2021 Undergraduate Exhibition
Title |
Presenter | Abstract | Faculty Sponsor | Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diversity of Effectors and Immunity Proteins Across Type VI Secretion Systems in Vibrio fischeri | Peyton Moore | The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a mechanism of bacterial competition harnessed by some Gram-negative bacterial strains. Protein toxins dispensed by the T6SS illicit a cell lysis response upon injection. Bacteria may survive a T6SS mediated attack if they harbor immunity genes that encode neutralizing proteins corresponding to particular effectors. This project investigates the diversity of these T6SS elements that significantly influence coexistence of bacterial strains within a population in a host. | Tim Miyashiro | 16145 | |
| Does Deregulation Lead to Growth? Explaining How Structure of Electricity Markets Contribute to Renewable Growth? | Ryan Kerestesy | I examine the factors that explain variance in growth of renewable energy across the United States. I conduct a fifty-state analysis covering 21 years from 1998 until 2018 measuring systematic, demographic and policy factors that explain variance in deployment of renewables across the country. My study closely examines electricity market regulation. Previous literature are ambiguous or suggest market deregulation slows growth of renewables, I test this idea with the most recently available data. | Boliang Zhu | 15906 | |
| Does Group Work Improve Course Engagement and Performance? | Alexis Lambert | Compared to passive lecture, active discussion improves concept retention and course performance. The study determined how working on case studies in groups impacted learning. Spring 2020, students in two sections of PSYCH 238 participated. The quasi-independent variable was whether students completed case studies in groups or individually. The outcomes were case studies, course performance, and attendance. Students working in groups attended more classes and performed better on case studies that assessed cognitive and integrationist themes. | Michelle Yarwood | 16130 | |
| Does Saying "Thank You" to a Compliment Allow Individuals to Embrace Praises Emotionally? An Attempt to Switch from Cognitive to Affective Appraisal | Zineb Kobi | This study investigates whether being instructed to answer "thank you" to compliments makes participants feel better about themselves after receiving compliments. How people feel about themselves after receiving compliments was measured with a state of self-esteem scale. Results show that participants who said "thank you" in response to a compliment demonstrated higher self-esteem post-test. Interestingly, participants who did not respond to the compliment demonstrated lower self-esteem post-test, which we did not predict. | Anthony J. Nelson | 15769 | |
| Drosophila ciliated neurons survive and regenerate after axon injury | Abigail Mauger | Injured neurons are not replaced, so axon regeneration is essential to maintain the peripheral nervous system. Drosophila neurons can regenerate axons from dendrites, but many sensory neurons have cilia instead. To investigate the injury response in ciliated neurons, I severed axons of chordotonal neurons. Regeneration initiated from the axon stump or cell body. Knockdown of DLK, an injury signaling protein, reduced regeneration, suggesting that the injury response pathway is similar to neurons with branched dendrites. | Melissa Rolls | 20631 | |
| Effect of Moisture on the Tensile Properties of Composites with Bio-based Fibers and Matrix | Serenah Pauliuc | This investigation evaluates the quasi-static tensile behavior of composites made with different combinations of jute and E-glass fibers and bio-based and synthetic epoxy matrices as-received and after a 24-hour soak in water. The water-soaked jute fiber composites suffered large reductions in modulus with either type of matrix and a large reduction in strength with the bio-based matrix. The E-glass composite with synthetic matrix had much higher modulus and strength compared to the jute fiber composites. | Amir Barakati | 15872 | |
| Effect of Signaling Molecules on Strain Diversity of the Euprymna-Vibrio Symbiosis | Molly Ehrig | Quourm sensing allows bacterial populations to coordinate the expression of traits by responding to signaling molecules. This project investigates how adaptations to the mechaniams that promote intercellular communication contribute to genetic diversity within bacterial species. To determine whether signaling molecules are a selective pressure in vitro, Vibrio fischeri populations were propagated in the presence and absence of signaling molecules. Those grown with signaling molecules acquired mutations resulting in the inability to express quourm sensing-regulated traits. | Timothy Miyashiro | 15942 | |
| Effect of Varying Penalty Functions on Particle Swarm Algorithm (PSO) Applied to the Hohmann Transfer Problem | Matthew Garfield | Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO) is an Evolutionary Computation(EC) approach for solving optimization problems in engineering. This research aims to investigate the effect of implementing various cost function penalty strategies on algorithm performance. By adjusting the penalty strategies, the performance of the PSO algorithm can be modified through the effect of penalizing non-feasible solutions. In this work, the Hohmann Transfer was the test problem, and both optimized and unoptimized versions of the PSO algorithm are tested. | Brad Sottile | 15542 | |
