In this senior capstone course, I designed and performed research studying the kinetics of folding for the tetrahymena ribozyme using low levels of magnesium and chaperone proteins such as chymotrypsin. I transformed bacterial cultures with plasmids containing the gene for the ribozyme, isolated the gene, performed a DNA gel electrophoresis, translated the gene into the ribozyme, and studied the kinetics using a plate reader and fluorescence.  This class helped me develop biological techniques to study molecules, data analysis, critical thinking, and scientific communication.

In this lab-based course, I created and performed an experiment to figure out the decay of gabapentin using nonaqueous titration to figure out the quantity of gabapentin in two different samples of the medication: a recently obtained batch and a sample previously kept in home from 2019. I also applied chemistry techniques such as acid-base and complexometric titration, UV-Vis spectroscopy, gas chromatography, and electrolysis, so that I could determine the different chemical compounds based on these properties and produce accurate and precise data.

In this course, I studied the structure, function, kinetics, and metabolic pathways of the biological macromolecules, and applied concepts of organic chemistry and biology. In lab, I learned to separate, detect, and modify biomolecules and used bioinformatic and computational techniques to assess this. The final project studied α-chymotrypsin catalysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate in both pre-steady state and steady state using UV-vis. I learned to create a research article and analyze data using programs like Pymol, Desmos, KaleidaGraph, and KinTek Explorer.

In this course, I studied the growth, identification, and function of pathogens, and the way the human body reacts to these pathogens. I learned aseptic techniques to isolate, culture, and identify different pathogens using staining and growth mediums.

I studied how heredity works on a molecular level, including genetic systems, the structure and role of nucleic acids, mutations, and genes in development and population genetics. In lab, I amplified and cloned E. coli genes using PCR, restriction digest, ligation, and electroporation, and used gel electrophoresis to confirm results.

Item descriptiAnatomy & Physiology (lecture & lab) Cell Biology (lecture & lab); General Chemistry I & II (lecture &  lab); Human Growth & Development; Intro to Psychology; Intro to Sociology; Issues & Ethics in Healthcare; Medical Terminology; Organic Chemistry I (lecture & lab); Physics for Health Professionals (lecture & lab); Physics II (lecture & lab); Principles of Biology I & II (lecture & lab)