The University of Pittsburgh Gene Team is sponsored by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) grant from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health. Funding for the Outreach Program is from a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences
Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) is a statewide organization of students interested in furthering their understanding of the sciences by developing and implementing research projects. Using the scientific method, students design protocols to test their proposed hypothesis, then present their data and conclusions as a ten-minute oral presentation with transparencies. Presentations are scored using a PJAS rubric on the criteria of scientific thought, experimental methods, analytical approach, presentation, and judge's opinion. Students are awarded first, second, or third place, with first place awardees being eligible to attend the State Meeting.
A number of organizations give special awards to students whose presentations are judged as being exceptional. For the eighth year, the Department of Biological Sciences sponsored two "Excellence in Biology" awards for outstanding presentations in the life sciences. Students entered in the biochemistry, biology, botany, ecology, microbiology, and zoology categories were eligible for the $75 awards, one for grades 9-12 and one for grades 7-8, based on high scores and judges' recommendations.
PJAS Region 7 2008 Competition
The Department of Biological Sciences was represented at the seventy-fourth annual Region 7 meeting of the PJAS by three members of our Department: Director of Outreach Programs Dr. Alison Slinskey Legg, Assistant Outreach Coordinator, Tom Seiflein and Gene Team Assistant Coordinator Brian DiRienzo.
PJAS Region 7 2008 Competition Winers
Jessa Koch
Abstract Preeclampsia, a pregnancy disorder, is a leading cause of pre-term birth and fetal and maternal death. There is currently no cure for the disease. The purpose of my project, The Effects of Uric Acid on Trophoblast and Endothelial Cells, was to investigate the effects of uric acid on trophoblast and endothelial cell types, the cell types involved in spiral artery invasion in pregnant women. Using cell culture methods and dye techniques, my project attempted to mimic the trophoblast-endothelial cell invasion occurring in pregnant women; a process that is hindered in women that develop preeclampsia. Women that develop preeclampsia seem to have high levels of uric acid. The question that I aimed to answer was whether the hyperurcemia in preeclamptic patients alters the cell invasion or whether there is no effect. I studied the effects of uric acid on tubule and monolayer co-cultures. From my results, uric acid was proven to reduce cell interaction. With further research, it will be interesting to discover more effects of uric acid on preeclampsia.
John Wilhelm
Abstract My experiment was what percentage of bleach would work best at eliminating staphylococcus epidermidis on a keyboard. First was to make the agar plates, add bacteria, make bleach concentrations, add filter paper disks, and measure the zone of inhibition after the plates were in the incubator for 48 hours at a temperature of 37° Celsius. I then repeated the experiment to check the validity and then graphed the results. The conclusion of my experiment showed that the 10% bleach concentration killed the most bacteria with a zone of inhibition of 17.5 mm.
PJAS Region 9 2008 Competition
For the third year in a row, the Department is proud to take part in the Region 9 PJAS competition. On Saturday, February 23, 2008, Director of Outreach Programs Dr. Alison Slinskey Legg was on hand to select two "Excellence in Biology" award winners.
PJAS Region 9 2008 Competition Winers
John J.C. Janowski
Abstract
Megen Seger
Abstract In my experiment I tested the effectiveness of natural antimicrobials and compared their effectiveness to that of a known antibiotic. For my natural antibiotics I used the bark of a Black Willow tree, Salix nigra, and the berries from a Barberry bush, Berberis thunbergii. For my known antibiotic I used Amoxicillin because it is effective on both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. I made 24 hour broth cultures with my treatments, then plated them to quantify the growth of the bacteria. The results indicate that Salix nigra did effectively limit the growth of E. coli, but Berberis thunbergii did not.
