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 us at svmstarprogram@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-6612.
| Student's Name | Class of | Mentor | Project Title |
| Nicole Cady | 2020 | Gerald Barry, PhD – School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin | Characterization of Antimicrobial Resistant E. coli in Rehabilitated Irish Seals and their Enclosures |
| Christina Chang | 2021 | Melissa Bauman, PhD - SOM: Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine | Novel Animal Model of Maternal Autoantibody Related (MAR) Autism |
| Hilvy Cheung | 2021 | Karl Jandrey, DVM, MAS, DACVECC – Associate Dean - VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | The effect of cryopoor plasma addition to adsorbed plasma to correct prothrombin time: an in vitro study |
| Jon Cohen | 2021 | William Vernau, DVSc, PhD – VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Mesenteric lymph node cytology in cats for diagnosing small cell granular lymphocyte intestinal lymphoma |
| Jenn Cossaboon | VSTP | Tracey Goldstein, PhD – VM: Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine | Contributing effect of organochlorine contaminant exposure in Atlantic common bottlenose dolphin deaths during the recent morbillivirus outbreak along the US Atlantic coast |
| Amanda Crofton | 2021 | Josh Stern, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Cardiology) – VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Identification of genetic markers for familial subvalvular aortic stenosis in Rottweilers |
| Rowena de Joya | 2020 | Karen Vernau, DVM, MAS - VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | The effects of temperature variation on physical contact between kittens and growth rate in orphaned neonatal kittens housed in the same incubator |
| Emma Devereux | 2021 | Pat Conrad, DVM, PhD – Associate Dean – VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | The Power of Poop: Evaluating Gut Microbiome as a Noninvasive Indicator of Animal Health |
| Stephanie Fuetsch | 2021 | Kristin Grimsrud, DVM, PhD – VM: Mouse Biology Program | Meloxicam sustained release injection site reactions in male and female mice |
| Chase Garcia | 2021 | Peter Havel, DVM, PhD - VM: Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitors May Delay Diabetes Onset in the UC Davis Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Rat Model |
| Morgan Geller | 2021 | Clare Yellowley, PhD – VM: Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Angiopoietin-like 4 expression during osteogenesis in canine stem cells |
| Giuliana Gianino | 2020 | Carrie Finno, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Large Animal) – VM: Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine | Genetic Investigation of Equine Occipitoatlantoaxial Malformation in Four Foals |
| Katie Griffin | 2021 | Kent Leach, PhD – Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering | An Evaluation of Integrin and Cadherin Expression within Mesenchymal Stem Cell Spheroids |
| Kari Hancock | 2021 | Rebecca Bellone, PhD – VM: Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine | Investigation of Genetic Risk Factors for Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Equine Eye |
| Janine Hertzka | 2020 | Kent Pinkerton, PhD – Pediatrics, School of Medicine | The Cardiovascular Effects of Tobacco Exposure in a Rat Model of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
| Caelin Hommel | 2021 | Ronald Li, DVM, PhD, VM: Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Surface expression of high mobility group box-1 in lipopolysaccharide-activated canine platelets |
| Becky Horn | 2020 | Amir Kol, DVM, PhD, VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | The Role of Exocrine Pancreatic Inflammation in the Pathogenesis of Canine Diabetes Mellitus |
| Sara Huebner | 2021 | Heather Knych, DVM, PhD, DACVP – VM: Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Efficacy of a Human TNF-alpha Inhibitor in Horses, a Preliminary Study |
| Alison Jeffrey | 2021 | Kirsten Gilardi, DVM, DACZM – VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Optimization of non-invasive diagnostic techniques for detection of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta africana) |
| Mary Kaufman | 2020 | Esteban Soto, DVM, PhD – VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Intravenous contrast enhanced computed tomography: dosing and pharmacokinetics in Cyprinus carpio |
| Rowena Kuang | 2020 | Amir Kol, DVM, PhD – VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Differentiation of Canine Embryonic Stem Cells to Insulin Producing Cells |
| Kim Maciejczyk | 2021 | Danika Bannasch, DVM, PhD – VM: Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine | PCR Genotyping of a Novel FGF4 Retrogene in Pit Bull Terriers and Mixed Breed Dogs Affected by Disc Disease |
| Devan Murphy | VSTP | John Albeck, PhD – Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Sciences | Decoding ERK Regulation of the Cell Cycle To Direct Rational Combinatorial Therapy |
| Andrew Oates | 2020 | Peter Ernst, DVM, PhD – VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Reduced Expression of AP Endonuclease-1 Impairs Fetal Development and Leads to Embryonic Loss |
| Anna Parker | 2021 | Christine Kreuder Johnson, VMD, MPVM, PhD – VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Distribution of the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) among various tissues and bodily fluids of naturally-exposed, DA-positive southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) |
| Stephanie Ryan | 2021 | Danika Bannasch, DVM, PhD – VM: Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine | The Role of ERBB4 Polymorphisms in Golden Retriever Longevity and Cancer Occurrence |
| Laurel Saldinger | 2020 | Dori Borjesson, DVM, PhD – VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a potential therapy for equine recurrent uveitis |
| Kimberley Sannajust | 2021 | Sara Thomasy, DVM, PhD – VM: Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Concentration-Dependent Effects of Graphene Oxide Engineered Nanomaterials on Corneal Epithelial and Fibroblast Cell Viability and Proliferation |
| Penny Sidhu | 2020 | Karen Vernau, DVM, MAS – VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | The effects of temperature, relative humidity, and noctural and diurnal feedings on growth, feed intake, and health in orphaned neonatal kittens |
| Maegha Singh | 2021 | Derek Cissell, VMD, PhD – VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Detecting Early Cartilage Degradation by Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in a Bovine Ex Vivo Mechanical Injury Model |
| Krupa Swaminathan | 2021 | Chris Murphy, DVM, PhD – SOM: Eye Center, UC Davis Health System | Evaluation of the Precorneal Tear Film in Normal Rabbits Using the ICP Ocular Surface Analyzer |
| Danielle Tran | 2021 | Derek Cissell, VMD, PhD – VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Effects of cells and proteins on cerebrospinal fluid MRI FLAIR signal |
| Phoebe Weaver | 2021 | Lynelle Johnson, DVM, MS, PhD – VM: Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Determination of Famciclovir Concentrations in Compounded Formulations |
| Caitlyn Wilson | 2021 | Woutrina Smith, DVM, MPVM, PhD – VM: Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Brucella infection risk factors for livestock and humans in south-central Tanzania |
| Tatiana Wolf | 2020 | Brian Murphy, DVM, PhD – VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Reducing Feline Immunodeficiency Viral Loads Using CRISPR: A Proof of Concept |
| Nina Yanagisawa | 2021 | Frank Verstraete, DrMedVet – VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | Dental Pathology of the Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis) |
| Lydia Yu | 2020 | Josh Stern, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Cardiology) – VM: Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine | Diphenhydramine does not reduce infusion-related ventricular arrhythmias in dogs treated with doxorubicin |
| Yingxi Zhang | 2021 | Xinbin Chen, BVSc, MS, PhD – VM: Surgical & Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine | The Role of p53 Tumor Suppressor in Canine Kidney Tubulogenesis and Tumorigenesis |