Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Program
Abstract Booklet
TheSummer Undergraduate Research andCreativeActivities (SURCA) program offersa high-impact experience through faculty-mentored undergraduateresearch, collaborativeengagement,and astudent-facultylearning community.
Studentsandfacultyfrom all collegesandschoolsat Widener Universityparticipatedin this program andpresentedtheir projects.
SURCASymposium
Friday, September 27, 2024
University Center Atrium
Dear SURCA Symposium Attendee,
SEPTEMBER27, 2024
Welcometo the15th Annual SURCA Symposium! TheWidener SURCA community enjoyed another incredibleSURCA experiencethissummer Our weekly developmental luncheswerebuzzing with project collaboration and support It wasan engaging summer full of development,excitement,and belonging This summer only further reinforced thecommitment and incredibleability that our community shows Each project isan impressivetestament to thecommitment and ability of thesestudentsand faculty mentors.Wearetruly proud and impressed by them,and wearesureyou will bealso
Wethank theWidener University Administration for their support of this program With their support,wehad record breaking participation in SURCA this summer.Wehad our highest student and faculty participation in thehistory of our program,with 95undergraduatestudentsand 47faculty mentorsfrom theCollege of Arts& Sciences,School of Engineering,Collegeof Health and Human Services, and School of BusinessAdministration participating in SURCA thissummer The 2024SURCA Symposium also features70 poster presentations,a new all-timehigh
TheSURCA program providesa seriesof eventsintended to foster cohesiveness among thefaculty and student participants Studentsalso learned from alumni and their peersin different disciplines TheSURCA weekly sessionsincluded presentationsdesigned to promotescholastic,professional,and personal development.Wefostered interdisciplinary collaborationsby facilitating activities and discussionshighlighting connectionsbetween projects Wehosted Widener alumni speakerswho spokeabout their personal experiencesin theworkforceand their journey to graduateschool Other activitiesincluded Starsand S?mores,a discussion with President Stacey Robinson,a career development session,a trivia game,and a SURCA softball game Our faculty played an activerolein leading discussionsthissummer They demonstrated thebest of Widener?scommitment to building strong faculty/student connections.
Wehopeyou enjoy learning moreabout theprogram and theproject outcomes from thestudentstonight.
With sincerity and warmth,
Drs MikeCorcoran and Rob Mishur,SURCA Program Co-directors Widener University
SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE
Opening Remarks: 3-3:15pm
SESSION I:3:15-4:15pm
SESSION II:4:30-5:30 pm
AwardsCeremony:6pm
STUDENT PRESENTATION SCHEDULE
SESSION I
BIOCHEMISTRY
Keller 28
McHenry 35
Waldron/Morgan/Oladeji 67
Wallon 68
BIOLOGY/ ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Adams-Campeau 1
Anderson 3
Harris 26
Ruberte/Queirolo Williams 49
CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Brown 8
Timmons 65
Burrell 9
Schlosser 53
ENGINEERING/ COMPUTER SCIENCE A
Chase 11
Al-Quaid/Beaty 2
West (#1) 69
Popp/Hun 43
ENGINEERING/ COMPUTER SCIENCE B
DiGuiseppe 15
DiPietro/Philip 16
Duong/Fornes 17
Grossman/Hammer 24
ENGINEERING/ COMPUTER SCIENCE / PHYSICS
Smith 57
Singh/Sanchez 52
Sadoff 50
HUMANITIES
Brock 7
Duricek/Colonna 18
Fahnbulleh 20
SOCIAL SCIENCE/ SOCIAL WORK A
Bernier/Dorsainvil 4
Sweet 63
Kouroupis 29
Bustraan 10
SOCIAL SCIENCE/ SOCIAL WORK B
Mecate/Kaur 36
Renavitz 47
Sheridan 55
SOCIAL SCIENCE/ SOCIAL WORK C
Matambo 34
Coupland 13
Stotsenburg 62
Widener University Summer UndergraduateResearch andCreativeActivitiesProgram
Intergenerational relationships:SURCAandcareer development in Social Work
Widener University Summer UndergraduateResearch andCreativeActivitiesProgram
ABSTRACTS
Underst anding cyanobacter ia blooms w it hin t he gr eat ponds of Mar t ha?s Vineyard, MA
Declan Adams-Campeau
Research Advisor:Dr CarolineS Fortunato
Cyanobacteria area naturally occurring,photosynthesizing group of bacteria present in fresh,brackish,and marine bodiesof water throughout theworld Cyanobacteria are key organismsin carbon cycling,with marinecyanobacteria accounting for 35%of global primary production Unfortunately,someCyanobacteria arebloom forming and arecapableof releasing cyanotoxinsasa secondary metabolite,which aretoxic to a variety of organisms including humans Thefocusof thisresearch isto better understand cyanobacterial bloom dynamicsand how these populationschangeover space,time,and with environmental conditions From 2021through 2024,water sampleswerecollected acrossfour ponds,Chilmark, Edgartown,Tisbury,and Crackatuxet,in Martha?sVineyard, MA monthly from Juneuntil September Recently these ponds,which span from fresh to marinewaters,haveseen an influx in toxin producing cyanobacteria which is concerning to thepublic DNA from each water samplewas extracted and PCRwasused to amplify the16SrRNA gene,a universal marker genein bacteria and archaea 16SrRNA genesequencing wasperformed on 66samplesfrom 2021-2022,including thosetaken during two cyanobacterial blooms,to determinemicrobial community composition Specific attention waspaid to identifying cyanobacteria taxonomic groupsat each pond Resultsshowed on average cyanobacteria comprised between 25and 40% of the microbial communityCyanobiumwasthemost abundant group,comprising nearly 90%of all cyanobacteria in Tisbury Pond Thetwo bloom samples,taken from thesame location in Chilmark pond in July and August 2022showed thedominanceof different cyanobacteria groups During theJuly bloom,Sphaerospermopsisdominated,whilein August thebloom consisted mostly ofDolichospermum, further indicating thedynamicnatureof theseblooms. Currently,2023samples,which includemany bloom samples, arebeing prepared for sequencing In addition, metagenomic sequencing wasperformed on four bloom samplesfrom 2022in order to determinethemetabolic potential of thesecyanobacterial groups Overall,thegoal of
thiswork isto understand how and why cyanobacterial bloomsoccur in thesepondsin order to better inform the public of thecausesand dangersof thesepotentially harmful microbial communities
Combining classic cr ypt analysis and AI: A st udy of af f ine and shif t ciphers
Abdullah Al-Quaid,Shawn Beaty
Research Advisor:Dr.Yana Kortsarts
Thisresearch project exploresthecryptanalysisof simple symmetric ciphersand investigatesthecapabilitiesof variousAI toolsto break theseencryption methods Symmetric ciphers,fundamental cryptographic systems, rely on thesamekey for both encryption and decryption By exploring different cryptanalysistechniques,thisstudy aimsto evaluatetheir effectivenessin deciphering encrypted messageswithout prior knowledgeof thekey Wefocused on bruteforcecryptanalysisof shift and affine cipher and letter frequency cryptanalysisof affinecipher. Weexamined theabilitiesand effectivenessof AI toolsto break symmetric ciphers Wealso explored thelevel of training theAI toolsrequireto break theciphers effectively
Sapr ophagous f ly diversity near Widener university linked to pollinat ion
SaigeAnderson
Research Advisor:Prof.KateGoodrich
Pollination by animalshasbenefited plantsfor morethan 100 million years Themost common pollinatorsarebees, other insectssuch asfliesand beetlescan also be important pollinators Weneed fliesaspollinatorsbecause they help pollination when other insectssuch asbeeshave a low population dueto climatechangeor pollution There areseveral plant speciesgrowing at Taylor Arboretum that haveflowersthat pretend to befermenting or decomposing substances Plantsgiveoff thesesmells becausethey want to deceivethefly so that it can be pollinated Thissummer westudied fliesthat areattracted to thesesubstancesto comparewith fliesthat havebeen identified aspollinatorsof these?stinky?flowers
ABSTRACTS
Wemadetrapsand then placed them outsideof Kirkbride Fermented and carrion baitswereused to attract theflies
Thefliesthat werecollected in thetrapswerekilled by freezing them in therefrigerator,and then carefully pinned for preservation and morphological identification
Thefly speciescollected from thebaitsthissummer will be compared to fly specieswearecollecting aspollinatorsfor skunk cabbage(flowersmimicking carrion)and pawpaw (flowersmimickingfermentation)
Do t he cr ime, do t he t ime: Underst anding yout h cour t and impact of juvenile incar cerat ion
ChristieBernier andWendyDorsainvil
Research Advisor:Dr.NancyBlank
Youth court isa diversionary program wherestudents facing typical disciplinary action aregiven theopportunity to bejudged by their peerswho offer an alternative consequence Youth areproneto rash decision making due to their undeveloped frontal cortex,often leadsto poor decision-making,including crime.Whilemost youth commit low-level offensesand arelesslikely to reoffend, oncethereiscourt and policeinvolvement,that likelihood drastically increases.With theknowledgeof the devastating effectsof juvenileincarceration,weset out to discover thebenefitsof youth court and thebarrierswith itsimplementation.Through mixed methodssuch as conducting interviewsand data analysis A proposal was submitted to theIRB,wecreated a questionnaireregarding thebarriersof youth court,and weinterviewed various youth court participants Through theresearch we discovered thebiggest barrier that youth court facesare from cooperation from schools.Whilethereareno set guidelinesto how youth court should beimplemented in schools,wefound that schoolsoften may not know how to properly implement youth court,theprogram diesout,or they areunawareof thetremendousbenefitsyouth court hason juvenilesand their future Thefutureof thisproject will aim to continueunderstanding thebarriersyouth court facesin regard to implementation
Assessing t he economic impact of st r eet vendor r emoval policies in Kat hmandu: Implicat ions f or ent r epr eneurship, local economy and societ al w ell-being
Indwija Bhatta
Research Advisor:Dr Maria Pinho
Thisresearch investigatestheeconomic impact of street vendor removal related policiesin Kathmandu,Nepal,with a focuson theimplicationson entrepreneurship,local economy,and societal well-being Street vendorsand local entrepreneursplay avital rolein thecity'ssocio-economic fabric,contributing to household incomeswhilst preserving cultural heritage However,theremoval of these businessesin Kathmandu Metropolitan city raises concernsabout itseffectson livelihoodsand thebroader economy of thecountry Thisstudy aimsto assessthese impacts,exploring thechallengesand opportunitiesthat arisepost-removal Through acombination of qualitative and quantitativemethods,including interviewsand thematic analysis,theresearch seeksto provideinsights and recommendationsfor policymakersto balanceurban development with thewell-being of thecommunity
Thestudy acknowledgeslimitationsrelated to thespecific focuson Kathmandu and potential biasesin data collection,but it strivesto offer valuablefindingsthat could help inform futureurban policies.
Evaluat ing t he tensile and f lexural pr oper t ies of 3D-pr inted PLA-CF/ PLA composites
Boston Blake
Research Advisor:Dr.Babak Eslami
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)isacommonly used 3D printing processcharacterized by itsversatility in material selection,however FDMslayer by layer processoften leads to lower strength properties Thisstudy exploresthe mechanical propertiesof FDM 3D-printed composite materials,specifically on theinfluenceof Carbon Fiber-reinforced Polylactic Acid (PLA-CF)on tensileand flexural strength when reinforcing Polylactic Acid (PLA) parts Compositesampleswereprinted with varying ratios of PLA and PLA-CF,ranging from 0%to 100%PLA-CF in 20%incrementswith layer groupsstacked vertically
ABSTRACTS
Tensiletesting revealed a proportional increasein strength asPLA-CF content increased,indicating that carbon fiber reinforcement significantly enhancestensileperformance However,flexural testing demonstrated adecreasein bending strength with higher PLA-CF content,suggesting a trade-off between stiffnessand flexibility Mid-range ratios(40-60%PLA-CF)provided a balancebetween tensile and flexural properties Theresultshighlight thepotential of PLA-CF/PLA compositesfor applicationsrequiring enhanced tensilestrength and flexural performance.
