Digital Commons Network^™

Fast And Furious: An Analysis Of What Factors Are Contributing To The Rapid And Unobstructed Rise In The Death Rate Of The Opioid Overdose Epidemic, Hailey Dicicco

Business and Economics Presentations

No abstract provided.

Mo’ Money Less Problems: Personal Factors That Correlate With Post-Baccalaureate Attainment, Zachary Goss

Business and Economics Presentations

From the years 1960 to 1997, Bachelor’s Degrees in the United States tripled. More interestingly though, that same time period saw both Master’s and Doctorate degrees in fields such as business, medicine and law quadruple with about a third of students having graduate degrees by 1997. With upwards of 3 million students to enroll in post-baccalaureate programs in 2017, this paper aims to look at personal factors such as: the number of children someone has, the ages of those children, whether or not the employer is paying for the student to attend graduate school, whether the student is married, and …

Love On The Brain, Luke Gehlhaus

Business and Economics Presentations

No abstract provided.

Privacy And Security: Assessing The Current Layout Present Within Universities, Mutah Kholoki

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Security and privacy are serious components of everyday life. Assuring that individuals, especially students, are getting the amount of each that they need is vital to their growth. In an age where privacy and security are becoming heavily threatened due to increasing technology usage and cyber threats, it’s vital for institutions to have strong defense mechanisms in place to prevent such threats. This is especially important in a university setting. It’s the duty of universities to strengthen themselves to prevent such attacks. Preventative need to be put into place so that students are given the opportunity to maximize their potentials.

Progress Presentation On The Proposed Function Of Protein 4diu Through Bioinformatics Analyses, Melissa Hoff

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Presentations

The BASIL project is a scientific inquiry project that aims to determine the function of a protein from its structure. Biochemistry students completed wet lab work, while structural biology students worked in silico. The purpose of this study was to determine the function of the protein with PDB ID: 4DIU. Bioinformatics analyses were completed using several databases: BLAST, Dali, Pfam, and Moltimate, and imaging of the protein was completed using PyMOL software. The BLAST database aligned the primary sequence with known protein sequences. The Dali database compared protein structure with known structures through global alignment. The Pfam database matched our …

Analysis Of Gas Mileage Of A Car, Joshua Ballard-Myer

Georgia College Student Research Events

The objective of this work is to analyze a data set, Auto, from the R package ISLR: Introduction to Statistical Learning in R. The data set includes information for 392 observations on 9 variables including gas mileage, horsepower, weight in pounds, and engine displacement in cubic inches. The data set was taken from the StatLib library maintained at Carnegie Mellon University. The primary response variable will be gas mileage in miles per gallon, with all other variables serving as predictors, but other relationships with other response variables such as acceleration will be explored. Results were similar to expected; traits desirable …

The Historiography Of Ballet Russes And The Russian Revolution: Dramaturgy For The Play Ballet Russes, Sachen Kele Pillay

Georgia College Student Research Events

This project investigates the political and artistic connections between the Ballet Russes dance company, and the wider socio-economic changes attributed to the Russian Revolution and the First World War. The 2019 Georgia College theatrical production of the play Ballet Russes, by Bernard Myers, follows the innovative and revolutionary ballet company of the same name. The story specifically focuses on the interpersonal relationship between the company’s Maestro Serge Diaghilev, and the legendary ballerino Vaslav Nijinsky. The central themes of the show revolve around the issues of exploitation, power structure, and revolution. The role of the dramaturg in the show’s production was …

Genome Annotation Of Ltr Retrotransposon In Trifolium Repens, Henry Wittich

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Retrotransposons, a class of transposable elements, are characterized by their copy and paste insertion mechanism. As a result, these repetitive DNAs increase to dramatic copy numbers and dominate the genomes of most plants. Retrotransposon insertion near genes or in regulatory areas can influence gene expression by introducing or interrupting regulatory sequences. For this reason, it is beneficial to future research to annotate the location of retrotransposons whenever a new genome assembly is published. A draft assembly of white clover (Trifolium repens) has been published on the NCBI database and is currently being updated with long-read PacBio sequences, though …

