Thesis students

Professor Sommer’s Thesis Students

2006-2007

• Nihal, Eisa, “Protocol optimization of culturing and treating primary chick cardiomyocytes.”
• Mary Fitzgerald, “Advancements in Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers.”
• Kay Gonsalves, “Beta-Naphthoflavone Induced Inhibition of Beta₂-Adrenergic Receptor Promoter Driven Luciferase Activity is Not Mediated via Putative Dioxin Response Elements.”
• Catherine Gregg, “Effects of Animal Companionship on the Social Behavior of Horses.”
• Peter Meisel, “Investigations into Beat Rate and Beta₂-Adrenergic Receptor mRNA Expression of Beta-Naphthoflavone Exposed Primary Chick Cardiomyocetes.”
• Lauren Philbrook, “High Dose Prenatal Arsenic Exposure Tends to Increase Cardiac Fibrosis in Adult Male Mice.”
• Amy Radke, “Quantitative Real-Time PCR Analysis of Beta₁- and Beta₂-Adrenergic Receptor mRNA Expression.”
• Joseph Shulan, “High Dose Prenatal Arsenic Exposure Decreases Coronary Artery Density in Adult Male Mice.”

2005-2006

• Emily Davie, “Transcriptional Regulation of β-Adrenergic Receptor Genes.”
• Justin C. Graves, “Effects of βNF on the Beat Rate of Embryonic Chick Cardiomyocytes in Primary Culture.”
• Daniel V. Johnson, “β-Adrenergic Receptor Gene Expression in Embryonic Chick Heart Following Exposure to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.”
• Justin Lewin, “Cardiac β-Adrenergic Receptor Gene Expression in AhR Null and Wildtype Mice.”
• Nicole H. Moraco, “Functional and Morphological Assessment of the Heart in Mice Exposed to Arsenic Early in Development.”
• Alex Teague, “Cloning the Chicken Beta₁-Adrenergic Receptor Gene”

2004-2005

• Katrina Bergevin, “Cardiac β₁-Adrenergic Receptor Protein Expression in Developing Chick Embryos Exposed to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin”
• Jess Ciak, “Analysis of Putative Dioxin Response Elements (DREs) in the 5’-Flanking Region of the β₁-Adrenergic Receptor”
• Caitlin Vincent, “Effects of an Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) Agonist on Beat Rate of Embryonic Chick Cardiocycte Primary Cultures”
• Joshua Lichtman, “Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy”

2003-2004

• Amanda Beck, “Cloning of the Full-Length cDNA for the Chick β₁-Adrenergic Receptor by RT-PCR”
• John VanNostrand Jr., “Cardiac β₁-Adrenergic Receptor mRNA Expression in Developing Chick Embryos Exposed to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin”

2002-2003

• Adam J. Hume, “Determination of Chicken Heart Beta-Adrenergic Receptor (β-AR) mRNA Sequence by RT-PCR”

2001-2002

• Kate Ellen Humphrey, “The Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy in Postmenopausal Women”
• Kristy Kuplast, “The Effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on the Developing Cardiac Conduction System in the Embryonic Chicken”
• Ashley Murray, “Expanding the Lifetime Phosphorus Removal of Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment: the use of Burkholderia cepacia to renew substrate sorption sites”

2000-2001

• Kate Fink, “GC-MS Analysis of Tributyltin Concentrations in Nucella lapillus at Bailey Island-Land’s End.” Co-advised with R. Austin, Chemistry Department.
• Meta M. Mason, “Development of the Northern ELISA Vitellogenin Bioassay in Zebrafish as a Screening Method for Environmental Endocrine Disruptors”
• Carolyn J. Reamer, “Effects of Development and 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on Cardiac Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase in the Chick Embryo”
• Lila Solomon, “Investigation of Tributyltin-Induced Imposex in Maine’s Nucella lapillusPopulations: A Detailed Look at Bailey Island-Land’s End”

1999-2000

• Lucas Adams, “Vitellogenesis in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an Effective Bioassay for Estrogenic Endocrine Disruptors”
• Rebecca L. Quinn, “Investigations of Tributyltin-Induced Malformations in Nucella lapillusand Littorina littorea on the Maine Coast”

1998-1999

• Jennifer L. Allard, “Investigations of Tributyltin (TBT) -Induced Imposex on Maine’s Dogwhelk (Nucella lapillus) Populations”

Independent Projects directed by Professor Sommer

• Danica Helb, 2002, “Effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on the Number of Differentiated Coronary Arteries in Embryonic Chickens”
• Adam Hume, 2002, “Investigations into the Quantitative Determination of β₁-Adrenergic Receptor mRNA Levels by Quantitative, Real Time-PCR”
• Seth Guthartz, 1999, “Emergency Cardiac Care”
• Lisa Howe, 1999, “Medical Ethics in the ER”
• Jennifer L. Allard, 1998, “Laboratory Fish Culture”