Prior STAR Student Project Titles
As a requirement of the STAR program, students must submit a one page summary and present a poster of their research findings at the end of summer STARS in Science Poster Presentation. Below are the titles of recent summer STAR projects.
For more information, please contact us at svmstarprogram@ucdavis.edu.
2024 STAR Student Projects:
| Student Name | Class | Mentor/s | Project Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Berry | 2026 | Austin Viall | Development of a Novel Flow Cytometric Assay for Detection of Canine Neutrophil Extracellular Traps |
| Nicole Chan | 2027 | Melanie Ammersbach | Establishment of rhesus macaque cerebrospinal fluid normal reference intervals and biochemical and cytologic changes associated with disease |
| Katherine Choo | 2026 | Sharif Aly | Evaluation of Chromogenic Gram Positive and Gram Negative Agar for Identification of Milk Pathogens from Lactating Dairy Cows |
| Andrew Fahman | 2027 | Jonathan Dear | Development and evaluation of a point-of-care assay for Babesia conradae detection in canines |
| Manjari Ganesan | 2026 | Melissa Bain | Behavioral euthanasia: Dog owners’ emotional strain when euthanizing a “healthy” animal |
| Christian Guerzon | 2027 | Krista Keller | In-vitro inhibition of pravastatin against 3 isolates of N. guarroi |
| Juliann (Juju) Hallum | 2026 | Ching-Hsien Chen | Mechanistic characterization of profibrotic macrophages in progressive pulmonary fibrosis |
| Rachel Hirota | 2026 | Hugues Beaufrere | Reference intervals for lipoproteins and blood lipids in cockatiels |
| Rachael Hoh | 2027 | Heather Knych | Identification of An Optimal Dose and Administration Sites for Transdermal Buprenorphine in Horses |
| Erin Howell | 2027 | Brian Bird | Catching the wave: Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) surveillance among livestock and humans during a potential epidemic in Tanzania |
| Abigail Hsu | 2027 | Tierra Smiley Evans | Seroprevalence of elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus (EEHV) in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) in human care |
| Kevin Jacques | 2026 | Stefan Keller | Characterizing the quality of small intestinal biopsy sections using artificial intelligence |
| Angelica Klawiter | 2027 | Karen Shapiro | Characterizing the diversity and zoonotic potential of fecal parasites in urban and exurban San Joaquin Kit Foxes |
| Matthew Kramer | 2027 | Danika Bannasch | Using RNA sequencing data to determine active LINE-1 elements in dogs |
| Casey Kwok | 2027 | Denis Marcellin-Little | Validation of a canine femur replica for mechanical testing of orthopedic implants |
| Brian Lam | 2027 | Sara Thomasy | Ocular structural and functional changes in immature rhesus macaques with an OPA1A8S mutation |
| Sooyoung Lee | 2027 | Meera Heller | Iodine Supplementation to prevent infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (pinkeye) in beef cattle |
| Mindy Nguyen | 2027 | Alessia Cenani | Comparison Between Epidural Versus Intraperitoneal-incisional Bupivacaine in Cats Undergoing Elective Ovariohysterectomy with Opioid-Free Multimodal Anesthesia in Vietnam |
| Hannah Pham | 2027 | Michael Kent | Defining Variations in the Size of Normal Pituitary Glands and Pituitary Macroadenomas of Brachy-, Dolicho-, and Mesocephalic Dogs |
| Benjamin Shih | 2027 | James Angelastro | Activation of B2-andrenergic receptor leads to ATF5 expression via the B-arestin pathway |
| Ellis Song | 2027 | Karen Shapiro | Validating a point-of-care test for Toxoplasma gondii infection in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) |
| Laney Stephens | 2027 | Grace VanHoy/Melanie Ammersbach | Determination of reference intervals for venous blood gas and coagulation assays in miniature pigs |
