Video Presentations
Watch 5-minute pre-recorded presentations from students unable to present in person at the September 30th Symposium.
Click each student's name below to read their project abstract. Click on the title of their presentation to view their video presentation.
Tenesae Asfaw, History of Exclusionary Immigration PolicyThe Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first major exclusionary immigration policy based on race. This project tries to provide a brief introduction to the impact of the policy and its making. The foundation of our modern-day immigration system can be traced to the Exclusion Act: by taking a closer look at the policy, I hope to shed light on our current state of immigration laws. The format of the paper will be a website blog posted through the Center for Racial and Social Justice of William and Mary. The history of exclusionary immigration policy is dense, but I hope by providing an explanation of its founding, interested parties will have a good grounding for further study. Student Major(s) & Minors: Major: Economic Minor: Data Science Faculty Mentor: Vivian Hamilton, Law |
Ruth Bekele, Victor Adejayan, Community Health WorkersCommunity Health Workers serve to assist low-income/ minority communities in achieving a greater quality of life through preventative care measures (i.e, blood pressure checks) and by referring individuals to community resources. In our research, we are studying the Community Health Workers Program in Richmond/ Henrico County to understand how these interventions aid these communities with hopes of formalizing and recreating this model in other areas. We conduct this research by studying data models of the referrals made to various community resources, client interviews, and interviews with the Community Health Workers themselves to see what interventions worked and how they impacted the client using a rating scale. Student Major(s)/Minor: Ruth: Kinesiology & Health Sciences, Victor: Kinesiology & Health Sciences Faculty Mentor: Iyabo Obasanjo, Kinesiology & Health Sciences |
Yvonne Boadi, Longitudinal Impact of COVID-related Stress on Mental Health: A Cross-National Examination among College Students in Six CountriesThis research project is looking at how COVID-19 affected college students and their mental health and substance use. The overall project is looking at college students all over the world and we want to see the before and after effects. Were there no changes in mental health conditions and substance use? Were there changes? Was there an increase in mental health conditions and substance use? Or did they stay the same? These are some of the questions we are trying to answer with this research project. Longitudinal studies on this topic are minimal, so this project is adding to the contribution and discussions that have already been done. Student Major(s) & Minors: Kinesiology Faculty Mentor: Adrian Bravo, Psychology |
Jordan Bryant, Development of Vegetation Analysis Tools for Community Led Conservation Efforts in San Pablo Oztotepec, MexicoIn conjunction with faculty at William & Mary, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), and the local community of San Pablo Oztotepec, this project asked how to effectively recruit and engage one of nine Indigenous cultures of Mexico in conservation efforts of their ancestral lands. My summer research contributes to this question by helping to develop and test vegetation-monitoring tools, as well as develop the foundation for a visual plant field guide for the people of Oztotepec. The latter facilitates a vegetation-monitoring protocol by providing the means of plant identification. The goals of both of these aims are to connect scientific knowledge with Indigenous knowledge, inspire conservation interest, and render the materials comprehensible for the non-scientist. Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology Faculty Mentor: Martha Case, Biology; Fernando Galeana Rodriguez; Sociology |
Mia Callahan, Teaching the Partition: A critical analysis of history textbooks and curricula in Northern Ireland and the Republic of IrelandThe partition of Ireland not only split the island into two countries, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), but resulted in two systems of education, each with its own content, curricula, and examinations. Given the history of tension between the two countries, debates have arisen concerning the impartiality of their educational systems regarding the history of Ireland. This study set out to explore the disparities between the two countries in their teaching of Irish history from 1900 to 1922, focusing on the partition of Ireland. The article draws on history curricula and some of the most popular secondary history textbooks covering the partition used in each country. It argues that the curriculum of the Republic of Ireland places more emphasis on Irish history in comparison to that of Northern Ireland, which reserves a smaller portion of its curriculum for British and Northern Irish history. Moreover, although there is much overlap between the content of textbooks in their description of the partition, there are also key differences, such as varied emphasis placed on prominent Irish and British figures, inconsistency in the inclusion of less significant conflicts, and disparities in levels of overall detail provided. These deviations raise important questions of bias in the teaching of Irish history. Student Major(s)/Minor: Government, Education Faculty Mentor: Gladys Krause, Education |
