STEM Presentations

A

Cypress Ambrose, Abby DeCesare: Native and Non-native Turtle Populations in Lake Matoaka

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A5 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Native and Non-native Turtle Populations in Lake Matoaka

Analysis of freshwater turtles in Lake Matoaka estimates a population of 358 Red Eared Slider individuals and 1,576 Red Bellied Cooter individuals. Previous research on Lake Matoaka similarly found that Red Bellied Cooters outnumbered Red Eared Sliders. We used mark-recapture methods and the Schnabel Method to extrapolate total population estimates from the turtles we captured over the course of the summer. Turtles were collected using baited nets and marked by filing into their scutes. This data shows that Red Bellied Cooters, the native species, have maintained a higher population than the non-native Red Eared Sliders since the last population study in 2004. The Red Eared Slider population had a larger proportion of female:male turtles than Red Bellied Cooters, which could provide a reproductive advantage - this is supported by the fact that we almost exclusively observed Red Eared Sliders nesting. Red Bellied Cooters were found to be larger on average than Red Eared Sliders. We also found that there was some crossover between turtle populations in different parts of Lake Matoaka. Finally, we observed the presence of melanistic Red Eared Sliders, a physical trait found in older male sliders.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Cypress: Biology, Chemistry, Abby: Biology, Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Randy Chambers, Environmental Science, Biology

Elizabeth Arthur: Assessing Chemical Activity of Pozzolans and Chemical Activators in Cement Mixtures

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D7 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Assessing Chemical Activity of Pozzolans and Chemical Activators in Cement Mixtures

The production of cement, the key component of the construction material concrete, contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions. Mixing cement with a class of materials called pozzolans can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and yield stronger concrete, but with a slower setting time, which is less practical for construction.
However, the addition of certain chemical activators has been shown to reduce setting time. In this experiment, mixtures of cement with a novel pozzolan material, diatomaceous earth (DE), were tested with several chemical activators. The Frattini Test was used to measure the chemical reactivity of the mixtures. It was found that at least one cement/DE/ activator mixture performed well on the Frattini test, which indicates that concrete made with such mixtures may be an improved construction material. Examining the physical strength of concrete made with these cement/DE/activator mixtures is the next step in exploring their utility.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Hannes Schniepp, Applied Science

B

Andrew Beck, Christina Luckett: Proteomics: Differential Protein Expression in Bacteriophages CrimD and Larva

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A17 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Proteomics: Differential Protein Expression in Bacteriophages CrimD and Larva

This summer, we attempted to study the protein expression of CrimD and Larva, two bacteriophages discovered on campus in 2008 and 2010, respectively. These bacteriophages infect the soil bacterium M. smegmatis, which is a non-pathogenic model for M. tuberculosis. We digested the bacteriophages with a mini MS sample prep kit and used LC/MS along with a protein database software, Proteome Discoverer, to analyze peptide segments. This was done in order to better understand the protein expression of the bacteriophages at certain time points after infection. Future research will include the optimization of in-house fabrication of capillary columns for nanospray analysis and implementing our procedures on a high resolution orbitrap instrument. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Andrew: Chemistry, Christina: Undecided

Faculty Mentor: JC Poutsma, Chemistry

Emily Boyt: The Search for Novel Unnatural Amino Acid-Based Bioconjugation Reactions: A Look at Diyne Reactions

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B9 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

The Search for Novel Unnatural Amino Acid-Based Bioconjugation Reactions: A Look at Diyne Reactions

Protein bioconjugation, or the process of linking a protein to another molecule, is a growing field with many applications. One subsection of this field is the bioconjugation of proteins containing site-specific unnatural amino acids. This method creates a more controlled, homogenous product and allows unique functional groups to be used in a bioconjugation. One such functional group that could be employed is diynes. The use of diynes in bioconjugation enables proteins to be linked to two or more molecules which increases bioconjugate functionality. To this end, this review examines diyne reactions to uncover those that could be used to perform bioconjugations. For a reaction to be a successful bioconjugation reaction, several criteria must be met including compatibility with physiological conditions and ability to be carried out in an aqueous solvent. Using these criteria, this review found six studies that describe reactions that could potentially be employed as bioconjugation reactions.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Douglas Young, Chemistry

Caroline Buttemere: Growing Greenhouse Peppers in North Macedonia

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A2 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Growing Greenhouse Peppers in North Macedonia

My research tracked the growth of peppers in a greenhouse across the period of a single growing season. I aimed to find differences between pepper growth in three different soil types, each in its own separate soil bed. My results indicate that there were significant differences in the growth rate, survivability, and pepper yield across growing mediums. The research also included the human aspect of community development and the challenges this type of work presents. This was because the greenhouse where the plants were grown was a community development project aimed at providing a poor community in North Macedonia with a means to grow their own food. The goal was that eventually this community would take ownership of the greenhouse that was constructed in their neighborhood. However, this did not succeed, which presented real problems for successfully growing my peppers. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Environmental Studies and Public Policy

Faculty Mentor: Charles Maloney, Environmental Science and Policy

C

Meara Carlin, Braden Rountree, Nailah Johnson: Making Movies on Location: An Introduction to the Geological Wonders of the Blue Ridge Tunnel

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: E1 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Making Movies on Location: An Introduction to the Geological Wonders of the Blue Ridge Tunnel

In the summer of 2022, the William and Mary Structural Geology and Tectonics research group, under the guidance of Professor Chuck Bailey, conducted geological research in central Virginia near the Blue Ridge Mountains. For this project, we made it our goal to engage a larger audience through the medium of movies and other digital content. We aim to create a short film that combines aspects of geology, environmental science, and history surrounding the Blue Ridge Tunnel rail trail in Afton, Virginia. STEM research is often limited to its respective disciplines, only to be viewed by those within the same field. Instead of our research only reaching other geological professionals, this project is intended to reach and connect with a larger audience. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Meara: Geology, Braden: Geology, Nailah: Geology

Faculty Mentor: Christopher Bailey, Geology

Anjuli Cerda: Measuring Calcium Levels in the Dividing Neural Progenitor Cells of the Xenopus laevis to Determine Cell Fate

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D8 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Measuring Calcium Levels in the Dividing Neural Progenitor Cells of the Xenopus laevis to Determine Cell Fate

Various neurodevelopmental disorders are linked to improper neural progenitor cell (NPC) division. Our environment and genetics influence these neural stem cells’ activity, but it remains unclear how they interpret these factors to produce neurons. In the Bestman Lab, I am investigating how mitochondria in NPCs influence neurogenesis by measuring calcium, a signaling molecule controlled by mitochondria. Calcium fluctuations are associated with changes in NPC cell fate. I am focused on the relationship between calcium levels in dividing cells and their decision to divide into a neuron or another NPC. This summer, I collected and analyzed images using various calcium-activated fluorescent probes that can be used to measure both cytosolic and mitochondrial calcium activity. I also investigated calcium transients in anesthetized versus paralyzed Xenopus laevis. Preliminary results indicate these plasmids’ potential in measuring calcium activity under both anesthetized and paralyzed conditions, and, by proxy, Corina  Chang: Photolysis of Aqueous Organic Aerosol Proxies: Effects of Sugars on Decay Rates of Methylglyoxal Brown Carbon  mitochondrial activity in differentiating stem cells. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Bestman, Neuroscience

Corina Chang: Photolysis of Aqueous Organic Aerosol Proxies: Effects of Sugars on Decay Rates of Methylglyoxal Brown Carbon  

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A12 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Photolysis of Aqueous Organic Aerosol Proxies: Effects of Sugars on Decay Rates of Methylglyoxal Brown Carbon  

Brown carbon (BrC) molecules in the atmosphere can result from biomass burning or can form independently through reactions between ammonia and carbonyls. BrC in the atmosphere absorbs light and heat, thus a better understanding of its lifetime has important implications for fighting climate change. However, understanding the lifetime of BrC is difficult, given that BrC can be composed of a wide variety of chemicals and interact with other aerosols. My project investigated the kinetics of UV-visible light breaking down BrC (photolysis) and how this is affected by the presence of sugar “scavengers”: mannitol and sucrose. We used UV/vis spectrometry to examine the optical properties of BrC alone, with sucrose, and with mannitol during photodegradation. Our initial exploratory experiments suggest that adding sugars does not affect the rate of decay, or else may increase the rate of decay very slightly, but much further experimentation is needed.  

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology major, Chemistry minor

Faculty Mentor: Rachel O'Brien, Chemistry

Matthew Chen: Shoulder Motion Detection

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C10 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Shoulder Motion Detection

When a patient has to be isolated due to reasons such as an autoimmune disease or infectious disease, doctors need a way to provide patients with necessities such as food, water, and clothing without exposing them to human contact. One way to achieve this is with robotics and AI; however, we’d need a way to determine the position of the patient’s arm so that the robot doesn’t move while the patient is reaching to grab an item. Wearables on the patient’s arm and shoulder could help monitor this without constant human surveillance, especially at night when it’s too dark for motion cameras to be effective. In my research, I created a smart shirt equipped with conductive fabric sensors that change their resistance in response to the shirt stretching, which occurs with arm movement. By measuring their voltage with a detachable control patch, I can estimate the fabric sensor resistance and from that, the change in angle of the arm. Using the motion detection software Kinovea as the ground truth, a preliminary user study with 1 person showed that the smart shirt measured angles with a mean absolute error of 11.5, 20, and 28 degrees for the 3 shoulder movements respectively with a feed forward neural network. The results only need to determine if somebody’s arm is stretched in front of them, which this should be accurate enough to enable. I plan to expand this study by collecting data from 4+ volunteers from September to October and may also use the technology for future studies.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Major: Computer science, (planned) Minor: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Gang Zhou, Computer Science

Maria Cisneros-Gomez, Jules Colombo: Beyond the Brain: How ACEs and Coping Influence Biomarkers of Resilience in College Students 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B15 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Beyond the Brain: How ACEs and Coping Influence Biomarkers of Resilience in College Students 

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are defined as exposures to abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction before the age of 18 (Felitti et al., 1998). ACEs and coping self-efficacy (CSE), or a person’s confidence in their ability to handle stress, have been shown to impact their ability to cope with daily stressors (Chesney et al., 2006). In our project, we examined how ACEs and CSE influence biomarkers of resilience in first-year college students. Using electroencephalogram (EEG) data, we analyzed the brain activity of 27 first-year college students who completed a resting baseline and stressful baseline task. We found unexpected associations between the EEG data and the students’ self-reported ACEs and CSE measures. A higher number of self-reported ACEs was associated with lower stress levels at resting baseline, and higher self-reported CSE was associated with higher stress levels at resting baseline and baseline. These findings suggest that further research examining subscales of CSE is needed to better understand how to support college students. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Maria: Major: Psychological Sciences / Minor: Sociology, Jules: Major: Psychological Sciences / Minor: Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Danielle Dallaire, Psychological Sciences

