Spectrum Journal of Student Research at Saint Francis University Vol. 14(1)

SPECTRUM Journal of Student Research at Saint Francis University Abstracts of the Thirteenth Annual Saint Francis University Research Day

Volume 14 (1) Fall 2023

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SPECTRUM Journal of Student Research at Saint Francis University Fall 2023 Volume 14(1) THIRTEENTH ANNUAL SAINT FRANCIS UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAY ABSTRACTS November 9, 2023 12:30 – 2:00 pm John F. Kennedy Student Center

Cover photo by Balazs Hargittai

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POSTER PRESENTATIONS P1

Cree, Toby; Smith-Diemler, Ashley Greener Solutions for Synthesizing Gold Nanoparticles The aim of this research project was to develop a more environmentally friendly approach to the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Due to their wide biomedical applications, such as their exceptional compatibility with the human organism, tunable stability, and ability to interact with a variety of substances, AuNPs have become a promising nanomaterial to develop. However, common methods used to synthesize AuNPs, such as the Frens Method, are energy-intensive, and other methods report non-green procedures that utilize toxic reducing agents. This research project was designed to employ an environmentally friendly method that used benign and renewable materials found in fruit and vegetable waste to synthesize AuNPs by following the principles of green chemistry. The cores and peels of the fruits were divided, and soaked in water overnight, and then mixed with a gold solution. These samples were then run in the Shimadzu UV-vis to measure the λmax. The samples were then centrifuged and analyzed on the Atomic Force Microscope. This method of synthesizing AuNPs proved successful. One method that helped identify the formation of the particles was the presence of a purple hue after the addition of the gold solution. Using the UV-vis and the theory of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of AuNPs, the presence of an absorbance band between 500 and 600 nm was another method that proved successful in detecting the formation of AuNPs. All the various fruits and vegetables used in this project proved successful and provided a greener alternative to the synthesis of AuNPs.

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Addis, Nicole; Ryan, Chloe; Wruble, Ashley; Hudkins, Amy; Rowles, Lorie; Bintrim, Timothy The Scholarly Approach to Therapeutic Gardening: An Occupational Therapy Leadership Project An evidence-based program was designed to encourage the patients at Cambria Care Center to participate and engage in an outdoor gardening club at least once a week for 6 weeks while collecting pretest and posttest data. While the program designed was simply a proposal, supporting literature was identified, a data collection method was developed, and a program evaluation method was created. The target population was that of memory impaired, aging individuals. The occupational needs of this population include social participation, leisure, and health management. The 6-week program includes residents participating in selecting, planting, maintaining, and enjoying the flowers and other items planted. Outcomes include health and wellness, and participation. Data collection would primarily include rates of participation, number of social interactions, overall daily satisfaction of residents. The project was presented to constituents. This foundational project was utilized to support a faculty development grant, securing funds for gardening supplies used at Amber Hills at the Cambria Care Center during the summer of 2023. Poster presentation will include both the proposal and results of the implementation of the grant funding.

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Marzina, Madelyn; Flaisher-Grinberg, Shlomit The Emotional Toll that Injury Takes on Recovering NCAA Division I Female Athletes Jim Afremow (2015) writes in his book How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive that athletes can train and recover like a champion through optimism… but how can athletes strive to be optimistic whenever they are experiencing a huge emotional setback while injured? While much focus is placed on the athletes’ physical health, expanding the focus to include the emotional aspect that an injury brings may be of importance. In order to investigate the emotional toll that injury takes on athletes, the current project utilized a survey adapted from a paper by Klenk (2006) titled Psychological Response to Injury, Recovery, and Social Support: A Survey of Athletes at an NCAA Division Ⅰ University (Klenk, 2006). The current survey explored an athlete’s emotional responses to injury as well as perceived support level received from family, friends, teammates, and coaches throughout their injury. A total of 41 female athletes were categorized into group versus individual sport participation and into small versus large team sport participation. Athletes identified negative emotions such as anger, depression, and feeling discouraged as commonly experienced following an injury, but they also felt some support from those around them throughout their recovery time.

Results demonstrated that athletes are more likely to recover emotionally when a part of a team sport over an individual sport and/or when a part of a small team compared to a large team. This study concludes that being a member of a small team or playing a team sport predicts that an athlete will have a more positive recovery experience while injured, compared to those who are a member of larger teams and/or those playing an individual sport. Taking this information into account can allow athletes to better evaluate their emotional health while injured based upon their sport participation.

