The Senior Research Project
Recent Senior Research Projects
Aquatic and Marine
- Distribution comparison of southern rays and bluntnose rays in Pinellas County, Florida
- There are two sides to every jetty: a comparison of benthic, fouling organisms on the north and south side of the North Ponce Inlet Jetty
- Is there a correlation between sediment content and fish diversity in Florida springs?
- Effects of discharge and water quality on Volusia Blue Spring fish assemblage structure
- Respiration patterns of juvenile Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus vs. dissolved oxygen content
- Historical trend analysis of fish diversity within Volusia Blue Spring from 2001-2019
- Clumped distributions of the invasive gastropods, Melanoides tuberculata (red-rimmed melania) and Pomacea maculata (island apple snail), in Volusia Blue Spring
- Prevalence of invasive exotic fish in Florida’s Volusia Blue Spring
- Comparing changes in the fecal density of armored catfish (Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus) in Volusia Blue Spring over 10 years.
Ecology
- Aggregation behavior of Sistrurus miliarius barbouri in response to olfactory cues
- Prey behavior in the relationship between Ribbon Snakes (Thamnophis sauritus) and the Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)
- Assessment of macroinvertebrate richness and abundance between spikerush (Elocharus palustrus), cattail (Typha sp.), and cordgrass (Spartina sp.) at Lake Woodruff NWR
- Prairie and Meadow Voles (Microtus ochrogaster and Microtus pennsylvanicus) as new emerging reservoirs for Lyme Disease (Borrelia bugdorferi) in a northern Illinois prairie ecosystem
- The effect of the presence of predatory assassin bugs (Zelus longipes) on the foraging behavior of various species of bees (Anthophila) at various densities of Spanish needles (Bidens alba)
- The effects of aggregation in neonatal pygmy rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius) on evaporative water loss
- The effect of season on mobbing responses by passerine birds in upland Florida habitats
- Leaf decomposition rates in an intact sandhill and a restoration sandhill and the effects of decomposers on plant growth
- A comparison of fruit and seed production in Chamaecrista fasciculata between a semi-natural conservation area and a small urban restoration
- Supernormal alarm call stimuli elicit a greater mobbing response in passerine birds
General Biology
- Effects of temperature and pregnancy on ventilation rates in Pygmy Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius)
- Analyzing cryptobiosis in tardigrades: Hypsibius dujardini and Dactylbiotus disbar
- Effects of amoxicillin levels on the embryonic development of Ambystoma mexicanum
- Examining the effect of sexual selection on avian mobbing behavior in northeast Ohio
- The venom of Liodytes alleni and Liodytes rigida has no effect on the crayfish heart rate
- Can discoid roaches serve as intermediate hosts for the invasive pentastome Raillietiella orientalis
- Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in Central Florida Rodents
- Comparing mobbing behaviors of passerines in response to diurnal and nocturnal predators
- Effects of photoperiod on egg laying in Vanessa cardui
- The impact of repeated notes in alarm calls on mobbing responses in birds
- Development and health impacts of an invasive pentastome parasite, Raillietiella orientalis, on brown anoles
- The defensive response of pygmy rattlesnakes to coral snake and black racer models
Molecular and Cellular Biology
- Induced apoptosis of Jurkat Leukemia cells by Alpinia zerumbet seed extract
- Ilex vomitoria extract induces proliferation in fibroblast cells
- Evaluation of Species-specific Genes ospA, p66 and flaB to Detect Borrelia burgdorferi in Bird Blood Through PCR
- Old yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) extract increases cell viability in human lung fibroblasts
- The anti-cancer effects of Alpinia zerumbet seed covering extract on Jurkat Leukemia cells
- Effect of in vivo deactivation of the Optix gene on wing pigmentation in painted lady butterflies, Vanessa cardui
- Effect of dosage and time exposure of Ilex vomitoria extracts on apoptosis and necrosis incidence in Jurkat Leukemia cells
- Deactivation of the optix gene by the CRISPR/Cas-9 system in Junonia coenia butterflies
- The effects of CRISPR-cas9 mediated gene knockout of WntA gene in Vanessa cardui wing patterns and pigmentation
- Determining the presence of the Ala457Pro single nucleotide polymorphism in siblings presenting with orthostatic intolerance
Neurobiology
- Pre-exposure to sweet taste does not alter behavioral responses to intra-oral infusion to sucrose in rats
- Full-thickness macular hole formation after repair of rhegmatogenous and tractional retinal detachments
- Effects of caffeine on behavioral and neural responses to sucrose
- The effects of sodium deprivation on the activation of neurons in the gustatory cortex of rats
- The relationship between quinine, Fos-IR amongst rNST subdivisions, and aversive behavior in rats
- Fexofenadine HCl increases neuropeptide-Y activity but not appetite or weight gain in Wistar rats
- Capsaicin mixed with NaCl does not increase the ingestive taste reactivity responses or amount of activated neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) in rats
- Taste reactivity and neural responses in the amygdala in rats to 1.0 M NaCl do not change
- Distribution of Fos-labeled neurons present in the nucleus of the solitary tract and taste reactivity behaviors in sodium deprived Wistar rats