trinity university...poster session location: center for sciences & innovation atrium &...
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Trinity University Summer Undergraduate
Research Conference
July 22-23, 2015
31st Annual
Department of Chemistry
Research Symposium
10th Annual
Summer Undergraduate
Research Conference
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Summer Undergraduate Research at Trinity Although summer undergraduate research has been going on at Trinity since the 1950s, the first
specific celebration of students’ collective work took place in 1984, when ten students, sponsored by the
Chemistry Department, took part in the campus’s first Undergraduate Research Symposium. Since that
time, the Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Trinity University has grown to involve faculty
members from across campus in a wide variety of disciplines. Our 2015 summer program involves over
150 students working with nearly 80 faculty, many of them increasingly in the humanities and social
sciences.
Prestigious national granting agencies have a long history of supporting summer research at
Trinity. The National Science Foundation provided funding for our Research Experiences for
Undergraduate (REU) programs in chemistry (1989-2000), mathematics (1997-2008) and computer
science (2008-2010). In addition to individual faculty research grants, the NSF currently supports Trinity
programs for training science teachers (Robert Noyce Program); scholarships for STEM majors (FAST
and FASTER Programs); and students interested in biomathematics (Interdisciplinary Training for
Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences program).
Strong support also comes from the Welch Foundation, which has provided funding for student
and faculty researchers in chemistry since 1997. Recent grants from the Merck Foundation (2001-2009)
and the W. M. Keck Foundation (2003) have supported research collaborations between biologists and
chemists.
Grants in 2004 and 2008 from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute provided summer research
fellowships for students, and helped transform Trinity’s curricular offerings in the sciences. These grants
enhanced our outreach to local Bexar County schools.
Recent years have seen strong growth of student research projects in the humanities and social
sciences. In 2008, Trinity started a Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program with
funding from the U.S. Department of Education. In 2011, Trinity launched the Murchison Fellowships
program, which funds 10 summer projects proposed by faculty-student teams. In some instances, the
University also supports research opportunities through operating funds. Starting in 2013, the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation at Trinity specifically supports undergraduate research in the arts and humanities.
Other recent additions include summer research experiences supported in Urban Studies thanks to grants
from the Department of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the San
Antonio Area Foundation. Our campus’s strong Entrepreneurship program along with Arts, Letters, &
Enterprise interns are represented in this year’s conference by students who are engaged in scholarly
experiential learning funded by a generous donation from a member of the Trinity Board of
Trustees.
This year’s conference will include over 100 posters and oral presentations. We are joined in our
presentation of summer research by undergraduates from other college campuses in San Antonio who are
engaged in research at their schools. These students join us from Our Lady of the Lake University, St.
Mary’s University, and University of the Incarnate Word. Their projects are listed here alongside the
work of Trinity’s students and faculty.
I hope that you enjoy the 2015 Trinity University Undergraduate Research Conference.
-Edwin Blanton, Associate Director of Experiential Learning
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NOTES
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Conference Schedule At-a-Glance
Wednesday, July 22, 2015 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Poster Session
Location: Center for Sciences & Innovation Atrium & Design Cube
Thursday, July 23, 2015 8:15 – 10:00 Multidisciplinary Session A CSI 448
8:15 – 10:00 Multidisciplinary Session B CSI 104
8:30 – 10:15 Chemistry Symposium Session A CSI 437
10:15 – 12:00 Multidisciplinary Session C CSI 448
10:15 – 12:00 Multidisciplinary Session D CSI 104
10:30 – 12:00 Chemistry Symposium Session B CSI 437
11:45 – 1:15 Lunch (for presenters & mentors) CSI Atrium
1:15 – 3:00 Multidisciplinary Session E CSI 104
1:30 – 3:00 Chemistry Symposium Session C CSI 437
1:30 – 3:00 Chemistry Symposium Session D CSI 448
3:15 – 5:00 Multidisciplinary Session F CSI 448
3:15 – 4:45 Chemistry Symposium Session E CSI 437
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Poster Presentations
Wednesday 3:30-5:30 PM ● Center for Sciences & Innovation Atrium & Design Cube
# Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
1 Alana Effects of Normoxia and Hyperoxia exposure on MLE-12
cell proliferation, migration, and cell junctions. King
2 Azar (Re)Designing Texas: Landscape History
and the Campus-River Connection O’Rourke
3 Ball &
Sullivan
Team Up for Change: Surveying the Impact of Service-
Learning on Youth Stone
4 Bovio Social organization of the Northern Pygmy Mouse,
Baiomys taylori Ribble
5 Cabrera &
Lalani
Differentiation of HDLs/LDLs from Astrocytes purified
via a sucrose gradient Roberts
6 Cantu &
Gamboa
Does Structural Alignment Help Children
Ignore Irrelevant Events? Childers
7
Cohen,
McKay, &
Stein
Escherichia coli chemotaxis: experiments
and models of cell motility in
2D confined space & helical flagella in 3D space
Healy &
Nguyen
8 Crues Using 3D digital models to analyze rock
deformation in the Stillwell anticline, west Texas B. Surpless
9 Debner Beta-Amyloid Induced Mitochondrial Membrane Potential
and Calcium Wave Alterations in Aging Astrocytes King
10 Deckard Muscle Fiber Type, Size, and Social
Behavior in Dominican Anole Lizards Johnson
11 Dunn
A new technique for building 3D models
of bed-scale fracture networks:
a case study from the Stillwell anticline, west Texas
B. Surpless
12 Endresen &
Willey Laser Measurements of Diffusion and Bacterial Biomixing Spiegel
13 Escapita Measuring the Impact of San Antonio Education
Partnership Advising on Student Access and Success Contreras
14
R. C. Evans,
Izquierdo, &
Ulin
Effects of Exercise on the Cuprizone Mouse Model of
Demyelinating Disease Phillips
15 Finch & Petri Predicting Geographic Ranges of Small Mammals:
Lessons From Multiple Species
Ribble, Elaydi,
& Hasfura-
Buenaga
16 Frasch Robotic Chemotaxis and Obstacle Avoidance Nguyen &
Nickels
17 Freund &
Miller
Do winners keep winning because they look more
intimidating after a win Murphy
18 Gray Self-Expansion in the Workplace:
Implications for Burnout and Engagement McIntyre
19
Gulliver,
Patzke, &
Thurman
Using Sedimentary Provenance Analysis to Assess the
Extent of Post-Cretaceous Translation of the Blue
Mountains Province, Oregon
K. Surpless
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Poster Presentations (cont.)
# Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
20 Hamilton "Having" Knowledge: External Memory in the Digital Age
Hertel &
McIntyre
21 Hanes Investigating the role of a bacterial luciferase in the
biosynthesis of a type II aromatic polyketide. Healy
22 Hoard Diversity Wanted: The Path to Respectability for LGBT
and Integrated Krewes in Mobile Mardi Gras Stone
23 Jaramillo Visual Processing in the Lizard Brain Johnson
24 Johnson &
Parrish San Antonio Food Bank: Fighting Unemployment Navarro
25 Kelleher &
Lhemann
Sedimentology and depositional environments of the
transition interval between the non-microbial bearing strata
and large microbial reef complexes in the Cambrian
Wilberns Formation, Mason County, TX
Lehrmann
26 Kelly The San Antonio Federal Orchestra of 1936-43: A
Forgotten Link in San Antonio’s Musical Heritage Leafstedt
27 Mahapatra &
Poovathoor Autonomous Vision-Based Quadcopter Flight Control Nickels
28 Matthews The Process of Project Management as an Intern
Chocano
29 Muñiz Biogeochemical Characterization of a Gasoline-
Contaminated Aquifer Plenge
30 Oranday Mathematical Modeling and Analysis
of Mental Disorder Diagnostics Balreira
31 Quigley
University-Based Induction Support: Impact on Trinity
Graduates’ Participation in a Beginning Teacher Study
Group
Norman
32 Rodriguez
Engineering the End to Hunger: Simulation of Food
Collection & Distribution Strategies
for San Antonio Food Bank
Easwaran
33 Rojas UVB Regulation Of Stomate Opening In Broad Beans Shinkle
34 Sannoh Emerging Growth Company (EGC) Status: An analysis of
the persistence of underpricing
Persellin &
Holmes
35
Selleck,
Gonzalez, &
Patel
The Story of Plova Chewing Gum Martinez
36 Selznick
Evolution of bone and muscle morphology in the lizard
jaw: associations with diet and social behavior
Johnson
37 Simoneau &
Yazbek
The Impacts of Recycled Water Irrigation
Use in San Antonio, TX Plenge
38 Solano
Knickpoint (Waterfall) Development and Migration
in the North Canterbury Fold and Trust belt,
South Island New Zealand
Gardner
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Poster Presentations (cont.)
# Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
39 Stark ALE Summer Internship: An Introduction to San Antonio's
Nonprofit Sector Tingle
40 Suarez-Domit Urban bird flight tracking for collision prevention by
stereo-vision techniques Leifer
41 Swanson Techniques for Vibration Reduction in String Trimmers Leifer
42 Swartz Stable Isotope Geochemical Analysis of Cambrian
Bioherm: Central Texas Lehrmann
43 Tchen, Phea,
Samman
Modulating Levels of Neuronal Plasma Membrane
Cholesterol and its Effect on the Toxicity of β-Amyloid:
Mathematical Modeling
Roberts, Elaydi,
& Aminian
44 Thomas Computational model of the afferent connections to
the mesocorticolimbic pathway
Hall,
Al-Baraineh
45 Thorne Using River Channel Profiles to Assess Fault Activity in
the Wassuk Range, Western Nevada B. Surpless
46 Tunon Kynurenine metabolism alters microglial activation
following lipopolysaccharide challenge O’Connor
47 Uroff Microanalysis of diverse feldspars occurring in the Marble
Falls pluton, Llano Uplift, central Texas. Smith
48
Nielsen,
Reynolds, &
Watson
Modeling the Effects of ZO-1 Protein Expression on
Epithelial Cell Migration King
49 Webber The Neuroendocrine Basis of Behavior: Androgen
Receptor Expression in Lizards of the Caribbean Johnson
50 Wright Marching to the Tune of Data Analytics:
A Rank Aggregation Problem Balreira
51 Yang Building a Benchmark Generator for
Dynamic Game Theory Models Xin Jiang
52 Yarberry Parental Alcohol Use Effects Parkinson's Disease
in the Next Generation Roberts
53 Zeb The Mechanisms of Social Behavior: Neuromuscular
Junction Size and Density in Dominican Anole Lizards Johnson
54 Zhang UV-B Radiation Sensitivity in annAt1-4 Arabidopsis Shinkle
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Oral Presentations
Multidisciplinary Session A ● Thursday, 8:15-10:00 AM
Moderator: Dr. Matthew Hibbs
CSI 448
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
55 8:15 Diaz Immigration Across the Atlantic Ruiz
56 8:30 Kurpis My Summer Internship at Local Sprout: Playing
the Part of Scientist, Farmer, and Businesswoman Shinkle
57 8:45 Platt
Immunological approaches to identifying proteins
upregulated during neural morphallaxis in
Lumbriculus variegatus.
