Student Research Publications

Many undergraduate and graduate students from diverse research labs have published their research in notable scientific journals. View a list of student publications below to learn more about research labs at SF State. Find opportunities to get started doing research on campus and apply your experience to medical school, graduate school, and beyond!

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Aranda, M. L., Diaz, M., Mena, L. G., Ortiz, J. I., Rivera-Nolan, C., Sanchez, D. C., Sanchez, M. J., Upchurch, A. M., Williams, C. S., Boorstin, S. N., Cardoso, L. M., Dominguez, M., Elias, S., Lopez, E. E., Ramirez, R. E., Romero, P. J., Tigress, F. N., Wilson, J. A., Winstead, R., Cantley, J. T., Chen, J. C., Fuse, M., Goldman, M. A., Govindan, B., Ingmire, P., Knight, J. D., Pasion, S. G., Pennings, P. S., Sehgal, R. N. M., de Vera, P. T., Kelley, L., Schinske, J. N., Riggs, B., Burrus, L. W., & Tanner, K. D. (2021). Student-Authored Scientist Spotlights: Investigating the Impacts of Engaging Undergraduates as Developers of Inclusive Curriculum through a Service-Learning Course. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 20(4), ar55, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-03-0060

Affiliated Labs: Burrus, Cantley, Chen, Fuse, Goldman, Pasion, Pennings, Riggs. Sehgal, Tanner

  • Carleigh S. Williams, Undergraduate
  • Christian Rivera-Nolan, Undergraduate
  • Daniela C. Sanchez, Undergraduate
  • Elmer E. Lopez, Undergraduate
  • Falina Nicole Tigress, Undergraduate
  • Jenee Alexandra Wilson, Undergraduate
  • Jocelyn I. Ortiz, Undergraduate
  • Laura M. Cardoso, Undergraduate
  • Lorenzo Gastelum Mena, Undergraduate
  • Paola Juliet Romero, Undergraduate
  • Matthew Dominguez, Undergraduate
  • Melissa J. Sanchez, Undergraduate
  • Michelle Diaz, Undergraduate
  • Ruby E. Ramirez, Undergraduate
  • Ryan Winstead, Undergraduate
  • Sarah Elias, Undergraduate
  • Stephanie N. Boorstin, Undergraduate

Photo: Melissa J. Sanchez and Lorenzo Gastelum Mena at a past campus research event   presenting a poster on the positive impacts of student-authored inclusive biology curriculum (Scientist Spotlights).

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Bazarini, S.MS and Crook, R.J. (2020) Environmental estrogen exposure disrupts sensory processing and nociceptive plasticity in the cephalopod, Euprymna scolopes. J. Exp. Biol. doi: 10.1242/jeb.218008

Crook Lab

  • Stephanie Bazarini, MS Behavioral Physiology, 2019

Photo: Hatchling Euprymna scolopes. Pre-hatching expsoure to environmental estrogens disrupts sensory physiology in coastal squid.

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Butler-Struben, H.M. MS*, Brophy,S.UG*, Johnson, N. UG/URM, and Crook, R.J. (2018) In vivo recording of neural and behavioral correlates of anesthesia induction, reversal and euthanasia in cephalopod molluscs. Front. Physiol. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00299.

Crook Lab

  • Hanna Butler Struben, MS Physiol/behav. Spr 2018
  • Nasira Johnson, BS Physiology, Spr 18
  • Samantha Brophy, BS Physiology, Spr 18

Photo: The tropical octopus Abdopus aculeatus

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Couper, L.I., Yang, Y., Yang, X.F, Swei, A. 2020. Comparative vector competence of North American disease vectors. Parasites and Vectors, 13 (29).

Swei Lab

  • Lisa Couper, MS Ecology, 2018

Photo: Comparative vector competence of two vectors of Lyme disease in the United States.

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Cowgill M, AG Zink, W Sparagon, T Yap, H Sulaeman, MS Koo, VT Vredenburg. 2021. Social behavior, community composition, pathogen strain and host symbionts influence fungal disease dynamics in salamanders. Front. Vet. Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.742288

  • Hasan Sulaeman, Vredenburg Lab, MS, Ecology, 2019
  • Mae Cowgill, Vredenburg Lab, MS, Ecology, 2018

Photo: California slender salamander photo by Heidi Rockney.