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Dee, Julianne; Koval, Joshua; Zovinka, Edward Evaluating Mixer Mill Efficiency of Tetraphenylporphyrin Metalation Porphyrins are organic molecules that typically form metal-nonmetal complexes, giving them unique properties that are useful both inside and outside biological systems. However, porphyrins are typically synthesized using large amounts of energy and organic solvents, which are harmful to the environment. Current research aims to improve upon a greener metalloporphyrin synthesis using mechanochemistry, using force to complete a reaction. Mixer mills grind the reactants in jar containers with grinding balls in jar, often eliminating the need for solvents. Tetraphenylporphyrin (H2TPP), various metal salts, and a differing number of balls were added to mixer mill jars, which were set at a 25 Hz frequency. Authentic UV-Vis spectra were compared to experimental trials to determine if metalation occurred. Extending our previous research demonstrating metalation of H2TPP with metals (Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, Mn, Fe), the focus is on correlating the number of grinding balls to time for metalation completion using Ni(OAc)2 * 4 H2O and Zn (OAc)2 * 2 H2O. Increasing the number of grinding balls decreases time to metalate, possibly due to an increase in kinetic energy.

Current research is focused on studying the reaction time for different metal salts to examine trends between the data.

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Koval, Joshua; Schoenberger, Dallan; Smith, Benjamin Determining the Ethanol Concentration in Kombucha Kombucha is a fermented beverage (primarily produced from tea) that has been growing in popularity across the United States. The drink contains microorganisms that break down sugars, enhancing the flavor. A by-product of the fermentation is ethanol. Typically, kombucha is considered non-alcoholic (meaning it is under 0.5 percent ethanol concentration), but this classification is only because the kombucha is tested before bottling. However, when the microorganisms are still present, the ethanol content of kombucha continues to rise, often to levels considered alcoholic. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was used (along with a corresponding calibration curve) to analyze the difference in kombuchas with different brands, flavors, and storage conditions.

The areas of the curve were used to find the concentrations, which may even vary between individual bottles. From the results, both in this study and across the country, new laws may be passed about the labeling of alcohol content in kombucha to prevent any risks.

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Baum, Kevin; Dee, Julianne; Greenwell, DaQuan; Matts, Alexia; Thomas, Mallory; Wolf, Irene AI in Medicine Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged into popular and mainstream with the release of ChatGPT on November 30th, 2022. As a result, the use of AI leads to implications about how AI can be utilized in medicine. As future health care professionals, students are interested in how AI is use in the medical field. Research will present findings including but not limited radiology, drug discovery, patient outcome prediction, and genomics. Students will conduct research about the use of AI in the medical field by researching peer review articles and reports from research intensive universities.

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Seese, Abigail; Smith, Benjamin Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Methods to Determine Chemical Composition of Fermentation Products Fermentation is the chemical breakdown of a substance by yeasts and bacteria where molecules are broken down anaerobically. Records of fermentation date back as far as 7000 B.C.; nowadays, nearly every civilization has at least one fermented food product in their cultural history. From kombucha and cheese to wine and hot sauce, fermented foods are very prevalent in the human diet. Wine is a fermented beverage that dates back to nearly 6000 B.C. when people would take grapes, place them in a large vat, and crush them with their bare feet. Although there are more practical production methods today, the same chemical processes are carried out. Wine has six main organic acids that each play a crucial role in the wine’s stability, taste, and smell. Another fermented food is hot sauce, which dates to around 7000 B.C.; this is when Aztecs would simply combine chili peppers with water for use in medicine, cooking, and even in warfare. One active component of hot sauce is capsaicin, which is released when consuming peppers or sauces that contain it. Capsaicin triggers heat receptors on your tongue that trick the nervous system into thinking the body is overheating, which is how humans taste and even feel spice. One way to test these chemical components is by using HighPerformance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods. This method is often used in analytical chemistry to separate, identify, and quantify components of a mixture. HPLC methods are used in

6 pharmaceutical industries for developing new drugs and monitoring the effectiveness of therapies.

For this research, the HPLC is used to measure the concentrations of each organic acid in wine, as well as the amount of both capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in hot sauce to help determine acidity and spice levels.

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Dick, Brandon; Birk, Matthew Characterizing the HIF Pathway in Cephalopods The HIF Pathway involves the activation of the Hypoxia Inducible Factor proteins being activated when an organism enters hypoxia. Cephalopods can edit their RNA and change their proteins what is needed to survive in their habitats. With the HIF Pathway being vital to oxygen control within organisms there was interest in how the HIF proteins were changed within cephalopods during RNA editing. First, the proteins themselves had to be confirmed and compared to the already complete Human HIF proteins. To do this a strategy called bioinformatics was used to confirm the proteins HIFa (HIF alpha) and HIFb (HIF beta). Transcriptomes of different cephalopods species were searched using a coding software called Git Bash. After positive IDs were made of these proteins another software called SnapGene was used to compile multiple protein sequences and compare them to the complete human HIF proteins. Each sequence was analyzed and compared to the human HIF sequence to find complete conserved areas to confirm if a cephalopod sequence was a protein of HIF. During analyzing and comparing sequences there were several confirmed cephalopod HIF protein sequencies as well as two squid species that showed extra regions within the HIFa sequence.