Martinez-
Acosta
58 9:00 Legros Subsumption Data Structures Fogarty
59 9:15 Espinoza
Empowering Chicana Alliances: Testimonios of
Scholar-Activist Dr. Antonia Castañeda and the
Esperanza Peace and Justice Center.
Sanchez &
Blanco-Cano
60 9:30 Clark The Agency of Young Adult Superheroines in
Marvel's "Runaways" Henderson
61 9:45 Mangalji Visualizing Biological Networks
in 3D Virtual Reality Hibbs
Multidisciplinary Session B ● Thursday, 8:15-10:00 AM
Moderator: Dr. Jennifer Steele
CSI 104
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
62 8:15 Hoffman The Laundry Crew Martinez
63 8:30 Azar
Texas Chiaroscuro:
Arthur and Marie Berger, Stewart E. King, and
Architectural Regionalism
O’Rourke
64 8:45 Lane O'Neil Ford- An Early and Unexpected
Contributor to Sustainable Architecture O’Rourke
65 9:00 Stercula
The effects of body temperature on lipid
composition and cell membrane fluidity in
lizard brains
Roberts &
Johnson
66 9:15 Corley
High HOPEs: Modeling Electric Fields in the
Earth’s Plasmasphere to Facilitate Estimating
its Temperature
Turner
67 9:30 Legg Plasmon Enhanced Förster Resonance Energy
Transfer Using Gold Nanogratings Steele
68 9:45 Cofer Modeling the 2012 Presidential Elections
Battleground States
Nguyen, Kwessi,
Jiang, Nishikawa
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Multidisciplinary Session C ● Thursday, 10:15 – 12:00
Moderator: Dr. Frank Healy
CSI 448
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
69 10:15 Rojas Confirming the Genotypes of SCE 2600-SCE 2607 Livingstone
70 10:30 Luna Adopting new methods in art education for students
with learning differences Delgado
71 10:45 Farner
No Thermometers in Space: Modeling Cold Space
Plasma in Near-Earth Space to Estimate
Plasmaspheric Temperature
Turner
72 11:00 Medrano Youth Radio Workshops: An Ethnographic Study in
Participatory, Alternative Communication Huesca
73 11:15 Ramirez Computer Simulation of the Anoplophora
glabripennis McGee
74 11:30 Thacker Visualization of Functional Enrichment Analysis of
Genomic Data Hibbs
75 11:45 Stein &
Cohen
Modeling E. coli Flagellar Motility & Chemotaxis
in 3D
Nguyen,
Healy
Multidisciplinary Session D ● Thursday, 10:15 – 11:45
Moderator: Dr. Dennis Ugolini
CSI 104
# Time Presente
r(s) Title Mentor(s)
76 10:15 Ramos
Martinez
Examining the relationship between acculturation
and assertiveness on Our Lady of the Lake
University’s First Generation Students
Gil
78 10:30 Phillippe,
Kotara
The Consequences of Changes in Grassland Species
Composition on Rangeland Forage Value and
Nutrient Cycling
Lyons
79 10:45 Abajian LIGO Charging Noise Minimization Ugolini
80 11:00 Hall Rethinking Homer Pache
81 11:15 Mendiola A Narrative Research Study on the Linguistic
Identity of Spanish/English Bilinguals in the U.S. polanco
82 11:30 Wagner Understanding the Jewish Community of
Dura Europos Spigel
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Multidisciplinary Session E ● Thursday, 1:15 – 3:00 PM
Moderator: Dr. Michael Soto
CSI 104
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
83 1:15 Ramnarace
Hope Springs Eternal: Constraining partial
densities of ion species in cold plasma in the
near earth space environment to facilitate
estimation of plasmaspheric temperature
Turner
84 1:30 Olivares
Job Needs of the Eastside: A Study Examining
the Barriers and Workforce Needs of the People
Using the Ella Austin Community Center
Drennon
85 1:45 Cortez
Writing without Boundaries: A Study of the
Pedagogy of a Current Traditionalist Models in
First Year Composition
Lopez
86 2:00 Diller & Heffner Tiptoe Aspirations: 19th Century
Poetry and Ballet Tontiplaphol
87 2:15 Sanchez Escape From Recuperation:
Avant-Garde, The Murderer
DeLeon
88 2:30 Ward Natural Language Processing
for Interactive Media Hibbs
89 2:45 Sherry
Cities of Hope and Freedom; The Parallels
between Harlem and Moscow as seen through
the Accounts of the Black and White Cast
Soto
Multidisciplinary Session F ● Thursday, 3:15 – 5:00 PM
Moderator: Dr. Kelly Lyons
CSI 448
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
90 3:15 McKay & Cohen 2D Simulation of E. coli Chemotaxis and
Motility in Confined Space. Nguyen, Healy
91 3:30 Holler The Dark Pastoral in Karen Traviss's and
Margaret Atwood's Cli Fi Novels Sullivan
92 3:45 Alcorn, Ruge-
Jones
Clicking the “like” button: An in-depth analysis
of Facebook interactions and motivations Sumner
93 4:00 M. Reynolds Constructing the Imaginative Bridge: Third
Generational Holocaust Narratives Aarons
94 4:15
Adams, Bassiri-
Gharb, &
Alvarado
The Effects of Density in a Three-Species
System of Texas C4 Grasses Lyons, Kwessi
95 4:30 Rothenbaum More than Logos:
Controversy in Collegiate Debate Mosley-Jensen
96 4:45 Hofmann, Siegal,
& Middleton
Cape Gelidonya Shipwreck: From the Bronze
Age to the Digital Age
Hirschfeld,
Delwiche
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31st Annual Department of Chemistry Research Symposium
Chemistry Session A ● Thursday, 8:30-10:15 AM
Moderator: Dr. Adam Urbach
Center for Sciences & Innovation 437 (Treehouse)
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
97 8:30 Young Substrate-Specific Inhibition of Insulin-
Degrading Enzyme by a Synthetic Receptor Urbach
98 8:45 Huther
Heterogeneous Catalysis: Synthesis and
Characterization of supported Gold
Nanoparticles
Chandler
99 9:00 Pollock &
Petersen
Hydrogen Adsorption on
Gold Nanoparticle Catalysts Pursell
100 9:20
Dybdal-
Hargreaves &
Shepherd
Probing the Factors that Alter the
Reduction
Potential of Thermus thermophilus Rieske
protein
Hunsicker-
Wang
101 9:40 Grice &
Mobley
Cucurbit[7]uril-Rhodamine Conjugate
as a Nanomolar Sensor Urbach
102 10:00 Andrews Chiral Organic Superbases Bachrach
Chemistry Session B ● Thursday, 10:30 – 12:00 PM
Moderator: Dr. Corina Maeder
Center for Sciences & Innovation 437 (Treehouse)
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
103 10:30 Schreib Effects of Dib1 Mutations on RNA
Splicing. Maeder
104 10:45 Meitz XRF Analysis of Spanish Colonial
Alamo Frescoes
Bushey &
Tian
105 11:00 Nickle Enhancing Binding Through
a More Planar ExBox Bachrach
106 11:15 Lopez
Structural and Functional Characterization
of the Sco Protein from Thermus
thermophilus
Hunsicker-
Wang
107 11:30 Bowman The Molecular Characterization of Dib1 Maeder
108 11:45 Whittaker Understanding PROx over
supported Au catalysts Chandler
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Chemistry Session C ● Thursday, 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Moderator: Dr. Laura Hunsicker-Wang
Center for Sciences & Innovation 437 (Treehouse)
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
109 1:30 Devlin Chemical Modification of the CuA Protein
from Thermus thermophilus
Hunsicker-
Wang
110 1:45 Paige Structural Characterization of Mutants of
the Rieske Protein
Hunsicker-
Wang
111 2:00 Krause &
Salarda
Selective Hydrogenation of
Phenylacetylene and 1-Hexyne over Metal
Oxide Supported Au Nanoparticles
Chandler
112 2:20
Tchen,
Samman, &
Phea
Modulating Levels of Neuronal Plasma
Membrane Cholesterol and its Effect on the
Toxicity of β-Amyloid: Mathematical
Modeling
Roberts
113 2:40 Dwarica &
Levine Nickel Catalyst Synthesis and Screening Chandler
Chemistry Session D ● Thursday, 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Moderator: Dr. Steven Bachrach
Center for Sciences & Innovation 448
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
114 1:30 Zayat Concentric Saturn-like Systems from
Cycloparaphenylenes Bachrach
115 1:45 Bollampolly
Thermodynamic Studies of Analyte
Retention on Lauryl Acrylate Porous
Polymer Monolith Stationary Phases as a
Function of Mobile Phase Composition
Bushey &
Tian
116 2:00 Piske &
Wassom
Studying the Mass Transport Phenomena
Associated with Evaporation
Kelly-Zion,
Pursell, &
Nguyen
117 2:20 Mandelkorn &
Rundstein
Evaporation Rate of a Sessile Droplet in
Different Pressures and Ambient Gases
Kelly-Zion
& Pursell
118 2:40 Desai
Efficiency Study of Analyte Separations on
Porous Polymer Monoliths as a Function of
Mobile Phase Composition Using Capillary
Electrochromatography (CEC)
Bushey &
Tian
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Chemistry Session E ● Thursday, 3:15 – 4:45 PM
Moderator: Dr. Chris Pursell
Center for Sciences & Innovation 437 (Treehouse)
# Time Presenter(s) Title Mentor(s)
119 3:15 Rueb The Scientific Analysis and
Classification of Amber Lambert
120 3:30 Nguyen Thermal Analysis of Fossilized Resin by
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Lambert
121 3:45 Hilborn
Cross-linker Studies of a Lauryl Acrylate
Porous Polymer Monolith Using Capillary
Electrochromatography and Scanning
Electron Microscopy
Bushey &
Tian
122 4:00 Steinman Characterization of the Methyl
Bromoacetate-Modified Rieske Protein
Hunsicker-
Wang
123 4:15 Cho Searching for a Möbius Strip with
Cyclometaphenylene Bachrach
124 4:30 Luikart &
Santos
Characterization Studies of Gold
Nanoparticle Supported Catalysts Using the
Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol
Chandler
Abstracts The following 124 pages are presentation abstracts. This legend may be used for authors:
Names in bold are current undergraduate students.
Names followed by an asterisk (*) are presenters.
Names underlined are current faculty mentors.