Silas Ellison

Ellison, S., Knapp, R. & Vredenburg, V. 2021. Longitudinal patterns in the skin microbiome of wild, individually marked frogs from the Sierra Nevada, California. ISME COMMUN. 1, 45 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43705-021-00047-7

  • Silas Ellison, Vredenburg Lab, MS, Ecology, 2017

Photo: Silas  Ellison completed his MS degree in the Vredenburg Lab at SF State and recently   published his 5th peer-reviewed study from his research at SF State.

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Galli LM, Anderson MO, Gabriel Fraley J, Sanchez L, Bueno R, Hernandez DN, Maddox EU, Lingappa VR, Burrus LW. Determination of the membrane topology of PORCN, an O-acyl transferase that modifies Wnt signalling proteins. Open Biol. 2021 Jun;11(6):200400. doi: 10.1098/rsob.200400. Epub 2021 Jun 30. PMID: 34186010

Burrus Lab

  • David Hernandez, MS, Cell and Molecular Biology, 2013
  • Eva Maddox, MS, Cell and Molecular Biology, 2015
  • Gabriel Fraley, BS, Cell and Molecular Biology, 2016
  • Luis Sanchez, BS, Cell and Molecular Biology, 2016
  • Raymund Bueno, MS, Cell and Molecular Biology, 2014

Aoife Galvin

Galvin AN, Bradshaw AC, Myers BM, Tell LA, Ernest HB, Sehgal RN. Low Prevalence of Haemosporidians in Blood and Tissue Samples from Hummingbirds. The Journal of parasitology. 2021 Sep;107(5):794-8.

Sehgal Lab

  • Aoife Galvin MS, EECB
  • Andrew Bradshaw, MS EECB

Photo: Aoife Galvin working with Hummingbirds.

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Greer, J.A.*, A. Swei, V.T. Vredenburg, A.G. Zink. 2020. Parental care alters the egg microbiome of maritime earwigs. Microbial Ecology 80:920-934.

Affiliated Labs: Swei, Vrendenburg, and Zink

  • Carla Sette, Zink, Swei, and Vredenburg Labs, MS, Physiology and Behavior

Photo: Maritime earwig female tending to her eggs. Photo credit: Jonathan Wright

person sitting on a rock in the middle of the ocean marina

Gunderson A.R., M. Abegaz, A.Y. Ceja, E. Lam, B.F. Souther, K. Boyer, E. King, K.T. You Mak, B. Tsukimura, J.H. Stillman.2019. Hot rocks and not-so-hot rocks on the seashore: patterns and body-size dependent consequences of microclimatic variation in intertidal zone boulder habitat. Int. Org. Biol., obz024, https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obz024

Stillman Lab

  • Ben Souther, MS, Marine, did not graduate
  • Alma Ceja, MS, Marine, 2017
  • Emily King, Undergraduate Research Experiences of Undergraduates (REU)
  • Emily Lam, MS, Marine, 2017
  • Kayley Mak, Undergraduate Research Experiences of Undergraduates (REU)
  • Kristin Boyer, Undergraduate Research Experiences of Undergraduates (REU)
  • Metadel Abegaz, MS, Marine, 2018

Photo: Stillman Lab field site just south of Fort Ross, Sonoma Coast

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Howard, R.MS/URM, Lopes, L.UG/URM, Lardie, C.UG, Perez, P.V.UG/URM and Crook, R.J. (2019) Early-life injury produces life-long neural hyperexcitability, cognitive deficit and altered defensive behavior in squid, Euprymna scolopes. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 374(1785) 281-289

Crook Lab

  • Christina Lardie, BS Physiology, 2018
  • Lauren Lopes, BS Physiology, 2017
  • Paul Perez, BS Physiology, 2018
  • Ryan Howard, MS Marine Biology, 2019

Photo: Front Cover Royal Society

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Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jan 20;22(3):1020. doi: 10.3390/ijms22031020.

Salazar Lab

  • Jessica Weng, MS Cell and Molecular Biology, 2021

 

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Johnson, E, Samayoa, C, , Mendez, R, Wong, M, Velazquez, E, Márquez-Magaña, L. 2021. Insider community-engaged research for Latinx healing in nature: Reflections on and extensions from Phase 1 of the Promoting Activity and Stress Reduction in the Outdoors (PASITO) project. Parks Stewardship Forum, 37(1).

