MultiDisciplinary
Anterior Cruciate Ligaments
By Alexis Jenkins
Alexis Jenkins definitely is very active from the start. Sports have always been her passion; growing up, you could always catch her outside at the softball field playing with her high school, tournament team, or family. This all was until she had an almost career-ending injury occur not just once but twice. Luckily, she could continue to play two years of college softball, but she always wondered why tearing your ACL, also known as your Anterior Cruciate Ligament, was such a big deal. Now years later, she is a Senior here at Millersville studying Sports Journalism. After graduation, she plans to work her way into the ESPN world to eventually become an ESPN Broadcast Journalist.
InterDisciplinary
The Impact of Vaping on Human Esophageal Keratinocytes
By Siaka kosha, sophonie calixte, & kyle stump
Siaka Kosha is a senior at Millersville University majoring in Biology with a concentration in Pre-Medical Professions. With the guidance of Dr. Heather Lehman, Siaka conducted research on the effects of vaping on human esophageal keratinocytes. In the fall of 2021, he was exposed to cell culturing techniques, which he attempted to apply to potential problems facing subsets of American populations. His research focuses on one aspect of a greater issue: the biological and physiological effects of increased vaping rates in American adolescents and teenagers.
A primary factor that drove Siaka to work on this project is the potential for future projects on this topic; although multiple studies have been conducted regarding nicotinic effects on respiratory tissues, there have been few published studies on the biological effects of aerosolized vape on bodily tissues collectively, and even less on the biological effects on esophageal tissues. Part of what drove Siaka to do this research was his goal to address relatively unknown and undocumented biological topics. He hopes to further develop the cell culturing/abstract thinking skills and knowledge he has acquired during this project as he continues towards his medical career aspirations.