STAR Student Project Titles
As part of the STAR program students must submit a one page summary and present a poster of their research findings at the end of the summer STAR TG.
Below are the titles of the most recent summer STAR projects. Click on the title of a project below to view the poster (.pdf).
For more information, please contact Christine Munsterman at svmstarprogram@ucdavis.edu or 530-754-7746.
| Student's Name | Class of | Mentor | Project Title |
| Charles Artiles | 2020 | David Guzman, L.V., MS, Dipl ECZM, Dipl ACZM- VM: Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Computed tomographic findings of clinical dental disease in domestic rabbits |
| Alisa Berg | 2020 | Woutrina Smith, DVM, MPVM, PhD - VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | South African wildlife species-specific differences in Rift Valley fever virus seroprevalence |
| Joanne Bettada | 2019 | Derek Cissell, VMD, PhD - VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Magnetic resonance imaging: Optimal cartilage visualization of equine distal interphalangeal joint cartilage? |
| Evelyn Bulkeley | VSTP | Stuart Meyers, DVM, MS, PhD - VM: Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Mitochondrial oxygen consumption as an indicator of spermatozoal health for chilled storage of stallion sperm |
| Maggie Chang | 2020 | Sara Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO, VM: Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | The influence of engineered nanomaterials on keratocyte-fibroblast-myofibroblast transformation in the cornea stroma |
| Sophie Charlton | 2020 | Jonna Mazet, DVM, MPVM, PhD VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Prevalence of and risk factors for bovine tuberculosis in cattle in the Ruaha and Kilombero River Valley ecosystems of south-central Tanzania |
| Yeonji Cho | 2020 | Mentor: Carrie Finno, DVM, Diplo ACVIM, PhD - VM: Population, Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine | Investigation of coding variants in CYP4F2 in equine Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (eNAD)-affected horses |
| Denver Coleman | 2019 | Karl Jandrey, DVM, VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Behavioral changes due to neurologic effects of mercury on Pacific Harbor Seals Phoca vitulina richardii along the California coast |
| Kelly Davidson | 2020 | Richard Pereira, BVSc, PhD VM: Population, Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine | Antimicrobial resistance trends in northern California dairy cattle Salmonella isolates, 2002-2016 |
| Veronica Edwards | 2019 | Amir Kol, DVM, PhD - VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, UCD Regenerative Medicine; Nucharin Songasen, DVM, PhD, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute | Maturation rates of oocytes and glucose metabolism rates of small antral follicles cultured in 2,4-dinitrophenol in canines |
| Grace England | VSTP | Helen Raybould, PhD – VM: Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Role of butyrate in restoring satiety signaling in rodent model of high-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity |
| Janny Evenhuis | 2020 | Frank Verstraete, DrMedVet, BVSc, MMedVet - VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Dental pathology of the Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) |
| Claudia Ferreira | 2020 | Munashe Chigerwe, BVSc, MPH, PhD - VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Evaluation of the wound healing process of dairy calves using thermographic examination: primary closure vs second intention healing model |
| Sarah Fingerhood | 2019 | Laurel Gershwin, DVM, PhD -VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Detection of Cyclooxygenase-2 expression in lungs of calves infected with bRSV and treated with ibuprofen |
| Samantha Fousse | VSTP | Joshua Stern, DVM, PhD, Diplo. ACVIM – VM: Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Genetic determinants of atrial fibrillation in Irish Wolfhounds |
| Lindsey Garcia | 2020 | Joanne Paul Murphy, DVM, DACZM, DACAW, VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine; Jamie M. Douglas, DVM, MS, VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Implications of fecal corticosterone on welfare of Orange-Winged Amazons (Amazona amazonica) during social pairing |
| Katherine Gates | VSTP | Leigh Griffiths, DSAS, DACVIM (cardio), VetMD, MRCVS, PhD, Mayo Clinic | The road to better biomaterials |
| Croix Griffin | 2019 | Richard Levenson, MD, FCAP – Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UC Davis Medical Center | Novel acridine orange staining protocol and microscopy with UV surface excitation allows for rapid histological assessment of canine cutaneous mast cell tumors |
| Sasha Hazelton | 2019 | Andrea Fascetti, VMD, PhD – VM: Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Assessing plasma zinc concentrations as a reflection of zinc status in aging Rhesus Macaques |
| Patrick Huang | 2020 | Kevin Woolard, DVM, PhD – VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | The role of disseminated tumor cells in recurrent glioblastoma multiforme |
| Casie Lee | 2020 | Lisa Tell, DVM, DABVP & DACZM VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine; Rachel Vannette, PhD, Department of Entomology and Nematology, UC Davis | Characterizing microbial load and composition in hummingbird feeders: implications for best practice |
| Miriam Lee | 2020 | Lisa Tell, DVM, DABVP & DACZM VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Prevalence of Haemoproteus spp. infections in blood samples from Allen’s hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin) |
