2020 Undergraduate Exhibition
| Title | Presenter | Abstract | Faculty Sponsor | Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Printing Smart Ceramics | Nathan Gardner | The Direct Ink Writing of smart material Barium Titanate gives rise broad applications in medical, robotic, and electronic fields. By modifying current 3D printer technology to fit the needs of the smart ceramic, such as redesigning the print head and reconfiguring the feeder assembly, barium Titanate can be used as the ink for Direct Ink Writing. This technique will be generalizable for other ceramics as well. | Amrita Basak | 2009 | |
| A Climatic Investigation of Cold Haber World Atmospheres II | Evan Sneed |
Ammonia has been considered as a potential atmospheric biosignature on rocky planets with atmospheres primarily composed of nitrogen and hydrogen, dubbed "Cold Haber Worlds". Previous research suggests that enough ammonia could be produced on these planets to be detectable from Earth, but these efforts have not quantified their long-term habitability. Here, we analyze climate model simulations of such atmospheres, including their composition and surface temperatures, and discuss questions related to the lifetime of high-hydrogen atmospheres. |
Jim Kasting | 112 | |
| A COMPARISON OF EXTERNALIZING BEHAVIORS BETWEEN SUBSTANTIATED AND UNSUBSTANTIATED CASES OF MALTREATMENT | Andrea Schwartz | A comparative study of externalizing behaviors for children exposed and not exposed to maltreatment. Three research conditions were established: 1) substantiated child maltreatment, 2) unsubstantiated maltreatment, and 3) no allegation. Participants were rated on the severity of externalizing behaviors. Results indicate that substantiated and unsubstantiated cases have significantly higher rates of externalizing behaviors compared to the control group. In addition, there is no significant difference in levels of externalizing behaviors between substantiated and unsubstantiated groups. | Chad Shenk | 154 | |
| A Look at Pedestrian and Vehicle Interaction at Unsignalized Intersections | Sean Whiteman |
For my research, I observed and analyzed the pedestrian and vehicular interactions at unsignalized intersections in State College. I collected at 5 different intersections to determine the likelihood of vehicles to stop for pedestrian waiting to cross based on a variety of different variables including wait time. This data can provide significant data to the borough's transportation department to help implement new practices to improve the efficiency of traffic flow in the area. |
Vikash Gayah | 2202 | |
| A Motor Controlled Virtual Reality Insect Flight Simulator | Zhengqi Zhong | Virtual reality flight simulators have been used for decades to gain insight into the neuro-mechanical control of insect locomotion. Current designs are high-refresh-rate digital displays but offer a limited spatial resolution. We have developed a mechanically driven simulator system that permits a spatial resolution five times greater than current designs. We used a DC motor with PID control to drive a 3D printed virtual environment system and follow the predetermined position and velocity trajectories. | Jean-Michel Mongeau | 18 | |
| A presence within reassembly: Rebuilding an Instrument and Redesigning a Performance Practice | Tucker Johnson |
A Presence Within Reassembly, deconstructs my practice as a bassoonist. Over 200 samples were made of sounds created with the bassoon; some of these traditional and some not. These sounds were mapped to a new interface: the keys of a piano. The process of learning the sonic and expressive capabilities of this new instrument generated a performance practice, informing the work itself. This version is a stereo mix down of the original quadrophonic work. |
Baljinder Sekhon | 1 | |
| A Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Protocol for Sepsis Diagnosis | Britney Forsyth | Sepsis occurs when the immune system responds to an infection in the bloodstream; this often leads to organ damage, organ failure, and death. Successful treatment of sepsis relies on rapid diagnosis of bloodstream pathogens. Current diagnostics techniques, however, prove inefficient and have not been optimized for low bacterial concentrations. This project aims to develop a rapid, clinically relevant diagnostic technique for sepsis in order to improve clinical diagnostics of blood-borne pathogens. | Pak Wong | 20 | |
| Access and Adaptations in Public Art Destinations | Elise Schaffer |
Public arts organizations in the United States have a legal obligation to be physically accessible for people with disabilities to be ADA compliant. However, how does that apply to public art destinations, specifically those in natural settings? The purpose of this research is to determine how public art destinations can become more accessible and create an equal experience for people with disabilities while remaining specific to the general meaning and design of the artwork. |
Elizabeth Flaherty | 4 | |
