Justine Nuguid participated in Celebration of Learning

2012 May 7

More than 75 Augustana students from all academic areas shared their advanced research projects on Saturday, May 5, at the Celebration of Learning. This on-campus research symposium annually gives students an opportunity to show off their academic accomplishments to their families and the Augustana community.

Among the students involved:

Justine Nuguid, a senior from Moline, Ill., majoring in biology and pre-medicine. The research was titled Investigating Wnt Signaling in the Aging Process of Skin. The Wnt pathway is most widely known for its significance in cancer and the stages of embryonic development. Recent research has shown that Wnt signaling can also be a possible contributor to the aging process. However, results of these studies reveal contradictory findings on which direction Wnt signaling influences aging. My lab was interested in how this process is affected in the skin. Before tests could be run on experimental mouse models, aging markers in the skin have to be established. My project was to identify these aging markers in this particular tissue using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence microscopy so they may be utilized in future experiments. The aging markers found in the skin include proteins Pγ-H2AX and P16.

Celebration participants presented their research through a poster display or an oral presentation. Many students expounded on the results of their Senior Inquiry, a multiple-term research project required for most academic programs. Other students shared honors capstone projects or student-faculty research findings. Because of the advanced level of research involved, most of the presenters are upperclass students.

Anne Earel and Stefanie Bluemle, Augustana reference librarians and the event's co-directors, said the Celebration of Learning provided an outlet for students to showcase their accomplishments.

Presentations topics varied greatly and included anthropology, biology, physics, geography, gender studies, theater and more.