Student Scholars & Faculty Mentors
Projects funded by our internal grants program. Search the table to find students or faculty mentors that share in your interests, and could help you achieve your goals in research, creative activity, or service.
Migration Patterns Trachemys Scripta Neural Crest Cells During Embryonic Development
Name: Arpan,
Advisor: Judy Cebra-Thomas
Department: BIOL
Award: Neimeyer Hodgson
Abstract: Turtles have two waves of neural crest cell (NCC) migration during their embryonicdevelopment, with the second one beginning after the first wave NCCs have reached their finaldestination and differentiated. It has been discovered that the NCCs from this second wave formthe plastorn of the turtle, which is a skeletal structure found on the underbelly of the turtle(Cebra-Thomas et al. 2013). Though research has been done regarding second wave NCC, it isnot yet understood when it begins and what occurs between the two waves of migration inturtles. Are the NCCs from the inbetween stage osteogenic? In order to answer this question, Iplan to analyze NCCs from the in-between period using antibody staining to look for theexpression of markers for NCCs, neurons and transcription factors for cells able to differentiateinto bone-forming cells.