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Academic Symposium
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April 24, 2020
Entirely Online Platform
Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, there is no set schedule. The 2020 Academic Symposium can be viewed entirely online at anytime at quincy.edu/academic-symposium/.
About the QU Academic Symposium
The Quincy University Academic Symposium is a showcase for student achievement across our liberal arts curriculum. On this day, student presenters will engage in professional performance and discourse with experts in their field of study, as well as the greater community, to disseminate their work. The symposium also provides a public forum for academic competition with prizes awarded to a student and their faculty mentors from each division/ school, including graduate studies programs.
Alignment with QU Mission
Participation in the QU Academic Symposium honors the pursuit of wisdom through education and rewards scholarly leadership.
Keynote Speakers Savannah Coelho, M.S. Ed., PLPC
Outpatient Clinician at Mark Twain Behavioral Health Master of Science in Education in Counseling; Bachelor of Science in Human Services; Bachelor of Art in History, Quincy University
Bridget Hunkins
Doctoral Student in Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, Quincy University
Dylan Handlin
Doctor of Dental Medicine Student at Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences; Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Quincy University
Anika Webster
Doctor of Occupational Therapy Student at Spaulding University Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, Quincy University View all keynote speeches online at quincy.edu/academic-symposium/
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Abstracts 2020 Presenters
Title: Puritanical Revenge: The Bias of Gender in the Salem Witch Trials Student: Madeline Finney Mentor: Megan Boccardi, Ph.D. - Associate Prof. of History In 1692, a series of witch trials and executions wreaked havoc on the Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts. This presentation delves into the causation of the witch trials, arguing that the gendered expectations of Puritan behavior served to draw attention to women who did not adhere to society’s expectations. These women then became the targets of the witch trials. My research focused on six accused individuals and their outcomes. Careful analysis of primary sources including biographical information, trial testimonies, and arrest warrants revealed that each of the six people accused in these cases violated the strict gendered expectations of good behavior, such as multiple marriages, poverty, or behaving without restraint. Because these individuals could not be punished for not adhering to social expectations, they were convicted as witches and even murdered for their societal crimes.
Title: The Legacy of Pope Pius XII Student: Lydia Martens Mentor: Justin Coffey, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of History Pope Pius XII was the head of the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958. Much of the research surrounding his legacy are connected only to his actions toward the Holocaust in World War II. However, this research fails to compile the legacy of his whole nineteen-year papacy. By researching primary sources and the life of Pope Pius XII, I have concluded that Pope Pius XII should be regarded as the Pope of Science of Technology.
Title: Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933: Failure in the First New Deal Student: Nicholas Powell Mentor: Justin Coffey, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of History The Great Depression in the United States caused the farming economy to plummet during the 1930’s. Franklin Roosevelt and his administration signed into law the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 to fix the falling economy. As a result, the act only harmed the American farmer causing many of them to fall further into poverty. This paper will examine the history and legacy of the AAA and argue that the AAA was a failure and discuss how the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 caused more harm than good to American farmers.
Title: Trapped in Time: The Oppression of Patriarchal and Colonialist Time on Women in Wide Sargasso Sea Student: Madeline Finney Mentor: Anna Shajirat, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of English This presentation will examine the ways in which women’s subjectivity is inherently linked to patriarchal structures including the passage of time particularly under colonial rule in the novel Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys. I will be exploring Julia Kristeva’s theory “Women’s Time” to explore how women become trapped for eternity within cycles of oppression. Further, I incorporate Edward Said’s concept of the “other” to demonstrate how patriarchal powers create hierarchies, both gendered and racial, of the “other” to keep people oppressed, particularly women, and women of color doubly so. Depending on a woman’s position within either hierarchy she becomes subject to the oppressor/victim relationship from which she cannot escape. The only way to escape this eternal and cyclical horror in a colonial environment is to reject these oppressive structures, though doing so comes at a disastrous price.