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Poster Session Presentation 1
Effects of Hyperoxia on MLE-12 cell proliferation,
migration, and cell junctions
Nicholas Alana*, Jonathan King
Hyperoxia is a condition that occurs when bodily tissues or organs are exposed to a
higher than normal concentration or partial pressure of oxygen. Hyperoxia-induced lung
injury is characterized by a pronounced increase in inflammation and inflammatory cells
in the lungs, excessive pulmonary permeability, and cell death. The mechanisms
accounting for hyperoxia-induced lung injury are still unclear, however pulmonary
oxygen toxicity can be attributed to elevated quantities of reactive oxygen species (ROS)
which react with surrounding tissues, damaging nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. These
ROS damage the structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and suppress cell
proliferation, two fundamental aspects leading to lung injury.
Matrix mellatoproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is a proteolytic enzyme that degrades the ECM.
Cell junction proteins zonula occludins-1 (ZO-1) and E-cadherin are required for normal
epithelial cellular architecture and function. When MMP-9 is excessively produced, as it
is during hyperoxia, detrimental effects on ECM composition and cellular architecture
may perturb cell movement and function.
The aim of this study was to compare effects of MMP-9 inhibition on cell motility
under normoxic and hyperoxic conditions using a mouse lung epithelial (MLE-12)
model. Cell survivability, and cell junction expression were evaluated as well.
There was a decrease in motility and proliferation of MLE-12 cells subjected to a
hyperoxic environment. However, MMP-9 inhibition with GM-6001 and MMP2/9 led to
increased cell motility in a hyperoxic environment but had no effect on cell motility
under normoxic conditions. Furthermore, MLE-12 cells exposed to hyperoxic conditions
showed a decrease in expression of cell junction proteins, ZO-1 and E-cadherin.
These studies demonstrate MMP inhibition in a hyperoxic-induced lung epithelial cell
model provides a protective mechanism preserving junctional protein integrity, allowing
for the ECM to retain better stability in addition to its inhibition promoting a higher rate
of wound healing.
Funding Source: Kline Foundation
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Poster Session Presentation 2
(Re)Designing Texas:
Landscape History and the Campus-River Connection
Jason Azar*
Advising Professor: Dr. Kathryn O’Rourke
Atop its celebrated hill, Trinity University faces downtown San Antonio as a symbol
of the entwining of elite education and civic life. Yet in many ways it is spatially
disconnected from the city. Following careful analysis of the campus’s site and research
into historical precedents, a design proposal, consisting of drawings, photographs, and
models, has been created to show how the Trinity campus might be connected to the San
Antonio River, and to downtown, by constructed landscapes, paths, and reconfigured
roads. Additionally, a vibrant new park system is proposed that connects the
neighborhoods around the university, as well as numerous cultural amenities, to the San
Antonio Riverwalk and downtown by extending the existing Riverwalk infrastructure.
San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the country, yet according to the United States
Trust for Public land, it is ranked sixtieth in terms of the quality and availability of public
parks and green space; this project proposes a way of addressing this deficit and more
meaningfully integrating the university with its setting. The project’s emphasis on
connecting the city and the campus is of direct relevance to the university as Trinity
returns to master planning.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Poster Session Presentation 3
Team Up for Change: Surveying the Impact of Service-
Learning on Youth
Whitney Ball*, Hannah Sullivan* and Dr. Amy Stone
Our community-based research project is to develop a survey for student
participants of the Team Up Challenge. This presentation outlines the process of
developing the survey. The San Antonio Spurs nonprofit, Silver and Black Give Back,
provides the Team Up Challenge to encourage students to participate in service learning
projects throughout their community. The program incorporates the knowledge students
are learning in their classrooms with components of community service and real world
situations. Our goal is to create a survey to allow Team Up to evaluate their 20 initial
teams at the beginning of their experiences as well as the end of their participation.
Scholars found that students who partake in service learning projects have a
greater motivation to engage in their schoolwork and to be successful throughout their
education. Also by participating students can gain more confidence and self-esteem, have
a greater interest in giving back to and being involved with their community and sharpen
their leadership skills. Team Up Challenge wanted to track and understand if the students
involved in their program were gaining the benefits that usually outcome from taking part
in service learning. We used this research to develop our topics of focus throughout the
survey.
We found that younger students need clear, literal question phrasing and answer
categories as well as a gratuitous amount of pre-testing. Because of the range of ages with
which Team Up Challenge observes in their program; we created two separate surveys.
Elementary-aged students present more challenges while surveying due to issues with
abstract thinking such as self-reflection. Pre-Testing ensures that our survey is easy to
understand to an array of different students, including culturally transferable terms and
phrasing for questions. Through these efforts, we created a survey for the Team Up
Challenge program to use over the next three years. The results will illustrate the impact
of service learning and aid the organization in fundraising for their program.
Funding Source: Spurs Silver and Black Give Back
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Poster Session Presentation 4
Social organization of the Northern Pygmy Mouse,
Baiomys taylori
Bovio, R.S.*, Ribble, D.O.
The Northern Pygmy Mouse (Baiomys taylori) is the smallest North American
rodent and demonstrates a unique stereotyped singing behavior that has been
characterized as a “barely-audible sequel” in the ultrasonic range. These songs may
function as a signal to attract mates or signal status to conspecifics, but little is known
how these songs function in natural populations. The objective of this study is to
understand the context of these songs in relation to the social organization of natural
populations. We monitored a wild population of Northern Pygmy Mice at the Mitchell
Lake Audubon Center by mark-recapture and radiotelemetry. Our study population
declined from 10 to 0 individuals from February to June. Meanwhile, the cotton rat
(Sigmodon hispidus) population increased from 35 to 75 individuals. We did, however,
successfully obtain the home ranges of two males. Our results suggest Northern Pygmy
Mice abundance decreases in the summer months. We will continue to live-trap and
collect home range data in the forthcoming fall and winter months.
Funding Source: Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Fund
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Poster Session Presentation 5
Differentiation of HDLs/LDLs from Astrocytes purified
via a sucrose gradient
Karina Cabrera*, Sabina Lalani*, Dr. James Roberts.
High density lipoproteins (HDLs) and low density lipoproteins (LDLs) are
responsible for transporting cholesterol primarily through Apolipoprotein E (ApoE)
found in astrocytes. ApoE is found to be more abundant in younger astrocytes than older
ones, suggesting a possible cause for degeneration in older neurons. In this study we
sought to understand how ApoE aids the neurons and why its depletion leads to
neurodegenerative effects. We fractioned 4 month and 28 month in vitro cultures of
astrocytes in order to analyze the difference in ApoE concentration. The fractionation is
done using a sucrose density gradient, separating the cells into membrane and nucleus.
Western blots, along with protein and cholesterol assays are used to test for ApoE and its
association with lipids. The assays and western blots reinforced the idea that ApoE is
prevalent in the membranes of the astrocytes. Using a similar fractionation procedure, the
ApoE and lipid composition will later be analyzed in purified astrocyte HDLs and LDLs.
Funding Source: Cowles Distinguished Professors, Trinity University Ronald E. McNair
Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
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Poster Session Presentation 6
Does Structural Alignment Help Children Ignore
Irrelevant Events?
Cantu, Amanda*; Suttner, Selena*; Gamboa, Alexandra*;
Johnson, Clara; Parrish, Sarah; Tatman, Jared; Childers, Jane B.
In the real world, events linked to a verb are interspersed with events linked to
other verbs. Verb acquisition requires children to segment dynamic scenes and link
particular elements to specific verbs. Cross-situational information can help children
deduce which elements link to which verb (e.g., Scott & Fisher, 2012; Childers & Paik,
2009). This study examines whether children could use structural alignment (Gentner,
1983; 1989) to deduce which parts of events are relevant to a particular verb and which
are not.
Two ½-, 3 ½-, and 4½-year-olds participated in one of two conditions. In the
Distractor First condition, each child saw 4 events while hearing new verbs (“She’s
snarfing it!”). Each event started with a distractor action which then flowed into the
target action. In the Distractor Last condition, each of the 4 events started with the target
action and then flowed into a distractor action. Scenes depicted naturalistic events in a
kitchen and a park; each child learned two verbs. When tested, experimenters asked
children to point at the action that represented the novel verb. We will present
preliminary results, and discuss possible implications those results suggest for better
understanding the mechanisms that underlie children’s verb learning.
Funding Sources: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program; Upward Bound; the Steven P. Mach Family; Trinity University
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Poster Session Presentation 7
Escherichia coli chemotaxis: experiments and models of cell
motility in 2D confined space & helical flagella in 3D space
Joshua Cohen*, Cameron McKay*, Charles Stein*, Hoa Nguyen, & Frank Healy
Many organisms rely on motility for survival, e.g., in the quest for food or predator
avoidance. Bacteria such as Escherichia coli possess extracellular helical appendages
known as flagella that, through the rotary action of membrane-bound “nanomotors”,
propel the organism through aqueous environments. Motility is governed by the presence
or absence of gradients of chemical attractants or repellents. In order to navigate toward
higher concentrations of attractants, bacteria perform a biased random walk characterized
by an alternating sequence of runs and short-lived, re-orienting tumbles. For example, in
the presence of an attractant gradient, behavior is biased toward longer runs in the
direction of increasing attractant; conversely, in the presence of repellents, tumbles are
more frequent, as bacteria seek suitable “escape routes”.
This biased random walk behavior has attracted interest for biomedical and other
applications. It is envisioned that small devices might be engineered that utilize bacterial
motility mechanisms to swim to specific destinations and deliver payloads. For example,
a nanodevice could carry an antitumor drug to tumor tissue sites in the body, ideally
increasing specificity and minimizing off-target effects of current chemotherapy
treatment methods. The design of such devices would be greatly facilitated by a thorough
understanding of motility mechanics. The objective of this work is to bring together
experimental bacterial motility data and mathematical models to more fully understand
and accurately simulate motility. We are using confocal microscopy-based chemotaxis
assays with motile strains of E. coli carrying plasmid-encoded green fluorescent protein
gene (gfp) or a gfp deriviative. In conjunction with the experimental approach, we are
simulating motility in 2D space with different boundary conditions and obstacles, and
simulating the flagellar dynamics in 3D space, with the long term goal of generating a
unified model of bacterial motility in complex environments.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # DMS-0926702
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Poster Session Presentation 8
Using 3D digital models to analyze rock deformation in
the Stillwell anticline, west Texas
Crues, Ashton and Surpless, Ben
Digitally constructed 3D outcrop models could revolutionize the way field
geology is presented and analyzed. We applied this new and rapidly-evolving technique
to our field site at the Stillwell anticline, located in the Trans-Pecos region of west Texas.
The anticline was formed during the Laramide Orogeny, when contractional deformation
created the impressive fault-propagation fold. Since that time, weathering and erosion
have exposed excellent cross sectional views of the rocks affected by folding.
