Life Sciences Commons^™

Supporting The 21st Century Classroom: Fostering Relevance And Resilience With Project-Based Learning Curricula, Shari Childers, Kara Fulton

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Participants will learn about building and supporting project-based learning (PBL), a scalable, flexible approach to classes and programs that cultivates 21st century competencies in students, including collaboration and resilience. They will re-imagine a course or a program at their own institution from within a PBL context.

Optimizing Course Offerings In A Science Department, Yu Kay Law

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

We will discuss how enrollment data and faculty/advisor input can be used to maximize schedule efficiency in course offerings and providing for student success. We will also discuss how best to monitor and rearrange course schedules in light of actual enrollment.

More: How To Do More With More In 2022, Harriet E. Watkins, Jacquelyn Cato

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

In 2022 we are dealing with new academic realities. This presentation will investigate current faculty concerns and explore the ways academic coaches assist faculty and put the personal touch in online courses necessary to support and enhance the student experience. Providing the ability to scale and save on instructional costs.

Best Practices For Urban Local Food Entrepreneurs And Building Regional Extension Networks, Julie Garden-Robinson, Rebecca West, Londa Nwadike, Karen Blakeslee, Shannon M. Coleman

Urban Food Systems Symposium

Interest in local foods production in the urban environment has been steadily increasing in North Dakota and the surrounding region. Food entrepreneurs are seeking safe and reliable ways to grow, create, and market their fresh or freshly preserved products. Urban consumers are demanding local foods and food products that are fresh and safe. As an increasing number of producers and vendors enter farmers markets and other local food sales channels, these growing small businesses need technical assistance for safe food handling and marketing in the changing world of pandemics and supply chain issues. Although some basic practices, such as hand …

The Biggest Grower - A Youth Gardening Competition For Growing Specialty Crops And Urban Farmers, Stacy A. Adams, Terri James

Urban Food Systems Symposium

Youth today have tendencies for unhealthy lifestyles, being sedentary, consuming high fat diets low in fruits and vegetables, all contributing to child obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and precedence for life-long health concerns. School lunch programs provide opportunity for youth to consume balanced diets but does not make a significant change in lifestyle. Research has identified that youth participating in gardening at home were positively impacted with making lasting healthy choices by improved knowledge and garden connection. For rural and economically disadvantaged urban households, poor diet is directly attributed to the inaccessibility of fresh produce, affordability and understanding of preparation …

Community Responses To Food Insecurity During Covid-19: A Case Study In Sheffield, England, Nicole Kennard

Urban Food Systems Symposium

The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to a group of newly food insecure people and deepened hardship for those already food insecure. The crisis disrupted national food supplies and created challenges to accessing and utilizing the food that was available. As financial struggle deepened for people, and some became unable to shop for food or cook due to isolation requirements and illness, many turned to community organizations to obtain food. In Sheffield, England, small community food organizations soon became the leaders of the city’s emergency food response. One such organization is the Foodhall Project, a community food organization which had previously …

Effective Faculty Onboarding, Larry Buckley, Andre O. Hudson

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

New Academic Faculty face a deluge of new information when they arrive on campus. This is in addition to the stresses associated with a new campus environment, and for many the first position requiring completely independent planning and organization. Many faculty contribute career success or failure to successful and comprehensive support from colleagues from the very start of new positions. This workshop will require and assist all participants to develop an onboarding framework document that they can employ at their respective academic units/institutions. Topics to be discussed and included in such an onboarding guide include clear articulations of (1) Unit …

Comparing Resource Use For Tomato Production On Urban, Peri-Urban And Rural Farms In Georgia, Usa, Nicole Kennard

Urban Food Systems Symposium

The large-scale urbanization of the global population has created convoluted and often inefficient food supply chains, where food is brought from rural areas across the world into cities. These food supply chains are vulnerable to shocks and stresses, as seen with the COVID-19 pandemic. These stresses are only expected to increase with the effects of climate change. Farmers are being pressured to grow more food for a growing global population whilst conserving natural resources. Thus, there has been increased effort to promote local agriculture to build food self-sufficiency in cities. However, the sustainability of different scales of local agriculture, such …

The Urban Edge: The Role Of Urban Student Organic Farms In Raising Awareness Of Food System Inequities, Peyton Ginakes, Julie Grossman, Kristin Mercer, Meredith Krueger, Hannah Wittman

Urban Food Systems Symposium

A small handful of agricultural universities are located in large urban centers (populations greater than 500,000) in North America. Urban, university-affiliated teaching farms provide unique opportunities to educate students as well as the broader community about agroecosystems, food production, urban/local/global food systems, and diverse and healthy diets. In particular, such venues provide valuable opportunities for collaboration with urban communities, including low-income, immigrants and refugees, and at-risk youth. This case study will discuss the innovative programming at three urban, university-affiliated farms: the University of Minnesota (UMN), the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the Ohio State University (OSU). We will provide …