Title: Examining the ink of Aplysia californica Students: Margarita Kanaeva & Erika Stollberg Mentor: Kimberly Hale, Ph.D. - Professor of Biological Sciences Aplysia californica, commonly known as sea hares, secrete a dark purple ink as a defense mechanism when threatened or injured. This highly pigmented purple ink has been shown to be distasteful and plays a role in keeping predators at bay. In addition to protecting the Aplysia californica from predators, there has been interest in the possible environmental role the ink may play in regulating the microorganisms in its ecosystem. More recently, scientists have begun to explore the potential use for this ink in biomedical applications, including antimicrobial activity. Kirby-Bauer tests (zone of inhibition method) performed in our laboratory have demonstrated a wide variation in the effectiveness of the ink from different Aplysia californica against Eschericia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Based on these observations, we wanted to further examine and compare the various inks in order to determine if we can identify an underlying reason for the difference in antimicrobial activity.
Title: Creating novel PHB1 protein expression vectors: A route to sepsis treatment Students: Caleb Lay & Julissa Quinonez Mentor: Michelle Combs, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Biological Sciences With 250,000 Americans dying each year from sepsis, this life-threatening condition is of interest to pharmaceutical companies. Recent studies suggest the PHB gene may have anti-sepsis effects. In theory, the PHB protein could be utilized as an anti-sepsis drug. Using plasmid PHB DNA sequences developed by a partnering lab, our research team successfully transformed and miniprepped several different vectors into Escherichia coli. After miniprepping the samples, a restriction digest was performed to confirm the transformation procedure. In order to study the structure and function of the desired PHB protein, site-directed mutagenesis was utilized to eliminate an undesired origin of replication to ensure a pure PHB protein. DNA samples will be sent back to the partner lab for further investigation into a novel anti-sepsis drug.
Title: Toothpaste Comparison Lab Students: Sara Pate, Paige Phelps, & Emily Owen Mentor: Kimberly Hale, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Sciences The project we would like to present is on toothpaste comparison, with a beginning question of which works better and why. Before an individual can understand which toothpaste works better and has the ability to kill more pathogens that are living in the human mouth, it is important to understand the history of why there is such a need to brush one’s teeth. Many people might believe that brushing your teeth may be a relatively new idea with modern medicine and modern hygiene routines, but it has actually to have been dated back to around 500 B.C. By understanding the history of toothpaste and how it has been made over the years, it is important to investigate how we have come so far to create toothpastes that can control microbial growth. When an individual is looking for a toothpaste to use, there are many factors that one can look at in order to provide the best oral care outcome. When looking at toothpastes, people can look at how abrasive the toothpaste ingredients are, the fluoride content, if there are any whitening factors present, and what factors it contains to prevent tartar. It is also important for the toothpaste consumer to observe what qualities they are specifically looking for in a toothpaste that can create the most positive outcome in regards to oral health and hygiene. Out of all the previously listed toothpaste considerations, fluoride is the ingredient the consumer should look for when trying to reduce the amounts of microbial growth. With this belief that toothpastes that contain fluoride are more susceptible in decreasing microbial growth of harmful bacteria in the human mouth, this project is based on the idea that the higher amount of fluoride content in toothpaste, relates directly to the decrease of microbial growth.
Our group hypothesized that the Aquafresh toothpaste will clean the teeth and leave the least amount of bacteria on the teeth due to it having the highest concentration of sodium fluoride. Knowing that fluoride is a coating used on the outside of the teeth to prevent tooth decay, cavities, and oral bacteria growth, we decided that the toothpaste with the highest concentration of fluoride would show the best results at preventing microbial growth. The toothpastes we decided to use were Crest, Colgate, Young Living, and Aquafresh, and each of them had a different concentration percentage of sodium fluoride. Aquafresh had a concentration percentage of 0.25%. Aquafresh, having the highest percentage of sodium fluoride measured at 0.25% involved in its makeup, was decided by the group to be the one that was chosen to produce the best results for cleaning one’s teeth. We used the zone of inhibition method to test out this hypothesis, and we concluded that our thoughts were correct. Aquafresh produced the best results measuring a zone of inhibition average of 4.6 mm. Fluoride is a natural component in your teeth, and, when used in dentistry, helps to strengthen enamel and prevent cavities and their microorganisms from invading. While there were many variables present, we believe our project results to be conclusive in showing the effectiveness of fluoride in cleaning teeth.
