Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Ocean Plastic On Plankton And Marine Ecosystems, Aiden Brinkmann '22, Eric Shackelford '22

Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)

Title: The Effect of Ocean Plastic on Plankton and Marine Ecosystems Abstract: This presentation aims to raise awareness for the harm plastics in our oceans are causing analysis and visualization of scientific data. It is largely inspired by the fourteenth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal: Life Below Water. The datasets used primary fall into two categories: ocean plastic content statistics and plankton population demographics. The presentation will also explore plankton’s role as the base of many aquatic ecosystems and model the impact a population decline could have on these ecosystems. The effects ocean plastics can have on our modern society …

Hives, Rachel Selvaraj '22, Nicolette Schmidling '22, Abigail Ryner '22

Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)

Bees are a capstone species and the world’s most important animal as ranked by the Royal Geographic Society in London. They play a key role in the production of many food products which certain communities may depend on; however, their population has rapidly been declining as of lately. Hives is an organization which takes this issue into extreme consideration. We believe that habitat restoration efforts for bees is the strongest way to make an impact. We will work with numerous local gardens to install our artificial bee homes. These homes are created solely from recyclable materials. Not only are our …

Dna, Rna, & Proteins, Oh My!, Cassandra Wissink Armstrong

Professional Learning Day

A staple topic in any life science classroom, we will take a look at some innovative ways to not only teach these topics, but assess them using the Next Generation Science Standards.

What's The Buzz?, Christine L. Moskalik

Professional Learning Day

A fun, interdisciplinary, hands-on activity with circuits, engineering, and bees Teachers will learn how to implement an activity with their students to explore circuit basics, energy transfer, and pollination through a hands-on toothbrush-bot activity that is coupled with a fun storyline involving honey bee communication and behavior.

Study Of The Visual Adaptation Mechanism In Marine Species With The Change Of Habitation Depth., Demid Osipov, Daniil Moshnikov

The International Student Science Fair 2018

The goal of our work was to determine the principal mechanisms that provide the difference in visual perception of two marine species that live on different depths: T. Pacificus and O. Vulgaris. In nature, visual perception of species that live deeper is shifted towards the blue region. This is related to the fact that red, orange and yellow light is absorbed more strongly by water than the blue light. On the other hand, the visual perception spectrum of an animal is determined by the absorption spectrum of the "light sensor" located in rods and cones of its eye retina. These …

Smart Vertical Farm System (Svfs), Sarasit Sirawattanakul

The International Student Science Fair 2018

The unremitting trends of increasing population, urbanization, diminishing water supply, and continuing climate change have contributed to declining stocks of arable land per person. Land available for farming is shrinking, and the demand for food is growing. All of these lead to food insecurity. For the first version of Smart Vertical Farm System is designed to increase food productions by an automatic system. It built with shelves which support soil and hydroponic system, stacked vertically. The system first shovels the soil in the tray and sews the seeds. There is also additional watering system. The hydroponic parts are on the …

The Effect Of Kalanchoe Pinnata On The Cell Migration Of Astrocytomas, Jorge Rosa

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Astrocytomas, from cell line 1321N1,are cancerous astrocytes. These are a type of glial cell in the brain which is responsible for maintaining synaptic contact and the signaling capacities among neurons. They also represent a fundamental element in controlling blood flow and defining brain micro structure. Due to the fact that this variant is cancerous, a condition commonly described as an abnormal cell cycle and uncontrolled reproduction of cells, they have the ability to metastasize.

In the metastatic process of cancer cells the initial phase is know as tumor invasion. This stage consists mainly of the cells migrating away from the …

The Effect Of Sweeteners In Drosophila Melanogaster's Locomotion., Araceli Francisco

The International Student Science Fair 2018

This research aims to measure how much locomotion is affected in Drosophila melanogaster considering the alimentation. The experiment was divided in a control group, a group fed with natural sugar and another fed with artificial sugar. The diets were prepared based on standard laboratory food (SLF) by varying the sugar. Several generations were grown. The locomotion was measured through monitors with infrared lasers which calculated the number of times the fly passed through it. They were accustomed to a day and night cycle and were kept under observation for a period of 13 days. As a result, the group that …

How Do Different Levels Of Ph Affect The Growth Of Heritage And Regular Radish Plants?, Kathleen Bradie

The International Student Science Fair 2018

The purpose of this experiment was to discover how the pH levels in water affect heritage and regular radish mass. I predicted that if the pH levels are near neutral the plants mass will increase. PH solutions of 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 were added to my regular and heritage plants over the course of several weeks. After using the pH solutions the radishes were pulled and massed to reveal the results. The results showed that the heritage pH 5 and regular pH 7 radishes grew best.