Beyond t he bar r e: Dance, st r uggle, and social change
Ivana Brock
Research Advisor:Prof KatherineStark
Thisproject exploresthepotential of dancein fostering positivechangewithin theChester community By leveraging personal experienceand community engagement,I seek to challengenegativeperceptionsof Chester and createa moreinclusiveenvironment The project investigatestheroleof thearts,particularly dance, in promoting community cohesion,addressing social issues,and empowering individuals
My involvement with ThePurposePerformers,a local danceschool,highlightsthepositiveimpact of danceon young people By facilitating their annual recital at Widener University'sAlumni Auditorium and providing technical support,I contributeto theorganization'sgrowth and success Thisexperienceunderscoresthearts' crucial rolein offering a safeand supportivespacefor expression and personal development
Theproject also examinesthechallengesfaced by local artists,including financial constraintsand limited access to resources.To addressthesebarriers,I proposestrategies for Widener University to collaboratewith thecommunity and providesupport for thearts By utilizing the university'sresourcesand expertise,Widener can play a significant rolein promoting theartsand fostering amore vibrant and inclusiveChester
Through thisproject,I aim to inspireothersto engagewith theartsand contributeto positivechangewithin their communities By highlighting thepower of danceto bridge divides,promoteunderstanding,and empower individuals,
I hopeto foster a new appreciation for theartsand their rolein creating a moreequitableand just society
Binding kinet ics of phosphaplat ins w it h glut at hione and cysteine
LaniseBrown
Research Advisor:Dr.Robert Mishur
Cisplatin isa chemotherapydrugusedin manypartsof the world,namelyin treatingovarian and testicular cancer. Cisplatin worksbybindingtopurinebases,guanineand adenine,in DNA,but it alsoreactswith sulfur-containing species,such ascysteineandglutathione.In thisreaction, cisplatin bindstightly tosulfur,preventingbindingtoDNA Whileit ishighlyeffective,useof thedrugresultsin side effectssuch ashair loss,difficultybreathing,and kidney damage,which can limit theuseof cisplatin acrossthe world Toaddressthechallengesof cisplatin treatment,we havebeen investigation several new phosphaplatins,which areplatinum complexesfeaturinga bidentate pyrophosphateligand
A new gr een synt hesis of met hyl esters
GraceBurrell
Research Advisor:Dr.Krishna Bhat
A new method for converting carboxylic acidsto their corresponding methyl estersusing an environmentally safeand non-toxic methylation reagent,dimethyl carbonate(DMC),hasbeen developed Thisprovidesthe desired product in high yieldswith high purity under microwaveirradiation Theprocedurehasadvantagesover existing methodsby operational simplicity,waste reduction,and turnover frequency
The Case f or Non-Tradit ional Appr oaches to Ment al Healt h Car e
Abigail Bustraan
Research advisor:Dr Robin Goldberg-Glen
Gapsin themedical approach to mental health treatment makenecessary thedevelopment of alternativecoping mechanismsfor individualsstruggling with their mental health Researchershavefound mindfulnessto bea
ABSTRACTS
mechanismsfor individualsstruggling with their mental health Researchershavefound mindfulnessto bea cost-effectivemethod to reducestressand facilitate non-judgmental acceptanceof emotions By building protectivethought patterns(likeacceptanceand problem solving)and eliminating maladaptiveones(suppression, avoidance,and rumination),mindfulnesshelpsonebuild theskillsto deal with regular lifestressorsin a healthy way and protectsthem from developing pathological mental conditionsor harmful coping mechanisms(likeeating disordersand addiction)(Alado et al,2009) Thisproject servesasan overview of thecurrent literatureon thetopic of non-traditional coping mechanismsand makesthecase for theimportanceof theimplementation of cost-effective, alternativeoptionsto managemental health
Game design using Java in Gr eenf oot
Jordan Chase
Research Advisor:Dr.Yana Kortsarts
For thelast several years,theEquity in Computing club hasbeen an activeparticipant in a one-day engineering mini camp for high school girlsin collaboration with the Widener School of Engineering and thePhiladelphia section of theSociety of Women Engineers Thecamp offerslaboratory sessionsin avariety of STEM topics, along with informativepanelsfor both studentsand parents In thepast,thecomputer sciencesessionsfocused on animation using Alice,web design,and machine learning Thisyear theorganization aimsto add a laboratory session based around gamedesign using Java in Greenfoot.Greenfoot isa Java-based tool that allowsfor thosewith limited experienceto gain an understanding of object-oriented programming Using Greenfoot and basic Java skills,a simpleshooter-stylegamewasconstructed.A detailed curriculum wasdesigned for thegamedesign session,allowing high school studentsto follow theprocess and gain an understanding of Java and itsapplication in gamedesign Thegoal of thesession isto introducehigh school girlsto gamedesign and provideopportunitiesfor futurelearning and exploration.
Impact of vor tex generators on r otor craf t per f or mance: A quant it at ive st udy of lif t and vibrat ion
KennyColeman
Research Advisor:Dr Steven J Pagano
Thisstudy investigateshow vortex generatorsaffect rotorcraft performance,specifically focusing on lift and vibration Using a rotor test stand,theeffectivenessof vortex generatorsin improving rotor efficiency and reducing vibrationswasquantitatively analyzed Blades designed with different numbersof vortex generatorswere tested in an idealized environment,with vibration data transformed into thefrequency domain to detect and analyzevibrational patterns Bladesbased on theNACA 0012airfoil weredesigned using Autodesk Inventor and printed with 0,5,and 10 vortex generatorsin a lab setting For data collection,lift and vibration measurementswere taken using each bladetypeover 10-second intervalsat variousRPMsand bladepitches To analyzethevibration data,a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)wasapplied to convert thetime-domain vibration signalsinto thefrequency domain,allowing for detailed examination of vibrational frequenciesand their amplitudes Theresults demonstrated that vortex generatorsimproved rotor efficiency by increasing lift by approximately 725%with theaddition of 10 vortex generators Additionally,the addition of vortex generatorsgreatly reduced chaotic frequenciesin vertical rotor vibrations Thishas implicationsfor enhancing rotorcraft stability and performance Futureresearch will explorethepotential aerodynamic benefitsof cambered blades,which may further improvetheseoutcomes
Ident if ying t he Ignor ed Demographic ? Analyzing Aspect s of Ant i-Semit ism in Social Work Literat ur e Acr oss Var ious Spect r ums
Sarah Coupland
Research Advisor:Dr Robin Goldberg-Glen
Thiscontent analysiscontainstheoverview of antisemitism in social work in multiplefacets.Thepurpose of thisproject isto identify aspectsof antisemitism in social work literatureand today?ssociety Understanding and addressing antisemitism in social work requires
ABSTRACTS
examining itsmanifestations,challenges,and waysto counter it within both educational and professional contexts Highlightsof thecontentsinclude Manifestationsof Antisemitism in Social Work,Key Challengesin Addressing Antisemitism in Social Work, Addressing Antisemitism in Social Work,and Antisemitism in Today?sSociety In thesesectionsfindingsof denial and ignoranceof antisemitism in social work areportrayed which leadsto resultsof heightened lack of teachings about thesocial issue Along with thisarewaysto advocate for antisemitism sincethemodern-day world is internationally afflicted with discrimination against the Jewish faith Antisemitism continuesto not only remain a persistent issuein today'ssociety,but theraisein violence and hatecrimesaredisplaying in numeroussystems crosswisediverseareas Despiteeffortsto combat discrimination and promoteinclusivity,antisemitic beliefs, rhetoric,and violencecontinueto posesignificant challengesworldwide
Number t alks and st ar t ing mat h class
Isabella Dauphinee
Research Advisor:Dr.Dana Olanoff
When teaching elementary school children mathematics,it isimportant that they areengaged and actively participating in gaining knowledge Thefirst few minutes of math classcan shapehow theentireclassisgoing to go Onething that teacherscan do to help student become engaged from thebeginning of classisnumber talks
Number talksarequick five-to-fifteen-minuteactivities that allow studentsto critically think and shareideasto solveproblems Thissummer,my advisor and I wanted to learn moreabout number talksso that wecould usethem in our futureclassrooms Oneof theactivitiesthat wedid waswatching videosof teachersgiving number talks
Another thing that wedid wasweparticipated in avirtual book club on ?Jump-Starting Math Class?whereweread a book,watched videosfrom theleaders,and participated in an onlineforum about theideasin thebook and videos We also read sectionsof a book on number talksto learn what they wereand how to facilitatethem My advisor and I are currently working to incorporatenumber talksinto MATH 112,which isa coursedesigned to help preparefuture elementary teachers
Ar t if icial intelligence in social media
JPDiGuiseppe?
Research Advisor:Dr.Joseph Fischbach
Artificial Intelligenceisa rapid development across technology asa whole Perhapsthearea of most growth and interest,however,isacrosssocial media platforms The application of AI technology acrosssocial media bringsup a number of discussions Whether it bethedifferent approachesof using AI acrossplatforms,marketing strategiesand economic goals,enhancing engagement from theusers,aswell aswhereresearch believesthey will beheading to in thefuture Theseareareasof focusin the realm of AI currently.I myself haveexperiencewith AI in social media platforms,specifically with the?My AI?of Snapchat,and the?Meta?of Instagram,which will be looked at within thereport.Thegoal of thisproject, though broad,isto observetheusageof Artificial Intelligencein social media and thepossibilitiesof itsuse moving forward.