A Pedagogical Approach To General Relativity And The Membrane Paradigm, Joseph E. Summers, Arthur J. Kraus

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

In an undertaking to understand the phenomena of the information paradox, we begin by takinga pedagogical approach to describing electromagnetism in general relativity and inspecting themembrane paradigm. After deriving Maxwell’s equations in GR we can see what happens whendropping a charge towards a black hole and seeing how the properties of the membrane change,both from the frame of the free falling charge (FREFOS) as well as a fiducial observer (FIDOS)some distance from the horizon. The dichotomy of the membrane’s properties and how informationis dissipated [1] as seen by the FREFOS and FIDOS brings us to the heart of the informationparadox. …

A Longitudinal Look At School Climate And Students' Motivations For Attending University, Bailey Sanderson

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This study takes a longitudinal approach to exploring the role of school climate during early childhood in predicting teens’ motivation to pursue post-high school plans. School climate was examined using ISAT scores in kindergarten/preschool and first grade. Twelve years later motivation for post-high school plans in adolescence was assessed. Zero-order correlations were conducted, and results indicated that school climate in preschool/kindergarten was positively correlated with adolescents having humanitarian motivation for post-high school plans that included attending college and/or working after high school. Results also indicated that school climate in first grade was positively correlated with humanitarian motivation and negatively correlated …

Top Apps To Explore During Covid-19 Quarantine, Sandy Avila

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Having trouble staying on task, looking to be kept entertained, or care to visit a faraway land? We will explore these and other areas of interest as we look at how mobile apps and their desktop counterparts can help you escape your mind, center your body, and tickle your spiirt during COVID-19 quarantine.

Examining Youth School Connectedness And Youth Perceptions Of School Resource Officers As A Function Of Experiencing Community Violence, Jamie Kessler, Cynthia Onyeka M.A., Maryse H. Richards Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This preliminary research aims to demonstrate the linkage between exposure to community violence and school connectedness as mediated by perceptions of school resource officers (SROs). Exposure to community violence has been shown to cause psychological problems in youths who live in such communities. Low levels of school connectedness contribute to high dropout rates and greater opportunities to engage in delinquent behavior. Youths living in areas with high amounts of community violence encounter police on a more regular basis, and these interactions skew negatively for minority youths in schools and in the neighborhoods.

On Site Home Assessments For Individuals With Disabilities, Lacy Roling

OTD Capstone Projects

A poster presentation of a completed experiential component with Tucker's House.

Visual Aids For Nashville Dolphins, Sally Widmann

OTD Capstone Projects

A creation of visual aids and an E-manual for beahvioral strategies to assist the coaches and volunteers with work with the Nashville Dolphins organization. The goal of this project was to increase participation of swimmers, who are made up of adults and children alike with a large spectrum of disabilities.

The Classification Of An Unknown Protein 3h04, Britney Dyszel

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Presentations

An unclassified protein in the Protein Data Bank, 3H04, was selected as a protein of interest. Research was performed in silico to gain key information on the structure, sequence, and homology of protein 3H04. This research was guided using the BASIL Project’s protocols on in silico research. Several databases were utilized to study protein 3H04. Based on the data gathered, unclassified protein 3H04 is an aminopeptidase that cleaves prolyl-dipeptidyl peptide bonds through alpha beta hydrolase function.

Creating A Diverse Database Of Ability-Based Activities, Maanasa Kanimilli

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This presentation is a culmination of the work I did as a Developmental Training intern at Misericordia Heart of Mercy over the past school year.

Misericordia’S Fitness And Pool Center Through The Lens Of An Intern, Omar Zahra

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Misericordia caters to a large population of physical and mentally impaired individuals. One of the most important aspects of the resident’s lives is to engage with others and to stay active. With the Fitness and Pool Center residents are able to utilize a vast array of exercise equipment that allows residents to enrich their individual characteristics. A significant facet of the center is the many programs that they host, including “Sit and Be Fit” sessions. These sessions allow for an interactive way to intermingle with the residents. This internship encompassed both the fitness center and the programs it offered.

