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Bailey College of Science and Mathematics

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Research Briefs: Quick Looks at Research in the College of Science and Mathematics

Photo of wind enegry farm in ocean.

BRIEF SUMMARIES SUBMITTED BY RESEARCH STUDENTS AND FACULTY IN THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

FOR YEARS 2023 AND EARLIER

(Faculty mentors highlighted in bold italics.)

Surveyors of Space and Time

PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

Louise Edwards and research studentsWHO: Denvir Higgins, Giselle Martinez, Joseph Perez, Luisa Gonzalez, Ricardo Pedrayes, Vicente Puga, Louise Edwards.

WHAT: "Does a galaxy's environment affect its evolution? To answer this, our team is: 1) identifying large galaxies; 2) classifying them as either currently undergoing major changes (i.e., actively forming stars) or not; and 3) characterizing their surrounding environment."

WHY: “Small samples reveal that the answer is 'yes' — that a higher fraction of star-forming galaxies are found within the low-density filaments of the 'cosmic web' with dense cluster cores dominated by older, retired galaxies.”

WHAT'S NEXT: “To be sure, we are exploring a large sample from cosmological simulations. This will prepare us for the application to observational data from Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time.”

THE WOW: “The Rubin’s survey starts next year. Twenty years in the making, it will produce an unprecedented view of our universe with its record-breaking camera and full coverage of the southern sky.”
 

Code for Chemistry

COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY

chemistry code graphic

WHO: Alia Lescoulie, Astrid Yu, Ashley Ringer McDonald.

WHAT: A chemistry major and a computer science major teamed up to write code that will help chemists study interactions in proteins.

WHY: Interactions in proteins are important in designing new drug molecules that can be used to treat disease and reduce side effects of drug treatments.

WHAT'S NEXT: “Using our code to study the protein MEK1, which is an important protein in treating breast cancer. We want to identify exactly which parts of the protein would bind to potential new drugs.”

THE WOW: “Computational tools like our software can help scientists test new drug molecules faster and at lower cost than traditional laboratory work alone.”
 

Water Loss in Lizards

HERPETOLOGY

lizardWHO: Savannah Weaver, Haley Edwards, Tess McIntyre, Mieko Temple, Quinton Alexander, Matthew Behrens, Reilly Biedebach, Shawn Budwal, Owen Castagnoli, Dash Hart, Jenna Heaphy, Karisma Lucatero, Kai Mills, Nikki Moallemi, Leonardo Navarro Carmona, Eli O'Brien, Julia Perez, Thomas Schauerman, Dylan Stephens, Mia Venturini, Christine White, Emily Taylor.

WHAT: Herpetology students caught western fence lizards on campus and learned how to draw blood and take measurements of them. The evaporative water loss of these lizards differed among their body regions and changed in response to humidity acclimation.

WHY: As the climate crisis continues to alter temperature regimes and water availability, studying how animals regulate water balance grows in importance.

WHAT'S NEXT: More research should be done to test the limits of changes in evaporative water loss and to determine what enables the differences among body regions and changes in response to humidity.

THE WOW: The listed students collaborated to write a paper, and in September 2022, it became a peer-reviewed publication: doi.org/10.1655/Herpetologica-D-21-00030.1
 

Exercise and Colon Cancer

KINESIOLOGY

Cami ChristopherWHO: Cami N. Christopher, Charles E. Matthews, Pedro F. Saint-Maurice, Sarah Keadle.

WHAT: "Using a data-driven approach, we identified how exercise trajectories over the adult life-course were associated with colon cancer risk. Adults maintaining moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) amounts consistently throughout adulthood had a lower risk of colon cancer."

WHY: Physical activity reduces colon cancer risk; however, it is unclear how the timing of MVPA throughout the adult life course impacts colon cancer risk.

WHAT'S NEXT: These findings add new evidence that promoting physical activity at all stages of the adult life-course is needed for population-based colon cancer prevention.

THE WOW: Cami Christopher, a former Frost Research Fellow, was first author on this innovative project. She is a doctoral student at Harvard University, working with Dr. Christina Dieli-Conwright, a Cal Poly alumna (Biological Sciences, ’02).

 

Coastal Connectivity

BIOLOGICAL AND MARINE SCIENCES

Cal Poly researchers scuba diving

WHO: Ben Daniels, Gabriella Richardson, Alyssa Queen, Anabel Sanchez, Tyler Weipert, Olivia Watt, Jaden Hansen, Kathryn Hutchinson, Hanna Jaynes, Chanel de Smet, Jordan Reichhardt, Olivia Sleeper, Jenna Nurge, Audrey Sarin, Madison Wright, Cody Mestice, Crow White.

WHAT: "Combining SCUBA diving field surveys, experiments at the Cal Poly Pier and genomics in the lab, we are quantifying gene flow and population connectivity along the California coast and how it is being reshaped by climate change."

WHY: Where do young marine fish and shellfish come from? The answer is critical for identifying populations to protect because they are sources of new young, and other populations to fish (harvest) because they receive young that grow up but do not produce many new young themselves. The answer also is changing as organisms adapt and the oceans react to climate change.

WHAT'S NEXT: “Using genes identified from our pier experiments specific to different regions in California, we are ‘matching’ thousands of shellfish to the kelp forests from which each was born.”

THE WOW: Twelve undergraduates collaborated to extract DNA from 2,063 adults and 1,344 juveniles of the kelp forest shellfish Kellet's whelk, a large sea snail, that were collected  from populations across the California coast.
 

Aggression in Female Fish

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

female fish eating foodWHO: Jenna Wedworth, Taylor Camp, Julia Kasper, Gita Kolluru.

WHAT: Biological sciences students are examining aggressive behavior in female fishes. Historically, such studies have focused on males. But, as more female ecologists conduct research, more is being uncovered about female animals, underscoring the importance of diversity in science.

WHY: Aggression is usually thought to be a male behavior. But it may also be important for females, not only because it allows them to compete for food but because it also enables them to resist mating harassment and choose their mates.

WHAT'S NEXT: “We have demonstrated that aggressive females receive less mating harassment from males, an important benefit. We will investigate additional benefits and costs of aggression in these livebearing fish.”

THE WOW: “We value diversity in our research team and study diversity in our fishes. We hope that investigating animal behavior from a range of perspectives will enrich the field and spur others to do the same.”

 

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