Life Sciences Commons^™

Consumption Habitats Of Male And Female Lionfish Regarding The Production Of Eggs, Zalyn Baker, Natalie Tipsword, Sam Fisher

Symposium of Student Scholars

The lionfish, scientifically known as Pterois, belongs to the Scorpaenidae family, which is native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean, but has become an invasive species in the Caribbean Sea. First observed in Belize in 2008, lionfish have since become established in the Belize Barrier Reefs. Known for their ability to consume a wide range of species, lionfish compete with native fish for food resources. This invasive species poses a significant threat to the ecosystem due to their venomous spines, aggressive predatory behavior, lack of predators, and high reproductive rate, with lifespans extending up to 30 years. Our study aimed to investigate …

Survey Of Mosquito Larval Habitats At The Ksu Field Station, Rose Sofia, Eli Lovvorn, Aspen Hartman, Andrew Haddow

Symposium of Student Scholars

The greater Atlanta metropolitan area hosts numerous mosquito species that are nuisance biters and can transmit arthropod-borne diseases to humans. We surveyed the Kennesaw State University (KSU) Field Station – an incredibly biodiverse location – where student, staff, and faculty-led groups engage in outdoor research and teaching activities. The KSU Field Station located in Cobb County, GA is a heavily trafficked 25-acre property that may attract various mosquito species capable of transmitting pathogens to humans and animals alike. On August 27th, 2024, our team investigated the KSU Field Station to quantify and record potential water-holding containers that serve as mosquito …

Is Spring Break Coming Early? Effects Of Climate Change On Alabama's Native Plant Phenology, Kathleen Madden, Madisyn Barksdale, Kelly Pruitt, Summer Zamora

JSU Student Symposium 2025

Please note: no video is available for this presentation.

Climate change has significantly impacted biodiversity, prompting many species to adapt by altering their phenology—the timing of life cycle events. Shifts in plant phenology can have far-reaching ecological consequences, particularly for species that rely on these plants directly or indirectly. One critical consequence is the temporal mismatch between plants and their pollinators, a phenomenon observed in multiple species. Studies using satellite imagery have documented advances in spring phenology across the United States, but species-specific data remain limited, especially in the biodiverse and ecologically vulnerable Southeastern region.

To address this gap, we …

Retrospective Analysis Of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers And Knee Cartilage Volume In Osteoarthritis: Evidence From The Osteoarthritis Initiative, Parv Kale, Vijay Kale

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Therapeutic Potential Of Resveratrol In Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review Of Its Effects On Kcc2 Expression, Lauren R. Nelson, Ashlyn Hughes, Jory Winward, Natalie Phanco, Andrew Payne Phd

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

A Morphological Investigation Of Alcohol-Induced Persister Formation, Isaac Young, Victor Jimenez

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Improper Waste Disposal On Marine Life: Why Does It Matter And How Can We Prevent It?, Abbey Ward, Ashlee Davis

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Improperly disposed of waste, specifically plastic, can end up in the ocean and negatively impact marine life, and in turn, negatively impact human health. Marine life, such as turtles, have faced serious health consequences and even death from entanglement in abandoned fishing gear and consuming plastics. Larger plastic particles can break down into smaller particles known as microplastics which can harbor harmful substances (such as Bisphenol A and persistent organic pollutants) and can cause several negative health effects when consumed by marine life such as loss of nutrition, starvation, and death. Microplastics have been found in 75% of commercial fish. …

Advancing Prosthetic Technology: 3d-Printed Robotic Arm With Micro Linear Actuators, Vu Tran, Nathan Reed, Mahdi Yazdanpour

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The increasing demand for affordable and accessible prosthetic solutions has driven innovation in the field of robotics. In this project, we present the design and development of a 3D-printed robotic prosthetic arm aimed at addressing the challenges faced by individuals with upper limb amputations. Our prosthetic arm utilizes five micro linear actuators to achieve precise and naturalistic movement. The design of the prosthetic arm prioritizes affordability and accessibility, with a focus on leveraging 3D printing technology to reduce manufacturing costs and enable customization. The use of micro linear actuators offers advantages in terms of compactness, lightweight construction, and efficient power …

Impacts Of Culture Conditions For Rhizobium Rhizogenes-Mediated Hairy Root Transformation Of Tomato, Jill Graner, Ellen Cha, Justin Larkin, Sarah Hind