Invest igat ing ef f ect s of doxor ubicin in inducing in vit r o aging of liver cells
Fran DiPietro,Sneha
Philip
Research Advisor:Dr.Aylin Acun
Over 100 million peoplein theU S areaffected by liver disease,with 45million adults(18%)officially diagnosed, and approximately 80-100 million morethat may unknowingly suffer from fatty liver disease The prevalenceof liver diseasesincreasessignificantly with age,astheliver becomesmoresusceptibleto fibrosis, cirrhosis,and hepatocellular carcinoma To develop a more anatomically accurateliver model for clinical and pharmaceutical research,weexplored thepotential of using thechemotherapy drug doxorubicin (DOX)to induce artificial aging in human hepatocytes Specifically,HepG2 cells,a widely used model for liver diseasestudies,were exposed to varying concentrationsof DOX over different timeperiods Our resultsindicatethat lower concentrationsof DOX with extended exposuredurations lead to increased accumulation of lipofuscin,a hallmark of cellular aging,alongsidereduced cell proliferation,aswell aslow levelsof cellular senescence Thesefindingsare
ABSTRACTS
promising asthey show that age-related characteristicsof hepatocytesin adult liverscan bereplicated in vitro using DOX Generation of such cellsoffersa novel approach to constructing physiologically relevant liver modelsand providesresearcherswith improved accessibility to aged hepatocytes,enhancing thereliability of liver disease modelsand drug testing platforms
Using mechanosensing of adipocy tes to underst and obesity
Colin Duong,Alyson Fornes
Research Advisor:Dr.LiKangChin
Obesity isa diseasethat plaguestheworld and ishighly prevalent in theUnited States According to theCDC,more than two in fiveAmerican adultsareobese,and the disorder cost nearly $173billion in medical expensesin 2019. Additionally,theincidenceof obesity hastripled within the past 30 years Therefore,thereisa need to understand the cellular mechanismsinvolved in obesity progression.In particular,weareinterested in how themechanical environment affectsfat cell function,becauseit is well-known that increased tissuestiffnesscan promote disease For thisproject,wedeveloped protocolsto study how adipocytes(fat cells)react to substratesof different stiffnesses,thefatty acid oleate,and theinflammatory cytokinetumor necrosisfactor-alpha (TNF-alpha)
Wedifferentiated 3T3-L1cellsinto adipocytesand seeded them onto two different hydrogelsand glass/tissueculture plastic controls Becausefat stiffenswith obesity,weused soft (100 Pa)and stiff (500 Pa)gelsto model normal and diseased fat Cellsweretreated with fatty acid and/or TNF-alpha or left untreated After 48hours,cellswere collected and lysed for bicinchoninic acid (BCA)protein assay,followed by western blot to detect,identify,and analyzetheproteinsRhoA,Piezo,Swell1,MAPK,and GAPDH within thesamples Aspart of thisproject,we tested different western blot protocols,including but not limited to using variousbuffers,amountsof lysisbuffer, and typesof electrophoresisgels Wealso compared western blotsand dot blots In conclusion,wesuccessfully developed a western blot protocol for analyzing adipocytes for RhoA and Piezo Thisresearch will becontinued using our established protocol
Empow er ing t he caged bird to sing
DelaneyDuricek,Nick Colonna
Research Advisor:Prof.JayneThompson
Coerced fear isthenumber onemethod used to createlaw abiding citizens Even thelook of a prison issupposed to be enough to deter peoplefrom committing crime No one truly know what it isliketo beincarcerated until it happensto you Crimein itself isvastly complicated, especially when it comesto justice Our research is centered around Yahyaand hisjourney to freedom Yahya, born Jonathan Ray Harris,wascharged with first-degree murder,robbery,criminal conspiracy,two countsof recklessly endangering another person,and possessing an instrument of crimeand subsequently sentenced to death row Though trial court formally opposed thedeath penalty for thiscase,Yahyaremainsin jail, wherehestill adamantly maintainshisclaim of innocence
When it comesto Yahya?scase,wearediving into the complexities/criticismsof procedural justice;and more specifically,what went wrong with Yahya?scasein particular.Weconducted legal research to better understand thelegal proceduresthat havealready taken place Thisresearch includesexamining thecasefilefrom Yahya?strial,contacting thePennsylvania law library for assistance,and communicating with a lawyer familiar with thecase An anthropological approach wasused to better understand theconditionsin which Yahya lives,his feelingsaround hisinnocence,and to gain abetter inciteon theprison industrial complex Our main goal isassisting Yahya in writing hisnarrativefor theInnocenceProject. Wehavebeen getting Yahyaon theright path for InnocenceProject successand havegained anew connection that would better improvetheoutcomesof Yahya?sincarceration Wehopeto continuedeveloping a professional and personal relationship with Yahya,aswe want to support him through thiscomplex process.In addition to this,wewill befinalizing hisnarrativeto the InnocenceProject
ABSTRACTS
The impact of long-COVID w it hin in-home car egivers of dement ia and Alzheimer?s pat ient s
Emma Eckenroth
Research Advisor:Dr Robin Goldberg-Glen
Thisongoing research project aimsto investigatethe impact of Long COVID on family caregiversof older adults with dementia,an unexplored aspect of theCOVID-19 pandemic Long COVID,defined asa chronic condition persisting for at least 3monthspost-SARS-CoV-2infection, presentswith diversesymptomsincluding fatigue,joint pain,and respiratory issues Thisstudy focuseson addressing thequestion:"What can wedo to help family caregiversaffected by Long COVID?" Given thehigh infection ratesamong older adultsfrom 2020-2022,older family caregiversfaced increased exposurerisks, potentially leading to Long COVID caseswithin thisgroup Yet most believetheconsequencesof thispandemic have subsided leaving older adultson their own to managethe consequences Thisresearch seeksto explorehow Long COVID symptomsmight affect family caregivers' ability to providecarefor older adultswith dementia,considering their own and their relativespotential physical limitations, fatigue,and cognitiveimpairments Overall,thisstudy aimsto identify uniquechallengesfaced by family caregiverswith Long COVID and develop social services strategiesto support their well-being whilemaintaining quality carefor their loved oneswith dementia Thisstudy isin itsinfancy stages,an extensiveliteraturereview and overview of theresearch design will bepresented at the SURCA symposium
?My St ranger?: The pr ocess of adapt ing Alber t Camus? The St ranger into a dat ing sim Jattu Fahnbulleh
Research Advisor:Dr.Jessica Guzman
Thisproject exploresthenarrativegamedevelopment processfor thepurposesof creating avideo gameand helping to deviseaunit on narrativegame design/interactivefiction that could betaught in a Creative Writing classroom Theproject adaptsAlbert Camus?The Stranger into a text-based choose-your-own-adventure dating simulator game,theprocessof which expandson
someof thenovel?skey themes,exploresnarrativegaming elements,and providesoneframework through which a unit and a futurecoursecould betaught Using coretexts on narrativegaming and worldbuilding,including Julialicia Caseet al?sStory Mode:TheCreativeWriter?sGuideto NarrativeGameDesign and Trent Hergenrader?s CollaborativeWorldbuilding for Writersand Gamers,and using Twine,an open-sourcetool for non-linear storytelling,I began creating thegame Notesdocumenting thereadingsand theadaptation processwereused to help createa game-focused unit for thissemester?sspecial topicsin CreativeWriting coursewhich focuseson the interaction between imageand text Futureplansfor this project includecompleting thegamefor theMid-Atlantic Popular & American CultureAssociation?sconferencethis November,and eventually turning it into a full-fledged visual novel
Factors t hat cont r ibute to a pr of essional league?s success
Dailyn Gaines
Research Advisor:Dr.Brian Larson
Women'ssportshaverecently seen phenomenal growth in recent yearswith growing interest and visibility The creation of theNational Volleyball Association and the increasing popularity of women'scollegiatebasketball are contributing factorsthat will go a long way in helping the WNBA to continuedrawing viewers Thesubject of women and sportshasnever been morerelevant and isnot a trend that will end anytimesoon
Interestingly,thisleadsto thequestion:why istheWNBA only now gaining popularity,if it wascreated in 1996?Prior research into factorsaffecting professional league popularity hasidentified key factorsthat includeselective marketing,sponsorship,and individual star performance Thus,I aimed in my research to identify which elements wereresponsiblefor thecontemporary successof these leagues
I applied theDelphi Method with an expert panel other than using a cross-sectional survey Theresultsshowed that leaguepromotion ismost essential for success, followed by media outreach and then team chemistry Surprisemay occur when a very important factor emerges
ABSTRACTS
for therolethat social mediawill play in widepromotion and fan involvement Good relationshipsand teamwork among membersin teamswerealso someof thevital ingredientsthat madea leaguesuccessful and popular.
Cannabis nor ms and assholes on Reddit
Laura Gilbert,Regan Mensinger
Research Advisor:Dr Matt Reid
Thisstudy aimsto evaluatesocietal normsregarding cannabisusage Ascannabishasbecomeincreasingly normalized in society,it isimportant to consider the differing opinionson appropriatebehavior and usageof it For thisresearch,thepopular social media platform Reddit wasused to investigatetheviewsof both cannabisusers and non-users Postsabout cannabisweresampled (n=407) from thepopular subreddit ?Am I theAsshole?? Theposts, along with their top threecomments,werethen qualitatively coded using NVivo Thematic codesincluded relationship romantic,family NOT romantic,inside smoking,neighbor complaints,medical use,and more Preliminary resultsindicatesignificant variability of the thematic codesbut thereisnear total consensusthat you aretheassholeif you allow cannabisto takepriority over your relationships,whether romantic or not
Underst anding t he r elat ionship bet w een inorganic nit r ogen and micr obial communit ies in grassland soils
Jayla Gore,Breah Sandre
Research Advisor:Dr CarolineS Fortunato
Grasslandshost a widerangeof biodiversity but arein declinedueto overgrowth of forests,agriculture,and land development Microbial communitiesof bacteria and archaea in thesoil of grasslandsareessential for ecosystem health,such asmaintaining a healthy composition of soil for nativeplantsto houseand feed birds,insects,and mammals However much isstill unknown asto how thecomposition of thesecrucial communitieschangewith environmental factorssuch as pH,organic matter,and essential nutrient concentrations likenitrogen Thisresearch focuseson how inorganic nitrogen concentrationswithin soil,specifically nitrateand ammonium,influencemicrobial community composition
in burned and unburned grasslandsin Northeastern Pennsylvania From 2018-2024,soil samplesweretaken from threegrasslands,WanamieReclamation Area, RickettsGlen StatePark,and Nescopeck StatePark.Soil sampleswerecollected and analyzed for pH,water content, percent organic matter,and nutrients,including inorganic nitrogen.Inorganic nitrogen wasextracted from 30 soil samplesand concentrationsof ammonium (NH4+)and nitrate(NO3-)weremeasured using aspectrophotometer Soil DNA wasalso extracted and used for 16SrRNA gene sequencing The16SrRNA geneisused to determine diversity and composition of microbes Theaverage ammonium concentration wasthehighest in Nescopeck StatePark at 739 mg/kg of soil and WanamieReclamation Area thelowest at 43mg/kg of soil A similar pattern was observed for nitrateconcentrations.Theseresultshelp to further explain theinfluenceof environmental parameters on microbial community composition Overall,resultsfrom thestudy providea better understanding of grassland microbial communitiesand theimpact they haveon broader ecosystem function
Aut ism spect r um disorders mechanosensit ive pr otein analysis
JacobGrossman,EmilyHammer
Research Advisor:Dr LiKangChin
Autism Spectrum Disorders(ASD)aredevelopmental conditionsof thebrain that impair social communication and interaction,and restrictiveor repetitivebehaviors The long-term goal of thisresearch isto understand the differencesbetween brainsaffected by ASD and neurotypical controlswith respect to mechanosensitive proteins For thisproject,wedeveloped a western blot protocol to analyzerat brain tissueto beused for human brain in futureexperiments Western blotting isa techniquethat separatesproteinsbased on sizeusing gel electrophoresis Thisallowsthedifferent proteinsin a sampleto bequantified and analyzed First,brain tissue washarvested from threefemaleWistar rats,previously euthanized for teaching purposes Then,thetissuewas homogenized in lysisbuffer with proteaseinhibitor and centrifuged to makeatissuedigest solution Thesolution wasmixed in a1:1ratio with 2X Laemmli buffer,
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boiled at 90 °Cfor 10 mins,and centrifuged for 5minsat 211x g Thesupernatant wasremoved,and thepellet discarded Thirty µlsof each samplewasloaded into each well of a 4-15%pre-cast gel Thegel wasthen subjected to 100V for 15 hrs Proteinswerethen transferred onto nitrocellulose membraneat 100V for 15hrs After transfer,blotswere blocked with 5%non-fat milk in phosphatebuffered saline (PBS)and 1%tween 20 and incubated overnight at 4°Cin rabbit primary antibody solutionsagainst fivedifferent proteins(YAP,piezo,SWELL1,lamin and GAPDH) Next day, blotswerewashed in PBSand incubated in horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-rabbit secondary antibody solution for 1hour at room temperature Blotswerewashed in PBS,incubated in asubstratesolution,and imaged to allow for theproteinsto bevisualized and quantified Using NIH ImageJ software,theproteinswerenormalized with respect to theloading control GAPDH Wesuccessfully developed a western blot protocol for analyzing brain tissue for all but piezo Thisresearch will befurther continued,and our established protocol will beused for human brain tissue
Engagement -Dr iven Edit ing and For matt ing ? f or a Juvenile Detent ion Workbook
Alana Halliday
Research Advisor:Prof.JayneThompson
Thisproject centerson developing a comprehensivewriting workbook for at-risk youth,using literature,music,and other formsof media to facilitatereflection and personal growth. Theworkbook encouragesparticipantsto analyzedifferent formsof literatureand media,reflect on their personal experiences,and engagein creativewriting exercises.
