For an undergraduate, co-authoring book reviews with a faculty member can become a unique undergraduate research experience. The faculty member sharpens the writing and literary based skills of the undergraduate, the student participates in academic conversation through publication and engaged scholarship. Co-authoring with a librarian exposes students to the entire research and scholarly communication process. The panel will present on previous co-written book reviews and demonstrate the process that can be applied at other institutions.

In the context of an independent study course, the team worked closely with the State College Area School District to evaluate their preparation of students planning to study business in college and to identify opportunities to improve that preparation. Goals were to assess the effectiveness of their curriculum, to understand the perception of business in the eyes of high school students, and to identify areas of strength and weakness in the State High program.

Costa Rica manages to spend less on healthcare then the United States, and yet manages to have better outcomes. So how do they accomplish this? What is being practiced in Costa Rica that makes their healthcare system so effective? Could it be due to a combination of, universal healthcare, cultural practices, work life balance, and diet? My research will look into these aspects as preventative measures and compare it to the United States.

The goal of this research project was to assess pollen grain types and their distribution in dust samples collected from outdoor surfaces within the central portion of the University Park campus. Light microscopy was used to identify and tabulate the pollen types. The significance of the data was assessed based on examination of campus plant and tree distribution maps. This research will provide valuable fundamental studies for using pollen in forensic and intelligence investigations.

Genetically-attenuated malaria parasites lacking essential genes are used as potent malaria vaccine candidates. CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing is now a preferred method to create these parasites. However, these parasites must still be viable when administered as a vaccine, but completely arrested in the recipient. Therefore, precise, temporal expression of Cas9 is critical. To accomplish this, we have used a GFP reporter system to characterize the expression patterns of Plasmodium yoelii stage-specific promoters for expression of Cas9.

In the United States, Pulmonary Embolism (PE) accounts for 100,000-200,000 deaths annually. Early identification and treatment of the presence of emboli in the systemic vasculature could decrease mortality.  Detection of emboli with Doppler ultrasonography is a method in which efficacy is dependent upon embolus size, flow rate, and user error.  The objective of this study is to quantify the efficiency of Doppler ultrasound at detecting emboli of various sizes over a range of physiological conditions.

Sequencing messenger RNA provides a readout of gene expression, which is misregulated in many diseases. However, standard RNA-Seq protocols have many steps that require trained hands to perform. We are attempting to develop a simplified approach to study gene expression that uses a provided probe library and an overnight hybridization step with isolated mRNA. By streamlining sample preparation, we hope this method will be an easier, cost-effective alternative to RNA-Seq.

The objective of this research is to develop a protocol to quantify platelet activation levels in whole blood using flow cytometry and P-Selectin specific antibodies. Conditions such as anticoagulant choice, cell fixation, and data compensation controls were compared in order obtain the most accurate platelet activation results. The final protocol optimized the quantification of platelet activation and will be used to reduce platelet activation in future thrombosis studies.

The goal is to evaluate Acetyl-Ferrocene as a suitable host for Beta-Cyclodextrin. After the complexation, the encapsulation in the calcium silicophosphate will then be added as the drug delivery vehicle. This drug is believed to work as a high efficiency, low toxicity, anti-cancer drug for chemotherapy of cancer treatment.  

This study attempts to understand the effect of vitamin D on placental angiogenesis. Placental tissue samples (n=80) were obtained after delivery from a randomized, dose-ranging, placebo-controlled trial of maternal vitamin D supplementation with four groups. Angiogenic outcomes, terminal villi count, density, area, and VEGF expression, were quantified using ImageJ. Analysis shows vitamin D supplementation compared to placebo did not have a significant effect on any of the angiogenic outcomes.

The effects of anthropogenic noise from shale gas compressors on the nesting time and fledging success of Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallow was studied throughout one summer at the Rock Springs Research Facilities in Centre County, PA by tracking 40 constructed pairs of nest boxes with either a noise treatment and a silent control. We looked at the time of nesting and fledging success of birds at both experimental and control pairs of boxes.

Penn State has developed a pulsatile pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD) to reduce the mechanical circulatory load for children on the heart transplant waiting list. The average pediatric heart rate ranges from 100-180 bpm. The hemodynamics of the PVAD with an elevated beat rate of 125 bpm was quantified using particle image velocimetry. The higher beat rate created a stronger inlet jet and a more sustained recirculation, suggesting a reduced susceptibility to clotting.