I think it is a great idea to share our topics, I have been clicking the NSF GRFP refresh button non-stop for a couple days now. I should be working on my research proposal for my comprehensive exam though...
My research is centered around herpes simplex virus 1 (cold sore virus). It is a life long infection and cycles between two stages an active and latent stage, during the course of infection it impacts different types of cells. My focus is on looking at the cellular and molecular level how HSV-1 utilizes its viral proteins to hijack the host cellular systems and I will be comparing an infection in epithelial cells, where the active stage occurs, and in neuronal cells, where the latent/quiet phase occurs.