Previous researchers have shown that rock deformation is concentrated within the
hinge and forelimb region of the anticline, but much of the outcrop exposure across those
sections of the fold is difficult to document in the field. To address this problem, we used
Structure from Motion (SfM), which uses an advanced algorithm to match points in
overlapping pictures to construct accurate 3D models.
To capture photos for analysis, we used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) quad
copter with an attached GoPro camera. We removed lens distortion and cropped the
images in order to produce the most accurate visual representation of the site. We then
applied Agisoft Photoscan Professional, which uses SfM algorithms to process the photos
and create high-resolution 3D models of our outcrops.
We exported the completed models to ArcScene by ESRI, georeferenced the
models, and drew bedding, faults, and fracture lines directly onto the model surfaces, thus
creating accurate annotated models of Stillwell anticline outcrops. The models clearly
reveal that deformation in the hinge zone and forelimb consists of ramp-flat faulting, with
interlayer slip also accommodating a portion of total strain. This method of digitally
reconstructing the geologic structures provides an innovative tool that can be used to
supplement and enhance classic field-based techniques.
Funding Sources: National Science Foundation Award #EAR-1220235
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Poster Session Presentation 9
Beta-Amyloid Induced Mitochondrial Membrane
Potential and Calcium Wave Alterations in Aging
Astrocytes
Emily Debner* and Dr. Jonathan King
Astrocytes provide support for neurons, including structural, metabolic, and
nervous system repair, however, with age, astrocytes’ ability to provide neuroprotection
decreases. This decrease in neuroprotection increases the likelihood of neurodegenerative
diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). AD is caused by a build-up of the β-amyloid
(βA) peptide, which forms plaques in the brain, disrupts cellular function, and often leads
to cellular apoptosis. Previous research suggests that βA alters mitochondrial membrane
potential (MMP) and calcium waves in astrocytes. The mitochondria produces energy
that the cell uses to function, thus a disruption in its potential would disrupt the cell’s
energy productivity and hindering its ability to prevent βA from forming plaques.
Astrocytes also perform calcium waves, which is an influx of Ca2+ ions. Calcium waves
allow astrocytes to communicate with neurons and other astrocytes and alter cellular
activities, including glutamate release. βA also disrupts these waves, not allowing the
cells to communicate with each other. As astrocytes age, they have been shown to
naturally have lower MMP and more frequent, but larger amplitude calcium oscillations
compared to younger astrocytes. The aim of this study is to analyze astrocytes response
to βA in aging astrocytes to determine how βA affects their ability to produce energy and
perform cellular activities. MMP and calcium waves of young (4 month) and old (28
month) astrocytes were measured using live cells on a confocal microscope. At the time
of imaging, both cells types were exposed to 0.5uM βA and then imaged over time to
determine βA’s effect on the cells. We predict cells with higher MMP will express more
fluorescence and thus are healthier cells, while larger or more frequent calcium waves
will suggest stressed cells.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Poster Session Presentation 10
Muscle Fiber Type, Size, and Social Behavior in
Dominican Anole Lizards
Faith Deckard*, Michele Johnson
Behavioral movements are not possible without muscular contractions, and in
turn, the behavioral use of a muscle can influence the structural and biochemical traits of
the muscle. For example, the size of the fibers that compose a muscle, or the types of
fibers that compose the muscle (fast or slow twitch; oxidative or glycolytic), may be
associated with the frequency or duration of the contractions of that muscle. In this study,
we will examine how fiber type and size work together to create movement. We will use
a group of six Anolis lizard species from the Dominican Republic that differ dramatically
in their display of a colorful throat fan called a dewlap. These species vary in the size of
the dewlap, the rate at which they extend the dewlap, and the duration of time for which
they extend the dewlap. Dewlap extension in these species is controlled by a single
muscle, the ceratohyoid. I predict that differences in dewlap extension behaviors are
associated with differences in the morphology and physiology of the ceratohyoid muscle.
Fibers that are larger in size will be used more frequently than smaller ones. We expect
that fibers that are used for quick muscle contractions (fast glycolytic muscle cells), will
be associated with shorter, more frequent dewlap use. Fibers used for endurance (slow
oxidative muscle cells) will be associated with longer and less frequent dewlap displays.
In addition, dewlap extension behaviors may also be influenced by an interaction
between fiber type and size of the muscle cell. These results will give us a better
understanding of the mechanisms underlying the evolution of social behavior.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award #1257201 to M. Johnson
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Poster Session Presentation 11
A new technique for building 3D models of bed-scale
fracture networks: a case study from the Stillwell
anticline, west Texas
Connor Dunn*, Benjamin Surpless
We developed a new technique to document bed-scale 3-D fracture networks
within the Laramide-age Stillwell anticline, a 10 km long, NW-trending contractional
fault-propagation fold. We focused our study on five structural positions across the fold:
a long, gently-SW sloping backlimb, a gently curved backhinge, a gently NE-dipping
midlimb, a tight forehinge, and a short, steeply-NE-dipping forelimb. Because structural
position within a fold can determine the nature of fracture development, we collected one
oriented sample from each structural section of the anticline. The samples were taken
from the same stratigraphic unit and from beds of similar thickness in an attempt to
characterize differences fracture development based solely on position within the fold.
Each sample was cut perpendicular to the down dip face using a masonry saw, and the
initial cross-sectional face was optically scanned at 600 dpi. Next, a 2-mm slice of the
sample was removed with the saw, and the newly-exposed rock face was scanned. This
process was repeated until the entire sample had been recorded in this way. We
documented all fractures visible in the optical scans using Adobe Illustrator and exported
these results as rasterized images. We imported these images using ImageJ, medical
software commonly used to analyze MRIs, and assembled these image slices into a 3-
dimensional model of the entire sample. Although we documented the greatest fracture
intensities in the forelimb and backhinge samples, previous researchers clearly showed
that fracture intensity within beds is variable on the cm- and m-scale. However, fractures
in the forelimb sample followed a low angle path relative to bedding, suggesting that
shear stresses were responsible for the initiation and propagation of the fracture network.
In samples from other structural positions within the fold, fractures formed at a high
angle to bedding, consistent with formation by tensional stress. These findings are
consistent with previous studies of the Stillwell anticline at different scales, suggesting a
fractal nature to deformation across the fold system. Our results can be used to predict
the development of bed-scale fracture networks in similar fault-propagation fold systems
worldwide.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award #EAR-1220235
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Poster Session Presentation 12
Laser Measurements of Diffusion
and Bacterial Biomixing
K. Endresen*, B. Willey*, F. Healy, D. Spiegel
In this experiment Forced Rayleigh Scattering (FRS) and Dynamic Light
Scattering (DLS) are used to observe diffusion rates. In FRS a temporary diffraction
grating is created when two pump beams and a third probe beam intersect. In a solution
with the tracer dye methyl red, this diffraction grating stimulates methyl red molecules
into excited states in the same fringe pattern. When the pump beams are turned off, the
fringe pattern decays at a rate corresponding to the diffusion rate. In DLS the electrons in
molecules are polarized by incident light which causes the molecules to act as secondary
emitters of light. An interference pattern is created by the scattered light, and it changes
as these molecules move with respect to each other. These changes can be detected by
fluctuations of light intensity at a given scattering angle that can be used to calculate the
diffusion rate. These methods are used to observe the effects of bacterial biomixing,
which is characterized by increased diffusion rates when bacteria are added to the
solution. Measured by FRS, methyl red was found to diffuse in water 2-6 times faster
when bacteria were present. Both methods are discussed. FRS findings and preliminary
DLS findings will be presented.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award #DMS-0926702
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Poster Session Presentation 13
Measuring the Impact of San Antonio Education
Partnership Advising on Student Access and Success
Franchesca Escapita*, Dr. Adriana Contreras
According to the 2015 U.S. Census Bureau, about 27.7% of Hispanics in San
Antonio attain a Bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to the national average of 15%.
With several city-wide initiatives aimed at increasing the overall percentage of students
obtaining college degrees, college advising for students by community based
organizations has increased significantly in the past decade. With numerous organizations
seeking to help students through services such as college access, advising, and financial
aid, understanding and identifying the degree of positive impact of these organizations is
essential to improving the quality of their services. Therefore, for my research, I will be
looking at the advising staff of the largest local access and success service provider in
San Antonio, the San Antonio Education Partnership, in order to assess their overall
impact on the students they serve and identify best practices in advising.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program
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Poster Session Presentation 14
Effects of Exercise on the Cuprizone Mouse Model of
Demyelinating Disease
Robert Cole Evans*, Alyssa Izquierdo*, Lindsey Ulin*, Dr. Kimberley Phillips
Demyelinating diseases result in the destruction of myelin sheaths that insulate
neurons in the central nervous system, leading to poorer signal propagation and a range
of neurological deficits. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease that affects
over 600,000 individuals in the U.S. and 2 million worldwide. Treatments are needed to
combat the physical and cognitive deficits resulting from MS. As many studies have
shown exercise has neuroprotective properties, we examined the therapeutic potential of
exercise in a mouse model of MS. The cuprizone model produces demyelination through
the degeneration of myelin-forming oligodendrocytes. In this pilot study, 27 male
C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to a 2 (Cuprizone vs. Normal Diet) x 3
(Exercise: Neuroprotective vs. Therapeutic vs. No Exercise) design for a duration of six
weeks. Subjects were given a weekly behavioral task of sensorimotor function (vertical
pole task), and body weight was also measured weekly. Subjects in the exercise
conditions were provided an activity wheel for voluntary exercise. Results show no
differences in pole task performance across all groups. Collectively, these behavioral
results suggest the vertical pole task does not detect sensorimotor deficits in this model.
While exercise distance and speed declined over the duration of the experiment, the
neuroprotective group had a faster running speed and higher average distance traveled
compared to the therapeutic group. Immunohistological analyses and Western blots of
brain tissue (to quantify Myelin Basic Protein and Proteolipid Protein) is continuing.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program, Steven P. Mach Family, and Trinity University Neuroscience Program
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Poster Session Presentation 15
Predicting Geographic Ranges of Small Mammals:
Lessons from Multiple Species
Heather Finch* and Madeline Petri*
Dr. Saber Elaydi, Dr. Roberto Hasfura and Dr. David Ribble
Species distribution models (SDMs) predict the geographic presence/range of a
species based on previous observations and environmental conditions. Our research team
has developed a method to approximate the growth rates of field mice (Peromyscus).
These growth rates along with existing environmental parameters (temperature,
precipitation and elevation) are used in our SDM to calculate predicted species
distributions. In this study, we test our SDM on eighteen different species of Peromyscus.
In general, our results support the use of our SDM in predicting Peromyscus
distributions. We will review the predictions of our model as it relates to the various life
histories of these species, and how the model predicts the impact of global climate
changes on mammalian species distributions.