| Effects of Different Human Rights Violations on Foreign Aid Restriction | Stacy Brehman | The relationship between human rights violations and foreign aid has been heavily studied by scholars in the human rights field. Most research analyzes the effects of foreign aid restriction on human rights in different types of countries, while my research seeks to reverse the relationship and look at whether the presence of human rights violations already taking place will affect a foreign aid restriction by bilateral donors and international organizations. | Joseph Wright | 15944 | |
| Effects of pH modulation on Eag1 potassium channels | Christopher Hudson | Previous work has shown that changes in pH are able to regulate the channels of the Ether-a-go-go (EAG) family. Specifically, the Eag1 K+ channel has been explored by applying pH changes to different mutations that were manufactured in the voltage sensor and pore region. Of these mutated variants of the Eag1 channel, two exhibited a gain-of-function and three exhibited a loss-of-function. This work has increased the knowledge of the gating-mechanism of the channel. | Timothy Jegla | 16167 | |
| Effects of VAD-Induced Shear Rates on Platelet Adhesion | Shane Ward |
Acquired von Willebrand syndrome is a disease present in many patients with ventricular assist devices (VAD) which causes dysfunction in the protein von Willebrand factor (vWF). This study shows how shear rates seen in VAD-induced flow can affect platelet adhesion due to platelet dependence on vWF interactions. Shear rate and presence of vWF cleaving protease ADAMTS-13 are shown to have a significant effect on the ability of platelets to adhere to an injury site. |
Keefe Manning | 15987 | |
| Evaluating Dietary Shifts of the Flathead Catfish due to Size Differences | Sage Saum |
The flathead catfish has been introduced into waterways across the U.S. and is now found in the Susquehanna River Basin. Flathead catfish have large impacts on native communities because of their large size and predatory lifestyle. I analyzed stomach contents to determine percentage of consumed crayfish across catfish sampling sites. Understanding flathead catfish diet with emphasis on crayfish consumption will give insight on ecological impacts and management needs. |
Julian Avery | 17538 | |
| Evaluating Printing Parameters to Optimize the Direct Ink Writing Process for Barium Titanate | Karim Barsom |
Barium titanate (BTO) is a smart ceramic known for its piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties. Additively manufacturing BTO would give engineers the ability to develop innovative designs not achievable with the traditional manufacturing techniques in use today and expand the material’s applications. Using the Direct Ink Writing additive manufacturing process, this study is focused on discovering which printing parameters have the greatest impact on print quality and how to maximize print speed while maintaining print quality. |
Zoubeida Ounaies | 16002 | |
| Evaluating the Usefulness and Response to Graphics Used to Communicate Uncertainty-Driven and Probabilistic Winter Weather Forecasts | Jacob Morse | Hazardous winter weather events cause significant impacts on daily life, but the ways these events are currently communicated, especially with the types of graphics that are used, varies greatly across the weather enterprise. This study aimed to identify the best uncertainty-driven and probabilistic messaging strategies for winter weather. Emergency managers, broadcast meteorologists, NWS meteorologists, and the public were all included in this research to gauge their understanding and likely responses to the different messaging strategies. | Chris Forest | 19431 | |
| Examining Family Structure as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Parental Permissiveness and College Student Drinking | Roopesh Kumar | This study examined whether family structure moderates the relationship between parental permissiveness and college student drinking. Parent-student dyads from three universities participated in the study (N=1426). Results showed that parental permissiveness was positively associated with college student drinking and, further, that there was a significant moderation effect of family structure. These results suggest that future parent-based interventions should consider modifying content to account for differing family structures. | Racheal Reavy | 15813 | |
| Examining Links Between Gender, Personality, and Voting Party Preference | Micaela Zelinsky | The major purpose of my research is to determine whether gender moderates the relationship between individual differences in politics and voting behavior. This presentation will associate well-known psychological scale methods (associating individuals to determined traits) and the discriminate differences in party alignment and characteristic affiliation. Further study will examine any positive correlation between scale method facets and more nuanced political expression. | Michelle Yarwood | 17086 | |
