Students participate in an ongoing research program with the support of an experienced scientific mentor. They develop an independent project, implement their plan, analyze the data, and report the results. At the end of the summer, they present their findings to researchers, other students, and parents.
Submissions from 2026
Development of an Imaged-Based Framework for Differentiation Prediction in Reporter iPSCs, Miri Bawa
Uncovering DDX6 Post-transcriptional Regulation in AML Dormancy, Justine Biersack
Investigating Age Associated Neuronal Signaling in Glioblastoma, Nadya Estella Blanchard
Therapeutic Targeting of Fusion Positive Ewing Sarcoma with RNA Sensor, Kailee DeMaio
Investigating the Role of the Peritoneal Fluid in Endometriosis Lesion Establishment and Growth, Laney Druhan
MLi-2 Dose-Response Curve in LRRK2 G2019S mutated iPSC-derived microglia, Bianca Glogovac
Elucidating Age-Dependent Susceptibility to Colibactin Genotoxicity in Colorectal Cancer, Benjamin Johnson
Optimization of Single-Cell Seeding Parameters to Improve Scalability of iPSC-Derived Microglia Differentiation, Maxim Kuliyev
Understanding the Mutational Landscape of KOLF iPSC Cell Lines Post-CRISPR-Cas9 Modification, Dihan Elijah Pagalilauan
Human Circulating Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells Show Transcriptional Changes with Aging, Rachel Robbins
Serum-Free Conditions and Cell Cycle Inhibition Promote Enrichment of GFAP+ Mature Astrocytes, Shahna Shajnin
Investigating Natural-killer cell activity modulation in the context of allogeneic cell therapy, Subaah Syed
Reconstruction of Structural Variation Breakpoint Junctions by Whole Genome Sequencing Split-Read Analysis, Isabella Wang
Spatially-aware H&E Deep Learning Features of Single Cells Show Cancer & Cell Type Classification Abilities, Emily Whitney
Submissions from 2025
Impact of Age and Sex on Bladder Function and Stum Gene Expression in C57BL/6J Mice, Maya M. Allen
Mutational Load in Inbred-Outbred Wild Derived Mouse Trios, Sam G. Bigalke
Statistical Power to Detect QTL Peaks in Genetic Modifier Crosses, Justine Chu
Systematic evaluation of how Hand2 dimerization partners regulate DNA binding specificity and biological activity, Mia I. Crawford
Using Deep Learning Approaches to Quantify Behavioral Changes in Normal Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Models, Namyanzi S.E. Edwards
Development of a Humanized Mouse Model of Atherosclerosis., Margot Evans
The phenotypic impact of CSF1R enhancer fms-intronic regulatory element (FIRE) deletion in NSG mice, Zoë A. Galvin
Novel genomic therapeutic for desmoplastic small round cell tumor based on RNA sensor targeting of EWSR1::WT1 gene fusion, Ethan Giannotta
Investigating BRCA1 Promoter Methylation using Molecular and Computational Approaches, Shivam Goel
CRISPR/Cas13d Screen Identifies the Long Non-Coding RNA GAS5 as a Vulnerability in AML, Louisa Hagen
Analysis of Bimanual Motor Task Function in the Mouse Model After Ischemic Stroke Utilizing Deep-Learning Model DeepEthogram, Olivia S. Jung
Characterizing the Molecular and Mitochondrial Changes in Neuronal Pathology of CMT2D, Jinho Kim
Evaluating the impact of mutant alleles on venetoclax and cytarabine sensitivity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines, Margaret Leonard
Examining and optimizing the embryoid body model for early embryonic germ layer development in diverse hiPSC lineages, Nora Lippai
Spatiotemporal Profiling of Patient Derived Xenograft Tumor Microenvironments, Wanying Li
Unsupervised Machine Learning for Visual Frailty Prediction in Mice, Dustin M. Miao
Quantifying genetic mapping power in a Diversity Outbred mouse population, Jared L. Noel
The use of AI to Predict Immune Subtype from Tumor Images, Lauren E. Powers
Dissecting Keratinocyte Responses to Commensal and Pathogenic Staphylococcus Species Using a 3D Human Skin Model, Reilly E. Richardson
Assessing Phasing Accuracy for Inferring Haplotype Structure in Laboratory Marmosets, Adon C. Roy
Synaptic Remodeling in Alzheimer’s Disease Alters the Input-Output Properties of Pyramidal Neurons, Katherine W. Sanderson
Cross-Task Translation of Motor Recovery in Mouse Models of Stroke, Abigail Smith
Increasing the efficiency of transfecting vectors encoding KZFP genes into mouse embryonic stem cells, Lenny Soto Alvarez
Characterization of a Mouse Model of Mitophagy-Driven Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome, Eliana R. Weinsaft
Strengthening Insights Into MAMDC2: Functional Characterization Of A Dystrophic Mouse Model, Illeana West
The Calcium Binding Gene Calb1 is an FGF23 target in Distal Convoluted Tubule in Sickle Cell Disease, Grace Z. Xie
Spatial transcriptomics for assessing the diabetic kidney, Jingyan Zhang
Submissions from 2024
Characterizing Lung Cancer Metastasis in the Novel KPDT Mouse Model, Travis Beckett
Identifying Markers to Determine Optimal Stage of Differentiation of Retinal Pigmented Epithelial Cells into Photoreceptors, Carlos Antonio Cisneros
Effects of Tryptophan Metabolites on Polarization of CD8+ Tfh-like T Cells, Eamon Cole