Funding Source: The National Science Foundation #DMS-0926702
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Poster Session Presentation 16
Robotic Chemotaxis and Obstacle Avoidance
Duncan Frasch*, Kevin Nickels, and Hoa Nguyen
Biology has been a consistent inspiration to the field of robotics. Many robotic
systems operate with sensors that mimic animals’ senses of vision and hearing, and to a
lesser extent, the sense of smell. The biological behavior we were inspired to mimic was
chemotaxis: a method of locating and moving toward sources of food and other chemical
attractants. Chemotaxis is used by organisms such as the bacterium E. coli, the silkworm
moth Bombyx mori, and the dung beetle Geotrupes stercorarius.
In this research project, we developed an algorithm that combined, in a novel
way, the plume gradient-climbing behavior of chemotaxis with the AI-inspired behavior
of obstacle avoidance which allowed a small tabletop robot to seek high chemical
concentrations while avoiding collisions with obstacles.
First, we implemented the chemotaxis algorithm in a robotic simulation
environment. In the next step, a tabletop grayscale gradient pattern (a surrogate for the
chemical plume) was detected and its source (the point of maximum
darkness/concentration) located by an infrared sensor on the underside a simple robot
called an E-puck.
The E-puck is also equipped with radially-facing infrared sensors that can detect
obstacles. The chemotaxis controller was upgraded to include obstacle detection/obstacle
avoidance. The final outcome was E-pucks that reliably navigated past obstacles while
searching for the source of an “attractant chemical.”
This robotic system capable of locating attractant sources in complex
environments could have a number of possible applications, such as detecting and
sourcing chemical leaks on land and underwater, locating illegal drugs and explosives
like trained dogs, or even finding truffles in a forest.
Funding Source: FASTER Grant SURF - National Science Foundation DUE S-
STEM Award 1153796
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Poster Session Presentation 17
Do winners keep winning because they look more
intimidating after a win
Danielle Freund, Nathan King, Conor Miller, Elizabeth Walker, Troy Murphy
The phenomenon in which the winner of a competitive interaction tends to
succeed in future interactions and the loser tends to lose, known as the Winner-Loser
Effect, has been noted and explored in many species across a wide range of taxa. It has
traditionally been thought that a winner, by self-assessment of its relative fighting ability,
is more likely to invest further resources in future interactions and more willing to
escalate those fights while a loser is less likely to enter a conflict altogether.
Alternatively, communication signals may play a role in the Winner-Loser effect,
wherein individuals change signal expression depending on their success in previous
fights, which then allows future competitors to assess that individuals fighting history by
simply evaluating signal expression. The mechanism by which birds assess each other’s
relative fighting ability has been linked to bill color in the female American goldfinch
(Spinus tristus). Bill color acts as an intrasexual status signal, informing potential
opponents of the signaller’s health and hormone levels, and bill color can change rapidly
depending on stress or previous social experience.
In this study, we test whether the Winner-Loser Effect is mediated by changes in
bill coloration of female goldfinches. We trained female goldfinches to be either winners
or losers by introducing them into a cage occupied by a much larger or smaller female,
respectively, with a limited food source. We expected that when these trained winners
and losers were then allowed to compete over limited food, winners would dominate.
Furthermore, we predicted that when a novel third-party female (who had no knowledge
of their competitors’ fighting experience) was given the choice to feed at a feeder
controlled by either a winner or loser, the third-party bird would avoid the winner and
feed near the loser. Trials of behavioral interactions were videotaped and are currently
being analyzed.
Funding Source: Biology Undergraduate Research Fellowship (BSURF), Murchison
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Tim and Karen Hixon Endowment for
Environmental Studies
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Poster Session Presentation 18
Self-Expansion in the Workplace: Implications for
Burnout and Engagement
Cheryl E. Gray*, Kevin P. McIntyre, Brent A. Mattingly, Gary W. Lewandowski, Jr.
Self-expansion occurs when individuals increase their resources, identities, and
perspectives as they enhance self-efficacy. Previous research has found that workers
experience self-expansion in the workplace, and workplace self-expansion is associated
with benefits to organizations and employees such as lower turnover intentions and
higher job satisfaction. Given that individuals in self-expanding jobs presumably have
increased job resources, these workers should be better at coping with job demands.
Therefore, we predict that workplace self-expansion should be associated with reduced
burnout and work-related stress, and greater job engagement. Results across two studies
(overall N=302) support our hypotheses; workplace self-expansion was associated with
lower levels of job stress (r = -.33, p < .01) and burnout (r= -.39, p < .01) and higher
levels of engagement (r = .71, p < .01). These findings suggest that workplace self-
expansion is a valuable means of increasing job resources, which has a number of
positive cascading effects.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Poster Session Presentation 19
Using Sedimentary Provenance Analysis to Assess the
Extent of Post-Cretaceous Translation of the Blue
Mountains Province, Oregon
Kirk Gulliver*, Mollie Patzke*, Sarah Thurman*, Dr. Kathleen Surpless
The Cordilleran Mountains developed through accretion of numerous terranes
onto Western North America throughout Paleozoic and Mesozoic time. However, the
latitude of accretion remains uncertain; terranes may have been translated significant
distances to their present locations. Further complicating this problem, terranes in Oregon
and Washington are largely covered by Cenozoic flood basalts. Cretaceous outcrop is
limited to isolated sedimentary inliers on the Baker Terrane in eastern Oregon that may
provide additional information for assessing proposed paleogeographic models. One goal
of this project is to determine if these inliers are part of a single basin or represent
multiple sedimentary systems. If there are multiple basins, then these inliers may be part
of separate terranes with differing translational histories. Another goal is to determine the
amount of post-Cretaceous translation by linking the sediment provenance to their source
regions. If translation since the Cretaceous has been minimal then possible source regions
include the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, Blue Mountains, Idaho Batholith, and/or
Klamath Mountains. If the translation has been more significant, the expected source
regions could include the Southern Sierra Nevada, the Peninsular Range, and/or western
Sonora. Finally, we will use information available in the sedimentary inliers to improve
our understanding of source region tectonics.
We collected 67 samples from mudstone, sandstone, and conglomerate cobbles
across five sedimentary inliers (Mitchell Inlier, Bernard Ranch, Antone Ranch, Goose
Rock and Dixie Butte) in eastern Oregon. The mudstone will undergo whole rock
geochemical analysis; sandstone and cobbles have been processed to separate detrital
zircon for U-Pb age dating and Hf isotopic systematics. Additionally, our sandstone
petrography and paleoflow analysis can help better identify source characteristics and
flow direction. Through integration of these various data sets, we will begin to resolve the
geographic and tectonic uncertainties in this region of the Cordillera.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # EAR-1347985
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Poster Session Presentation 20
“Having” Knowledge:
External Memory in the Digital Age
Kristy A. Hamilton*, Thomas Coverdale, Paula T. Hertel, & Kevin P. McIntyre
Two studies examined relations between features of external memory repositories
(i.e., personal computers) and confidence in knowing. Participants judged their
confidence in knowledge related to their work or studies and then answered questions
about the way they store and use information. Participants who maintained better
organized repositories were more confident in their knowledge. Furthermore, moderation
analyses showed that participants who navigate through their files by manually clicking
through folders to find documents, but not those who use an automated search feature to
find documents, felt more knowledge confident if they maintained a well-organized
electronic repository. This research illustrates the operation of an organization heuristic in
which people judge some aspect of their organic ability based on a sense of whether
information is easily retrievable, regardless of its source.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Poster Session Presentation 21
Investigating the role of a bacterial luciferase in the
biosynthesis of a type II aromatic polyketide
Madeline Hanes* and Frank Healy
Polyketides are secondary metabolites with an extraordinary range of biological
activities and uses, from antibacterial and antimicrobial agents to antitumor drugs.
Polyketide assembly on type II polyketide synthases (PKS) is carried out by the
concerted actions of monofunctional enzymes as compared to the multifunctional
synthases characteristic of type I PKSs. Type II polyketides can be further classified
based on the arrangement of aromatic rings within their structures; e.g., type II
angucycline polyketides possess a four-ring system with three colinear rings and a fourth
ring situated at an angle. The Gram positive filamentous bacterium Streptomyces
acidiscabies produces the WS5995 type II aromatic polyketides; these are somewhat
unique in that, during assembly, one of the rings undergoes an oxidative cleavage.
We hypothesize that this cleavage reaction is catalyzed by a bacterial luciferase
homolog with Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase activity. The goal of the research project
is the genetic and biochemical characterization of this luciferase homolog and its role in
WS5995 ring cleavage. We have identified genomic regions for amplification of the
luciferase homolog for recombinant protein expression and for amplification of a large
luciferase gene-flanking region for the generation of luciferase gene disruption mutants in
S. acidiscabies. We will use the former to elucidate the function of the recombinant
enzyme and the latter for the characterization of luciferase mutant phenotypes. Results of
this work should provide further insight into secondary metabolite diversity; additionally,
the identification and characterization of an unusual activity involved in type II
polyketide assembly may be valuable in the design of new metabolite structures with
novel biological activities. These could include, for example, new antimicrobials or new
antitumor drugs.
Funding Source: Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (BSURF),
Trinity University
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Poster Session Presentation 22
Diversity Wanted: The Path to Respectability for LGBT
and Integrated Krewes in Mobile Mardi Gras
Danielle Hoard*, Dr. Amy Stone.
This project analyzes the performance of the politics of respectability by
marginalized groups, specifically gay men, lesbians, and Blacks in Mardi Gras in Mobile,
Alabama. The politics of respectability describes the process by which members of
stigmatized groups prove themselves to be respectable by conforming to certain moral
standards and distancing oneself from stereotypes associated with one’s cultural group.