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Bambino, Apryl; Cree, Toby; Ehredt, Evan; Gula-Weir, Sydney; Hargittai, Matthew; Hogue, Mason; Hunter, Shelby; Mallin, Ty; Miller, Nathanael; Quaid, Mikayla; Seese, Abigail; Thomas, Mallory; Vogt, Natalie; Keith, Gretchen; Gleason, Jane; Hargittai, Balazs The Extraction and Purification of Caffeine from Sheetz Coffee Caffeine has become a staple in the lives of many, as it gives an extra boost of energy to start the morning or finish the day. Depending on the level of energy someone is seeking, they may choose between tea, coffee, or an energy drink, which have increasing caffeine levels. The experiment studied the relationship between the caffeine content in two different methods of preparing coffee.

Sheetz, being a major supplier of coffee products in the area, was chosen as the manufacturer of the coffee. Caffeine was separated and purified from Sheetz Classic House Blend beans and grounds.

The trials were separated into six groups: half using pre-ground coffee and half using manuallyground beans. Lab groups extracted crude caffeine from the coffee using an organic solvent and purified this crude product through a sublimation technique. The results of this experiment showed that the difference between the extracted caffeine in each set of trials was substantial at almost 5x more caffeine available in the grounds relative to the beans. This trend demonstrated a relationship between the size of the coffee grounds and the availability of the caffeine to be extracted.

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Cammarata, Nathan; Wheeler, Meagan; Baldini, Olivia; Flanagan, Hugh; McGinnis, Stephen; Meehan, Abigail; Salmon, Kevin; Stover, Anna Belle; Himes, Nicole; Strom, Marius Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project: Payload Design & Stratospheric Launches The solar eclipses of October 2023 and April 2024 present a unique environment for scientific research. Through NASA’s Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project initiative, SFU Engineering has formed a team known as SFU in the Stratosphere. SiS’s main goal is to conduct atmospheric research through balloon launches, made possible by designing and building ~12lbs of payloads to fly up underneath large weather balloons. After spending the spring and summer of 2023 becoming familiar with stratospheric ballooning, SiS will use stratospheric ballooning to learn more about the highly anticipated upcoming annular and total solar eclipses.

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Keane, Mackenzie; Bintrim, Cara; Drus, Gail; Ruzhitskaya, Lanika Regolith Experiment Various conditions must exist in order for a plant to grow, including water, light, nutrients, and other components that can act as either growth stimulants or suppressants. At Saint Francis University (SFU), the study is being conducted to investigate the growth of plants in a simulated lunar soil – regolith. The regolith simulant is produced by the University of Central Florida and is supplied to NASA laboratories and universities for research in astrobiology. Our research in this field is to investigate the possibility of establishing a microbial colony in the nutritionless environment of regolith. To obtain measurable results, we evaluate the life cycle of Rapid Brassica from germination to decomposition in thirteen different soil treatments: from potting mix to pure regolith simulant. The ability of a plant to thrive is measured by its height and bloom and the soil treatments are checked for the signs of the presence of bacteria. During the first three trials of the ongoing pilot study, we discovered that a combination of potting soil, regolith simulant, charcoal, and water crystals produce the most plant growth. The treatment with mere regolith simulant and potting soil did not produce the same height success results as other treatment groups. The results of the three trials in the pilot study have produced consistent results in terms of height success rate and bloom.

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Jones, Holly; Wolf, Irene The Timeline of Bioinformatics: Where it Started and Where it’s Going Bioinformatics is a new field of science that combines computer science, genetics and other related fields. In this research the new emerging field of science is broken down into its origin and history, current applications all over the globe, and the future of the field. This research is a review to reveal the background of the field of bioinformatics and to discuss potential impacts of the field. In addition, the current applications are discussed that are being used in the United States and how they differ in other countries around the world. This research sheds a light of where the field started and where it is going. The information and data found are presented in the form of a timeline to make a visual representation of the evolution of bioinformatics.

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Dee, Julianne; Remillard, Arthur Exploring Street Medicine: “Our Street Neighbors” Podcast Reveals Vital Care for People Experiencing Homelessness In today's society, the challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness (PEH) are often misunderstood or overlooked. PEH are often subjected to stigma that results in their inability to trust certain people, especially the healthcare system. More often than not, providers in emergency services and departments do not care for PEH and will discharge them without a second thought. As a result, PEH wait until they are in dire need of medical care such as a lifesaving surgery. The outcome can be prevented through the implementation of street medicine teams. Street medicine teams are made up of medical and social services that help to provide a variety of resources to PEH. Medical personnel can include doctors, physician assistants, nurses, and other medical providers. Social service personnel include community health workers, peer mentors, and certified recovery specialists among others. Despite the incredible work that street medicine teams do, most of the world and those in the healthcare setting do not know about the teams. 'Our Street Neighbors,' is a compelling podcast, seeks to change that narrative. The presentation will offer a glimpse into the world of 'Our Street Neighbors,' an engaging and informative podcast dedicated to shedding light on the oftenoverlooked community of people experiencing homelessness, rough sleepers, the unhoused, and our street neighbors. The presentation will discuss the podcast's objectives, its role in advocating for healthcare access, and its potential to inspire change in how society perceives and addresses homelessness. Furthermore, research will present how 'Our Street Neighbors' serves as a valuable resource for both the general public and street medicine providers, offering a deeper understanding of the work, innovations, and essential services provided by these dedicated healthcare teams.