| Accessibility Technologies for People with Visual Impairments | Rachel Bartuska |
For blind people, or people with visual impairments (PVI), technology has a huge potential to increase accessibility. Indoor navigation and locating single items are two areas that can be improved by tailoring current research to PVI needs and innovating services they currently use. This project explores mobile apps, computer vision, and wearable devices as potential assistive tools. Using these tools, PVI can achieve everyday tasks with more independence, effectiveness, and efficiency. |
Mary Beth Rosson | 2201 | |
| Activation of Silent Gene Clusters in Streptomyces spp | Joao Ferreira | Streptomyces is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria, an important attribute of Streptomyces is its ability to produce secondary metabolites with bioactive properties including antibacterial compounds. Whole genomic sequencing has identified silent gene clusters encoding for secondary metabolites of unknown biological activity. CRISPR editing is used to tie secondary metabolite synthesis to primary metabolite production and induce expression of silent gene clusters. The suppressor mutants created are sequenced to identify what mutations allow this to happen. | Timothy Meredith | 55 | |
| Adapting Stormwater Design for a Changing Climate | Marali Kalra | As climate change progresses, extreme precipitation is growing more common in Pennsylvania. The increased precipitation has the potential to overwhelm existing stormwater systems, which are designed with an assumption of climate stationarity. This project analyzes rainfall records and global climate model projections in order to explore the possibility of using historical precipitation patterns to predict future change. A case study demonstrates how stormwater designers can optimize system performance and minimize costs in a changing climate. | Cibin Raj | 35 | |
| Alcohol Consumption, Impulsivity, and Living Situation in Relation to Sexual Assault on College Campuses | Kaelyn Randall | The current study examines how alcohol consumption, impulsiveness, and living situation may influence the likelihood of experiencing sexual assault. To examine the relationship between predictor variables and whether or not victimization has occurred a logistic regression analysis has been utilized. A Chi-Square assessed the relationship between living situation and victimization. Results indicated that there is a significant relationship between residing in Greek housing and sexual victimization (X2(2, n=14)=6.04, p= .049). | Wilson Brown | 117 | |
| All This and More: Stories of Girlhood, the Body, and Paint | Rebecca Poarch |
With vivid colors and dream-like scenes, my research through painting and drawing aimed to realize the blurred line between the female body and its lived experiences, in conjunction with these developing ideas in contemporary figurative painting. My work sought to understand the bodily experience of the girl in my paintings, as she is a reflection of myself, navigating her world through storytelling and understanding that she has the power to all this and more. |
Kendall Mainzer | 2200 | |
| Analysis of the role of Miwi2 dependent regulation of histone modifications in stress erythropoiesis | Kathryn Elizabeth Luteran |
We hypothesize that Miwi2 inhibits red blood cell development by targeting Setdb1 to erythroid genes, where it methylates H3K9 to inhibit the expression of key genes involved in red blood cell development. The goal of this project is to inhibit the expression of Miwi2 and Setdb1 and determine whether the loss H3K9 methylation results in red blood cell differentiation. We hope to understand how mutations could potentially stimulate pathways related to erythropoiesis and cellular differentiation. |
Robert Paulson | 63 | |
| Analyzing VP22 Variants for Functional Differences Potentially Linked to Virulence | Bridget Lunney | Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a human pathogen infecting 67% of adults worldwide. Some of those infected will remain asymptomatic while others will frequently experience symptoms such as oral or genital lesions. A genome wide association study (GWAS) was conducted and identified a protein, viral protein 22 (VP22), that may be linked to the virulence of strains of HSV-1. My research seeks to identify any functional difference between two variants of VP22. | Moriah Szpara | 50 | |
| Antibacterial natural product inhibits in vivo translation and sigma E pathways | Geneva Flarend | Antibiotic resistance is an international threat to human health. The diverse microbiome of soil has made it a prime candidate for antibiotic discovery. A crude extract isolated from a soil sample showed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. This extract was fractionated and screened for activity against the translation and sE pathways in bacteria in vitro and in vivo. Most of the fractions obtained inhibited both pathways, providing candidates with antibiotic properties. | John Alumasa | 59 | |