Ingrid Chang, Internalization of the Model Minority Myth: How Asian Americans Perceive Race and Race Relations in AmericaThe “model minority” myth is a stereotype that portrays Asian Americans as universally successful, high-achieving, and hardworking. As a result, Asian Americans are perceived as a non-oppressed minority and have therefore been overlooked in terms of research attention and aid. A large body of literature already exists to disprove the myth and explore how it relates to Asian American psychological distress. Thus, I wanted to explore the model minority myth as a factor for Asian American immersion in American culture, which may lead to denial of the existence of institutional racism and systemic racial privileges.. This literature review compiled and analyzed literature on how the internalized myth impacts Asian American perceptions of race and racial dynamics within America. Findings suggest that the model minority myth is a legitimizing ideology that hinders Asian American socio-political awareness. Furthermore, Asian Americans who internalize the myth are likely to adopt a “color-blind” racial ideology. Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychological Sciences, Art (undecided) |
Noah Fields, Wind Tunnel Construction for Golf Disc TestingThis summer the scientist researched the factors that make a good wind tunnel. The scientist learned how to work with wood, and used the money from the grant on buying tools and parts to construct the Wind tunnel with. The wind tunnel has a 30 cm by 30 cm by 60cm sized test area. Theoretically the test area can reach speeds of 70 mph. The test area will also have smoke streams so the scientist can analyze how the air flows around the disc. The scientist is analyzing how the different rim configurations of discs affect the glide of a disc. Also looking at how much air gets trapped underneath a disc and whether that affects the glide. It is known that the parting line height of a disc affects lift and stability but the scientist wants to study how the height of a disc in relation to parting line height affects stability. Student Major(s)/Minor: Epad, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Faculty Mentor: William Cooke, Physics |
Anya Ford, The Success of Students Virtual TutoringThe Success of Students Virtual Tutoring program is a partnership between W&M’s School Counselor and School Psychology programs and New Zion Baptist Church in Williamsburg, VA. The program is a community-engaged initiative that connects graduate school psychology and school counseling students to culturally diverse families affiliated with New Zion Baptist to meet the growing need for academic and social-emotional support services for K-12 students displaced from in-person learning due to the current pandemic. The aim of the program is to provide W&M school counseling and school psychology students with a unique experiential learning opportunity to serve their local community by providing K-12 youth at New Zion Baptist Church with individualized support for their remote learning experiences (i.e., homework assistance, academic tutoring, social-emotional support). Student Major(s) & Minor: Neuroscience Pre-Med Faculty Mentor: Janise Parker, Psychological Sciences |
Becca Gaylin, Allah as an Attachment Figure: Exploring Attachment Styles and Evolved Relationship Mechanisms in IslamA large body of literature discussing the links between attachment theory and religion suggests that in many religions, God can function as an attachment figure for believers. While the majority of said literature explores religious attachment in relation to Christianity, this paper discusses attachment as it can be found within Islam. Much like Christianity, secure attachment to God or Allah can be found in Islam, due to the fact that Muslim believers seek and maintain proximity to Allah, Allah serves as a haven of safety and secure base for His followers, and Muslims feel anxiety and grief at the idea of being separated from God. Much of Islam is about intense devotion and personal connection to God, and such a relationship and religious commitment lends itself to the idea that Muslims can foster this type of deep, secure attachment between God and believer. While some previous literature has already discovered the connections between Islam and attachment mechanisms, this paper will also focus on a different psychological mechanism altogether. In some cases, relation to Allah can function instead as a dominance hierarchy, where believers feel submission and relinquish complete control over their lives to a dominant, more controlling, harsher god. Overall, a relationship with Allah is characterized by elements of both love and fear, and it is possible for some Muslims to feel personally and securely attached to Allah, while others may feel a more hierarchical relationship with a dominating God better describes their relationship with Him. Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychological Sciences, Religious Studies Faculty Mentor: Lee Kirkpatrick, Psychological Sciences |
