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Ecological Responses To Living Shoreline Restoration, Aaron S. Bland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Coastal built communities and natural coastal ecosystems face similar and interrelated hazards: shoreline sediment erosion, shoreline retreat, and worsening storms, each of which is exacerbated by relative sea level rise. Living shorelines are coastal defense projects that incorporate natural habitats to provide more sustainable shoreline defense and improve the coastal ecosystem. Living shorelines have been widely adopted, but their performance has been highly variable, and the mechanisms of project success and failure are unclear. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to better understand the ecosystem responses to coastal restoration, focusing on the primary habitats of coastal salt marsh and …

Volume 17, Christian O’Neill, Kyara Greene, Savva Sidorov, Laura Bisaillon, Luke Clemmer, Hannah Gordon, Kitt Benson, Taylor Blount, Rachel Danzitz, Nicholas Duellman, Chase Gionis, Hima Fernando, Seth Franzyshen, Onyx Gonzalez, Bryan Lin, Samantha Start, Ysabel Wells, Maggie Duncan

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Amorette Barber, Director, Office of Student Research

From the Editor Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell

Cover Artist’s Statement Maggie Duncan

On Mentoring Dr. Yulia Uryadova

Ukrainian Resistance in the Face of Russification: Nestor Makhno and Anarchism

by Christian O’Neill

Life Vest by Kyara Greene

Isolation and 16S rRNA Identification of Bacteria from Fire Department Connection Pipe by Savva Sidorov

The Effectiveness of Planned Exercise in Reducing ADHD Symptoms in Children by Laura Bisaillon & Luke Clemmer

Linguistic Analysis on Confidence and Communication Strategies with Disparities Between Sign Fluency and Hearing Impairment by Hannah Gordon

Freedmen in Indian Territory by Kitt …

Ai×Life 2026: Advances In Computational Biology Across Scales For Life & Health Sciences, Suma Mohan S., Devika N. T., Pranavathiyani G.

Conference Proceedings

Book of Abstracts of the International Conference, AIxLife 2026: Advances in Computational Biology Across Scales for Life & Health Sciences, held on 17–18 April 2026, SASTRA Deemed to be University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, INDIA 

About the Conference

Conventional computational biology laid the foundation for biological data analysis through statistical models, algorithms, and curated databases, enabling insights into genes, proteins, and pathways. Today, the integration of artificial intelligence, spanning machine learning, deep learning, and large language models (LLMs) is driving a transformative shift across biological scales, from atomic and molecular interactions to pathways, cellular systems, organisms, and populations.

AI-powered approaches …

The Status Of The Endangered Rafflesia And Conservation Efforts In Java Island, Indonesia, Bahana Aditya Adnan, Purnomo Purnomo, Suwarno Hadisusanto

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

Rafflesia species (Rafflesiaceae) is a small endo-holoparasitic South-East Asian plant genus known for its exceptionally large flowers, rare species, and high island endemism. Three species of Rafflesia, i.e. R. patma, R. rochussenii, and R. zollingeriana, are known from Java, Indonesia. All three species are threatened with extinction due to human activities that cause habitat loss and fragmentation. Our literature review revealed that currently, factors influencing the existence of this genus, including its life cycle and environmental factors that support its life, are still not well understood. In particular, studies of the distribution and population of Rafflesia on the …

Influence Of Pruning And Organic Fertiliser On 9-Month-Old Ginger Productivity In An Acacia Auriculiformis Agroforestry, Yuda Vatra Erlangga, Arom Figyantika, Cintya Nurul Apsari, Rizki Bagus Indratmoko, Muhammad Syahru Ramadhan, Anastasya Clara Srinila Tampubolon, Fanny Elisabeth Panjaitan

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

Acacia auriculiformis (formis) offers various advantages that can be integrated with agricultural crops like ginger (Zingiber officinale var. amarum) through agroforestry systems. Pruning and fertilisation are potential strategies to optimise this approach. However, existing research remains limited. Further quantification and analysis are required to elucidate the effects of pruning on the growth of 7-year-old formis trees 11 months after treatment. In addition, more comprehensive studies are needed to examine the combined effects of pruning and organic fertiliser on the growth, productivity, and gingerol content of 9-month-old ginger plants. This research employed a Split-Plot Randomised Complete Block Design, examining the …

Species Diversity And Estimation Of Aboveground Carbon Stocks In Sugar Palm Forest And Lowland Forest In Negeri Hatusua, Maluku, Irwanto Irwanto, Andjela Sahupala, Febian Tetelay, Yulianus Komul