Parkland Science Scholars

Rhizobium rhizogenes is a plant pathogen that is used to generate transgenic “hairy roots” in a variety of plant species. However, it was observed that repeated freeze-thaw cycles decreased transformation efficiency. Therefore, the aim of this experiment was to determine if transformation efficiency could be recovered by re-culturing the bacteria. Rhizogenes was thawed either 1 or 5 times and then regrown using either solid or liquid media. We found that freeze-thawing alone was not enough to decrease transformation efficiency, as the 1 thaw and 5 thaw treatments both yielded a high number of transformed plants. Future work will investigate other …

Lives And Lessons Of Zoo Animals, Nicole Emlen

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This project was an interdisciplinary museum exhibit that was displayed at the Montana Natural History Center between April 4 and May 12, 2025. It displays my photographs that I took of some of the animals I worked with during my summer 2024 internship at ZooMontana. In this project, I educate the public about three main functions of zoos--rescue, conservation, and education--through the stories and lives of four species. These animals all have unique stories that are important to share to improve public knowledge of why zoos are important and how we can improve relationships between humans and wildlife. Photography is …

Enhancing Chemotherapy: Synergistic Action Of Cisplatin And Berberine Hydrochloride Against Osteosarcoma, Adam S. Al-Droubi, Andrea Florian

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer, is notably aggressive and prone to a rapid rate of metastasis. When the tumor is localized; the survival rate is approximately 76% and can often be treated with surgery. However, once metastasis occurs, the survival rate drops to 24% and must be treated with chemotherapy. The standard treatment for metastatic osteosarcoma typically involves combination therapeutics, with cisplatin being a key component despite its severe side effects. Unfortunately, osteosarcoma exhibits a natural resistance to chemotherapy driven by the overexpression of drug efflux pumps, DNA repair mechanisms, and apoptosis avoidance mutations. To address these …

Selected Indiana Government Statistical Agencies And Their Data, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Provides coverage of Indiana state government agencies statistics and selected Tippecanoe County, Indiana local government statistical publications. Presentation describes state agencies such as the Indiana Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health, Local Government Finance, and State Budget Agency. Examples of historical and current data are presented.

Denaturation Station: The Effect Of Guanidinium Chloride On Yeast Flocculation, Taylor Pulley, Jade Riddle, Angelina Scotece

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Flocculation is a phenomenon found in yeast such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae in which cells aggregate in response to stressful environmental conditions. This occurs as the result of the interaction of flocculin proteins on the plasma membrane with mannose residues on the surface of other yeast cells which is often exploited in the brewing process to avoid expensive filtration steps. Guanidine is a chaotropic agent which reduces the stability of proteins by weakening the hydrophobic effect. Since it is believed that flocculation is dependent on protein-mannose binding interactions, if the structure of the flocculin proteins is altered by guanidine, their functionality …

Designing An Attachment Assay For Epidermal Cell-To-Cell Attachment, Tiala Ortega '26, Colleen L. Doçi

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Cell adhesion includes various processes and is essential in cell communication and regulation. The mechanical interactions between a cell and its extracellular matrix control the behavior and function of a cell. In this project, we are studying cell attachment in different ways. The epidermal monostrato layer is a vertical and horizontal interaction and is not accounted for in usual assay protocols so I wanted to investigate this by creating an assay including multiple cell layers, a monolayer and an attached layer, to further develop a protocol for optimal cell-to-cell attachment. I hypothesized that the number of cell attachments to the …

Comparison Of S100Β Expression In Sk-Mel-25 And A-375, Nev Hommel '26, Ayusha Pokharel '27, Nipun Chopra

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects more than 2 million Americans each year. S100β protein acts as a biomarker for TBI– studies have shown that micromolar levels of S100β are dangerous to neuronal health. Our plan for the summer was to experiment with whether miRNA-4705 could inhibit the production of S100β or not. To get started on the transfection, we had two hurdles to overcome. One of them was to find an efficient s100B primary antibody and the second was to ensure our s100B siRNA worked. By analyzing various research papers and their western blot, we identified and selected two s100B …

Characterizing Border Associated Macrophages During Spinal Cord Regeneration, Addison Vogt, Dana Shaw, Mayssa Mokalled

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The human central nervous system has limited regenerative ability, with injuries to the spinal cord (SC) often resulting in paralysis. Alternatively, zebrafish have enhanced innate regenerative capacity and regain full motor function following spinal cord injury (SCI). Immune activation following SCI is necessary to provide a permissive environment for tissue repair, but the immune pathways necessary for SC regeneration are not well characterized. In previous data, we have found that while immune activation is persistent into the chronic phases of SCI response in mammals, zebrafish achieve full immune clearance within 48 days post SCI. We hypothesize that one key distinction …