Kailai Cui: Light Auditor: Power Measurement can tell Private Data Leakage through IoT Covert Channels

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C11 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Light Auditor: Power Measurement can tell Private Data Leakage through IoT Covert Channels
Despite many conveniences of using IoT devices, they have suffered from various attacks due to their weak security. Our study shows that IoT devices are also vulnerable to covert-channel attacks. In our lab setting, adversaries exfiltrate users’ private data by encoding them into smart light bulb's varying brightness. We propose to identify such attacks by looking at the power consumption pattern of the smart bulb. We collected power consumption pattern of the bulb when it is idle, in normal use and when exfiltrating data. Then we process the data and transform them into 2d images which are fed into a convolutional neural network. We designed and tuned the network such that it identifies the attack with high accuracy.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Gang Zhou, Computer Science

D

Owen Darcy: Flexible Piezoelectric Pressure Sensor for Smart Multifunctional Textiles

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B6 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Flexible Piezoelectric Pressure Sensor for Smart Multifunctional Textiles

This work represents the beginning of a long-term project at Virginia State University by Dr. Peng Cheng. That project aims to produce multifunctional, self-powered wearable electronics, or “smart textiles.” We performed an extensive literature review in the field of smart textiles and designed a flexible, self-powered pressure sensor. The sensor relies on the piezoelectric effect, whereby certain materials become polarized under mechanical stress. The design includes specifications for a piezoelectric nanocomposite material, flexible electrodes, sensor circuitry, and data collection. We believe that this sensor could be integrated with wearable textiles and serve as a first step toward multifunctionality.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Physics (EPAD)

Faculty Mentor: Ran Yang, Physics

Adriana de la Guardia: Moisture-Sensitive Plant Watering Device

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C18 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

 Moisture-Sensitive Plant Watering Device

My project is a plant watering device that monitors the moisture of your plant's soil, giving each plant the exact amount of water it needs. My deliverable is a finalized prototype as well as related data on water consumption and environmental interactions. I have previously explored the capabilities of a single plant watering device, therefore, my research is an elaboration on the devices’ applications. Specifically, I designed various prototypes of a watering system in my research and monitored their successes. Now, I have a fully functional prototype that I will elaborate upon during my senior year capstone project to create a fully automatic greenhouse system.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Engineering Physics and Applied Design, Math Minor

Faculty Mentor: Ran Yang, Physics

Claire Doto: Impact of Caffeine on Attention: Role of Orexins

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D11 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Impact of Caffeine on Attention: Role of Orexins

The orexin system in the brain has become an important topic of interest in the neuroscience community, as orexin plays a vital role in sleep/wake cycles, hunger, attention, arousal, etc. It is believed that caffeine, one of the most widely consumed drugs in the human population, has some relationship to the orexin system. Caffeine can increase attention capacity, and many psychiatric disorders include attention deficits. There is an opportunity to understand how caffeine can be employed as an experimental drug to treat psychiatric disorders through targeting of orexin receptors. During the summer, I was trained in animal care and handling, and trained 20 rats in an attention task. Using an animal model, control and experimental groups will be tested in the same attention task using caffeinated and non-caffeinated drinking water. Rats in both groups will be given the task after receiving an ip injection of either saline or an orexin receptor antagonist, SB-334867. We hypothesize that caffeine will enhance attention relative to saline and that the caffeine-related improvement will be blocked by SB-334867. This presentation focuses on the work that I completed during the summer, as well as the progress of our pilot trial.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Kinesiology, Biochemistry 

Faculty Mentor: Joshua Burk, Psychology

F

Brian Flood: Polyyne Synthesis

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D5 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Polyyne Synthesis

When antibiotics were first introduced in the 1940s there were deemed wonder drugs - true miracles of modern medicine. Nowadays, the speed at which these drugs are being lost to antibiotic resistance drastically outpaces the development of replacement drugs. My research focuses on creating structural derivations to natural products that demonstrate antibiotic activity to create a library of new antibiotics. These products can have a range of different structures and many show specificity in what cells they affect with their antibiotic activity. Additionally, our synthesis pathway in Young Lab uses inexpensive, widely available reagents. We have already found a number of “hit compounds” that demonstrate antibiotic activity on specific cell types. Future research may involve finding a relationship between the structure of the compound and its exhibited biological activity.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Doug Young, Chemistry

George French: Monoenergetic Neutrinos from WIMP Annihilation in Jupiter

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: J1 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Monoenergetic Neutrinos from WIMP Annihilation in Jupiter

It has been shown that the Sun and Earth can capture WIMPs in their cores which then annihilate into Standard Model particles. Kaons produced in these annihilations could decay into monoenergetic neutrinos that could be picked up by a detector. Much like the Sun, Jupiter is a hydrogen-rich target, lending itself nicely to the study of the spin-dependent (SD) WIMP-proton cross section. In the distant future, one can also imagine placing a neutrino detector in a close orbit around Jupiter. The inverse-square law alone would give an enhancement of roughly 1 A.U./ R_J squared, which is a factor of five million. This will far exceed the reduction due to the smaller size (relative to the Sun) of Jupiter and the smaller escape velocity. If WIMPs are someday discovered, studying this effect could improve limits on the spin-dependent (SD) WIMP-proton cross section and yield important information about Jupiter's core.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Physics & Philosophy

Faculty Mentor: Marc Sher, Physics

Ethan Frye: The Effects of Seed Traits in Hardwood Tree Species of the Eastern United States on Foraging Behavior by Eastern Gray Squirrels

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C12 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

The Effects of Seed Traits in Hardwood Tree Species of the Eastern United States on Foraging Behavior by Eastern Gray Squirrels

Squirrels are crucial in the seed dispersal processes of nut-producing trees of the Eastern United States. Seed traits are strong predictors of whether a squirrel will eat or bury a seed, which affects forest dynamics. Past research has shown that specific traits affect foraging behavior more than others. However, these traits have been measured in only a few seeds per species. My aim is to determine the variation of mass, shell thickness, and tannin concentration within a species for 10 hardwood trees of the Eastern United States. While determining these values, I also aim to test whether the variation within a species affects squirrel foraging decisions through field experiments.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Harmony Dalgleish, Biology

Cody Funk: Evaluating Biological Activity of Polyyne Compounds using Simple Synthetic Sequences 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B4 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Evaluating Biological Activity of Polyyne Compounds using Simple Synthetic Sequences 

Cody’s research project focused on mimicking naturally occurring compounds that are known to have potent biological responses. Specifically, he worked towards altering certain structural features of the molecules to see if the biological activity could be linked to specific motifs in the constitution and shape. Further, by testing alterations in the structure of the molecules, Cody worked towards finding ways to increase stability of the natural compounds to increase shelf life and make the chemical a more appealing potential pharmacological therapeutic for the future. After elucidating the structural foundations that underlie the potential for the molecule as a therapeutic, Cody hopes to work alongside biochemical researchers to pinpoint the specific pathways in the body that are affected by the molecules to understand new ways to approach antibacterial and antifungal research. Cody hopes to increase the scientific body of knowledge concerned with pharmacological properties of naturally occurring compounds by using the interdisciplinary approach of biochemistry, organic chemistry, and cell biology. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry, Math 

Faculty Mentor: Robert Hinkle, Chemistry

G

Gwendolyn Galleher: An Expanded Python Version of KN1D for Modeling the Neutral Densities of SPARC

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D6 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

An Expanded Python Version of KN1D for Modeling the Neutral Densities of SPARC

In fusion research, predicting neutral profiles is critical to understanding the fueling requirements for a fusion reactor [1]. KN1D [2], developed in the ‘90s relies on a collisional-radiative model for the 10 most important electron interactions [3], and elastic collisions are included using a BGK model [4]. We will first convert KN1D into Python to simplify its use for the wider community and improve compatibility with experimental data as well as predictive modeling. The updated code will be verified through comparison to the previous IDL version using data from the C-Mod tokamak at MIT. Using the newly developed KN1DPy, we will perform predictive analysis of neutral densities for the SPARC fusion device. Currently, the SPARC team uses code to produce models for ICRH heating, turbulent transport, pedestal structure, edge profiles, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) stability, and ripple loss of fast alphas [5]. However, there is a lack of adequate modeling of neutral profiles. With the development of KN1D, we hope to produce models for neutral densities which, can then further inform us about electron densities and pressure gradients.

1. S. Mordijck, Nucl. Fusion 60, 082006 (2020).
2. LaBombard B., KN1D: A 1-D Space, 2-D Velocity, Kinetic transport algorithm for atomic and molecular hydrogen in an ionizing plasma, MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center Report PSFC/RR-01-3; Research Report PSFC/RR-01-3
3. Sawada, Keiji, and Takashi Fujimoto. "Effective ionization and dissociation rate coefficients of molecular hydrogen in plasma." Journal of applied physics 78.5 (1995): 2913-2924.
4. Bhatnagar, Prabhu Lal, Eugene P. Gross, and Max Krook. "A model for collision processes in gases. I. Small amplitude processes in charged and neutral one-component systems." Physical Review 94.3 (1954): 511.
5. M. Greenwald, Journal of Plasma Physics 86, 861860501 (2020).

Student Major(s)/Minor: Physics and Math

Faculty Mentor: Saskia Mordijck, Physics

Bailey Garber: Investigating the Robustness of Deterministic Optimization Models with Sensitivity Analysis in AMPL and Gurobi

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: G2 - Session I, 11:00 am-12:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Investigating the Robustness of Deterministic Optimization Models with Sensitivity Analysis in AMPL and Gurobi

Mathematical programming is utilized to solve complex decision-making problems in large-scale production and business analytics. We write models to translate business objectives and constraints into a system of linear equations that can be solved quickly by a computer to find an optimal solution to the problem. A major issue we often run into is that we don’t know exactly what the input parameters for our problem will be; there is a degree of randomness. This research investigates whether these deterministic models are robust enough to account for uncertainty and compares the utility of two modeling tools: AMPL and Gurobi in Python.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Mathematics major, Hispanic Studies minor

Faculty Mentor: Daniela Hurtado Lange, Mathematics

Katherine Giunta: Synthesis and expansion of BiCuI4Py5

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D4 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Synthesis and expansion of BiCuI4Py5

This summer I worked on the synthesis of BiCuI4Py5 - a mixed metal iodine salt. I worked on refining the synthesis to increase yield of the product, and expanded upon the known structure by varying starting material, solvents, ligands, and experiment run time. In the end we have created two novel compounds - one is BiCuI4Py5, and the other is a structurally busy silver analog. The application of the BiCuI4Py5 product is in photovoltaic materials. The newest way to make these is with lead salts, but these pose problems in that lead is both toxic and reactive with water. Bismuth is an obvious alternative as they are next to each other on the periodic table, but thus far very little research has been done on them. Hopefully BiCuI4Py5 can be used as part of these new cells, or even as a starting material for the new reactions. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology major, Chemistry minor

Faculty Mentor: Bob Pike, Chemistry

Caelen Grange: The Potential Benefit of Blockchain Technology on Supply Chains 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B14 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

