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Abby Hawkins '21Hi! My name is Abby Hawkins, and I am a sophomore from Franklin, TN! I am a Biology major and a Spanish for the Health Professions minor. I began working in the Jeffries lab during the summer of 2019. I have assisted with several projects in the lab and will soon be starting a project aimed at validating a new screening assay for the detection of chemicals with estrogenic activity using transgenic medaka. On campus, I am involved in Phi Mu sorority, United Against Inequities in Disease, and Alpha Epsilon Delta. I also volunteer at John Peter Smith Hospital. After graduation, I hope to attend medical school. In my free time, I love getting outdoors and spending time with my friends and family!
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Haley Schluterman '21Hello! My name is Haley Schluterman and I am a Junior from Conway, AR. I am majoring in Neuroscience on the Pre-Medicine track. I began working in the Jeffries lab in the Fall of 2019 and am studying the effects of the androgen, trenbolone, on immune system function in female fathead minnows for my Honors Senior Thesis. After graduating in December 2020, I plan on attending medical school with the hopes of becoming a Doctor Without Borders. On campus, I am involved in Greek Life, AED Pre-Health Fraternity, Student Mobilizations (STUMO), Global Medical Training, and am a mentor for Frogs First and Connections. In my free time, I love traveling, watching Grey's Anatomy, hanging out with friends, and working out.
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Andrew Mielcuszny '21My name is Andrew Mielcuszny. I am a junior from St. Louis, MO. I am a Biology major with minors in Chemistry and Child Development. I started working in the Jeffries Lab in the fall of 2019. For my research project, I will be studying the effect of androgens on the immune system of female fathead minnows and how they alter pathogen resistance. After graduating, I plan to attend medical school. When I am not in the lab or studying, I volunteer at TCU’s Kinderfrogs school and Cook Children’s Hospital. I am also involved in APO, TCU’s service fraternity. In my free time I enjoy reading, listening to podcasts, and going out to eat with my friends.
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Gabby Lamanteer '20Hi, my name is Gabby Lamanteer. I am a junior Biology major and Chemistry minor from Amarillo, TX. I began working in the Jeffries Lab during the fall of 2018. I am currently pursuing a Senior Honors Thesis project which compares two methods for assessing swim performance in larval and juvenile fathead minnows. This results of this project will assist the lab in determining which procedure is best suited to answer future research questions. Following graduation, I plan on attending medical school and pursuing a career in medicine. On campus, I am a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta, TCU Chemistry Club, LeadNOW Network for Women, and Women In Science and Engineering. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, listening to podcasts, or spending time with friends and family.
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Miranda Finch '20Hello! My name is Miranda Finch and I am a Sophomore from Camarillo, CA. I am a Biology major, with Chemistry and Nutrition minors. I started working in Dr. Jeffries lab during the Fall semester of 2017. For my Honors Senior Thesis project, I am investigating differences between pathogen resistance and immune responses between male and female fathead minnows, which are being utilized to assess immunotoxicity in the Jeffries lab. After graduation, I plan on attending medical school.On campus, I am involved with Leaders for Life, Frogs First, Connections, and Alpha Epsilon Delta. If I am not studying or working I enjoy reading, shopping or watching movies.
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Caroline Wade '19Caroline Wade, a Biology and Spanish double major from Memphis, TN, completed her Senior Thesis project in Spring 2019. Her thesis project investigated the impacts of adult exposures to nitrate, a common environmental contaminant, on the reproductive physiology and performance of male fathead minnows. In addition to presenting her Honors project at the College of Science and Engineering Honors Symposium, Caroline also presented her work at the 2019 South Central Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting in Waco, TX. Aside from research, Caroline was also involved in the TCU Student Foundation and Ambassadors, Alpha Epsilon Delta, and Chi Omega sorority, during her time as a student. Caroline is currently in medical school and working towards her goal of becoming a physician.
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April Tran '19Nghi (April) Tran, a Biology major with double minors in Chemistry and Studio Art, completed her Senior Thesis project in Spring 2019. For her project, April developed a neutrophil migration assay for use in larval fathead minnows and then utilized the assay to assess immune cell development and function in fathead minnow larvae following exposures to propylthiouracil, a model thyroid disrupting compound. April was able to present her work at the 2019 South Central Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting, where she received the 3rd place Best Platform presentation award. She also received the Best Undergraduate Student Biology Poster at the 2019 College of Science and Engineering Student Research Symposium. During her time at TCU, she was a part of the Vietnamese Student Association, pre-health Alpha Epsilon Delta society, and volunteered at Asana Hospice. April is currently in medical school.