A Humanized Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Model To Elucidate Molecular Mechanism In Disease Pathology, Ragavi Vijayakumar, Maxine Hong

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), that clinically manifests as an enlarged heart is a highly prevalent cardiac disorder with propensity towards arrhythmia-induced sudden cardiac death. The mechanism of HCM remains poorly defined, necessitating further understanding of the disease for improved therapeutic strategies. As it is challenging to obtain cardiac biopsies from human subjects, using induced pluripotent stem cells technology, we generated cardiomyocytes (CMs) in a dish from HCM patients. These HCM-CMs presented the clinical manifestation in that they were significantly larger in size in comparison to control (healthy)-CMs. Furthermore, gene expression profiling of cardiac ion channels revealed increased transcripts encoding for calcium …

Application Of Agricultural Waste Biochar For Canteen Wastewater Treatment In Chulalongkorn University, Norakamon Ariyakanon, Chalisa Vikrompanitkul

The International Student Science Fair 2018

The potential use of biochar in canteen wastewater remediation. Biochars were prepared from rice straw, bagasse or coir, produced by slow temperature pyrolysis at 300^oC for 1 h. This study characterized the physical and chemical properties of biochar products related to wastewater treatment. The physical and chemical parameters of wastewater were analyzed before and after treatment with the three different types of biochar. Measured parameters included, pH, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), oil and grease, total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TKN). The biochar derived from rice straw contained the highest …

Assets Of Sheep's Dock, Tuguldur Turbaatar, Tuguldur Battulga, Khongorzul Turhuu

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Background: Traditionally, Mongolians used sheep tail fat for infants’ food and massage medication. Nowadays, the fat from sheep tail is industrially processed and added to the beauty and cosmetic products. But it remains widely unknown worldwide. This study aims to find out its chemical components and to identify its assets.

Procedure and results: We cut the sheep tail fat into three main pieces with 1mm in width and heated in a water bath to separate the liquid lipid. After this, we titrated the lipid with potassium hydroxide solution and measured the saturated and unsaturated fatty acid of sheep …

The Effectiveness Of Dayak Manyan Yogurt Made Of Kambe Onion And Peperomia Weeds Folium In Decreasing Uric Acid Level, Leo Mahendra, Rosa Nathalia, Chynara Leticia Harisinta

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Gout is a term which is used to name a group of metabolic syndromes due to elevated levels of uric acid in the blood. The plant species used in traditional treatment by the Dayak Maanyan tribe for gout therapy is kambe onion with peperomia weeds in the form of yoghurt. The purpose of this is to test the effectiveness of Dayak Maanyan yoghurt based on the combination of kambe onion and peperomia weeds in decreasing uric acid level on wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) and male subjects

The type of the study used was pure experimental research, using Completely Randomized Design …

Study Of The Visual Adaptation Mechanism In Marine Species With The Change Of Habitation Depth., Demid Osipov, Daniil Moshnikov

The International Student Science Fair 2018

The goal of our work was to determine the principal mechanisms that provide the difference in visual perception of two marine species that live on different depths: T. Pacificus and O. Vulgaris. In nature, visual perception of species that live deeper is shifted towards the blue region. This is related to the fact that red, orange and yellow light is absorbed more strongly by water than the blue light. On the other hand, the visual perception spectrum of an animal is determined by the absorption spectrum of the "light sensor" located in rods and cones of its eye retina. These …

The Effect Of Kalanchoe Pinnata In Astrocitome Metastasis, Jorge Rosa

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Astrocytomas, from cell line 1321N1,are cancerous astrocytes. These are a type of glial cell in the brain which is responsible for maintaining synaptic contact and the signaling capacities among neurons. They also represent a fundamental element in controlling blood flow and defining brain micro structure. Due to the fact that this variant is cancerous, a condition commonly described as an abnormal cell cycle and uncontrolled reproduction of cells, they have the ability to metastasize.