Devin Genderson, Geographic Distribution of Dermatologists in the U.S.Racial, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities in the use of dermatologic care exist in the U.S. The extent to which the geographic distribution of dermatologists contributes to these disparities remains uncertain. We evaluated the associations between sociodemographic factors and the distribution of dermatologists in the U.S. using the ACS and AHRF data. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the U.S. population and dermatologist supply at the county-level; counties classified as urban-rural using NCHS methods. Multivariable negative binomial regression was used to quantify the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and dermatologist counts (outcome dermatologist density). Maps generated via ArcGIS Pro 2.8 depict racial diversity and dermatologist density. Access disparity was found in rural counties, but county-level racial composition was not associated with dermatologist density. While efforts to bridge the urban-rural dermatologist divide are necessary to provide equitable access, dermatology supply was not a major contributor to racial disparities in use of dermatologic care. Student Major(s)/Minor: undeclared (intended: Neuroscience) Faculty Mentor: Dan Cristol, Biology |
Helen Heaton, The Effect of the C392X Mutation on the Nuclear Export of TRα1For typical human growth and development, the body must respond to thyroid hormones; this response is carried out by thyroid hormone receptors, which change gene expression. A thyroid hormone receptor’s activity is influenced by the way it shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm of a cell. In the condition Resistance to Thyroid Hormone (RTH), patients do not exhibit proper thyroid hormone receptor function, but the exact mechanism by which this occurs is unclear. In my project, I studied the activity of one specific RTH mutation, a change in the Thyroid Hormone Receptor α1 (TRα1) sequence known as C392X that removes a portion of the protein that is involved in nuclear export. I observed the expression of the C392X mutant in the presence of exportins 5 and 7 to discover if this mutation contributes to disease by preventing proper interaction between the thyroid hormone receptor and these export proteins. Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology, French Faculty Mentor: Lizabeth Allison, Biology |
Xincheng Hou, China and the West: Philosophy, Politics, and Ideology through the Works of Xingjian Gao and Yao LuIn the 1980s and the 1990s, Mainland Chinese literature was characterized by increasing explorations of Chinese culture’s traditions and heritages. This research aims to analyze two representative Chinese authors – Gao Xingjian and Lu Yao – during this period and discuss both authors' distinctive influences on Chinese society and Western society. By exploring these influences via a variety of sources including the two authors’ published works, literary commentaries and criticisms, interviews, governmental policies, and media content, the research would be useful to understand the current political and cultural similarities and differences between China and the West. Student Major(s)/Minor: History Faculty Mentor: Alexander Angelov, Medieval and Renaissance Studies |
Katherine Hughes, Transparency in Russian State Media: Analyzing Coverage of a Russian Private Military CompanyRussia is increasingly using Private Military Companies (PMCs), including the Wagner Group, to expand its influence, as Western and Russian opposition media report. There are strong disincentives against Russian state media covering this topic because PMCs are illegal under Russian law and an advantage to using PMCs is that they work covertly, providing plausible deniability to the Russian government. However, no comprehensive survey of Russian state media coverage of PMCs has been conducted. This study analyzes Rossiyskaya Gazeta coverage of Sudan, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Belarus to understand whether the Kremlin publicized its use of the Wagner Group or PMCs generally. Multiple articles about the CAR and Belarus alluded to a Wagner or PMC presence, although no articles about Sudan included similar references. These results suggest that despite incentives against transparency, the Kremlin does not object to, and tacitly endorses, coverage about Wagner and other PMCs. Student Major(s)/Minor: International Relations Faculty Mentor: Dennis Smith, Government |
Abby Kitila, The history and effects of redlining in the African American community from 1970 to the 2000'sMy research will focus on the effects that redlining has had on the African American community. It will be divided into four subgroups: education, health, crime, and housing. I will focus on each subgroup by finding detailed literature that provides data from the beginning of redlining till now. Based on my findings I will attempt to see if there is an existing correlation and if that correlation is because of redlining. Additionally, I will be comparing my findings to other non-POC demographics at that time to see if they did or did not endure the same effects of redlining. Student Major(s) & Minor: Economics , Public Health Faculty Mentor: Jesus Delgado-Arias, GIS |
Sarah Larimer, Predicting Migration Through Guatemala Using Deep LearningIn 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 |
