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TABERC Internship Information and Application Summer 2023

About TABERC

TABERC is a faculty consortium of area institutions of higher education (OSU-CHS, OU-Tulsa, TU, ORU, TCC, Tulsa Tech, Rogers State, and NSU) whose intent it is to provide bioscience education, training and research opportunities to students in the region, and to provide a forum for interested faculty, staff and students to exchange ideas and foster cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations.

Internship Goals

TABERC wishes to provide research opportunities for undergraduates who are interested in bioscience disciplines. The internship will begin with a mandatory orientation session. This training will complement a 137 hour laboratory experience (work schedule will be arranged with the hosting lab) at one of the TABERC institutions. The internship will begin in June 2023. Students selected for this competitive internship will receive a $1000 stipend (pre-tax).

Qualifications

Student must be currently enrolled in a TABERC participating institution in good standing. These include Tulsa Community College, Tulsa Technology Center, Northeastern State University, Rogers State University, Oral Roberts University, and University of Tulsa.
Accepted students must be eligible for employment in the U.S.
Selected students must attend events organized for the internship.
Students should be 18 years or older.
Completed application form. The Google form will serve as the application form and should include: (a) Unofficial copy of your undergraduate transcript(s) (b)“Letter of Intent” 1-2 pages describing interest in bioscience, future goals, and how the internship will help accomplish your goals. Please include why you would like to be selected for the program and describe any prior research experience that you have had. The statement will be used to match you with a mentor.
One letter of reference from a faculty member who knows you well and can address 1) your ability to succeed in this program and 2) how the program will benefit you. Letters should be mailed from the faculty member’s work email account to iyer@nsuok.edu
The completed application and supporting documentation is due by March 31^st, 2023 to be eligible for the Summer 2023 research experience. Further questions can be directed to iyer@nsuok.edu.

Selection

A selection committee will review all applications and supporting documents and select students for this research experience based on need, eligibility, academic achievement, and interest in bioscience research.

TABERC will not discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, color, religion, age, sex, disability, national origin, or status as a veteran.

Internships Recipients

Summer 2022 Interns

Student Name	Institute
Christopher Johnson	TCC
Jenna Tayrien	OU
Joshua Haney	ORU
Samara Spuldaro Russell	TCC
Victoria Fairchild	NSU

Research presented by interns in 2022

Stress Tolerance of Leuconostoc Messenderoides, A Probiotic Candidate. Christopher Johnson and Ratnakar Deole.
The Identification of Causative Agent of Bacterial Leaf Spot Disease in Squash in Oklahoma. Jenna Tayrien and Dulanjani Wijayasekara.
Curcumin Induces Cell Death in MDA-MB 231 cells. Joshua Haney, Janaki Iyer, and Joel Gaikwad.
Detection of Viruses Infecting Pepper. Samara Russell, Caleb Paslay, and Akhtar Ali.
Analysis of Pol2 mutants to understand the role of Polymerase Epsilon in DNA replication initiation and elongation. Victoria Fairchild, Carlos Cuza, and Sapna Das-Bradoo.

Summer 2021 Interns

Student Name	Institute
Abigail McNabb	TTC
Kayla Eyler	TCC
Avery Thompson	TCC
Kadin Falkensten	NSU
Lana Sammur	TU

Research presented by interns in 2021

Can progesterone be used as a therapeutic for treating urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli? Abigail McNabb, Mackenzie Bonnewitz, and Janaki K. Iyer.
Effect of morphine-induced immunosuppression on DNA methylation in colon inflammation. Kayla Eyler, Christy Eslinger, and Subhas Das
Isolation of lactic acid bacteria from organic produce. Avery Thompson, Chelsea Truitt, and Ratnakar Deole.
Introducing mutations into DNA polymerase epsilon to understand human disease. Kadin Falkensten, Sarah Woller, Elijah Brown, and Sapna Das-Bradoo.
Influence of the Caenorhabditis elegans natural microbiome on the health span of the organism. Lana Sammur, Magera Shaw, and Jacob Manjarrez.

Summer 2020 Interns

Student Name	Institute
Jon Crosse	TCC*
Steven Floyd	TCC*
Garrett Harper	OSU*
Meghan Garner	TCC*
Lydia Ostmo	NSU
Mackenzie Bonnewitz	NSU

*The internships could not be completed due to COVID-19 related institutional closures

Research presented by interns in 2020

Fluorescent tagging of replication proteins to study protein-protein interactions. Lydia Ostmo, Shwetanshu Das, Michael Smith, Sarah Woller, and Sapna Das-Bradoo.
Potential use of nanodiamonds in treating pyelonephritis caused by Escherichia coli. Mackenzie Bonnewitz and Janaki K. Iyer.

