Capstone Activities for Human Biology Concentrators

The culminating requirement for the Human Biology concentration program is the Capstone Activity. The Capstone should capture the spirit of the program in the form of either an original research project; an advanced seminar; or (occasionally) an internship activity.

Proposed Capstones must be approved by the Concentration Advisor.

The Capstone must be carried out under the supervision of a Brown University professor, an investigator at a Brown-affiliated hospital, or in conjunction with an organization or university conducting a Brown University-sanctioned program.

It is expected that the Capstone will commence not before the 6th or 7th semester (or intervening summer) and for most, will take place during the senior year.

Should the goal be Honors in Human Biology, the Capstone should take the form of a substantial research project vis a vis BIOL 1950/1960. (see listings at http://bms.brown.edu/bug/research.html)

Here is a list that will provide some past history on projects undertaken.

Sample Capstone (Honors or 1950/1960) Projects in Human Biology

Faculty Sponsor

HB Theme

Project Title

Bruce Becker

H/D

Adult women with physical disabilities in Rhode Island and their access to reproductive health care.

Stephen McGarvey H/D Health of modernizing populations in Samoa areas.
Patricia Risica H/D Emerging contraception: Patient behaviors.
Steven Moss H/D The role of helobacter pylori in gastric carcinogenesis.
Alvaro Tinajero H/D Reform of the US Health Care System.
Debra Lobato R/G The impact of family and culture in children's/adolescent's lives.
Judith Shaw B/B Effect of parental involvement on the misbehavioral setting.
Laurie Heller B/B The role of a transient in event perception.
Laura Stroud H/D Difference in dimorphic physiological response to achievement stressors in children of mothers who smoked while pregnant.
Lundy Braun R/G African-American views of health.
Laura Stroud H/D The Effect of Physical Fitness on Physiological Reactivity to Psychological Stress: A Meta-Analysis.
Stephen Sheinkopf B/B Vagal tone in autistic disorders.
Stephen McGarvey H/D Schistosomiasis Japoncium & Wasting: Infection induced Cachexia and the effect of cytokines.
Laura Stroud H/D Studies in behavioral medicine regarding Children.
Marc Tatar H/D Diet induced gene expression in Drosophila.
Stephen McGarvey H/D Longitudinal Analysis of the Effects of Coconut Consumption on Blood Lipids in Moderinizing Samoans.
Jennifer Mitty H/D DOTS drug adherence among HIV positive women who have children.
Sharon Swartz H/D Sealing of bone microstructure.
Mark Lurie H/D R/G Factors associated with wanting and receiving HIV test results in Umtata, South Africa.
Stephen McGarvey H/D I Wanna be like Tua: Physical Activity and Health in the Samoas
Anne DeGroot H/D Vaccine safety and design for cancers caused by Epstein-Barr virus.
Stephen McGarvey H/D The Power of Cheese: TV, SES, and Childhood Obesity in Samoa.
Patricia Risica H/D R/G Alaskan Native’s diets and diabetes.
Rich H/D Opiate replacement therapy for incarcerarted populations.
Laura Stroud H/D B/B Children and stress.
Mary Flynn H/D Comparison of two different diets for weight loss in women with breast cancer.
Hugh Keeping H/D Determination of the optimal post-operative OP cells for spinal fusion in the New Zealand.
Maureen Phipps H/D Attitudes toward pregnancy among adolescents.
Susan Cu-Uvin H/D R/G Refugees and HIV.
Mary Carskadon H/D B/B A study in the causes and effects of insomnia.
Donald Giddon H/D R/G Female motivations for muscle morphology.
Melissa Clark H/D R/G Sexual histories: tracing the origins of the current United States partner notification systems.