Aspart of theproject,my roleinvolvesediting and formatting theworkbook,ensuring that each lesson is accessibleand engaging for thetarget audience Additionally, I am assisting in research to integratea diverserangeof media? such assongs,poems,and stories? that resonate with youth and promotecritical thinking By carefully curating theseresources,weaim to providerelatablecontent that promptsboth reflection and self-expression
Through thiscollaborativeeffort,weseek to offer at-risk youth not just acreativeoutlet,but toolsfor emotional resilienceand self-awareness
Robert S Harris
Research Advisor:Dr.BruceW.Grant
Biodiversity isa measureof thevariety of living things found within a particular area and isessential for ecosystem health becauseit boostsproductivity,efficiency,resilience, and sustainability Currently,global biodiversity isdeclining at an alarming ratedueto multiplefactors,especially urbanization,which induceshabitat destruction, degradation,and fragmentation,all of which usher in invasivespeciesand precipitatethelossof nativeflora and fauna
Moth biodiversity isimportant to thefunctioning of ecosystemsbecausethey serveasimportant pollinatorsfor flowering plants,aswell asoften being parasites,predators, and prey for other animals Thisresearch aimsto providea greater understanding of how thebiodiversity of mothshas been affected by increasing urbanization.Ultraviolet (UV) LED lights,a cloth tarp,and string wereused to attract mothsso that they could becollected,and high-quality picturescould betaken of them.Therewere53sampling nightsand 1,705mothswereobserved and photographed Thespeciesof mothsweredetermined using iNaturalist and other sourceson theinternet.Thepictureswerethen organized in aGoogleSlidespresentation based on species and observation dateso frequency could bedetermined According to iNaturalist,thereare711speciesof Lepidoptera (butterfliesand moths)recorded from DelawareCounty,PA, of which roughly a third wereobserved
Underst anding Class and Audience t hr ough Digit al Edit ing
DominicHerndon
Research Advisor:Dr.ChristineWoody
Wecan learn a great deal about literary textsthrough the processof editing them In working on adigital edition of theRomantic-era satirical series?NoctesAmbrosianae?,work wasundertaken to develop and implement atagging system to track therepresentation of classand gender Working acrossmultipleinstallmentsof theseries,tagswereadded to theedition to track theuseof honorifics? titlesand forms of formal addressthat register classand gender in thetext
Urban mot h biodiversity in Delaw ar e County, PA
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Theusageof thetagsrevealed that therepresentation of society varied by installment of theseries,and that while in someinstancestheseriespresented an overwhelmingly middle-classworld,in others,theseriesrepresented interaction between different ranksand dialoguebetween different professions.Theonenoteof consistency wasthat thisseriesrepresented itsworld asoverwhelmingly male Futurework should establish what wider patternsexist acrosstheentirety of theseries.
Opt imizing detect ion of AKT to deter mine t he ef f ect s of cof f ee/ tea on AKT using Drosophila melanogaster
Marissa Keller
Research Advisor:Dr.Hemlata Mistry
Drosophila melanogaster (thecommon fruit fly)isa model organism whosegenomeis70%similar to thehuman genome By investigating genefunction in flies,researchers can gain deeper understanding of human development and disease Theeffect of micronutrientson genefunction is relatively unexplored Caffeine,a micronutrient favored by many collegestudents,hasan unknown effect on gene function PTEN and PI3K areessential genesthat regulate cell growth,apoptosis,and cell proliferation,processesthat aremis-regulated in human cancers Theregulation of PTEN and PI3K ismediated through their target,AKT To gain insight into theseprocesses,weexposed wild-type fliesand flieswith only onefunctional copy of PTEN or PI3K to micronutrientsfound in tea and coffee Wefound that increasing dosesof caffeinesignificantly decreases therateof development In contrast,micronutrientsin coffeeand tea appear to increasedevelopmental rate We hypothesizethat caffeine,or micronutrientscontained in tea and coffee,affect AKT phosphorylation by regulating PTEN or PI3K function Wepredict that AKT phosphorylation isaltered in fliesexposed to these micronutrientsfor onegeneration Thiswork described our effortsto optimizea techniqueto detect AKT and phospho-AKT in wild-typeflies Our next step isto expand thisstudy to fliestreated with thesemicronutrientsto determinetheir effectson cellular processescontrolled by AKT
The COVID-19 pandemic?s impact on t he aging LGBT+ populat ion- it s signif icance and implicat ions
Lani Kouroupis
Research Advisor:Dr Robin Goldberg-Glen
Community involvement iscrucial in promoting health, yet theLGBT+ population facesbarriersto essential resourcesdueto systemic heterocentrism Older LGBT+ adults,disproportionately affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic,strugglewith maintaining mental and cognitive health They areat higher risk for negativeCOVID-19 outcomescompared to cisgender-heterosexual peers, worsened by comorbiditieslikecancer,cardiovascular disease,and substanceabuse Thepandemic hasalso amplified issuessuch asunemployment and intimate partner violence,further deteriorating physical,financial, and mental health Addressing thesedisparitiesrequires accessible,low-cost interventionsto improvecare, treatment,and lifestylefor older LGBT+ adults Music therapy isa promising tool for alleviating depression,and promoting self-management through local servicescan enhancetheir independence Enriched environments, supported by family,friends,and community,help prevent cognitivedecline.Effectivegeriatricpoliciesshould include literacy,art,and other activitiesto mitigatecognitive impairment Interventionsmust also addresshistorical discrimination,social isolation,and healthcarebarriers. Proposed solutionsincludeaccessto music and art therapy and workshopstailored to older LGBT+ adults While challengeslikelimited cooperation from nursing homes remain,futureeffortscan refinetheseapproaches It's vital to set new standardsto addressthesedisparitiesand ensureequitablecarefor high-risk populations.
Robo-advisor r et ur ns: St ar t up vs t radit ional
ShaneLandue
Research Advisor:Dr Wei Gao
I conducted a statistical analysisof a comprehensive robo-advisor dataset report attempting to observea differencebetween theperformanceof robo-advisorsfrom startup companiesto thosefrom well-established investment management companiesand banks I utilized quarterly data extracted from TheRobo Report by Condor Capital Wealth Management to determineif thenovel part
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of my research,theadditional ?startup?variable,whereI categorized each robo-advisor aseither ?startup?or ?traditional?,wassignificant for portfolio performance.I wasableto collect 4total yearsof quarterly data from 2017 to 2020 totaling554data observations Within thedata, thereare62robo-advisors,27of which I classified as startupsand 35of which I classified astraditional I ran an OLSregression which involved my added startup variable with other factorsincluding theequity percentage,fixed incomepercentage,domestic equity percentage,and tax efficiency ratio of theportfolios;thereturnsof theS&P 500 and international stock market;and common macroeconomic variablesincluding thefederal fundsrate, GDP growth rate,unemployment rate,and inflation rate Resultsof theregression displayed startupsreturned 0.984 percent lessannually than traditional banks Additionally,I attempted to examinewhether themakeup of thetwo major componentsof theportfolios,theequity and fixed incomecomponents,played arolein thereturns The resultsshowed that startupsearned lessunder theequity portion whiletherewasno differencefor thefixed income portion of theportfolio Following this,I wondered whether thelevel of risk playsa rolein theresults Using thequarterly data,I followed theMorning Star methodology to computetheSharperatio,therisk adjusted return Accounting for risk,I found that startups continued to earn a lower return for theentireportfolio. However,thereturn differencefor theequity component between startupsand traditional banksdisappeared, meaning startupschoselessrisky stocksto invest in,and therefore,earned a lower return beforeadjusting for risk When adjusting for risk for thefixed incomeportion, startupsearned a lower risk adjusted return meaning they invested in riskier fixed incomesecuritiesthan traditional banks
Select ive r eact ivity of plat inum pyr ophosphatocomplexes w it h nucleot ides
Taylor Lindholm
Research Advisor:Dr Robert Mishur
In thisstudy,wesynthesized a seriesof platinum pyrophosphato complexes(phosphaplatins)and investigated their reactivity with thenucleotides adenosinemonophosphate(AMP)and deoxyguanosine
monophosphate(dGMP) Cisplatin isa widely used chemotherapy drug that exertsitsanticancer effectsby binding to DNA and disrupting replication,leading to cell death Reportsshow that cisplatin showspreferencefor binding to guanine,studiesindicating around 65%of cisplatin bounding to guaninewithin theDNA.By introducing both nucleotidessimultaneously to the platinum compounds,wemonitored thepreferential binding through proton NMRspectroscopy.Our results revealed that thephosphaplatinsinvestigated showed a higher affinity for dGMP,mirroring thebehavior of FDA-approved platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents likecisplatin However,whilethesecomplexes demonstrated apreferencefor dGMP,thebinding rateof AMP relativeto dGMP wasnotably faster in phosphaplatinscompared to cisplatin Thesefindings suggest distinct mechanistic differencesin nucleotide interaction between thesynthesized complexesand traditional platinum-based drugs,providing insightsthat could influencefuturedrug design
A comparat ive st udy of cat ionic ef f ect s on t her mophysical and t her mal pr oper t ies of ionic liquids w it h dif f er ing alkyl chain size
Fadi Mallouhi,AnthonyRuggiero
Research Advisor:Dr.Ismail Kul
During thecourseof thisresearch theviscosity,density, speedsof sound,surfacetension,and general thermal propertiesof pure1-methyl-1-propylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethysulfonyl)imideweremeasured for a comparativeanalysisof how thecation component?salkyl chain sizeinfluencesthethermophysical propertiesof pureionic liquids(ILs)sharing thesameanion component Theviscosity,density and speedsof sound measurements wereconducted at atmospheric pressure,in therangeof (28815to 32315)K Thesurfacetension wasmeasured by theWilhelmy platemethod with aKrusK100 Force Tensiometer at atmospheric pressure,in the(29315-31815)K temperaturerange Theaforementioned thermal propertiesinvestigated wereheat capacity and thermal stability Theheat capacity wasdetermined using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC)with atemperature rangeof 15? to 50? A thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) wasused to measurethethermal stability with a
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temperaturespan of 25? to 600? Theanalyzed experimental data wascompared to data of thesame thermophysical propertiesgathered for 1-hexyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imidein previousyears
Inf ected know ledge: The et hics of using illicit r esear ch f r om Unit 731
Elizabeth Martin
Research Advisor:Dr ThomasWilk
Unit 731wasa covert biological and chemical warfare research unit of theJapaneseArmy commanded by General Shir? Ishii during theSecond Sino-JapaneseWar and World War II Based in Harbin,China,it conducted experimentson human subjectsincluding testing biological agents(anthrax,plague,and glanders), vivisectionswithout anesthesia,induced frostbiteand hypothermia,and other experiments.Theresearch was intended to advanceJapan?scapabilitiesin biological warfarebut violated ethical principlessuch astheright to autonomy,beneficence,non-maleficence,and justice.After Japan?sdefeat theexistenceof Unit 731remained largely concealed dueto United Statesintervention with Operation Paperclip,which granted immunity to researchersfor handing over their secretsto theUnited States Though it isdifficult to link contemporary research back to Unit 731,it islikely that their archival data hasleft a lasting impression in variousfieldsof medical and bioweaponsresearch Given recent suggestionsthat Unit 731?sresearch beleveraged in responseto theCOVID-19 pandemic,it isimperativethat weexaminetheethicsof using thisinfected knowledge Theethical useof data from Unit 731should beframed by rigorousmoral scrutiny and respect for thevictims,aiming to extract scientifically valuableinsightsthat could advancepublic health and medical knowledgewhileensuring that theuseof such data isguided by principlesof justice,transparency,and historical responsibility
Fan engagement ?s r ole in spor t s
Joshua Matambo
Research Advisor:Dr.Brian Larson
Over thesummer,I conducted aresearch project which