| Examining Racial Subgroup Differences in Personality Measures: A Predictive Sample Approach | Mitch Dobbs | The present study compares the personality scores of Black, White, and Hispanic police applicants in a large, racially representative sample (n = 79,339). Contrary to the findings in the current literature drawing on incumbent samples, the present findings demonstrate notable subgroup differences on the trait conscientiousness favoring White applicants. These results dispute the widely accepted, adverse impact-reducing role of personality measures in personnel selection, suggesting that their inclusion might be more detrimental than beneficial. | Rustin Meyer | 15735 | |
| Examining the Complex Nature of Flash Flooding through a Mixed Method Approach: A Case from Kerala, India | Harman Singh | The following questions inform this research: 1) what factors cause impactful flash-floods in Kerala; 2) what are the public’s perceptions; and 3) what spatial-temporal rainfall statistic captures impactful flash-flood events? We found that in the public’s perception drainage systems, coastal construction, and dam management practices have exacerbated flash floods. This was reflected in the fact that the maximum 5-day summed rainfall was the most effective statistic in capturing flash floods in the public’s consciousness. | Trevor Birkenholtz | 15822 | |
| Examining the Longitudinal Relationship between Acculturation, Enculturation, and Drinking Outcomes among Latinx College Students. | Erin Wolfe | Latinx college students experience unique risk factors related to risky alcohol use and consequences. Longitudinal associations were examined between acculturation, enculturation, and drinking/consequences among Latinx students (N=245; Mage=18.27; 73% female). Structural equation modeling was used to analyze these associations. Enculturation was directly associated with consequences. The interaction between acculturation and enculturation was indirectly associated with consequences through drinking. Culturally sensitive interventions could address enculturation to reduce risky drinking in Latinx students. | Rob Turrisi | 14510 | |
| Examining the physiological role of ArfB through ribosome profiling in Caulobacter crescentus | Emma Osterhaus | The trans-translation pathway is a new drug target for the discovery of novel antimicrobials. ssrA encodes a protein essential for functionality of trans-translation, which is an essential pathway for virulence in pathogenic bacteria. ArfB is an alternate factor for rescuing stalled ribosomes. Since deletion of arfB combined with deletion of ssrA is lethal, it presents a suitable target for drug discovery. His-tagged ArfB bound to ribosomes will be isolated for further ribosome profiling. | Kenneth Keiler | 15283 | |
| Exploring Connections Between Glycolysis, Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition, and Cell Migration | Keaton Chapman et al |
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process of normal epithelial cells losing cell polarity and cell to cell adhesion to become mesenchymal cells, but it also contributes to cancer progression. To test how drugs targeting cancer metabolism impact EMT, we analyzed effects on epithelial MDCK cells and mesenchymal MDA-231 cell lines. We find that inhibiting glycolysis can modulate mesenchymal phenotypes and cell migration. |
Emily Bell | 20077 | |
| Exploring Determinants of Rural-Urban Migration in China | Yebo Chen | This poster will present Yebo Chen's independent fieldwork in rural China. The fieldwork explored how rural households view rural-urban migration and what influences rural households' decisions about migrating to cities. Specifically, the poster will focus on illustrating the relationship between expected opportunity cost and migration decisions, and barriers against rural-urban migration. Data collection of this fieldwork was primarily done by in-person interviews, which were conducted in Jincheng Village, Jiangsu Province, China. | Douglas Bird | ||
| Exploring Magnetic Monopole Interactions: Two-Defect Motion | Gannon Lenhart | This research is on the simulation of one magnetic monopole interacting with multiple magnetic singularities. Three-dimensional plots of the energy density are constructed from explicit solutions to the Bogomolny equation obtained by Blair, Cherkis, and Durcan. Animations, using code created within Mathematica, follow trajectories derived from collective coordinate mechanics on the multi-centered Taub--NUT monopole moduli space. | Andrew Royston | 16083 | |
| Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and Social Media Use | Ashley Joseph | The purpose of this research is to determine which popular social media site (SMS) correlates with higher amounts of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) among its users. There hasn’t been a single study that has evaluated the FOMO effect across all popular social media sites to see where FOMO might be higher. Additionally, this study will separate trait and state anxiety to see how much FOMO influences anxiety among social media users. | Alicia Drais-Parrillo | 20733 | |
| Gas Turbine Flow Field Structure Alteration Through Non-Axisymmetric Acoustic Forcing | Joseph Molnar | With increasing pressure mounting to decarbonize the nation, gas turbines serve a vital role in powering the electric grid and shifting to a sustainable future. The emissions and stability of these systems running on natural gas, biofuels, or hydrogen are an ever-present concern for manufacturers and operators. This work employs acoustic forcing in a swirling flow rig to alter structure behavior at the dump plane; key results suggest this methodology as viable for instability reduction. | Jacqueline O'Connor | 15404 | |
