April 10, 2023 BIO481 Best Presentation Award - Runner Up - Melody Yazdani & Valentyn Sobolenko

Melody Yazdani and Valentyn Sobolenko emerged as runner-ups on the highly anticipated BIO481 Presentation Day held on April 10.

BIO481, a rigorous 4th-year research course in Biology, provides students with an opportunity to work on their own projects in collaboration with UTM Biology faculty. The students, who earned a full credit for their research, presented their theses showcasing their exceptional dedication, innovation, and scientific prowess.

Melody Yazdani:

In anticipation of my graduation in June 2023, I have meticulously designed my post-secondary journey to encompass diverse experiences and opportunities. My plans include volunteering at a hospital, where I will gain valuable hands-on exposure to the healthcare field, working at a reflexology and rehabilitation clinic to develop skills in holistic well-being.

Simultaneously, I am actively exploring my options to apply to Master's programs in the Fall of 2023 that perfectly align with my passions in biology, healthcare, and research. In search of these programs, I aim to delve deeper and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to make a significant impact in these fields.

Due to climate change, many habitats are experiencing an increase in temperatures, which ultimately affects thermoregulation and other aspects of their development. In my project, we measured the effects of latitudinal variation and urbanization on cuticular melanin in larvae of the D. plexippus (Monarch Butterfly). We looked at the cuticular melanin because it is a vital thermoregulatory trait. Monarch butterflies are known to have a population in North American that tends to go across Canada, USA, and Mexico (depending on their stage of life and migration). Recently, the Monarch Butterfly was noted as an endangered species in Canada. From an online platform called INaturalist, we collected samples in Canada and the Eastern United States. This led to two research questions, (1) how does D. plexippus larvae cuticular melanin covary with latitude in central Canada and the eastern coast? (2) Do urban islands affect caterpillar melanization?

We predicted that latitude and urbanization will impact the thermoregulatory response of the Monarch larvae, and result in phenotypic variation in the proportion of cuticular melanin. Specifically, it was expected to see less melanin in areas with high temperatures (cities and lower latitudes), and more melanization correlating with areas with lower temperatures (rural areas and higher latitudes). Cuticular melanin was identified by measuring the width of each black band along the length of the fifth instar larval segments (A3-A5) from collected photographs. We found that urban conditions and latitudinal variation are separately statistically significant towards band width. In contrast, there was a notable pattern that cities which tend to have higher temperatures than urban areas, displayed a greater band length. Since melanin is a thermoregulatory trait, our findings suggest that the protective properties of melanin against pollution and human interferences could be driving these results. This study provides insight into the potential adaptive strategies of species to urbanization and climate change.

Valentyne Sobolenko

I am a neuroscience specialist; decoding how our biological computers work. I am interested in systems neuroscience, where we examine the wiring of the brain and how that affects behavior. I am also keenly interested in neuropharmacological research, specifically possible alternatives to current mental health treatments. Such as psychedelics, which is research I am also a part of. After graduating I hope to focus my research on drug-brain interactions to challenge the mental health crisis we are facing today. And hopefully understand more how the wiring in our brain can be taken advantage of for our benefit. 

My thesis project focuses on the optokinetic reflex (OKR) using mice as the model organism. The OKR is a reflex present in most animals that keeps our vision clear. When our heads, bodies and things in the environment move, OKR causes our eyes to dart back and forth to compensate for that movement effectively stabilizing our vision. Without it, vision would be as blurry as shaking a camera when taking a video, but with OKR the images remain stable. My project investigated what neurons in the retina are responsible to signal to the brain that motion is occurring, subsequently causing OKR. Current research was under the untested assumption that OKR can only be triggered by stimulating most of the retina, and most research involving the OKR stimulated the entire retina whenever they needed OKR to be active. Where my project demonstrated we only need to stimulate around a tenth of the surface area of the retina to induce OKR, and specific neurons just below the center of vision are especially responsible for the OKR reflex. I developed a map of the visual field specifying which area of the retina is sensitive to OKR inducing movement. 

With their passion for scientific inquiry and dedication to pushing the boundaries of knowledge, these runner-up students are poised to make meaningful contributions to the field of biology and beyond. Their achievements on the BIO481 Presentation Day mark the beginning of promising scientific careers, underscoring UTM Biology's commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientific leaders.