investigated theroleof fan engagement in sportsand its effectson theoverall sportsecosystem Fan engagement which encompassesboth physical and digital interactions playsa hugerolein driving revenue,enhancing brand loyalty and forming thebeloved connectionsbetween the fansand teams By examining casestudiesand going to varioussportsgameswithin thePhiladelphia area,the researched showed thevariouswaysto asto how fansplay their rolein sports By examining casestudiesand by experiencing theatmosphereasa fan and by collecting noiselevel data,wecan seetheinteraction of fanswithin sports It issuggested that a moreengaged fan basecould drivehigher ticket salesand merchandiserevenueand variousfactors(Marcel Huettermann,2022) Thisstudy showstheroleof fanswithin sportsand how it was different when no fanswereallowed in stadiumsduring thepandemic era
Evaluat ing t he Cy totoxicity of Novel Phosphaplat ins in Br east Cancer Cells
EmilyMcHenry
Research Advisors:Dr Robert Mishur,Dr Michael Toneff
Cisplatin hasbeen a cornerstonein chemotherapy for various cancers,significantly improving curerates,notably for testicular cancer However,itsuseisoften limited by severeside effectssuch asnausea,vomiting,hair loss,hearing loss,and kidney toxicity,along with thedevelopment of resistancein certain tumors Consequently,thereisa pressing need for alternativeplatinum-based drugsthat arelesstoxic and can overcomeresistance.Phosphaplatinsrepresent an emerging classof platinum drugswith promising antitumor activity and potentially novel mechanismsof action Thisstudy aimsto evaluatethecytotoxicity of two newly developed phosphaplatins,dicyclobutylaminepyrophosphatoplatinum(II) and dicyclopentylaminepyrophosphatoplatinum(II)against a metastatic breast cancer-derived cell line,MDA-MD-231. Cytotoxicity wasassessed using an MTT assay by exposing the cellsto varying concentrationsof either cisplatin or a phosphaplatin and measuring cell viability compared to untreated controls Preliminary resultsindicated that our compoundsinduced a dose-dependent decreasein cell viability at high concentrations.Aswecontinueto develop new phosphaplatinsand evaluatetheir effectiveness,thefindings will contributeto theunderstanding of thepotential of
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phosphaplatinsaseffectivechemotherapeutic agentsfor breast cancer,aswell asother cancers Further studiesare necessary to elucidatethedetailed mechanismsof action and optimizethetherapeutic potential of thisclassof compounds
What lies beneat h t he r esume: Unveiling t he per cept ions or ef f ect s of sof t skills dur ing t he hir ing pr ocess
Kyla Mecate,Simranjeet Kaur
Research Advisor:Dr Michael Corcoran
Many companiesclaim to practiceequality and fairnessin their hiring practices They havea legal duty of nondiscrimination on protected classes,and many organizationsalign their corevalueson diversification and inclusion Research on gender and race-based employment discrimination suggeststhat thisisn? t alwaysthecase For instance,whitemen applicantsaremorelikely to behired and preferred in gender-congruent occupationswhen compared to Black and MiddleEastern (Di Stasio & Larsen, 2020),and resumeswith distinctively whitenamesmore likely to receivecallbacksfrom employers(Bertrand & Mullainathan,2023) Thestudiespresented hereaim to expand current findingsby investigating discrimination on thebasisof ?Soft Skills?Both on thebasisof gender and race Soft skillsareinterpersonal traitsthat determinean individual?sability to effectively collaboratewith other people Examplesincludeinterpersonal communication, leadership,teamwork,and responsibility Becauseof the significanceof possessing soft skills,employersoften seek theseattributeswhen evaluating a candidateto seeif they fit the?culture?of thecompany If theseskillsarebased in whitemalenormsthough,then soft skillscan perpetuate harmful stereotypes To further examinetherelationship between discrimination and perceived soft skills,we manipulated perceptionsof raceand gender by utilizing imagesof black and whitemen and women,providing a brief history of their employment qualificationsfor aretail assistant manager role In Study 1(pilot),werecognized a preferencefor thewhitemalejob candidateover theblack malecandidate Consequently,weconducted a second study in which weanalyzed whiteand black female applicants,eliciting oppositebut compelling findings We also present a third study in preparation that aimsto explain theconflicting findingsin our first two studies
Machine lear ning in medical imaging
Samantha Monroe
Research Advisor:Dr.Suk-ChungYoon
Machinelearning in medical imaging isthedevelopment of AI algorithmsand how they areused in themedical field
Over thesummer I'vebeen digging into thedifferent ways thishasbeen improving our health caresystem So far thesealgorithmshavebeen used to improveoverall health and patient care Someexamplesof what I talk about in my research arediseasepredictions,AI patients,and surgical robots Thesehavedrastically changed theway wego about medical care Oneof themajor thingswearealready seeing adifferencein is?physician error? For example, whilephysicianshaveto go through tonsof training there still can beerrors After all,everyonemakesmistakes, however,onemistakein their field can lead to major consequences Oneissueisthat when a physician prescribesa medication,sometimesit isnot theright fit for thepatient Certain medicationscan even belethal to different people,or makesymptomsworse Someof these algorithmscan help narrow down medication choicesso that apatient isgiven avery specific onefor their needs Thisisstarting to bea game-changer for major illnesses
Detect ion of sex specif ic expr ession of Zw -G6PD in w ildtype Drosophila melanogaster
DanielleMorgan,Jenna Waldron,Sharon Oladeji
Research Advisor:Dr AlexisNagengast
Glucose-6-phosphatedehydrogenase(G6PD)deficiency,the most common enzymedeficiency in humans,causesacute hemolytic anemia by increasing thevulnerability of red blood cellsto reactiveoxygen species(ROS) The Zwizchenferment (Zw)ortholog in Drosophila melanogaster,an X-linked gene,isused to study theroleof G6PD Dueto theXYchromosomesystem in males,they may bemoreaffected by G6PD mutations TheZw gene undergoesalternativesplicing in the5' region,producing threeisoforms(A,B,and C)that lead to two protein productsvarying in length and N-terminal sequences
TheseN-terminal sequencesarehighly conserved from humansto D.melanogaster,but thefunctional significance of thedifferent isoformsremainsunclear Previous
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CRISPR/Cas9 screensknocked out isoform A to investigate theroleof isoformsB and C Sequencing revealed frameshift mutationscausing early stop codonsin isoform B/Cmutants,possibly resulting in truncated proteins. Previousfindingsindicated that w118femaleDrosophila melanogaster produceisoform B of theZw-G6PD gene exclusively under starvation conditions.In contrast, subsequent experimentswith oreRwild-typemales yielded conflicting results,asisoform B wasnot detected under similar conditions.Thisled to thehypothesisthat isoform Cisexpressed in placeof isoform B in males To test this,cDNA wassynthesized from w118and oreRmales and femalesunder fed conditions.Endpoint PCRanalysis revealed isoform Cexpression exclusively in malesof both lines,suggesting sex-specific expression of Zw-G6PD Quantification of isoformsA,B,and C remainsunresolved, and thefunctional significanceof theseisoformsrequires further investigation
Explor ing t he capabilit ies of ar t if icial intelligence in agr icult ur e w it h computer vision and machine lear ning algor it hms
Chizolu Ojukwu,Javier Velez
Research Advisor:Dr.JeffreyRufinus
Our research project exploresthemany wayswecan use Artificial Intelligence,specifically,MachineLearning algorithmscombined with computer vision to serveasan early detection for factorssuch asCrop Diseases,and Pest infestations Weaim to learn and employ different machinelearning techniquessuch asSupervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning,ImageClassification, Convolutional Neural Networks,etc,to achieveour goal of thisproject During thesummer wewereableto get our feet wet by replicating a simplehand-written number recognition neural network model through publicly availablecodebases Our studieslead usto current AI applicationsin modern day farming,such aspredictive analyticsfor crop management and auto planting and harvesting Through research weaim to bring together the benefitsof AI-driven systemsin improving efficiency and accuracy with an emphasison reducing theneed for manual labor for our farmers
Modeling t herapies f or t he r eversal of br east cancer cell aggr ession
Adam Oladeji
Research Advisor:Dr Michael Toneff
In theUnited States,thesecond most common causeof cancer-related deathsin women isbreast cancer.Common breast cancer treatmentsincludelumpectomy or mastectomy,accompanied by chemo-and/or radiotherapy However,treatment resistanceand recurrenceare common,which can beattributed to theprocessof metastasis Metastasisoccursafter cancer cellsaccumulate aggressivepropertiesthat allow for migration away from theprimary tumor to secondary sites,wherethey form new tumors Thisisespecially dangerousbecause metastatic cellscan resist or evadetreatment entirely, causing recurrenceafter treatment that ultimately leadsto patient death Westudy genesthat govern metastatic cell aggression.ZEB-1drivescellsinto an aggressive, therapy-resistant state,whilethemicroRNA miR-200c causesnon-aggression and therapy-sensitivity If a therapy could befound to inducepermanent non-aggression from aggressivecells,even after therapy withdrawal,better patient outcomescould beachieved Wehypothesizethat therapiespromotingtheexpression of miR-200ccan leadto a sustainablelossof breast cancer aggression To test this hypothesis,weused adoxycycline(DOX)-inducible miR-200c expression model,with two distinct strategies. First,wemodeled treatment dosageby exposing breast cancer cellsto different DOX concentrationsfor 4days Second,wemodeled treatment length by exposing cellsto a constant concentration of DOX for both a period of 4 daysand 14days In both experiments,DOX was withdrawn to seeif thecellsretained non-aggressive propertiesfollowing treatment via RNA analysisand microscopy For thedosagestudy,our resultssuggested that all dosagesof therapy reversed aggression,but the non-aggressivestatewasnot maintained following withdrawal Preliminary resultsfor our timepoint study suggest that reversal of aggression wasnot maintained following therapy removal
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Dat a Mining Techniques and Applicat ions
Kalpan Patel
Research Advisor:Dr.Suk-ChungYoon
Data mining isan essential techniquethat involvesthe collection of significant patternsand insightsfrom extensivedatabases Thisdomain hasadvanced considerably,facilitating many applicationsin sectorssuch asretail,banking,healthcare,and telecommunications The knowledgediscovery processin data mining hasmultiple stages:data exploration,pattern recognition,and implementation Data mining utilizesseveral approaches such asclassification,clustering,prediction,association rulelearning,and neural networks Thesetechniquesallow companiesto identify hidden patterns,anticipatefuture trends,and render educated decisions Theresearch underscoresmultiplecaseexamplesshowing theeffective application of data mining in practical scenarios,including fraud detection,marketing optimization,and customer segmentation Asindustriescontinuein producing substantial volumesof data,data mining will assumean increasingly important position in decision-making processes,resulting in enhanced efficiency,profitability, and servicedelivery
Explor ing t he micr obiome of diamondback ter rapins (Malaclemys terrapin) and t he ef f ect s of nit rate exposur e on crayf ish (Procambarusclarkii)
SherryPoole
Research Advisor:Dr.Itzick Vatnick
I spent thissummer conducting two different projects The first project wastheidentification of themicrobiomeof Northern Diamondback Terrapins(Malaclemysterrapin) from fecal samples I collected and analyzed samplesby isolating bacterial coloniesand plating them on different agarsand broths A smear prep and gram stain were performed to analyzethebacteria?svisual traitsunder a compound microscope Currently,thesebacterial colonies arestill being analyzed and further testsareneeded to identify them properly Thesecond project involved crayfish (Procambarusclarkii) Nitratescan often end up in aquatic ecosystemsthrough runoff from fertilizers, industrial waste,and sewagesystemsand causesignificant
ecological damage,and harm theorganismsthat residein theseecosystems I exposed thecrayfish in thelaboratory to two different concentrationsof nitrates After exposure, I collected thehemolymph of thecrayfish,thearthropod equivalent to blood;tested glucoseand hemocyanin levels and examined itsbactericidal propertieswith a Kirby-Bauer test I found that therewasno significant differencein weight gain dueto treatment,a significant increasein glucoselevels,and asignificant decreasein hemocyanin concentration compared to thecontrol group
AI pow er ed Minecraf t Gr eek maze minigame
GabePopp,Netra Hun
Research Advisor:Dr Edwin G Dauber