In the metastatic process of cancer cells the initial phase is know as tumor invasion. This stage consists mainly of the cells migrating away from the …

The Effect Of Sweeteners In Drosophila Melanogaster's Locomotion., Araceli Francisco

The International Student Science Fair 2018

This research aims to measure how much locomotion is affected in Drosophila melanogaster considering the alimentation. The experiment was divided in a control group, a group fed with natural sugar and another fed with artificial sugar. The diets were prepared based on standard laboratory food (SLF) by varying the sugar. Several generations were grown. The locomotion was measured through monitors with infrared lasers which calculated the number of times the fly passed through it. They were accustomed to a day and night cycle and were kept under observation for a period of 13 days. As a result, the group that …

Investigation On The Effect Of Pasteurisation On The Bacteria Contamination Of Eggs, Alya Sufiyah Bte Mohamed Subhan

The International Student Science Fair 2018

This project is a research on bacteria contamination on pasteurised and non-pasteurised eggs. In Singapore, there has been an increase in salmonella cases since 2016. Recently in the US, more than 206 million eggs in supermarkets and grocery chains had to be recalled. This project will explain about the different in bacterial colonies found on seemingly similar eggs.

Smart Vertical Farm System (Svfs), Sarasit Sirawattanakul

The International Student Science Fair 2018

The unremitting trends of increasing population, urbanization, diminishing water supply, and continuing climate change have contributed to declining stocks of arable land per person. Land available for farming is shrinking, and the demand for food is growing. All of these lead to food insecurity. For the first version of Smart Vertical Farm System is designed to increase food productions by an automatic system. It built with shelves which support soil and hydroponic system, stacked vertically. The system first shovels the soil in the tray and sews the seeds. There is also additional watering system. The hydroponic parts are on the …

Glucosamine From Hydrolysis Of 3d Printing Chitosan For Osteoarthritis Treatment, Ruj Dansriboon, Laphon Premcharoen

The International Student Science Fair 2018

This project aims to introduce a new way for osteoarthritis treatment which is expected to increase in the future. Glucosamine is the main subject for a treatment, which can be derived by hydrolyzing chitosan. This project also includes extraction of chitosan from shrimp waste to make a worthy use of food waste from industry. In this project, 3D printer is applied to print chitosan gel since 3D printing is adjustable to form various shapes of the gel.

The research process begins with the extraction of chitosan from shrimp shells. For the next step, the percent of deacetylation of chitosan was …

Identification And Folding Of Mirna Through Machine Learning, Xavier Pellow

The International Student Science Fair 2018

As of writing, there is currently no efficient way to accurately identify miRNA or predict the structure of miRNA without the usage of a lab. The purpose of this work is to provide a framework which allows for efficient identification of mature miRNA and folding of pre-miRNA using a feedforward neural network (FFNN) and probabilistic context-free grammar (PCFG) parsing, respectively. After training, the FFNN developed an accuracy of 98%. Out of all control cases using high confidence miRNA, the PCFG used returned folded structures that matched the canonical structures to an accuracy of 81%. The results of this work indicates …

Application Of Agricultural Waste Biochar For Canteen Wastewater Treatment In Chulalongkorn University, Norakamon Ariyakanon, Chalisa Vikrompanitkul

The International Student Science Fair 2018

The potential use of biochar in canteen wastewater remediation. Biochars were prepared from rice straw, bagasse or coir, produced by slow temperature pyrolysis at 300^oC for 1 h. This study characterized the physical and chemical properties of biochar products related to wastewater treatment. The physical and chemical parameters of wastewater were analyzed before and after treatment with the three different types of biochar. Measured parameters included, pH, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), oil and grease, total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TKN). The biochar derived from rice straw contained the highest …

Utilization Of Papaya’S Sap (Carica Papaya L.) And Water Lettuce (Pistia Stratiotes) To Reduce Protein Amount On Liquid Tofu Waste, Muhammad Dzulfikar Farkhan, Naila Aliyahandra Anzani, Nabila Fikria Santoso

The International Student Science Fair 2018

ABSTRACT

Liquid waste from tofu production is one of the causes of environmental pollution. This condition happens because liquid tofu waste contain protein. Protein is metabolized by bacteria formed ammonia which emits foul odor. On this research, the protein amount in liquid tofu waste is reduced by the application of papaya’s sap and water lettuce. This research is divided into several steps. First, collecting the liquid tofu waste. second, tapping the papaya’s sap. Third, poured the papaya’s sap into the tofu waste. the next step is keep the mixture between tofu waste and papaya’s sap rest for 6, 18, and …

Assets Of Sheep's Dock, Tuguldur Turbaatar, Tuguldur Battulga, Khongorzul Turhuu

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Background: Traditionally, Mongolians used sheep tail fat for infants’ food and massage medication. Nowadays, the fat from sheep tail is industrially processed and added to the beauty and cosmetic products. But it remains widely unknown worldwide. This study aims to find out its chemical components and to identify its assets.