Pilot In-Field Food Safety Training Assessment Of Donation Gardens Managed By Master Gardeners In Iowa, Shannon Coleman, Smaranda Andrews, Bridget Perry, Ann Williams

Urban Food Systems Symposium

Lack of access to safe, healthy food is a significant concern. Many non-profit organizations, such as local food pantries, are exploring ways to increase access to fresh produce in both rural and urban areas. Due to the vulnerability of the target audience that frequents the pantries, gardeners must distribute fresh produce that is safe to eat and free of pathogens. The vulnerable population includes young children, immunocompromised people, older adults, and pregnant women. The objective of this study was to assess Master Gardeners’ (n=39) awareness, knowledge, and attitude following a pilot in-field food safety training on managing donation gardens. Each …

Compensation For Adding Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (Ssbs) To The Diet In Healthy College-Aged Participants, Gina Reyes

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Compensation for Adding Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) to the Diet in Healthy College-aged Participants

Gina Reyes, Olivet Martinez, Trevor Steele, Sara Rosenkranz

Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics & Health

College of Human Ecology

Background:Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and other obesity-related diseases. Research evidence has been inconsistent with regard to the effects of increased SSB consumption on metabolic risk factors, potentially due to compensatory dietary-intake behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to determine whether participants compensated for the addition of two servings of SSBs per …

Construction Of Recombinant Vaccinia Virus For Oncolyitc Therapy, Marlene L. Campos Guerrero

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Homologous recombination is a mechanism conducted to exchange nucleotides between two similar sequences, which allows researchers to knock out and add genetic sequences of their interest in vaccinia virus (VACV). In this study, a Western Reserve VACV strain with inserted genes encoding Red Florescence Protein (RFP) and Green Florescence Protein (GFP), will be targeted and replaced with the Thymidine Kinase gene, J2R as well as C11 gene, respectively. This will set the foundation for continual removal of genes as well as additions to make a virus that will more effectively target cancer cells without affecting healthy cells. To conduct this …

Standardization And Extrapolation Of Icing Stability, Shelf Life, And Safety Under Heat Abuse, Jaden Castinado

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Inquiries from Kansas citizens requested information on the stability, shelf life, and safety of icings on baked goods after prolonged exposure to heat without refrigeration, often common at county and state fairs. Methods include compiling a sample of icing recipes from Kansas citizens and entering into a database so that recipes could be sorted by factors such as sugar and/or dairy content. A central composite design will then be used to identify trials with variable amounts of sugar, dairy, and sugar with dairy. Current work is focused on creating a concise and navigable database with sufficient data to create a …

Effects Of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages On Glycemic And Insulinemic Outcomes: A Randomized Control Trial, Olivet Martinez

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with improved metabolic health in adults, but there is limited experimental research examining the consequences of adding SSBs to the diet, particularly in healthy individuals. The aim of the current study was to determine whether there were differences in glycemic and insulinemic outcomes following three weeks of added caffeine-free soda, 100% fruit juice, or water in healthy young adults. College-aged participants (21.2±2.8yrs; n=36) were randomized to one of three beverage conditions: water (W), caffeine-free soda (S), or 100% fruit juice (FJ). Participants completed baseline anthropometric measurements, and fasting and SSB-tolerance glycemic and insulinemic …

Effects Of Caffeine On High-Intensity Functional Training Performance, Melitza Ramirez, Jesse Stein, Katie Heinrich

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Caffeine demonstrates an ergogenic effect on endurance exercise performance, however, its efficacy during high-intensity functional training (HIFT) is unknown. HIFT is an exercise program that incorporates a variety of multi-joint movements performed at a relatively high-intensity and designed to improve parameters of general physical fitness and performance. Our study aimed to determine the effects of caffeine on HIFT performance. Thirteen HIFT-trained men (age = 28.5±6.6 years, HIFT experience = 4.1±3.0 years, body weight= 84.3±9.9 kg) were randomized in a double-blind, crossover design. After consent, participants completed two HIFT sessions separated by a 7-day washout period, 60-minutes after consuming 5mg/kg of …

Fresh Start: A Program To Promote Physical Activity Among College Freshmen, Mia Taylor

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Fresh Start: A Program to Promote Physical Activity Among College Freshmen

