Team:USNA-Annapolis

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Editing the Human Microbiome: Proactively Preventing Aerosolized Conotoxin Attack

Conotoxins are small neurotoxins that bind to and affect the opening and closing of ion channels, thus altering membrane potential and disrupting neurological signaling pathways. Due to their small size, conotoxins could be easily aerosolized and could be used as biological weapons of mass destruction. Our goal of this project has two components. The first is to create a program to mathematically model both normal and conotoxin-affected intracellular ion concentrations. The second is to develop a signaling and responding pathway to detect changes in membrane potential and eliminate the conotoxins.

The USNA Team


Aurelia Minut

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Sarah Glaven

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Brian Eddie

Dr. Eddie is a microbiologist who primarily uses transcriptomics, genomics, and bioimaging to better understand bacterial metabolism so that we can exploit it.


Tanya Tschirhart

Tanya is a postdoctoral fellow at the Naval Research Lab whose work focuses on developing synthetic biology tools for marine organisms and new communication pathways across biotic-abiotic interfaces.


Brian Pate

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Preston Fulmer

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Lawrence Kennedy

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Maggie Pana

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Alex Ki

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Trevor Karn

Trevor is a junior at the US Naval Academy, in the Honors Mathematics program, whose primary area of interest is combinatorics. He is originally from Plymouth, Minnesota, and hopes to serve as a submarine officer following graduation.


Seok Park

MIDN 2/C Seok Park is junior at the United States Naval academy and he is a chemistry major. He is from the Island of Saipan, and he plans to commission in the United States Navy as a Nuclear Surface Warfare Officer in May of 2018.


Sara Peeleman

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Mitchell Winkie

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Gabrielle Tender

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Kirstie Coombs

Kirstie Coombs is a senior bioengineering major at the University of Maryland - College Park. She worked as a NREIP Intern at the Naval Research Laboratory during the summer 2016.


Sarah Barr Engel

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


Mina Kim

Dr. Sarah Glaven is a research biologist and microbial electrochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. She studies microbial extracellular electron transfer and its biotechnology applications including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis.


J. Fitzpatrick Doyle

J. Fitzpatrick "Fitz" Doyle is a senior at George Mason University studying biology with minors in psychology and music. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he plans to go to graduate school for genetic counseling this upcoming fall.

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