College of Charleston Summer REU Program

Previous Research Projects

Student’s Name Student’s Institution Mentor Project Title
2009      
Ryan De Leon Miami University Marie DeLorenzo Effects of etofenprox on three life stages of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio
Jake Gantz Franklin and Marshall Erik Sotka The role of plant secondary metabolites on feeding rates and differentiation among detoxification pathways in the tropical sea urchin Echinometra lucunter
Robin Garcia University of Miami Lou Burnett The effects of hypoxia on heart rate and lactate in the Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus
Claire Hancock Harding University Lisa May An investigation of coral bleaching: pigment analysis of Symbiodinium microadriaticum under bleaching conditions
Jace Jensen Dixie State College of Utah Dan Bearden Investigation of the hypoxia-induced stress response of the Pacific whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, through the use of NMR-based metabolomics
Audrey Marrah St. Mary's College James Ryan In vitro effects of domoic acid on cardiac, pulmonary, and T-lymphocyte cells
Erin O’Reilly College of Charleston Jack DiTullio Identification of flow cytometrically sorted phytoplankton populations along the Patagonian Shelf using gene sequencing and scanning electron microscopy
Melody Young The Pennsylvania State University Tanya Darden Genetic population structure of adult red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, along the US Atlantic coast
2008      
Matthew Bertucci Spring Hill College Derk Bergquist The effect of shell content on the burrowing rate of Donax
Claire Campbell Elon University Lisa May, Tom Bartlett, Cheryl Woodley The effects of heat and oxidative stress on immunocompetence in cnidarians
Loren Danese College of Charleston Marie DeLorenzo Effects of temperature and salinity on the toxicity of pesticides to estuarine organisms
Elise Dennis College of William & Mary Rusty Day Impacts of total moisture and protein content on contaminant reporting in Alaskan seabird eggs
Emily Frank The University of Akron Craig Plante, Tricia Roth Effects of deposit-feeding invertebrates and physical disturbance on microalgal community structure
Joshua Hanagriff College of Charleston Mike Twiner, Greg Doucette Effects of the marine toxin azaspiracid on programmed cell death in human cell lines
David Stancyk Washington & Lee Tracey Schock, Dan Bearden 1H NMR metabolomic analysis of Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus under stress
Shannon Wright College of Charleston Lou Burnett, Lindy Thibodeaux Gas exchange in the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus in response to walking
Madeleine Zaehringer Midwestern State University Eric Kilpatrick, Lisa Kilpatrick The effects of Vibrio campbellii on hemolymph protein production in the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus
2007      
Fahd Abdus-Sabur Tufts University Dave Owens Mercury accumulation patterns following long term exposure in the diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin
Ikenna Achilihu Brown University Brett Macey; Karen & Lou Burnett Effects of hypercapnic hypoxia on the inactivation and elimination of Vibrio campbellii in the Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica
Andrea Buchwald The Colorado College Dayton Wilde Localizing photosystem genes in the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis
Brad Farwell College of the Ozarks Tom Greig Examining nuclear DNA variability in the black sea bass, Centropristis striata, along the United States Atlantic coasts
Sarah Freitag Iowa State University Craig Plante Disturbance effects of deposit feeding on the microalgal community structure and mechanisms of recolonization
Megan Lohmiller Midland Lutheran College Marie-Yasmine Bottein Determining the metabolism of ciguatoxin in fish
Gregory Matthews Indiana Wesleyan University Pam Morris Comparison of Vibrio coralliilyticus phylotypes: known coral pathogen from the Indian Ocean and Caribbean isolates
Lily Ngai Hunter College Jennifer Keller & John Kucklick Comparison of perfluorinated contaminant concentrations in plasma of five sea turtle species
Nicole Oakman Yale University Erik Sotka Geographic variation in the feeding preference and tolerance for brevetoxins by the marine herbivore Amphithoe longimana
Sarah Wallace Hartwick College Marie DeLorenzo Predicting the effects of climate change: how temperature and salinity alter the toxicity of common pesticides to estuarine organisms
2006      
Kieran Coe Middlebury College Craig Plante Isolation and identification of surfactant-resistant bacteria from the guts of deposit-feeding benthic macroinvertebrates
Jennifer Delaney Ripon College Pam Morris Characterization of the microbial community associated with the surface mucopolysaccharide layer of healthy and diseased Pseudopterogorgia americana gorgonian corals