Mobile, Alabama is the birthplace of U.S Mardi Gras, with a history of exclusionary
practices that have led to the recent formation of gay, lesbian, and Black krewes,
organizations that put on Mardi Gras parades or formal balls. Consequently, Mobile is an
important site to study the process by which minority groups negotiate cultural difference
within an event strongly associated with straight, white, elite culture. This study analyzes
12 interviews conducted with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and Black
participants in Mardi Gras krewes in Mobile, AL in June 2014 and 2015. Qualitative
analysis revealed that respondents do engage in the politics of respectability, particularly
through the act of covering, or the modulation of one’s conduct in a way that downplays
a stigmatized trait. Further, the study also revealed that these minority groups seek
alternative routes to becoming respectable by valuing diversity and inclusivity as a result
of their mutual discrimination.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Poster Session Presentation 23
Visual Processing in the Lizard Brain
Maria A. Jaramillo* Miguel A Webber, Charles N. Stein, Michele A. Johnson
Animals perform visual displays to communicate information about potential
competitors, mates, predators, and prey. Behavioral responses to these complex displays
have evolved as a result of the mechanisms by which visual information is processed in
the brain. In this study we seek to understand how information processing differs among
Anolis carolinensis (green anole lizards) when exposed to visual displays that are either
socially relevant (social) or not socially relevant (non-social). Anoles are highly visual
species, and thus we are able to manipulate visual cues that elicit highly social behavior
to then measure subsequent changes in neural activity within the visual and social nuclei
of the brain. Currently, we are conducting behavioral trials on forty lizards, with each
lizard randomly assigned to one of four conditions – social control (two lizards
displaying at each other), non-social control (a video with just a perch), social condition
(a video with a lizard displaying), non-social condition (the same video as in the social
condition but with the pixels scrambled to ensure no social context is present). Each trial
consists of putting a lizard in a visually neutral arena, presenting it with visual
information from a live anole or from carefully constructed video playback (either social
or non-social) and recording their behavioral responses. Immediately after each trial, we
will flash-freeze the brain of each lizard, and use immunocytochemistry to measure
neural activity in the visual and social brain regions by quantifying levels of an
immediate early gene (c-fos) – in other words, a gene that is transcribed before any new
proteins are made in an activated neuron. Following analysis we expect to gain a greater
level of understanding on how lizards process social information and the degree to which
their brains attend to such visual displays.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # IOS-1257021 to Michele
Johnson; Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to Maria Jaramillo
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Poster Session Presentation 24
San Antonio Food Bank: Fighting Unemployment
Clara Johnson*, Sarah Parrish and Navarro, Aaron
San Antonio is facing deep financial cuts regarding SNAP benefits, affecting
320,000 citizens confronting food insufficiency. One way to accommodate to such cuts is
to decrease unemployment. To promote employment, the San Antonio Food Bank
established a Workforce Development Department, a sector that focuses on teaching self-
sufficiency in the job search. The department provides job readiness classes, mock
interviews, and one-on-one case management. To better serve the people of San Antonio,
we designed a website for clients where they can see job openings that partner companies
provide, while maintaining a personalized approach to helping Food Bank clients. The
Workforce Development Department is also in the process of creating a board of
industry-driven companies to assist in the Food Bank’s understanding of what employers
look for in potential employees. By bringing in companies to the Food Bank, the
department will help facilitate communication between the clients and the companies
regarding job openings. The goal of the Workforce Development Department is to lower
unemployment and hence decrease the need for SNAP benefits.
Funding Source: Alvarez Internship Grant, MAS Program
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Poster Session Presentation 25
Sedimentology and depositional environments of the
transition interval between the non-microbial bearing
strata and large microbial reef complexes in the
Cambrian Wilberns Formation, Mason County, TX
Kelleher, C.*, Lhemann, A., Lehrmann, D.
With the discovery of oil fields in pre-salt strata of offshore Brazil, interest in
lacustrine microbialites has greatly increased. Marine microbial carbonates contain
similar features that allow them to serve as powerful analogues for pre-salt microbial
hydrocarbon reservoirs.
This study aims to describe the factors that led to the origin and growth of the
Upper Cambrian large microbial reef mounds found along the Llano River in Mason
County, TX. In parallel with studies on the middle unit of the Mill Creek section, upper
and lower Mill Creek sections were measured, photographed, and sampled, and spectral
gamma ray measurements were taken at regular intervals. A stratigraphic chart was
prepared to correlate sections from the Llano River and Mill Creek area.
Facies are comprised of alternating mixed carbonate-siliciclastics. Sandstone is
interpreted to represent a high-energy, shallow-subtidal, open-marine environment of
deposition. Silty limestone represents a low-energy, intertidal environment. Siltstone is
illustrative of a tidal flat environment, while glauconitic siltstone was deposited in a
range from tidal flats to shallow subtidal. Heterolithic siltstone/lime packstone facies are
interpreted to have formed in a low-energy, intertidal environment. Skeletal limestone is
illustrative of a shallow-subtidal, open-marine. Intraclastic conglomerate are interpreted
to be the result of high-energy storm events, with the intraclasts locally derived from
nearby facies. Oolitic grainstone formed in high-energy, shallow-subtidal, open-marine
environments. Microbial biostrome facies are interpreted to represent a shallow-subtidal
to emergent tidal flat environments.
Alternating siliciclastic- and carbonate-rich beds and high-frequency oscillations
in gamma ray levels depict cyclical fluctuations in sea level. A general upward trend of
an increase followed by decrease in siliciclastic content reflects a longer-term sea level
fall and rise, representing a low-order depositional sequence. The presence of large
microbial reefs during the long-term decline in siliciclastic content suggests the reefs
formed during rising sea-level.
Funding Source: Shell, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Statoil
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Poster Session Presentation 26
The San Antonio Federal Orchestra of 1936-43: A
Forgotten Link in San Antonio’s Musical Heritage
Kassie Kelly*, Carl Leafstedt, Ph.D
One of the most musical cities in the United States for much of the 20th century,
San Antonio today remains a largely unstudied city in many aspects of its cultural
history. Indifference to, or uncertainty about, the value of the arts in central Texas has
left much of the city’s music history – the rise of its institutions, its important individual
figures – no longer remembered. My study centered on the classical music world of the
1920s to 1940s. The San Antonio Symphony was founded in 1939. While researching
archival holdings pertaining to its history, located at the Texana/Genealogy room of the
San Antonio Public Library, I stumbled across references to a previously unknown
orchestra in 1930s San Antonio. Encouraged by my professor, I changed directions and
spent the rest of the summer uncovering the existence of the San Antonio Federal
Symphony, which operated from 1936-43.
The San Antonio Federal Orchestra was federally funded by the U.S. government
as part of the Federal Music Project, a sub-project of the Federal Arts Project created by
President Roosevelt’s relief program, the Works Progress Administration. In the wake of
the Great Depression, the Federal Music Project was designed to give much needed work
to musicians around the country. Here in San Antonio it employed hundreds of local
musicians. Its purpose was to bring music, both popular and classical, to the public.
Conducted by leading San Antonio musicians such as Walter Dunham and Juan Macias,
the San Antonio Federal Orchestra – also known as the “San Antonio Symphony” or the
“WPA orchestra” -- gave frequent concerts at Municipal Auditorium and outdoors at the
Sunken Garden Theater. It fostered in San Antonio a deepening sense of necessity for a
local symphony orchestra. The subsequent founding of what is now called the San
Antonio Symphony, which sprung up ambitiously in 1939 as a separate organization,
must therefore be seen as part of a larger picture of increased employment for classically-
trained musicians in our city coming out of the Depression years.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Poster Session Presentation 27
Autonomous Vision-Based Quadcopter Flight Control
Subrat Mahapatra*, Vivek Poovathoor*, Dr. Kevin Nickels
The quadcopter, an unmanned four-rotor copter, used in this research project is a
Parrot AR-Drone (version 2.0). This quadcopter is equipped with two cameras (front-
facing and bottom-facing), accelerometers, magnetometers, ultrasound sensors, pressure
sensors, and on-board wifi. Autonomous, vision-based flight utilizes the front camera of
the quadcopter from which images are received, processed, and the data is sent back to
the drone to guide itself along the center of a hallway. Images from the front camera are
processed using OpenCV, commands are computed in C++ and then sent to the
quadcopter using ROS (Robot Operating System).
ROS is a software ecosystem that reduces the complexity and redundancies in
programming a robot for specific tasks. The power of ROS is that we can leverage much
pre-existing work, including a basic ardrone_driver, advanced drone_stateestimation, and
even some graphical user interface (ardrone_gui) capabilities developed for the parrot.
Our autopilot then subscribes to the camera feed, computes commands, and publishes
high-level commands to the ardrone_driver to move forward slowly down the hallway,
correcting to always point toward the center of the hallway as it moves.
At this point in the project, we have achieved visual flight control on simple
hallways. Utilizing edge-detection and segmentation, the center of the hallway is
extracted from the image. A simple proportional controller is used on the difference
between the center of the image (a.k.a. the current pointing vector of the
camera/quadcopter) and the center of the hallway. This controller then issues correction
commands using ROS nodes to the quadcopter, and the process repeats, resulting in
autonomous vision-based quadcopter flight control.
Funding Source:
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Poster Session Presentation 28
The Process of Project Management as an Intern
Martel Matthews*, Magaly Chocano
This project involves analyzing the interpersonal relationships connected between
intern and employees during project managing. The project being managed in this
specific case was a client who wanted a design brochure, SEO enhancement, and a
responsive website. The goal of this project is to show the minor actions and mannerisms
that have major effects on the efficiency of communication between project manager and
worker. We will be working from the “Theory of Constraints Project Management” to
express the proper steps needed before proceeding in communication with each worker
from an interns point of view.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program
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Poster Session Presentation 29
Biogeochemical Characterization of a Gasoline-
Contaminated Aquifer
Yvette Muñiz, Megan Plenge
Hydrocarbon-contaminated aquifers can be remediated by indigenous microbial
communities, which use the carbon along with electron acceptors such as oxygen for
energy and respiration. Oxygen quickly becomes depleted, forcing microorganisms to use
less energetically favorable electron acceptors and creates reducing conditions. Metals
such as ferric iron and arsenate are solids, or sorb to sediments under oxidizing
conditions, but form soluble species under reducing conditions. Soluble ferrous iron and
arsenite species then contaminate groundwater and move with hydrocarbon plumes.
Arsenite solubility may be caused by direct reduction of As(V) by arsenate-respiring
microorganisms, or through iron reduction, which releases arsenic species adsorbed onto
iron oxides. This study investigates the cause of a localized increase in arsenic
concentrations in a gasoline-contaminated groundwater in Irving, Texas.
Water and sediment samples were collected along the flow path of the
contaminated aquifer. Unstable parameters and redox-sensitive species were tested in the
field and groundwater and sediment samples taken at various, corresponding depths.
PCR-DGGE was utilized to look for changes in community composition, and backscatter
scanning electron (BSE) microscopy was used to look for patterns in colonization of
sediments.
Groundwater chemistry shows reducing conditions are occurring at contaminated
sites, causing iron reduction. PCR-DGGE data is pending. BSE microscopy showed
microbial communities from gasoline-contaminated wells preferentially adsorbed to
sediments with higher concentrations of iron and trace amounts of arsenic, suggesting
that arsenic release could be related to active reduction of either iron or arsenic, or both.
