Monosodium titanate (MST) is an effective metal ion-exchanging material and has been used for decontaminating nuclear waste solutions. More recently, MST has been considered a candidate to exchange calcium ions in biological applications, especially for therapeutic delivery in dentistry. However, the toxicological properties of MST and MST-Ca(II) are poorly defined. Yet, it is critical for the mechanisms of toxicity to be understood to accurately assess MST as a therapeutic agent. In recent experiments, a decrease in the in vitro growth of MC3T3 osteoblasts exposed to MST or MST-Ca(II) attached to culture wells has been observed, but the cause of the inhibition is unknown. We observed (phase contrast microscopy) a tenacious affinity of the MST for the cell culture plate and the MC3T3 cells. This current study tested the hypothesis that MST limits cell growth in vitro by competing for attachment sites on culture polystyrene using L929 cells. Unlike MC3T3 osteoblasts, the growth of L929 fibroblasts was not inhibited when MST was added to cultures after cells had attached. We added MST or MST-Ca(II) (0 [control]–200 mg/L) to culture wells (n=8) 24 h prior to adding the L929 cells. The cells were then added (5000 cells/cm²) and the culture was incubated for 72 h to allow growth. Cell numbers and metabolism were estimated using a fluorescent-based assay (Cell-Titer Blue®). Statistical differences were detected using ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests (α=0.05). We expected that the addition of MST or MST-Ca(II) before cells will impede L929 cell growth; these experiments provided evidence that disruption of cell attachment to substrate may be one factor causing MST to inhibit cell growth in vitro. We will extend our investigation to other cells such as MC3T3 and dental pulp stem cells. 

Minimizing the energy consumption of wireless sensors is critical, yet a challenge for the design of wireless sensor networks (WSN). Energy is consumed in WSNs by sensing, communicating and processing. In various WSN applications, it is likely that communications are the major source of power consumption, rather than computation. Therefore, assuming that local processing is much less expensive than communicating, we focus on minimizing the number of transmissions for a distributed clustering problem in a sensor network. In our setup, each node in the network senses an environment that can be described as a mixture of Gaussians and each Gaussian component corresponds to one of the elementary conditions. For estimating the Gaussian components, we propose a distributed EM (expectation-maximization) algorithm based on stochastic approximation (DEM-SA), and we study a trade-off between local processing and communication for the distributed clustering problem. DEM-SA reduces the traffic and contention in a WSN by keeping computations and communications local and avoiding the need for cycles through the network. Simulation results are presented.

O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is the sole DNA repair activity that removes cytotoxic methyl group adducts from the O6 position of guanine. My overall hypothesis is that MGMT in human glioblastoma (GBM), a malignant brain tumor, limits tumor cell killing by chemotherapeutic methylating agents such as temozolomide. To address this hypothesis I will compare MGMT activity in GBMs with a mutated copy of the IDH1 (isocitrate dehydrogenase) gene with that in wild type tumors. IDH1 mutant GBMs differ from wild type in being much more responsive to methylating agent therapy and having longer survival. Mutant IDH1 converts isocitrate to 2-dihydroglutarate that suppresses the expression of epigenetically regulated genes. As MGMT expression is controlled epigetically by a mechanism sensitive to 2-dihydroglutarate, I hypothesize that the better clinical response of IDH1 mutant GBMs is associated with lower MGMT activity than wild type tumors. To address my secondary hypothesis, I will assay MGMT activity in homogenates of human GBM tissue with known mutation status and a complete history of the course of alkylating agent treatment. Tissue and clinical outcome data will be provided by the Neurosurgery Tumor Bank. When necessary I will determine mutation status of archived GBM tissue by an established PCR assay. Finding significantly lower MGMT activity associated with longer survival in mutant tumors will support my hypotheses. I will also examine the association of MGMT activity with survival following alkylator therapy for wild type and mutant separately to provide additional evidence of the role of MGMT as a mechanism of treatment resistance. An inverse association between tumor MGMT activity and treatment response will suggest (1) that MGMT can be used as a prognostic marker for treatment outcome and (2) that inhibition of MGMT as part of alkylator therapy may improve clinical outcome for GBM patients regardless of tumor IDH1 mutation status.
 

