TITLES AND ABSTRACTS OF LIGHTNING AND SHORT TALKS

 

ELEVENTH ANNUAL POSTDOC RESEARCH EXHIBITION

Short Talks 

 

  1. That smells delicious: Caterpillar feces mediated plant odors alter secondary pest performance on maize. 

Dr. Swayamjit Ray, Postdoctoral Scholar in the research group of Dr. Jared Ali, Department of Entomology. 

Plants are known to alter its defenses by recognizing insect related cues from insect oral secretion and feces. We investigated the effect of caterpillar feces-induced plant defenses on the performance of a secondary group of pests such as aphids. We observe that aphids perform worse on plants where caterpillar feces accumulate and induce plant defenses compared to plant where caterpillar feces did not accumulate. Our results indicate that one group of insect pest may alter the plant defenses in such a way that it reduces competition from a second group of herbivores. 

  1.    Characterization of casein and vegan proteins through ion-protein interactions. 

Dr. Ehsan Mahidinia, Postdoctoral scholar in the research group of Dr. Federico M.Harte, Department of Food Science. 

There is a growing demand these days for high-protein drinks and shakes obtained from dairy or vegan protein isolates. As the food industry seeks protein isolates for improved functionality, the thorough understanding of the physicochemical properties of such proteins becomes critical to enhance stability and the protein content of such super-nutrient drinks. Our results show that ionic environments using food-certified salts help unlock the functionality of plant protein and dairy casein structures by understanding the physicochemical stimuli leading to protein dissociation, and determining the functionality of monomeric forms alone or in combination with polysaccharides and ion-protein interactions. 

 

 

Lightning Talks 

 

  1. Efficient Thermoelectric Module for Wearable Application 

Dr. Amin Nozariasbmarz, Postdoctoral Scholar in the research group of Dr. Shashank Priya, Department of Materials Science and Engineering. 

Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs) can continuously convert human body heat into electricity. Therefore, they can eliminate the usage of chargeable batteries in wearable devices. The next generation of self-powered devices come up with controlling the performance of thermoelectric materials and device together.  

 

  1. Modeling Nature-Like Fish Passage at York Haven Dam 

Dr. Hassan Ismail, Postdoctoral scholar in the research group of Dr. Xiaofeng Liu, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. 

Rivers are segmented by millions of dams which impede the migratory reproduction of many fish species. Through detailed modeling of flow and fish behavior, a proposed nature-like fishway at York Haven Dam is evaluated. Our study will determine whether the proposed passage will successfully allow fish to pass the dam. 

  1. Understanding the effects of irradiation on nuclear fuel performance 

Dr. Christopher Ulmer, Postdoctoral Scholar in the research group of Dr. Arthur Motta, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering. 

The fuel temperature in a nuclear reactor must stay below a safety limit to prevent damage. My research is to improve fuel performance predictions by studying the effects of irradiation on the fuel’s microstructure. This research will lead to increased safety for nuclear reactors.     

   Re-engineering Photosynthesis to Produce Biofuels 

      Dr. Michael Gorka, Postdoctoral scholar in the research group of Dr. John Golbeck, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 

Proteins involved in photosynthesis can efficiently convert sunlight into chemical energy in the form of food for the plant or bacteria. Our research in this area shows that these same proteins can be modified to convert sunlight into chemical energy in the form of hydrogen, a promising renewable fuel. 

  1.    Studying male fertility genes in humans and other great apes 

  2. Dr. Marta Tomaszkiewicz, Research Associate in the research group of Dr. Kateryna Makova, Department of Biology. 

Ampliconic genes are multi-copy fertility genes located on the male Y chromosome. Deletions of some of them in men can lead to spermatogenic failure, thus studying them can elucidate genetic causes of male infertility. Our lab focuses on copy number differences in ampliconic genes in humans and other great apes.