| Generating a Novel Methodology to Identify Critical Defects in Complex Metal AM Components | Micaela Stover | The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect that defects have on the mechanical performance of geometrically complex engine brackets. The winning designs from the GE Jet Engine Bracket challenge were modeled in the finite element analysis software ANSYS. A preliminary methodology to place defects in these brackets to determine the impact on the stress field was devised. This methodology can be applied to other AM parts to improve the design of components. | Jessica Menold | 15199 | |
| Halogenation and azidation of N-succinyl-L-amino acids by a reprogrammed iron (II) and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent hydroxylase | Bryce Katch | The iron(II)/2-oxoglutarate (Fe/2OG) dependent oxygenase superfamily encompasses a variety of enzymes linked in their ability to activate chemically inert C-H bonds. In this work, we investigate Fe/2OG enzyme SadA, which natively hydroxylates N-succinyl amino acid substrates. We show that single active site substitutions can introduce new catalytic activity, namely the stereospecific halogenation and azidation of substrate. These results demonstrate the synthetic utility of Fe/2OG enzymes as reprogrammable catalysts for the functionalization of sp3 C-H bonds. | Amie Boal | 16032 | |
| Heritability and Quantification of Masai Giraffe Coat Patterns | Cassidy Pitts | Masai giraffe calves are most vulnerable within their first year of life. Their spot patterns are instrumental to their camouflage. These spot patterns have been shown to be heritable via mother-offspring regressions. From image analysis, mother-offspring regressions found four parameters that are heritable: solidity, circularity, centroid size, and the percentage of background area on the torso. These findings have implications for the survival of calves with differing spot pattern types. | Douglas Cavener | 16129 | |
| Histological analysis of cellular components for in vitro thrombus formation using Chandler loop and Carstairs’ stain | Taylor Pust |
The present in vitro study uses a Chandler loop to mimic clot formation in the middle cerebral artery (MCA). The tubing diameter and rotational speed were adjusted to stimulate low (448.37) and high (986.83) Reynolds numbers that are consistent with the blood flow in the MCA. The results showed that there is a significant difference in the percent composition of red blood cells and platelets between the low and high Reynolds number conditions. |
Keefe Manning | 15954 | |
| How Isabella d’Este’s collection reflects women’s patronage during the Renaissance | Lauren Rickert | Isabella d'Este was a respected art patron during the Italian Renaissance. There were aspects of life where men and women could not interact, but collecting art was one area where women could participate alongside men. d'Este used her patronage as a way for her to show she was educated. d'Este’s collections ranged from paintings to sculptures to ceramics, however her ceramic maiolica best reflects d'Este's education and role as a woman patron. | Naomi Pitamber | 16021 | |
| Hungry from Change: Framing Food Insecurity as a Climate Issue | Katherine Paolizzi | This thesis emphasizes the undeniable threat that climate change poses to food-insecurity. I investigate whether respondents' perceived importance of food-insecurity increases after exposure to a treatment that frames food-insecurity as a direct result of climate change. Findings from a representative survey experiment reveal that partisanship and age consistently affect individuals' perceived importance of food-insecurity, not climate change. However, when controlling for these and other demographic factors, climate change proves effective in altering perceived importance. | Amy Sentementes | 15748 | |
| Identification of Regions of DRB-sensitivity Inducing Factor (DSIF) Involved in Negative Elongation Factor (NELF) Recruitment | Eilene Deng | Promoter-proximal pausing of RNA Polymerase II (PolII) is a widespread transcriptional regulatory mechanism. DSIF and NELF contribute to pausing by binding to PolII, and DSIF recruits NELF to the PolII elongation complex. To understand how DSIF recruits NELF, I generated DSIF mutants based on available structural data and will test the ability of these mutants to bind PolII and recruit NELF. This study will provide mechanistic insight into regulation of promoter-proximal pausing by transcription factors. | David Gilmour | 15823 | |
| Identifying the Targets σE-Pathway Inhibitors in E. coli Bacteria | Matthew Kostelac | Recently, antibiotic resistance has become an increasing threat to public health, and new novel antibiotics are needed more than ever. The σE pathway represents one promising target in Gram-negative bacteria, where it facilitates the upregulation of outer membrane proteins in response to membrane damage. Using a compound known to weakly inhibit the pathway, analogues have been developed as attempts at optimization, and their molecular targets will be identified via an in vivo click conjugation protocol. | Kenneth Keiler | 15993 | |