| Antibacterial Properties of Fractions Derived from Crude Soil Extract | Pabitra Roy | Due to the death toll impact resulting from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, novel classes of antibiotics must be identified and developed. Naturally occurring microbes in soil may act as a source of such antibiotics. In this study, 6 fractions purified from crude soil extract were tested for the ability to inhibit translation and the sE pathway. Our results indicate that 4 fractions inhibit translation and all fractions inhibit the sE pathway in Gram-negative bacteria | John Alumasa | 93 | |
| Antibiotic Discovery from Natural Products Near Tytoona Cave | Sarah Watkins | Since the late 1920s, Antimicrobial compounds have been abused and misused resulting in the development of resistance in bacteria. Through unique methods of isolation, purification, and analysis, I addressed this issue by extracting antimicrobial compounds from soil near Tytoona cave in Pennsylvania. The crude extract was fractionated and select fractions were shown to be inhibitors of translation and the sE pathway in Escherichia coli. | Shawn Xiong | 113 | |
| Antisocial Personality Disorder and Crime | Jessica Garafalo | This research will investigate if treatment will lower aggression levels in individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) who are non-offenders, first-time offenders, and repeat offenders. 300 participants will be randomly assigned to a control group or the treatment group receiving Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The results should indicate that CBT will on average lower aggression in individuals with ASPD and non-offenders. CBT can be utilized to treat people with ASPD to prevent crime and recidivism. | Nicholas Pearson | 128 | |
| Archival research as a model for exploratory research | Lily Murray |
I received an Erickson Grant for summer 2019 to perform archival research for my thesis. My poster will explain my research and how my experiences in the archive can serve as a model for exploratory undergraduate research. This topic is important because undergraduates do not often get to do independent exploratory research and my experiences in the archives can serve as an example of the benefits and possibilities of such undergraduate research. |
Amira Rose Davis | 3007 | |
| Assessing the Challenges of 3D Printing Barium Titanate | Karim Barsom |
The additive manufacturing (AM) of barium titanate, a smart ceramic with ferroelectric properties, has applications across the medical, robotics, and electronics industries, with AM playing an important role in helping manufacturers innovate with the material. By leveraging understanding of 3D printing of clay, we are working on understanding the challenges of 3D printing of barium titanate. In this study, we quantitatively assess and compare particle shape and size of the pre-printed slurry of both materials. |
Zoubeida Ounaies | 23 | |
| Assessing the levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the Susquehanna River Basin | Christopher Deptulski | Products that leave consumers with pleasurable scents may actually be causing detrimental harm to the waterways around us. Fragrance products such as cleaners, detergents, colognes, perfumes, and various other health and beauty products include chemicals that are being linked to disrupting the endocrine systems of native species. Detection of such EDCs has been ongoing in the Susquehanna River Basin for over a decade. In this presentation, levels of EDCs, specifically from fragrances, will be discussed. | Heather Preisendanz | 103 | |
| Assessment of the effects of intrauterine dextrose infusion on clinical cure rate, daily milk yield, daily rumination, metabolic stress and inflammation in post-partum dairy cows diagnosed with clinical metritis | Julia Hamilton | This study assesses the effects of intrauterine dextrose infusion in dairy cows with clinical metritis (CM). Postpartum cows (n=351) were screened, those with fetid red-brownish watery vaginal discharge (n=53) were classified as CM cows and randomly assigned to either: 1) CONV (n=27): two administrations of ceftiofur or 2) DEX (n=26): three dextrose intrauterine infusions. No difference was found in cure rate, however, DEX cows produced less milk and had higher systemic inflammation than CONV cows. | Adrian Barragan | 58 | |
| Attitudes Toward Mental Health Treatment and Psychobiotics | Samantha Barahona, Daniel Wheeler and Tony Cunningham | The current study examines attitudes toward mental health and psychobiotics. Preliminary results show no significant difference between the likelihood that participants would choose to participate in treatment with psychobiotic medication and their likelihood to participate in a traditional antidepressant treatment; between the likelihood that participants would engage in traditional antidepressant treatment and attitudes toward mental health treatment; or the likelihood that participants would engage in a psychobiotic treatment and attitudes toward mental health treatment. | Wilson Brown | 3 | |