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Brown, Emily; Hamm, Sara; Ober, Kyra; Smith, Benjamin Color Affects the Ability to Distinguish Unknown Flavors of Propel A sensory analysis was performed to test if participants could correctly distinguish the flavors of unlabeled Propel beverages and to determine if color influenced their perception of taste. Three tests were conducted on a group of 76 untrained individuals, 75% of whom do not typically drink Propel beverages. Two of the tests performed were paired comparisons, during which participants were asked to identify which samples tasted more like a specific flavor, while the beverages were dyed colors chosen to deceive them. The third test was a triangle test that presented participants with three colorless, unlabeled samples, two of which contained the same flavor. The ability to distinguish which two samples were the same was tested. The collected results showed that a sufficient number of participants did not correctly identify the Propels. For the paired comparisons, 48.7% and 32.9% of the participants were unable to decipher the correct flavor, while 24.4% and 42.0% could not distinguish which samples were the same in the triangle test. This experiment supported the idea that perception of taste is influenced by the color that individuals typically associate flavors with, as well as successfully challenged participants’ abilities to taste differences without color being a factor.

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Hoover, Alice; Zerbee, Katarina; Smith, Benjamin D. The Effects of Filtering Vodka on Alcohol Content The practice of filtering cheap vodka has been increasing in popular conversation on personal online blogs. College students have especially been known to purchase these cheap spirits to enhance their taste by reducing the harshness of the strong alcohol flavor. This process could lead to overconsumption of alcohol since the harsh taste of alcohol is lowered, which could potentially affect the perception of alcohol content consumed. This experiment determined the alcohol content of vodka that had been successively passed through a water filter. The alcohol content and congeners of filtered vodka were measured through gas chromatography, refraction, and a hydrometer to provide more information on pop culture drinking practices. The data collected was compared to published insight on the perception of alcohol content in vodka after it had been passed through a water filter. It was hypothesized that even though filtered vodka has been claimed to have less of an alcoholic taste, the alcohol content will not change with subsequent filtrations.

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Alhajji, Yousif; Bukowski, Mary; Burke, Isabella; Eicher, Eliana; Kokoski, Kennedy; Lilley, James; Lumley, Isabel; Matts, Alexia; Robinson, Harris; Schager, Rebekah; Swaim, Mercury; Zerbee, Katarina; Gleason, Jane; Hargittai, Balazs A College Student’s Best Friend: Which has more Caffeine, Folgers Instant or K-Cup coffee?

Caffeine is a popular stimulant commonly found in coffee. Many people are unaware as to how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee. The purpose of this experiment was to determine how much caffeine was in Folgers K-Cup coffee in comparison to Folgers instant coffee. This was achieved through the processes of extraction and sublimation. The K-Cups yielded around 42.4 mg of caffeine per cup of coffee, while the instant coffee yielded around 11.0 mg of caffeine per cup of coffee. From this it was concluded that the K-Cups yielded more caffeine than the instant coffee.

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Miknis, Olivia; Tapia, Autumn; Holtz, Riley; Partner, Leah; Richardson, Lily; Loya, Lane Is there a breeding population of the Tiger Spiketail dragonfly on the SFU campus?

The Tiger Spiketail, Cordulegaster erronea, is a rare species of dragonfly known to inhabit small streams and seeps in Pennsylvania. Nymphs of this species had previously been documented to occur in the stream located on the campus of Saint Francis University, but it was unknown if this species was using this habitat to breed. Two observations were made in June 2023 to support the hypothesis that the species is breeding at this site: First, a recently-molted male adult dragonfly was captured along the stream, and second, and adult female dragonfly was observed ovipositing in the stream.

Although mating was not observed, these initial observations do provide evidence that a breeding population exists on the SFU campus. This observation was the first confirmed, reported sighting of an adult of C. erronea in Cambria and surrounding counties; this information adds to our knowledge of the geographic distribution and habitat requirements of this important species of conservation interest. (Pre-College Research Academy project)

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Kalinyak, Jillian; Criswell, Katherine Development of the Reproductive Tract in a Cartilaginous Fish Embryology is a discipline of biology that deals with the study of embryos and their development.