The Potential Benefit of Blockchain Technology on Supply Chains 

Blockchain is a unique technology known for its decentralized, distributed, and immutable characteristics. These characteristics give blockchain immense potential to transform supply chains from improving visibility to enhancing security and simplifying transactions. Through analysis of review papers and case studies, I present the major problems plaguing today’s supply chains followed by case studies of companies utilizing blockchain technology to resolve these issues. Along with highlighting the potential opportunities, I also examine the corresponding challenges that come with integrating blockchain technology into supply chains. This paper should help researchers and practitioners better understand and identify areas in which blockchain technology can be used to address issues with today’s supply chains.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, Finance 

Faculty Mentor: Joe Wilck, Raymond A. School of Business

Sarah Gresham: Chlorophyll Derivatives and Their Function in Health

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A15 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Chlorophyll Derivatives and Their Function in Health

Chlorophyll is a molecule commonly found in plants and is the key component of photosynthesis. Recently literature has shown that derivatives of chlorophyll can be and are absorbed by the human body, sparking a huge explosion of research into chlorophyll’s biological mechanisms of action. Chlorophyll has been shown to participate in oxidation-reduction reactions, both as a pro-oxidant and a reductant based on its chemical environment. I investigated the potential of using chlorophyll as a reducing agent in the human body, thereby helping to prevent oxidative damage to cells, which is the cause of many diseases including cancer, heart disease, and many neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, the unique chemical structure of chlorophyll has been shown to have anti-carcinogenic properties which are especially useful because chlorophyll’s non-toxicity to humans. If we can understand the biochemical effects of chlorophyll, the possibilities for improving human health are astounding.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Lisa Landino, Chemistry

Rebekah Gresham: Synthesis of Triynes for Testing of Biological Effects

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B3 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Synthesis of Triynes for Testing of Biological Effects

Polyynes are a class of organic molecule that have more than one carbon-carbon triple bond and demonstrate interesting biological activities, including antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-biofilm properties. My research focused on creating triynes, a type of polyyne molecule that has exactly three carbon-carbon triple bonds. By varying the ends of the molecules slightly, I created several different triyne molecules. These molecules will be tested on different bacterial samples to determine whether they kill or inhibit the growth of bacterial cells. Studying these triynes will allow us to understand more of what causes the antibacterial properties of polyynes in general and will reveal which types of polyynes could be useful for selectively targeting one kind of cell, paving the way for future antibacterial drugs and therapies.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Robert Hinkle, Chemistry

Rebecca Gurysh: Review of Socioeconomic Impacts of Environmental Initiatives on a Global Scale

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C8 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Review of Socioeconomic Impacts of Environmental Initiatives on a Global Scale

I researched the impact of environmental initiatives on the socioeconomic conditions of the surrounding areas. This project was conducted in collaboration with the Global Environmental Facility, one of the largest and most influential environmental funds in the world. To do this, I conducted a literature review.
This literature review primarily focused on global-scope analyses that explored the socioeconomic co-benefits of environmental interventions. Because the vast majority of studies on this topic are small-scale (i.e., not global in nature), I expanded this search to include regional - and even country - studies. The metrics analyzed in this review  include (a) disparities in regional coverage of articles, (b) quantitative findings, and the relative number of papers that are qualitative vs. quantitative in their methodology.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Data Science

Faculty Mentor: Dan Runfola, Applied Science

H

Ryan Hansen: The Effect of Stream Conductivity and Temperature on Aquatic Salamanders

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C16 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

The Effect of Stream Conductivity and Temperature on Aquatic Salamanders

The streams around Lake Matoaka are home to aquatic salamanders that are sensitive to the physical characteristics of the stream such as temperature. As the campus of William and Mary continues its construction of impervious surfaces, meaning that the surfaces do not absorb any water and it runs off quickly into the surrounding bodies of water, the streams undergo rapid changes that are too quick for the salamanders to adapt. I decided to research salamanders in these streams to figure out if there was an effect of the conductivity and temperature on salamander length. Throughout the summer, I went to nine different streams surrounding Lake Matoaka and sampled them at randomly generated GPS coordinates. I recorded the conductivity and temperature at each of the coordinates before sampling with a net, recording how many salamanders I found. I also recorded the length of each salamander caught and compared it to the conductivity and temperature of the stream. According to the data, there is no clear universal correlation between either conductivity and salamander length as well as temperature and salamander length. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, History

Faculty Mentor: Randolph Chambers, Biology

Erika Hansen: Hypothesized Impact of Eutrophication on Oyster Flatworm (Stylochus ellipticus) Recruitment in the Chesapeake Bay

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D10 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Hypothesized Impact of Eutrophication on Oyster Flatworm (Stylochus ellipticus) Recruitment in the Chesapeake Bay

Since the 1950s, eutrophication has increased in the Chesapeake Bay, leading to elevated phytoplankton levels. Larval oyster flatworms (Stylochus ellipticus) eat phytoplankton, but in the adult stage, flatworms are a primary predator of Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in the Chesapeake Bay. I hypothesize the increase in phytoplankton concentration has resulted in larger adult flatworm populations compared to historical Bay conditions, due to greater larval food availability. This has likely been detrimental to oysters and the entire Chesapeake Bay ecosystem because oysters play an important ecological role, filtering water and providing habitat. Current oyster populations represent 1% of historical abundance, but there is little research on the contribution of flatworms to this decline¬. To determine if eutrophication leads to higher recruitment rates, I cultured flatworm larvae using water collected from the York River in conditions representing pre-1950 phytoplankton levels, current phytoplankton levels, and future phytoplankton levels simulating increasing eutrophication.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology and Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Jon Allen, Biology

Abigail Hazelgrove: A study of Crim Dell environmental conditions and their effect on Craspedacusta sowerbii blooms 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A7 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

A study of Crim Dell environmental conditions and their effect on Craspedacusta sowerbii blooms 

The Crim Dell is home to the freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii, which exists as a microscopic, bottom-living polyp that only produces jellyfish, called medusae, in large blooms once every few years. Although C. sowerbii is widely distributed, it remains poorly understood due to its small size and unpredictable blooms. I conducted consistent sampling of the Crim Dell to locate polyps and determine which conditions, such as temperature and zooplankton abundance, cause these blooms to occur. Zooplankton abundance peaked at ~167 plankton/liter, and four main types of zooplankton were identified: copepods (62.8%), cladocerans (30.5%), rotifers (3.9%), and ostracods (2.7%). Measurements of temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll were also examined over time and at different depths. However, no medusae or polyps were found within the study period, possibly due to a low zooplankton abundance and/or lack of a sharp rise in temperature. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Major: Biology, Minor: Geology

Faculty Mentor: Jonathan Allen, Biology

Griffin Heyde: A Python Version of KN1D for the Training of a Neutral Density Predicting Machine Learning Algorithm

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B1 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

A Python Version of KN1D for the Training of a Neutral Density Predicting Machine Learning Algorithm

In fusion research, predicting neutral profiles is critical to understanding the fueling requirements for a fusion reactor. KN1D, a neutral-calculating algorithm, uses a collisional-radiative model for the 10 most important electron interactions, and elastic collisions are included using a BGK model. KN1D is converted into Python to simplify its use for the wider community, improve compatibility with experimental data and predictive modeling, and allow easier coupling to ML and AI algorithms. The Python version is verified by comparing it to the previous IDL version using data from the C-Mod tokamak at MIT. A ML algorithm is then trained with a synthetic database of input/output files from KN1D. Inputs outside of the training data are then put through both the algorithm and KN1D, with any deviations being amended after comparison. The advantage of a well-trained machine learning algorithm is that it can significantly reduce the computational requirements compared to KN1D.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Majors: Physics (EPAD concentration) and Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Saskia Mordijck, Physics

Nick Holland: Updating KN1D into Python for Improved Modeling of Neutral Profiles 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B2 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Updating KN1D into Python for Improved Modeling of Neutral Profiles 

In fusion research, predicting neutral profiles is critical to understand the fueling requirements for a fusion reactor. KN1D, written in IDL, includes collisional-radiative models for atoms and molecules, and accounts for the 10 most important electron interactions; elastic collisions are included using a BKG model. However, atomic physics cross-sections have remained unchanged since the time of initial coding. We will first convert KN1D into Python to simplify its use for the wider community and improve compatibility with experimental data as well as predictive modeling.
The updated code will be verified through comparison to the previous IDL version using data from the Alcator C-Mod tokamak at MIT. Testing against experimental results and more complex modeling will allow us to verify the continued applicability of KN1D’s predictions, and thus assess the need to upgrade the atomic physics processes in KN1D to leverage open-source databases of atomic physics reactions such as ADAS.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Physics (Major), Mathematics (Major)

Faculty Mentor: Saskia Mordijck, Physics

Emma Holley: Claudin RNA Expression and Ulcerative Colitis Pathogenesis

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A9 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Claudin RNA Expression and Ulcerative Colitis Pathogenesis

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is an Inflammatory Bowel Disease of unknown etiology. In this study, we ask if comparative transcriptomics can provide clues as to the molecular pathogenesis of UC. We take a novel gene family-based approach, focusing on the claudin (CLDN) family of tight junction proteins. CLDN gene products are known to work in a coordinated manner within the gene family to provide paracellular barrier function of differing permeabilities to ions, antigens, and small molecules. Disruption of claudin gene expression due to inflammation is thought to lead to a “leaky gut” phenotype and increased disease severity and susceptibility. Using existing RNAseq data from The Predicting Response to Standardized Pediatric Colitis Therapy (PROTECT) study, CLDN genes were analyzed using methods to identify CLDN isoforms of pathophysiological impact. We identified large variation in CLDN transcript abundance and observed a dramatic decrease in CLDN mRNA levels in UC patients. Remarkably, these changes occurred in the absence of major changes in CLDN ratio. Cell-type gene family grouping combined with per-patient expression analysis revealed that a proportional decrease in differentiated epithelial cells is most likely responsible for global CLDN suppression, and not variation in the transcriptional program within these cells. However, trends in individual CLDN gene expression were identified, notably, CLDN 2/8 and 12, and allowed for the prioritization of these CLDN genes for further study. Remarkably, all these CLDN genes are thought to play in ion traffic within the gut. We predict from these finds that cation traffic is increased, contributing to “ leaky gut”. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: CAMS Mathematical Biology Major, Biology Minor

Faculty Mentor: Mark Forsyth, Biology

Jessica Horner: Helicobacter pylori’s Type 1 Restriction-Modification subunit, hsdR1, does not produce a novel protein when phase off 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C14 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Helicobacter pylori’s Type 1 Restriction-Modification subunit, hsdR1, does not produce a novel protein when phase off 