Mia Taylor, Emily Mailey, Eryn Coates, Jerica Garcia,

Hailey Hunter, Courtney Moore

Department of Kinesiology

College of Human Ecology

Physical activity levels tend to decline as students transition from high school to college, and freshmen college women have been a population of interest. It is possible providing unique physical activity information via text messages could support freshmen women in increasing their physical activity levels. Freshmen females (n=30) were recruited to participate in a 9-week program that involved wearing an ActivPal for 3 individual weeks (beginning, middle, and end) and …

Peptide Conjugation Of Branched Amphiphilic Peptide Capsules, Baltazar Claro-Martinez

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

In recent years, nanocarrier cellular therapy has been a rapidly growing area for research in the treatment of malignant and infectious diseases – most notably cancer. Conventional cancer treatment has consisted of highly toxic, highly insoluble, untargeted delivery of drugs that kill both cancerous and healthy cells. Research in the Tomich lab consists of the synthesis of Branched Amphiphilic Peptide Capsules (BAPCs), which are self-assembling peptide nanospheres composed of one or both of these branched peptide sequences: h5 and h9. These peptides possess similar molecular characteristics of phosphoglycerides but are synthesized chemically within the lab. Previous publications by the Tomich …

Does Quorum Sensing Regulate The Conjugation Of The Two Co-Resident Megaplasmids Of Agrobacterium Tumefaciens 15955, Christopher Carter

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

While the effects of Agrobacterium tumefaciens can be easily observed and have been studied closely, the mechanisms for their virulence habits have not. Several studies have suggested the mechanisms for plasmid transfer and conjugation, particularly concerning plasmid Ti (pTi), the TraR (TraR1) regulator, and the quorum sensing (QS) system associated with it. Very little is known, however, about the second plasmid (pAt) present within the bacteria nor its regulatory QS systems. To further understand these mechanics of plasmid conjugation, we have devised a series of experiments in order to find connections between the conjugation of both pTi and pAt and …

Comparison Of Immunohistochemistry Methods For Visualization Of Middle Eastern Respiratory Viral Antigen, Elena Carlos

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS), caused by MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) first appeared in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Although there have been less than 2,400 cases reported, the case fatality rate is 35%. Dromedary camels are the known host animal for the virus. However, they are difficult to manage experimental animals. In a recent study, alpacas proved to be a suitable experimental animal to further characterize MERS-CoV infection. Our work is part of a wider project focused on studying the efficacy of MERS-CoV antigen and RNA labeling in infected alpaca tissues, when these tissues are preserved in novel modular alcohol fixatives …

Therapeutic Peptide Sequences And Gatekeepers Loaded With Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles, Dursitu Hassen

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The research community is developing and looking into new ways of effectively delivering anti-cancer treatment. According to National Cancer Institute over 1.5 million new cases of cancer are predicted in the United States, just alone in 2018. The major hurdles that have been identified by scientists are finding mechanisms that assist in decreasing the side effects of cancer treatment and to increase the effectiveness of the drug. In our lab, a highly toxic peptide sequence, SA-K₆L₉-AS is encapsulated in MSNs (mesoporous silica nanoparticles) and capped with a gatekeeper. The function of a gatekeeper is preventing the …

Characterization Of A Membrane-Bound Insect Transferrin, Diana Najera

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Characterization of a Membrane-Bound Insect Transferrin

Diana G. Najera, Michelle E. Coca, Kayla E. Nutsch, and Maureen J. Gorman

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University

Transferrins are extracellular proteins that bind iron. Vertebrate transferrins have well-characterized roles in iron transport and immunity, but the functions of transferrins in most other animals are poorly understood. The goals of this study are to identify the functions of transferrin-3 (Tsf3) from Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), and to determine whether Tsf3 is conserved in other species of insects. Our experimental approach has been to predict important features of the protein, analyze …

Pilot Studies Of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms In Insect Cells, Michelle Coca

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Pilot Studies of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Insect Cells

Michelle E. Coca, Diana G. Najera, and Dr. Maureen J. Gorman

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

College of Arts and Sciences

Iron plays an important role in energy metabolism and other essential physiological processes; however, because iron can also be toxic, its uptake by cells must be strictly regulated. In humans, there is a well-understood pathway of iron uptake and multiple poorly understood pathways. How iron is transported into insect cells is unknown. The goal of this study was to test two models of iron uptake by cultured …

Examination Of Preference And Tolerance For Exercise Intensity And College Student Fitness, Blanca Delatorre

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Individuals who prefer and tolerate higher intensity exercise demonstrate higher fitness levels over time. PURPOSE: To examine relationships between Preference (P) and Tolerance (T) for exercise intensity and fitness before and after 8-week college activity courses. METHODS: Participants were students in 8-week high-intensity functional training (HIFT; n=54, 54% male, age= 22±3 years) or traditional weight training (TWT; n=41, 71% male,age= 23±4 years). During the first and last class sessions, participants completed the 16-item Preference for and Tolerance of the Intensity of Exercise Questionnaire [score range=8 (low)-40 (high)]. After a standardized warm-up, they completed vertical jump, hand grip, 2-min push-ups and …

