ACADEMICS
From left: BIMS majors Erin O’Connor, Janisah Saripada, and Oula Eldow conduct research in the lab.
looking at the effect of glucose in the body. “I thought, ‘Oh, it would be a perfect idea to mesh these two projects together and look at one single disease, diabetes, because diabetes affects the levels of glucose and ketones in your body,’” the junior noted. Using a chicken egg offers a useful way to study this problem. “We add glucose, which is a type of sugar, and ketones, which are chemicals produced when your body doesn’t have enough insulin to convert sugar into energy,” Saripada said. “We’re basically trying to model diabetes, specifically gestational diabetes, using the Chick CAM model since it has many similarities to human embryonic development.”
EXPERIMENT 3: SODIUM FLUORIDE AND THE MICROVASCULAR SYSTEM O’Connor and her team are using chicken eggs to try to detect changes in the microvascular structure through low doses of sodium fluoride. “We chose this because we found other studies that showed that sodium fluoride affected embryo growth in frogs,” the Uvalde resident said. “We know that sodium fluoride can be in daily products, such as water and toothpaste, so we are trying to see what happens with low
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doses. Are they actually harmful or is it something that needs to be watched out for?” The research may open doors for additional research on the microvascular system’s response to other teratogens. “Teratogens are any agent or substance that affect the development of an embryo, such as malformations or birth defects,” O’Connor said. “This is important because we want to be able to identify any environmental factors that can pose a detrimental effect to a developing embryo or fetus.”
GROWING SCHOLARS AND LEADERS These programs also give undergraduates the opportunities to develop skills that will serve them both inside and outside the research lab. “The most valuable skills I’ve learned have been realizing how to work with team members and how to use everyone’s skills to really push the project in a positive direction in order to see results,” O’Connor said. Eldow has enjoyed the opportunity to grow as both a researcher and a leader. “This research is something that I’m very passionate about,” she said. “It’s helped me grow as a leader and grow as a student.” ■