Health Equity Research (HER) Lab

  • Cathy Samayoa, BS & MS Cell and Molecular Biology, 2009 & 2011
  • Edgar Velasquez, BS Cell and Molecular Biology, 2015
  • Eric Johnson, MS Cell and Molecular Biology, 2018
  • Rebecca Mendez, BS Cell and Molecular Biology, 2011

Photo: Promoting Activity and Stress reduction In The Outdoors (PASITO): Latinx Healing in Nature

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Life (Basel). 2021 Jul 26;11(8):746. doi: 10.3390/life11080746.

Salazar Lab

  • Lauren Levesque, MS Cell and Molecular Bio, 2021

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M. Banuelos, J. Zavaleta, A. Roldan, R.-J. Reyes, M. Guardado, B. Chavez Rojas, T. Nyein, A. Rodriguez Vega, M. Santos, E. Huerta Sanchez, R. Rohlfs. Associations between forensic loci and gene expression levels may compromise medical privacy" On medRxiv and in review at PNAS.

Rohlfs Lab

  • Alennie Roldan, Rohlfs, BS, physio, 2021
  • Ana Rodriguez Vega, Rohlfs, BS, 2019,
  • Berenice Chavez Rojas, Rohlfs, BS, 2021
  • Jhony Zavaleta, Rohlfs, MS, 2021
  • Mayra Bañuelos, Rohlfs, BS, math, 2019
  • Maribel Santos, Rohlfs, 2020?
  • Miguel Guardado, Rohlfs, BS, math, 2020
  • Rochelle Reyes, Rohlfs, BS, physio, 2018
  • Thet Nyein, Rohlfs, BS, math, 2020

Photo: Genomic landscape surrounding forensic genetic locus correlated with gene expression levels.

Eliseo Parra

Martínez, AE, Parra, E, Gomez, JP and Vredenburg, VT. 2021. Shared predators between primate groups and mixed species bird flocks: the potential for forest-wide eavesdropping networks. Oikos. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08274

  • Eliseo Parra, Vredenburg Lab, MS, Ecology, 2018

Photo: Eliseo Parra, former graduate student and co-author from the Vredenburg Lab at SF State, is now a PhD student at UCLA.

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McMackin MZ, Lewin MR, Tabuena DR, Arreola FE, Moffatt C, Fuse M (2016). Use of von Frey filaments to assess nociceptive sensitization in the hornworm, Manduca sexta. J Neurosci Meth. 257:139-46.

Moffatt Lab & Fuse Lab

  • Dennis Tabuena, MS, Physiology
  • F Eric Arreola, BS, Physiology
  • Marissa McMackin, MS, Physiology

Photo: Developing an in vivo model to study sensitization.

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Ritchie, K.L.*, V.T. Vredenburg, S. Chaukulkar*, H.M. Butler*, A.G. Zink. 2021. Social group size influences rates of pathogen transmission in salamanders. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 75:136.

Zink and Vrendenburg Labs

  • Helen Butler, Vredenburg Labs, MS, Ecology and Evolution
  • Kendra Ritchie, Zink and Vredenburg Labs, MS, Ecology and Evolution
  • Shruti Chaukulkar, Zink and Vredenburg Labs, MS, Ecology and Evolution

Photo: Social aggregation of California slender salamanders, the focus of this study. Photo credit: Newt Rockney

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Rosero MA, Abdon B, Silva NJ, Cisneros Larios B, Zavaleta JA, Makunts T, Chang ES, Bashar SJ, Ramos LS, Moffatt CA, Fuse M (2019). Divergent mechanisms for regulation of growth and development after imaginal disc damage in the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. J Exp Biol. 222(20): JEB200352. doi: 10.1242/jeb.200352.

