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Lake Forest, Ill. - The Seventeenth Annual Argonne Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and Mathematics was held in November at Argonne National Laboratory. Over 350 students, teachers, and scientists attended the Symposium and nearly 200 undergraduate students presented original scholarship, from colleges and universities across the Midwest and beyond.

Eleven Lake Forest College students presented undergraduate biology research performed at Lake Forest College and three Chicago area institutions, Northwestern University, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and the Field Museum.

“The Argonne Undergraduate Symposium in Science provides tremendous opportunities for highly motivated and skilled students to share their scientific research with others, obtain feedback from other students and scientists, and hone their presentation skills,” said Lake Forest College Professor of Biology Doug Light.

Lake Forest’s biology department provides students a broad background in modern biology, while fostering opportunities for in-depth research. Writing, public speaking, and technological communication are all part of what it takes to be a scientist. Given its research focus, the biology department takes seriously its responsibility to train students to effectively communicate the significance of their findings at regional and national scientific conferences.

All eleven students are preparing for scientific careers and plan to pursue PhD, MD, or a graduate degree in the health professions after graduating from Lake Forest College.

Following were the individual presentations by Lake Forest College students:

•“Calcium and Cell Volume Regulation in Alligator Erythrocytes”
Alina Spivak ’07 (Professor Douglas B. Light, biology)

•“Vive la Différence? An Examination of Sex-Related Variation in
Songbird Migration Strategy”
Anne K. Haas ’07 (Professor Caleb E. Gordon, biology)

•“Cospeciation of Catharus Thrushes and the Parasitic Chewing Lice” (Insecta: Phthiraptera)
Chelsea L. Bueter ’07 (Professor Caleb E. Gordon, biology)

•“Interpreting Patterns of Passerine Mass Change During Spring Migratory Stopover: Glimpsing the Marathon En Route”
Benjamin N. Larsen ’07 (Professor Caleb E. Gordon, biology)

•“The Increasing Complexity of Alpha-Synuclein Degradation: A New Target for Parkinson’s Therapy?”
Mithaq Vahedi ’08 (Professor Shubhik DebBurman, biology)

•“Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease: Evaluation of α-Synuclein-Expressing Yeast Lacking α-Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase Activity”
Michael Zorniak ’07 (Professor Shubhik DebBurman, biology)

•“Exploiting S. Cerevisiae for the Study of RNA Interference”
Stephanie Valtierra ’08 (Professor Shubhik DebBurman, biology)

•“Ampa Receptor Association in the Hippocampus”
Jennifer L. Riddle ’07 (Professor Shubhik DebBurman, biology)

•“Alpha-Synuclein-E46K Demonstrates Selective Toxicity in Budding Yeast”
Michael D. White ’07, Sina Vahedi ’08 (Professor Shubhik DebBurman, biology)

•“Insight on Alpha-Synuclein Misfolding and Aggregation in Parkinson’s Disease: Concentration is Key”
Lokesh Kukreja ’08, Katrina Brandis ’06 (Professor Shubhik DebBurman, biology)

Lake Forest College is a national liberal arts institution located 30 miles north of downtown Chicago. The College has 1,400 students representing 47 states and 55 countries.

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Contact: Irene Ratliff
847-735-6010
ratliff@lakeforest.edu