Artificial Intelligenceiseverywherenowadaysand there's not a placeAI hasnot been in AI isgenerating art,music, ideas,essays,it powersthenon-player characters(npc)in video games,it helpsdo trivial calculations,it?sbehind ChatGPT,and so much more Thepurposeof thisproject and research isto seeif wecan somehow incorporateAI, Mazes,and Minecraft together Thuscametheidea of a Minecraft mod whereyou aredropped into a Greek maze to escapea blood thirsty Artificially Intelligent minotaur wasborn Weboth saw how AI ismaking a revolutionary changein society and wanted to seeif wecan havea piece of thepieaswell Theproject / mod worksby using a sandbox gamelikeMinecraft asafoundation to createa gaming experiencethat allowsplayersto get a feel for what it'sliketo:bechased by a giant angry minotaur,run through an endlessmaze,and bescared A custom coded AI model/algorithm that controlsboth thegeneration of the maze,aswell astheminotaur monster Allowing for procedural level generation,replay ability,and intelligent NPC?s Other additionsincludeitemsthat giveplayers special abilitiesto escapethemaze,and or kill the minotaur if they areskilled enough Futureresearch and development will involvea custom settingsfeaturewhere playersthemselvescan alter how a mazegenerates,how theminotaur behavesand what itemscan beused by changing existing valuesgiven
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Ef f ect of oxidat ive st r ess t r eat ment and micr oenvir onment on liver cell aging
Kamryn Purpura
Research Advisor:Dr Aylin Acun
Theliver isthelargest gland in thehuman body and serves several essential functions, including blood protein synthesis,glucosemetabolism,and detoxification of metabolites Liver diseases,both acute and chronic,result in significant morbidity and mortality worldwideand account for about 2million deathsper year Therefore,theneed for new technologiesin tissue engineering continuesto grow in responseto thiscritical issue Thisstudy seeksto identify if theoxidativestress treatment can beused to induceaging in liver cellsand if themechanical propertiesof theliver microenvironment alonewill affect theliver cell function of both young and aged liver cells Through a7- or 15-day long exposureto 200 and 100 ?M hydrogen peroxidetreatment,respectively, cellular senescencewassuccessfully induced Hydrogelsof different stiffnessweredeveloped for theconstruction of young and aged liver tissuesand theeffect of cell encapsulation in liver cell viability wasdetermined Future studieswill investigatetheaging and liver function in 3D tissueconstructsto validatetheuseof thesetissuesas liver diseasemodels
Var iat ion in shell t hickness along shell lengt h in t he gast r opod Neoterebra dislocata
Luigi V.QueiroloWilliams,Alexa Ruberte
Research Advisors:Dr JaniceL Krumm,Elizabeth K Shea
Characteristicsof gastropod shellshavebeen widely studied to increaseour understanding of shell structure and their rolein providing defensefrom predation A greater understanding of how shellschangeassnailsgrow and develop isakey step in our understanding of predator-prey dynamicsover thelifeof thesnail In this comparativestudy weexaminehow shell shapechanges with growth in fivemorphologically distinct speciesof gastropods Wemeasured shellsfrom theDelaware Museum of Natureand Sciencecollection to describehow shell shapechangeswith growth along acontinuum of
small to very largeadult snail sizes Wemeasured shells length,shell width,aperturelength,aperturewidth and shell weight in thesnailsConusvirgo,Fasciolaria hunteria, Neoterebra dislocata,Sinistrofulgur perversum,and Triplofususgiganteus For all 5species,shell length and shell width weresignificantly correlated (p<0 0001) However,preliminary analysessuggest theslopesof these correlationsdiffer between species Our resultshighlight general trendsin shell growth acrossspeciesand contributeto our broader understanding of the evolutionary pressureson shell morphology
Exper iment al invest igat ion on t he ef f ect of humidity on 3D-pr int ing polymers using mult i-f r equency AFM techniques: ABSand PLA
Lillian
Rejrat
Research Advisor:Dr.Babak Eslami
Theeffectsof humidity on 3D-printing filaments
AcrylonitrileButadieneStyrene(ABS)and Polylactic Acid (PLA)werestudied using multi-frequency Atomic-Force-Microscopy (AFM)techniques.Different samplesof ABSand PLA wereimaged at humiditiesof varying degrees(30%,60%,75%,90%)to study the degradation and altering effectsof humidity on their structures Piecesof both PLA and ABSweredissolved in hydrochloric acid (HCl) Thesolution wasthen spin-coated at increasing humiditiesmounted on wafersto encourage theintakeof moisturewithin thesolutions Silica beads incorporated within thespin-coating environment to reducetheoverall level of moisturebeforeslowly adding moistureback into theenvironment for different samples Theprepared mounted sampleswerethen imaged using AFM tapping modewith thegoal of analyzing theheight and phaseimagesof thesamplesat a 2-micrometer scale By comparing theporesizescaused by moisture absorption,it isfound that PLA absorbsmoistureat a lower ratecompared to ABS Thisfinding can beused asa guidelinefor controlling environmental conditionsduring 3D printing processwith thesecommercially available materials
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Explor ing t he benef it s of complet ing an inter nship
Elizabeth Renavitz
Research Advisor:Dr Lori Simons
Internshipsarean opportunity for studentsto gain hands-on experience Studentsapply their fieldwork to their coursework which in turn enrichestheir academic studies In thePsychology Department,practica are required to participatein an internship Internshipsserve asoneof thecapstoneoptions A capstonecourseis required for graduation for psychology majors Although an internship isnot required,thebenefitsthat stem from thisexperienceareinvaluableand cannot bereplicated with other options Studentscomplete150 hoursof fieldwork at a placement sitethat correspondsto a specific area of interest A grounded theory approach wasused to analyze50 student reflectionsfrom thosestudentswho took part in theinternship Reflectionswereanalyzed and color-coded into threecategoriesthat included similar experiences,common verbiage,and useful commentary Common themeswereanalyzed and recoded into major themes Major themesthat emerged from thedata included:Confidence,community engagement,and professional development
Global challenges and oppor t unit ies of AI in cybersecur ity
Lya Rosemin
Research Advisor:Dr.Afrooz Moatari-Kazerouni
Cybersecurity hasbecomeacritical global concern, especially with theincreasing complexity and frequency of cyberattacks Advancementsin artificial intelligence(AI) haveintroduced new opportunitiesto enhance cybersecurity measures Thisstudy examined therisks, opportunities,and challengesassociated with AI in international cybersecurity To combat international cyber threats,thisstudy conducted a review-based analysisto explorehow AI impactscybersecurity measuresworldwide and how countriescan collaborateto addresstheseissues
Even though AI providesadvanced capabilitiesfor detecting and responding to threatsquicker and more efficiently than many other technology platforms,it presentsnew complexities Leveraging AI to enhance
However,significant shortcomingssuch ashuman errors, system vulnerabilities,thecomplexity of managing diverse technological ecosystems,limited financial resources,and privacy concernsarenonethelessconsiderable Our study also disclosesthecritical need for updated legal structures to keep pacewith therapid advancementsin AI technology and itsimplicationsfor cybersecurity By examining how different countriesadapt to evolving lawsand regulations, a morecomprehensiveunderstanding of thisimpact is demonstrated asour research outcome Thefindings highlight that whileAI hasthepotential to transform cybersecurity,therearestill significant gapsand challengesthat need to betackled in order to fully utilize itscapabilitiesand ensureglobal protection against evolving threats
Var iat ion in shell t hickness along shell lengt h in t he gast r opod Neoterebra dislocata
Alexa Ruberte,Luigi V.QueiroloWilliams
Research Advisors:Dr JaniceL Krumm,Elizabeth K Shea
Gastropod shell outer wall thicknesshasbeen measured and estimated through a widevariety of methodsin studieson topicssuch asgastropod predation in marine snailsand evaporativewater lossthrough theshell in terrestrial snails However,thesemethodstypically do not account for variation in shell thicknessacrossdifferent regionsof theshells In thisstudy,wedirectly measure shell thicknessat each internal chamber of Neoterebra dislocata shells,determining how outer wall thickness variesalong thelength of theshells Using specimensof N. dislocata from theDelawareMuseum of Natureand Science,weused standardized measurementsto describe how shell outer wall thicknesschangesalong thelength of theshell External shell measurementswerecompleted beforetheshellswerecut or sanded in half to exposethe interior structureof theshell For each internal shell chamber,thechamber length,outer shell wall thickness, shell diameter,columella width,and distancefrom apex weremeasured on digital imagesusing ImageJ Shell diameter and outer wall thicknessweresignificantly correlated (p<0 0001),with shell outer wall thickness decreasing toward theapical end of theshell
ABSTRACTS
Thesefindingsincreaseour understanding of thestructure of gastropod shellsand can aid in standardizing shell measurements.
Widener?s Baxter r obot
Aaron Sadoff
Research Advisor:Dr XiaomengShi
Our research project,starting fall of last year through this summer?sSURCA research period hasbeen exploring and developing improvementsfor Widener?scollaborative industrial robot ?Baxter? My specific area of thisproject so far hasinvolved designing and constructing a motor-driven set of wheelsto replacetherobot'soriginal free-rolling wheels Our goal for thisarea of theproject is to beableto remotely control theBaxter robot to traverse around different stationsof a workspace With thisportion of theproject completed,weplan to continueimproving and working with Baxter Another student at Widener, Chetan Bhaireddy,and Dr Shi areworking to develop five-fingered hand-likeappendagesto replaceBaxter?s claw-likegrippers Finally,weall plan to collaborateon coding and connecting an OculusVirtual Reality headset to work with theBaxter Robot?sSystems With all aspectsof thisproject together,our goal and vision for thisproject is to beableto usetheVRheadset to seethrough therobot?s camera and operatetherobot'sarmsusing thewearer's body movements A user would beableto remotely traverseand interact with aworkspacethrough Baxter
Met abolomic analysis r eveals dif f er ent ial expr ession of met abolites in male and f emale D melanogaster
John Samohod
Research Advisor:Dr Robert Mishur
Metabolomicsrefersto theanalysisof organic components produced in plantsand animalswhilemaintaining homeostasis Thesemetabolitesquantify variousaspects of thehealth,age,or sex of theorganism Thestrain of Drosophila melanogaster tested wasOregon R GC-MSand NMRspectroscopy wereconducted to profilethe metabolitesin Drosophila melanogaster Significant differenceswerefound in thelevelsof metabolitesbased on thegender of Drosophila melanogaster On averagethe
signal of themetabolitewasgreater in malesvsfemales Theonly departurefrom thistrend iswith beta-alanine and choline,sincethesignal wasgreater in female Drosophila melanogaster for thesemetabolites
Tr end of w aste
Virdeep Singh,Juliana Sanchez
Research Advisor:Dr.Jeffrey Rufinus
Theconcept of smart citiesisrapidly evolving asurban areasincreasingly integrateadvanced technologiesto improvethequality of lifefor their residents Usually,data isharnessed from varioussources,likesensors However, not having accessto sensors,thecreation of a small-scale project using thePython programming languageand its librarieswasdone,thisproject also included a Machine Learning application Theproject wascentered around wastein particular sinceit isan area of high priority when it comesto a thriving smart city Also,wasteisa common problem in theUSsincea lot of it isoften not recycled, leading to masswastein our landsand in our bodiesof water Thisled usto exploretheproblem with our interest lying within thesmart city concept Weselected theCity of Philadelphia for wastagedata comparison purposes The first program isawastecalculator that allowsfor user input,it calculatestheuser?srecycling rateand waste distribution Theuser?shypothetical recycling rate percentagewascompared to Philadelphia?s(2018),the national level in theUS(2017),and theUS?srecycling rate goal in 2030 Thesecond program includesa basic Machine Learning (Linear Regression)model that predicts Philadelphia?srecycling ratein thefuture Thepurposewas to seeif thecity could meet thenational goal by/in 2030, and thepurposefor comparing ratesaswell In thefuture, a goal for theproject isto useMean Squared Error asour M L model instead becauseof how much moreaccurateit hasthechanceof being dueto thenatureof our dataset Wealso would liketo finish our processin completing a user interfaceso that peoplecan actually interact with our programshands-on Our final goal isto also makea MachineLearning/Deep Learning model that can classify whether an object (input)iseither recyclableor either isan organic typeof wastebased on thegiven image
ABSTRACTS
Development of a gr eener met hod f or br ominat ion of chalcones
Traditional bromination methodsinvolvetheuseof harmful chemicalsand hazardousconditions In previous years,Bastin et al developed afour-step synthesisof isoxazolesutilizing a green chemistry approach This procedureinvolvesthesynthesisof a dibromide intermediate,requiring theuseof harmful chemicalsand creating largeamountsof waste Thissummer,a greener bromination method using relatively benign sodium bromideand periodic acid wasoptimized for usein this synthesis Whiletheliteraturereportstheuseof hazardoussolventsin thisreaction,a greener solvent system wassuccessfully implemented in thisnew method