Summer 2019 Interns

Student Name	Institute	Mentor/Host Institute
Sana Ahmed	TCC	Dr. Haley O'Brien/OSU-CHS
Jacob Layne	ORU	Dr. Joel Gaikwad/ORU
Chris Johnson	TTC	Dr. Randall Davis/OSU-CHS
Alejandro Torres	NSU	Dr. Janaki Iyer/NSU
Tri Nguyen	TCC	Dr. Gerwald Kohler/OSU-CHS
Garrett Harper	TCC	Dr. Franklin Champlin/OSU-CHS

Research presented by interns in 2019

The Hemodynamics of the Carotid Rete in the Brown Greater Galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus). Sana Ahmed, B. Shearer, A. Burrows, T. Smith and Haley O'Brien
Propensity to Associate with Charged Surfactants and Hydrophobic ‎ Substances in Serratia Species Exhibiting Disparate Susceptivity to Triclosan Sensitization. Garrett R. Harper, A.S. Rigsbee, D. Reed and Franklin R. Champlin
Investigation of Stable Fluorescent Protein Expression in Lactobacilli. Tri Nguyen, Senait Assefa, M. Joyner, B. Perez, J. Thomas Curtis and Gerwald Köhler
Antibacterial Activity of Thymoquinone on Select Nosocomial Bacteria in Vitro. Jacob Layne and Joel Gaikwad
Use of liposomes to treat kidney infections caused by invasive uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Alejandro G. Torres, Joshua VanOsdol, Harshini Ashar, Ashish Ranjan and Janaki K. Iyer
The Effects of β-FNA Administration on RSD-induced Neuroinflammation. Christopher Johnson, Daniel Buck, Kelly McCracken, Randall L. Davis

Summer 2018 Interns:

Student Name	Institute	Mentor/Host Institute
Cari Fryman	TCC	Dr. Joel Gaikwad/ORU
Hassan Khan	TCC	Dr. Randall Davis/OSU-CHS
Haleigh Gaines	TCC	Dr. Gerwald Kohler/OSU-CHS
Mariah Nacke	NSU	Dr. Kyeorda Kemp/NSU
Rebecca Meadors	TTC	Dr. Dolores Vazquez-Sanroman/OSU-CHS

Research presented by interns in 2018

Fluorescent protein labeling and gene expression analysis in Lactobacillus strains. Haleigh Gaines, Senait Assefa, Gerwald Kohler
Ketamine effects on IL-1 induced chemokine expression in human microglial cells. Hassan Khan, Daniel Buck, and Randall Davis
The Effect of Theracurmin on Staphylococcus aureus. Cari Fryman and Joel Gaikwad
Morphine-induced CPP effects on phosphor-CREB and DARPH-32 expression in the Nucleus Accumbens of male adolescent rats. Rebecca Meadors, Toni Nigro, and Dolores Vazquez Sanroman
Optimizing Conditions for Immunofluorescence Microscopy in Non-Adherent Cells. Mariah Nacke and Kyeorda Kemp

Summer 2017 Interns

Student Name	Institute	Mentor/Host Institute
Jonathan Gaikwad	ORU	Dr. Joel Gaikwad/ORU
Faiz Safdar	TCC	Dr. Randall Davis/OSU-CHS
Christy Eslinger	TCC	Dr. Subhas Das/OSU-CHS
Tyler Noble	NSU	Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo/NSU
Stephanie Sandoval	TCC	Dr. Kathleen Curtis/OSU-CHS

Research presented by interns in 2017

Effects of BFNA on Inflammatory Expression in Mouse Microglia. Faiz Safdar, F. Barksdale, Daniel Buck, Kelly McCracken, and Randall L. Davis
Curcumin Induced Cell Death in Human Breast Cancer Cell Line (MDA-MB-231). Jonathan Gaikwad and Joel Gaikwad
Elucidating the Function of Cancer-related Genes by Mutational Analysis. Tyler Noble, Casey Eddington, and Sapna Das-Bradoo
Modulation of NGF Expression in TNBS-induced Colitis in Rat Colony. Christy Eslinger, Kenneth E. Miller, Subhas Das
GFAP-Immunolabeling in the Hindbrains of Ovariectomized Rats: Effects of Estrogen Treatment and Sodium Deficient Diet. Stephanie D. Sandoval, Sheri L. Core, and Kathleen S. Curtis

Summer 2016 Interns

Student Name	Institute	Mentor/Host Institute
Trevor Torgerson	ORU	Dr. Joel Gaikwad/ORU
Nick Richardson	TCC	Dr. Akhtar Ali/TU
Cassandra Pickerel	TCC	Dr. Akhtar Ali/TU
Samira Ali	NSU	Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo/NSU
Alishbah Malik	NSU	Dr. Randy Wymore/OSU-CHS
Thomas Faris	RSU	Dr. Kathleen Curtis/OSU-CHS

Research presented by interns in 2016

Knockout of Bar1 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Samira Ali and Sapna Das-Bradoo
Do Estrogen and Salt Loss Influence Neuroglia In Specific Hypothalamic Regions in Rats? Thomas Faris and Kathleen Curtis
Evidence of Fibers in Theropod Fossil Fragments. Alishbah Malik and Randy Wymore
Detection of Known and Unknown Plant Viruses. Nick Richardson, Cassandra Pickerel and Akhtar Ali
Gene Expression in Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. Trevor Torgerson and Joel Gaikwad