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

Tropical forests are essential for climate change mitigation, but limited data on species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in Indonesia constrain evidence-based forest management. This study aims to assess species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in sugar palm forests and lowland forests in Negeri Hatusua, Maluku Province, Indonesia. Vegetation analysis was employed to determine species structure and diversity, while carbon stock measurement and calculation followed the Indonesian National Standard (SNI 7724:2019) for land-based carbon assessment, with certain modifications. The results indicated that the species diversity index in the sugar palm forest was 2.21 for trees, 1.95 for poles, 2.26 for …

Sustainability Of Peatland Area Management With Peat Drainability Assessment At Various Depths, Aulia Bahadhori Mukti, Heru Bagus Pulunggono, Yuli Suharnoto

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

This study aims to analyze the distribution of drainability assessment components, including Peat Basal Contact (PBC) and Natural Drainage Limit (NDL) elevations, Drainage Limit Time (DLT), and volume loss, as well as their relationship with peat thickness, subsidence, and groundwater level (GWL) in peatlands. The assessment is conducted to estimate the potential productive lifespan of oil palm plantations by determining the natural drainage limit (NDL) and predicting the time required to reach the drainage threshold, considering subsidence rates across different peat thickness classes. The analysis and calculations were performed using the drainage assessment formulas and procedures outlined by the Roundtable …

Site Characterization And Integrated Irrigation-Forestry Solutions For Mangrove Restoration In The Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam, Manh Quy Do, Huy Quoc Nguyen, Minh Duc Nguyen, My Tra Ha, Tuan Anh Le, Luan Thanh Nguyen, Tu Ngoc Pham

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

The research was conducted in 2023 in a degraded mangrove forest area in Giao Hoa commune, Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. This area is part of the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve (RRDBR), which was recognised by UNESCO in 2004. The study employed methods such as surveying topographical features, assessing soil and water characteristics, and evaluating the status of the mangrove forest. It also used GIS and The Analytic Hierarchy Process method to analyse and evaluate the current condition of the forest and its site characteristics. The research results show that, regarding the topographical features of the degraded mangrove area, it …

Cyanine Dyes As Next-Generation Fluorophores: Applications In Cell Sorting And Fingerprinting Technologies, Super-Multiplexed Spectroscopy, Biomedical Imaging, And Beyond, Lucas Allen Davis

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

As biochemical, pharmaceutical, and medical sciences advance, the demand for technologies capable of probing multiple cellular targets simultaneously continues to increase. Super-multiplexed spectroscopic techniques offer a pathway toward comprehensive cellular fingerprinting by overcoming the spectral limitations of conventional fluorescence labeling. By circumventing the traditional “color barrier,” cyanine-based Raman tags enable the simultaneous discrimination of numerous cellular morphologies, allowing spectroscopy and imaging to be integrated for high-dimensional cellular analysis. Technologies developed in Goda Lab—including high-throughput flow cytometry, virtual freezing fluorescence imaging (VIFFI), Fourier-transform coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (FT-CARS), and MERdot nanoparticles—address longstanding trade-offs between throughput, resolution, sensitivity, and multiplexing capacity. Central …

Shark Immunology And Its Biomedical Potential: Evolution, Innovation, And The Imperative Of Conservation, Reesha Bhagat

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This review aims to shed light on a significant ecological deficit and its implications for the future of science and medicine. Sharks possess a uniquely adaptive, cancer-resistant, and evolutionarily refined immune system with transformative biomedical potential, making their conservation a scientific and medical imperative. We are losing something medically irreplaceable, and we don’t even fully understand it yet. Shark conservation is a pressing scientific imperative because sharks are ecologically essential and represent an irreplaceable biomedical resource.

Assessing The Conservation Needs Of Native Texas Crayfish Species Through Distribution Analysis And Species Distribution Modeling, Elizabeth J. Croft

Biology Theses

Crayfish have essential roles in ecosystems because they are ecosystem engineers and keystone species. However, crayfish species are threatened by degradation and loss of habitats, introduction of invasive species, and high levels of endemism. Texas provides no legal protections for crayfish, despite its large number of species and endemics in the state. The overall goal of this study is to clarify the distributions of native Texas crayfish species using literature records, citizens science, and field sampling data, and highlight species in need of more conservation research. Occurrence records from all collected data were combined to visualize the distributions of species …

Exploring Google Trends In Assessing Personal Finance Needs For Cooperative Extension Service Programming, Megan Wells

