Life Sciences Commons^™

Anonymity And Consumption: How Modern Technology And Pressure Affect The Eating Habits Of College Students, Jessica A. Laso

Senior Honors Projects

One of the biggest issues in our society today is the increase in obesity. Despite the amount of available data on the negative health effects or possible solutions and food alternatives, the problem has not seemed to haven gotten any better. In more recent years, the notorious "freshman 15" has even become a victim to obesity and is weighing in as the "freshman 30." What is causing college students to become more susceptible to weight gain? There has been much research conducted to find the common causes of over-eating and weight gain, especially amongst those in college. After reading several …

Mutation And Complementation Of A Cellulose Synthase (Cesa) Gene, Ahmed Y. El-Araby

Senior Honors Projects

Cellulose is a carbohydrate polymer that is composed of repeating glucose subunits. Being the most abundant organic compound in the biosphere and comprising a large percentage of all plant biomass, cellulose is extremely plentiful and has a significant role in nature. Cellulose is present in plant cell walls, in commercial products such as those made from wood or cotton, and is of interest to the biofuel industry as a potential alternative fuel source. Although indigestible by humans, cellulose is nutritionally valuable, serving as a dietary fiber. Because of its ubiquity and importance in many areas, studying cellulose will prove to …

Understanding The Importance Of The Zinc Binding Domain In Cesa Protein Interaction: Some Assembly Required, Alfred Schupp Iii

Senior Honors Projects

Understanding the Importance of the zinc binding domain in the cellulose synthase complex: Some Assembly Required

Alfred Schupp

Sponsor: Alison Roberts, Biological Sciences

Cellulose microfibrils are vital components of the cell wall. A microfibril is made up of multiple strands of glucose chains, and these cellulose microfibrils are produced by protein complexes in the plasma membrane called cellulose synthase complexes, or CSCs for short. Each complex is made up of 36 subunits called Cellulose Synthase proteins, or CESAs. Each CESA produces a glucose polymer made from beta-1,4 glucan linkages. It is known that CESA proteins aggregate to form CSCs, and …

Exploring The Function Of Gt2 In Physcomitrella Patens, Tess Scavuzzo-Duggan

Senior Honors Projects

Plant cell walls are composed of a variety of carbohydrates, among them cellulose, pectin and hemicellulose. Cellulose is deposited in the cell wall as microfibrils via cellulose synthesis complexes (CSCs). These complexes contain the cellulose synthase proteins (CESAs) and come in two different morphological forms: rosettes and linear complexes. Rosette shaped cellulose synthesis complexes occur in land plants, whilst linear complexes are commonly found in red algae. However, some land plants, notably bryophytes (mosses) and seedless vascular plants, contain genes that encode both CESAs of the type that form rosette CSCs and also genes similar to those found in red …

Effect Of Tai Chi Exercise On Cognitive Function During Weight Loss In Obese Older Women, Alice R. Marolla

Senior Honors Projects

Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 30 kg/m², is a major public health problem in the United States, affecting over 34% of Americans. Among the populations with the highest obesity prevalence is women aged 60 years and older. As a Kinesiology major, I find it very important to examine the complications that arise as a result of obesity.

We know that obese individuals run the risk of developing hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease. A potential health risk associated with obesity that is understudied is cognitive functioning impairment, like dementia. Dementia is …

The “Green Eating” Project: A Pilot Intervention To Promote Sustainable And Healthy Eating In College Students, Kelleigh E. Eastman

Senior Honors Projects

The “Green Eating” Project: A Pilot Intervention to Promote Sustainable and Healthy Eating in College Students

Kelleigh Eastman

Sponsor: Geoffrey Greene, Nutrition and Dietetics

A topic of interest that is growing in the general population is the idea of being sustainable, or “green”, and there is a rising awareness in sustainable practices involving food and the environment. Some of the “green” eating behaviors identified through my research included eating a plant-based (i.e. vegetarian or semi-vegetarian) diet, eating locally grown foods, eating organically grown foods, and eating foods that are labeled fair-trade. Frequently, these “green” eating behaviors are healthful eating behaviors …

Hydra Vulgaris As A High Throughput Invertebrate For Anti-Epilepsy Drugs, Bianca Marie Lauro

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Big Blue And You: An Interdisciplinary Look At Science And The Ocean, A Students Teaching Students Course, Megan M. Nepshinsky, Alexa Kretsch, Benjamin Negrete

Senior Honors Projects

This class is the second project under the new Honors Program initiative, Students Teaching Students (STS). STS was brought to URI and implemented by Bridget Griffith as part of her Senior Honors Project in 2011. Students apply in their Junior year to design, research, and teach an honors course on a topic about which they are passionate. The STS program allows motivated honors students to have a unique opportunity to lead a class as student professors. This allows students a freedom of creativity on the topic, assignments, and teaching style. Drawing on our own experiences, we were able to create …

Big Blue And You: An Interdisciplinary Look At Science And The Ocean, A Students Teaching Students Course, Benjamin Negrete Jr., Megan Nepshinsky, Alexa Kretsch