| Impact of Brood Quantity on Protein Foraging in Honey Bees | Alyssa Curry | Honey bees consume pollen which has varying protein and lipid contents. To see how the amount of brood (developing bees) in a colony impacts foraging behaviors, we manipulated the amount of brood in 30 colonies last fall. The analyzed samples showed that colonies with removed brood collected more protein-rich pollen than colonies with added brood, demonstrating that brood quantity influences foraging behaviors. This data will help farmers and beekeepers provide better nutrition for their colonies. | Christina Grozinger | 16142 | |
| Investigating Cerebral and Cardiovascular Interactions Underlying Cognitive Decline | Adwait Chafale | Little research on interactional effects of hypertension and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) are available. Given these limitations this research studied nonamnestic cognitive decline in terms of executive functioning. Specifically this study investigated the effects of hypertension on executive functioning in patients with TBI compared to those without TBI. The first conceptual independent variable was cardiovascular health. The second conceptual independent variable was TBI. The dependent variable for this study was executive functioning. | Frank Hillary | 17029 | |
| Investigating the Antimicrobial Properties of Soil-Derived Natural Products from Marsh Meadow in State College, Pennsylvania | Dean Miller | Antibiotic resistance is an increasingly dangerous threat as pathogens develop resistance to currently available antibiotics. Natural products derived from soil samples were screened for their antibacterial properties against multiple species of bacteria. A genetically engineered fluorescence reporter strain was constructed to express a red fluorescence protein to help determine the mechanism of action for the antimicrobial compounds. Initial data shows that compounds DMM-EA-002, DMM-EA-003, and DMM-EA-004 inhibit translation in vitro and kill Bacillus anthracis cells. | John Alumasa | 15590 | |
| Investigating the effects of trans-translation inhibitors on the human gut microbiome | Jasmine Arunachalam | Ribosome rescue through the trans-translation pathway is a target for broad-spectrum antibiotic discovery. Broad-spectrum antibiotics can have adverse effects on beneficial bacteria in the human gut microbiome. The effects of trans-translation inhibitors on the microbiome were investigated using strains from two phyla prevalent in the microbiome. Growth inhibitory analysis suggests that these compounds inhibit pathogenic bacterial species, but not beneficial bacteria. These results present potential for novel, broad-spectrum antibiotics that do not harm the microbiome. | Kenneth Keiler | 15778 | |
| Investigation of The Biodegradation of Lipopolysaccharides by Bacillus spp | Shiwei Dong | Endotoxins (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria is one of the most toxic pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). High amount of endotoxins within the blood can induce sepsis and septic shock, causing organ failures and death. A potential approach for a cure includes finding bacterial species that are capable of endotoxin degradation. Past studies have suggested Bacillus species of being able to degrade endotoxins. Panels of endotoxin degradation activities by Bacillus spp. using modern approach will be shown. | Timothy Meredith | 16004 | |
| Isolation and Characterization of Microplastics in the State College Area via FT-IR Microscopy | Mary Wang and Emily Thompson |
With the growing concern over microplastics in aquatic environments, our group decided to begin reseaching the presence of microplastics in the State College area. We used metal sieves and different size fractions to separate pastics and organic debris. The samples were then characterized via FT-IR microscopy in reflectance mode on gold slides and were matched using key peaks and library searches. |
Dan Sykes | 16157 | |
| It depends on the perp! Factors that bias the perception of police intervention | Logan Albrecht | There has been widespread attention focused on police aggression, increasing research on how individual perceptions are made. The present study sought to assess factors that influence perceptions of police aggression. Specifically, we were interested in whether race, gender, and type of crime played a role in these perceptions. Results from this study contribute to a better understanding of psychological processes underlying the perception of police interventions, as well as factors that contribute to biased perceptions. | Nathan Greenauer | 15436 | |
| Jazz Beginnings | Emma Neely |
This program of songs was chosen to showcase the beauty of vocal jazz. I've always been passionate about jazz, and recently started pursuing a minor in jazz performance. The first song, "In the Beginning" is by Jake Heggie (b. 1961), a living American composer. The second selection, "I'm Beginning to See the Light" is by Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996). This is one of Ella's greatest hits. Accompaniment provided by Ann Deighton. |
Jennifer Trost | 15857 | |
| Landscape of Neural Network | Ziping Ye | This research project aims to study the landscape of neural network. Even though neural network has been widely used in many fields such as computer vision and natural language processing, the nature of neural network and training process are still not well understood. Researchers have been able to train neural networks to reach very good accuracy, but the lack of deep understanding of the neural network makes the training process not robust. | Jinchao Xu | 16076 | |