Effortless Mindfulness Toolkit: Easy Meditation Scripts To Begin Each Class., Brett Whysel

Open Educational Resources

The Effortless Mindfulness in the Classroom Toolkit is an open educational resource designed to create happier classrooms, boost student engagement, and foster a sense of community through brief, effective mindfulness exercises. This comprehensive toolkit provides educators with everything they need to seamlessly integrate mindfulness practices into their teaching routines, regardless of prior experience. The toolkit includes introductory slides, 15 ready-to-use meditation scripts, and accompanying audio recordings, covering a variety of mindfulness techniques such as focused breathing, body scans, and loving-kindness meditations. Each meditation is paired with a reflective prompt to deepen student engagement and reinforce the benefits of mindfulness. Additionally, …

Evaluating The Effects Of Concussions And Tdcs On Executive Functioning In College Students, Macey Hoffman, Erin Dychdala

Neuroscience Summer Fellows

This PowerPoint presentation evaluates the effects of concussions and tDCS treatment on executive functioning in students at Ursinus College.

Cultivating Gratitude In Christian Sport Professionals, Julie Powell

CSKLS Annual Conference

Using the framework of the eight dimensions of wellness and the five habits of a flourishing life, this presentation will focus on how to cultivate the virtue of gratitude and thanksgiving in order to combat the undesirable vice of entitlement. This presentation will outline what gratitude is, how we express it, and how to embody it as a part of our character. Cultivating a grateful disposition can be the result of practicing spiritual disciplines and the session will brainstorm ideas of how this might look in our current profession and in our personal lives.

Understanding The Importance Of Social Emotional Learning In Children And The Link Between Mental Health, Lynette Marie Lubiak

Student Research Symposium

I will examine how very important it is to society to teach structured Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs to children in school. It can bring mental wellbeing and the ability to have healthy relationships, non addictive behaviors and being able to emotionally regulate themselves. Since we have pushed on only academia and not SEL for our children, mental illness has skyrocketed. This problem started after the SEL part of school was taken out of schools and then the division between rich and poor became wider and wider as time went on. If we were to bring back SEL into school, …

How Does Schizophrenia Affect The Expression Of Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors In The Brain?, Shruti Varshney, Nimish Acharya

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a psychiatric disorder with a pathophysiology that has not yet been fully understood. This mental illness is characterized by disruptions in cognition, social activity, affect, and perception, and affects approximately 0.085% of individuals worldwide. The Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (α7nAChR) has been connected to auditory function gating deficits. The purpose of this review is to understand the current literature in how the levels of α7nAChR expression and function are affected by SZ, information that could be used to develop therapies to modulate auditory hallucinations in patients with SZ. A literature search was conducted for peer-reviewed journal …

Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Expression In The Hippocampus Of Patients With Schizophrenia, Shruti Varshney, Ananya Nethikunta, Minjal Patel, Mary Kosciuk, Randel L. Swanson, Venkat Venkataraman, Robert Nagele, Eric Goldwaser, Nimish K. Acharya

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a heterogenous psychiatric condition characterized by disruptions in cognition, social activity, affect, and perception often associated with a varied combination of positive and negative symptoms. The pathophysiology behind SZ remains poorly elucidated. Earlier reports have cited the importance of the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChR) in the hippocampus and the receptor’s association with auditory sensory gating and cognitive function. Specifically, variations in the expression and functionality of α7nAChR can be linked to auditory hallucinations experienced by patients with SZ and several therapies have been researched that target α7nAChRs. However, there are very few primary research …

Stopping The Bleed At Uri, Emily Lefebre

Senior Honors Projects

The number one cause of preventable death is uncontrolled bleeding from traumatic injury. From the unlikely scenario of a school shooting, to a campus car accident or an injury during a sports or club event, possessing skills to effectively stop a life-threatening bleed becomes a matter of life or death. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) STOP THE BLEED® program is a campaign to teach communities how to respond effectively and efficiently to life-threatening bleeding in emergencies. STOP THE BLEED® aims to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills to stop severe bleeding by tourniquet application, …

Spatial Assessment Of Slender Madtom (Noturus Exilis) Diets Within The Illinois Bayou, Brendon K. Mitchell