The Role Of Iron Fortification And Supplementation In Addressing Iron Deficiency, Kevin Loya

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Affecting an estimated 2 billion people, iron deficiency continues to be a leading risk factor causing disability and death worldwide. Iron deficiency is caused when the body fails to produce hemoglobin due to the lack of iron uptake. Ultimately, this can cause iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency anemia is the most prevalent type of anemia in the world. There are many different forms that can be supplemented to avoid iron deficiency anemia but determining the most effective form will help us understand future directions of iron fortification. We reviewed randomized controlled trials using electronic databases Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, …

Boron Uptake In Salt Cedars Via Aquaporins, Alexcis Barnes

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Salt Cedar (Tamarix) is a dicot plant highly tolerant to the chemical boron. This is interesting because for most plants boron is an essential yet toxic metalloid. Plants have a hard time excluding it. The goal of the project is to identify a potential protein sequence (order of amino acids forming a protein) for an aquaporin that allows the transport of boron, moving through a pore. In addition to selecting the sequences, a 3D model of the protein has been constructed to see how boron is entering the cells through the channels of these proteins. A dynamic model …

Establishment Of 3-D Human Colorectal Cancer Spheroids, India Barnett

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Three-Dimensional (3D) cell culture plays an important role in cancer biology by providing a life-like microenvironment as a model for drug discovery and treatment. Hydrogels, like many other 3D scaffolds, demonstrate a unique property as matrices for 3D cell culture. The goal of this project is to establish a 3D cell culture for colorectal cancer and apply this 3D model to drug testing. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States with an early detection rate of 39%. Previously, 2D cell culture of human colorectal cancer cells, SW480, was used to determine the efficacy of …

Evaluation Of Ancient Grains And Grain Free Dog Food On Nutrient Utilization And Stool Consistency In Dogs, Luis Lopez

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

“Grain-free” and “ancient grain” claims have become popular in the pet food industry. However, there are no studies evaluating these types of diets. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of “grain-free” and “ancient grain” carbohydrate sources on nutrient utilization and stool consistency in dogs. Two dog diets were formulated to contain the same amount of carbohydrate sources: an ancient grain (AG) with spelt, millet, and sorghum, and a grain free (GF) with potato, pea, and tapioca starch. Experimental diets were fed to twelve Beagles housed in individual cages. This study was conducted as a completely …

Assessment Of The Potential Use Of Recombinant Baculovirus-Expressed Lassa Virus Nucleoprotein As A Serodiagnostic Antigen, Sahiba Grover

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Lassa virus is an arenavirus causing a disseminated systemic primary viral infection. This virus causes Lassa fever which is a viral hemorrhagic fever endemic in West Africa and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people each year. There is a possibility for the Lassa virus to be introduced into the US and used as a biological weapon with the potential to harm a large-scale population. Because of increasing international travel, a sizeable burden from the disease, and its potential use for biological warfare, it is necessary to develop sensitive diagnostic assays to accurately detect virus infections and mitigate …

Sex Differences In Exercise Recovery, Cristian Erives

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Recent findings from our laboratory suggest that recovery from peripheral fatigue measured by pre- and post-potentiated twitch forces following extreme intensity (80%) exercise is faster than following severe intensity exercise (40% MVC). Women have been shown to have predominately higher percentages of slow twitch muscle fibers compared to men. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that Qtw (potentiated twitch) following exercise is recovered faster in women in both exercise intensities. Methods: 6 subjects (3 men, 3 woman, age 24 ± 4 yrs, 74.5 ± 17.4 kg; 173 ± 5 cm) performed 2 intermittent isometric knee extension tests to exhaustion at 40% …

Behavioral Paradigms For Studying Neural Circuits Of Social Behavior And 
Fear Conditioning In A Zebrafish Model Of Autism, Jared Newell

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Zebrafish is an important genetically tractable vertebrate model system to study the development and function of brain circuits relevant to human affective disorders, like schizophrenia and fear and anxiety disorders. Our group uses zebrafish to study neural circuits and developmental factors underlying autism spectrum disorders. Patients with autisms show compromised social behavior, deficiencies in smell and taste, and elevated anxiety and stress responses. Many of these behavioral abnormalities have been correlated with dysfunctions of the amygdaloid complex, which is the regulatory core of the emotional brain in humans and other vertebrates. To study how mutations of autism genes such as …