Sara Dunaway Anderson University Mats Lundqvist Characterization of bacterial isolates implicated in a disease outbreak event of staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis
Matthew Herrick Eckerd College Jack DiTullio Variation of calcification and photosynthesis rates and DMSP production of coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi in response to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations
Thomas Miller College of Charleston Brett Macey; Karen & Lou Burnett Impact of water quality and anthropogenic factors on antibacterial activity in the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica
Anthony Nitti University of Wisonsin, Stevens Point Rebecca Heltsley & John Kucklick Detection of hydroxylated contaminants in sea turtle plasma
Andrea Peterson College of Charleston Allan Strand Developing the population genetic framework to test dispersal hypotheses in sea-rocket, Cakile edentula, in the South Atlantic Bight
Sherry Pittman Coastal Carolina University Marie DeLorenzo Effects of antifoulant paint compounds, Irgarol 1051 and copper, on the mud snail, Ilyanassa obsoleta
Sarah Stachura Trinity University Erik Sotka Feeding preference and tolerance of chemically defended seaweeds in herbivorous marine amphipods
2005      
Tessa Bricker Earlham College Erik Sotka Investigating the tolerance for secondary metabolites between two amphipod species Ampithoe longimana and Ampithoe valida
Jessica Fleming Ashland University Marie DeLorenzo Individual and mixture effects of selected pharmaceuticals on the marine phytoplankton species Dunaliella tertiolecta
Kristen Greene College of Charleston Tom Greig Genetic evaluation of two Atlantic ocean Carcharhinus shark species using DNA sequence-based techniques
Geoffrey Horwitz Trinity University Mats Lundqvist Investigating the etiology of juvenile oyster disease
Emily Long College of Charleston Pam Morris Analysis of N-acyl homoserine lactones and anti-fungal compounds in microbes associated with the sea fan, Pseudopterogorgia americana
Monica Mack College of Charleston Lou Burnett & Dave Scholnick The effects of hypoxia and Vibrio campbellii on the activity of white shrimp Litopeneaus vannamei
J. Randall Marshall College of Charleston John Kucklick Detection of emerging contaminants of concern in bivalves and surrounding waters
Kimberley Marshall University of New England Neng Shepard Effects of salinity on the pathogenesis of two strains of Taura syndrome virus in the marine shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei
Kolo Rathburn Chaminade University of Honolulu Karen Burnett & Brett Macey Influence of a pre-existing infection of Vibrio campbellii on the immune response of the Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus
Jeremy Wacksman College of William & Mary Yasmine Bottein Binding properties of ciguatoxins and brevetoxins on brain, heart, and muscle of saltwater fish and rats
2004      
Katrina Aleksa University of Arizona Jennifer Keller & John Kucklick Analysis of Organochlorine Contaminants in Juvenile Loggerhead Sea Turtle Plasma
Daniel Bakko Concordia College Pam Morris Evidence for the Production of Acyl Homoserine Lactones by Microbial Isolates Associated with a Gorgonian Coral
Erin Goranson University of Oklahoma Allan Strand Identification of Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers in Shortnosed Sturgeon, Acipenser brevitrostrum
Lara Jarvis Appalachian State University Tony Harold Systematic Analysis of the Gobiodon quinquestrigatus – G. rivulatus Species Complex Using Morphometric, Molecular, and Phylogenetic Techniques
Daniel Madigan Dartmouth College Erin Burge Investigating the Effects of Hypoxia and Vibrio Challenge on Lysozyme Gene Expression in Litopenaeus vannamei
Heather Nees Muskingum College Craig Plante Role of Quorum-sensing in Growth and Biofilm Production of Sedimentary Bacteria
Sasha Salters College of Charleston Pete Key Effects of the Statin Antihyperlipidemic Agent Zocor (Simvastatin) on Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio
Kelly Rogel University of Kansas Mike Twiner Development of an Assay for Detecting Azaspiracids
Jacqueline Skinner College of Charleston Marie DeLorenzo Toxicity of the Fungicide Chlorothalonil and Its Degradation Product Hydroxychlorothalonil to Three Phytoplankton Species
Sally Upton Albertson College of Idaho Karen Burnett Tyrosinase Activity of Hemocyanin in the Atlantic Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus
2003      
Thomas Baird Franklin College Jack DiTullio The Effects of CO2 Limitation on the Growth of Emiliania huxleyi (Prymnesiophyceae) and the Production of Dimethylsulfonium Compounds
