Fruit Fly Brain Research Published in Neurotoxicology

/in , , /by

Boz Institute is proud to announce the publication of a new paper, Locomotion and brain gene expression exhibit sex-specific non-monotonic dose-response to HFPO-DA during Drosophila melanogaster lifespan. The paper was published in Neurotoxicology, volume 96, and examines the potential sex-specific stress responses to a new chemical (HFPO-DA) used in manufacturing processes on populations of fruit flies. Due to the public health concern of prior chemicals (PFAS) used in manufacturing, this paper aims to uncover the potential effects this replacement chemical (HFPO-DA) has on the brain, behavior and lifespan.

To read this publication and others from Boz, click HERE.

Innovative STEM Symposium

/in , /by

On Thursday, June 1st, Boz Institute – in collaboration with UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, hosted their annual Innovative STEM Symposium. More than 150 students, researchers, and scientists gathered at UC San Diego Park and Market to learn about ongoing research and student-based programs at Boz. 

Some of the presented work included research on the multigenerational effects of chemicals on male and female flies, the monitoring of endangered black abalone through environmental DNA, and the risk assessment of the highly contaminated Tijuana River Estuary. The presentations all highlight Boz’s in-lab work, which fosters relationships between researchers and students in high school and college. Through this research, students not only learn about innovative science, but also gain real world experience not often offered in a typical school setting. 

Nearly 30 highschool students enrolled in Boz Institute’s internship programs also presented at the symposium. Led by Ken Hirata, these programs gave students the opportunity to design and execute the research based on local environmental interests.

Boz was proud to introduce Metagenomics Database created by Flannery McLamb and her team; the database is a globally accessible hub for metagenomic data sharing and relevant research publications. Like the database, Boz is expanding globally – with upcoming projects in Ghana, Chile, Mexico, and Vietnam. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date on all of Boz’s projects.

Abalone Research along the California Coast

/in , /by

In collaboration with National Park Service (NPS) and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Boz Institute is implementing eDNA methodology to investigate the distribution of endangered black and white abalone populations along the Southern California Coast.  Recently in May 2022, after establishing positive lab eDNA controls, Boz and NPS researchers and students collected eDNA samples from Channel Islands, CA  in areas known to have  abalone cluster populations.  The purpose of this phase of the study is to establish field positive controls and test the methods’ sensitivity to distinguish white from black abalone wild populations, before sampling more challenging sites with historically populated but currently unknown abalone distribution. 

Boz Scholars Published ADHD Study in Scientific Reports

/in , , /by

Boz Institute research team, including scholars Katie O’Connell, Natalie Olander, and Sora Haagensen, have published their work about pre-COVID-19 ADHD childhood and adolescence trends in U.S. in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio). The team analyzed public health and socioeconomic data and discovered underlying associations between ADHD diagnosis in children and critical factors related to socioeconomic status, including race, financial status, family structure, and neighborhood characteristics. Upon completion of the research immersion programs Boz offers in partnership with UCSD Extension, Katie, Natalie, and Sora joined our research team. Click here to read about their experience.

Boz Scholar Receives Co-author Credit in Scientific Journal

/in , /by

Summer 2019 research immersion program scholar, Sora Haagensen, fellow Boz researchers and Dr. Keith Lombardo from the National Park Service have published their work Relative genetic diversity of the rare and endangered Agave shawii ssp. shawii and associated soil microbes within a southern California ecological preserve in the journal Ecology and Evolution. This was a collaborative research project between Boz and the National Park Service.

Read more

Virtual Career Panels

/in /by

We hosted virtual career panels for our fall 2020 pre-college research immersion scholars. Industry Professionals (scientists, project manager, CEO/founder) from Janssen, Catalent and Hemex Health joined a medical student from Northstate University and spoke with our scholars about their career journeys, ethics, workplace culture, lessons learned from good and bad career decisions and more.

Read more

Boz Scholars Compete at Oregon Bio Pitch & Partner 2020

/in /by

Two Oregon High School students and Boz research immersion scholars, Angela Zhao (fall 2020) and Natalie Olander (summer 2020), competed in the translational and basic research categories respectively at the Oregon Bio Digital conference – Pitch & Partner 2020 event. Angela’s presentation entitled Putting the Brakes on Parkinson’s Disease from work done as an intern at the VA Portland Healthcare System. Natalie presented the research she worked on at Boz, the Effects of HFPO-DA Stress on C. Elegans. Natalie and Angela were two high school students among 19 competitors including graduate students, scientists and entrepreneurs competing for prizes in four categories at the three-day virtual bioscience conference.

Read more

No Barriers Too Big

/in /by

As the world learns to adapt to a virtual reality this year, Boz Institute reached students that would not ordinarily have an opportunity to participate in the Research Immersion Program. This fall we launched a scholarship-funded, online program for students from underserved communities in California, Oregon, and a group of students from Ghana, Africa. Boz co-founder Liisa Bozinovic, a Board member of a Ghana focused nonprofit, Learn Grow Lead, helped implement the program to include scholars from Ghana. This article presents the story of this collaboration through interviews with the program participants and instructors.

Athena Honors Pinnacle Award Winner Maysoon Lehmeidi

/in /by

Athena – California’s premier leadership advocate for women in STEM – revealed its “Pinnacle Winners” during its 22nd Annual Pinnacle Awards on August 6. This distinguished industry award recognizes leaders that continuously champion the advancement, promotion and career success of women leading in STEM. Selected from an extraordinary list of nominees, winners in four categories were “virtually” cheered and celebrated across our region’s STEM community.

Read more

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Annual Report Recognition

/in /by

Boz Life Sciences Research and Teaching Institute’s collaboration with the National Park Service (NPS) was featured in the 2019 NPS Annual Report titled  “Cabrillo Hosts Cutting-Edge Genetics Research”. The NPS and Boz’s collaboration was an effort to quantify the genetic diversity of Shaw’s agave in Southern California and Mexico. Read about our high school student leaders working on this project through Boz’s summer research immersion and internship program.

Read more