“Quality, not quantity” might be a summary of Tuesday’s High School Poster Exposition. Seven high school students, some local (CA) and others from NC, MD, and CO presented their research results to a group of SOT members. Projects ranged from in silico analysis on work in non-human primates, to studies using fresh water organisms to study the toxicity of marine paints.
So, who were these exceptional young scientists?
Vanessa Alvalos, a junior from Clovis West High School in Fresno, CA, described her work using a California air pollution database and the CDC Wonder Website to determine whether there was a correlation between cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and airborne PM2.5 levels between 2009 and 2011 in Monterey and Fresno counties in CA. Her results showed that there were far more instances of PM2.5 levels exceeding the National Ambient Air Standards (35 mg/m3) in Fresno county, compared to Monterey county, and a corresponding higher death rate due to CVD in Fresno county, particularly in the elderly. Her dad Javier, a scientist with Kao, oversaw her project.
Arjun Keshava, Wake Early College of Health, Raleigh, NC, and Mayur Krishna from Centennial High School, Ellicott City, MD, worked with Dr. Nagu Keshava (Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Rockville, MD) to use in silico models to predict the potential mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of bisphenol A (Mayur) and caffeine, epinephrine, parabens, and diethyl phthalate (Arjun). The students, who are cousins, found that predictions from VEGA/CAESAR, ToxTree, and DEREK largely agreed with published data.
Elizaveta Mangutov, a senior at Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale, IL, presented her work entitled “L-FABP as a Biomarker of Gastrointestinal Toxicity and Recovery in Rhesus Macaque Model.” In these studies, conducted at the University of Illinois, Chicago, in the lab of Alex Lyubimov, Elizaveta studied levels of L-FABP in the blood of macaques who had been exposed to radiation. The macaques then received either no intervention, or treatment with two doses of a proprietary drug. Her results showed improved recovery in the presence of the drug, compared to the subjects who received no intervention.
Hari Sowriajan, a freshman at Cherry Creek High School, Aurora, CO, participated remotely to discuss his work on “Nanoparticle-Induced Macrophage Atherogenesis.” Hari worked with Drs. Jonathan Shanahan and Jared Brown, University of Colorado Anschlutz Medical Campus. Hari tested two sizes of silver nanoparticles and one size of iron nanoparticles at a sub-cytotoxic concentration for uptake of cholesterol by macrophages in a cholesterol rich environment. The results supported his hypothesis that the particles would enhance cholesterol uptake by the macrophages.
Michelle Turken, University City High School, San Diego, CA, advised by Hollis T. Cline, worked as an intern with Dr. Christopher Thompson at the Scripps Institute to investigate the effects of thyroid hormones and endocrine disruptors on neuronal degeneration. Her poster was entitled “The Effects Of Triiodothyronine, Thyroxine, And Triclosan On Neuronal Degeneration Related Protein Gene Expression.” Her work was conducted in Xenopus tadpoles, and she used various markers (PCNA, phosphor-histone-3) to show that thyroid hormones, at very specific concentrations, accelerated brain development without inducting metamorphosis in Xenopus. She hopes soon to extend the work to triclosan, which is known to affect thyroid hormone signaling in other species.
Finally, Alexandra (Aly) Vredenburg, Carlsbad Seaside Academy, Carlsbad, CA, presented her studies on “Ocean Water Quality: Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Protective Boat Coatings on Marine Life.” Recognizing that copper can be released from marine paints, Aly examined the effects of CuSO4 on two freshwater species (planaria, and the plant Egeria densa), using the EPA’s maximum recommended concentration of Cu in water (0.001 ppm), as well as 0.01 ppm, which is the concentration of Cu found in the San Diego Yacht Basin. Her studies used planaria regeneration and chloroplast evaluation as endpoints, and found that the 0.01 ppm level was indeed toxic, as planaria could not survive and regenerate after injury in this concentration of Cu, and the plants lost chloroplasts. Aly is a previous winner of a poster award from the Southern CA Regional Chapter of SOT, and conducted all of her experiments at her home.
It’s clear that the support of scientists and family are critical to igniting and sustaining an interest in the biological sciences, and these students are off to bright starts as young toxicologists. We, as SOT members, must not only support the efforts of students to get into scientific research in our own labs, but also take advantage of opportunities to judge science fairs and talk to student groups to keep the pipeline open!
This blog discusses highlights from the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo High School Poster Exposition.