Helicobacter pylori is a human gastric pathogen that infects about 50% of the world’s population. H. pylori has been shown to use Restriction-Modification (RM) systems to prevent bacteriophage infection and facilitate genomic plasticity. One of H. pylori’s Type 1 RM systems contains a restriction subunit, hsdR1, with a poly cytosine tract capable of phase variation. Phase variation functions to turn bacterial genes on and off. Typically, phase off genes do not produce proteins. However, hsdR1 contains an unusually long sequence before its poly cytosine tract, raising the possibility of a phase off protein. I used site-directed mutagenesis to incorporate a FLAG epitope tag into hsdR1 locked in the phase off position and subsequently replaced the wild-type hsdR1 allele with this novel FLAG tagged allele in H. pylori. I was able to utilize western blotting analysis to deny the existence of any protein production in the phase off version of hsdR1. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Mark Forsyth, Biology

Bryant Humphries: Using Split-GFP to Investigate Stress-Dependent Sumoylation in the Cytosol

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A11 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Using Split-GFP to Investigate Stress-Dependent Sumoylation in the Cytosol

SUMO is a small protein that becomes covalently linked to other cellular proteins to fine-tune essential cellular processes including the cellular stress response. While the role of SUMO in the cell’s nucleus is well studied, much less is known about SUMO’s role in the cytosol. Here, we are using a split-GFP approach to visualize and quantify cytosolic SUMO during the stress response. This approach involves splitting naturally fluorescent GFP into two non-fluorescent components and fusing each fragment to another protein. When GFP1-10 and GFP11-tagged proteins interact due to stress-induced sumoylation, they will reconstitute GFP fluorescence which can be imaged and quantified using fluorescent microscopy. We created and analyzed strains with TOM70-GFP11 and SMT3, SLX5, and SIZ1-GFP1-10, however there was no statistical significance in fluorescence levels between the stressed and unstressed conditions. We are refining our approach with additional fusion proteins to identify SUMO-dependent stress-induced protein interactions in the cytosol.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Major: Biology Minor: Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Oliver Kerscher, Biology

Zoe Hutcheson: Comparative Genetic Study of Virginia Crayfish

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C19 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Comparative Genetic Study of Virginia Crayfish

Recently, there have been reports of Orcanectes crayfish present in Virginia where they typically range from Missouri to the Great Lakes. Because of the lack of studies both on this specific invasion and crayfish in general, it is unknown how harmful these invasive crayfish are to the ecosystems they inhabit. Using PCR analysis, this study compares the diets of invasive and native crayfish around the creeks of Blacksburg as well as the diets of burrowing and stream crayfish in the Williamsburg area to expand current knowledge about their effects on their ecosystem. This project also aims to compare the PCR results from crayfish gut contents and fecal matter to try to create a method of studying crayfish diet and health without harming the crayfish and limiting disturbance to the ecosystem.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology

Faculty Mentor: James Skelton, Biology

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Curtis Ji: Usage of a Optical Character Recognition Software (OCR) for Developing a Novel Application for Use as an Aid to Prevent Allergens from Erroneous Purchase Via Detection in Commonplace Labeling Methods, i.e. Food Labels

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D15 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Usage of a Optical Character Recognition Software (OCR) for Developing a Novel Application for Use as an Aid to Prevent Allergens from Erroneous Purchase Via Detection in Commonplace Labeling Methods, i.e. Food Labels

According to the Federal Drug Administration, 32 million people in the United States alone suffer from some type of food allergy. When I was two years old, I was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed as one of those 32 million people. Although my parents were mindful of my limitations when I was younger, now that I am living independently, the burden is on me. There are a few applications available for users but the apps lack the specialization which I hope my research will provide. My Allergy App will enable users to scan food labels which will identify allergens within the product. I will create a database that will catalog all ingredient aliases that can identify allergens in a given food. The app will use the results of the scan and database to empower the users to make smart choices with their food, without compromising safety or enjoyment.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Michele King, Speech

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Shayan Khwaja: HDAC8’s Role in Thyroid Hormone Receptor Activity

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D12 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

HDAC8’s Role in Thyroid Hormone Receptor Activity

Thyroid hormone receptor (TR) is a nuclear receptor that binds to DNA to turn genes on or off. TR mainly exists in the nucleus of cells, where DNA is located, but also shuttles to the cytoplasm. This activity is impacted by chemical modifications called acetylations. High TR acetylation levels cause it to have greater cytosolic concentration while maintaining normal shuttling.
HDAC8 is an enzyme that removes acetyl groups from proteins. I am studying HDAC8 and asking: does HDAC8 deacetylate TR? Experimentally, what is the effect of inhibiting HDAC8 in cells? If HDAC8’s true role in the cell is to remove acetyl groups from TR, then inhibiting HDAC8 should lead to greater TR acetylation and elevated cytosolic concentration. Preliminary results show HDAC8 does not deacetylate TR. Knowledge of how TR interacts with HDAC8 will improve understanding of thyroid hormone induced gene expression and how failed TR regulation leads to endocrine diseases.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology Major

Faculty Mentor: Lizabeth Allison, Biology

Isabelle Kogan: Classifying Pyrromethene 605 Using Blinking-Based Multiplexing: A New Approach to Single-Molecule Imaging

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A16 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Classifying Pyrromethene 605 Using Blinking-Based Multiplexing: A New Approach to Single-Molecule Imaging

Multicolor super-resolution imaging using fluorescent probes is a powerful method for analyzing the structures and pathways within biological systems. Until recently, differences in emission spectra were used to identify probes within a single system, making it impossible to distinguish between different probes with overlapping spectra. To combat this, the Wustholz lab developed Blinking Based Multiplexing (BBM), a method of identifying probes based on their distinct photon emission patterns under continuous excitation. Previously collected data from two spectrally overlapping probes, Rhodamine 6G and Quantum Dots, have already yielded significant differences in emission patterns, and emission data from a third molecule, Pyrromethene 605, will build on this. Currently, very little is known about the blinking dynamics of Pyrromethene 605, a fluorescent BODIPY probe. Data collected on a confocal microscope with a 532nm laser set at a power of 0.768μW show periods of high intensity emission followed by photobleaching for single pyrromethene 605 molecules, qualitatively characterizing this probe’s behavior in response to excitation. Further data will need to be collected to confirm findings and quantitative trends. An additional property distinctive to each probe is the dark state, or the mechanism in which a molecule switches from a period of emission to no emission. There are several types of dark states including triplet, electron transfer, and proton transfer. Analysis of Pyrromethene 605 has yielded methods to discern which types of dark states are active in this molecule. However, further research on the molecule’s structural behavior is necessary before testing can begin. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Kristin Wustholz, Chemistry

Corina Kowalski: Fat intake modifies the association between restricted carbohydrate diets and prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: E2 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Fat intake modifies the association between restricted carbohydrate diets and prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases

Cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) account for over one-third of the mortality burden in the United States annually, and in response, many Americans are turning to special diets for health improvement. Among the most popular of these diets restricts carbohydrate intake, though the potential association between carbohydrate restriction and CMD is not well understood. This study evaluated the association between restricted carbohydrate diets and prevalent CMD, stratified by fat intake. Dietary and CMD data were retrieved from 19,078 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2018. Compared to participants that met all macronutrient recommendations, those that restricted carbohydrates were 1.146 (95% CI 1.140-153) times as likely to have CMD. Higher intakes of saturated and polyunsaturated fat were associated with greater prevalence of CMD overall, while higher intake of monounsaturated fat was associated with less prevalence of CMD only among participants that met carbohydrate recommendations. Greater efforts are needed to understand longitudinal relationships between carbohydrate restriction and CMD.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience major, Public health minor

Faculty Mentor: Zach Conrad, Kinesiology 

Sarah Larimer: Predicting Migration Through Guatemala Using Deep Learning

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C9 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Predicting Migration Through Guatemala Using Deep Learning

In this project, I combined satellite imagery and census data of Guatemalan municipalities in order to predict migration. We hypothesized that the these two inputs would be an indicator of the number of international migrants who left each municipality. This project used census data from 2002 and aggregate satellite imagery from the 5 years prior. In addition to the number of international migrants in a household, the household census data also contained information such as the number of occupants and access to utilities. This data was used to train a neural network that was used to predict the number of migrants. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Data Science, Economics

Faculty Mentor: Dan Runfola, Data Science

Erin Lipkin: Computerizing Your Closet: A 21st Century Approach to Closet Organization

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D2 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Computerizing Your Closet: A 21st Century Approach to Closet Organization

The fashion industry is experiencing a technological revolution due to the implementation of machine learning and Artificial Intelligence in many fashion-focused applications. This project examines the role of Artificial Intelligence in classifying images of clothing. Specifically, this research explores the use of Artificial Intelligence in mobile applications used for closet organization. To put this information to use, a mobile closet application was developed using Microsoft Power Apps and Dataverse. Inside the application, Microsoft's AI Builder was used for detecting and classifying various articles of clothing. The scope of this application was restricted to women's clothing for clarity and preciseness.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Computer science major, Data Science minor
Faculty Mentor: Dana Willner, Computer Science

Sean Lochner, Delaney Crotteau: Synthesis of 6PPD-Quinone

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A8 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Synthesis of 6PPD-Quinone

In nature, many compounds exist that would be of great medicinal value. Unfortunately, many of these compounds are produced in small quantities. The goal of this project is twofold. The first is to develop ways to synthesize these compounds in the lab. We then aim to look at how modifications in these compounds make the potential drug better or worse. Specifically, I will be working to synthesize 6PPD-Quinone which we believe may have anti-cancer compounds. As science continues to work towards developing more ways to combat cancer, artificial synthesis of compounds could be of great medicinal value.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Sean: Self-Designed Human Biology, Delaney: Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Dana Lashley, Chemistry

Evan London: Investigation of a thiol-yne reaction to generate multivalent bioconjugates

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B10 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Investigation of a thiol-yne reaction to generate multivalent bioconjugates

Proteins in biological systems are fundamentally limited by their amino acid building blocks, of which there are only twenty. Therefore, introducing an unnatural amino acid (UAA) into a protein in vivo may allow for further modification via secondary reactions to create new multipart, multifunctional biomolecules. Reliable methods exist to incorporate UAAs into model protein systems, but reactions that ‘click’ together UAAs with other chemical components are understudied. This research project sought to refine the conditions for the radical-mediated thiol-yne click reaction, one potential means of generating sulfur-based multivalent bioconjugates. Temperature, duration, amount of starting material, and other factors were varied across multiple trials in both organic and biological conditions. Further research into the thiol-yne reaction procedure could assist development of bioconjugates containing antibodies, cytotoxic therapeutic agents, or fluorescent probes to address key limitations in traditional approaches to diagnosing and treating diseases.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry (major), Biochemistry (intent to minor)

Faculty Mentor: Douglas Young, Chemistry

Chloe Lund: Monitoring root-soil moisture interactions to detect tree water stress in a humid environment

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A19 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Monitoring root-soil moisture interactions to detect tree water stress in a humid environment

