2 credits
Spring 2026 Laboratory HonorsLower Division
We are what we eat! The food we put into our bodies not only gives us the nutrients, vitamins and minerals we need to live, but it can also influence other ways in which our bodies function, right down to how well our immune system works. The immune system plays a critical role in defending our body from infection, but can also contribute to autoimmune disease when the immune response becomes dysregulated. Importantly, autoimmune disease is currently skyrocketing in countries that consume a "Western Diet" (i.e., high salt, high sugar, low fiber), suggesting that these dietary components, or lack thereof, may contribute to dysregulation of the immune response. CD4+ T cells, a kind of immune cell, play an important role in the immune system as they control the balance between protective immunity and autoimmune disease. Recent evidence indicates a strong correlation between "Western Diet" and dysfunction of this important immune cell type. Therefore, our goal is to examine the effects of these dietary components on CD4+ T cell function and how this might contribute to autoimmune disease. Students will work in teams and cover a distinct subset of microbial or dietary components. As such, each student will learn the necessary skills to perform scientific experiments starting from the literature search, experimental design, carrying out controlled experiments, interpreting results and conveying the results to the greater scientific community.
Learning Outcomes1Learn how to work in a real laboratory setting and acquire useful laboratory skills while learning how to develop a hypothesis, design experiments to test these hypotheses.
2Learn how to present their findings to their peers and others in a written and oral format.
3Develop skills to be able to read scientific literature in their topic area and discuss these findings with their peers.
Prerequisites
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.