Vargis Lab

Image of the MONTH! (To have attainable goals, we will now be posting Images of the Month.) Here's our PhD student / TRex Chase Paterson presenting on how vision works at last week's Halloween research group meeting. Join our group meetings on Tuesdays, 8:30am, ENGR 402C!

Welcome back students! For our first fall 2023 image of the week, check out these @USUAggies @usuhonors Connections students with their A Building Lanterns at the Luminary spelling out a V (for @VargisDr)! We hope you have a great year and come see us about research projects!

IOTW (sorry for the break)! Incoming MS student Tyler Willets’ runs live/dead viability assays on muscle cells grown in suspension on microcarrier beads. The live cells are green & dead cells are red (with the beads refracting some light). #Science #muscleresearch #microgravity

After an extensive, national search for Utah State University's presidential candidate, the Utah Board of Higher Education has chosen Elizabeth Cantwell as the institution's new president. ksl.com/article/506489…

IOTW! It's 60 degrees F today, but just a few weeks ago, it looked like this! Here's undergrad researcher Cassandra DuBose on a snow shoeing adventure. We're excited that the weather finally matches the season! #science #visionresearch #womeninstem #SpringIsComing

IOTW! #PhD candidate Chase Paterson models mechanical stress in #eyedisease. She designed this syringe pump attachment for precise force loading onto retinal epithelial cells grown on Transwell inserts. #science #visionresearch #retina #maculardegeneration #womeninstem #JoinUs

IOTW! MS student Teren Teeples is recreating the 3D structure of the #subretina in this @_BrightFocus supported project. In this microfluidic device prototype, he used a #hagfish protein membrane to separate the upper (blue) & lower (red) channels. #science #vison #eyesight #ARVO

IOTW! PhD student Dillon Weatherston grew retinal epithelial cells on thicker #hagfish membranes. These cells formed raised domes (in focus) similar to the lipid deposits (drusen) seen in the early stages of #maculardegeneration. #science #visionresearch #retina #eyesight

We need YOU to help us design this coming fall's Honors Connections t-shirt! The winner will get an awesome prize, a free t-shirt with their design, and some serious bragging rights as the designer of the latest Honors swag! Email submissions to Honors by March 20!

IOTW! MS student Emilee Rickabaugh uses hagfish protein threads to guide muscle cell striation in her #heart wall model. This model will aid in studying effects of #spaceflight and #Alzheimers on the heart. @NASA @ADRC_USU #science #heartresearch #hagfish #NASA #WomenInSTEM

IOTW! Undergraduate researcher Sophia Hessami applies foundational skills from her biomaterials class in the lab to learn how to make microfluidic devices. PC: Teren Teeples @_BrightFocus @USU_UR #science #visionresearch #retina #eyesight #maculardegeneration #WomenInSTEM

Image of the week! Sometimes you feel like the incubator smells a little extra yucky so you open up behind the scenes panels to find this😱! Check out the before and after... Thanks to Chase and Emilee for finding AND cleaning this. #cellculture #gradschool #womeninengineering

IOTW! 2 stacks of immunocytochemical stained slides to image cell proteins. Some made it into the manuscript (left) and others didn't (right). #scienceishard #science #vision #retina #eyesight #hagfish #WomenInSTEM @_BrightFocus @NatEyeInstitute PC: MS Student Emilee Rickabaugh

IOTW! Dyed hagfish protein membrane in a Transwell insert assembly. Retinal epithelial cells are cultured on these assemblies for further experimentation. @_BrightFocus @NatEyeInstitute PC: MS Student Emilee Rickabaugh #science #vison #retina #eyesight #hagfish #WomenInSTEM

Our spring 2023 research meetings have been set! Come hear from our graduate and undergraduate students about their research and opportunities to get involved on Mondays at 2:30pm in ENGR 402C starting 1/9. All are welcome!

IOTW! A throwback to our time at #ARVO2022. The big blue bear outside the Denver convention center joined our graduate students for a picture. PC: Chase Paterson We’ll bring back IOTW in the new year! #science #vison #retina #eyesight #maculardegeneration #hagfish #WomenInSTEM

Congrats to our undergraduate researcher Cassandra DuBose for receiving an URCO from @USU_UR & an EURP from @EngineeringUSU to support our work developing #stochastic models of retinal blood vessel invasion! research.usu.edu/urco/ engineering.usu.edu/research/eurp/… #womeninstem #research

so proud of our @EngineeringUSU SWE student section for winning this award from @SWEtalk !

IOTW! A prototype of the microfluidic device we are developing for our @_BrightFocus supported project. We are recreating the 3D structure of human subretina to explore interactions between layers in healthy & diseased states. #science #visonretina #eyesight #maculardegeneration

IOTW! Results from our computation model of blood vessel invasion in late stage macular degeneration. Vessels migrate toward the growth factor (VEGF) at 100,100 if fibronectin levels are low. Top graph axes = position. PC: Cassandra DuBose #science #research #retina #WomenInSTEM