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Cooperative Extension Service (CES) relies on systematic needs assessments to guide program development; yet, traditional approaches often depend heavily on stakeholder input and professional judgment, offering limited insight into consumer level needs. This mixed methods study explored Google Trends as a complementary, consumer driven data source for assessing Family Resource Management (FRM) needs within the Arkansas CES. Grounded in Witkin and Altschuld’s three level needs assessment framework and Uses and Gratifications Theory, the study integrated three data sources representing stakeholders, service providers, and consumers: (1) Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) advisory committee reports, (2) survey of Family Consumer Science …

Assessing Decadal Changes In Eelgrass Communities From Barnegat Bay, Nj, Janelle Marie Delcastillo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Zostera marina (eelgrass) is a widely distributed marine angiosperm across northern hemisphere coastlines, yet many regions have experienced substantial declines due to disease, coastal development, and other anthropogenic stressors. Barnegat Bay is the only estuary in New Jersey that still supports extensive eelgrass beds, although it has undergone notable losses over the past five decades. To evaluate decadal-scale ecological change, we collected sediment cores in 2025 from a site with historical data spanning 2001–2010. Overall faunal densities remained relatively consistent, but several taxa exhibited clear shifts in abundance. Amphipods in the Phoxocephalidae and the isopod Erichsonella increased, whereas the cold-affinity …

Post-Wildfire Erosion And Biogeochemistry: Integrating Aerial Imagery And Soil Testing To Assess Landscape Recovery, Justin A. Allred

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

After a wildfire, land managers are required to monitor large tracts of land with limited time and budgets. Traditionally, tracking landscape recovery is a time intensive process. This research explored the effectiveness of using drones (UAVs), strategic soil sampling, and computer modeling as additional tools for land managers in order to monitor the recovery more efficiently.

By using drones to collect aerial imagery and using machine learning, plant regrowth was monitored in back-to-back years. The machine learning model performed well at telling broad groups apart (trees vs grass) but it struggled to identify differences between plant species. Because many plants …

Production Of Hydrolyzed Lactose Syrup From The Acid Whey, Aubrey Jean Arbon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Acid whey has gained significant attention within the dairy industry due to its complex matrix and the processing challenges. This by-product contains lactose that can be isolated, hydrolyzed, and further processed to produce hydrolyzed syrup. To optimize lactose utilization, it is essential to fine-tune the kinetics of the β-galactosidase enzymes used for lactose hydrolysis. To analyze sugars in acid whey, and LC-MS-based chromatographic method was developed. Once the method was developed, the kinetics of β-galactosidase were optimized with respect to enzyme concentration, pH, and temperature. The goal was to achieve the highest possible lactose hydrolysis. The hydrolyzed acid whey was …

Herbivory Of Phragmites Australis Along A Salinity Gradient In Connecticut Wetlands, Sydney H. Kolz

Honors Scholar Theses

Invasive Phragmites australis (common reed) is widely distributed in New England wetlands, where it often outcompetes native plants and decreases biodiversity throughout the food web. Controlling its invasion is a priority, especially in salt marsh habitat, but current management techniques are inefficient. Leveraging natural processes may improve control strategies, but in order to do so, we must first better understand how abiotic and biotic stressors interact and affect Phragmites. This study focuses on herbivory and salinity, two factors limiting Phragmites’ fitness. I measured soil salinity and quantified the damage of three herbivore guilds (i.e. gall-formers and stem-borers, leaf-chewers, and …

The Role Of Floodplain Connectivity In Shaping The Abundance, Size-Class Distribution, And Schooling Behavior Of The Associated Fish Assemblage, Adam H. Quade

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The life histories of many Louisiana fishes are closely tied to the timing, magnitude, and duration of the Mississippi River flood pulse, which regulates the ecological connectivity and productivity of adjacent floodplain habitats. Anthropogenic modifications such as levee construction and water-control structures have disrupted these natural hydrologic linkages, altering habitat quality and community structure across the Lower Mississippi River Basin. This dissertation used high-resolution imaging sonar to investigate how fish assemblages, species, and collectives respond to changes in floodplain connectivity within the Richard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area prior to hydrologic restoration. In the first chapter, I applied imaging sonar …