Zhe Liu, Debby Zhong, iGEM 2022The 2022 William and Mary iGEM team is developing a novel software package to determine the ideal bacterial chassis for a soil, air, water, or human gut environment. We take an integrated, multipronged approach, incorporating AI neural networks, multivariate regression, genome-scale metabolic models, and metagenomic analysis to determine both bacterial abundance and growth rate in specific environments. Our software allows researchers to input environmental conditions for their target site and receive detailed growth rate and abundance predictions, generating a ranked list of ideal bacterial chassis for their deployment needs. By varying the range of input parameters, researchers can determine the optimal chassis across a range of conditions, such as different gut microbiome environments, leading to more inclusive therapeutic design. Conversely, the user can also select a specific chassis to obtain a range of areas in which this species is predicted to survive Student Major(s) & Minor: Zhe: CAMS Applied Statistics. Debby: Biology Faculty Mentor: Margaret Saha, Biology |
Zach McClure, Combating Polarization: An Examination of Responses to Growing PolarizationPolarization is considered a major problem in American politics. There have been many proposed solutions to polarization. The two examined in this paper are top-two primary and ranked choice voting. Top-two primary involves having a primary where the two candidates with the most votes regardless of party advance to the general election. Ranked choice voting involves voters ranking candidates in order of preference and eliminating candidates with lowest ranked votes until a majority is reached. To analyze polarization, Boris Shor’s state legislature ideology scores and DW Nominate were used. These were supplemented by literature on the solutions and interviews. For top-two primary, state legislature ideology scores and DW Nominate scores of Alaska, California, and Washington were compared to New York and Pennsylvania. This is because Alaska implemented a top four primary and California and Washington implemented a top-two primary. The data and literature showed top-two primary did not contribute to reduction of polarization. For ranked choice, Alaska and Maine were compared to New York and Pennsylvania. Alaska and Maine were included as both states use ranked choice voting. The data and literature found that there was a weak relationship between ranked choice and reduction of polarization. Student Major: Government Faculty Mentor: John McGlennon, Government |
Carina Rosenberg, Making new friends: Socio-ecological influence on friendship-forming strategies in countries of varying relational mobility levelsThis project examines how people from the U.S. and Japan differ in their formation of friendships and what institutional and socio-ecological influences might facilitate their formation. There are cultural differences in how people form friendships, and the amount of opportunities there are to meet new people; these differences will be examined through experience sampling, a structured diary technique to gather data about subjective experiences, which will be used to gather data from participants in the U.S. and Japan-based crowdsourcing marketplaces. Student Major(s), Minors: Neuroscience, Economics Faculty Mentor: Joanna Schug, Psychological Sciences |
Tanja Rounds, Divine Action and Causal DeterminismThe purpose of this research project is to reconcile the theist belief of divine intervention in the world with the scientific principle of causal or physical determinism, which states that every physical event is a necessary effect of an efficient cause that precedes it. The compatibility is established via the principle of interventionist nonviolationism, which allows God to intervene in the world without violating the laws of nature. Ultimately, the purpose of this thesis is not to make any assertions regarding the truth of causal determinism. It concludes only that divine action in the world is not under threat by causal determinism – not because the principle itself is false, but because the two concepts are not incompatible. Student Major(s)/Minor: Philosophy, Religious Studies Faculty Mentor: Philip Swenson, Philosophy |
Kai Sherwood, Alzheimer’s: Orexins and the Decline of Attention With AgeSchizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder with a variety of different impairing Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology, Biology Faculty Mentor: Joshua Burk, Psychological Sciences |
Ian Wilson, Mithras at Dura-Europos: The Arts of the ‘Farthest Mithraeum’For my 2022 Charles Center Summer Research Project, I studied the Mithraeum of Dura Europos, a religious structure dedicated to the worship of the ancient Roman god Mithras in the east of modern day Syria. I undertook this project to determine how closely the mithraic community at Dura-Europos conformed to the norms of the mystery religion in centers of worship such as Rome and the northern frontiers of the Roman Empire. I chose the example from Dura-Europos because it is the farthest mithraeum from the capital known to present day researchers, and thus provides the best counterpoint to the more numerous examples from the center of the Empire. In my study, I explain and examine the decoration and material culture of the structure, paying particular attention to the cult niche of its final iteration in the mid- 3rd century CE. My conclusion is that the Durene mithraists on the edge of the Imperium closely adhered to religious standards found at the core. While many aesthetic works of the Dura cult community were localized, their essential understanding of mithraic cosmology, community, and salvation remained consistent and specific in comparison to others. This position allows me to draw further conclusions about the development and expression of Mithraism and its remarkable place in the ancient Roman world. Student Major(s)/Minor: Classical Studies, Concentration in Ancient History and Archaeology, Joint Degree Programme Faculty Mentor: Molly Swetnam-Burland, Classical Studies |