?Cr iminal?as a social ident ity: st igmat izat ion and dif f er ences r ooted in gender
Dana Shaw
Research Advisor:Dr Michael Corcoran
Social identity isdefined assomeone?scategorization in relation to a group,and subsequent self and other perceptions If convicted of a crimein theUnited States, individualsareoften endowed thesocial identity of ?criminal?.What consequencesdoesthisidentity haveand aretherealternatives?Oneconcern isthat thislabel of ?criminal?can lead to negativeperceptionsthat perpetuate inequalities.Theroleof gender must also beconsidered. Men aretwiceaslikely to besentenced or accused of a crimethan women Along with thisthey receive63% longer prison sentencesfor thesamecrimesthat women commit Could thesenegativeperceptionsalso differ on thebasisof gender?Wepresent a study that looked at the stigma of compared to an alternativeform of punishment to examinethepotential stigmatization of being labelled a ?criminal? In a subsequent study,weadded an emphasis on gender.To investigatethis,wedesigned astudy
presenting participantswith men and women who both havethesamelevel of respectability who commit the samecrime Specifically,weareinterested in observing how gender shapestheperception thecrimeand the subsequent punishment
Music w orkshop development to addr ess isolat ion in older adult s and people w it h development al disabilit ies
LillySheridan
Research Advisor:Dr.Robin Goldberg-Glen
Thisresearch project focused on creating amusic-based intervention program designed to enhancesocial connectivity among neurodivergent adultsand older adultsin asuburban community support program
Grounded in an extensiveliteraturereview and research that demonstratesmusic?sbenefitsfor mental health and communication,theworkshop incorporatesboth active and passivelistening activities Implementation will begin with recruitment thisfall,followed by aJanuary launch. Effectivenesswill beevaluated using mixed methodsto measuresocial connectivity and lonelinessoutcomes This initiativeaimsto meaningfully impact participants? wellbeing and social connections
DNA bar coding of f ungi using genomic r ibosomal RNA sequences
Cameron Simmons
Research Advisors:Dr.BruceGrant,Dr.Hemlata Mistry
Fungi play critical rolesin ecosystemsasdecomposers, nutrient recyclers,and symbionts Fungal biodiversity is vital for thehealth of our planet becausefungi break down dead organic matter,releasing nutrientsback into theenvironment allowing other organismsto thrive
Unlikeanimalsand plants,for which clearly described morphological and DNA-based taxonomieshaveproven highly successful in estimating biodiversity,fungi "species" tend to exhibit tremendousmorphological variation and DNA-based techniquesto build comprehensivereferencedatabasesfor fungal species remain worksin progress; consequently,accurate estimatesof fungal biodiversity at all scalesremain elusive Recent work hasrevealed that regionsin the genomic ribosomal RNA (rRNA)might proveto
ABSTRACTS
bepromising targetsfor DNA-Barcoding for fungi Partsof thisgenomic region arehighly conserved acrosstaxasince theribosomesarenecessary for basic survival;however, other partsshow random variation that creates opportunitiesfor barcodeidentification For my project, field samplesof common fungi werecollected from the Taylor Arboretum and Hickory Run StatePark,PA Frozen tissuewashomogenized and cellular material was degraded using a lyticasesolution A DNeasy PowerSoil Pro Kit wasused to harvest genomic DNA from thefungal cells,and to removeproteins,lipids,RNA,and other contaminantsfrom thesamples After PCR-amplifying and sequencing therDNA region,thefungal specimenswere identified using Blastn In sum,themolecular results perfectly matched themost likely identification information availableregarding my specimensfrom internet repositoriessuch asiNaturalist,thustheproject confirmsthat rDNA-based barcoding haspromisefor fungal biodiversity estimation
The dynamics of polydispersed emulsions dur ing jamming
Ben Smith
Research Advisor:Dr Xin Du
Soft materials,such asemulsions,colloidal suspensions, and foams,exhibit both solid-likeand liquid-likeproperties dueto their disordered structures,leading to unique dynamic behaviors Understanding therelationship between their geometric structuresand dynamicsduring thejamming transition (theshift from liquid-liketo solid-likestates)iscrucial for variousindustrial and medical applications Traditional mathematical methods often struggleto efficiently summarizethegeometric featuresof thesematerials To addressthis,weaim to apply Graphical Neural Networks(GNNs)for improved characterization ThisSURCA program focused on enhancing theexperimental setup to generatealarge dataset of imagesfor futuremachinelearning training Using microfluidic techniques,weproduced siliconeoil dropletssuspended in water and captured thejamming processwith a high-speed camera By optimizing flow rates in thedroplet generator and developing a new method for constructing glasschambers,weincreased theobservable dropletsper imageframefrom under 200 to over 400
Theseadvancementsenablesufficient data collection for training GNN models,enhancing our ability to characterize thegeometric featuresof emulsionsduring thejamming transition Wealso performed dynamic analysisfor a few data setsemploying ImageJ and Python coding
Analysis of annealed PEEK pow der using atomic f or ce micr oscopy
Ella
Sprankle
Research Advisor:Dr.Babak Eslami
Poly Ether-Ether Ketone(PEEK)isa3D printablepolymer known for itshigh melting temperatureand mechanical strength Thisstudy seeksto identify theoptimum annealing conditionsfor PEEK by analyzing itscrystalline structureat themicro-scaleusing Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) PEEK sampleswereannealed at 330°C and 360°Cfor 3to 6hours AFM in contact and Poly Ether-Ether Ketone(PEEK)isa 3D printablepolymer known for itshigh melting temperatureand mechanical strength Thisstudy seeksto identify theoptimum annealing conditionsfor PEEK by analyzing itscrystalline structureat themicro-scaleusing Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) PEEK sampleswereannealed at 330°C and 360°Cfor 3to 6hours AFM in contact and tapping modesrevealed that samplesannealed at 360°Cexhibited moreconsistent crystallinestructures,with no significant differencesobserved between theannealing times X-ray diffraction confirmed that unannealed PEEK was amorphous,whileannealing at 330°Cinitiated crystallization Theresultssuggest that theideal annealing condition for enhancing PEEK'scrystallinestructureis3 hoursat 360°C,providing valuableguidelinesfor 3D printing and additivemanufacturing applications
Analyzing gene expr ession and CNSinjur y in Drosophila melanogaster
LillyStiles
Research Advisor:Dr Hemlata Mistry
TheWorld Health Organization reportsthat over 15million peopleglobally livewith spinal cord injuries,often with debilitating effects Advancementsin thisfield providean opportunity to alleviatespinal cord injury symptoms
ABSTRACTS
Our research aimed to identify potential therapeutic avenuesfor traumatic spinal cord injuries Drosophila melanogaster,fruit flies,areutilized in thisresearch dueto their relatively similar central nervoussystem (CNS)to humans Despitebeing invertebrates,their CNSshares critical genetic and molecular pathwayswith mammals
Our study hasidentified 702genesin fruit flieswhose expression variesafter acuteinjury to theembryonic CNS
Theconservation of thesegenesand their mammalian homologssupportsDrosophila asa model organism for spinal cord injuries Late-stagefruit fly embryoswere stained with antibodiesto identify key proteinsin theCNS of late-stageembryos.Thispre-injury mapping allowed researchersto identify key structuresbeforeinjury Next, RNA extracted from late-stageembryoswasreverse transcribed into cDNA and analyzed via qPCR.Two primer setswereselected to amplify thegenesof interest:the referencestandard (actin)and thepositivecontrol,robo), that havebeen verified in other studies.Theefficiency of amplification using threecDNA amounts(0 5,1,and 2µg) and two primer concentrations(250 and 500 nM)was assessed.Resultsindicated that using 250 nM primer concentration and 0 5µg of cDNA wassufficient for strong amplification Futureexperimentswould focuson the additional optimization of theqPCRprocedure,and further investigation of genesof interest Thelong-term goal of thisproject isto analyzethedevelopmental and molecular effectsof injury to theembryonic CNS.This would aid in identifyingprocessesimportant for neural regeneration
Development of a voice-act ivated AI conversat ional plat f or m f or automated human interact ion and know ledge r et r ieval
Samuel G Stock,Makia Salient Fausta
Research Advisor:Dr.Daniel Roozbahani
The"ChatBot" project focuseson thedevelopment of a Voice-Activated AI Conversational Platform designed to facilitateautomated human interaction and knowledge retrieval through natural,spoken language Conducted at theWidener ARTEMISLab,thisproject aimsto design and implement a Python-based AI chatbot capableof engaging in near real-timeauditory conversationswith users The platform utilizesadvanced speech recognition,natural
Theproject began with theestablishment of a development environment and theinstallation of essential Software,librariesand APIs Over multiplephases,the team successfully integrated speech-to-text functionality, real-timeinteraction loops,and text-to-speech conversion, ensuring thechatbot could listen,process,and respond to spoken queriesdynamically
A significant challengeencountered wastheintegration of theGemini API for advanced conversational capabilities, which initially resulted in an Error To addressthis,a new approach wastaken by exploring theuseof GPT asan alternative TheAPI wasultimately integrated successfully, enabling thechatbot to perform complex,context-aware interactionswith improved responseaccuracy and efficiency
Thefinal product isa fully operational,voice-activated AI chatbot that offersusersan intuitiveand responsive conversational experience Theplatform hasbeen optimized for minimal latency,high audio clarity,and human-likeresponses,ensuring natural and engaging interaction Additionally,thechatbot iscapableof handling real-timeonlinequeries,such asweather updatesand time checks,further enhancing itsutility in everyday scenarios
Theproject concludeswith extensivetesting,optimization, and documentation,culminating in a detailed report and a poster presentation for theSURCA event Thisproject demonstratesthepotential for AI-driven conversational platformsin variousapplications,from customer serviceto educational tools,showcasing thecapabilitiesof modern AI technologieswhen effectively integrated and optimized
On-Air w it h WUCast radio: Pr eser ving, maint aining, and upgrading t he st udent interact ive exper ience
Dalten Stone
Research Advisor:Prof GregPotter
Since1994,Widener University?sstudent-led radio station hashad itshomein thebasement of Howell Residence Hall It isour goal that with theknowledgegained of station operationsand thephysical hardwareupdate effortspaired with thisproject that Widener Radio,
ABSTRACTS
collectively known asWUCast,will berejuvenated and brought to par with industry standards Theoverarching goal of thisproject isto eventually relocateall station operationsto Freedom Hall,to beboth morevisibleto studentsand to hopefully inspiremoredirect participation with coursework.Consequently,welook forward to providing studentstheopportunity to learn and grow professionally in an open environment that promotes experimentation.Through continued updatesto computers& automation,physical hardwaresuch as mixing boards,song & show rotations,and advertising campaigns,wehopeto increasestudent engagement and retention with theradio station It isour hopethat going forward,studentsboth within Communicationsand in entirely separatemajorswill continueto find belonging on campusasa part of thenearly 60 year legacy of Widener radio Asthestation continuesto grow,paired with streaming at thecafeteria and thegym aswell asonline, wehopeto foster a further senseof community that builds on student and staff feedback
Br eaking New s: Rest r uct ur ing of WU pr oduct ions f or f ut ur e gr ow t h, involvement , and exper ience
Robert Stotsenburg
Research Advisor:Dr AngieCorbo
Freedom Hall ishometo astate-of-the-art functioning television studio that promotesco-circular engagement and experiential learning ThisSURCA project highlights therevitalization of WU Productions,thecampusstudent media organization WUCOMSwill launch anew leadership structurefor WU Production featuring more leadership rolesfor cast,crew,and staff Thenew organizational structurewelcomesfirst-year students through seniorsto get involved in thestudio It will also providean opportunity to createmorecontent such as daily news,sportssegments,and game/late-night shows Studentscan gain professional experience,develop their talent,gain confidence,and build their portfolios When current studentsget involved with thestudent media,they get even moreinvested in thecommunicationsindustry and havea senseof belonging Over thelast two decades, multiplestudentsand industry-leading faculty have worked in that very studio Our alumni haveembarked