Trees can experience water stress when they do not receive enough water through root-soil interactions, even in the humid forests of Virginia. Different levels of soil moisture were located as an indicator of water stress within the College Woods. By installing water level loggers in groundwater wells and soil moisture sensors, time series of groundwater depth and changes to soil moisture were compiled. These data were collected over the summer to explore the distribution of soil moisture between different sites and to examine the frequency and magnitude of water stress experienced by trees across a depth to groundwater gradient. Understanding when and where trees lack access to water can help constrain the conditions leading to the loss of tree function from low transpiration. The results of this project are helping facilitate the development of a new sensor that monitors tree water stress through ultrasonic acoustic emissions.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Environmental Geology

Faculty Mentor: Dom Ciruzzi, Geology

Emilio Luz-Ricca, Clare Heinbaugh: Data-free few-shot federated learning using a conditional variational autoencoder

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: G1 - Session I, 11:00 am-12:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Data-free few-shot federated learning using a conditional variational autoencoder

Federated learning (FL) is a new paradigm for training deep learning models which
promises to improve privacy for users who contribute data. Recent advances in FL
have focused on reducing communication costs, leading to the development of the new FL task, one-shot FL, where communication is limited to one round rather than the conventional tens or hundreds of rounds. We extend one-shot FL by proposing an analogous task, few-shot federated learning, which severely limits the number of communication rounds (i.e., <10). We benchmark several existing standard and one-shot FL algorithms in this new setting, and introduce a novel data-free method for few-shot FL based on a conditional variational autoencoder (CVAE) to address the shortcomings of existing algorithms. By comprehensively benchmarking in the few-shot FL setting, we hope to bridge the gap between one-shot and standard FL.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Emilio: Data Science, Math, Clare: Computer Science, Physics

Faculty Mentor: Huajie Shao, Computer Science

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Yun Ma: A unified synthesis of onychine and its related alkaloids 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: F2 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

A unified synthesis of onychine and its related alkaloids 

Onychines, eupolauridines, and azafluoranthenes are three related classes of pyridine alkaloid natural products.  Each molecular class possesses bioactivity and certain members show potential for the treatment of fungal or malarial, or bacterial infections. Although there are several known synthetic pathways to make these three pyridine alkaloids, those methods often involve either excessive steps or certain chemical reagents that are expensive and challenging to work with. This project aims to develop a concise and efficient unified synthesis of all three molecular scaffolds from a common precursor.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Jonathan Scheerer, Chemistry

Daniel McArthur: Analyzing Offensive Language in Music Using Machine Learning

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B17 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Analyzing Offensive Language in Music Using Machine Learning

This project serves as a proof-of-concept for a new approach in analyzing explicit language in music. The core idea is to utilize Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence to provide a more fine-grained analysis of offensive language in music, as opposed to a binary explicit or clean. After examining the previous research in this general subject matter, as well as considering several different ways to go about the work, I ultimately decided to import a Python library called alt-profanity-check. I could use its probability rating to give a better estimate of how explicit a given track was. I tested this thinking on a dataset of a few songs and compared it with Spotify’s own explicit labels. It proved to be quite accurate, so I ran it on a larger dataset and looked at the results by genre and by decade. In the end I found that using NLP for music analysis is helpful, and that this line of thinking is also beneficial. Going forward, it would be better to tailor a new machine learning algorithm to song lyrics.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Linguistics, Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Jim Deverick, Computer Science

Brooke Meeks: H. Pylori ArsR Mutation Strain

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A10 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

H. Pylori ArsR Mutation Strain

Helicobacter Pylori is a bacteria that colonizes the human stomach, which if virulence is expressed can cause ulcers, inflammation, and stomach cancer. It is able to survive in the stomach due to the two-component system ArsR. When a mutation is made to certain amino acids in the ArsR gene, the bacteria will not grow, meaning it is hard to prove it is lethal because there are no bacteria to study. By using a strain of H. pylori with 2 copies of ArsR, we can mutate one and still have a functional copy of ArsR to study. Brooke Meeks’ project is to explore if changing a specific amino acid on ArsR gene is a lethal mutation or not and as well how the modification by adding an acetyl group on some of the lysines on the gene are important to causing virulence. This research question is important because the ArsR gene is key to helping maintain the extracellular pH and maybe in virulence, however it is not known how it does this.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Mark Forsyth, Biology

Ignat Miagkov: Analyzing Epoxy Behavior using Molecular Dynamics

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A13 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Analyzing Epoxy Behavior using Molecular Dynamics

Currently, the Meldrum Lab is performing analysis on different epoxide materials using single-sided NMR data, with the end goal being to prove that single-sided NMR is an accurate method for analyzing said compounds. The goal of my project was to use molecular dynamics to calculate theoretical behavior of the same compounds with rules that follow typical molecular behavior. Different molecular dynamics simulations were conducted with varying epoxide materials and other simpler systems to prove its effectiveness with NMR data. The AMBER molecular dynamics package was used to define molecular behavior in the simulation. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Double Major Chemistry, Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Tyler Meldrum, Chemistry

Amanda Michel: Graph Neural Networks: What They Are and Why They Matter

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D1 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Graph Neural Networks: What They Are and Why They Matter

Graph Neural Networks (GNN) are a relatively new and very powerful kind of machine learning model. The aim of this research is to break down what exactly GNNs are, how they compare to other machine learning models, and how they can be used to solve real-world problems.The defining characteristic of a GNN is that its base unit is a graph–a data structure made of vertices and edges, where any two vertices can be connected by an edge. The nature of these graphs allows us to approach new (and existing) problems in new ways, but the opportunities they provide come with additional challenges–chiefly, graphs are much more difficult to interpret than data types found in other machine learning models (e.g. images, text, time data, etc.). GNNs can be used to classify objects, but are uniquely powerful in seeing–and predicting–connections and relationships between items in a graph. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Computer Science and Linguistics

Faculty Mentor: Bin Ren, Computer Science

Katherine Milenski, Jacob Stechmann: Sex Differences of Myoendothelial Feedback in Mouse Mesenteric Resistance Arteries

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: I2 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Sex Differences of Myoendothelial Feedback in Mouse Mesenteric Resistance Arteries

Myoendothelial feedback (MFB) is an inter-cellular mechanism that functions to prevent excessive arterial constriction after sympathetic stimulation. This process triggers two pathways in the endothelium via smooth muscle to endothelial gap junction communication; production of nitric oxide and hyperpolarization via TRPV4, IKca, and SKca channels which initiate dilation in the vascular smooth muscle. To compare specific pathways, L-NAME suppressed production of nitric oxide and GSK219-inhibited TRPV4, which may prevent Ca2+ influx and binding to IKca channels, and subsequent hyperpolarization. Protein expression of eNOS, IKca, TRPV4, and SKca was measured via western blot and normalized over the housekeeping gene, GAPDH. MFB responses were similar between the sexes.  Inhibiting production of nitric oxide showed similar significant suppression of MFB (p<0.01) between the sexes,  and blocking TRPV4 showed no significant effect on MFB in either sex. Gene expression was also similar between the sexes.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Katherine: Kinesiology & Health Sciences, Psychology, Jacob: Kinesiology & Health Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Robin Looft-Wilson, Kinesiology & Health Sciences

Julia Mitchell: Modeling The Effects of a Plant-Based Diet on Neurodegeneration in Parkinson's Disease

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B5 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Modeling The Effects of a Plant-Based Diet on Neurodegeneration in Parkinson's Disease

In recent literature regarding the impact of one's diet on neurodegeneration as it relates to diseases like Parkinson's, there is increasing evidence that a plant-based diet can be protective against, slow the rate of, and even potentially reverse neurodegeneration. I attempted to explore this by using Cell Designer to create models of neurodegenerative pathways in the brain, and then determine how different chemical aspects of a plant-based diet could intervene in these pathways. This includes models related to apoptosis, ferroptosis, and alpha-synuclein pathology, which are all important in PD pathology. The different characteristics of a plant-based diet such as lower protein and saturated fat intake, increased antioxidant and polyphenol intake, and higher unsaturated fat intake all alter the rates of these mechanisms. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry, Math Minor

Faculty Mentor: Randy Coleman, Chemistry

Lindsey Monteith: Up, Up, and Away: Mountain Tops Are the Last Refuge for Bombus affinis in its Southern Range

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C13 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Up, Up, and Away: Mountain Tops Are the Last Refuge for Bombus affinis in its Southern Range

   Bumble bees are important pollinators of wildflowers and agricultural products alike, keeping ecosystems and people healthy. However, there has been growing concern in recent years over the rapid, wide-spread decline of bumble bee populations. One species, Bombus affinis, as been of particular concern as its once large range across much of the Eastern United States has drastically shrunk over the past 40 years to only a few small pockets in the upper Midwest and the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Although the species is listed as endangered under the ESA, little is known about its current habitat associations and causes of decline.
    This project used habitat suitability modeling to identify quality habitat areas for B. affinis in the southern region of its historical range based on both recent and past climate data. Field surveys within suitable B. affinis habitat revealed patterns in Bombus communities related to elevation and floral resource availability. When combined, models and field studies suggest compounding stressors are threatening B. affinis populations.
    B. affinis suitable habitat has shifted to higher elevations in its southern range over the past 40 years, reducing to smaller, more isolated areas at mountain tops. Apparent intrusion of common low vegetation weeds into mountain forests provides a bridge for mixed-habitat bees that may bring threats of competition and disease to the already dwindling B. affinis populations in this region.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, Environment and Sustainability

Faculty Mentor: Harmony Dalgleish, Biology

Alex Mui: Spatial Modeling for Oyster Growth

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A6 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Spatial Modeling for Oyster Growth

Oysters were once abundant in the Chesapeake Bay, but their population has severely decreased to less than 1% of the population because of overfishing, disease, and habitat degradation. Oysters are a significant part of the ecosystem because they filter water and are food/habitat for different species. This research models how juvenile oysters, adult oysters, dead oyster shells, and sediment interact to affect the growth of the oyster population. We develop a spatial model for oysters to study how factors such as the shape and size of surrounding reefs affect oyster population growth in space and time.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Applied Math, Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Leah Shaw, Mathematics

Colin Murphy: Monitoring bottlenose dolphin health with novel machine learning algorithms

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A4 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Monitoring bottlenose dolphin health with novel machine learning algorithms

Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population health is threatened globally due to environmental and anthropogenic stressors. However, current methods of monitoring dolphin populations are time consuming and costly. The presence of skin lesions indicates poor health in dolphins; thus, we aimed to automate health monitoring using machine learning to detect skin lesions from photographs of dolphins. Using a dataset of photographs from the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project, we trained object detection models to determine skin lesion prevalence. We created a model that 1) locates and crops individual dolphins in a photograph and 2) focuses on specific lesion categories that are common in our dataset. The models perform well on our testing dataset and help us estimate that the majority of dolphins in the Chesapeake present skin lesions. This project improves health monitoring in top ocean predator and sentinel animal species and informs our understanding of Chesapeake Bay ecosystem health.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Dana Willner, Computer Science