The research sought to understand the mechanisms through which human glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive primary brain tumor, are resistant to post-operative radio- and chemotherapy. While many new treatment protocols for GBM have been developed over the years, none have made a substantive difference in survival. As a result, the prognoses for these types of cancers remain very grim with most patients surviving for 9 to 15 months. To gain a deeper understanding of factors that promote this poor prognosis I investigated the contribution of DNA repair activities to resistance to alkylating agents and radiation that are used to treat human GBMs. One DNA repair protein of particular interest is O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). MGMT's repair mechanism works by removing the cytotoxic O⁶–methylguanine DNA adducts. The use of exogenous DNA containing ³H-labelled O⁶-methyguanine allows me to approximate the amount of MGMT molecules in tumor homogenates. The assay exploits the fact that MGMT transfers a methyl group to the cysteine of the protein’s active site from the O⁶ position of guanine. I worked in lab to optimize the assay for GBM homogenates. Through this research project, I hope to establish a standardized assay that is optimal for determining the MGMT activity in homogenates of glioma tissue that can be widely implemented. To this end, I investigated the impact of assay salt concentration, the presence of tumor, incubation duration and repeated freeze-thaw cycles on homogenate MGMT activity. The suppression of the glioma MGMT DNA repair capacity can potentially help in the development of new treatment protocols, thereby improving the treatment outcomes for individuals with malignant gliomas.

Postsurgical treatments for human malignant gliomas prove ineffective as there are high rates of tumor reoccurrence due to their elevated DNA-repair mechanisms. There is a group of human gliomas, oligodendrogliomas, that present longer survival periods of patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation. Certain genetic aberrations, specifically deletions of chromosome arms 1p and 19q, are associated with oligodendrogliomas that may lead to better responses to postsurgical treatment. My work addresses the hypothesis that this observed trend is due to decreased O6-alkylguanine DNA methyltransferase(MGMT) activity, which may be a result of the 1p and 19q deletions. MGMT is a known repair enzyme of DNA that contributes to tumor reoccurrence following alkylating agent based therapies. The MGMT activity is determined by estimating the number of MGMT molecules present in a homogenate through an assay developed in the Silber lab. The highly-sensitive assay exploits the reaction of an alkyl group irreversibly binding to MGMT. By incubating [3H]-labeled O6-methylguanine contained in double-stranded DNA with tumor homogenate, each MGMT molecule is covalently bound to a methyl group. The radioactivity is then counted by a liquid scintillation spectrometer. Preliminary data collected indicates that oligodendrogliomas with the deletions typically have lower amounts of MGMT activity than oligodendrogliomas without the deletion. When analyzing the clinical outcome information available, patients whose tumors have lower MGMT activity tend to follow the trend of higher responsiveness to treatment and longer periods of survival. By better understanding the DNA repair mechanisms of human malignant gliomas, new therapies can be developed that can improve the prognosis of patients.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diarrheal diseases are the second leading cause of death in children under the age of 5 globally. Cryptosporidium and Giardia are two microscopic parasites that cause diarrhea, infecting both humans and animals. The current gold standard field method for collecting water samples for parasite testing (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 1623), is not practical for remote sample locations as it requires 10-L of water to be kept on ice during transport to testing facilities. A pilot study by the UW Center for One Health Research will implement a new water sampling system, known as Bag-Mediated Filtration System (BMFS), to look at how these parasites impact low resource communities. My goal was to determine if BMFS could be used in conjunction with EPA 1623 to give recovery rates consistent with the current EPA 1623 method. I went to 4 different locations in Washington to retrieve surface water samples using the BMFS kit. Sites were chosen based on the likelihood that there would be parasites present: sources with the possibility of animal waste and areas with turbid water. The environmental samples, along with 10 parasite-spiked laboratory samples were analyzed using the EPA method - after filtration using the bag. Parasite numbers were measured as oocysts per liter using immunofluorescence, and recovery rates of spiked samples were compared to acceptance criteria from the EPA. This study will be useful to water quality researchers working in rural or remote field sites, or areas where climate conditions make sample storage challenging.