| Connor Long | 2020 | Aijun Wang, PhD SOM: Department of Surgery, UC Davis Medical Center | Characterizing canine placental stem cells for the treatment of neurological disease |
| Kailyn McKibben | 2019 | Christine Fiorello, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, PhD Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine | Comparison of treatment protocols for Cyathostoma microspiculum in naturally infected double-crested cormorants |
| Devan Murphy | VSTP | Bruce Draper, PhD, Molecular & Cellular Biology, College of Biological Sciences, UC Davis | Over-activation of the Fgf signaling pathway in the early zebrafish gonad will lead to ovarian tumor phenotype |
| Andrew Oates | 2020 | Patty Pesavento, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVP - VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | High prevalence of Felis catus gammaherpesvirus 1 in oronasal tissues of domestic cats |
| Alice O’Byrne | 2019 | Karen Shapiro, DVM, MPVM, PhD VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Molecular epidemiology of Sarcocystis neurona from land to sea: Detection and genotyping analysis in opossums and marine mammals from western Washington - University College Dublin visiting student |
| Katelynn Ondek | VSTP | Gene Gurkoff, PhD SOM: Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine | A new rodent model of repeat mild traumatic brain injury in adolescents |
| Tamsen Polley | 2020 | Patty Pesavento, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVP - VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine; Julia Beatty, BSc, BVetMed, Phd, FANZCVSc –University of Sydney, Australia | Investigating an etiologic role for Felis catus gammaherpesvirus 1 in high grade, large cell lymphoma |
| Rebecca Radisic | 2019 | Sean Owens, DVM, VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Establishing circulating red cell volume and plasma volume reference intervals for Loggerhead and Green sea turtles |
| Kavi Rude | 2020 | Melanie Gareau, PhD, VM: Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine | GI pathophysiology following early life environmental exposure to PCBs in neonatal mice |
| Sarah Saad | 2019 | Sonja Dieterich, PhD, SOM Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine; Katherine Hansen, DVM, VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Using EPID in vivo dosimetry to quantify treatment delivery accuracy in canine head and neck tumors |
| Laurel Saldinger | 2020 | Dori Borjesson, DVM, MPVM, PHD VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Equine mesenchymal stem cell interactions with CD4+ T cells |
| Hannah Savage | VSTP | Nicole Baumgarth, DVM, PhD - VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Uncovering the true phenotype of pathogen-reactive innate-like B cells |
| Kelly Schrock | 2019 | Sue Stover, DVM, PhD, VM: Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine | The association between pre-existing lesions on proximal sesamoid bone and catastrophic proximal sesamoid bone fracture in racehorses |
| Lynae Shubin | 2019 | Gerald Barry, MS, PhD, Veterinary Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland; Barbara Byrne, DVM, PhD, VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Survey of Antimicrobial Resistance and Influenza A virus in Irish Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) |
| Daniel Sintov | 2019 | Lance Visser, DVM, MS VM: Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Evaluation of two-dimensional echocardiography-derived tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion in conscious healthy dogs |
| Shannon Smith | 2020 | David Mills, MS, PhD, Food Science and Technology; Viticulture & Enology, UC Davis; Saumya Wickramasinghe, BVSc, MS, PhD, Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka | Characterizing the Asian elephant microbiome |
| Kellie Snider | 2020 | Luke Wittenburg, DVM, DACVCP, PhD, VM: Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Canine osteosarcoma as a model for investigating the therapeutic potential of miR-34a prodrug in humans |
| Stephanie Stromberg | 2019 | Danika Bannasch, DVM, MPVM, PhD, VM: VM: Population, Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine; Sara Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO, VM: Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Evaluation of the MHC class II as a candidate for sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) in Dachshunds |
| Kelly Symmes | 2018 | Lark Coffey, PhD VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Virulence of re-emerging St. Louis Encephalitis Virus in California |
| Gauthier Terrade | 2020 | Mentor: Chris Miller, DVM, PhD - VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Development of less invasive functional assessments of malignant hyperthermia (MH) genotypes - visiting student from Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, France |
| Eric Velazquez | VSTP | Andreas Bäumler, PhD SOM: Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine | Mouse vendor-dependent variation in gut microbiota determines susceptibility to Salmonella infection |
| Zhe (Alice) Wang | 2020 | Glenn Yiu, MD, PhD, SOM: Ophthalmology & Vision Science, UC Davis Eye Center | Evaluation of biocompatibility of a novel sustained ocular drug delivery system in Rhesus Macaques using optical coherence tomography |
| Nicole Yang | 2019 | Eric Johnson, DVM, SVM: Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of prostatic carcinoma in the canine |