| Language Identification in Lengua Palenquera and Spanish | Gabrielle Herman |
How do speakers distinguish between two similar, yet mutually unintelligible languages? The goal of this study was to determine if certain phonetic traits help with language identificaiton. In two different experiments, participants were asked to identify the language based on either the intonation pattern or unique phonetic traits. The results from both experiments supported the hypothesis that the unique intonation and phonetic traits of Lengua Palenquera are beneficial for language identification. |
John Lipski | 15981 | |
| Leadership Diversity, Organizational Political Ideology and Firm Engagement in Corporate Social Advocacy | Burke Alexis | This study examines the relationship between leadership diversity, organizational political ideology, and a company’s engagement in Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA). The study finds that there is a statistically significant relationship between BIPOC in leadership and CSA and LGBTQ+ friendly work environments and CSA; there is no statistically significant relationship between women in leadership and CSA and organizational political ideology and CSA. These findings build on previous CSR and CSA research and highlight additional areas for future study. Knowing what factors encourage a corporation to engage in corporate social advocacy allows us to better predict when a corporation will take a stand on social issues and when they may remain silent. | 21055 | ||
| Life-cycle assessment of integrated anaerobic digestion with hydrothermal carbonization | Vancie Peacock |
The goal of this research was to conduct a life-cycle assessment (LCA) of integrated anaerobic digestion with hydrothermal carbonization (iAD-HTC), a process which uses waste to create renewable energy and materials. HTC can alleviate some issues of digestate management in AD, but it is an energy intensive process. The LCA, which was performed based on literature data, identified areas of improvement in terms of carbon emissions, allowing iAD-HTC to be refined for commercial use. |
Juliana Vasco-Correa | 15814 | |
| Machiavellianism Viewed Through the Domains of Psychology | Miranda Thompson | Machiavellians experience positive emotions to sad videos (Ali et al., 2009) and sad emotions to neutral videos. While watching sad, amusing, and neutral videos Machiavellians(MACH) will self-report emotions and an fMRI will measure reward circuit, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and amygdala activity. Mach will show pleasant emotions during sad videos, but negative emotions during neutral videos. We expect activation in reward circuit for sad and activation in ACC and amygdala for neutral videos. | Michelle Yarwood | 16926 | |
| Male Legislators as Substantive Representatives for Women | Resham Patel | The thesis examines the role male representatives play as substantive representatives for women in the 1990’s and the 2010’s. I hypothesized that three factors will influence the rate at which male legislators cosponsor women’s issues bills: the number of women in the House of Representatives, public opinion on women’s issues, and the gender wage gap. Through regression analyses, I look for significant relationships between these variables. My findings provide substantial guidance for future research. | Susan Welch | 14788 | |
| Mapping Classrooms: A Gateway to Co-creating our Education | Armelys Soba and Kelsey Klinger |
Our focal point is student engagement within the research of teaching and learning. The present study seeks to assess student engagement through classroom mapping (i.e.,spatial representations of the interactions between instructor and students, students with each other, and students and their environment). Through using at least 3 participatory classrooms, this study will use classroom mapping as an analytical tool for assessing and enhancing student outcomes and engagement. |
Laura Cruz | 16049 | |
| Masculinity Threat and Anti-Fat Attitudes | Karleigh Veglia |
We are interested in how gender threats to self concepts affect attitudes towards outgroups. The data will be analyzed through SPSS through a 2x2 factor between participants design. We anticipate that gender threats will lead to more negative views towards "fat" people through the Anti-Fat Questionnaire. The implications of this study is that it could used for future studies investigating whether masculinity threat can lead to more negative views on victims of rape. |
Theresa Vescio | 15417 | |
| Mitigating the War on Antibiotic Resistance through the Discovery and Characterization of the Antimicrobial Activity for Natural Products Isolated from Soil Samples | Katelyn Bartlett | Antibiotic resistance is a big problem because it results in untreatable infections and diseases. Natural products derived from soil samples were isolated and screened for their antibacterial properties against various bacterial species. Fluorescence and luminescence reporter assays were used to assess inhibition of translation. Compound KB-EA-002 killed Bacillus anthracis cells and inhibited translation in vitro. These findings help in the fight against antibiotic resistance through the discovery of new antibacterial drug candidates from natural sources. | John Alumasa | 16120 |