Reproductive biology is the study of male and female reproductive systems. Embryology has made great advances in tracking the development, genes involved in gonadal differentiation, and the hormones involved in model organisms, like the mouse or zebrafish, but little is known about the reproductive embryology of cartilaginous fishes. Cartilaginous fishes are jawed vertebrates with a cartilaginous skeleton, and include animals like sharks, skates, and stingrays. Cartilaginous fishes are useful for studying the evolution of development because they represent a major branch of the vertebrate evolutionary tree, and comparing their development to bony vertebrates like mice and zebrafish could give insight into how the reproductive tract has evolves across vertebrates. We focused specifically on skates because they are oviparous (egg-laying), so skate embryos are easy to obtain at different stages of development. Skates have a complicated reproductive system, but we do not know how they develop and when they differentiate into a male or female. To answer these questions, we investigated the development of the reproductive tract in the little skate (Leucoraja erinacea) by performing histological sectioning and Masson’s trichrome staining of thin sections.

Males and females were compared, and reproductive structures were identified from the indifferent gonads up to stage 32 (late stage, close to hatching). We identified the cloaca, oviducts, ovaries, and urogenital sinus, and urogenital ducts. Tracking how the reproductive tract develops can give evolutionary insight into how the reproductive tract across vertebrates diverged.

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Hargittai, Matthew; Clark, Rose Cytochrome c Electron Transfer Rate Dependence On Peptide Length The goal of the research project was to determine how the length of a peptide used to create a selfassembled monolayer (SAM) affected the electron transfer rate of cytochrome c. This was done using three different length peptides being a dipeptide, tripeptide, and tetrapeptide. Electrochemical cells had to be created using electrodes that had SAM's with different peptide lengths. A potentiostat was used to acquire data from the interaction between cytochrome c and the electrode. The results supported shorter peptide lengths result in faster electron transfer rates. Published research has shown that there is a rate determining step that means at a certain point shortening the peptide will not change the rate.

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Dick, Brandon; Gibson, Grace; Merry, Justin Aiptasia’s Behavioral Response to Different Light Wavelength Stimuli Aiptasia is a genus of tropical sea anemone, and the species typically encounter varied light wavelengths within their natural environment. Due to the varied lighting they encounter, this project investigated how the genus Aiptasia responds to different light wavelengths. Aiptasia use ambient light to cue their circadian rhythms. In the ocean, light is blue shifted because long (red) wavelengths are absorbed by water. The Aiptasia will respond more in blue light settings than red and green light settings. Existing Aiptasia already found in the Marine Lab was used and the light they lived in will be manipulated. An online program called Fiji will be used to track measurements. Each day a photo of the tank will be taken, and the photos will be imported into Fiji. These photos will be analyzed in

11 Fiji where we are able to measure the distance and activity of Aiptasia in millimeters. It is expected the blue light will make the Aiptasia respond more than in red light, and the green light will create a moderate response. Results and analysis will be presented with the poster.

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Godissart, Joel; Martz, Theresa; Merry, Justin Hermit Crabs and Social Behaviors Hermit crabs are typically assumed to be docile creatures found for sale around tourist gift shops.

However, in recent studies hermit crabs have been observed fighting for their food using intimidation and dominance. This begs the question as to whether or not hermit crabs react passively or aggressively towards each other when a stimulus such as food is placed before several crabs. To test this hypothesis, a total of 12 hermit crabs will be divided into three separate tanks with varying sizes.

Within the span of 20 minutes, food will be placed in the tanks where the reactions and interactions between the crabs will be observed and recorded. This observation will take into account the size of crabs as they interact with other crabs while attempting to get food, putting the crabs into situations where one may act aggressive towards others depending on size. Results and analysis will be presented with the poster.

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Ehredt, Evan; Miller, Jyelle; Merry, Justin Plants and Worms: How Worms Effect Plant Growth Plants are a crucial aspect of life and it is important that they are able to grow and flourish. Some people rely on gardening and farming to provide for their families and themselves. Thus, this study looks into whether worms can be used as an aid for plant growth. Worms should provide plants with the ability to grow bigger faster by providing nutrients through their waste. This should work as a fertilizer, like the waste produced from cows, although to a lesser extent. In order to test this, Basil plants will be placed into four pots. Two of the pots will contain worms and two will not. The plants will be housed in the same location and receive the same amount of water in an attempt to have the worms be the only different aspect with a role in the growth. The data for this experiment will be presented on the poster.