| Juliana Sullivan | 2026 | Luke Wittenburg | Pharmacokinetic analysis of vinblastine in tumor bearing cats and analysis of population covariates |
| Anne Werum | 2026 | Julie Dechant | Pharamcokinetics and Pharmadodynamics of Intravenously Admininstered Transexamic Acid in Horses |
| Sonyia Williams | 2027 | Denise Imai-Leonard | Application of genomic analysis to the investigation of an unusually apathogenic Corynebacterium bovis outbreak |
| Raymond Zurich | 2027 | Anna Denicol | The role of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) in bovine preantral follicle cell proliferation and apoptosis |
2023 STAR Student Projects:
| Student Name | Class | Mentor/s | Project Title |
| Dominic Baechler | 2026 | Luke Wittenburg | Investigation of a Drug Interaction Between Omeprazole & Vinblastine in an In Vitro Model |
| Joseph Baldetti | 2025 | Peter Dickinson | Overcoming Technical Issues In Veterinary Research |
| Ashley Batra | 2026 | Pam Lein | The influence of xenobiotic metabolism on the developmental neurotoxicity of PCB 11 in CYP-humanized mice |
| Calvin Cha | 2026 | Karl Jandrey | Anticoagulation Assessment of Rivaroxaban Treatment in Cats Using Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitor (VCM-Vet™) |
| Vy Chu | 2025 | Cecilia Giulivi | Age-dependent decline in vitamin B6 status in healthy domestic cats |
| Nicole Cox | 2026 | Boaz Arzi | MHC I Knockout Through B2M Disruption to Enhance Allogeneic Feline Mesenchymal Stem Cells Immunomodulation |
| Ariana Daldemian | 2025 | Kent Pinkerton | The Effects of Cigarettes and Vapes on the Lung |
| Brittany Davis | 2025 | Melissa Bauman | Evaluating social development in a nonhuman primate model of maternal immune activation |
| Catherine Dombroski | 2025 | Brian Bennett | Polygenic Risk Scoring of Healthy US Adults in a Cross-Sectional Metabolic Phenotyping Study |
| Madelyn Dupre | 2026 | Clare Yellowley | Evaluating the sex-dependent effects of manipulating osteocytic HIF-a expression on skeletal development |
| Alexis (Lexi) Durant | 2025 | David Guzman and Michelle Hawkins | Antinociceptive Effects of Hydromorphone In Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) |
| Ashleigh Flores | 2025 | Bart Weimer | Struvite Stones and the Microbiome |
| Rachel Formaker | 2026 | Amir Kol | Combined MSC-antiviral treatment for systemic inflammation and lymphoid tissue regeneration in cats with FIP |
| Nicole Gonzales | 2025 | Natalia Vapniarsky | Exploration of Auricular Chondrocytes as a Cell Source of Tissue Engineering of Temporomandibular Joint Disc Cartilage |
| Marin Green | 2026 | Danika Bannasch | Hemimelia in Chihuahuas |
| Juliann (Juju) Hallum | 2026 | Crystal Rogers | Determining the role of SOX9 in avian beak development and morphogenesis |
| Rachel Hirota | 2026 | Michelle Hawkins | Sedation in Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) for non-invasive clinical techniques |
| Brandon Lao | 2026 | Michael Kent and Gino Cortopassi | MTORC-1 Inhibition by Meclizine in Canine Osteosarcoma Cells |
| Trang Le | 2026 | Soohyun Kim | Evaluation of the optic nerve head and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer using optical coherence tomography in normal canines |
| Nathan Ma | 2025 | Woutrina Smith and Pamela Yochem | Risk Assessment and Pathogen Surveillance in Endangered Freshwater Turtle Species in Hong Kong |
| Collin Meyer | 2026 | Esteban Soto Martinez | The immune response of Nile Tilapia vaccinated with novel diatom-based oral vaccines against piscine francisellosis |
| Gabrielle Nelson | 2026 | Heather Knych | Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics & anti-nociceptive effects of transdermal buprenorphine administration in horses |
| Leena Park | 2026 | Damian Genetos | Tracking skeletal health in canine skeletal metastatic prostate carcinoma |
| Mina Park | 2026 | Sina Marsilio | Correlation between Cobalamin and Small Intestinal Histopathologic Changes in Cats with Chronic Enteropathy |
