SUNY Oswego - MERCK-AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program

Welcome to the MERCK/AAAS-funded Undergraduate Science Research Program at SUNY Oswego. This program is made possible through a $60,000 grant awarded to Drs. Bendinskas (Chemistry) and MacKenzie (Biological Sciences). This 10-week program will occur during the summers of 2006-2008 and will include funding for students each summer. Students will be selected through a competitive process that includes an on-line application followed by an interview.

Student Benefits

Experience working on an independent research project
$3,000 Stipend for 10-week program
Free on-campus housing and food (provided by the Dean of Arts and Sciences)

2008 Summer Program (June 2 - August 8)

Project Descriptions
- Development of a GHB-specific Detection Assay
  - The date-rape drug GHB has been used recreationally and to intoxicate victims of robbery and rape.
  - The goal of this project is to develop an assay that can be used to detect GHB in liquids such as alcoholic beverages and bodily fluids.
  - This project is a collaboration between Dr. Kestas Bendinskas (Chemistry) and Dr. Jim MacKenzie (Biological Sciences).
- Physiological and proteomic assessment of environmental toxicants and cardiovascular reactivity in children.
  - Environmental toxicants have been shown to correlate with hypertension and cardiovascular reactivity in children.
  - There are three goals of this project
    - To determine if oxidative stress is involved in bringing about these clinical symptoms.
    - To determine the role of vasotone mediators.
    - To characterize the plasma proteome of children with various toxicant levels.
  - This study is part of a larger project that is a collaboration between Dr. Kestas Bendinskas (Chemistry), Dr. Jim MacKenzie (Biological Sciences), and Dr. Brooks Gump (Psychology).
- 2008 Merck/AAAS Scholars
  - Jenna Burgess (Zoology)
  - Tabitha Maier (Chemistry)
  - Eric Yeager (Zoology)

2007 Summer Program (June 4 - August 10)

Project Descriptions
- Development of a GHB-specific Detection Assay
  - The date-rape drug GHB has been used recreationally and to intoxicate victims of robbery and rape.
  - The goal of this project is to develop an assay that can be used to detect GHB in liquids such as alcoholic beverages and bodily fluids.
  - This project is a collaboration between Dr. Kestas Bendinskas (Chemistry) and Dr. Jim MacKenzie (Biological Sciences).
- Physiological and proteomic assessment of environmental toxicants and cardiovascular reactivity in children.
  - Environmental toxicants have been shown to correlate with hypertension and cardiovascular reactivity in children.
  - There are three goals of this project
    - To determine if oxidative stress is involved in bringing about these clinical symptoms.
    - To determine the role of vasotone mediators.
    - To characterize the plasma proteome of children with various toxicant levels.
  - This study is part of a larger project that is a collaboration between Dr. Kestas Bendinskas (Chemistry), Dr. Jim MacKenzie (Biological Sciences), and Dr. Brooks Gump (Psychology).
2007 Merck/AAAS Scholars
- Dan Crosset (Biology) - Development of a GHB-specific Enzymatic Colorimetric Assay.
- Thea Hassan (Biology) - Identification of carbonylated proteins in human blood.
- Paul MacMahon (Biochemistry) - Development of a GHB-specific Enzyme Immunoassay.
- Kristen Roosa (Biology) - Investigation of vasotone mediators in children with varying toxicant levels.
Weekly Research Meeting - Mondays at 9 AM, 220 Rich Hall
Workshops
- Searching the Scientific Literature (Chris Hebblethwaite) - June 4, 2007
- Chemical and Environmental Safety (Kristen Gublo) - June 5, 2007
- Creating Good (and Proper) Presentations, including References and Chemical Structures (Dr. Casey Raymond) - June 11, 2007
- Organizing Data and Bibliographies (Jim MacKenzie) - June 12, 2007

2006 Summer Program (June 5 - August 11)

Project Descriptions
- Development of a GHB-specific Detection Assay
  - The date-rape drug GHB has been used recreationally and to intoxicate victims of robbery and rape.
  - The goal of this project is to develop an assay that can be used to detect GHB in liquids such as alcoholic beverages and bodily fluids.
  - This project is a collaboration between Dr. Kestas Bendinskas (Chemistry) and Dr. Jim MacKenzie (Biological Sciences).
- Use of Physiological Indicators to Determine Stress Levels in Zoo Animals
  - Holding wild animals in capticity causes stress to animals. This project involves studying captive grey wolves (Canis lupus).
  - The goal of this project is to determine if Proteomics can be used to identify novel biomarkers of stress. Wolf stress levels will be confirmed using classical behavioral and biochemical measurements.
  - This was a collaboration with Dr. Diane Chepko-Sade (Biological Sciences) and Dr. Kestas Bendinskas (Chemistry).
2006 Merck/AAAS Scholars
- Robert Birdsall (Chemistry) - Proteomic and Behavoral Indicators of Stress Levels in Grey Wolves
- Tia Hendershot (Biology) - Development of a GHB-specific Enzyme Immunoassay
- Mike Mastromauro (Zoology) - Biochemical and Behavoral Indicators of Stress in Grey Wolves
- Patricia Sattelberg (Biochemistry) - Development of a GHB-specific Enzymatic Colorimetric Assay
Weekly Research Meeting - Mondays at 9 AM, 225 Poucher Hall
Workshops
- Literature and Database Search for Research (Chris Hebblethwaite) - June 5, 2006
- Creating Good (and Proper) Presentations, including References and Chemical Structures (Dr. Casey Raymond) - June 6, 2006
- Chemical and Environmental Safety (Kristen Gublo) - June 7, 2006