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O’Connell, Grace; Rowan, Olivia; Merry, Justin Fiddler Crab Burrowing Behavior Fiddler Crabs are one of the most easily recognizable species of arthropod for their massive claw and burrowing behaviors. These crabs make burrows to claim territory, protection from high tide and predators, and impress females. How will Fiddler Crab burrowing behavior be affected if habitats are composed of different sediment types? Our experiment has two possible explanations; Fiddler Crabs will burrow in whatever sediments are available, or Fiddler Crabs burrow in certain sediments based on the chemical and physical properties that match the properties of their natural habitat. Study design will consist of 3 tanks with different types of substrate in each. One tank with playground sand, one tank with natural sand from Chincoteague Island, and one tank with a mixture of playground sand and topsoil for silt. The number of burrows made in each tank by their resident crabs and the distance of the burrows from the water line will be the measured factors. Each tank will

12 contain 2 crabs for a total of 6 crabs total and they will be fed pellet fish food. Tanks will also contain rocks and fake aquarium plants to provide a more natural feel. Tank requirements for proper maintenance include a filter to keep water clean and aerated, and possibly a bubbler, lighting source, and water heater. We predict that playground sand will best suit the crabs so it will have the most burrows total as it suits natural behaviors. We predict that the Fiddler Crabs will burrow near equal amounts in every sediment type for the first hypothesis as burrowing is their natural behavior.

Because the Chintotaugue Island sand comes from the natural habitat we predict that tank will have the most burrows for the second hypothesis. Results and analysis will be added soon and presented during the poster topic day.

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Beckwith, Tyler; Bose, Aniruddha “On This Ground, We Were Making History” My research project studies how the American Civil War is remembered. It does this by using monument dedications in the years after the war to tell the stories of not only the veterans of the war itself, but also how the American people view the war. The monuments are all from Gettysburg National Military Park and are dedicated to those who fought in the battle of Gettysburg. I chose to use this specific battles’ monument dedications due to the sheer number of monuments that have been placed on that battlefield as well as the timeframe of monuments being placed. The first monuments at Gettysburg were placed in the early 1880s and the final ones in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

That is over one hundred years of monuments being placed. This creates a change in perception that many might not think of. The project goes a step further and splits off into Union and Confederate perceptions and opinions about the war. This allows us to learn how the war’s narrative has grown on the different sides of the conflict. Many veterans care little about the cause after and only note their heroism and respect for those that gave their lives. Other’s talk about the cause and how the institution of slavery needed to be eradicated. As for the confederates, only a handful of monuments at Gettysburg pay tribute to them and even less had veterans at their dedication. To combat this, I look at the reunion of 1888 when union and confederate soldiers shook hands and relived their experiences on that battlefield. When more confederate monuments were placed on the battlefield in the mid-20th century, a narrative was there too. Overall, this project shows how human perception changes with time, as well as how the bloodiest war in the history of the United States is remembered since its conclusion.

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Wheeler, Meagan; Smith, Benjamin Sensory Analysis of Citrus and Fruity Flavored Kombucha Fermentation is used to create desirable foods and beverages through the breakdown of food-based substances by microorganisms. These microorganisms convert sugar into lactic acid, ethanol, and acetic acid to make new products such as kombucha. Most kombuchas are made with a bacteria culture called a SCOBY as well as yeast and added sugars. Kombucha is marketed as a popular health beverage and can be easily sorted into two broad categories of citrus and fruity flavored.

Previous research has been done on the broad sensory components of fermented products and will be continued through this project by testing the specific flavor properties of kombucha. A group of panelists underwent a tasting trial of different brands and types of kombucha and responded to the given questionnaire. Panelists answered questions detailing flavor terms as well as associated verbiage. The responses were gathered and analyzed to create sensory maps outlining differences

13 between the citrus and fruity notes of the given beverages. The data was then organized into a palatable sensory profile for consumer and producer use.

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Bartlebaugh, Owen; Smith, Benjamin Differentiation of Artificial Sweeteners and Sugar in Regards to Perceived Taste Saccharin was the first nonnutritive sweetener that was wildly commercialized and was originally discovered at a John Hopkins lab by Constantin Fahlberg in 1879.1 Today saccharin and many other artificial sweeteners play a major role in reducing many people’s overall caloric intake while still providing the sweet taste so many American’s crave. With American rates of obesity prevalence continuously increasing (from 30.5% to 41.9% between 2000 and 2017)2 the role of artificial sweeteners in replacing sugar and reducing calories plays a more and more important role in helping to prevent the rise of obesity-related health conditions including type II diabetes and various heart conditions1. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential difference or similarity in the taste of sugar compared to artificial sweeteners, specifically sucralose and saccharin, to determine if human taste buds can differentiate between the two substances. To test this, two triangle tests were developed in which each contained 2 samples of a sugar solution and one sweetener solution (either Splenda or Sweet’N Low). Untrained participants were asked to taste each sample and told that one of the three was different and asked to select that sample to the best of their ability. Originally, it was hypothesized that participants would not be able to accurately distinguish between the solutions; however, preliminary data suggests that participants likely can distinguish between the sugar and sweetener solutions with moderate success.