| Bryan Puentes | 2026 | Brian Leonard | Development and validation of a self-prepared phenol red thread test |
| Rachel Qiao | 2026 | Amir Kol | Combined MSC-antiviral treatment for T cell injury in cats with spontaneous feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) |
| Raneesh Ramarapu | 2025 | Sara Thomasy | Single Cell Transcriptomics of the TAZ-deficient Murine Corneal Endothelium |
| Marielle Rikkelman | 2026 | Pam Lein | Variation on endothelial tight junctions in the TgF344-AD rat in Alzheimer’s disease |
| Sadie Scott | 2026 | Stanley Marks | Prevalence of Bacterial, Viral, and Parasitic Enteropathogens in 300 Dogs Frequenting Dog Parks |
| Min Shin | 2026 | Melanie Gareau | Altered serotonergic and GABA signaling in the gut in a mouse model of impaired maternally inherited UBE3A |
| Kulani Simafranca | 2025 | Christine Toedebusch | Spatial transcriptomic analysis of canine metastatic melanoma: Defining RNA signatures of primary tumors and the brain microenvironment |
| Amalie Luneng Solli | 2026 | Woutrina Smith and Karen Shapiro | Validation of an indirect fluorescent antibody test for Sarcocystis neurona infection in CA Sea Lions |
| Juliana Sullivan | 2026 | Heather Knych | Pharmacokinetics & Anti-inflammatory Effects of Intramuscular Corticosteroids |
| Madeleine Thompson | 2025 | Esteban Soto Martinez | In-vitro virulence and genetic diversity of hypermucoviscous K2 serotype Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) |
| Jingjing Wang | 2026 | Lillian Cruz Orengo | The effects of deferoxamine (DFO) on murine traumatic brain injury |
| Morgan Weed | 2026 | Denis Marcellin-Little | Mechanical validation of a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) prosthesis for companion animals |
2022 STAR Student Projects:
| Student Name | Class | Mentor/s | Project Title |
| Jenna Acutt | 2024 | Sara Thomasy | Establishment of Normative Electroretinographic (ERG) Data and Development of a Rapid ERG Test for Congenital Stationary Night Blindness in Horses |
| Elizabeth Ashley | 2028 | Karen Shapiro | Evaluating Sarcocystis neurona genotypes and environmental factors as drivers of mass mortality events in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) |
| Megan Brobst | 2025 | Mnashe Chigerwe | Evaluation of a continuous glucose monitoring system for use in normoglycemic, hypoglycemic, and hyperglycemic goats, and calves |
| Audrey Chou | 2024 | Frank J.M. Verstraete | Dental and temporomandibular joint pathology of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) |
| Shannon Cook | 2025 | Denise M Imai-Leonard | The role of diet and genetics in hemochromatosis in captive Microtus californicus scirpensis |
| Evan Cosgrove | 2025 | Sina Marsilio | Assessment of Mucosal Fibrosis and its Correlation with Disease Severity and Outcome in Cats with Chronic Enteropathy using Dual-Mode Emission and Transmission Microscopy |
| Michelle Cowell | 2025 | Tierra Smiley Evans | Investigation of the immunological response to primary and recurring infection with elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) in Asian (Elaphus maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in North American AZA institutions |
| Brittany Davis | 2025 | Eliza Bliss-Moreau | Validation of automated MRI segmentation protocols of neuroanatomical regions of the rhesus macaque brain |
| Catherine Dombroski | 2025 | Bethany Cummings | Determining the impact of GIP receptor signaling on alpha cell GLP-1 production |
| Alexis (Lexi) Durant | 2025 | Marcela Uhart and Ralph Vanstreels | Understanding the factors driving severity and anatomic distribution of Fibropapillomatosis in sea turtles at a high prevalence area in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean |