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Kathryn Nanovic: Nuclear Localization of HDAC4 in Alzheimer's Disease and Anorexia Nervosa 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C21 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Nuclear Localization of HDAC4 in Alzheimer's Disease and Anorexia Nervosa 

HDAC4 is a protein that  removes acetyl groups from lysine residues to condense chromatin and repress gene transcription as a form of post translational control. HDAC4 is active in the nucleus and is unable to perform this function in the cytoplasm. Location of HDAC4 is determined by its phosphorylation status, with phosphorylated HDAC4 being located in the cytoplasm. Proapoptotic conditions cause HDAC4 to dephosphorylate and translocate into the nucleus, which is associated with neuronal death. This is likely because of HDAC4 inhibiting gene transcription of important cellular elements. Elevated nuclear accumulation of HDAC4 is seen in eating disordered patients, such as those with anorexia nervosa, and patients suffering from neurodegeneration, as those with Alzhieimer’s disease. This research focuses on the different mechanisms of HDAC4 phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, and how nuclear accumulation of HDAC4 responds to the pathologies of anorexia nervosa and Alzheimer’s disease.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience 

Faculty Mentor: Randolph Coleman, Chemistry/Neuroscience

Ruby Neisser: Investigations into 2-pyrrolecarboxaldehyde (2PC) solar absorption outcomes

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: F3 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Investigations into 2-pyrrolecarboxaldehyde (2PC) solar absorption outcomes

The goal of the proposed experiments is to investigate the structure of flexible nitrogen heterocyclic (N-heterocyclic) molecules in “brown carbon (BrC)” aerosols under single-molecule solvation conditions, which simulates the local solvation environment surrounding these molecular chromophores in nature. We will focus on 2-pyrrolecarboxaldehyde (2PC), a prototypical BrC chromophore, to reveal its structure and solar absorption outcomes to understand the fundamental processes that drive aerosol optical properties. BrC is important in the study of atmospheric chemistry because it absorbs significant amounts of solar radiation.(citation-3) Studying the photochemistry and spectroscopy of molecules like 2PC gives insight into the solar absorption of these complex brown carbon compounds. (Citation-5) BrC chromophores are complex, but studying flexible N-heterocyclic molecules such as 2PC will help reveal a molecular-level picture of the conformational isomer structures and fundamental absorption outcomes of BrC aerosols.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry, Chinese

Faculty Mentor: Nathan Kidwell, Chemistry

Ethan Nelson: Trends in Inverse Diagonal Entries of Convex Combinations of a Row Stochastic Matrix and the Identity

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: G3 - Session I, 11:00 am-12:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Trends in Inverse Diagonal Entries of Convex Combinations of a Row Stochastic Matrix and the Identity
This project looks at a square stochastic matrix A. A’s entries are non-negative and between 0 and 1. A is square with an equal number of rows and columns denoted as n. The rows of A sum to 1. With these conditions, I am analyzing the equation ((1-t)*I + t*A). This is a convex combination of A with the identity, transforming a non-negative stochastic matrix into a row diagonally dominant stochastic matrix denoted A(t). Row diagonal dominance means the matrices’ diagonal values are greater than the absolute sum of the off-diagonal row entries. In the equation, t runs from 0 to ½, averaging A with the identity. This project analyzes the trends of the inverse diagonal values of A(t) through its derivative. The resulting trend is an increase in the diagonal values with increasing t up to a given value dependent on the size of the matrix.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience and Data Science

Faculty Mentor: Charles Johnson, Mathematics

Emily Newcomb: Effects of Triamcinolone on the Metabolic Behaviors of Young Cartilage

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A20 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Effects of Triamcinolone on the Metabolic Behaviors of Young Cartilage

Triamcinolone acetonide (TA) is a common steroid injection used to reduce inflammation following joint injuries. However, some physicians have voiced concern that TA disrupts the metabolic capabilities of chondrocytes and leads to early osteoarthritis. This poses the greatest risk to young patients who have otherwise healthy cartilage. The aim of our research is to show that TA does not cause further damage to the metabolic behaviors of young chondrocytes compared to inflammation alone. This was investigated by comparing the extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis, ECM loss, and cell viability of inflamed cartilage samples treated with different dosages of TA vs inflammation alone. Copper-free-click-chemistry methods were used for the fluorescent label of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) and collagen in the ECM, and read under a fluorescent plate reader to quantify synthesis and loss. Our results show that TA does not worsen chondrocytes’ metabolic capabilities compared to inflammation alone. Therefore, TA may be an appropriate clinical treatment for young patients.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: X. Lucas Lu, Mechanical Engineering

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Margaret O'Connor, Martha Ross: Evaluated Protected Area Creation Using the STAR Metric

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A21 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Evaluated Protected Area Creation Using the STAR Metric

During spring 2022, we worked with Rainforest Trust to evaluate their May 2022 proposed sites using the STAR (Species Threat Abatement and Recovery)  metric, a measure of biodiversity.  Using this metric, we were able to find out which sites had the most potential for abating threats to wide ranges of species.  We found a great range of threat reduction potentials through approximately 20 sites, and through this project were also able to explore some of the positives and negatives of using this type of metric in regards to site protection.  The STAR metric can be used to analyze a range of different sites both locally and globally using GIS.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Margaret: Economics/Environmental Science, Martha: Biology/Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Robert Rose, IIC

Daniel Otten: The Prototyping and Business Viability of Educational Video Games

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: G4 - Session I, 11:00 am-12:30 pm, Digital Presentation

The Prototyping and Business Viability of Educational Video Games

Are video games a viable method of teaching information or skills?  Engagement is fundamental to educational success, and our public school systems frequently struggle to keep kids' attention, especially in this era of widespread digital distraction.  But what if we could turn that distraction into progress?  Video games are entertaining and also have proven able to hold children's attention for long periods of time.  If schools could use video games to assist with learning, it could have enormous impact on both students and faculty.  Providing an entertaining and positive method would improve student motivation while reducing stress, anxiety, and boredom.  Games could also provide more individualized learning, meeting students at the level best suited for them.  This could reduce teacher workload, costs, and student/faculty burnout. I want to prototype a video game designed to teach fundamental concepts normally learned in school, but in a more entertaining and positive manner.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Major: Computer Science, Minor: Film and Media Studies

Faculty Mentor: Daniel Otten, Computer Science

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John Pendergrass: Forecasting stock market trends based on a Markov chain mathematical model

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B13 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Forecasting stock market trends based on a Markov chain mathematical model

My project proposes to develop a method of technical analysis for forecasting stock market trends using Markov chains. The Markov process determines future probabilities using the immediate present, instead of the past. This means it can predict how the price of a stock will change based on its current price. This is an advantage for my project because of the random nature of stock market fluctuations. Having a reference model for the stock market would have the advantages of keeping investors' money secure and ensuring investment money is going to companies with the highest potential. These predictions would be best in capturing short-term trends in a more general sense.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Mathematics   

Faculty Mentor: John Pendergrass, Mathematics

Mia Perry: Milkweed Pollinia Germination 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A18 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Milkweed Pollinia Germination 

Plants in the Genus Asclepias utilize structures called Pollinia (a sac that contains hundreds of pollen grains) to facilitate pollination. However, instead of relying on wind dispersal these plants need pollinators to carry pollinia on their bodies and redistribute them onto another Asclepias plant.
Since the pollinia are located next to the nectary structures, my project analyzed the relationship between sugar type (sucrose, fructose, glucose)  and sugar concentration on Pollinia germination in various Asclepias (Milkweed) species , which is an indicator of plant fitness. Here are my research questions I attempted to answer this summer; How does the type and amount of sugar in the nectar affect pollen tube germination in milkweed pollinia? and How frequently does pollen tube germination happen in field-collected nectar?
I will continue to analyze the results of this summer in the fall semester and formulate new experimental question to further understand this relationship.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Undeclared 

Faculty Mentor: Harmony Dalgleish, Biology 

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Sahan Raghavan: RNA-Seq Analysis of Xenopus laevis embryos following a perturbation of the Notch Signaling Pathway

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D13 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

RNA-Seq Analysis of Xenopus laevis embryos following a perturbation of the Notch Signaling Pathway

The ability of embryos to heal and compensate after injury is an unique characteristic of embryonic development. In this project, we functionally analyzed the genome of Xenopus laevis embryos at three different stages of development (mid-neurula, tailbud, and swimming tadpole) after a genetic perturbation of the Notch signaling pathway was conducted using mRNA constructs. The pathway was hyperactivated using an ICD treatment and inhibited using a DBM treatment. Additionally a GFP treatment was used as the control. The embryos were sequenced at each of the three stages for the different treatments. A differential expression analysis was run on the genes between conditions and the control, as well as between subsequent stages. Genes that were significantly differentially expressed were functionally analyzed using DAVID. Several terms were identified as significant and demonstrate possible pathways for healing for the embryos.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience major, CAMS minor

Faculty Mentor: Margaret Saha, Biology

Erin Ramsey: Characterizing environmental regulation of Type I DNA Methyltransferase hsdM1 (HP0463) in Helicobacter pylori 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C15 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Characterizing environmental regulation of Type I DNA Methyltransferase hsdM1 (HP0463) in Helicobacter pylori 

Helicobacter pylori is a pathogenic bacteria that colonizes the mucosal lining of approximately 50% of the world’s population. It is a leading cause of Peptic Ulcer Disease and Gastric Cancer, and is unusual in its ability to survive for decades if untreated. Erin’s research focuses on the mechanisms of genetic and epigenetic regulation H. pylori utilizes to maintain such prolonged colonization in a harsh acidic environment. Her current work is on characterizing the effects of the methyltransferase hsdM1, which is upregulated upon acid exposure. hsdM1 silences genes via addition of a methyl group. hsdM1 expression has also been speculated to be induced by quorum sensing molecule AI-2. Erin’s work seeks to determine the extent to which hsdM1 expression is altered by quorum sensing. If AI-2 does regulate hsdM1 alongside acid regulation, there is potential interplay between the two systems, showing insight into H. pylori’s ability to persist.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Genetic Engineering and Bioethics major, Biology minor

Faculty Mentor: Mark Forsyth, Biology

Sayyed Hadi Razmjo: Statically Analyzing Android Mobile Applications For Cryptographic API Misuse 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: G6 - Session I, 11:00 am-12:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Statically Analyzing Android Mobile Applications For Cryptographic API Misuse 

The amount of trust that we put on certified mobile applications for our everyday use, from games and entertainment, to banking and saving sensitive & personal data, must match the level of security needed to ensure that these products are free from security flaws that can be exploited by malicious actors. People tend to blindly use "certified" products, without questioning whether these products are truly safe or not. Such apps are labeled as "certified" by compliance vendors, and thus, trusted by the public, yet they may have serious security flaws that can lead to catastrophic data breaches and major damage to people's data and online security. This research aims to evaluate these “certified” apps for security vulnerabilities by comprehensively evaluating a series of certified applications and robustly testing them for security vulnerabilities, with a specific focus on Cryptographic API misuses. The results of this research will be valuable in patching the existing security flaws in the tested products, elevating the level of security in the products that prove truly "certified," and understanding the limitations of the analyses performed by compliance vendors.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Computer Science & Government