Laura Stroud H/D B/B Physiological responses to stress in children.
Anne Fausto-Sterling R/G Race and the Body in Brazilian Science.
Mary Flynn H/D Effect of a diet on biomarkers for breast cancer in overweight/obese women with a history of breast cancer.
Mark Lurie H/D R/G Trust 7 reliance in a South African mining community: implication for HIV risk-taking behaviors.
Jeffrey Borkan H/D Joint narratives of Illness:  A Qualitative Study.
George Yap H/D IL-12 production by Dendritic Cells at the site of infection with Toxoplasma gandii.
Mark Bertness   Possible differences between diurnal & nocturnal populations of hydrozoan medusae in Bocas del Toro, Panama.
Stephen Gregory   The role of NKT cells in host defense to listeria monocytogens infection.
Jisu Li   Cell culture models for the study of Hepatitis B virus receptor and co-receptor.
Geralyn Lambert-Messerlian   Serum mullerian inhibiting substance levels to predict pregnancy success after in vitro fertilization.
William Fairbrother   Identifying gene sequences that can function as splicing enhancers
Stephen McGarvey   Prenatal influences in birth weight and childhood growth of Samoans.
Mary Carskadon   Forced desynchrony on circadian rhythms and sleep states.
Allesandra Kazuura   School nurse and pediatric nurse survey: Adolescent smoking prevention and cessation.
Laura Stroud   Anxiety and the stress response.
Mary Hixon   The role of Art 1 in the suppression of apoptosis in the peripubertal testis following exposure to MEH
Ji Su Li   Regulatory effects of HCV core protein localized in subcellular compartment
Celia Lescano   Development of a family-based health promotion intervention.
Bruce Becker   Preteen/adolescent patient and parent perceived weight and perception of BMI in the ED.
Catherine Dube   Maximizing the effectiveness of E-prescribing between physicians and community pharmacies.
Alison Delong   PP2A; transmission, development and fertilization in single and multiple protein phosphotose 2A mutants
Laura Stroud   TTURC pilot and K23 studies at the Coro Center. "Stress responses in children"
Ruth Colwill   The effects of food enrichment on oral stereotypes in captive giraffes.
Michelle Lally   Investigation of reasons of nonenrollment of minortiy populations in clinical trials.
Edward Feller   Eating disorders in athletes.
Mary Hixon   Determining a functional role for AKt1 in the regulation of utero-placental development.
Roland Merchant   Incidence of internet-facilitated sexual assault.
Wendy Verhoek-Oftedahl   Youth on violence: Re-evaluating statistics on youth homicide.
Betty Vohr   Maternal hypertension in African American mothers and its effect on extreme low birthweight neonatal outcomes.
Abigail Harrison   Beliefs and attitudes about contraception and fertility among young women in South Africa.
Conrad Johanson   Transport clearance of beta amyloid peptide from the central nervous system.
Laurent Brard   The cytoxicity of the salen-metal complex to ovarian cancer cells.
Steve Correira   The Montreal cognitive assessment (MOCA) as a screening tool in patients with CADASIL.
Anne DeGroot   Evaluating women's knowledge of and attitudes towards HIV/AIDs in Sikoro, Mali.
Anne DeGroot   An assessment of factors contributing to HIV/AIDs knowledge in Sikoro, Mali and the development of a culturally apropriate education model.
Sarah Everhart   Disability and sexuality; challenges of cultural norms.
Jisu Li   Cell culture models for the study of Hepatitis B virus receptor and co-receptor
Bonnie O'Connor   Explore and evaluate different ways of treating chronic pain.
Laura Stroud   HPA reactivity and maternal smoking during pregnancy.
Wendy Verhoek-Oftedahl   Youth on violence: re-evaluating statistics on youth homicide.
Betty Vohr  