| Ashleigh Flores | 2025 | Bart Weimer | The role of bacteria in the formation of struvite enteroliths in equids |
| Mary Garrison | 2025 | Karen Shapiro | Application of molecular diagnostics to investigate the prevalence of Tritrichomonas infection in cats |
| Sarah Gill | 2025 | Crystal M Ripplinger | Assessment of cardiac function and electrophysiology in a novel cAMP reporter mouse line |
| Nicole Gonzales | 2025 | Michael Mienaltowski | Understanding the Tenogenic and Cytoprotective Roles of Vitamin C |
| Amanda Gonzalez | 2024 | Krystle Reagan | Application of machine learning methods to predict antimicrobial resistant UTIs in dogs |
| Sophie Gretler | 2024 | Renee Tsolis | Characterization of murine infection with a mutant strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), a model for Typhoid fever in humans |
| Stephanie Han | 2025 | Ronald Li | Effects of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors on NETosis and Apoptosis in Canine Neutrophils |
| Daniela Jimenez | 2024 | Christine Toedebusch | Characterizing the cellular topography and the corresponding immunobiologic molecular signatures of the myeloid cell populations within the canine brain |
| Mary Ann Lee | 2024 | Sina Marsilio | Temporal dynamics and community shifts of canine gut microbiome after fecal microbiota transplantation |
| Madison Luker | 2024 | Luke Wittenburg | Regulation of folate metabolism by microRNA-34a identifies a potential combination therapy against osteosarcoma |
| Avery Mandel | 2025 | Jessica Morgan | Characterizing the Cardiac Phenotype of Quarter Horses with Equine Neuroaxonal Dystrophy |
| Emma Marshall | 2025 | Crystal Rogers | The molecular and phenotypic consequences of naproxen exposure during early development on neural crest cell-derived cartilage formation in the axolotl |
| Samuel McCuskey | 2024 | Brian Leonard | Development of a Corneal Scaffold as a Tool for Assessing Ocular Surface Health |
| Danielle Myers | 2025 | Simon Anthony | Surveillance for Novel Paramyxoviruses in West African Bats |
| Nicole Neely | 2024 | Brian Murphy | Associations between feline infectious peritonitis virus spike genotype and treatment success of cats on antiviral therapeutics |
| Julianne Nussbaum | 2024 | Stuart Meyers | Preservation of Ovarian Tissues for Fertility Preservation and Genome Resource Banking |
| Danielle Oertle | 2025 | Danika Bannasch | LMNA as a candidate gene for Dilated Cardiomyopathy with severe myocardial fibrosis (DCM-MCF) in Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers |
| Lisa Pacumio | 2025 | Hugues Beaufrere | Validation of beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) as a plasma biomarker for hepatic lipidosis in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) |
| Meghan Poth | 2025 | Heather Knych | A tale of two metabolites: an analysis of the pharmacokinetics of morphine when administered orally |
| Celeste Pritchard | 2024 | Amandine Lejeune | Retrospective assessment of the efficacy and toxicity of carboplatin in the treatment of macroscopic mesenchymal neoplasia in dogs |
| Lauren Quigley | 2024 | Allison Gagnon | Echocardiographic Effects of Oral Trazodone on Left Ventricular Function in Healthy Dogs |
| Raneesh Ramarapu | 2025 | Crystal Rogers | Identifying the role of β-III Tubulin (TUBB3) in neural crest cell formation, migration, and differentiation into craniofacial tissues |
| Alex Serna | 2025 | Joshua A Stern | Characterizing a novel feline model of Mucolipidosis II – defining the cardiovascular phenotype and genotype-phenotype relationships |
| Sarah Smith | 2025 | Brian Bird | Wildfire impacts on virus-host dynamics in the Sierra Nevadas - Alterations in Sin Nombre hantavirus prevalence and Peromyscus maniculatus abundance in the Red Clover Valley |
| Callie Wilcox | 2025 | Carrie J. Finno | Effect of Bisphosphonate Clodronate on Gene Expression in the Horse |