Kendrick, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Poster Title: Using a
Proteolysis Targeting Chimera as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Degradation
of NEK2 protein in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Cell Lines
Adam De Groodt ’21
Mentor: Dr. William
Gunderson, Hendrix College, Department of Chemistry
Poster Title: Design of the
Fluorino: A Low-cost, Arduino-controlled Fluorometer
Storm Gardner ’20
Mentor: Dr. Andrew Schurko,
Hendrix College, Department of Biology
Poster Title: Implementing
RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 to Investigate DNA Repair Genes in Bdelloid Rotifers
Haylee Greer ’20
Mentor: Dr. Alicia Byrd,
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
Poster Title: Determining Human
DNA Helicase B Involvement in Protecting Stalled Replication Forks from
Nucleolytic Degradation
Haven Griffin ’20
Mentor: Dr. Giulia Baldini,
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
Talk Title: Low Fat Diet is
Sufficient to Restore Melanocortin-4 Receptor Abundance in Hypothalamic Neurons
of Mice Previously Exposed to High Fat Diet and May Protect MC4R-expressing
Neurons from Persistent Mitochondrial Damage
Jaycee Hall ’22
Mentor: Dr. Julie Gunderson
‘06, Hendrix College, Department of Physics
Poster Title: Biophysical
Characterization of E. coli MutS Using Absorption and Fluorescence
Spectroscopies
Ishrar Islam ’22
Mentor: Dr. Giulia Baldini,
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
Poster Title: The Persistent
Effects of Obesity by Exposure to High-Fat Diets on the Livers of Mice Returned
to a Healthy Weight
Andrew King ’21
Mentor: Dr. Julie Gunderson
‘06, Hendrix College, Department of Physics
Poster Title: Analysis of
MutS-DNA interactions with fluorescence anisotropy
Megan LaPlaunt ’21
Mentor: Dr. Julie Gunderson
‘06, Hendrix College, Department of Physics
Poster Title: Development of
a 3D Printable, Arduino-Controlled Scanning Visible Absorption
Spectrophotometer
Ivan Midtbust Heger ’21
Mentor: Dr. William
Gunderson, Hendrix College, Department of Chemistry
Poster Title: An Open Source
Diode Array Visible Absorption Spectrophotometer
Macy Moody ’22
Mentor: Dr. Richard Murray,
Hendrix College, Department of Biology
Poster Title: Developmental
Expression of the Mouse Cadherin18 Gene
Mattie Nester ’20
Mentor: Dr. Andrea Duina,
Hendrix College, Department of Biology
Poster Title: Investigations
on possible roles for DNA sequences in promoting dissociation of the FACT
complex from the 3’endsof genes following transcription
Sasin Payakachat ’20
Mentor: Dr. Grover Miller,
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
Poster Title: Identifying
How Halogens Impact Bioactivation of Aryl Acetic Acid Nonsteroidal
Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
Thomas Raney ’20
Mentor: Dr. Samantha
Kendrick, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Poster Title: Stabilization
of DNA G-quadruplexes in CARD11 and MYD88 as a New Therapeutic Approach for ABC
Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma
Harrison Russell ’20
Mentor: Dr. Julie Gunderson
‘06, Hendrix College, Department of Physics
Poster Title: EPR
Spectroscopic Characterization of Divalent Metal Ion COordination in DNA
Hairpin Loops
J. Tristian Wiles ’21
Mentor: Dr. Andrew Schurko,
Hendrix College, Department of Biology
Poster Title: Investigating
DNA Repair in the Bdelloid Rotifer Adineta vaga via Yeast Two-Hybrid Screening
and CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing
Lillie Wilson ‘22
Mentor: Dr. Richard Murray,
Hendrix College, Department of Biology
Poster Title: Development of
the mouse vomeronasal organ in the absence of Dlk1-gene function
About
Hendrix College
A private liberal arts
college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as
one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That
Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.