Determining function for core and strain specific genes in Staphylococcus epidermidis using CRISPRi, Cassandra Correa
M2-lon Channel Specific Chimeric Antibodies as a Universal and Escape Mutant-Resistant Therapeutic for Influenza A, Katya Crawford
Determining the Mechanisms Responsible for Infertility in Homozygous Males of the 5XE Mutant Mouse Model, Mae D'Ambra
New Insights into Cellular Senescence and Oxygen Effects on Trophoblast Differentiation, Kelley Delgadillo Garcia
Defining the Role of TOP1MT in mtDNA Stability, Release, and Innate Immunity, Lena DuPont
Identifying Genetic Modifiers of Epilepsy Resilience and Susceptibility, Gianna Durante
Characterizing SVs associated with striatum eQTLs and addiction phenotypes in diverse mouse genomes, Aditya Gupta
Alzheimer's age-dependent molecular signatures in individuals with the loss of function CETP I405V variant, Isshori Gurung
Syntactic Grooming Classification in Mice with Computer Vision, Cayson Hamilton
Microglia differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells, Grace Hodgkin
Comparing Deleterious Mutation Load Between Classical Inbred Mice and Wild-Caught Mice, Jidapa Janpathompong
Pathophysiology and Etiology of a Novel Mouse Model for Vasculitis, Kendrick Key
A comparative biometric analysis indicates Clqtn/5 plays a role in ocular growth, MHD Mustafa Khorzom
Effects of CD47 Expression on Macrophage-Mediated Phagocytosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Kayla Koenig
Understanding the Growth of Xenografted Tumors, Ashley Kuczmera
Exploring the Role of TIE2 Activation in Modulating CAA Pathology: Focus on BBB Integrity and Hemorrhagic Lesions in Aged BXW.APP/PSl Mice, Eliana Liporace
Characterizing the dynamics and cell state specificity of DNA methylation and demethylation at the BRCA1 promoter, Daisy Lockshire
Exploring Abnormal Neurofilament Aggregates at the Neuromuscular Junction of a Charcot-Marie- Tooth Disease Type 2E Mouse Model, Celeste Martinez
Multi-Omics Analyses to Detect Changes in the Mouse Hippocampus with Differences in Age, Diet and Strain, Grant Moen
Studying the Effect of Cancer-Associated-Fibroblasts on Colorectal Cancer Organoid Growth and Phenotype, Payton Noe
Genetic mapping and characterization of nmf364a, a chemically-induced mutation leading to retinal degeneration, Fiona Picone
Phylogenetic Analysis of Recombination Rate Evolution in Mus musculus, Micah Pietraho
Diverging Phenotypes and Regional Accumulation of Human Microglia in Engrafted hCSF1 - and hll-34-expressing Mice, Ella Jean Raymundo
Mapping genetic effects of diverse mESC lines on cellular phenotypes with Census-seq, Madeline Rea
Classifying intracranial germ cell tumors using miRNA and methylation sequencing of cerebrospinal fluid, Ariella Tamariz
Assessing Immune Subtype Diversity in Mice, Xavier Vesco
Evidence of Renal Iron and FGF23 Signaling Interdependence on Vitamin D Homeostasis in Sickle Cell Disease, Emily Winnicki
Investigating Novel Mutations and Developmental Timing of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, Ameleen Wong
Assessing the Incidence of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) within the Context of Aging, Silvia Wright
Using machine learning to classify subtypes of rhabdomyosarcoma, Jingyan Zhang
Assessing Anxiety Through Defecation Kinetics in BXD Mice, Lucia Zhang
Submissions from 2023
Enhancing Deep Learning Model Evaluation via Attention Consistency Analysis in Spatial Transcriptomics Data, Dylan Agyemang
The impact of the Y chromosome on the reproductive fitness of male wild-derived mice, Keona Banks
An approach to promoting survival of human microglia in humanized mouse models of Alzheimer's Disease, Lauren Baptiste
Effect of hair cell orientation on mechanotransduction response in the vestibular system, Kayla Bright
Identifying the Genetic Basis of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Induced Type 1 Diabetes, Tobias Emge
Contrasting Osteosarcoma and Epithelial Breast Cancer Immune Regulation in Murine Cell Lines, Juliana Fenimore
Comparing Ovarian Reserve Damage Response to Different Sources of Radiation Exposure, Paris Guerrero
Modeling hyperopia in Prss56glcr4 mice: Molecular comparativ analysis with Mfrprd6 and QTL mapping of axial length alterations, Jessica Guzman
Automated Assessment of Feeding Behaviors in Mice Using Machine Vision, Cayson Hamilton
Investigating a Genetically Diverse Mouse Model for Vasculitis, Emma Hendrix
Elucidating Gli3 and Hand2 interactions in the developing mandible, Aria Hossain
Characterization of the Pulmonary Phenotype of a Zfhx4 Mutant Mouse Model During Embryonic Development, Sara Hunstad
Using Modified Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes to Develop Transgenic Mouse Models Containing Human Genes with Disease Causing Mutations, Srilekha Kadimi
Identifying Transcriptomic Signatures to Mediate Causal Effect of Genotype on Alzheimer's Disease, Simran Kaur
Neoteny in Mice: The effects of PDGFRα+ cell depletion during postnatal growth, Raheem Khadour
Characterizing retinal vascular development in New Zealand Obese mice, Julia Klein