Faculty Mentor: Adwait Nadkarni, Computer Science

Jacob Rodrigues: The Impact of Phase Variation in a Sensor Histidine Kinase on Urease Expression in Helicobacter pylori 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: F1 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

The Impact of Phase Variation in a Sensor Histidine Kinase on Urease Expression in Helicobacter pylori 

Through this project, we hope to confirm if there is differential expression of the ArsS isoforms under acidic conditions within H. Pylori. Should this hypothesis be quantitatively verified, it would indicate that there is an advantageous function to maintain a hypermutable poly-C tract that has been evolutionarily conserved, resulting in greater overall knowledge as to how and why the pathogen H. Pylori has the ability to survive and proliferate in the human gastrointestinal microbiome. By understanding how this pathogen can eschew our robust internal defense systems, we can thereby expound upon how to more properly treat this disease-causing bug while also explaining the reason as to why certain antibiotics prove to be more or less successful in treating the millions who are affected by it annually.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Jacob Rodrigues, Biology

Matthew Rosenthal: Investigating the role of the acetyltransferase GCN5 on TRβ1 localization and cytoskeleton networking

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D17 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Investigating the role of the acetyltransferase GCN5 on TRβ1 localization and cytoskeleton networking
It is known that the acetyltransferase CBP/p300 plays a role in the acetylation of thyroid hormone receptor; however, whether the acetyltransferase GCN5 also plays a role is unknown. CPTH2 is a specific inhibitor of GCN5 so it can be used as a tool for studying its effects on TRα1, TRβ1, and TRβ2 cellular localization. Additionally, CPTH2 inhibition can be used as a model for determining the effects of GCN5 on the cytoskeleton. Research into GCN5 will provide landmark information on the response of human thyroid hormone receptors and cytoskeleton to external stimuli and their subsequent contributions to metabolic conditions in patients.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, Russian

Faculty Mentor: Lizabeth Allison, Biology

Sarah Rowe: Food group intake of popular diet patterns in the United States: modeling substitution of foods high in added sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and refined grains

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: F3 - Session I, 11:00 am-12:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Food group intake of popular diet patterns in the United States: modeling substitution of foods high in added sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and refined grains

Suboptimal intake of food groups recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is associated with over 500,0000 deaths per year in the United States. Nearly 50% of consumers have tried a specialized diet in the past year to improve their health, but the associated intake of food groups has not been well characterized. The present study utilized nationally representative dietary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2018 (n=34,411). A computational model was constructed to evaluate the effects on intake of key food groups after replacement of one serving each of foods highest in added sugars, sodium, saturated fat, and refined grains with healthy alternatives. Modeled replacement resulted in increased intake of fruit and whole grains for most specialized diets, while the effects on intake of vegetables, protein, and dairy were variable. These findings provide health professionals with actionable guidance to provide their patients during dietary counseling.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Zach Conrad, Kinesiology

Connie Ryu: The Role of the Genetic Mutation found in Pseudophosphatase STYXL2 on its Protein Structure

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D18 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

The Role of the Genetic Mutation found in Pseudophosphatase STYXL2 on its Protein Structure

Protein phosphatases play important roles in many cellular signaling pathways linked to various diseases. Pseudophosphatases are those with genetic mutations in the motifs that determine their catalytic activity. One such is STYX-like-2 (STYXL2), which has been linked to paralysis and myofiber development. Studying how STYXL2’s genetic mutation affects its protein structure can provide insight to its functions in these processes. To compare STYXL2 to its catalytically active counterparts, bioinformatic software was used to visualize 3-D images and analyze the amino acid interactional differences that influence their respective protein structures. Further, plasmid constructs of STYXL2 and its counterparts were transfected into human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells. Western blots were then conducted to confirm their expression. The conclusions of this investigation into the effects of STYXL2’s mutation thus offer information to develop hypotheses for future studies regarding the pseudophosphatase’s catalytic activity and mechanisms.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, Public Health

Faculty Mentor: Shantá D. Hinton, Biology

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Morgan Sanders: The Foundations of Highland: a geological and historical study of James Monroe's Highland

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A3 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

The Foundations of Highland: a geological and historical study of James Monroe's Highland

William and Mary’s Highland, once home to James Monroe, has a rich history as it is now a historic site and a working farm. Preliminary evidence from LiDAR topographic data indicates a quarry on the property. We hypothesize that the foundation stone of the original Monroe home—uncovered in 2016—is a sedimentary rock, quarried on the property. Previous scholars’1994 geologic map “Geology of the Simeon Quadrangle, Virginia” identifies three rock types at Highland including metabasalt (which we note to be a greenstone), meta-arkose, and metasiltstone/phyllite. Their interpretation of geologic contacts slightly differs from our observations in the field. Using LiDAR topographic data as a base layer, we are making a detailed geologic map of the Highland property. We are currently working on the geologic map and cross section, a digital trail guide, as well as a Highland movie focused on geology and the environment. Geologic units at Highland are a part of the Catoctin Formation—metabasalts formed from lava flows during the Ediacaran period, which were later deformed and metamorphosed between 320 and 350 million years ago. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Geology & History (Majors)

Faculty Mentor: Christopher Bailey, Geology

Kara SantaLucia: Summer Ecology of a Western New York Pond

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C17 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Summer Ecology of a Western New York Pond

A comprehensive understanding of local ecosystem dynamics makes for better management and maintenance. In this project, I studied a large backyard pond in Orchard Park, New York for seven weeks. I conducted daily measurements of water clarity, salinity, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and pH. During this period, herbicide was applied to the water, which I found immediately led to a drop in the dissolved oxygen content. To better understand trophic interactions, I identified the major fish, frog, and turtle species living in the pond, as well as the bird species present around the pond. I also created a bathymetric map of the pond based on 50 depth measurements. This research adds to the local knowledge of suburban pond ecology and could influence the nature of human interference in the future. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology/ENSP

Faculty Mentor: Randolph Chambers, Biology

Philip Schowitz: Examining the Robustness of Self-Driving Systems Through Simulation and Fault Injection

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: J2 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Examining the Robustness of Self-Driving Systems Through Simulation and Fault Injection

Self-driving technology has become increasingly advanced over the past decade, largely due to developments in machine learning. While neural networks are powerful in terms of accuracy, they lack interpretability, meaning that their outputs are unpredictable under faults or corner cases. As these systems are meant to operate in sensitive, real-time environments, even small deviations from the ideal output can result in catastrophic consequences. Analysis of the greatest vulnerabilities of neural networks is thus necessary if wide-scale deployment of this technology is to be achieved in safety-critical environments. This paper investigates one neural network for self-driving and attempts to characterize which parts of it are most vulnerable to errors resulting from bit flips, as well as identify the contexts in which these errors are most frequent or dangerous.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Computer Science, Mathematics

Faculty Mentor: Evgenia Smirni, Computer Science

Yuxing Shen: Chemical Genetics screen to study functional effects of EVP4593

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C20 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Chemical Genetics screen to study functional effects of EVP4593

Mitochondria are essential eukaryotic organelle. Dysfunction of mitochondria can lead to mitochondrial myopathies but may also contribute to tumorigenesis and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. EVP 4593 is a novel and highly potent chemical compound, a 6-aminoquinazoline derivative, that inhibits complex I of mitochondria, which is involved in the oxidative phosphorylation and the oxidation of NADH, leading to mitochondrial dysfunctions. To better understand the cellular pathways and processes affected by EVP 4593, we conducted a genome wide chemical genetics screen of the yeast knockout collection with the goal to identify yeast gene deletions that exhibit growth defects when subjected to sublethal concentrations of EVP 4593. We screened ~5100 yeast mutants and  identified 20 yeast genes that are required for resistance to EVP 4593. The sensitivity of these strains was also tested on derivatives of EVP4593. The genes identified in our screen are functionally involved in regulating mitochondrial metabolism and vacuolar targeting. Understanding the genetic pathways involved in EVP sensitivity may help our understanding of how cells protect their mitochondria as well as the biogenesis and treatment of mitochondrially-linked pathologies.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, German

Faculty Mentor: Oliver Kerscher, Biology

Yigit Simsek: Impact of Deacetylation by Sirtuin 1 on the Nucleocytoplasmic Trafficking of the Thyroid Hormone Receptor α1

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B7 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Impact of Deacetylation by Sirtuin 1 on the Nucleocytoplasmic Trafficking of the Thyroid Hormone Receptor α1

Thyroid hormone (T3) regulates metabolic processes in all human cells. Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) are intracellular proteins that undergo nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and bind T3 to regulate gene transcription within the nucleus. Acetylation, a process where amino acids of a protein bind to a chemical called an acetyl group, can alter protein function. Prior studies show that acetylated TR has a greater cytoplasmic localization. 
Sitruin 1 (SIRT1) is a deacetylase, an enzyme that removes acetyl groups. A SIRT1 inhibitor was used to explore SIRT1’s effects on TR subtype α1 shuttling. If SIRT1 deacetylates TRα1, then its inhibition would be expected to cause elevated TRα1 acetylation and a more cytoplasmic localization. Results, however, showed greater nuclear localization for TRα1 in cells treated with the SIRT1 inhibitor, suggesting effects are indirect and that SIRT1 does not deacetylate TRα1. Understanding the impact of acetylation on TR shuttling yields insight applicable to T3-related disorders.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, Mathematics

Faculty Mentor: Lizabeth Allison, Biology

Isabella Sison: Analyzing the Vowel Spaces of Patients with Schizophrenia

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B18 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Analyzing the Vowel Spaces of Patients with Schizophrenia

For my research project, I investigated the differences in speech between a group of patients with schizophrenia and a control group without schizophrenia. Using online linguistic analysis programs, I measured features of their vowels in an attempt to determine if there is a clear connection between schizophrenia and vowel qualities. By conducting this research on data from non-scripted speech tasks, I sought to discover whether previous results about the scripted speech of patients with schizophrenia also apply to natural speech. The results of my research could improve understanding about the effects and signs of schizophrenia.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Undeclared

Faculty Mentor: Anya Hogoboom, Linguistics

Catherine Sturner: Developing a Quantum Diamond Microscope to Detect Dark Matter

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D3 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Developing a Quantum Diamond Microscope to Detect Dark Matter

Quantum diamond microscopes (QDMs) are a type of device used to detect changes in the environment or structure of a diamond. Thus, one could be used to sense a dark matter particle that has caused damage to a diamond through a collision. This project focused on the assembly and testing of a QDM for this purpose. To assemble the QDM, I aligned the optical components exactly, such that the initial laser light was focused on the diamond, causing it to fluoresce. The outgoing light was then focused on the sensors to detect any changes in the fluorescence.  The final set-up for the microscope is able to detect overall changes due to the environment of the diamond, but further work needs to be done to increase sensitivity to better separate the noise from the desired signal.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Physics major, Math minor