| Axon Injury and its Implications for Neuronal Health in the Model System Drosophila | Melissa Long and Abigail Mauger | Neurons are exposed to a variety of stressors, resulting in axon injury and neurodegenerative disease. Using Drosophila as a model, we aim to better understand how neurons respond to axon injury, which could further knowledge of these disease mechanisms and aid in treatment development. Chordotonal neurons, a ciliated sensory cell, must regenerate axons differently than dendritic arborization neurons. Wnt molecules secreted by epithelial cells are potential ligands that initiate gtubulin localization at dendritic branchpoints. | Melissa Rolls | 79 | |
| Basin Thermal Evolution of the Phitsanulok Basin, Thailand | Sapol Raadnui | Phitsanulok Basin is the largest onshore rift basin in Thailand, where deep source rocks are thermally matured enough to generate petroleum. This research assesses the thermal history of the basin by incorporating stratigraphy, current surface heat flow, and vitrinite reflectance as constraints. The preferred models with basal heat flow differences indicate that petroleum has been generated and trapped since 14 Ma. This modeling can be applied to nearby basins to assess petroleum production history. | Kevin Furlong | 104 | |
| Behavioral and Academic Impact of Electronic Cigarettes: A Mixed Method Study of Users and Non-Users Among a College Population | Sahira Mughal, Simranpreet Kaur and Fadi Mamari | This mixed method study focused on vaping habits of college students and perceived impacts on behavior and academic performance. Voluntary surveys were administered through email to all students. Selected respondents were recruited for focus group participation. The sample included users and non-users. Five hundred fifteen surveys were collected. Nearly half of the participants saw a decline in academics. More than 50% saw behavioral effects and indicated vaping was encouraged by their social environment. | Samantha Beebe | 124 | |
| Biomechanical Evaluation of a Fibertape Device for Repair of Ligamentous Lisfranc Injury in a Cadaveric Model | Zachary Koroneos |
Ligamentous Lisfranc injuries are debilitating injuries. This biomechanical study was to evaluate two methods of fixation utilizing interference screw fixation with InternalBrace augmentation in a cadaveric model. 9 paired foot specimens were separated into two groups based on fixation method. Diastasis and relative angular displacement between bones was measured under static and cyclic loading. The supplementary limb augmented InternalBrace fixation appears to be a reasonable treatment that provides superior biomechanical safety to the InternalBrace device alone. |
Gregory Lewis | 164 | |
| Building Our Community; Improving the PAL Peer Mentoring Program | Sonja Teitsort Birog, Caroline Whitnell and Danielle Guth | In 2018 Penn State Brandywine developed a peer mentoring program known as PALs. Three students embarked on coordinated investigations to answer the research question: How do we improve the PAL peer mentoring program at Penn State Brandywine? One student investigated how to apply the principles of cognitive psychology. Another student investigated for a deeper understanding of students with disabilities and trauma informed care. Yet another student investigated best practices associated with peer mentoring programs. | Christine Brown | 130 | |
| C.R.E.A.T.E. Meaningful Learning: A Strategic Investigation of the Pedagogical Efficacy of Primary Literature-Based Undergraduate Education in Psychology | Carly Danielson | Discuss continued research related to C.R.E.A.T.E. (1 credit-PSYCH 296 course) a research study and supplemental course to PSYCH 212, available for undergraduate PSYCH 212: Introduction to Developmental Psychology students. C.R.E.A.T.E. is a teaching method originally designed by Hoskins et al. (2007), designed to stimulate a research laboratory setting during class wherein students have the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussion with the instructor and peers about the analysis of pre-selected primary literature articles. | Cathleen Hunt | 153 | |
| Characterization of phenotypes in RNase I mutant E. coli by electron microscopy | Joseph Fabrizio and Anna Byland | A mutant E. coli strain with an RNase knockout gene was investigated for its role in disturbing cyclic nucleotide pathways necessary for cell signaling and biofilm production. Scanning Electron Microscopy and ImmunoEM were used to identify phenotypic changes, such as the presence of flagella, to further identify the changes that these cells encounter to aid in the production of biofilms. | Gang Ning | 81 | |
| Child Maltreatment, Immune Function, and the Possible Moderating Role of Physical Activity | Haley Hammen | This project explores group differences in immune function between maltreated and non-maltreated children. The objective is to measure the inflammatory response following in vitro bacterial stimulation. Further, to test whether physical activity may act as a moderating factor. The proposed hypotheses are that maltreated children will have a greater inflammatory response than non-maltreated children, with physical activity as a moderating factor such that greater physical activity is associated with a reduced inflammatory response. | Hannah Schreier | 84 | |