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Koskinen, Mark; Ramsey, Jenna; Smith, Benjamin Sensory Analysis of Coffee Coffee is ranked in the top three most popular beverages in the world, and it is the second most frequently consumed beverage in the United States with over 62% of Americans drinking coffee every day. Coffee is a complex mixture of more than a thousand chemicals made by brewing boiling water and roasted, ground coffee beans. Coffee has many brands and roast varieties, each with a different flavor and aroma. Different coffee brands use different flavors in their coffees to try to make a coffee that entices customers. With coffee being such a popular drink, and brands advertising different varieties and flavors of it, people frequently wonder which flavors, brands, and types of coffee beans they should use for their drinks, and if these factors even make a difference to the taste of the coffee. This study determines if people can reliably discern between coffee brewed using arabica and robusta coffee beans and different brands, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, and Nguyen as well as varied flavors like pumpkin spice and pike place roast. Three sensory discrimination tests including the XY, ABX, and triangle tests were used to find results. We anticipate that people will be unable to reliably distinguish between two different brands with the same flavoring, but that people will be able to distinguish between coffees brewed using different beans.

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Krepelka, Zachary; Li, Ying Neural Network Analysis of Newton Fractals Our research objective is to implement and access the accuracy of a neural network capable of reconstructing a Newton fractal from a finite set of labeled points. In particular, we wish to determine the number of layers and parameters requisite to correctly identify the fractal. As a preliminary step, we build a neural network regressor which matches the fractal with the degree of its generative polynomial. So far our research has entailed the creation of a Newton fractal image generator. We have also explored methods of random polynomial generation as input into the program. In the next stage, we will begin research in computer vision.

P29

Remillard, Abraham; Long, Grace; Lian, Roy; Ropp, Alyssa; Dolphin, Ava; Bintrim, Timothy Propagating Beauty at a Skilled Nursing Facility Five students took part in the Therapeutic Gardening Pre-College Research Experience directed by Dr. Timothy Bintrim over nine weeks of Summer 2023. We began with a plant walk, tasting most of the edible flowers and herbs in the Torvian Garden, and on a later date hiked the Watershed Trail with a foraging text we read together. We propagated flowers and herbs from seeds and from stem cuttings, making a dozen geraniums from one. In addition to planting and maintaining the Pavilion Garden at Maple Heights (formerly Cambria Care Center), our group tended the Hoophouse and harvested garlic on the SFU campus and cleared and mulched one front visiting area at Maple Heights, spreading five tons of mushroom soil to ready the area for planting next spring. Though this was hot work, one gardener said it was his favorite session because we made an immediate difference. Our crew was bolstered by a visiting Japanese exchange student, that day. (Pre-College Research Academy project)

P30

Gibson, Rachel; Grindle, Caroline; Hillen, Naomi; Loya, Lane Effect of location and water quality on plankton populations in Lake St. Francis Plankton are an important factor in the food web of a lake. If changes to water quality influence zooplankton populations, the ecology of the entire lake could be impacted in a ripple effect. The objective of this study was to investigate the population size of plankton and water quality in different areas of Lake St. Francis. This study is planned to be completed by taking plankton samples with a plankton collection net and measuring water quality parameters using a YSI multimeter over different sections of the lake. We hypothesize that more plankton will be present in the shaded area, and that plankton population size will increase with better water quality.

P31

Marcino, Nicholas; Miller, Nathanael; Loya, Lane The Effect of Small Recreational Fires on Soil Health Campfires are a common occurrence in state parks and other protected natural areas where recreation happens. Although there are so many fires that are burned throughout the year in many parks, it is unclear to many parkgoers how these fires affect the health of the environment in the immediate area.

In this study, we plan to examine the impact of repeated burns in small enclosures on soil health. We

15 will measure soil pH, density, and the occurrence of macroinvertebrates within each of six sites.

These measurements will be compared to six controls that will accompany each site. We hypothesize that the soil health will be in worse condition within the fire rings than in the control sites.

P32

Caldwell, Gregory; Dick, Brandon; Loya, Lane Tiger Spiketail Habitat Assessment There were multiple sightings of the rare Tiger Spiketail dragonfly in Cambria County in summer of 2023. The sightings were on the Saint Francis Watershed Trail as well as in a field close to the town of Dunlo. Our goal was to figure out if these dragonflies were reproducing in the streams close to Dunlo. We will be using kicknet sampling to determine if the dragonfly larvae are present in this location. We hope to confirm that the Tiger Spiketail dragonflies are mating in additional locations within Cambria Country that are similar in habitat type to the Saint Francis Watershed stream.

P33

Zammam, Sidra; Ross, Gavin; Dee, Julianne; Koval, Joshua; Zovinka, Edward Contrasting the Synthesis of Different Metalloporphyrins via Mixer Mill The synthesis of metalloporphyrins using mechanochemical techniques were explored. Using a Retsch Mixer Mill MM 400 to grind reactants in stainless steel jar containers with grinding balls in jar, metal acetate salts (Ni2+, Mn2+, Fe3+, Mg2+) were reacted with tetraphenylporphyrin (H2TPP).

