WiSM - UGST112 Lab Tours!!!
Read through the research summaries of each participating lab.
Click on the lab name for more information.
Once you've decided on your top choice labs…
Ambati Lab
Knight Campus - Angiogenesis & Eye Technology
Dr. Bala Ambati devotes a significant portion of his time to research endeavors investigating the molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels, in the cornea. His laboratory group has solved the long-outstanding mystery of what keeps the cornea normally free of blood vessels, identifying the protein sVEGFR-1 as the prime mediator of this essential requirement for clear vision. His team has applied this knowledge in developing novel inhibitors targeting the key mediator of angiogenesis, VEGF, specifically sequestering this linchpin molecule within cells, complementing the existing anti-VEGF arsenal.
Gardner Lab
Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Advancement
The Gardner Lab studies the brain regions responsible for planning and performing complex motor sequences, such as dancing and speech. Songbirds have specialized regions for learning and planning song, and we study them to understand how the brain cells in these areas work together to coordinate sequences. As part of the Bioengineering Department, the Gardner Lab also designs and builds custom devices to measure brain activity. By measuring and understanding how brains generate these patterns, we can better understand what underlies neurodegenerative disorders, informing treatment development.
McCurdy Lab
Human Physiology/Food Studies
Obesity and its associated metabolic diseases are one of the greatest public health challenges in the United States. Recent estimates find that over 30% of adults and 17% of children in the United States are obese. This is of great concern as obesity is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases including insulin resistance, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and certain cancers. Additionally, gestational diabetes and or maternal obesity during pregnancy significantly increases the likelihood of early development of obesity and metabolic diseases in the child and an increased 4-fold greater risk of type 2 diabetes in the mother. Insulin resistance is a central and defining feature of the metabolic diseases associated with obesity. The Obesity & Metabolism research laboratory focuses on understanding the cellular signals that initiate and propagate insulin resistance in response to acute and chronic nutrient excess. The laboratory incorporates whole animal physiology with both common and cutting edge cellular and molecular techniques.
Brozek Lab
Chemistry
The Brozek lab is a group of synthetic chemists who look at the properties of novel porous materials called metal-organic frameworks. They investigate the dynamics of these materials, electrochemical properties, and fundamentals of their nucleation and growth to make nanocrystals. These materials have potential applications in chemical storage, catalysis, filtration, and much more!
Niell Lab
Biology/Neuroscience
Research in the Niell lab is focused on understanding how the visual system performs the computations underlying our perception of the natural world, and how this enables different types of behaviors. We are pursuing this in three main branches of research : Visual processing and brain states, Natural visual behavior, and Neural circuits for vision in the octopus.
Barber Lab
Ecology and Evolution
Animals and microbes encode a variety of molecules to sense, manipulate, and defend against one another. These complex interactions can ultimately mean the difference between peaceful coexistence and a deadly infection. Our lab studies how animals have evolved to recognize and respond to pathogenic microbes, and how pathogens adapt to colonize and survive in the host environment.
mcCormick Lab
Biology/Neuroscience
By examining how neurons operate electically, and how they talk to each other chemically, we are uncovering the neural circuits responsible for behavior. We are particularly interested in the neural circuits that transforms a sensory input into a decision that is then implemented in an action. We find great hope that revealing these neural circuits will increase our understanding of not only the ordered, but also the disordered, human brain.
Oregon IONs Lab
Quantum Mechanics
The Oregon Ions study quantum information using trapped ions, which is a leading platform for making quantum computers. We use lasers and oscillating electric and magnetic fields to probe the external motional and internal electronic states of individual calcium ions and develop tools and methods to further understand how to control quantum states. We also have a variety of molecular spectroscopy experiments, including one involved in the search for Dark Matter.
Louca Lab
Microbial Ecology and Evolution
The Louca lab studies the ecology and evolution of Bacteria and Archaea, the most ancient and the most ubiquitous form of life on Earth. Their metabolism drives biogeochemical fluxes in virtually every ecosystem and has shaped Earth's surface chemistry over billions of years. In our lab we focus on how these microorganisms interact with their environment to drive biogeochemical fluxes and, reciprocally, how this interaction affects microbial diversity. In addition, we are interested in understanding microbial evolutionary dynamics over geological time scales.
Miller Lab
Biology/ Neuroscience
In the Miller Lab, we are interested in understanding the building blocks of how the nervous system develops and functions. Brain cells, called neurons, talk to each other at specialized sites, called synapses. Chemical synapses release neurotransmitters, like dopamine, but the brain also uses another synapse, called electrical synapses. These synapses are broadly used, but we know very little about how they are formed, used or maintained. Work in the Miller lab uses zebrafish as a model organism to identify the molecules that build and maintain electrical synapses. Our goal is to uncover the basics of how electrical synapses are built so we can understand what may go wrong in different disease states.
Stress Physiology Investigative Team (SPIT) lab
Center for Translational Neuroscience
The Biomarker Cluster hosts both Dr. Birdie Shirtcliff's Stress Physiology Investigative Team (SPIT) lab and Dr. Josh Snodgrass's Global Health Biomarkers Lab. The SPIT lab processes non-invasive samples, like hair and saliva, for hormone concentrations (cortisol, testosterone, estradiol) for research groups across the world. The Global Health lab specializes in processing dried blood spots and using point-of-care devices to derive measurements of health (CRP, Osteocalcin, hemoglobin, cholesterol).