The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
School: Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University

Properties and Usage of Natural Compounds and Supplements

Kandlakunta will research naturally derived, plant-based supplements to assess efficacy against rising common health issues, including stress, sleep, hair loss, weight loss, and high cholesterol. Kandlakunta’s research aims to determine which low-risk, naturally derived supplements are most effective in treatment of lower-risk health conditions and in prevention of higher-risk health conditions.

The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
School: Undergraduate, Forest Ecosystems Management and Forest Biology, The Pennsylvania State University

Zanthoxylum americanum: Discovery, Documentation, and Promotion of an Agroforestry Crop in the Appalachian Region

Baker will conduct field research on the medicinal properties and ecological associations of common prickly-ash populations in Pennsylvania and northern Appalachia. Field sampling, collection of herbarium voucher specimens in wild populations, and photochemical analyses of collected samples will determine possible benefits of native horticultural shrubs and trees. Baker hopes the study will support the shrub’s potential use as a domestic source for use in food, health, beauty, and conservation.

The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
School: Undergraduate, Biology and Chemistry, Emory University

Antibacterial Properties of Extracts from Callicarpa americana Leaves to Identify Bioactive Compounds

Kittleson will continue an investigation of the antibacterial properties of extracts from American beautyberry leaves with the aim of identifying bioactive compounds from those extracts. Field research, plant collection, extraction, bio-assay-guided isolation, and structural identification will allow Kittleson to isolate one or more compounds with activity against Cutibacterium acnes, the bacterium that causes acne. Kittleson hopes to determine American beautyberry’s potential as a drug candidate to treat acne vulgaris, a common skin infection in teenagers and young adults.

The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
School: Undergraduate, Biology and Appalachian Studies, East Tennessee State University

Insect Associates of Appalachian Medicinal Plants

Field surveys of medicinal plants in southern Appalachia will identify beneficial insects (pollinators) and antagonistic insects (herbivores) that characterize faunas associated with medicinal plants in the wild. The role of insects in shaping plant chemistry over ecological and evolutionary timescales will be addressed. Smith’s project will contribute new natural history data about the ecology of medicinal plants in the area and convey the importance of insects for management and conservation of medicinal plants.

The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
School: Undergraduate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder

Genetic Mechanisms Underlying Sex Determination of Both Monoecious and Dioecious Varieties of Cannabis

Schroeder will investigate genetic mechanisms in underlying sex determination of both monoecious and dioecious varieties of cannabis. After generating time-series genetic expression data from male hemp plants feminized with ethephon and from control male hemp plants, Schroeder will provide a comparison of the differences observed in the expression of the genes associated with the pseudoautosomal region. Looking closely at both monoecious and dioecious varieties of cannabis may offer solutions to pollen contamination that can weaken the oil and fiber biomass yield of a harvest.

The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany

Inhibition of Drug-Metabolizing Cytochrome P450 Enzymes by Common Herbal Dietary Supplements

Menkart’s project at the Quave Research Group will examine commonly used herbal supplements for potential inhibition of cytochrome P450 enzymes. Menkart’s research aims to better understand herbdrug interactions that are imperative to fostering safe use of botanicals in the diet.

The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
School: Undergraduate, Environmental Studies and Peace Studies, College of Saint Benedict & Saint John’s University

Nordic People and Plants

In collaboration with the “Nordic People and Plants” project of the University of Oslo’s National History Museum, Frisk will use qualitative data analysis to understand the origins of medicinal plant knowledge. Specifically, she will research Viking-age texts to discern the extent to which Icelandic medieval medicinal manuscripts authored by Latin sources relied upon local Icelandic knowledge sources. The purpose of Frisk’s research is to understand and conserve Nordic ethnobotanical heritage.

The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
School: Undergraduate, Anthropology and Human Biology, Emory University

Inhibition of Drug Metabolizing Cytochrome P450 Enzymes by Common Herbal Dietary Supplements

Edwards is interested in how the relationship between people and plants can improve human health outcomes. This summer she will conduct a research project with the Quave Research Group, which focuses on drug discovery through ethnobotanical research. Edwards’s project seeks to identify botanicals that could interfere with the metabolism of prescription drugs. She will screen over 1,900 botanical extracts for inhibitory effects against drug metabolizing enzymes. By increasing understanding of medicinal botany, this project could improve the safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals.

 

Jointly funded by Middletown Garden Club and New Canaan Garden Club, Zone II

The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany

Tara Neuffer is a senior at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Her focus is on public health, women’s studies, and international development. In connection with her research, Neu er will live in Malawi, assessing the medicinal plants administered to women during pregnancy and labor. She will conduct 90 in-depth interviews with traditional healers, birth attendants, and their clients about the medicinal plants prescribed and then collect samples of each plant discussed. At the University of Malawi she will
aid in testing these specimens for their contractile properties. Neu er hopes that her study, one of the  rst to document plants administered during pregnancy in Malawi, will identify which plant species may be contributing to the country’s high rate of uterine ruptures.

The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany

Kathryn Bagger is an undergraduate majoring in human health at Emory University in Atlanta. She is currently receiving training in properly collecting, identifying, and extracting active compounds from medicinal plants native to Georgia. She will be working with the Quave Research Group at Emory to study Native American botanical remedies for wounds and infections. Bagger will participate in extensive book and journal research identifying prospective medicinal plants, after which she will assist in  eldwork
and collection for three weeks at the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center in Newton, Georgia. For the remaining three months of summer she will work in the lab studying these plants’ active compounds as well as proposing possible applications for them.