Eph/Ephrin Expression In The Developing Geniculate Ganglion, Metin Aksu

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Taste sensing neurons of the geniculate ganglion express a unique combination of EphA receptors that are implicated in pathfinding and targeting throughout the nervous system. The Rochlin has been focused on the interaction of these EphA receptors and their EphrinA ligand counterparts which have previously been shown to be expressed in the lingual epithelium surrounding fungiform papillae. In this presentation, I present the results of my last year of work in the Rochlin lab demonstrating results that support our hypothesis that Eph/Ephrin interaction underlies the high fidelity guidance seen in fungiform papillae.

Modeling Wind Flow Around Single Obstructions To Aid In Wind Turbine Placement Decisions, Jacklyn Hoppe

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Wind energy is usually created by large-scale wind farms with hundreds of turbines. Our sponsor, One Energy, takes a different approach and provides power to manufacturing plants by installing a small number of turbines on their property. Our team was tasked with creating a new modeling method to model wind flow around single small obstructions to aid in One Energy’s wind turbine placement decisions. In this presentation, we examine existing modeling methods, turbulence, modeling, validation, and testing to determine the impact of small, single obstructions on wind velocity and direction.

Invasive Cattail Residence Time Affects Plant Communities And Belowground Processes, Maggie O'Brien

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Hybrid cattail (Typha x glauca) threatens native plant species in Great Lakes coastal wetlands and can impact belowground conditions and processes. I hypothesize that soil seed bank and microbial diversity decrease along a gradient of time-since-invasion by Typha. I collected soil samples a Typha-invaded wetland. The extant plant community was significantly different in areas invaded for over 20 years compared to areas invaded in the past 5 years, but I found no reduction in seed bank plant diversity. I also plan to extract and sequence microbial DNA from soil samples to determine bacterial diversity.

Analysis Of Elemental Content Of Organic Samples By Total X-Ray Reflection Fluorescence And Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Szymon Kasperek, Martina Schmeling Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Total x-ray reflection spectrometry involves exciting electrons in metallic elements which are then interpreted as concentrations based on their absorption of electromagnetic radiation. Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy is a technique that detects metals present in samples through how ground state metals absorb light at a specific wavelength. The purpose and objective of this research project is to study the elemental content present in different prepared vinegar samples. The different elemental concentrations present in different samples can shed light into the impact of growing the ingredients for the vinegar in different areas of the world.

Transcriptome-Wide Association Study Of Prostate Cancer In Diverse Populations, Peter Fiorica

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Prostate cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in African American men. The genetic risk for the cancer has been governed by a few rare variants with high penetrance and many commonly occurring variants with lower impact on risk. To better understand the genetic risk for prostate cancer in African Americans, we performed PrediXcan, a transcriptome-wide imputation method that uses reference transcriptome data, in a cohort of nearly 10,000 self-identified African, Latin, and Japanese individuals. We identified 10 genes in African Americans and 4 genes in Japanese Americans to be significantly associated with Prostate Cancer in these populations.

Spectral Detection Of Elemental Chromium In Biological Samples, Allison Lueders

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

The alarming prevalence of heavy metals in the environment necessitates examining how these toxic substances impact physiological health. This project seeks to analyze how concentrations of heavy metals relate to eye cataracts. Elemental detection of eye cataract samples is performed using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (GFAAS) and Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence (TXRF) Spectrometry. Confirmation of the established GFAAS method will be performed using chromium, a potentially toxic trace element. Spectral detection of heavy metals will then begin on yeast cells, and a selectivity study will examine how the presence of alternative trace elements may interfere with GFAAS chromium detection.