Kirsten Brendtro Michigan State University John Ramsdell Brevetoxin Accumulation in Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus) after Sublethal Exposure to Karenia brevis
Mark Fitchett North Carolina State University George Sedberry Temporal Changes in Age and Growth of Vermilion Snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens
Elizabeth Hambleton Williams College Pam Morris Examining Microbial Community Structure During Crude Oil Degradation Using Quantitative PCR
Melissa Samons Wells College Greg Doucette & Mike Twiner Cytotoxic Effects of Azaspiracid on Human Lymphocyte Cells
Erin Sanders College of Charleston Ed Wirth The Lethal and Sublethal Effects of the Mosquito Control Agent Scourge on the Amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus
Kristin Smith Southern Methodist University Amy Ringwood Sublethal Effects of the Toxic Algae Heterosigma akashiwo on Oysters Crassostrea virginica
Britni Strickland Malone College Alan Lewitus Phycobiliprotein and Microcystin Synthesis Under Nitrogen Depletion in Microcystis aeruginosa
Christopher Tanner College of New Jersey Karen Burnett & Lou Burnett The Effects of Hypoxia and pH on Phenoloxidase Activity in the Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus
Ryan Templeton Auburn University John Kucklick Concentrations of Organochlorine Compounds in Fat and Blubber Tissues of Leatherback Sea Turtles, Dermochelys coriacea
Ronald Wendt Augustana College Marie DeLorenzo Physiological Adaptations of Raphidophyte Species to Herbicide-Induced Photosynthetic Stress
2002      
Kathryn Blair Towson University Pam Morris Microbial community structure of crude oil degrading enrichment cultures from the U.S.S. Arizona
Christopher DeCosmo College of Charleston Jack DiTullio Interactive effects of iron and light on photochemical efficiency of photosystem II in two marine phytoplankton species: Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Synechococcus WH8018
Julie Flood Brown University Fran Van Dolah The role of oxidative stress in the growth of Karenia brevis
Jeremy Holman University of North Texas Lou Burnett & Karen Burnett Effects of hypoxia and hypercapnia on the total hemocyte count and the clearance of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus
Shelli Meyer Graceland University Pete Key Lethal and sub-lethal effects of chlorothalonil on three life stages of the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio
Jamie Rudisill Lenoir Rhyne University Amy Ringwood The effects of decreased pH on cellular biomarker responses and embryonic development in oysters, Crassostrea virginica
Lorimar Serrano University of Puerto Rico Marie DeLorenzo Individual and mixture toxicity of three pesticides: atrazine, chlorpyrfos and chlorothalonil, to the marine phytoplankton species, Dunaliella tertiolecta
Lindy Thibodeaux James Madison University John Kucklick Analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in ringed seals (Phoco hispida) from Barrow, Alaska
2001      
Jeremy Goldbogen University of Texas, Austin Pam Morris Characterization of the iron-reducing microbial community structure associated with the HL Hunley
Meagan Leatherbury Bard College Marie DeLorenzo & Alan Lewitus Changes in biomass, productivity and subcellular composition of three phytoplankton species exposed to the herbicide atrazine
Ryan Miller University of Dayton Amy Ringwood & Lou Burnett The occurrence of lipid peroxidation through simulated reperfusion in the oyster Crassostrea virginica
Andrew Opatkiewicz University of New Hampshire Mike Fulton, Ed Wirth, & Pete Key The effects of two neurotoxic pesticides, fipronil and endosulfan, on the survival and development of the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio
Davis Reames The Citadel Craig Plante & Peter Moeller The purification and structural elucidation of the bacteriolytic agent from the model deposit feeder Arenicola marina
Eileen Roy University of New Hampshire Jack DiTullio Flavodoxin index as an indicator of iron stress in Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Justin Williams University of Kansas Karen Burnett & Lou Burnett Quantifying accumulation of bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus and hemocyte-associated peroxidase in the gill tissue of the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei
2000      
Lea Beaulieu Roanoke College Lou Burnett & Karen Burnett The effects of environmental hypoxia on the hemocytes of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica in its response to the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus
David Bishop University of Notre Dame Fran Van Dolah Identification and characterization of thermally-induced stress proteins in Gymnodinium breve
Joseph Burgents The College of New Jersey Karen Burnett & Lou Burnett Inducible nitric oxide production by anterior head kidney macrophages of Fundulus heteroclitus