Delivering lethal doses of radiation directly to a tumor without damaging surrounding tissue has been one of the biggest challenges in radiation based cancer therapeutics. The development of Pre-targeted Radioimmunotherapy (PRIT) uses a two-step system to deliver radiation directly to targets, like cancer cells, but may be immunogenic. The overall purpose of my research is to enhance Pre-targeted Radioimmunotherapy (PRIT) for a better therapeutic outcome by producing and characterizing a bi-specific antibody to directly target radiation to cancer cells, while minimizing off-target radiation and immunogenicity concerns of traditional PRIT approaches. Initial experiments showed preferential targeting of disease sites via a biodistribution study in a leukemia (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) mouse model. Biodistribution studies involved therapeutic groups (5 mice per group) that were injected with 280 µg of 30F11-C825, (the bi-specific antibody recognizing murine CD45, a cell surface marker on most hematopoietic tissues). The negative control group mice were injected with 280 µg of CC49-C825 (a non-binding bi-specific antibody control). Mice from all groups were then injected with 5 µg of DOTAY-dextran clearing agent (to clear unbound antibody from circulation). The second step was an injection of 50 µCi of ⁹⁰Y-DOTA-biotin (radioactive injection) to mice in all groups. Mice tissue harvest was performed at 6hrs and 24hrs after ⁹⁰Y-DOTA-biotin injection. The biodistribution study showed mice treated with 30F11 bispecific antibody had greater amounts of radiation in the disease target sites [spleen=21.7±15 % injected dose pre gram of organ (%ID/g); bone marrow=10.3±3.2 %ID/g], compared to uninvolved organs [lungs=0.3±0.2 %ID/g; kidneys=0.6±0.2 %ID/g; bowel=0.6 ±0.2 %ID/g]. The next phase of my work includes a therapy study using our bi-specific antibody to treat leukemia in a mouse model, and if successful may lead to clinical trials for AML patients.
 

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are gastric bacteria known to cause chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, and can eventually lead to gastric adenocarcinoma in the long term. Prevalence of H. pylori among Caucasian, Hispanic and African-American populations has been previously surveyed in past studies. However, prevalence and distribution of H. pylori among Asian communities has yet to be exhaustively profiled. While H. pylori exhibits worldwide circulation, studies have shown that infection is more prevalent in developing third world countries. The Vietnam Health Clinic (VHC) is a mobile clinic that provides free healthcare to underserved populations in Vietnam every year. The data collected from the roughly 3000 patients served from VHC trips between 2012 and 2014 presents an invaluable opportunity to learn more about H. pylori prevalence and distribution within the native Vietnamese community. By delving into the patient’s background, medical history and previous treatment history of H. pylori, we give the dataset more meaningful resolution that can facilitate novel prevention and treatment processes in future VHC trips. Data and statistical analysis with Tableau and Excel is currently in progress and the consequent results will prospectively be available in May for the Symposium presentation. As this is a retrospective and exploratory study, a causation link cannot be drawn. However, by providing insight into a patient’s demographic and connection with H. pylori, our research can help to provide a foundation for causally directed studies in the future.

Non-traditional isotopes have become increasingly important as tracers for geological and environmental processes on earth. Recently, renewed attention has been direct towards potassium (K) isotopes given the abundance of K in the earth and the potential for significant mass-dependent fractionation between ⁴¹K and ³⁹K. There is little existing research on K isotopes primarily due to analytical difficulties, however recent technological developments have made precise analysis possible. Seawater has the potential to be an excellent geostandard for K isotope geochemistry because of predicted ⁴¹K/³⁹K homogeneity through the water column, and its wide accessibility around the globe. A total of forty-seven, 30 mL samples were collected in July 2015 aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson on the VISIONS 2015 Expedition to Axial Seamount on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Samples were collected from CTD (Conductivity Temperature Depth) casts as well as niskin bottles operated by the Remotely Operated Platform for Ocean Science (ROPOS). Seawater profile samples were taken at several locations from 7 m down to 2890 m. Evaluating the K isotopic composition at each depth and geographic location will determine if the K isotope composition of seawater is homogeneous and therefore if seawater may be useful as a future geostandard. If K behaves similarly to other non-traditional isotope systems, ³⁹K will preferentially be released into the hydrosphere during weathering, leaving the residual rock enriched in ⁴¹K. This behavior will be useful in constraining the process of granite weathering, and its effect on the K budget in the hydrosphere. In chemical oceanography, there is thought to be a missing sink for K, and it is theorized that clay formation, crustal fractures, or both may remove K from seawater. Determining the feasibility of seawater as a geostandard for K isotopes will further facilitate new research in these and other geochemical topics.

