By: Andrew Myers

_{Photo, left to right: Debi Fadool (society advisor), Carlie Hoffman, Barbara Dietrick, Matthew Berning, Rachel Davis, Sarah Tepper, Megan Sweeney, and Lacy Goode.  Photo credit: Samantha Grace Fadool.}

Florida State University undergraduate researchers made an impressive showing at the Tribeta Biological Honor Society National Convention in Erie PA. June 4th-8th. Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta) is ­­a society for students, particularly undergraduates, dedicated to improving the understanding and appreciation of biological study and extending boundaries of human knowledge through scientific research.

The convention offers student members a chance to report their research and to hear from outstanding graduate investigators and teachers who give invited lectures and hold informal discussions. Like graduate society meetings, the national conventions offer a chance to share current research and discuss scientific issues.

Florida State students presented in the poster and oral presentations categories.

In the molecular biology poster division, Sarah Tepper (mentor, Dr. Fanxiu Zhu) won first place for her presentation "Characterization of the Processivity Factor PF-8 in Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus."
 
Carlie Hoffman (mentor, Dr. Debra Ann Fadool) won first place in the oral division of molecular biology for her presentation "Attention deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Kv1.3: Evaluating a Potential Disease Model."

Barbara Dietrick (mentor, Dr. Tim Megraw) won second place in the oral division of molecular biology for her presentation "Determination of the genetic network involved in MCPH disease."

Mathew Berning (mentor, Dr. Janie Wulff) won third place in the oral division of ecology for his presentation "Analysis of the Gut Contents of the Munnopisid Iospods Munneurycope murrayi and Acanthamunnopsis milleri."

Also presenting at the convention were Lacy Goode (mentor, Dr. Pradeep Bhide) with her poster presentation "Translational Dysregulation as a Cause of GCHI Dopa-responsive Dystonia:  Implications of Diagnois and New Therapeutics." Rachel Davis (mentor, Dr. Choogon Lee) also competed in the poster division  with her presentation "Post-translational Modifications of the Circadian Mechanism Mediated by Phosphorylation and Ubiquitination."
 
 Megan Sweeney (mentor, Dr. Choogon Lee also competed as a  oral presenter in molecular biology for her presentation. " Metabolic Regulation by E3 Ubiquitin Ligases B-Trcp1/2."