Title: Aplysia californica: A Classroom Model of Conditioning Student: Rachel Hennegan & Kylee Schanbacher Mentor: Kimberly Hale, Ph.D. - Professor of Biological Sciences The purpose of this work was to develop materials that introduce teachers and students to a model organism, Aplysia californica, which is used by scientists world-wide to study multiple aspects of learning and memory. This was accomplished utilizing work done in our research group over the past 3 years. We will explain the minimally invasive, affordable model of classical conditioning we have developed and demonstrate how it can be utilized in high school and undergraduate biology and psychology classes. It is our belief that students will benefit from the use of this model in two ways: 1. It will help them become more engaged in the subject matter 2. It will give them some hands-on experience with a widely used model organism. In the near future, a publication of our protocol will be made available to the public, demonstrating our final model to be used by high school and undergraduate students.
Title: The Use of Flavonoids as a Potential Alzheimer’s Treatment Student: Caleb Lay Mentor: Caitlin Deskins, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Chemistry With more than 3 million cases diagnosed in the United States each year, Alzheimer’s disease remains an unrelenting diagnosis that affects many, including family members and caretakers of the affected. While no effective treatment has been shown to reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s or prevent its origination, the mechanism behind the disease has been elucidated in part. When amyloid precursor protein begins to break down in the brain, as beta-amyloid, it is typically eliminated through “housekeeping” functions. When beta-amyloid begins to aggregate, however, these clumps lead to neural breakdown and general dysfunction, characteristic to the effects elicited in Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid precursor protein is broken down by the enzyme BACE1. When BACE1 cuts too frequently or imprecisely, many insoluble strands of beta-amyloid are produced, resulting in clumps and an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Our research team hypothesized that if BACE1 were to cut less frequently, then less beta-amyloid plaques would form, and less overall neural dysfunction. Through computational protein docking software, we have investigated the theoretical interactions of various plant flavonoids and BACE1 in order to assess if flavonoids may provide interest for further investigation as a drug of choice for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
Title: Quincy University Navigation App Student: Rylan Scheiter Mentor: Husam Ghazaleh, M.S. - Instructor of Computer Science I have decided to design and create a mobile application for Quincy University. I would like my application to help new and current students navigate easily throughout Francis Hall and North campus. There are currently no clearly accessible maps on any Quincy University-related apps or websites, so it is difficult for students who are not familiar with the buildings to find their destination. I would like to change this and create something useful for the students and the school that can be used for a long time.
Title: TextQuest Student: Noah Corrigan Mentor: Husam Ghazaleh, M.S. - Instructor of Computer Science TextQuest was created to demonstrate a combination of skills in networking, server management, database management, coding in PHP and SQL, and writing all put to creative use. The result is a publicly available website hosted on a small Raspberry Pi that acts as a text-based game where your choices define the outcome. Built, programmed, and written by Noah Corrigan. The finished product can be seen at http://textquest.duckdns.org/
Title: Statistics for Down Syndrome Babies: The older you get the higher the risk Student: Paige Phelps Project mentor: Abdallah Talafha, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Mathematics Most people are aware of Down Syndrome, a congenital disorder arising from a chromosomal defect causing intellectual impairment and physical abnormalities. Most people also know that with increased age of the mother comes an increased risk for delivering a baby with Down Syndrome. The purpose of this research was to determine just how great this risk raises related to the age of the pregnant woman. I collected data from the National Down Syndrome Society regarding statistics on the correlation between age of a pregnant woman and the percentage of delivering a baby with Down Syndrome disorder, so I collected the data of women of the ages between 25 to 35 years old and the percentages of delivering a baby with this disorder for every age individually, which helped me to create a least-squares regression equation to predict the percentage risk individuals would have if they are 35 years old or older for delivering a baby with this disorder. After analyzing this data, I discovered that the women in these groups were found to have a greater chance, as predicted, for having a baby with Down Syndrome. The accuracy of this data was tested by creating a least-squares regression line on a graph, where it was found that approximately 77% of the points fit into the line, meaning that the research was, indeed, accurate.
www.quincy.edu/discover