Despite recent growth in the rate of bachelor’s degree attainment for Latino/a college students, from 8 percent in 1990 to 15 percent in 2014, Latino/as remain in the lowest division least likely to earn their four year degree. Latino/a college students face many academic related barriers to obtaining a bachelor’s degree, such as prior academic college preparation, socioeconomic barriers, and cultural/social capital. This study is the examination of the cultural differences between many Latino/a home and community lives compared to the setting in a college or university. For example, many first-generation Latino/a students’ experience a setting where they rely on family and community to navigate difficulties. However, in college these aforementioned students are away from this support and may not be prepared for the challenges higher education brings. We are conducting semi-structured interviews for elaborate answers that may potentially highlight transitional ordeals. The sampling technique we are using is convenient sampling. Participants are recruited from a multicultural center “Chicano/a Latino/a center” in the Compton Union Building of Pullman, WA. The population we are targeting is first generation Latino/a college students from Washington State University in their first or last year of undergraduate career. Influenced from previous research, we are specifically examining what disparate experiences are happening when transitioning from their accustomed culture to an individualistic college campus. Our expected results are that students will be discouraged by unfamiliarity and the new challenges faced in another environment. Specifically, problem-solving skills and avoidance of challenges may differ from the collectivist and individualistic environment. We expect to find this transition to impact first-generation Latino/a college students. Our potential implication of this study is a development of a program, prior to college or in their first year to help these students become familiar with the individualistic environment.

Fostering students’ motivation and interest in higher education composition classes is vital to sustain student engagement. However, short-term motivation does not necessarily determine long-term success; recent research has found that an individual’s level of grit plays a significant role in his or her long-term success (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). To investigate the role of grit in writing classrooms, we are exploring how writing instructors can foster students’ grit for a greater chance of long-term success. Because Duckworth et al. (2007) consider interest and effort to be crucial factors in grit, we chose to examine whether or not service-learning (SL) can foster students’ grit, as SL been shown to increase student engagement in the past. Using Duckworth et al.’s eight-question grit scale, this project investigated the impact of SL on the grit of students in basic writing classes at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, comparing three SL classes (Group 1) and two non-SL classes (Group 2). Data was analyzed using t-tests to compare the average grit scores between the groups at mid- and post-semester. Although results indicated no significant correlation between grit and SL, this study suggests that grit stems more from internal rather than external motivators. Thus, this research can potentially open up a conversation about factors and influences that affect an individual’s grit.

Exposure to 17a ethinyl-estradiol (EE2), an endocrine-disrupting compound found commonly in birth control and the environment, impacts both development and reproduction in fish. Although it has been established to also cause aneuploidy in those exposed, the effect of EE2 on disease resistance is not well understood. This study uses the zebrafish model to address the effect of EE2 on fish health. Embryos will have been exposed to three concentrations of EE2 (1, 10, 50 ng/L) and a vehicle control from 10-72 hrs post fertilization. At 72 hrs, embryos will have been infected with Edwardsiella ictaluri (gram negative pathogen of fish) and monitored for differential mortality. In addition, the host immune response (via induction of immune genes) is assessed on day two and three post infection using quantitative RT-PCR. Quantitative RT-PCR is a method where RNA is transcribed to cDNA using reverse transcriptase and then is then used as a template for the PCR reaction. Specifically, we will have assessed the regulation of serum amyloid A1 (SAA1-acute phase response) and the proinflammatory gene interleukin 1 b (IL1B). From previous experiments and test runs, these two genes are expected to be upregulated after the exposure to EE2 and the subsequent infection. Overall, this study addresses the hypothesis that exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds can lead to increased disease susceptibility in fish at the individual and population level.