Kathryn Crist Hollins University Mike Fulton Inhibition and recovery of acetylcholinesterase activity in grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio embryos exposed to chlorpyrifos
Jennifer Gustafson University of Richmond Amy Ringwood & Fran Van Dolah P-glycoprotein expression in the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica in response to the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium breve
Roberta Hansman North Carolina State University Jack DiTullio & Allen Lewitus Effects of light and nutrients on taxon-specific variability in pigment ratios of coastal phytoplankton isolates
Loretta Hoover College of Charleston Patricia Rosel & Scott France An investigation of heteroplasmy in Tursiops truncatus and Octocorallia
Me'Chell James South Carolina State University Craig Plante & Peter Moeller The purification of the bacteriolytic agent in the deposit feeder Arenicola marina
1999      
Holly Ann Gefroh Jamestown College Bob Chapman Antimicrobial DNA Sequencing in Arthropods
Jean Higgins Florida Institute of Technology John Kucklick Identification of Pacific Walrus Groups based on Polychlorinated Biphenyl Congeners and Organochlorine Pesticide Concentrations and Patterns
Thomas Mozdzer Fairfield University Cheryl Woodley Environmental Cell Stress Indicators in Spartina alterniflora
Amy Pogge Iowa State University Mike Fulton The effects of in vitro paraoxon exposure to brain and muscle acetylcholin-esterase activity in three adult estuarine fish species
Marissa Sprank Whitman College Pam Morris Hydrocarbon degradation and rhamnolipid biosurfactant production by two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Bonny Light Crude Oil
Laura Taylor Pacific Union College Marie DeLorenzo Bioaccumulation of the agricultural pesticide endosulfan by phytoplankton and zooplankton
Corinne Williams University of North Carolina Amy Ringwood Metallothionein proteins, isoforms, and genes in the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica
1998      
Steven Allen University at Southampton Lou Burnett The Effects of Hypoxia on the Physiology of the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica
Daniel Blair Hillsdale College Michael Fulton The Effects of In Vitro Paraoxon Exposure on Brain and Muscle Acetylcholinesterase Activity
Jennifer Boyle St. Ambrose University John Kucklick Quantification of Toxaphene in Marine Mammal Tissues
Meredith Cain Bucknell University Amy Ringwood MXR Expression in Oyster Gill and Mantle Tissue: Laboratory and Field Studies
Russel Drylie Goucher College Fran Van Dolah Do Ciguatera-Associated Toxins Play an Allelopathic Role?
Aretha Huggins Clemson University Paul Becker Analytical Variability of Various Polychlorinated Biphenyl Congener and Organochlorine Compound Concentrations in the Beluga Whale
Amelia Karlsson College of William and Mary Karen Burnett The Effect of Aluminum on Early Activation Events in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes of Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus
Jeannette Weiner Canisius College Marie DeLorenzo Effects of Atrazine with and without Nutrient Enrichment on the Phytoplankton Species, Selenastrum capricornutum
1997      
Mark Andrews Princeton University Mike Fulton The effects of in vitro paraoxon exposure on brain and muscle acetylcholinesterase activity
Jessica Bohonowych Duke University John Kucklick An analysis of PCB levels in arctic polar bears (Ursus martimus) and their ringed seal prey (Phoca hispida) by the metabolic slope method
Tammy Haselkorn Iowa State University Paul Becker Evaluation of persistent organochlorine pollutants in sub-arctic versus arctic populations of Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)
Julie Hermanson Concordia College Amy Ringwood Egg viability as a reproductive biomarker in the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica
Heather Lohr College of Charleston Amy Ringwood⁄Jack McGovern Egg viability in natural populations of the Vermilion Snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens
Joseph Monroe Univ. of Tennessee Jack DiTullio Separation and purification of the proteins flavodoxin and ferredoxin from algal extracts for HPCE analysis
Brie Sarkisian Mount Holyoke College Lou Burnett Production of reactive oxygen intermediates by macrophages of the Mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, under low pH and hypoxic blood gas conditions
Russell Traister Penn. State. University Karen Burnett The effects of oxygen concentration on the bactericidal activity of macrophages from Fundulus heteroclitus
1996      
Gayturnera Croom Xavier University Greg Doucette Domoic acid synthesis and trophic transfer
Kate DeAngelis Long Island University Fran Van Dolah Studies on the growth and cell cycle of the diatom, Pseudonitzschia multiseries