The effects of maternal stress, support, and resources on the language development of deaf children.

Alessandra Kazura HD Adolescent smoking prevention and cessation.
Bruce Becker HD Adolescents and their parents perception of body mass index in relationship to food and exercise choices: A study at Hasbro Pediatric Emergency Department
Geralyn Messerllian HD Ascertaining the usefulness of Mullerian-Inhibiting Substance (MIS) in predicting patient response during in vitro fertilization.
Mark Bertness EE Comparative studies of Panamanian Hydrozoan Medusae.
Edward Feller HD Eating disorders in athletes.
Laura Stroud BB Effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy on fetal neurobehavior.
Katrina Gamble HD Examing the policies that address the HIV/AIDS epidemic specifically in the African American community.
Ji Sue Li HD Hepatitis C viral infection and hepatocyte lipid accumulation: Rose of Apolipoprotein C-IV in Steatosis.
Stephen McGarvey HD Influences of birth weight in American Samoa
Susanne de la Monte BB Investigating a link between Diabetes and Alzheimers.
Laurent Brard HD Isothiocyanates and the study of tumors.
John Tyler BB Makin' Moves Mentoring: Defining Youth Mental/Physical Development.
Abigail Harrison HD Navigating the paradoxes: sexuality, pregnancy and contraception in rural South Africa.
Celia Lescano HD The development of Latino STYLE's family-based health promotion intervention.
Stephen Gregory HD The role of NKT cells in host defense to Listeria monocytogenes.
Wendy Verhoek-Oftedaho RG Youth on Violence: Re-evaluating statistics on homicide from perspectives of Providence youth.
Cassandra Stanton HD Health Promotion among preadolescents
Laurent Brossay HD Investigating the role of natural T cells during the adaptive immune response to MCMV
James Simmons EEE Bio acoustic analysis of bullfrog drowsing activity
Casey Dunn HD Genetic characterization of the siphonophore Nanomia Bijuga through CDNA sequencing
Susan Cu-Uvin, MD HD Changing marital structure, women's agency and 4 N/AIDs prevalence in South African townships
Mary Flynn HD Comparison of recommendations for National Cancer Institute versus a plant-based olive oil diet on weight loss in overweight women with breast cancer
John Boekamp BB Maternal mood and child behavior
Stephen Sheinkopf BB Fetal neurobehavioral assessment in response to social stimulii
Lundy Braun HD Race 7 medicine: exploring differences in breast cancer survival rates
Patricia Symonds BB Organ transplantation and the media in Korea and the US
Curt Lafrance, Jr. BB A placebo controlled, RCT of sertoline in patients with psychogenetic nonepileptic seizures
Michelle Lally, MD HD Investigation of reasons of non-enrollment of minority populations in clinical trials
Ji Su Li, MD BB Hepatitis C-viral cycle and liver steatosis
Amy Salisbury HD The effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on fetal and infance neurobehavior
Erika Edwards HD Anatomy of viburnun; evolutionary implications
Andrea Simmons RG Gender specific disparities in risk perception for contracting HIV/AIDs
Alfred Ayala HD Determination of the effect of intraperitoneally delivered caspase-12SIRNA to the development of local leukocyte
Sharon Swartz HD Effects of evolutionary history and dietary demands on maternal properties and tissue architecture in minnow teeth
Stephen McGarvey HD Physical activity patterns among modernizing Samoan children and adolescents
Suzanne De La Monte, MD BB Role of environmental toxins as mediators of Alzheimer-type neurodegeneration
Erna Kojic, MD HD Prevalence of anogenital HPV and HPV-related disease in HIV-infected women
Mary Flynn HD Comparing a plant based olive oil diet to a conventional diet in women diagnosed with breast cancer after age 50 for improvement in biomarkers and weight loss
Laura Stroud HD TTURC Pilot 7.K23 Study
Stephen McGarvey BB Ovarian function and obesity in Samoan women
Laura Stroud BB Child and adolescent stress lab
Steven Moss HD Trefoil-binding proteins, H pylori and gastric cancer
Emily Harrison, MD HD Women's perspectives on contraception and fertility
Carmen Marsit BB Alternations of Mirna profiles in testicular cells
Patricia Symonds HD The scale-up of antiretroviral therapy in Papua, New Guinea, Cuba, Haiti and Bostswana
Wen-Ming Chu HD Rose of HMGB1 in TLR-mediated cytokine response to R848
Edward Hawrot BB Pharmacological characterizaation of Alpha 3 Alpha 1 -containing Nachr subtypes
Laura Stroud BB Examine the relationship between stress and cortisol levels in children
Cynthia Rosengard HD Family-based interventions for incarcerated adolescents; a research to practice approach
Kent Anderson HD Physician compliance to preferred practice patients for bacterial keratitis and diabetic retinopathy
Carmen Marsit HD Effects of bisphenol A and tributyltin exposure on MRNA profiles on placental cells
Patricia Risica BB Effects of family environment upon sexual risk-taking among clinically depressed adolescents
Kim Gans   A community-based intervention to increase physical activity levels in Central Falls, RI
Judith Owens, MD BB Delayed phase sleep syndrome and addictive behaviors
Conrad Johanson BB Investigation into the interrelationship between amyloid accumulation, cognition, and stem cell functionality in the aging rat
Carl Saab HD Neuron-microglial interactions in spinal cord inflammation
Stephen Carr   Prenatal screening trends at the PreNatal Diagnosis Center of women and Infants' Hospital , RI
Kim Gans   Evaluating the effect of a multi-level worksite program to prevent weight gain


Examples of Post-Grad Activities: Human Biology Concentrators

• MPH/PhD in Public Health

• Medical School

• Research in Infant Development Center

• Hospital Research Assistantship

• MPH in Global Environmental Health

• Pursue literature studies

• Attending Tuck Business Bridge Program / MBA

• Work with Children with Disabilities; Physical Therapist

• Law School

• Teaching