Polio is on the cusp of worldwide eradication but remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has implemented an environmental surveillance program to detect poliovirus (PV) in environmental samples such as sewage. Systematic environmental sampling provides supplemental data to disease-based clinical surveillance data. However, traditional PV detection methods from environmental samples, cell culture and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), are time-consuming and expensive. Development of a screening test has potential to streamline environmental surveillance of PV. Reverse transcriptase recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) is an isothermal molecular amplification technique with potential as a screening test. In this technique, virus particles are lysed to release RNA, which is converted to cDNA and amplified using enzymes. Amplified PV cDNA can then be detected through lateral flow detection. Collaborators at PATH have developed a RT-RPA protocol that has shown promise in rapid PV detection in stool samples. The aim of this research is to adapt PATH’s clinical PV RT-RPA protocol for use with environmental concentrates. Concentrates were obtained by filtering raw sewage from a Seattle wastewater treatment plant. Results of the RT-RPA test and subsequent visualization on lateral flow detection strip were compared to cell culture and RT-qPCR. We anticipate that RT-RPA will show similar PV recovery rates when compared to traditional methods and will be suitable as a rapid screening test for environmental concentrates. Future work will include designing primers to expand PV serotype detection and evaluating PV detection in environmental samples from existing sampling sites. Rapid PV detection with RT-RPA may streamline environmental surveillance methods, improve outbreak detection, and provide data for certification of polio-free status and global eradication.

Much of the topography of Eastern Washington was shaped by the recession of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet and by periodic flooding from Glacial Lake Missoula towards the end of the last ice age. The age of flooding is approximately known from Carbon-14 dates, but because the floods distributed granite boulders across much of Eastern Washington we can improve the chronology using exposure dating with cosmic-ray-produced nuclides. In this method, the build-up of Aluminum-26 and Beryllium-10, two isotopes produced in quartz by cosmic rays, indicates the length of time these boulders have been exposed. By applying this technique to selected deposits we can shed light on the age of the last floods, sources of floodwater, and how the extent of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet controlled the floodwater paths. Initial data show that the last floods through Grand Coulee occurred approximately 15,500 years ago, but younger floods passed down the Columbia Gorge until approximately 14,100 years ago. This final flood may represent breaching of the glacier-ice dam across the Columbia River, or a glacial outburst flood from a more distant source. We can distinguish these possibilities by dating glacial deposits on the Waterville Plateau and in the Okanogan Valley. One exposure age on a glacial erratic from north of the Columbia River near Brewster gives an age similar to the final flood, possibly suggesting that the flood resulted from breakup of the Columbia River ice dam. Chemical analysis and accelerator mass spectroscopy of additional samples will give us a more accurate picture of the chronology of the last of this catastrophic flooding.

A method will be presented for dating the last time sub-glacial mountains in West Antarctica were fully exposed by measuring the cosmic-ray-produced isotope ⁴¹Ca. The use of ⁴¹Ca will add a new cosmogenic isotope to the existing toolbox to improve surficial dating. The advantage of ⁴¹Ca over other isotopes is its short half-life (99,000 years), which reduces the complication of prior exposure in natural samples. To accomplish this, calcium will be extracted from Antarctic bedrock samples, converted to oxalate, and then further treated by column ion exchange to produce pure calcium, free of problematic potassium contamination. The biggest challenge will be to produce calcium hydride for measurement by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to determine the ⁴¹Ca/⁴⁰Ca ratio. Current AMS capabilities allow ratio measurements in the 10-10 or 10-11 range. Measurements of the hydride should allow us to extend this down to the 10-14 level necessary for geological applications. Successful measurements in this range will open up applications such as tests for whether sub-glacial bedrock in West Antarctica was exposed to cosmic rays during the last warm interglacial climate period, approximately 120,000 years ago. Perfecting this method and making it available to others in the field can open a door into the past to determine if current global warming trends are leading us down a path similar to the last deglaciation, which raised global sea level by several meters. Though we are working on a geological and glaciological issue, the ultimate product of this research touches areas of meteorology, biology, and sociology as the Earth adjusts to increases in global temperature.

During the 1960s and 70s, jazz enters the curriculae of school music programs as a result of social protest in the wake of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. In Seattle, this acceptance of jazz as an academic art form coincides with the downfall of its popularity in the once vibrant club scenes of Jackson Street and the Central District. While Seattle once boasted a jazz scene that nurtured the likes of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and Ernestine Anderson, by the 1960s, the tradition of jazz becomes confined within high school and college jazz ensembles. Thus, Seattle's jazz scene is distanced from its working class roots, and its accessibility limited to those students who could afford to study it. Yet, even within these programs, racial tensions persist, particularly in the development of the University of Washington jazz program within the School of Music. I will argue that the complicated racial politics and history of Seattle's high school and college level jazz programs through the 1960s, 70s, and 80s restricted the availability of formal jazz education in Seattle to the wealthy and privileged. While many students, educators, and musicians from this time period viewed jazz as free of racial tensions, citing integrated ensembles as evidence, this idealized perspective ignores the larger political and economic factors that have always affected equal access and opportunity to quality jazz education. I expect that if we examinine the complex history of jazz education in Seattle, we will gain a greater understanding of why we must strive to make music programs accessible for all students.