Ellen Windham, Breastfeeding Decisions and Practices for Mothers on Opioid Treatment MedicationWomen on medications to treat opioid addictions (OTM) often receive varying and confusing guidance as to whether they can breastfeed their children while on this treatment. The AAP recommends that women breastfeed their children even on OTM, but many of these women do not breastfeed. We examined how women planned to feed their child prenatally, and how they actually fed their child at age 3 months. Mothers on OTM breastfed for half the time that comparison mothers breastfed. We asked what factors were important to the decision making process, and it was revealed that recommendations from a doctor were significantly associated with breastfeeding intention only among mothers on OTM. Additionally, many mothers on OTM used substances such as tobacco that dissuaded them from breastfeeding. This confirms the need for a unified medical effort to educate at-risk mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding. Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience, Italian Studies Faculty Mentor: Madelyn Labella, Psychology |
Enya Xiang, The Brafferton Indian School: Indigenous Sovereignty in VirginiaThe Brafferton School is one of three iconic buildings, standing at the entrance of William & Mary today. The building was constructed in 1723 for the mission of Christianizing and civilizing indigenous peoples in Virginia. English colonists ultimately failed in this regard as Native peoples were uninterested in European education, and students often resisted by holding onto their cultures. I aim to show that the Brafferton was situated in a diplomatic network, in which Native and English nations interacted as equals. The school was a political tool, a talking point to establish alliances, and by understanding the scope of indigenous sovereignty, we gain a more comprehensive early American narrative. Student Major(s)/Minor: History Faculty Mentor: Nicole Dressler, History |
Yang Zhang, Mechanistic Studies of a One-pot Synthesis of ChimaphilinChimaphilin is a natural product found in the pyrola plant [Passiflora incarnata Fisch.], which has been shown to induce apoptosis in human breast cancer cells through a ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway. Chimaphilin is found in only small quantities in nature, which poses a limitation on studying its biological properties. The laboratory synthesis of sufficient amounts of Chimaphilin provides opportunities for further investigations into its biological activities and clinical applications. In this work, we present a novel, one-step synthesis of Chimaphilin, which was identified serendipitously during the optimization of another reaction. Replacement of the solvent from THF to DMSO surprisingly causes the reaction to go down a different pathway that ultimately results in the formation of Chimaphilin instead of 2-methyl-5-isoprenyl-1,4-benzoquinone. Investigations into the mechanism of this newly discovered reaction led us to propose a Diels-Alder mechanism with subsequent spontaneous oxidation, although none of the starting materials are diene. We found that in the course of this mechanism, one reagent, prenyl bromide, transforms into isoprene, which acts as a diene and reacts with 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone as the dienophile in a Diels-Alder reaction. A two-part study was conducted in order to prove that this reaction is, in fact, a Diels-Alder reaction. The first part of the study addressed whether prenyl bromide can be transformed into isoprene under specific reaction conditions. Signature isoprene ions were detected by GC/MS which successfully showed the formation of isoprene. The second part of the investigation involved proving that isoprene and 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone can form Chimaphilin via the Diels-Alder mechanism. Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry, Classical Studies Faculty Mentor: Dana Lashley, Chemistry |
Rose Zheng, Gathering Ball Python Population Statistics from MorphMarketThere is a large number of ball pythons for sale on a website called MorphMarket, which is the largest online marketplace for reptiles in the world. As of writing the proposal, there were 29,265 ball pythons that are on sale. There is a growing concern about the supposed increase in ball python numbers for sale. However, upon research into this matter, there are no accurate numbers about the number of ball pythons so a fair assessment of ball python population growth cannot be obtained. My proposed work focuses on collecting data on the ball python population from MorphMarket. More specifically, I plan to: Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology major, Chemistry minor Faculty Mentor: M. Drew LaMar, Biology |
