This research presents findings from a study investigating the classroom experiences of junior women engineering faculty. We report research findings from hour-long interviews with junior women engineering faculty across the U.S. Themes emerging from the data include how past experiences with bias shape approaches and strategies for overcoming future bias; the importance of having a variety of women role models; and the need to prepare women engineering grad students for these challenges of faculty life. 

Ribosomes are crucial to cellular function and development, as they are responsible for translation of mRNA to produce proteins that are vital to life.  In Drosophila melanogaster neurons, ribosomes accumulate in the soma and dendritic branch points, but not the long axon.  This body of work aimed to uncover how exactly ribosomes are being localized to dendritic branch points, and it was found that this is dependent on minus-end-out microtubule polarity.

It has been found that people who partake in active transport (AT) to their destinations have a lower bmi than those who do not.  Purpose of the study was to examine AT trips by race/ethnicity among college students who did meet physical activity (PA) recommendations. Participants were asked demographic questions and self-reported their PA. Anova examined differences in AT trips by race/ethnicity. These findings can help to identify the gaps in AT and alleviate them. 

Microtubules have an inherit polarity allowing for proper neuronal function. Y-Tubulin localization to the branch points of dendrites in class I DA neurons in Drosophila is key for the nucleation and regulation of microtubules. The proteins that constitute the Wnt-signaling pathway help localize Y-Tubulin to the branch points of dendrites. A protein, outside of the Wnt proteins, Cdk5 has shown a phenotype for localizing Y-Tubulin, and I am investigating the possible pathways for this localization.

It was discovered that knocking out the various enzymes acting in the riboside pathway in C. elegans give a delayed hatching phenotype. Given the various phenotypes seen when the different enzymes are knocked down and knocked out, localization experiments were designed. The localization of each of the enzymes is to be studied through molecular cloning.

Embolic occlusion of a cerebral artery causes acute ischemic stroke in an estimated 700,000 patients year in the US. Removal of the thromboembolus requires catheter-based surgical intervention including the use of static aspiration. However, cyclic aspiration has shown the ability to improve recanalization rates, thus a system was designed to model embolic occlusion under cyclic aspiration. The goal of this study is to track the displacement of the embolus to better understand these loading conditions.

When infected with Hymenolepis diminuta, Tribolium confusum has been shown to display modified behavior. We attempted to modify beetle behavior by parasitic infection, infection by a pathogen, and the use of agonistic and antagonistic chemicals. While surface seeking behavior was not observed to vary significantly, the expression pattern of these genes that affect exploratory nature may still provide insight as to whether or not these pathways are affected by the presence of the tapeworm.

Over the summer of 2018, I conducted archival research using funds from the Erickson Discovery Grant for my honors thesis in English. My research led me to three archival libraries--Yale's Beinecke Library, The Harry Ransom Center at UT Austin, and Harvard's Houghton Library--where I examined letters and manuscripts of the poet William Carlos Williams. My findings became the basis for my thesis and allowed me to ground my ideas in solid evidence.

The Fontan operation palliates the effects of single ventricle congenital heart disease. To provide mechanical support for patients who have undergone this operation Penn State University is developing an implantable Fontan Circulation Assist Device (FCAD). This study quantified flow fields within the FCAD using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Flow fields were acquired at the centerline of the two inlets and the outlet of the model under various flow conditions.

We test the hypothesis that root microbiomes that establish in Virola surinamensis seedlings vary depending on relatedness to the soil inoculum source and affect seedling growth performance. Abundances of some possibly pathogenic fungi were positively associated with maternal soil and hence candidates for negative effects of growing near a parent tree. Data collected indicates a number of connections between fungal transmission, genotype-specific interactions, and seedling performance that may affect community dynamics of tropical trees.

The Hippo pathway, a complex growth regulation signaling pathway, affects organ size and development in Drosophila and when dysregulated can lead to tumor development. A gene first found in mice, the vib or vibrator gene, may affect the Hippo pathway and fly organ development. This project aims to examine the function of the vib gene in conjunction with the Hippo pathway by using vib mutant clones and analyzing the morphological changes in their wings.

Music has been shown to evoke specific emotional responses in typically developing individuals. To better understand their ability to retrieve and express complex emotional information, adults on the autism spectrum were asked to identify emotions in orchestral music pieces in an open-response and supported response condition. Data has been collected from eight participants. Preliminary results indicate a higher verbal expression ability facilitates emotional appraisal of music in the adults with autism spectrum disorders.

Identification of artifacts in experiments is essential to obtaining accurate data. Characteristics of samples found after processing for electron microscopy (EM) can be misleading if they are not truly derived from designed experimental conditions. We report several artifacts that were identified in EM experiments. A remarkable deformation of human blood cells is used as an example to show the importance of correct use of the control samples in the study of mutant pathogen.

The employment of passive shimming techniques using dielectric padding can improve the homogeneity of B1+ fields and increase signal-noise-ratio (SNR) in breast MRI at 3 tesla. Numerical simulations were conducted in xFDTD utilizing spatially constant and tailored permittivity approaches. High dielectric pads of varying permittivity resulted in a 50-500% increase in SNR throughout the breast, as well as significant improvements to transmit efficiency and a decrease in left-right asymmetry across the breast.

Current market standards mix powders composing of neutron absorbers and scintillators that act as a medium for radiation detection. Research and simulation work has shown that coating the neutron absorber with scintillators increase the chance of the detector detecting radiation interactions. Current research is focused on optimizing the geometry of the neutron absorber and scintillator molecule to most increase the output of light.