Members of the Biology faculty pride themselves on being able to offer Villanova
undergraduates the opportunity to be involved in meaningful biological research.
We welcome all qualified students to consider including a research experience in
their undergraduate curriculum.
A bilateral comparison of adductor mandibulae fiber composition
in the winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus
Scot Niglio (Honors)
Knepper
Visualization of the GAV region of integration for mouse mammary
tumor virus with fluorescent in-situ hybridization
Chanelle Case
Knepper
RNAi inhibition of cathepsin L in mouse mammary tumor cells
Morgan Jones (Honors)
Bamezai
Ly-6A.2 mediated induction of a proliferative response in B cells
Lauren DiMenna
Olson
Development of immune function in Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica):
effects of an immunological challenge on hematology and the bursa of
Fabricius
Daryl DiRocco
Desmond
Optic nerve flexing: mechanical stress and damage
Morgan Falk
Webb
Neuromast morphology and lateral line system development in two
cichlids, Labeotrophus fuelleborni and Metriaclima zebra
Thomas Kennedy
Jackman
Molecular phylogenetics of Hemidactylus geckos from Southern India
and Sri Lanka
2005
Christine Brooks (Honors)
Bamezai
The role of lipid rafts in the induction of growth inhibition in
a cancer cell Line in response to antibodies against GPI-anchored proteins
Elissa Carney (Honors)
Davis (Physics) & Dollahon
Investigation of ferritin in mammalian iron metabolism
Trista Felty (Honors)
Boulton
Arthropod richness and abundance on Pennsylvania college campuses
Adrienne Laury (Honors)
DiBenedetto
The effect of SERMs on the spatial kinetic distribution of apoptosis
in the model system of the immature rat uterus
Imran Punekar (Honors)
Olson
Ontogenetic and energetic consequences of an immunological challenge
in Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)
Stephen Van Pelt (Honors)
Curry
Hybridization between the Carolina and Black-capped Chickadee: a
further test of Haldane’s rule
Oleg Vishnevsky (Honors)
Russo
The role of inflammation in estrogen-induced matrix turnover and
MMP regulation in the immature rat uterus
M. Nicholas Weber (Honors)
Curry
Determining the utility of longer microsatellite repeats in the molecular analysis of a local chickadee
hybrid system
John Wenzel (Honors)
Dollahon
Investigation of parasites in Pennsylvania Canada Geese and their social/public implications
Chrissa Walsh
Boulton
Ecology of insular ant dominants in the Sea of Cortez
Beth Salonia
Boulton
Community ecology of a common North American wood ant, Formica subsericea
Amanda Smolock
Russo
Regulation of metalloproteinases in the ovariectomized rat uterus by 17β-estradiol
Crystal Kraft
Knepper
Expression of potential gene sequences in a mouse mammary tumor virus integration region
Elizabeth Spehalski
Russo
The regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases by the selective estrogen receptor Raloxifene
Ryan Walsh
Webb
Ontogeny of the inner ear in the spotfin butterflyfish, Chaetodon ocellatus
Benny Johnson
Jackman
With- and between-species gene trees: phylogenetic analysis of New Caledonian geckos
Undergraduate research may be conducted over a single semester, or over more
than a year. To get a taste of research, students may arrange with a faculty member
to take Directed Research (Bio 6509), in which they complete a project lasting one
semester. Any Biology major having a GPA of at least 3.0 can work toward a senior
thesis (Bio 6409) that would involve at least two semesters of research for credit.
How much research you complete is up to you, in consultation with your advisor and
supervising faculty member–but the effort is virtually never wasted: few things
can better help you stand out from your competitors when it comes time to apply
for graduate school, professional programs, or employment. Until you try your hand
at research, you can’t make an informed decision about pursuing (or ruling out)
many career options.
Students completing the degree requirements
for the
Bachelor of Science, Honors Program (B.S.H.) are required to complete a Senior
Thesis, but you do not have to be an Honors major to do research for a thesis–you
just have to be an interested Biology major with a GPA over 3.0.