Both Ni2+ and Mn2+ reacted to form the metalloporphyrin within 30 minutes while neither Fe3+ or Mg2+ reacted within 100 minutes using a shaker frequency of 25 Hz. (Pre-College Research Academy project)

P34

Farabaugh, Lauren; Wheeler, Austin; Miller, Timothy Characterization of a Small-Scale Hydoturbine Generator Hydro-turbines are an important means of renewable electricity production worldwide. Hydropower currently accounts for 28.7% of total U.S. renewable electricity generation and about 6.2% of total U.S. electricity generation. Given that fossil derived electrical power produces in excess of 2.5 trillion kW-hours of energy, the importance of the design of efficient turbines to be use as an alternative renewable means of electrical power production is clear. The research work presented here shows the development of methodology and measurement tools for characterizing the performance of a hydro-turbine that may be used for electric power production. A hydraulic flume was configured to accommodate a turbine sting and enable electric power measurements of the turbine-generator for different power loads requirements, and different water velocities. A novel method for measuring the propeller rotational speed was applied as well. A thin strip of aluminum foil was cemented to the turbine shaft. The beam from a typical laser pointer impinged on the strip, with the laser reflected back into a photodetector mounted parallel to the beam once per propeller revolution. The rotational speed, thrust, and power was measured using a Capstone data acquisition system. All of the measured dimensional parameters were converted into dimensionless number groups to enable the creation of performance correlations. The techniques and measurement tools developed here may be applied to alternative turbine blade designs and facilitate future work in the area of hydropower exploitation. (Pre-College Research Academy project)

16

AUTHOR INDEX (Saint Francis University student presenters in bold) Addis, Nicole Alhajji, Yousif Baldini, Olivia Bambino, Apryl Bartlebaugh, Owen Baum, Kevin Beckwith, Tyler Bintrim, Cara Bintrim, Timothy Birk, Matthew Bose, Aniruddha Brown, Emily Bukowski, Mary Burke, Isabella Caldwell, Gregory Cammarata, Nathan Clark, R. Cree, Toby Criswell, Katherine Dee, Julianne Dick, Brandon Dolphin, Ava Drus, Gail Ehredt, Evan Eicher, Eliana Farabaugh, Lauren Flaisher-Grinberg, Shlomit Flanagan, Hugh Gibson, Grace Gibson, Rachel Gleason, Jane Godissart, Joel Greenwell, DaQuan Grindle, Caroline Gula-Weir, Sydney Hamm, Sara Hargittai, Balazs Hargittai, Matthew Hillen, Naomi Himes, Nicole Hogue, Mason Holtz, Riley Hoover, Alice Hudkins, Amy Hunter, Shelby Jones, Holly Kalinyak, Jilliam Keane, Mackenzie Keith, Gretchen Kokoski, Kennedy Koskinen, Mark Koval, Joshua Krepelka, Zachary

P2 P16 P10 P9 P26 P6 P24 P11 P2 P8 P24 P14 P16 P16 P32 P10 P19 P1, P9 P18 P4, P6, P13, P33 P8, P20, P32 P29 P11 P9, P22 P16 P34 P3 P10 P20 P30 P9, P16 P21 P6 P30 P9 P14 P9, P16 P9, P19 P30 P10 P9 P17 P15 P2 P9 P12 P18 P11 P9 P16 P27 P4, P5, P33 P28

Li, Ying Lian, Roy Lilley, James Long, Grace Loya, Lane Lumley, Isabel Mallin, Ty Marcino, Nicholas Martz, Theresa Marzina, Madelyn Matts, Alexia McGinnis, Stephen Meehan, Abigail Merry, Justin Miknis, Olivia Miller, Jyelle Miller, Nathanael Miller, Timothy Ober, Kyra O’Connell, Grace Quaid, Mikayla Partner, Leah Ramsey, Jenna Remillard, Abraham Remillard, Arthur Richardson, Lily Robinson, Harris Ropp, Alyssa Ross, Gavin Rowan, Olivia Rowles, Lorie Ruzhitskaya, Lanika Ryan, Chloe Salmon, Kevin Schager, Rebekah Schoenberger, Dallan Seese, Abigail Smith, Benjamin Smith-Diemler, Ashley Stover, Anna Belle Strom, Marius Swaim, Mercury Tapia, Autumn Thomas, Mallory Vogt, Natalie Wheeler, Ausing Wheeler, Meagan Wolf, Irene Wruble, Ashley Zammam, Sidra Zerbee, Katarina Zovinka, Edward

P28 P29 P16 P29 P17, P30, P31, P32 P16 P9 P31 P21 P3 P6, P16 P10 P10 P20, P21, P22, P23 P17 P22 P9, P31 P34 P14 P23 P9 P17 P27 P29 P13 P17 P16 P29 P33 P23 P2 P11 P2 P10 P16 P5 P7, P9 P5, P7, P14, P15, P25, P26, P27 P1 P10 P10 P16 P17 P6, P9 P9 P34 P10, P25 P6, P12 P2 P33 P15, P16 P4, P33