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Hannah Nettelblad, a Biology major and Spanish minor from Overland Park, Kansas, completed her Honors Senior Thesis project in 2019. Her thesis project investigated the impacts of developmental exposures to nitrate, a common environmental contaminant, on the reproductive physiology of male fathead minnows. In addition to presenting her Honors project at the College of Science and Engineering Honors Symposium, Hannah also presented her work at the 2019 South Central Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting in Waco, TX. Since graduating, Hannah has entered medical school where she is pursuing her dream of becoming a physician.
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Mallory Seemann '18Mallory Seemann, a Biology major with Spanish and Chemistry minors, graduated in 2017. Mallory started working in Jeffries' lab during the summer of 2016 and started out by helping the graduate student, Peter Bruns, with some of his research. She completed her Senior Thesis project on the effects of developmental thyroid hormone disruption on reproductive behavior and function, using fathead minnows. Mallory presented her work at the 2018 South Central Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting in Junction, TX and received the 2018 Best Undergraduate Student Biology Poster at the 2018 College of Science and Engineering Student Research Symposium. Outside of school and the lab, she was involved in Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, the Pre-Health Society, and enjoyed volunteering at Cook Children’s Hospital. Since graduating, she has been studying for the MCAT and applying for admission to medical school.
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Lydia Stephens '18Lydia Stephens, a Biology major from Overland Park, KS, graduated in 2017. She began working in the Environmental Toxicology Lab her freshman year and assisted with several projects including a large project focused on identifying markers of thyroid hormone disruption in a small fish model. Aside from with working in the lab, she was involved in Kinderfrogs, LEAPS, and Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She will be pursuing a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences at Marian University in Indiana and ultimately plans to attend medical school. In her spare time, she can frequently be spotted shopping or chatting someone’s ear off over a cup of coffee.
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Ari Soto '18Ari Soto, recently graduated from TCU with a major in biology and minor in chemistry. Ari began working in the Jeffries' lab in the Spring of 2017 and worked on a project related to the role of estrogens in mediating differences in immunocompetence between males and females. Since graduating in May, Ari has moved home to Spain where she is working toward her goal of attending medical school becoming a surgeon. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, watching pretty much every movie on Netlfix, and drinking questionable amounts of coffee.
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Bethany Pierce '18Bethany Pierce, a Biology major, Spanish and Chemistry minor from College Station, Texas, graduated in Spring of 2017. Bethany assisted with a set of experiment which sought to uncover the effects of both developmental and adulthood exposures on reproductive endocrinology and function, using fathead minnows as a model system. In addition, she also worked on an independent project aimed at developing methods for assessing visual and neurological function in larval fathead minnows. Bethany was involved in the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, the pre-med honors society Alpha Epsilon Delta, the Spanish club La Mesa Hispanica, the Crew@TCU, TCU’s FrogFolio program, and FWISD’s Read2Win program at Mary Louis Phillips Elementary. In her spare time, she can be found laughing with her friends, trying out a new restaurant, or watching silly youtube videos. Bethany is currently attending medical school.
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Alexis Olivas '17Alexis Olivas, a native of El Paso, TX, graduated with a Biology degree with a Spanish for the Health Professions minor in Spring 2017. During her time in the Jeffries lab, Alexis assisted with a project aimed at identifying sublethal endpoints predictive of chronic toxicity and adverse effects for the fathead minnow fish embryo text. She also completed an independent project which sought to characterize to ontogenetic expression profiles of genes involved in cardiovascular and neurological development in embryonic and larval fathead minnows. Since graduation, Alexis has been accepted to Physician's Assistant school.
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Gunnar Nystrom '17Gunnar Nystrom, from Los Angeles, CA, graduated with degrees in Biology and Business Entrepreneurial Management in Spring 2017. For his Senior Thesis project, Gunnar evaluated the biomarker responses of roach fish collected from the Syr Darya River, one of the two freshwater resources that feed the Aral Sea. Gunnar presented his work as several scientific meetings and received the 3rd Place Best Undergraduate Platform Presentation Award at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting in Orlando, FL. He also received the TCU Boller Award for Best Honors Presentation. Gunnar also contributed to a project aimed at uncovering the impacts of exposures to flame retardant chemicals on reproductive function, which was published in Environmental Science and Technology. Gunnar is currently a PhD student at Florida State University where he studies the evolution of snake venoms and undoubtedly impresses his lab mates with his high kicks.
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Meriel LeSueur '17Meriel LeSueur, a native of Saint Charles, IL, graduated with a B.S. in Biology in Spring 2017. Meriel's Senior Thesis project sought to uncover the impacts of thyroid hormone disruption on immune function and disease resistance. During her time in the Jeffries lab, Meriel also assisted with a project aimed at characterizing the immune responses of fathead minnows, which led to her co-authorship on a peer reviewed paper. In addition, Meriel presented her work at several regional scientific meetings, receiving recognition for Best Student Poster Presentation at a Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Meeting. She also received an Honorable Mention for her presentation at the TCU College of Science and Engineering Honors Symposium. Since graduation, Meriel has begun veterinarian school.