Faculty Mentor: Seth Aubin, Physics

Jake Swery: Vanadium Catalysts for Hydrogen Production

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A14 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Vanadium Catalysts for Hydrogen Production

Vanadium complexes are common oxidation catalysts, and have been studied extensively with regards to cancer medicine. Despite the abundance of Vanadium on earth, as well as its many oxidation states, Vanadium complexes have not been studied extensively as catalysts for hydrogen production. Finding methods of artificial photosynthetic hydrogen production through the use of earth-abundant metals could greatly advance the field of hydrogen cells and green energy. Through electrochemical and photochemical experiments on Vanadium complexes with bidentate, tridentate, and tetradentate ligands such as bipyrdines, my research demonstrates that the vanadium complexes that I have tested are not efficient catalysts for hydrogen production, and bipyridine ligands do not bond strongly to Vanadium, allowing them to facilitate other reactions such as reducing the trifluoroacetic acid during my cyclic voltammagrams.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Undeclared

Faculty Mentor: William McNamara, Chemistry

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Beatrice Tynan: The effect of sleep disruption on dopaminergic neuron populations in zebrafish

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B16 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

The effect of sleep disruption on dopaminergic neuron populations in zebrafish

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (SBD) is the preeminent prodromal marker of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), but it is not known whether it is symptomatic of dopaminergic (DA) neuron loss or contributes to DA neuron death. Early work in our lab showed that sleep disruption significantly decreases the number of DA neurons found in the ventral diencephalon, the substantia nigra equivalent in zebrafish. We looked at the spatial distribution, number, and total fluorescence of DA neurons in images taken of the ventral diencephalon of 7-12 dpf zebrafish to characterize changes in dopaminergic neurons over time under sleep deprived and control conditions. We also investigated apoptotic pathway markers and microglia morphology and distribution to understand the role of cell death in the relationship between SBD and PD. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Bestman, Biology, Neuroscience Faculty

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Kirill Usubyan: Examining Versatility of ML Strategies for Obfuscated Malware Detection 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: C22 - Session I, 11:00 am-12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Examining Versatility of ML Strategies for Obfuscated Malware Detection 

For decades attackers have used malware, such as spyware, ransomware, and trojans, to corrupt computers and initiate attacks causing billions in damages, thereby making malware detection methods vital for research. A significant challenge is that the advent of obfuscation (concealment) techniques has made this task increasingly difficult and energy-intensive for computers. My work builds on recent research prototyping a light-weight malware detection approach, involving using features from snapshots of machines’ volatile memory to detect malware behavioural signatures with machine learning models. I utilise the new CIC-MalMem-2022 dataset of benign and malignant memory dumps to examine not only the accuracy of several trained models at malware detection, but also build on prior research to study models’ versatility at adjusting to several valuable factors for industry application. These factors include adjusting to resource-saving feature reduction training, response to natural or artificial data drift, application capabilities on low resource machines (IoT), capacity for recognising ‘zero-day’ attacks, and their effectiveness for use in a continual learning application.

Student Major(s)/Minors: Computer Science, Economics

Faculty Mentor: Dmitry Evtyushkin, Computer Science

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Nivedha Vaidy: Elucidating the mechanism of oxidative stress growth inhibitor 1(OSGIN1) in X. laevis embryogenesis

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D14 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Elucidating the mechanism of oxidative stress growth inhibitor 1(OSGIN1) in X. laevis embryogenesis
Organisms produce oxidative stress when they have a cellular imbalance between reactive oxygen species and their innate antioxidant genes. Oxidative stress damage has been implicated in numerous pathologies, such that organisms have evolved genetic pathways to mitigate the damage. Osgin1 and Osgin2 are two such genes in the Osgin gene family that code for oxidative stress growth inhibitors. While past research suggests that the Osgin gene family may counter oxidative stress when functioning in conjunction with tumor suppressor p53 and the Nrf2 pathway, the mechanism remains elusive. In my research, I have performed a preliminary scientific literature review and BLAST analyses to uncover present knowledge on the phylogeny, expression, and function of Osgin genes. Additionally, I have isolated Osgin1 RNA in Xenopus laevis embryos and am synthesizing an RNA probe to use to elucidate how Osgin1 functions. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Margaret Saha, Biology

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Gwen Wagner: Investigating the Effects of the Interaction between MK-STYX and Vimentin

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: I3 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Investigating the Effects of the Interaction between MK-STYX and Vimentin

Phosphatases, catalytically active proteins, play a key role in regulating numerous cellular processes and mechanisms. In some phosphatases, genetic mutations in the active site motif render the active site inactive, leading to the classification of that protein as a pseudophosphatase, such as MK-STYX. Cytoskeletal proteins, like vimentin, significantly contribute to cellular motility, growth, and structure. Recent studies have indicated that MK-STYX and vimentin interact. To study the interaction between MK-STYX and vimentin, human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293) that model neurons were transfected with plasmid DNA to ensure desired protein expression. Western blotting provided confirmation of the presence of both proteins and information about protein expression levels. Additionally, tagging vimentin and MK-STYX with fluorescent tags for microscope visualization allowed further characterization of their potential interactions and subcellular locations. The results of this study will provide information regarding the effects of interactions between pseudophosphatases and cytoskeletal proteins on neuronal growth. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, Data Science

Faculty Mentor: Shantá Hinton, Biology

Quincy Wilkins: Measuring Uranium Levels in Fossils in the Yorktown Formation to Determine Radon Risk Potential 

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: A1 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Measuring Uranium Levels in Fossils in the Yorktown Formation to Determine Radon Risk Potential 

Samples of several types of fossils in the Yorktown formation will be collected near the greater Williamsburg area, with an emphasis on the bottom section where radon is thought to be most abundant. The samples would then be separated, cleaned, and stored based on fossil type and where they are found stratigraphically. Furthermore, they would be recorded via photographs and then crushed to fit in a petri dish. After being prepared, the samples would undergo ultra low gamma ray spectroscopy for a period of at least twelve hours. This would shed light on what radioactive isotopes the sample contains and at what concentrations. The spectroscopy conveys the count of photon energy in kiloelectron volt (keV) then pairs them with the corresponding element in the Uranium decay series.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Environmental Geology

Faculty Mentor: Jim Kaste, Geology

Churchill Wilkinson: Tracking Chemical and Physical Changes in Cooking Oils Ageing Under Various Conditions

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: I1 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Digital Presentation

Tracking Chemical and Physical Changes in Cooking Oils Ageing Under Various Conditions

Originating from a multitude of sources, organic compounds are everywhere in indoor environments. Semivolatile organic compounds collect on surfaces to create films whose physical properties and chemical composition change over time due to processes such as exposure to light and multiphase reactions involving gaseous compounds like ozone. Oils, including those that come from skin and those that are used in cooking, are an important constituent of indoor surface films. This research focuses on the evolution of the physical and chemical properties of five cooking oils and squalene (a simple skin oil proxy) as they undergo photolysis, ozonolysis, and cooking. Analysis of physical changes was carried out using a HIROX microscope and chemical changes were evaluated using infrared spectroscopy. The results, especially those from the ozonolysis experiment, suggest interesting differences between the oils tested and call for more experiments looking to the aging of oils and other organic compounds common indoors.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry, Philosophy Minor

Faculty Mentor: Rachel O'Brien , Chemistry

Alex Williard: Fluorescent modification of SUMO binding protein UTAG using unnatural amino acids

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B11 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Fluorescent modification of SUMO binding protein UTAG using unnatural amino acids

Small ubiquitin-like modifier, SUMO, is a posttranslational modification of proteins.  In prostate cancer cells some proteins, such as a tumor suppression protein reptin, are over SUMOylated compared to healthy prostate cells, providing a potential mechanism for prostate cancer diagnosis. UTAG is an inactivated protease derived from the yeast species K. marxianus capable of binding to SUMOylated proteins.  Expressing UTAG with a site-specific mutation to incorporate the unnatural amino acid pPrF enables fluorescent labeling of the protein with Alexa Fluor 488 alkyne via a Glaser-Hay coupling.  However, bioconjugation causes UTAG to no longer be capable of binding SUMO if the site is on UTAG itself.  By expressing UTAG as a fusion protein with maltose binding protein and incorporating pPrf in the maltose binding domain, SUMO binding activity is maintained.  

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Douglas Young, Chemistry

Logan Wolf: Air Traffic Optimization Models

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D16 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Air Traffic Optimization Models

As demand in the aviation industry increases and new frontiers of automation emerge, air traffic optimization becomes more important than ever. Much work has gone into researching distributed models, where each plane makes its own decisions, as opposed to a centralized model, where a controller makes decisions for all planes. This project expands on a distributed optimization model by introducing a detection radius parameter in order to explore a more dynamic approach. We model a plane’s position on a 2D grid over time, and when that plane detects an upcoming collision, we use AMPL optimization software to determine the route that avoids collision while minimizing deviation from the original trajectory.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Applied Mathematics

Faculty Mentor: Rex Kincaid, Mathematics

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Zengmin Xiao: Optimization of the performance of sparse tensor contraction

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: D9 - Session I, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Optimization of the performance of sparse tensor contraction

Optimization of high-dimensional data computation has been proven to dramatically accelerate projects in various scientific and applied fields. In my research, I tried to improve the performance of tensor contraction on Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) architectures. By observing the experimental results of the operation, I discovered the best pattern of scheduling, affinity, and the number of threads with maximum performance. Then I developed a tensor analysis program helping to evaluate the computation load of tensor contraction based on the location of the value that was being accessed. Combined with the specialty of NUMA architecture, I explored an algorithm to do memory allocation for the input and output of the operation so that the loading bandwidth can be balanced among four nodes in our server, and the result can be computed faster without stopping on loading. With this algorithm, my final program improved the performance compared to the initial results on average.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Jiajia Li, Computer Science

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Maddy Zamecnik: Pro-fluorophore Reactions With Unnatural Amino Acids as a Method For Fluorescence Labeling

Presentation Spot, Time, & Format: B12 - Session II, 1-2:30 pm, Poster Presentation

Pro-fluorophore Reactions With Unnatural Amino Acids as a Method For Fluorescence Labeling

This project investigated the ability to use pro-fluorophores and unnatural amino acids to provide a method for selective, low background fluorescence labeling of proteins.  We suspected that 2-ethynylbenzothiazole and a proteins modified to incorporate either para-propargyloxyphenylalanine or para-Azidophenylalanine, all non-fluorescent on their own, could react through a click or Glaser-Hay reaction to produce a fluorescent product.  This reaction would allow for proteins to be selectively labeled while creating little background fluorescence. These reactions were tested in vitro using ubiquitin expressing one of the two unnatural amino acids, and the initial results suggest the reaction does create a fluorescent protein product. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Douglas Young, Chemistry