Future work will determine differences in community composition, including the
presence or absence of arsenate-respiring microorganisms, in contaminated and
uncontaminated sites.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program, R. David Shiels
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Poster Session Presentation 30
Mathematical Modeling and Analysis of Mental
Disorder Diagnostics
Andrea Oranday*, Dr. E. Cabral Balreira
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) serves as the
golden rule book for diagnosing mental disorders. Due to similar diagnostic criteria and
great varieties in symptom combinations, filing a patient under the ideal disorder can be
subject to human error. In this project a computerized system was developed for
assigning a probability that a patient has a mental disorder given a set of diagnosed
symptoms. In this way, diagnoses can be corrected or confirmed so the best method of
treatment can be identified. Additionally, analysis was conducted on how the order of
detection of symptoms influences the diagnosis. Methods were developed to find optimal
diagnostic interviews for each anxiety disorder and were compared with the standard,
Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule (ADIS). Said methods were validated with case
studies based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria. The results established, from a mathematical
perspective, that the ADIS does not necessarily provide the optimal path to diagnosis and
there exists disorder specific alternatives.
Funding Source: FASTER Grant SURF - National Science Foundation DUE S-
STEM Award 1153796
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Poster Session Presentation 31
University-Based Induction Support:
Impact on Trinity Graduates’ Participation in a
Beginning Teacher Study Group
Catherine Quigley*
Dr. Patricia Norman
Beginning teacher retention rates in the United States are continuously low, even
in spite of teacher preparation programs and proper schooling. School districts and state
departments of education have implemented induction supports -- from mentorships to
new teacher orientation programs -- to increase the retention rate of beginning teachers.
Increasingly, however, universities are being asked to provide their own induction
support programs to graduates. Offered by professors of Trinity’s Education Department
to recent graduates of Trinity’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, the monthly
Beginning Teacher Study Group enables novices to use protocols to better understand,
discuss, and solve the dilemmas they encounter in their classrooms. Drawing on
interview data and field notes from study group sessions, we examine the impact of
Trinity graduates’ participation in this form of university-based induction support.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Poster Session Presentation 32
Engineering the End to Hunger: Simulation of Food
Collection & Distribution Strategies for San Antonio
Food Bank
Nicole Rodriguez* & Dr. Gopalakrishnan Easwaran
This project involves analyzing the food collection and distribution system the
San Antonio Food Bank operates on. Two strategies for facilitating food collection and
distribution in San Antonio that impacts the San Antonio Food Bank will be analyzed.
The first strategy involves door-to-door collection of food items (non-perishable food
items) in regular time intervals, similar to the city’s waste collection services. The second
strategy is to designate collection sites in different neighborhoods of the city (possibly six
sub-divisions). These collection sites will receive the donated non-perishable food items
and distribute them to the Food Bank for further processing. The analysis will include
evaluating a wide range of variables such as inter-arrival times, capacity, and food shelf
life, etc. After analysis, a simulation model will be created using computer programs,
ProModel and Solidworks. The simulation models will be analyzed on their economic
impact and effectiveness on reducing hunger in San Antonio. The results will then be
presented to the San Antonio Food Bank for further collaboration and research related to
ending hunger in San Antonio.
Funding Source: St. Mary’s University Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program
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Poster Session Presentation 33
UVB Regulation Of Stomate Opening In Broad Beans
Alexsandra Rojas, James Shinkle
Due to its large size and high density of guard cells, broad beans (Vicia faba) can
easily demonstrate the effect of UVB light on stomatal opening. Previously tested at
wavelengths ranging from 275 to 459 nm, a UVB wavelength of around 280 was
determined to cause UV induced guard cell opening due to a still unidentified UVB
photoreceptor. Arabidopsis guard cells, another commonly studied species, have been
observed to increase stomatal opening upon the addition of eATP. We attempted to
replicate these results using, instead of Arabidopsis epidermal leaf peals, four sets of
broad bean leaves which were floated in a buffer solution of 1mM MES 5mM KCL .1
mM CaCl2 (pH 6.1). After one hour, two of the four leaves were then placed under UV
radiation with either a 281nm filter (at 200 mW m-2) or a 289nm filter(at 300 mW m-2) for
two hours. The two others were placed under dark or white light as controls. Upon
peeling the under epidermis, imaging them with a 55i Nikon Eclipse and measuring with
imageJ, the 281nm radiation caused at least 15% (and up to 42%) of the increase in
stomate aperture caused by WL while 289 nm radiation was ineffective, though both
were still significantly less than that of white light. The effects of ATP on both a leaf not
exposed to UV light as well as one exposed to UV light under a 281nm filter will be
measured for open guard cells in order to determine whether or not ATP opening works
by the same mechanism.
Funding Source: Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (BSURF)
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Poster Session Presentation 34
Emerging Growth Company (EGC) Status:
An analysis of the persistence of underpricing
Steven Sannoh*, Dr. Julie Persellin, Dr. Amy Holmes
The process of going public is governed by the Securities Act of 1933. The
registration statement is submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by
companies who file an initial public offering (IPO). The Jumpstart Our Business Start-
ups (JOBS) Act was enacted in 2012 by the SEC to stimulate growth and as a result,
create more job opportunities. The Act attempted to encourage capital formation by
creating a new category of issuer referred to as an Emerging Growth Company (EGC).
Companies that qualify for this classification are granted concessions to the standard SEC
rules of compliance in the form of reduced financial statement disclosures. Prior research
suggests that a company filing as an EGC and utilizing the reduced disclosure
requirements is associated with lower IPO prices and short-term underpricing. I extend
this research by examining whether this underpricing persists in the long-term. My initial
findings suggest that there is in fact a long-term underpricing effect associated with filing
as an EGC.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program
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Poster Session Presentation 35
The Story of Plova Chewing Gum
Thayer Selleck*, Vik Patel*, Camilo Gonzalez*, Cole Evans, and Luis Martinez
The founders of the company including Camilo Gonzalez, Thayer Selleck, Vik
Patel, and Cole Evans came together at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year to
take their idea to a whole new level. They originated with the intent of solving a rising
issue expressed by their target market, which was maintaining the dental hygiene people
desired while being on the go. Plova Chewing Gum is the world’s first orally beneficial
chewing gum that removes plaque and kills bacteria in your mouth to prevent the risk of
oral diseases such as gingivitis and whitens your teeth. By winning the Stumberg
Competition, they were given the opportunity to spend the summer working on their
start-up company with the aim of testing every hypothesis that was not solved. They will
continue to work on their company for the rest of the summer with the intent of launching
by November 2015.
Funding Source: Stumberg Competition
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Poster Session Presentation 36
Evolution of bone and muscle morphology in the lizard
jaw: associations with diet and social behavior
Leah Selznick* and Michele Johnson
Many animals utilize their jaw and tongue muscles in order to capture and eat
food, and some also use their jaws to bite competitors during combat. In this study, we
test the hypothesis that jaw morphologies of a species have evolved in association with
diet and social combat. We focus this study on lizards, because there is extensive
variation among lizard species in diet and social behavior. Most lizards are classified as
insectivores, but some are also opportunistically saurophagous (consuming other lizards).
The green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis), the Texas spiny lizard (Sceloporus
olivaceus), and the northern curly tail (Leiocephalus carinatus) exhibit occasional
saurophagy. In contrast, the Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus), the
little brown skink (Scincella lateralis), and the spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis) are
exclusively insectivorous. Further, the green anole regularly uses its jaw in male-male
combat. For each of these six species, we collected dried jaw muscle mass of 4-6 males,
and for 10 males per species, we measured SVL (snout-vent-length), body mass, head
length, head width, and head depth. We will also cryosection the jaw tissues of 10 males
of each species in order to measure the muscle cell size of muscles involved in
mastication, and the cross-sectional area of the bones of the lower jaw. We predict that
species that utilize the jaw more frequently, and with greater force, will have a larger
relative head dimensions, jaw muscle mass, jaw muscle cell size, and jaw bones.
Funding Source: Texas Ecolab
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Poster Session Presentation 37
The Impacts of Recycled Water Irrigation Use in
San Antonio, TX
Samuel Simoneau*, Lindsey Yazbek*, Megan Plenge
San Antonio has implemented the use of recycled water as a supply for municipal
irrigation systems, power plant cooling, and to augment flow of the San Antonio River.
Supplementing municipal water supplies with recycled water is becoming more common
in urban areas, but is limited in scope due to public concerns, and typically is not used for
direct aquifer recharge or agricultural irrigation. Proponents of recycled water use argue
that these limitations are based on public perception alone, and that scientific findings
show little risk of biological or chemical contamination. However, recycled water
typically has relatively high concentrations of salts and nitrate, which may impact the
ability of soil to retain nutrients and sustain some microbial populations. This work
examines the effect recycled water irrigation has on soil microbial community
composition and leachate chemistry. Triplicate samples of St. Augustine sod were
watered with either recycled water, tap water, or deionized water. Qualitative and
quantitative analysis of leachate included leachate volume, turbidity, pH, as well as
spectroscopically-determined anion and contaminant concentrations. Culture-
independent techniques, including DGGE, were used for microbial community analysis.
Leachate chemistry results indicate higher phosphate and sulfate concentrations when
recycled water is used, but does not represent greater leaching than tap water. DGGE
results, which will show differences in microbial community composition, are still
pending, but differences in DNA extraction efficiency suggests that microbial abundance
and/or diversity vary between treatments. Our data supports the use of recycle water in
aquifer recharge zones as water quality will not undergo significant chemical changes.
Further testing will help to determine if the use of recycled water in agricultural irrigation
impacts productivity.
Funding Source: Tim and Karen Hixon Endowment for Environmental Studies,,
FASTER Grant SURF - National Science Foundation DUE S-STEM Award 1153796
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Poster Session Presentation 38
Knickpoint (Waterfall) Development and Migration in the
North Canterbury Fold and Thrust Belt, South Island, New
Zealand
Solano, Tristan*, Gardner, Thomas
The purpose of this study is to understand how knickpoints, commonly known as
waterfalls, are controlled by the drainage area upstream of the knickpoint. Knickpoints
are created when the relative base level of a river falls or drops in elevation. The base
level of a river is where the river bed is at zero elevation, usually sea level. Falling base
level causes the river to erode or incise. This commonly starts at the mouth of a river or
where a fault crosses a river and moves upstream. This incision is the response of the
river to the new elevation, and its attempt to return to its state before the change in base
level.
There are two primary controls on the creation and movements of knickpoints: the
underlying geology and the size of the drainage area of the river. The drainage area
controls the discharge and the power of the river, controlling the amount the river can
erode. The more power a stream has, the easier it will be for knickpoints to migrate
upstream.
Is there a minimum drainage area required to for a river to be able to move
knickpoints? This is a testable hypothesis. We believe that small streams will not be
powerful enough to allow knickpoints to migrate upstream. Instead, they will remain at
the river mouth or at the fault scarp because the river cannot erode the streambed to
facilitate upstream migration of the knickpoint.