Senior Honors Projects

This class is the second project under the new Honors Program initiative, Students Teaching Students (STS). STS was brought to URI and implemented by Bridget Griffith as part of her Senior Honors Project in 2011. Students apply in their Junior year to design, research, and teach an honors course on a topic about which they are passionate. The STS program allows motivated honors students to have a unique opportunity to lead a class as student professors. This allows students a freedom of creativity on the topic, assignments, and teaching style. Drawing on our own experiences, we were able to create …

The Herring River Estuary: Understanding Salt Marsh Restoration And How To Predict The Response Of Phragmites Australis To Increased Tidal Flow, Theresa Murphy

Senior Honors Projects

My presentation invites you to learn about what is involved in planning a salt marsh restoration project. The Herring River Estuary is a disturbed salt marsh ecosystem at Cape Cod National Seashore which has been diked since 1909. The National Park Service (NPS), in cooperation with many partners, is engaged in efforts to restore the now impacted 1,100 acre estuary by re-introducing tidal flow. There is significant complexity involved in trying to restore such an intricate system- from the multitude of environmental factors to important social and economic consequences. There are also several benefits to restored tidal flow. My thesis …

Moss Mural, Chelsea Fredrikson

Senior Honors Projects

Moss Mural: Bridging the Arts and Sciences

Chelsea Fredrikson

Major: Fine Arts

Advisor: Robert Dilworth

Advisor Department: Fine Arts

Date 5-2012

Abstract

When we are young, in elementary school, we are encouraged to learn subjects together. Fine arts, science, math, and literature all work as one, and overlap to teach us valuable lessons and tools we can use as we grow. But as we become older school systems segregate subjects, forcing students to chose a direction. Do I have a creative mind, or a logical mind?

As an art student I’ve tried over the course of my college …

An Exploration Into Project Management: A Grassroots Experience In A Developing Nation, Brittany L. O'Brien

Senior Honors Projects

As a senior at the University of Rhode Island, it has been my experience that the knowledge that has been most successfully retained within my mind has been that which I gained through active learning. As an international development minor I have taken many courses on how developmental aid is provided around the world, and throughout these courses I have learned that the drive for creating those endeavors came from an understanding of need. In order to best complete my education on international development I created a sustainable developmental aid project which provided education for specific needs in Malawi, Africa. …

Potential Impact Of Herbivorous Fish On Ulva Bloom Biomass, Tanja Schollmeier

Senior Honors Projects

Potential Impact of Herbivorous Fish on Ulva Bloom Biomass

Tanja Schollmeier

Sponsor: Carol Thornber, Biological Sciences

The addition of anthropogenically produced nitrogen and phosphorous to coastal habitats is a major problem that frequently results in the rapid growth, or bloom, of macroalgae. Within Narragansett Bay, RI, blooms are commonly formed by two species: Ulva compressa and U. rigida. These blooms co-occur with a number of invertebrates that have been previously studied for their impacts on bloom biomass. However, few studies have examined the abundance or potential grazing impacts of herbivorous fish. To address this information gap, we conducted surveys …

Library Impact Statement For Nrs/Bio 417 Herpetology, Michael A. Cerbo Ii

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement for NRU/BIO 417 Herpetology new course proposal. No new library resources are needed to support this course. Responding library faculty member: Michael A. Cerbo II. Requesting faculty member: Nancy E. Karraker.

Library Impact Statement For Nrs/Bio 517 Herpetology, Michael A. Cerbo Ii

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement for NRS/BIO 517 Herpetology. No new library resources are needed to support this course. Responding library faculty member: Micael A. Cerbo II. Requesting faculty member: Nancy E. Karraker.

Library Impact Statement For Bio 501 Advanced Scientific Ethics, Michael A. Cerbo Ii

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement for BIO 501 Advanced Scientific Ethics new course proposal. No new resources are required to support this course. Responding library faculty member: Michael A. Cerbo II. Requesting faculty member: Chris Lane.

Library Impact Statement For Bio 502 Advanced Scientific Communication, Michael A. Cerbo Ii

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement for BIO 502 Advanced Scientific Communication new course proposal. No new resources are needed to support this course. Responding library faculty member: Michael A. Cerbo II. Requesting faculty member: Chris Lane.

Library Impact Statement For Bio 553 Regulatory Processes In Eucaryotic Cells, Michael A. Cerbo Ii

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement for BIO 553 Regulatory Processes in Eucaryotic Cells new course proposal. No new library resources are needed to support this course. Responding library faculty member: Michael A. Cerbo II. Requesting faculty member: Joanna Norris.

Library Impact Statement For Bio 485x Salt Marsh Ecology, Michael A. Cerbo Ii

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement for BIO 485X Salt Marsh Ecology new course proposal. No new library resources are needed to support this course. Responding library faculty member: Michael A. Cerbo II. Requesting faculty member: Serena Moseman-Valtierra.

Library Impact Statement For Bio 585x Salt Marsh Ecology, Michael A. Cerbo Ii

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement for BIO 585X Salt Marsh Ecology new course proposal. No new library resources are needed to support this course. Responding library faculty member: Michael A. Cerbo II. Requesting faculty member: Serena Moseman-Valtierra.