ATU Scholars Symposium

The Slender Madtom (Noturus exilis) is a common species with a widespread distribution across the Mississippi River basin. In Arkansas, they can be found in upland rivers/streams in the Arkansas River and White River watershed. Very little data has been collected on the diet of this species and how it varies. We wanted to spatially assess the diet of Slender Madtoms. Slender Madtoms were sampled from 8 sites in the Illinois Bayou watershed using seines and kick nets. Small-scale gastric lavage was used to extract diet data from all individuals. All prey items were preserved and identified to the genus …

Doxorubicin-Induced Nuclear Localization Of Scube3 Essential For Cell Survival In Tnbc, Ayooluwa Ilesanmi

Undergraduate Research Conference

Mediation of Doxorubicin-Induced SCUBE3 Nuclear Localization by A Functional NLS Involved in Pro-Tumorigenic Actions in Breast Cancer.

Signal peptide-CUB-EGF-like domain-containing protein 3 (SCUBE3) is a glycosylated secreted and cell membrane-associated protein considered a signature gene in cancers and known to mediate its actions in the cytoplasm where its localizes prior to its secretion. However, our study observed that SCUBE3 protein localized to the nucleus following doxorubicin (DOX) treatment. In this study, we investigated SCUBE3 nuclear localization in triple-negative breast cancer, intending to dissect the mechanism of its nuclear trafficking induced by DOX treatment. Bioinformatic analysis of the SCUBE3 protein sequence …

Upregulation Of The Predominant Cystic Fibrosis Causing Mutation Df508-Cftr By Triazole Compounds In Epithelial Cells, Maggie Taylor

Undergraduate Research Conference

Cystic fibrosis is a common genetic disease that is caused by a mutation in the plasma membrane protein CFTR, which stands for Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane-conductance Regulator. When this membrane protein is mutated, it impairs its chloride ion channel function, blocking the movement of chloride ions that travel in and out of the cell. Previous studies have demonstrated that the most prevalent CFTR mutation, ∆F508-CFTR, can be partially reversed using small molecules (Heda and Marino, BBRC, 271:659-664, 2000). In this study, I have investigated the effects of several triazole compounds known to bind and transport chloride ions in cultured cells, on …

Stratification Of Potassium And Phosphorus In Tillage Vs. No-Till Systems And Uptake In Corn (Zea Mays) In Western Kentucky, Ava Isaacs, Kyle Krieger, Christopher Powell

Scholars Week

There are 12 nutrients essential for plant growth, two of these are phosphorus and potassium. The demand and need for these nutrients are very high in agricultural systems including corn. Phosphorus stimulates root and shoot growth and is essential for seedling growth and stability. Potassium increases tolerance to water stress, as well as resistance to disease, these are both critical in terms of soil fertility and in determining what fertilizers to apply as well as the amount of fertilizer needed. Both nutrients are not readily available for plant uptake in the soil and are largely lost during harvest, which could …

U.S. Government Agency Podcasts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Presents podcasts from U.S. Government agencies which can be discovered through the U.S. Government Publishing Office's Catalog of Government Publications. Agencies whose podcasts are presented include the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Peace Corps, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Government Accountability Office (GAO), National Park Service, Department of Justice, Federal Reserve System, and U.S. Naval War College.

Rainwater Harvesting Systems Metagenomics, Jade Riddle, Julia Parsons

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Climate change induced water scarcity has led to an increasing interest in non-traditional water sources such as rainwater. However, there are lingering health and safety concerns due to the lack of research into the microbial communities contained within collection systems. To address this gap, water samples were collected from rain barrels around northern Virginia for microbial analysis. Each microbe within the sample has a unique genome subject to DNA testing. Environmental DNA was prepared from the collected water samples. To characterize the microbial community, both targeted sequencing and whole genome sequencing approaches were used. Using targeted sequencing of the 16s …

Unveiling Motivations Behind First-Generation Farming, Lucas D. Kisiel

Senior Honors Projects

In the contemporary era, traditional farming practices have

faded as industrialization reshaped agricultural landscapes.

However, a noteworthy phenomenon has emerged: individuals

willingly embrace farming, even without familial legacy. This

project aims to delve into the personal incentives driving

individuals towards farming careers. Specifically, it seeks to

shed light on the challenges encountered during farm

establishment and subsequent endeavors. By focusing on first-

generation farmers, this study explores personal motivations

that influence career choices in farming without the pressures

of familial tradition. For some, it's a quest for fulfillment, a

departure from the monotony of office work to engage in

something …