Evaluation And Utilization Of Dna "Barcodes" To Enhance The Efficacy Of Clover Species Identification, Reema Martini, Akankhya Behera, Ashley Rawson

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Accurate identification and cataloging of plant genomic resources are essential for agronomy management, genetic diversity characterizations, and phylogenetic analyses. This study examines the identifications of plant genomic resources, specifically utilizing the matK and trnL chloroplast regions as well as the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Our findings will provide insight on the reliability of plant genomic resources as well as intra-species variations. This study further assesses the viability of matK, trnL, and ITS regions for “barcoding” purposes.

Temperature Dependence Of Co On Rh (111) By Absorbed Oxygen, George Hildebrandt

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Carbon monoxide oxidation over oxidized Rh surfaces is known to be sensitive to both oxygen species present as well as the surface temperature. However, questions remain about the reactivity of the individual oxygenaceous phases present on the surface. Utilizing a combination of surface techniques we were able to observe the effect of exposure time and temperature on a (2x1)-O adlayer on an Rh surface. The effects were measured by looking at the amount of residual oxygen left on the surface and the CO yield. CO exposures were carried out at temperatures from 100K to 350K and exposures from 5L to …

In My Defense, Gina Saglimbeni

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

In My Defense was a second stage theatre project that I submitted to explore some of the most common defense mechanisms of psychology. I got a group of 10 students to form an ensemble and explore these topics through research, contemporary examples in media, and theatrical scenes. We came up with a 50 minute show that emphasized how the different mechanism showed itself as well as all of the ways that we as humans can overcome them and take control of the things we can through coping mechanisms.

Improving The Security Of Autonomous Vehicles Using Unsupervised Machine Learning, Sophia Sklar

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

The main objective of this research is to identify security threats that stem from autonomous vehicles on the road. To collect this research, I operated a smart car that utilizes ultrasonic sensors, light sensors, and remote control for semi-autonomy. These differing controls help to understand the presence of vulnerabilities. In addition, I explored how to improve the security of autonomous vehicles by implementing learning-based algorithms from Matlab-Simulink.

The Simulink model is based on neural networks and deep learning. A neural network is a computing model that resembles a networked structure of neurons in the brain. It allows for systems to …

Impacts Of Pharmaceuticals On Microbial Colonization Of Microplastic In Streams, Leila Tuzlak

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Microplastic and pharmaceuticals are common contaminants in urban streams, both interacting with stream biota including microbial communities. Previous studies have assessed the effects of these contaminants on microbial communities individually, but microplastics can adsorb pharmaceuticals from aquatic environments, with unknown impacts on microbes. It was predicted that microplastics exposed to pharmaceuticals would have different microbial communities relative to those on microplastic alone. This hypothesis was tested in mesocosms containing stream water and biofilm-colonized rocks, amended with microplastic with and without a mixture of 16 pharmaceuticals. After 5- and 10-days exposure, microbial communities colonizing microplastic were analyzed by amplicon sequencing.

Encouraging Autonomy In Refugees And Asylees, Sophia I. Todorov

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This semester, I interned at World Relief Chicago as a refugee resettlement intern. World Relief is a nonprofit organization that has been supporting vulnerable immigrant populations since 1980. I interned in tandem with taking the Psychology Internship course at Loyola. Because this is a humanities-based internship, I had the opportunity to accept the Mellon Funding Award. The following project is my contribution to the Immigrant Family Services department of World Relief. My project consisted of creating an online job readiness resource that will promote autonomy in our clients, making their transition into American life easier.

Improving The Security Of Autonomous Vehicles Using Fuzzy Logic, Franklin Jakubow

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

The main objective of this research project is to explore ways of making autonomous vehicles secure and protected by designing new learning-based algorithms using MATLAB/Simulink. This project involves designing a fuzzy logic controller that could be used to oversee the operation of autonomous vehicles. As compared to conventional controllers, fuzzy logic controllers are simple, flexible, could model nonlinear functions, are less expensive, and could cover wider ranges of operating conditions. Fuzzy logic controllers could be written in natural language terms that are transferrable to define security levels. Moreover, the rules could be written at various levels of complexity.