Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Survey Of The Performance Of Gold Nanoparticles Within An Ssdna-Stabilized Biosensor For The Detection Of Hg2+, Madalyn Zagajowski

Pence-Boyce STEM Student Scholarship

Methods

5 nm AuNPs were synthesized by combining solutions of HAuCl4 and sodium citrate, followed by dropwise addition of NaBH4 solution and aging for 24 hours. Additionally, Hg-bound poly(30)T ssDNA oligos were prepared by incubating with HgCl2 solution, with exonuclease I being added to denature unbound DNA. Aliquots of the AuNP solution were then treated with the ssDNA, either Hg-bound or non-Hg bound, and UV-vis and fluorescence spectra were taken of the samples with a Shimadzu UV-1280 spectrophotometer and a Hitachi F-2500 fluorescence spectrophotometer.

Results & Discussion

The UV-vis spectral data of the non-Hg bound AuNP/ssDNA complex samples did not …

Survey Of The Performance Of 5 Nm Gold Nanoparticles Within An Ssdna-Stabilized Biosensor For The Detection Of Hg2+, Madalyn Zagajowski

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The formation of a fluorescent biosensor complex consisting of 5 nm diameter gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) was conducted using a low-cost, efficient binding method. Furthermore, we assessed the analytical potential for the complex to detect mercury ions (Hg²⁺) in an aqueous solution upon collection of UV-vis and fluorescence spectrometry data for the AuNP-ssDNA complex. We aimed to investigate this potential due to the possibility that the nanoparticles formed utilizing this method would produce nanoparticles of too small a size to result in detectable fluorescence, thus the complex synthesized from this specific method was qualitatively evaluated …

Generation Z Cybersecurity Learners: The Identification Of Cybersecurity Instructor Strategies And Attributes That Maximize Student Engagement, Jeffrey Rice

Scholar Week 2016 - present

There exists a significant shortage of cybersecurity specialists in the workforce. Universities should endeavor to keep cybersecurity students engaged if they desire to be competitive and contribute graduates to the remediation efforts of this cybersecurity deficit. Instructors significantly contribute to student engagement and there is a correlation between student engagement and student retention. The purpose of this regional qualitative exploratory study was to identify attributes that Generation Z collegiate cybersecurity learners felt kept them engaged in their cybersecurity courses. The sample comprised 10 individuals identified as GenZ and used purposeful and snowball sampling to select participants. A semi-structured interview strategy …