| Childhood Traumatic Experiences of Penn State Undergraduates | Marley Billman | Few studies have comprehensively documented childhood trauma exposure. This study reports types of childhood trauma, frequency of exposure, and common ages of exposure for male and female undergraduate students. Data were drawn from online self-report questionnaires from 1637 students, and descriptive statistics were conducted to assess the nature of traumatic events before age 18. Trauma was found to be both prevalent and chronic, emphasizing the importance of prevention and intervention programs for caregivers and children. | Amy Marshall | 119 | |
| Combining Past and Current Daylighting Design Methods to Facilitate Student Design Experience | John Sloane | In academic environments, new technology and digital methods govern curricula to keep students on the cutting edge, while pre-digital, or physical, design methods are often forgotten. However, the combination of digital and physical daylighting design methods can result in more innovative and integrated building solutions. This student engagement experience uses a Heliodon daylighting apparatus to allow students to translate digital models into a scaled physical models to evaluate daylighting performance in the built environment. | Moses Ling | 3003 | |
| Commercialization Study for Penn State Inventions | Madison Reddie | The heart and soul of entrepreneurship is self directed learning. Students are assigned a Penn State invention and are then challenged to assess the technology and determine a path for commercialization of the invention. These projects are highly entrepreneurial and require extensive self directed learning, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of learning methodologies. | Rick Weyer | 3000 | |
| Commercialization Study for Penn State Inventions | Ryan Galloway | The heart and soul of entrepreneurship is self directed learning. Students are assigned a Penn State invention and are then challenged to assess the technology and determine a path for commercialization of the invention. These projects are highly entrepreneurial and require extensive self directed learning, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of learning methodologies. | Rick Weyer | 3001 | |
| Commercialization Study for Penn State Inventions | Andrew Garrett |
The heart and soul of entrepreneurship is self directed learning. Students are assigned a Penn State invention and are then challenged to assess the technology and determine a path for commercialization of the invention. These projects are highly entrepreneurial and require extensive self directed learning, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of learning methodologies. |
Rick Weyer | 3002 | |
| Commercialization Study for Penn State Inventions | Jessica Wunderley |
The heart and soul of entrepreneurship is self directed learning. Students are assigned a Penn State invention and are then challenged to assess the technology and determine a path for commercialization of the invention. These projects are highly entrepreneurial and require extensive self directed learning, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of learning methodologies. |
Rick Weyer | 3004 | |
| Commercialization Study for Penn State Inventions | Natalie Sanchez et al |
The heart and soul of entrepreneurship is self directed learning. Students are assigned a Penn State invention and are then challenged to assess the technology and determine a path for commercialization of the invention. These projects are highly entrepreneurial and require extensive self directed learning, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of learning methodologies. |
Rick Weyer | 3006 | |
| Commercialization Study for Penn State Inventions | Julia Frizzie | The heart and soul of entrepreneurship is self directed learning. Students are assigned a Penn State invention and are then challenged to assess the technology and determine a path for commercialization of the invention. These projects are highly entrepreneurial and require extensive self directed learning, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of learning methodologies. | Rick Weyer | 3009 | |
| Commercialization Study for Penn State Inventions | Ellianna Billow | The heart and soul of entrepreneurship is self directed learning. Students are assigned a Penn State invention and are then challenged to assess the technology and determine a path for commercialization of the invention. These projects are highly entrepreneurial and require extensive self directed learning, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of learning methodologies. | Rick Weyer | 3010 | |