Procedure and results: We cut the sheep tail fat into three main pieces with 1mm in width and heated in a water bath to separate the liquid lipid. After this, we titrated the lipid with potassium hydroxide solution and measured the saturated and unsaturated fatty acid of sheep …

A Humanized Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Model To Elucidate Molecular Mechanism In Disease Pathology, Ragavi Vijayakumar, Maxine Hong

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), that clinically manifests as an enlarged heart is a highly prevalent cardiac disorder with propensity towards arrhythmia-induced sudden cardiac death. The mechanism of HCM remains poorly defined, necessitating further understanding of the disease for improved therapeutic strategies. As it is challenging to obtain cardiac biopsies from human subjects, using induced pluripotent stem cells technology, we generated cardiomyocytes (CMs) in a dish from HCM patients. These HCM-CMs presented the clinical manifestation in that they were significantly larger in size in comparison to control (healthy)-CMs. Furthermore, gene expression profiling of cardiac ion channels revealed increased transcripts encoding for calcium …

Session 3e: Teaching Using Un Sustainable Development Goals, Donald Dosch, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Professional Learning Day

This session will focus on how we are using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as guideposts for curriculum development in several of our different science classes. Students will join us to present some of their varied academic work, and share the importance of these activities in their education. Part of our discussion will focus on scaffolding the learning so that students are able to perform successfully in these contextual and issues-based activities. We will also build in time for participant discussion on current issues and ideas for incorporating them effectively into their own teaching.

Session B-1: Current Events In Biology, Crystal Randall, Don Dosch, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Professional Learning Day

Teaching fundamentals, while important, can sometimes take a toll on our motivation and enthusiasm for our subject because there are rarely significant changes in the content we might present from year to year. However, keeping up with the current progress of our field, what’s new and exciting in research, and how current advancements can impact our health, well-being, and society in the future can keep us inspired, and help us continue to inspire our students. Come discuss what’s happening in biology news today, hear what we’re excited about and bring your own ideas to share!

Session C-1: Modeling Stem Activities Into Classroom Practice, Sowmya Anjur

Professional Learning Day

Students understand concepts better when they have had a chance to work hands on with relevant material. Examples will be presented from my classroom where difficult concepts have been modeled into simple experiments with considerable success in enhancing student understanding. Special focus will be given to selected topics that students seem to have the most difficulty grasping. The objective is to enable students to transfer their understanding to solve complex problems with considerable ease and apply their understanding to real world scenarios on assessments. Suggestions will also be provided for implementation of various concepts into the high school classroom.

The Effect Of Antibiotics On Gastrointestinal Motility And Gut Microbiota, Catherine Chen

IMSAloquium Student Investigation Showcase

Antibiotics are widely used to treat infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria in many disease states. While eliminating pathogens, antibiotics also affect gut commensal bacteria composition, leading to long-lasting gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms associated with GI motility problems. In this study, the mechanism by which the broad-spectrum antibiotic cefoperazone, gram-positive specific antibiotic vancomycin, and gram-negative specific antibiotic neomycin affect GI motility and gut microbial composition was examined. To assess alterations in the host after antibiotic treatment, whole gut transit time was measured by gavaging and tracing charcoal dye. Significantly delayed GI transit time in antibiotic-treated mice was observed, especially in the …

Factors Affecting The Transformation Of 76r Variety Rio-Grande Tomatoes To Induce Expression Of Hopz3 Effector Protein, Vadini Agrawal '17

IMSAloquium Student Investigation Showcase

In order to study the plant immune system for benefits in crop production, a protocol was developed to effectively transform the 76R variety Rio-Grande tomato to express the HopZ3 effector protein which is found in Pseudomonas syringae, a bacteria which is pathogenic to plants. Cotyledons from the 76R variety were infected with Agrobacteria to insert HopZ3 bacterial genes into plant cells, and these cotyledons were placed in media with a selection agent and hormones to induce callous growth, plantlet growth, shoot growth, and root growth until only transformed cells remain. In the most successful test thus far, cotyledons have …

Session D-1: Science And Spaghetti Monsters: Addressing The Ethical Issues And Controversy Related To Genomics And Evolution In The Biology Classroom, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Professional Learning Day

As science teachers, we may shy away from addressing the controversy surrounding particular topics in our classrooms in order to maintain focus on content. However, the real world context of knowledge is essential, and the performance expectations in the life sciences as outlined in the NGSS state that students should be able to discuss the ethical issues related to genetic modifications and the nature of science. We will discuss ideas for how to address these topics effectively and help our students understand their importance beyond academics in our global community.