Research in Biotechnology 2017

Welcome to the second edition of the Rock Canyon High School Research in Biotechnology Journal, a product of the the Principles of Experimental Design in Biotechnology and Technical Writing classes at Rock Canyon High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Students conducted authentic scientific research from start to finish: designing their research experiments, finding an expert mentor in the field, writing and defending a research proposal, writing a budget and securing their own sources of funding, ordering their materials, conducting research, making a scientific poster, presenting at a research symposium, and writing a full-text journal article. After a year of intense research filled with triumph and struggle, 12 student teams are proud to present their final research in this journal: 1. The effects of the IC87114 inhibitor on oligodendrocyte migration in Danio rerio embryos (Featured Research) 2. Effects of Hericium erinaceus on induced neurodegeneration in Danio rerio embryos 3. Using Pluronic F127 to 3D bioprint the hepatic portal vein of the human liver 4. Comparing the relative abundance of environmental nontuberculous mycobacteria between Colorado and Hawai'i 5. Circadian rhythm disruption effects on adipose tissue levels in Drosophila melanogaster 6. The effects of green tea extracts on the trehalose levels in a diabetic model of Drosophila melanogaster 7. A comparison between three different protocols for anesthetizing Drosophila melanogaster in a high school classroom 8. Expression of PPARG in precancerous hyperplastic skin cells in relation to the presence of Aurora Kinase A protein and the p53 gene 9. Assaying the effects of cannabidiol oil and Hericium erinaceus extract on the rates of paralysis of Caenorhabditis elegans induced with beta-amyloid peptide modeling Alzheimer's disease 10. Developing a microfluidic attachment for foldscopes allowing for blood analysis 11. Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transfection of various floral species with the AtPCS1 gene 12. Determining if Caenorhabditis elegans is a potential model organism for botulinum neurotoxin research Any profits from the sale of this journal (approximately $5 per copy) will go to funding the next year's research, so your support of our students and their work is truly appreciated