- Aim is to evolve the specificity of proteases to target misfolded and aberrant proteins involved in neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmune diseases,and cancers- Building yeast-based platforms for high-throughput screening of protease modulators

- Overarching goal is to better understand the innate immune response to more intelligently design therapeutics that aid in the recovery from a multitude of diseases- Specifically working on more fully understanding diseases like cystic fibrosis by delving into the possible connections between neutrophil dysregulation and increased tissue stiffness - Analyze neutrophil migration through collagen gels along a chemoattractant gradient in three-dimensional microfluidic devices- Tailor the fibril size and cross-linking density in the collagen gels to develop a reproducible method that spans the range of healthy to diseased human tissue stiffness- Utilize neutrophil isolation techniques, cell culturing, confocal microscopy, and rheological techniques- Participate in lab meetings, including journal clubs and research presentations

- Developed biodegradable sensors that relay information on soil health by monitoring microbial and enzymatic activity- Goal is to manufacture low-cost devices capable of accurately measuring soil health for developing countries and small-scale farms- Utilized a laser machine and a plasma etcher, along with various other techniques, to make conductive inks out of several polymer solutions- Gained valuable experience through presentation of project to a panel of professors and peers

- Investigated ketonization reactions on mixed metal surfaces made up of differing purities of ceria and zirconia to create a more stable energy dense biofuel- Learned how to obtain and analyze data from temperature programmed desorption runs in a packed-bed tubular reactor- Conducted analysis of data from the desorption of intermediates from a pure zirconia, pure ceria, or mixed ceria/zirconia surface after exposure to acetic acid- Concluded that pure zirconia and pure ceria surfaces form a stronger bond with their ketene intermediate than a mixed surface of ceria/zirconia does- Hypothesized that since it is known that the ceria/zirconia mixture results in the best ketonization activity, the relatively weak bond strength may be a contributing factor to the higher yield of acetone associated with the surface

- Ensured the safety of pool patrons and maintained clean pool facilities

- Monitored pool deck, enforced pool rules, and ensured the safety of pool patrons - Cleaned pool facilities, set-up/lock-up pool deck, etc.

- Completed multiple transects along local beaches and executed thorough data analysis to discover that out of the over 800 trash debris identified and collected over 80% were from single-use plastics- Created eye-catching art display to have meaningful conversations with community on how single-use plastics directly affects marine life and ocean ecosystem; work was recognized by The Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Program in their Marine Debris Creative Advocacy Competition - Mastered microscope skills through analysis of local plankton and microscopic organisms in inland delta to quantify the current health of the ecosystem