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Haley Egan, '17Haley graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience in Spring 2017. Haley's research focused on the role of thyroid hormones in the development of lymphoid cells. Using larval fathead minnows as a model, Haley investigated the impacts of early life stage thyroid disruption on the expression of genes associated with lymphoid cell development. During her senior year, Haley presented her research at the South Central Chapter of Society and Chemistry meeting in Houston, TX. Since graduation, Haley has been working in a research laboratory at the University of Kansas, where she assists with clinical trials aimed at uncovering novel medications for Alzheimer's patients. Haley has begin medical school in the Fall of 2018. find. In the Fall of 2018, Haley will begin medical school. We are confident that she still maintains her love of One Direction!
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Kate Phillips '16Kate graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a minor in Spanish for the Health Professions in Spring 2016. For her Senior Thesis project, Kate conducted research aimed at determining developmental transcriptomic endpoints that are indicative of adverse responses in fathead minnow embryos in an effort to improve the fish embryo toxicity test. She presented her work at the South Central Society of Toxicology and Chemistry meeting and her work will be drafted into manuscript format in the coming months. Kate is currently attending medical school here in Fort Worth and plans to become an emergency medicine physician.
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Elise Path '16Elise, a Minnesota native, graduated with a degree in Biology in 2016. As a student in the lab, Elise assisted Leah Thornton with her thesis experiments, which involved exposing fathead minnows to PBDEs, commonly known as flame-retardants. Elise's efforts led to co-aouthorship on several presentations and two publications. Elise also completed an independent Senior thesis project aimed at identifying sensitive endpoints of thyroid disruption in fathead minnows by exposing them to known thyroid disruptors. Elise presented her Senior project at the South Central Socieity of Toxicology and Chemistry meeting where she was awarded a 3rd place Best Platform presentation award. Elise is currently attending Physician Assistants School.
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Ali Medders '16Ali graduating from TCU with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Psychology in 2016. Ali is currently pursuing her dreams of becoming a pediatric of family medicine physician by attending medical school at Texas A&M. Ali's Senior Honors thesis Males, masculinity and immunity: A test of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in fathead minnows explored the relationships between male secondary sexual characteristics, hormone levels, and immune function. Ali's work in this project allowed her to present her work at the Central Ecology and Evolution Conference and the South Central Society of Toxicology and Chemistry meeting.
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Jacob Malmquist '16Jacob, a native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, graduated with a B.S. in Biology with a Chemistry and Business minor. Jacob completed a Senior Thesis project which sought to enhance fathead minnow spawning methods to maximize the number of embryos produced for use in fish embryo toxicity tests. His efforts on the project led to his co-authorship on an article published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Chemistry. In addition, Jacob presented his work at the 2016 South Central Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting. After graduating, Jacob continued his education at TCU by pursuing a M.S. degree in Dr. McGillivray's laboratory. He has recently been accepted to medical school.
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Lauren Burgess, '16Lauren graduated in Spring 2016 with a B.S. in Biology and minor in Chemistry. During her time in the Jeffries lab, she worked on a collaborative project between the Jeffries and Hale labs, which compared the global gene expression profiles of male fathead minnows that differed in the prominence of their secondary sexual characteristics. She hasrecently begun medical school and hopes to stay in Texas for a career as a physician in anesthesiology, surgery, or emergency medicine.
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Dane Stephens '15After two years of working in the Jeffries lab, Dane graduated in May 2015 with a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. While working in Dr. J’s lab, Dane helped with several projects led by graduate student Leah Thornton and in the summer of 2014, he took on an independent project aimed at enhancing the use of fathead minnow embryos in routine toxicity testing. This research led to co-authorship on two published paper and several presentations. He currently attends medical school in his hometown of Kansas City.
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Ally Yost '15Ally graduated in May 2015 with a double degree in Biology and Environmental Science. During her time in the Jeffries lab, Ally completed my senior honors thesis entitled, "Global Amphibian Declines: are exposures to polybrominated diphenyl ethers a contributing factor?" in which she investigated the effects of flame retardant PBDE-47 on the thyroid system of Xenopus laevis tadpoles. Ally's work in the lab led to several presentations, one co-authored publication and one first-authored publication. Ally moved to Austin, TX after graduation, where she worked as a Clinical Assistant in a cardiology unit, until beginning Physician Assistant School in 2017.
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