Jennifer Hoguet College of Charleston Amy Ringwood Lysosomal stability and membrane damage as biomarkers for stress in the oyster, Crassostrea virginica
Cynthia Koppen Manchester College Lou Burnett Glycogen content in the adductor muscle of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, infected by Perkinsus marinus
Sara Palecek Hanover College Bob Chapman Analysis of variable gene expression by differential display in Fundulus heteroclitus
D.J. Struntz Pacific Union College John Kucklick Organochlorine contamination and a potential biomarker for cytochrome P450 induction in marine mammals
John Zielinski Alma College Karen & Lou Burnett Production of reactive oxygen intermediates by the macrophages of Fundulus heteroclitus under physiologically relevant pH and carbon dioxide pressures
1995      
Fernanda Calderon College of Charleston Mike Fulton Detoxification of the organophosphorus insecticide malathion by carboxylesterases produced by the grass shrimp
Bethanie Carney Long Island University Amy Ringwood Crassostrea virginica as a bioindicator of environmental health: analysis of total hemocyte count, lysosomal membrane stability and protein expression
Pam Eng Salisbury State University Greg Doucette Genetic analysis of geographic isolates of the dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus
Elizabeth Hick University of Chicago Bob McCarthy Possible roles for extracellular matrix proteins in zebrafish development
Shelley Hooks Clemson University Bob Chapman Probing for protein kinase C genes in teleost fish using primers derived from mammalian sequences
Matt Johnson Long Island University Karen Burnett The immunotoxic effects of mercuric chloride on peripheral blood lymphocytes of the red drum: effects on tyrosine phosphorylation and calcium regulation
Eric Muller Trenton State University John Ramsdell The effects of lead on cytotoxicity and secretion in a hypothalamic cell line
1994      
John Carvalho University of Dallas Greg Doucette Genetic analysis of the Ciguatera-related dinoflagellate, Gambierdiscus toxicus
Sinai Choi Brown University Lou Burnett Effects of the protozoan pathogen Perkinsus marinus on the adductor muscle glycogen of Crassostrea virginica
Deanna Conners Canisius College Amy Ringwood Alkaline phosphatase and carbonic anyhydrase activity in control and metal-exposed oyster embryos during first shell formation
Mark Evans University of Wisconsin Karen Burnett Biomonitoring in the red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, as a measure of environmental health
Paul Fleming College of Charleston Denice Smith Heavy metal and developmental protein expression in Brachydanio rerio and Fundulus heteroclitus
Bethany Griffin University of Dayton Bob McCarthy An in vivo and in vitro study of neural crest migration along a collagen matrix in Brachydanio rerio
Kim Hutchinson Tufts University Mike Fulton The effects of azinphosmethyl exposure on acetylcholinesterase activity in embryonic grass shrimp at different stages of development
Linda Sugg Eastern Illinois University Fran Van Dolah Cell cycle regulation in the dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus
1993      
Jonita Mann Delta State University Bob McCarthy Isolation and culture of the embryonic zebrafish neural tube
Erik Laughner Hiram College Cheryl Woodley Detection of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in clams using the polymerization chain reaction
Joseph Patrick Sullivan St. John's University John Ramsdell Calcium mediated cell death of GH4C1 cells by maitotoxin
David Ross College of Charleston Denice Smith Chromosome mapping of the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio
Tracy Schwab Louisiana Tech University Karen Burnett The identification of fatty acids which may influence immune response in teleost fish
Natacha Simpkins Oberlin College Denice Smith Embryology of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, and the ivory barnacle, Balanus eburneus
Chris Taylor University of Wisconsin Bob McCarthy Effects of lithium on heart development in the zebrafish
Sarah DeWeerdt Swarthmore College Mike Fulton Development of acetylcholinesterase activity in embryonic grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio
1992      
Jordana Baden Tufts University Cheryl Woodley DNA analysis of fish stocks
Jennifer Beumer University of Dallas Karen Burnett Immunological and physiological status of red drum
Cliff Hall University of Northern Iowa Bob McCarthy Attachment mechanisms of fish cells and barnacle larvae
Mark Hinson Iowa State University John Bemiss Viral infections in clams and oysters
Karen Jackson College of Charleston Geoff Scott & Lou Burnett Physiological responses of oysters to parasite infection
Melissa Schiffman University of Pennsylvania Mike Fulton Pesticide effects on brain enzymes in fish