Moffatt Lab & Fuse Lab

  • Brenda Cisneros Larios, MS, Physiology
  • Benedict Abdon, MS, CMB
  • Jhony Zavaleta, BS, Physiology
  • Louis Ramos, BS, Physiology
  • Manuel Rosero, MS, Physiology
  • Nicholas Silva, MS Physiology
  • S Janna Bashar, MS, Physiology
  • Tigran Makunts, BS, Physiology

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S. Dung*, A. López*, E. Lopez Barragan*, R.-J. Reyes*, R. Thu*, E. Castellanos, F. Catalan, E. Huerta Sanchez+, R. Rohlfs+. "Illuminating women's hidden contribution to the foundation of theoretical population genetics." Genetics: 211: 363-366, 2019.

Rohlfs Lab

  • Andrea López, 2018
  • Edgar Castellanos, Rohlfs, 2018
  • Ezequiel Lopez Barragan, Rohlfs, 2018
  • Francisca Catalan, Rohlfs, 2018
  • Ricky Thu, Rohlfs, 2018
  • Rochelle-Jan Reyes, Rohlfs, 2018
  • Samantha Dung, Rohlfs, 2018

Photo: Total number of programmers acknowledged per year in Theoretical Population  Biology. Each bar indicates the total number of acknowledged programmers   broken down by binary gender. Purple, women; yellow, men; and green, ambiguous.

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Salomon, J., Crews, A., Lawrence, A., Swei, A. 2021 Host infection and community composition predict vector burden. Oecologia, I92 (2): 305-316

Swei Lab

  • Alexandra Lawrence, MS Ecology, 2018
  • Jordan Salomon, MS Microbiology, 2019

Photo: Highlighted student research paper that investigated community ecology impacts on tick burdens on disease reservoir hosts.

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Sambado, S., Salomon, J., Crews, A., Swei, A. 2020. Mixed transmission modes promote persistence of an emerging tick-borne pathogen. Ecosphere 11(6): e03171.

Swei Lab

  • Arielle Crews, MS Ecology, 2020
  • Jordan Salomon, MS Microbiology, 2019
  • Samantha Sambado, MS Ecology, 2019

Photo: Ecological investigation of an emerging tick-borne pathogen that is vertically transmitted.

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Sette, C.M.*, V.T. Vredenburg, and A.G. Zink. 2020. Differences in fungal disease dynamics in co-occuring terrestrial and aquatic amphibians. EcoHealth 17:302-314.

Zink and Vrendenburg Labs

  • Carla Sette, Zink and Vredenburg Labs, MS, Physiology and Behavior

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Tabuena DR, Solis A, Geraldi K, Moffatt CA, Fuse M (2017). Central neural alterations predominate in an insect model of nociceptive sensitization. J Comp Neurol. 525(5):1176-1191

Moffatt Lab & Fuse Lab

  • Dennis Tabuena, MS, Physiology
  • Allan Solis, BS, Biochemistry
  • Ken Geraldi, MS, Physiology

Photo: Developing an in vitro model to study sensitization.

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Tanner, R.L.PhD, L.E. FayeMS, J.H. Stillman. 2019. Temperature and salinity sensitivity of respiration, grazing, and defecation rates in the estuarine eelgrass sea hare, Phyllaplysia taylori. Mar. Biol. 166(8): 109.

Stillman Lab

  • Lindsay Faye, MS, Marine, 2017

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Thomas, M, Sohail, S, Mendez, R, Márquez-Magaña, LM, Allen, AM. 2021. Racial discrimination and telomere length in midlife African American women: Statistical interaction with age, educational attainment, and employment status. Ann Behav Med, 55(7):601-611.

Chen Lab

  • Marilyn Thomas, BS Microbiology, 2010

Health Equity Research (HER) Lab

  • Rebecca Mendez, BS Cell and Molecular Biology, 2011
  • Saba Sohail, MS Cell and Molecular Biology, 2019

 

crabs mating

Yockachonis, T.J., C.S. McKeon, A.M. Windsor, J.H. Stillman. 2020. Multiple paternity in the intertidal zone porcelain crab Petrolisthes cinctipes Randall, 1840 (Decapoda: Anomura: Porcellanidae) is a life-history strategy that increases fitness during heat stress. J. Crustacean Biol. ruaa071, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruaa071

Stillman Lab

  • Thomas J. Yockachonis, MS, Marine, 2016

Photo: In this study we showed that female porcelain crabs who mate with multiple males produce broods that are more resilient to heat stress.