| Commercialization Study for Penn State Inventions | Wen-Ting Hou | The heart and soul of entrepreneurship is self-directed learning. Students are assigned a Penn State invention and are then challenged to assess the technology and determine a path for commercialization of the invention. These projects are highly entrepreneurial and require extensive self-directed learning, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of learning methodologies. | Richard Weyer | 3013 | |
| Commercialization Study for Penn State Inventors | Richard Ervin | The heart and soul of entrepreneurship is self directed learning. Students are assigned a Penn State invention and are then challenged to assess the technology and determine a path for commercialization of the invention. These projects are highly entrepreneurial and require extensive self directed learning, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of learning methodologies. | Richard Weyer | 3008 | |
| Comparison of Antibody Sample Types | Jasmine Morgan | Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) is an important viral pathogen that causes significant loses to the poultry industry. Surveillance for AIV in wild avian reservoirs is critical to defining the epidemiology of this virus but is often limited by a lack of appropriate samples or diagnostic approaches. To address this issue, our research evaluates field-friendly approaches to collect samples from wild ducks that can be used for AIV antibody detection. | Justin Brown | 51 | |
| Confirming the Longest Known Resonant Chain of Exoplanets in the K2-138 System | Leonard Feil | The K2-138 system consists of seven planets, five of which have been suggested to be in a resonant chain, a repeated geometric configuration. To confirm the existence of this chain, we various run N-body simulations via Rebound. We find that all orbital parameters and planetary masses that are consistent with previous studies lead to the system being in a resonant chain. This confirmation allows future studies to constrain the planets' densities through estimating their masses. | Rebekah Dawson | 107 | |
| Connecting the Dots: Integrating Problem-based Learning for Career Efficacy in Biomedical Engineering Technology | Dalynn Park | The study follows the progress of BMET students throughout a semester who engage in a re-designed course and PBL activities. Our multi-faceted assessment includes quantitative measures of career awareness, confidence, efficacy, and in-depth qualitative analysis of cognitive, non-cognitive, and affective responses to course content and instructional delivery. Findings affirm PBL is effective for fostering habits of mind, but they further underscore how PBL can serve as a vehicle for enhancing the learning experience for students. | Laura Cruz | 17 | |
| Consolidation of Newly Learned Words in the Second Language | Rosa Padt | Extending the Complementary Learning Systems theory (Davis & Gaskell, 2009) to how bilinguals learn novel second language (L2) words, Polish-English bilinguals listened to a story containing novel L2 English words. Testing their ability to identify pauses and recognize novel words, immediately after learning and 24 hours later, we found that learning and consolidation of L2 words proceeds similarly as in L1, but the magnitude of L2 consolidation depends on learners' ability to recognize novel words. | Carrie Jackson | 146 | |
| Construction Workers' Heat Stress Assessment using Physiological Signals | Jerome Jackson | My research focuses on improving the safety and well-being of construction workers using non-invasive wearable bio-sensors for early heat stress detection. I worked on the development of a framework that predicts construction workers' heat stress by monitoring and analyzing their physiological signals. | Houtan Jebelli | 33 | |
| Contextual Interference Negatively Impacts Associative Memory Across Age | Harini Babu and Catherine Carpenter | The current set of three studies examined how contextual interference affects associative memory in both older and younger adults. We hypothesized that when contexts were similar, both older and younger adults would have a harder time overcoming that interference (ie. more false alarms). Across all studies, associative memory was poorer when the lure included a scene similar to the encoding category. Together, results indicate that similarity in context information interferes with successful associative memory performance. | Nancy Dennis | 135 | |
| Convergence of Iterative Methods for Quadratic Programing Problems | Kristin Sickau | This project regards the study of the global convergence of iterative methods for quadratic programming. There are several iterative methods commonly used in quadratic programming, and our research focuses on Dykstra's cyclic projections method. We implemented a novel version of the Dykstra's algorithm in Python, which uses sparse matrices and is memory efficient. In addition, we include the variational inequalities problem as an application of Dykstra's algorithm. | Ludmil Zikatanov | 96 |