Summer 2015 Interns

Student Name	Institute	Mentor/Host Institute
Samantha Rice	TCC	Dr. Randy Wymore/OSU-CHS
Alishbah Malik	NSU	Dr. Randy Wymore/OSU-CHS
Joana Oduro	ORU	Dr. Joel Gaikwad/ORU
Gabriel Johnson	TCC	Dr. Akhtar Ali/TU
Caleb Smith	TTC	Dr. Akhtar Ali/TU
Branden Brantley	RSU	Dr. Kathleen Curtis/OSU-CHS
Anam Ashraf	NSU	Dr. Ratnakar Deole/ NSU

Research presented by interns in 2015

The Investigation and Molecular Analysis of Morgellons Epithelial Tissue Samples. Samantha Rice and Randy Wymore
Morgellons Disease: A Look at the History, Controversy, & Microbial Aspect. Alishbah Malik and Randy Wymore
The Effects of Curcumin and DPP on HT 29 cancer cells. Joana Oduro and Joel Gaikwad
Detection of Viruses Using Serological and Molecular Techniques. Gabriel Johnson, Caleb Smith and Akhtar Ali
Glial Activation in Response to Weight Gain in Ovariectomized Rats. Branden Brantley and Kathleen Curtis
Quantitative Analysis of Compatible Solutes in Extremely Halophilic Bacteria. Anam Ashraf and Ratnakar Deole

Summer 2014 Interns

Student Name	Institute	Mentor/Host Institute
Angela Joy Fortner	TCC	Dr. Randy Wymore/OSU-CHS
Lauren Stewart	TCC	Dr. Randy Wymore/OSU-CHS
Kaily Cox	ORU	Dr. Joel Gaikwad/ORU
Chase Mills	Tulsa Tech	Dr. Franklin Champlin/OSU-CHS
Jazeb Ifikhar	TCC	Dr. Al Rouch/OSU-CHS
Lina Guerroro	TCC	Dr. Al Rouch/OSU-CHS

Research presented by interns in 2014

Curcumin induces apoptosis and lowers the level of survivin in colon adeno carcinoma cell line (HT-29). Kaily Cox and Joel Gaikwad
The Expression of WNK 1 and WNK 4 Genes in Male and Female Kidneys and Its Association With Blood Pressure. Jazeb Ifikhar and Al Rouch
Sex Differences in Blood Pressure, Renal Handling of Sodium, and Expression of Renal Sodium Transporters in DOCA-Treated Mice. Lina Guerroro and Al Rouch
Microbial Analysis of Morgellons Disease Tissue Samples. Angela Joy Fortner, Lauren Stewart and Randy Wymore
The Effects of Zinc on Triclosan Efficacy in Disparate Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mutants. Chase Mills and Franklin Champlin

Summer 2013 Interns

Student Name	Institute	Mentor/Host Institute
Justin Kruse	RSU	Dr. Randy Wymore/OSU-CHS
Annie Gilliam	TTC	Dr. Tom Curtis/OSU-CHS
Mylissa Stover	TCC	Dr. Gerald Kohler/OSU-CHS
Andrew Brown	TCC	Dr. Kath Curtis/OSU-CHS
Aidan Huene	ORU	Dr. Nedra Wilson/OSU-CHS

Summer 2012 Interns

Student Name	Institute	Mentor/Host Institute
Carol Saylor	TCC	Dr. Randy Wymore/OSU-CHS
Matthew Cyr	RSU	Dr. Kent Teague/OUHSC
Victoria Reynolds	ORU	Dr. Gerald Köhler/OSU-CHS
Ashley Hopkins	TCC	Dr. Sapna Das Bradoo/NSU
Catherine Page	TU	Dr. Charles Brown/TU
Caitlin Blose	ORU	Dr. Estelle Levetin/TU

Summer 2011 Interns

Christine Bogdanoff (ORU)
Nate Miller (TU)
Brandon Denton (TCC)
Zoey Miranda (ORU)
Matt Cyr (RSU)
Sarrah Malas (TCC)

Host Labs

Charles Brown, PhD (TU)
Earl Blewett, PhD (OSU-Tulsa)
Kathleen Curtis, PhD (OSU-Tulsa)
Estelle Levetin, PhD, (TU)
Nedra Wilson, PhD (OSU-Tulsa)
Randy Wymore , PhD (OSU-Tulsa)

Administration:

Kent Teague, PhD (OU-Tulsa)
Julie Marino, PhD (OU-Tulsa)
Rhonda Denninger (TCF)

Fall 2011 Interns

Nicholas Hall (NSU-Broken Arrow)
Joel Pagan (ORU)
Melissa Thurston (TCC)

Our Contact Details

E-mail : info@taberc.com

Our Mission:

To develop bioscience research in Tulsa and to position Tulsa to be a leader in bioscience education, training, research and innovation by utilizing the assets of all area institutions of higher education.
-TABERC