Anthony Dinglasan, Year 3 Abstract This project focused on the emerging field of psychobiotics, which explores the relationship between probiotics and mood improvement. Specifically, two brands, President’s Choice Kefir and Liberte Kefir, were compared, as they contain distinct bacterial cultures, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis, respectively. Two groups of similar age and sex demographics consumed […]
Combating Antibiotic Resistance: The Fight Against Superbugs with Phages
Emmanuel Vega, Life Science Abstract Bacteriophages offer a solution to antibiotic resistance through research and implementation. This project explores and compares the treatment of Bacteria (Escherichia coli K12) with bacteriophages. The purpose of the project is to investigate whether bacteriophages can stimulate mutation in E. coli K12. This is investigated by exposing E. coli K12 […]
Every Drop Counts: Methods of Water Purification Against E. coli
Emily Cao, Life Science Abstract The lack of clean drinking water is one of the most severe global issues of the modern day. Despite freshwater being a renewable resource, its accessibility is still limited and people continue to die from water-borne illnesses and diseases. In this experiment, three distinct methods of simplistic water purification are […]
Protein and epigenetic analysis of yeast exposed to glyphosate-based herbicide
Fifi Zhao, Year 3 Abstract Despite growing concerns for the adverse health effects of commercial herbicides, these products have soared in popularity following the rise of large-scale agriculture. Likewise, the study of epigenetics has started to be recognized as a new frontier of biology. This study sought to investigate the impacts of glyphosate-based herbicides under […]
Effect of the type of water used in the growing process of broccoli sprouts on their flavour
Arianne Gionet, Life Science Abstract This research paper explores the impact of different types of water used in the growing process of broccoli sprouts on their flavour. While previous studies have investigated the effects of water on the bioactive compounds, microbiological, and physiochemical characteristics of sprouts, none have focused on how water affects the taste. […]
Effects of Acid Rain Exposure on Artemia Cyst Hatch Rates
Laurence Xie, Life Science Abstract Having threaded the earth for a long time, brine shrimp (Artemia) have gone from not only residing in the extremely saline conditions of some saltwater lakes, but have also been put to use as a source of nutrition for the larviculture of fish and shellfish , in lethality assays for […]
Assessment of In vitro Synergy among Kanamycin, Ampicillin, and Tetracycline Combinations against Escherichia coli K12
In-Woo Park, Life Science Abstract Antibiotic resistance has emerged as a critical global crisis, posing a serious threat to modern medicine and society at large. With conventional antibiotics becoming increasingly ineffective, a world with overwhelming antibiotic resistance can have a far greater impact on human life than ever before. The purpose of this study was […]
A Plant with Promise: The Effects of Artemisinin on E. coli B and B. subtilis
Millicent Sharman, Life Science Abstract In a world brimming with harmful bacteria and diseases lives a potent plant native to China known as Qinghao, or Artemisia annua. Artemisinin, a compound derived from this plant, has saved millions of lives and led to a paradigm shift in antimalarial drug development; artemisinin is also known to […]
The Effect of pH on Antibiotic Resistance of E. coli K-12 Against Neomycin
Emily Pan, Life Science Abstract With the increased use of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance is becoming continually more wide-spread, leading to more than 2.8 million resistant infections per year. This project investigated the effect of pH on antibiotic resistance of E. coli K-12 against Neomycin, a common antibiotic used for intestinal infections and as a preoperative […]
The Smell of Death: Synthetic Pheromones, Cockroaches, and You
Ava Joa, Life Science Abstract While pesticides are frequently used to protect crop growth and production in agriculture, if used improperly, they can have harmful effects on the environment, causing pollution of air, water, and soil, as well as unintended harm to non-target organisms. This paper looks at the potential repulsive effects of oleic […]