Geospatial Science And The Changing Environment: Applied Methods For Sustainable Agriculture And Landscape Management, Harrison Wakefield Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rapid environmental change is disrupting agricultural productivity, ecological function, and the long-term resilience of managed landscapes. At the same time, the rapid growth of geospatial data science has improved our understanding of environmental change and increasingly is being used to improve sustainability in agricultural and environmental management. However, critical gaps remain that limit the applicability of data-driven insights in landscape management. This dissertation investigates the potential of geospatial analytics for sustainable agriculture and landscape management, with a focus on applied methods that operate across spatial and temporal scales. Using field, landscape, regional, and national datasets, it explores the capabilities and …

Aggregation And Collation Of Texas Crayfish Museum Specimens To Determine Their Current Conservation Statuses, Adrian Alvarez

Biology Theses

Crayfish account for over half of the macroinvertebrate biomass in many ecosystems and serve as crucial bioindicators because of their behavioral and physiological adaptability to environmental changes. Despite being home to approximately 52 native crayfish species, Texas currently lacks protective regulations. This gap is primarily because of insufficient information regarding their distribution and occurrences within the state, including their statuses as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). This study focuses on compiling and comparing crayfish museum records with current iNaturalist field survey data across Texas to address these knowledge gaps and recommend updates to SGCN statuses. Five species not currently …

Influence Of Increased Supplementation Of Organic-Complexed Zinc To Beef Cows During Gestation: Effects On Preweaning Health Of Offspring, Naija N. Sharpley

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of increasing zinc supplementation from organic-complexed sources to beef cows during gestation on calf performance. In May 2025, during gestation, Angus crossbred cows were confirmed pregnant with female sexed semen (n = 83) and enrolled in the current study. Cows (4.7 ± 2 years of age and 531 ± 84.4 kg body weight, mean ± standard deviation) were allotted to 4 groups (20 to 21 cows/group) based on, sire of heifer calf, cow age, and cow body weights taken at weaning. Assigned groups received 1 of 2 treatments (2 groups/treatment): …

Using The Flexon Approach To Rnai For Analysis Of Gene Function In Gonadal Development In C. Elegans, Andrew D. Spalding

Undergraduate Theses

C. elegans, a nematode worm, was used as a model organism to analyze the developmental effects of knocking down the expression of genes that are both essential to worm viability and highly enriched in reproductive tissues. In earlier research, approximately 70 C. elegans genes were identified that are both gonad-enriched and essential. To prioritize which genes should be the focus of future studies, a new strain of C. elegans was produced with three specific genetic variations that: 1) silence essential, somatic gonad-enriched gene expression, 2) limit the effects of this gene silencing to the gonad, and 3) yield a …

2026 Workshop On Bridging The Gaps: Tackling Microplastics And Nanoplastics Challenges In Coastal Ecosystems, Shenghua Wu, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Melike Dizbay-Onat, Alexandra Stenson, Jinhui Wang, Tina Miller-Way, Ebenezer Nyadjro, Bhuvnesh Bharti, John Weinstein, Yi Bao, Shihui Shen, Valerie Longa, Shenghua Zha, John Cleary, Marty Lind

Workshops

This report presents the findings from the 2026 Workshop on Tackling Microplastics and Nanoplastics (MNPs) in Coastal Ecosystems, which took place in Mobile, Alabama. More than 140 experts from universities, government, industry, and community organizations gathered to address the increasing issue of MNPs in coastal regions.

Developing Warning Signage For Harmful Algal Blooms At Lake Fayetteville, Abigail R. Evans

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The presence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) poses many risk factors for human health, and once microcystin concentration has reached a certain level, that water source will be closed for the duration of the bloom. Agencies tend to use static signage with limited information to inform the public about the current status of the water, but a sign similar to the one used by the National Fire Danger Rating System can allow for constant updates detailing specific risk levels for the public. Using previously reported data on Lake Fayetteville, thresholds for risk factors that are easily measurable were determined. The …

The Genetic Basis Of High Transformation Efficiency In The Model Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Mary Kathryn E. Cheek

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Transformation, a type of horizontal gene transfer, describes the uptake, maintenance, and integration of environmental DNA by cells. Despite the known effects of transformation on evolutionary processes, little is known about the genetic basis of this phenomenon. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a eukaryote able to transform at quantifiable rates when made chemically competent and treated with a heat shock. S. cerevisiae also has variation in transformation efficiencies between various strains, and high recombination rates allow for sufficient allele “shuffling” in intercross populations. This project utilizes a bulk segregant analysis approach to compare sequencing data between transformant pools and non-transformant pools of …

Dried Water Treatment Residuals Might Be An Option To Reduce Soluble Reactive Phosphorus Release From Soils, Katie B. Mckay

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nonpoint source pollution from agricultural landscapes contributes to freshwater eutrophication, with legacy phosphorus (P) in soils potentially driving soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) losses to surface waters. The objectives of this study were to evaluate SRP adsorption by dried water treatment residuals (WTRs) produced by Beaver Water District, quantify reductions in soil SRP release across increasing WTR application rates, and compare dried WTR performance to prior WTR studies.