In collaboration with Booz Allen Hamilton, our E E 497/498 Entrepreneurial Design Capstone project addresses the challenge of taking precisely georeferenced photographs of the underwater domain. These photographs will be mapped onto existing bathymetric datasets (from sources like NASA and NOAA) to provide visual textures of static and dynamic underwater points of interest. Our team’s role is the design and implementation of the imaging system hardware, which will complement visualization software under development at Booz Allen Hamilton’s Seattle office. Our design extends the OpenROV 2.8 platform, a small open-source, tethered, remotely-operated vehicle (ROV), with emphasis on developing a successful prototype using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts at minimal cost. In total, our team has implemented (1) the extension of OpenROV into an underwater imaging platform, carrying a payload enabling hemispherical imaging below the ROV; (2) the design of a tethered surface buoy system, with access to Differential GPS data to act as a reference for geolocating the ROV; (3) the design of an ROV-mounted acoustic transmitter and buoy-mounted acoustic receiver array to determine underwater distance between the ROV and each array element; (4) the design of an efficient trilateration algorithm using nonlinear and linear least-squares optimization to accurately position the ROV relative to the buoy based on (3). Our research has significant implications for improving access to the underwater domain, including low-cost maritime sensing and deployment applications and military training and simulation applications.

The serotonin receptor subtype 5-HT6, a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), is a target of pharmacological agents that has been shown to have promising therapies to enhance cognitive function. Unfortunately, the mechanism by which drugs that activate 5-HT6 receptor signaling activity has on neuronal function is not well understood. Activation of 5-HT6 receptor activity induces a response in both canonical (ACIII) and non-canonical signaling pathways (Cdk5). Interestingly, endogenous 5-HT6 receptors are found solely on the neuronal primary cilia, a small organelle projecting from the cell body like an antenna. Primary cilia dysfunction has been correlated with several brain disorders, such as Meckel Syndrome and Joubert Syndrome. This study examines the role of the 5-HT6 receptors in the primary cilia in order to gain a better understanding of the receptor’s importance in neuronal morphology and cognitive processes. Using primary neuronal cultures from 5-HT6 receptor knockout mice, we rescued expression of 5-HT6 receptors using transgenic expression of wildtype receptors and mutant receptors deficient in a specific signaling pathway (Gs-DEAD-5-HT6 and Fyn/Cdk5-DEAD-5HT6). After the 5-HT6 receptor expression was restored, immunohistochemistry was used to determine the effect of rescuing 5-HT6 receptor expression on cilia morphology. Expression of a fluorescently-tagged dendritic arbor (Map2B-RFP) was used to measure the effect 5-HT6 receptor expression has on dendritic arborization. Preliminary results show that rescue of 5-HT6 receptor expression enhances dendritic outgrowth, and that this increase is dependent on Fyn-signaling pathway. Cilia length was only mildly affected by rescue of 5-HT6 receptor expression, and the 5-HT6 mutants only mildly affected cilia length.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is one of the largest physics experiments in the world, and is best known for the discovery of the Higgs Boson. At the LHC, specialized sensors are used to detect high energy particles as they move away from beam collisions centered in detectors placed around the complex. These sensors are similar to what you would find in a standard camera; however the sensors are tuned to detect particles other than photons. The current sensors in the LHC are slowly degrading from radiation, and are built on an old outdated process. A new sensor is being designed which will not be compatible with the current sensor, requiring a new control system. The project is  focused on building a control system for a model of a candidate replacement sensor. Once the actual replacement sensor has been produced, the control system will be able to assist the testing and validation process of the physical sensor. The emulator control system I have designed offers a high speed method to test the emulated sensor, providing an interface between a host computer and the sensor. The control system is designed to be modular in order to allow researchers to use the design on a variety of different field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) if more speed is required. The design of the control system has been completed and tested, and is currently being inegrated into the sensor mode, creating a full readout system. The creation of a fully emulated readout system is an essential step in improving the results gathered by the detectors in the LHC.