UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1284 | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

Submission information

Submission Number: 1284

Submission ID: 21016

Submission UUID: 2573ff06-7ea9-4153-985f-86d5408f8eee

Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal

Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=am7ly2pPU0FKGYYXepU7INxOC4ktRsYgsvROs0rOtGc

Created: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 09:25 PM

Completed: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 09:36 PM

Changed: Mon, 08/25/2025 - 11:41 AM

Remote IP address: 179.218.246.76

Submitted by: Anonymous

Language: English

Is draft: No

Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal

Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal

Research Mentor Information

Primary Research Mentor Name Marcos Müller Vasconcelos

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Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) m.vasconcelos@fsu.edu

Position Title Faculty

FSU College (if applicable) FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Electrical Engineering

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Additional Research Mentor(s)

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Overall Project Details

Title of the Project Understanding the Dynamics of Bacterial Networks via Quorum Sensing

Project Keywords Systems Biology, Mathematical Models, Bacterial Networks, Quorum Sensing

Are you currently looking for research assistants? Yes

Number of Research Assistants Needed 2

Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Biology, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Statistics, Computer Science

Project Location: FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? Yes

Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): Partially Remote

Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 10 hours/week

Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? Outside of business hours

Overall Research Project Description Bacteria often communicate using chemical signals in a process known as quorum sensing (QS). Through QS, individual cells release and detect small signaling molecules to coordinate behaviors such as biofilm formation, virulence, and antibiotic production. These systems are inherently nonlinear: feedback loops, repression/activation dynamics, and population growth create complex behaviors, including oscillations and spatial pattern formation. Mathematical modeling provides a way to understand how local interactions among bacteria lead to emergent collective behaviors. Using tools from differential equations, dynamical systems, and network science, we can capture the key mechanisms of quorum sensing and explore conditions under which oscillations, waves, or spatial patterns emerge.

Objectives

This project aims to introduce UROP students to the modeling of microbial communication by focusing on:

1. Regulatory Circuits – modeling gene regulatory feedback loops underlying quorum sensing.

2. Population Dynamics – studying how growth, signaling, and repression interact over time.

3. Spatial Effects – exploring how diffusion of signaling molecules leads to spatial heterogeneity (e.g., concentric rings of activity).

This is a joint project with researchers from the University of California Berkeley.

Research Tasks Students may take one or more of the following approaches:

1. ODE Modeling: Build systems of nonlinear differential equations for quorum sensing circuits and analyze conditions for oscillations.

2. Numerical Simulation: Implement MATLAB or Python simulations to study how parameters (Hill coefficients, diffusion rates, repression thresholds) affect system behavior.

3. Pattern Formation Analysis: Extend models with diffusion terms to investigate how spatial concentration gradients lead to emergent colony-level structures.

4. Comparative Study: Relate mathematical results to experimental findings reported in microbiology literature.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: 1. Basic background in differential equations - recommended

2. Some programming experience (MATLAB or Python) - recommended

3. Interest in applying mathematics to biological systems - required

Mentoring Philosophy Our mentoring philosophy centers on empowering students to gain confidence in their ideas and nurturing their creativity. At the MINDS lab, we embrace the motto that there is no limit to what the human mind can accomplish and that the world of ideas offers an infinite number of low-hanging fruits. Currently, our lab supports a diverse group of researchers, including five undergraduate students, two PhD students, and one postdoc. We believe that a diverse team, representing a wide spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives, leads to more innovative work, thereby contributing to the broadening of participation of underrepresented groups in the scientific community and society as a whole.

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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No

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UROP Program Elements

Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes

UROP Performance Evaluation Yes

Materials Grant Yes

UROP Poster Presentation Yes

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Year 2025

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