Dried WTRs (~98% solids) were assessed using batch sorption experiments and soil core incubations. Phosphorus sorption was measured by mixing WTRs with CaCl₂ solutions containing increasing SRP concentrations and fitting results to …

Cross-Facility Reliable Deep Learning Based Beef Marbling Assessment Via Unsupervised Domain Adaptation Regression, Samuel Vinson

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Inconsistent quality grading in beef production leads to inefficiencies, economic disparity, and consumer mistrust. While USDA meat grading traditionally relies on skilled visual inspectors, these human evaluations suffer from cross-facility variability and subjectivity. This paper introduces the first known application of unsupervised domain adaptation regression for cross-facility beef marbling score prediction—an innovation that improves generalization across diverse environments in the beef supply chain. Utilizing numerical scores ranging from 100-900, the research employed convolutional neural networks (CNNs), including ResNet, VGG, and AlexNet architectures. The study specifically introduced and validated a unified unsupervised domain adaptation regression method using the ResNet-50 architecture to …

Spectral Characterization Of Colorectal Cancer Using Excitation-Scanning Hyperspectral Imaging, Natalie Hadad

Honors Theses

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide, with a lifetime risk of approximately one in twenty-three for men and one in twenty-five for women. Although early detection significantly improves survival, current diagnostic approaches such as tissue biopsy are invasive, reliant on subjective interpretation, have extended turnaround times, and risk missing flat or depressed lesions that are more difficult to detect than raised polyps. These limitations highlight the need for objective, minimally invasive technologies capable of detecting early tissue changes. This study investigates excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging (Ex-HSI) as a label-free optical approach for identifying colorectal cancer–associated …

Developing A Protocol For Non-Cellular Transplantation Of Donor Mitochondria Into Recipient Cells, Andrew Parton

Honors Theses

Tumor innervation has emerged as a critical feature of cancer progression, with increased nerve density correlating with enhanced aggressiveness, metastatic dissemination, and poor clinical outcome. However, the functional contribution of neurons to tumor biology remains incompletely defined. We recently identified the intercellular transfer of mitochondria from neurons to cancer cells as a mechanism that promotes tumor progression. We therefore hypothesized that disruption of this transfer could attenuate tumor aggressivity. To directly investigate this process, we developed an approach to isolate mitochondria from donor cells and transplant them into recipient cancer cells independently of canonical cell-cell interactions. Transferred mitochondria were tracked …

Mechanisms Of Synergy Between Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field (Nspef) And Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Discharge (Cap) In Pancreatic Cancer: The Role Of Ros-Mediated Oxidative Stress And Apoptosis, Zobia Minhas

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly lethal malignancy characterized by poor prognosis and resistance to conventional therapies. Novel treatment strategies are needed to overcome this resistance. Non-thermal physical modalities, including nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) and cold atmospheric pressure plasma discharge (CAP), have emerged as potential anticancer approaches; however, the mechanisms underlying their combined effects remain unclear.

This study evaluated whether nsPEF enhances CAP-induced cytotoxicity and investigated the associated molecular mechanisms using the murine Pan02 pancreatic cancer cell line. Cell viability was assessed by WST-1 metabolic activity assays and electric cell–substrate impedance sensing (ECIS). Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were …

College Of Natural Sciences Spring Newsletter, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

[Page 1] Dean's Message
[Page] 2 Awards & Recognitions // Student Spotlights
[Page] 3 Zhang Named to Landsat Science Team // The Power of Teaching
[Page] 4 “Science as Art” Competition Welcomes High School Artists
[Page] 5 Testing for “Forever Chemicals” in Surface Water // New Faculty Spotlight
[Page] 6 Ambassador Initiated Outreach
[Page] 7 57th Annual Geography Convention
[Page] 8 Twice the Impact on On Call with the Prairie Doc
[Page] 9 Making Staple Foods Healthier // Halaweish & Cole-Dai Retire
[Page] 10 Drone Day 2026
[Page] 11 Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Day (SRSCAD)
[Page] 12 Ceremony …