by Amari Lindo on October 7, 2024
Senior Madison Snyder (Psychology major & sociology minor, December ’24) conducted research over the summer through RC’s Summer Scholars program. Her project titled, Differences in Stress Between Freshmen and Seniors Focusing on Presenting, investigates the differences in stress between college freshmen and seniors while enduring public speaking. Using the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) model, she has started collecting data from senior participants focusing on a variety of details such as stuttering, eye contact, and the accuracy of the presentation. Applying to Summer Scholars gave Madison great opportunities to further conduct research and allowed for the growth of new and existing skills. During the summer, she gained experience with the Institutional Review Board to approve her study as well as undergoing Social and Behavioral Research CITI training. Additionally, Madison learned how to compose multiple surveys, how to use electrodes, and the Mindware device responsible for collecting heart rate data. Her short-term goals for this research include accurately collecting physiological and self-reporting data; she aims to understand how heart rates differ between baseline, preparation, and presentation segments. Furthermore, she aims to determine whether seniors’ experience with presenting correlates to the amount of stress involved. Her long-term goals are to seek further research and understand stress management options, utilizing the results to consider which options are best for specific groups. Madison would like to thank her advisor, Dr. Kennedy-Metz, Roanoke College psychology professor, for providing guidance throughout the process, and Dr. Carter, Roanoke College psychology professor and Director of Experiential Learning, for hosting the Summer Scholars events, providing research information, and explaining the process.
Congratulations and we look forward to seeing your success in the future!
by Amari Lindo on March 22, 2024
Senior Austin Parker (Biochemistry & Biology double major with a concentration in Medicinal Chemistry ‘24) conducted research last summer as part of the Summer Scholars program with mentor Dr. Christopher Lassiter. His project, Using CRISPR/Cas9 to model lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia (LCAH) in zebrafish (Danio rerio), was inspired by his interest in medicine and health and cutting-edge technology like CRISPR/Cas9. Austin believes improving the quality of life for individuals with chronic diseases is a worthwhile effort, and getting involved in this research provided resources to expand on previous knowledge of LCAH and discover new ways to detect and treat patients.
The majority of his process was a learning experience. He said the beginning stages of the project involved learning how everything worked, technical and lab skills, as well as how to use CRISPR/Cas9. Once Austin learned to navigate the tools, cut sites were designed, and CRISPR was used. When asked what the most challenging part of his research was, he said having to troubleshoot things when they stopped working.
Austin’s research project required him to utilize CRISPR/Cas9, a gene-editing technology requiring the Cas9 protein to do all the heavy lifting. He explains that CRISPR/Cas9 originated in bacteria and was able to be modified by scientists at UC Berkeley to target and make cuts at specific DNA sequences. For his project, he designed a strand of RNA the protein used as a reference. He used the RNA to cut the star gene to prevent the product of the gene from working properly to replicate LCAH in zebrafish. Zebrafish were chosen for this model because of their vast similarities with human genetics; over 70% of the human genome has a zebrafish gene with similar functionality.
Currently, Austin is still hard at work on the model with zebrafish that could potentially carry the mutation. In the completion of his research project, Austin hopes to discover a deeper understanding of LCAH, including detecting early signs of the disease, new ways to treat it, and how it may impact other areas of the body. After graduating from Roanoke, he plans to attend pharmacy school and become a cornerstone in his community.