upon successful careersin broadcast newsdueto the competitiveadvantagegained through WU Productions
Hope and How We Get Ther e: A juvenile detent ion w orkbook
ZoeSweet,Rusty Frescatore
Research Advisor:Prof JayneThompson
Thepurposeof Hopeand How WeGet There:A Workbook isto help juvenilesserving timein facilitiesto processtheir feelingsand learn new things Our goal isto createa workbook filled with high-interest piecesthat are accessibleto teenagersat multiplereading levels Zoeand Rusty saw a need and worked to makeavolumethat filled a gap they perceived in thejuvenilejusticesystem Zoeisa student who ispassionateabout prison reform and has helped to run workshopsin prisonsasan undergraduate, and Rusty isan incarcerated man who hasseen firsthand what thesystem islacking whileserving timein both juvenileand adult facilities Theworkbook they created focuseson personal development,creativity,and emotional support Theworkbook activitiescan help juvenilesbetter understand their actions,theconsequences,and waysto makepositivechanges In addition,theactivitieshelp to addressmental health needs,which iscrucial in the juvenilejusticesystem Theworkbook is100 pages,and each section of theworkbook introducesthematerial, givesthematerial in acondensed format,hasthreeguided questionsfor writing or discussion,and then onepagefor individual creativeresponses Someexamplesof the material areasfollows:Poems??Thirteen Waysof Looking at a Blackbird?by WallaceStevens,?Odeto My Socks?by Pablo Neruda,?I Look at theWorld?by Langston Hughes; Prose??Why MosquitoesBuzz in People'sEars?by Verna Aardema,TheOnion Parableasrelated in Fyodor Dostoevsky?sTheBrothersKaramazov;Pictures- Kintsugi, Graffiti;and varioussongs Whilestill in development,the workbook aimsto createa spacefor studentsto process their feelingssafely and to help break thecycleof thinking and acting that leadsto unhealthy and risky choices
ABSTRACTS
Eye t rackers to help people w it h disabilit ies access computers
DestinyThomas
Research Advisor:Dr Suk-ChungYoon
Eyetrackerscan beof great usein helping thosewith life-changing disabilitieshaveanother chanceat experiencing thefull wondersof technology Certain DisabilitiesincludeCerebral Palsy,Rett Syndrome,and Motor NeuroneDisease Many peopleareborn with or develop theseand many other disabilitiesthat can greatly impair their ability to movetheir handsand armslike other people Eyetrackerscan givea morecomfortableway of allowing thosewith disabilitiesto accesstheir computer and theinternet Eyetrackerstrack themovement of one's eyesthrough sensors Theeyes' horizontal and vertical movement can berecorded aswell asthedilation of the pupils Typing,clicking a mouse,and surfing theweb can all bedonethrough themovement of theeyes Not only can eye-trackershelp thosewith disabilities,but they can also beused to help diagnosecertain illnessesby tracking attention spans Autism and ADHD havebeen ableto be diagnosed with theuseof eyetrackers Thetechnology we havenow with eyetrackersisslow but with enough time and effort,thosewho didn? t havethechancebeforemay be ableto usetheir computersat thesamepaceastheir peers
Dyneema f iber in concr ete
Hunter Timmons
Research Advisor:Dr.MohamadJlilati
Concreteand itsenhancement areof significant global interest Stronger concreteiscrucial for applications requiring high-strength materials,such asskyscrapersand cable-stay bridges Improved concreteallowsfor theuseof lessmaterial to achievethesamestrength,reducing weight and expanding architectural design possibilities For SURCA 2024,our research focused on experimenting with Dyneema fibersin concretemixturesto assesstheir impact on strength Wetested threefiber lengthsand threedosing percentagesto determinetheoptimal combination for strength enhancement Although our research isongoing, preliminary resultsindicatea227% increasein ultimate strength and a 719%reduction in failurestandard
deviation Whilefurther research isneeded to fully explore thecommercial potential of Dyneema fibersin concrete, theseresultsarehighly promising
Ef f ect iveness of t he faculty-advisor pr ogram f or Widener University st udent at hletes
Kristen Vacca
Research Advisor:Dr Michael Corcoran
Student-athletesfaceauniqueset of challengesthat can impact their well-being and performance Balancing rigorousacademic responsibilitieswith thedemandsof collegiatesportscan lead to stressand burnout Key stressorscan includetimeconstraints,performance expectations,pressureto keep a high academic standing, frequent travelling,and injuries It isimportant for student-athletesto havesupport to managestress,improve resilience,and to createa healthy athletic and academic balance Thefaculty advisory program at Widener University aimsto providestudent-athleteswith a safe spacefrom a faculty member on campus Each team?s faculty advisor roleisto providetheathletewith toolsto besuccessful on and off thefield Student-athletesat Widener University will besurveyed and asked about their opinionson theprogram Thegoal isto assessthe effectivenessof thefaculty advisor program from the athlete?sperspective Wewill aim to find how athletes well-being hasimproved through thisprogram,aswell as figureout waystheprogram can improve It isexpected that athleteswho takeadvantageof thisprogram will have a stronger academic and athletic performance,and a higher overall well-being
When do w e see C? Detect ing isof or m C of Zw/ G6PD in f ed and st ar ved Drosophila melanogaster
Jenna Waldron,DanielleMorgan,Sharon Oladeji
Research Advisor:Dr.AlexisNagengast
Glucose-6-phosphatedehydrogenase(G6PD)deficiency,the most common enzymedeficiency in humans,can lead to neonatal jaundice,acutehemolysis, and severechronic non-spherocytic hemolytic anemia G6PD deficiency can result in therapid breakdown of red blood cellsdueto damagefrom reactiveoxygen species(ROS).
ABSTRACTS
In Drosophila melanogaster,theortholog of G6PD,known asZwischenferment (Zw),undergoesalternativesplicing at the5' end of thegene,resulting in threedifferent isoforms (A,B and C)with distinct N-terminal sequences These N-terminal sequencesarehighly conserved between humansand D melanogaster,but thefunctional rolesof thedifferent isoformsarenot well understood CRISPR/Cas9 screenswerepreviously conducted to specifically target and eliminatethelonger isoform A, allowing for theinvestigation of thefunctional significanceof theshorter isoform B Theobjectiveof this study wasto quantify theratiosof isoformsA and B produced in a CRISPRparental lineof yw;cas9 fliesunder fed and starved conditions Prior to 2020,isoform B was observed to beproduced exclusively in starved femalesin a different line,but,unexpectedly,thisexperiment showed that isoform B wasnot produced in malesunder starvation Thisfinding led usto explorethepossibility that isoform Cmight beproduced under starvation conditionsin maleflies Quantification of isoformsA,B, and Cby qPCR,verified by endpoint PCR,wasattempted; however,genomicDNA contamination of thecDNA prevented accuratequantification of isoform Clevelsby qPCR Futuredirectionsincluderedesigning primersto minimizegenomicproduct detection Thisstudy aimsto clarify and quantify therolesof thedifferent isoforms, which could ultimately inform thedevelopment of targeted treatmentsfor G6PD deficiency in humans
Building f oundat ions f or invest igat ing olfact ion-dr iven lear ning and memor y in Drosophila
Laura V.Wallon
Research Advisor:Dr Loretta Williams
Thestudy of learning and memory,through olfactory cues, iscritical for understanding behavioral processes This work aimsto establish thefoundational toolsand methodologiesfor investigating olfactory-driven learning and memory in themodel organism Drosophila melanogaster Wehavedeveloped a comprehensiveset of materialsand protocolsto facilitatefutureexperimental work,including designing acontrolled olfactory delivery system,selecting and preparing appropriateodorants,and constructing behavioral assay chambers These preparationsenableprecisedelivery of olfactory stimuli
and accuratemeasurement of associativelearning and memory responsesin Drosophila By optimizing these materialsand protocols,weensurereproducibility and reliability in subsequent experiments Thisiscrucial groundwork for exploring thegenetic,molecular,and neural basesof olfactory learning and memory Wewill observeshort-term and long-term memory in thelarvae and later in their adult stage Our effortsset thestagefor futurestudiesto unravel thecomplexitiesof memory formation and retention,contributing to a deeper understanding of theseprocessesin Drosophila
Cont r ol of dual st age act uators f or 3D pr int ing
Noah West
Research Advisor:Dr William Nagel
3D printing hasa widevariety of useful applicationsbut is limited by itsmanufacturing speed Variousattemptshave been madeto increasethespeed of printing,but these effortsarelimited by mechanical bandwidth limitations, requiring quality bereduced to reach higher speeds One approach to thisproblem isdual stageactuation ?a method that pairsashort-range,high-speed actuator to a long-rangelow bandwidth actuator ?which hasbeen proven to overcomethesebandwidth limitationsin other applications,including high-performancelithography and hard disk drives With an appropriately designed controller,dual stageactuatorsachievehigh bandwidth without areduction in rangeor quality However,existing 3D printing controllersarenot designed to handlethe additional actuatorsneeded to implement dual-stage control for X and Ymotion Thisproject aimsto design a controller capableof driving such adual stageplanar actuator for 3D printing A model of thepreviously designed planar stagewasimplemented in Simulink,and translation softwarewascreated to convert slicer generated g-codeinto timetrajectoriessuitablefor the dual-stagecontroller A proportional-integral-derivative (PID)controller incorporating a complimentary filter was designed to control thelong- and short-rangeactuators simultaneously,and thecontroller tuned using the simulated system and a seriesof test patterns Early testing showed largeoscillationsin thelong-rangeactuator which could not befully removed through tuning A non-causal low-passfilter wasintroduced on theinput trajectory
ABSTRACTS
to mitigatethisissuebut yielded minimal improvement to thisbehavior Futurework will continueto improvethe performanceof thiscontroller and apply it to thephysical dual stage3D printer system
Capacit ive Deionizat ion (CDI) of Saline Water Using Nanopor ous Carbons
DavidYoung
Research Advisor:Dr Dipendu
Saha
Capacitivedeionization (CDI)isawater desalination technology that removesdissolved saltsfrom water by leveraging theprinciplesof electrostatic adsorption In CDI,water flowsbetween two porouscarbon electrodes, and when a voltageisapplied acrosstheseelectrodes, positively charged ions(cations)areattracted to the negatively charged electrode(cathode),whilenegatively charged ions(anions)migratetowardsthepositively charged electrode(anode) Thisprocesseffectively removes ionsfrom thewater,resulting in purified water Oncethe electrodesbecomesaturated with ions,thevoltageiseither reversed or removed,releasing theadsorbed ionsand regenerating thesystem for reuse CDI isknown for its energy efficiency and potential cost-effectiveness,making it a promising alternativeto traditional desalination methodslikereverseosmosis In thiswork,two carbon electrodesweremadeon two copper foilsusing the carbon-slurry consisting of powdered activated carbon as activematerial,synthetic graphiteasconductivematerial and polyvinylidenefluoride(PVDF)in DMF solvent as binder Upon drying,theelectrodeswereassembled in commercially availableCDI unit and examined with different concentrationsof sodium chlorideassalinewater with different flow rateswith 14V DCpotential across cathodeand anodeand flow rateof about 20 mL per minute Thesalinity wasmeasured in termsof conductivity using a conductivity meter Theresults showed that thesalinity decreased with timeand upon saturation,it increased Thecell wasregenerated using DI water and switching thepotential between two electrodes Thefuturemodification of theexperiment includesbetter control of feed flow ratesand using alternatemedium for carbon electrodeinstead of copper to reduceits electrochemical oxidation
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Widener University hasa strong institutional commitment to the SURCA program
Wewould liketo thank President Stacey Robertson,Provost Andy Workman,ViceProvost Mark Nicosia,former Dean David Leaman, Dean Lisa Grimm,Former SURCA co-directorsDrs AngieCorbo & Loyd
Wethank our weekly session facilitators:(1)Widener alumni speakers KylieBeller and David Millar;(2)Dr Harry Augensen,Prof John Conte, and Marty Schultz who hosted Starsand Smores;(3)JulieAbramsfrom Widener?sCareer Design and Development Office:(4)President Robertson on theimportanceof relationshipsin education,research, and life,(5)Corina Evans,Jennifer Scuderi,and therest of thePrideRec staff in helping facilitateour 2nd Annual SURCA Softball Game,and (6)Widener alum Alec Lynch who curated and facilitated a trivia game.
A special thank you to NicoleCarrera,Monica Connell,Danielle Morgan,Jenna Waldron,and Sanaya Troy for their help planning the SURCA Symposium! And finally,a special thank you to our judgesfor helping uswith theimpossibletask of selecting thebest postersfrom such an impressivegroup of posters.
With sincerity and warmth,
Drs MikeCorcoran and Rob Mishur,SURCA Program Co-directors