Our study area is a portion of the northeast coast of the South Island of New
Zealand which is uplifting rapidly and is dominated by marine terraces. The streams on
these costal terraces are ideal for studying knickpoints, as it is very easy to see where the
streams have cut through the soft sediment. We used computer models of these terrace
streams to study the knickpoints. Using ArcGIS 10.2.2 we used the hydrologic toolbox to
identify the streams of interest. Using Lidar and 10m DEM data, we extracted flow
direction, flow accumulation, and watershed data for each stream. This data was then
used in Matlab to generate longitudinal profiles of the streams. Using these longitudinal
profiles, which showed the slope of the stream bed, we were able to identify knickpoints.
Once we had identified them, we again used ArcGIS to extract data on elevation, distance
upstream, and the contributing drainage area for each knickpoint. With this data we will
draw conclusion about how knickpoint migration is affected by the size of the drainage
area. We have just begun to analyze the data. So far we have not seen evidence of a
threshold drainage value.
Funding Source: Annell Bay Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in
Geosciences
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Poster Session Presentation 39
ALE Summer Internship:
An Introduction to San Antonio’s Nonprofit Sector
Mason Stark*, Dr. Jacob Tingle
The Arts, Letters, and Enterprise (ALE) Summer Internship program is designed
for students in the sciences and humanities seeking to develop their business acumen
while performing meaningful work with a local business or nonprofit organization. By
engaging in real-world projects, I was able to supplement the analytical skills I have
acquired as a Philosophy major with the applied experience needed to excel in the
professional world.
My position with John Burnam Consulting required me to complete a wide range
of assignments with the following local nonprofits: the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety
Foundation, San Antonio Nonprofit Council, Big Give SA, and San Antonio Christian
Dental Clinic. I developed four specific learning objectives at the beginning of the
summer, which allowed me to guide my decision-making as I completed my projects.
These learning objectives enabled me to not only better understand the value of the work
I completed during the internship but also to articulate what I learned. This poster will
highlight these four learning objectives—in the fields of management, finance,
marketing, and communication—and the corresponding projects completed to fulfill
these goals.
Funding Source: Arts, Letters, and Enterprise Minor
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Poster Session Presentation 40
Urban bird flight tracking for collision prevention by stereo-vision
techniques
Juan Carlos Suarez-Domit*
Dr. Jack Leifer
When birds fly near buildings with large windows they can potentially crash into
them; the birds see the sky reflected in the windows and simply try to fly into the space
that they perceive. This paper presents a system that uses MATLAB and consumer
cameras to detect and track birds for collision prevention. The benefit of using consumer
cameras is to enable inexpensive, widespread implementation of this system. This system
implements background extraction, stereo-vision, and Kalman filtering techniques; these
are used to detect birds, determine their position in space, and track their flight. If the
trajectory is predicted to lead to an impact, a separate mechanism is then triggered to
scare the bird away. Quad-copters were used to test accuracy of the system’s 3-D location
and velocity estimation against a variety of backgrounds. Point measurements of a static,
hovering copter were taken and verified with a Leica total station; the absolute error of
the measurements was within 1.5% the cameras’ field of view.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and other
local, non-institutional funds.
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Poster Session Presentation 41
Techniques for Vibration Reduction in String
Trimmers
Nicholas Swanson*, Dr. Jack Leifer
Vibrations from a string trimmer transmitted to a user’s hands have been shown to
cause irreversible neurological, vascular, and muscle-skeletal damage. Lodengraf ™
damping, as well as specially designed structures, have effectively demonstrated the
potential to reduce vibrations in both battery- and IC-powered string trimmers from a
variety of manufacturers.
Lodengraf damping involves light-weight, low density granular materials applied
to a device, either inside existing cavities or as a wrap surrounding the structure. The
energy from the vibrations in the structure are absorbed into the granular material and
converted into heat, reducing the measurable amplitude of vibration in the structure. The
other technique tested reduces vibrations at the grip and handle by shunting energy to a
ribbed, 3D printed clam-shell structure (comprised of ABS) installed around the vibrating
shaft.
In this set of experiments, the effectiveness of applying Lodengraf particles and a
3D printed shell structure to battery-powered string trimmers is explored. The Lodengraf
particles are placed in specially designed hollow 3D printed loop handles as well as the
ribbed clam-shell shaft enclosure (described above) all comprised of ABS. Preliminary
results prompted us to separately assess the effect the clam-shell structure has on
vibration amplitude after our measurements indicated that the effect of the clam-shell on
the string trimmers' vibration response swamped that of the Lodengraf particles.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program and other local, non-institutional funds.
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Poster Session Presentation 42
Stable Isotope and Elemental Geochemical Analysis of
Upper Cambrian Bioherm: Central Texas
Hadley Swartz*, Daniel Lehrmann
The Upper Cambrian microbial mound and reef complexes exposed in outcrop
along the Llano River in Mason, TX serve as an excellent analogue to study reservoir
characteristics of similar systems found to be rich in hydrocarbons off the coast of Brazil.
The aim of this study is to test the phasing apparent in outcrop with respect to
fluctuations in sea level at time of formation, and with respect to shifts in siliciclastic
input into the system. Phase boundaries are hypothesized to be at 1.3 and 5.15 meters.
This study has tested those hypotheses primarily through stable isotope and elemental
geochemical methods.
The interior of the mound was sampled for isotope ratio mass spectrometry.
Sample weights range from 91 to 177 μg representing micrite in samples below 120 μg
and calcite spar in samples above 121 μg. Values for δ13C and δ18O were plotted against
elevation revealing evidence of phasing seen in outcrop. Both δ13C and δ18O show a
statistically significant trend toward lighter ratios between 3 and 5.15 meters. The
isotope ratios suggest that a phase boundary exists at 3 meters and not at the previously
hypothesized 1.3 meters.
Elemental geochemical data suggests fluctuating siliciclastic input with no
significant evidence of distinct phasing. Using Al, K, Ti, Na, and Si as proxies for
siliciclastic flux, we can observe an increase in terrestrial input at elevations 1.3, 3.8,
5.15, and 5.6 meters as well as a decrease in terrestrial input at 6.4 meters. The
fluctuations in these values can be attributed to changing sea level. While one of these
fluctuations occurs at a phase boundary, the other fluctuations are not related to phase
boundaries based on the isotope analysis.
Given the difficulty in evaluating phase boundaries in off-shore formations, the
addition of basic isotopic and elemental geochemical data could help tremendously in
better understanding formation architecture.
Funding Source: Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Shell, Statoil
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Poster Session Presentation 43
Modulating Levels of Neuronal Plasma Membrane
Cholesterol and its Effect on the Toxicity of β-Amyloid:
Mathematical Modeling
Chloe Phea*, Yara Samman*, Rachel Tchen*, Dr. Farazan Aminian, Dr. Kelvin
Cheng, Dr. Saber Elaydi, Dr. James Roberts
β-Amyloid (Aβ) is the main protein involved in the pathology of Alzheimer’s
Disease (AD). Aβ tends to form aggregates on and near lipid rafts causing oxidative
stress in neuronal cells. Lipid rafts are areas of the plasma membrane that contain higher
concentrations of cholesterol, sphingolipids, and sphingomyelin. Cholesterol is
synthesized by glial cells and transported to the neurons via apolipoprotein E (ApoE). In
aging brains, the amount of cholesterol produced and transferred by astrocytes is reduced,
while the rate of turnover in neurons increases due to higher rates of cholesterol
oxidation. We hypothesize that this leads to decreased levels of cholesterol in the
neuronal plasma membrane lipid rafts. Both this decrease and a higher incidence of
Alzheimer’s Disease occur in aging brains, which led us to believe that cholesterol is
protective. Despite this reasoning, the literature supports multiple theories of how Aβ is
affected by changes in cholesterol content.
We treated hippocampal neurons from mice (HT22) with methyl-β-cyclodextrin
(MβCD) to extract plasma membrane cholesterol. We then treated the cells with varying
concentrations of Aβ1-42 and measured the mitochondrial activation induced by the
treatment. We aimed to represent our data with a mathematical model such as the Ricker
model. This model predicts the mitochondrial activation dependent on the concentration
of Aβ (µM) measured as relative fluorescence units at a fixed time. We hypothesize that
decreased amounts of cholesterol would make the cells more susceptible to the oxidative
stress caused by Aβ.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # DMS-0926702, Cowles
Distinguished Professorship Research Fund
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Poster Session Presentation 44
Computational model of the afferent connections to
the mesocorticolimbic pathway
Jordan Thomas*, Dr. James Hall, Dr. Areej Al-Bataineh
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that has been determined to be involved with
reward signaling. One of the areas of the brain that produces dopamine is the ventral
tegmental area (VTA). Two neural pathways that originate from the VTA include the
mesolimbic pathway and mesocortical pathway, collectively called the mesocorticolimbic
pathway. This pathway is thought to play a role in reward-prediction error signaling, but
the exact mechanism of how the VTA produces these signals is still unknown. The
purpose of this research was to create a computational model that will outline the afferent
pathways of the mesocorticolimbic pathway. By performing a meta-analysis on scientific
literature over the afferent pathways of the mesocorticolimbic pathway, the exact
function each of these afferent pathways was hypothesized, according to their function in
reward-prediction error signaling. This information was then utilized to develop a
computational model of the afferent pathways of the mesocorticolimbic pathway. This
model allows researchers to visualize the anatomy of the mesocotricolimbic pathway and
provide the physiology of this pathway, along with connecting the user to the original
articles used to construct the model. This model would also give educators an interactive
way to teach the anatomy and physiology of the mesocorticolimbic system.
Funding Source: McNair Scholars Program -- Our Lady of the Lake University
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Poster Session Presentation 45
Using River Channel Profiles to Assess Fault Activity in
the Wassuk Range, Western Nevada
Sarah Thorne*, Benjamin Surpless
The Wassuk Range is located on the western margin of the Basin and Range
Province in western Nevada. The range represents the footwall of an active east-dipping
normal fault. Footwall uplift occurs along the entire eastern front, though previous
researchers have found that the southern portion of the range experiences higher rates of
uplift than in the north. Acting as a counterbalance to the fault-related growth of
topographic relief, erosional processes remove rock, which leads to incision of the
footwall and the evolution of stream channels. These channels serve as records that may
reveal differences in uplift rates along the range or may help researchers identify
unmapped faults. We used ArcMap and Matlab software to generate stream channel
profiles and identify abrupt changes in gradient. We then used geologic maps to
determine whether these changes mark lithologic boundaries or faults. Our comparison of
these profiles also revealed that stream channels display significant variation parallel to
the strike of the normal fault system. For example, stream heads begin at relatively lower
elevations in the north, with lower average gradients, while further south, average stream-
head elevations and gradients are significantly higher. These fault-parallel changes
allowed us to divide the range into clear and distinct structural blocks, which are likely
affected by differences in uplift rate along the fault. Our results are consistent with
previous studies that focused on slip rate on the eastern front of the Wassuk Range (i.e.,
higher rates of slip occur in the south than in the north). We believe that this method
could be especially valuable if applied to less well-studied fault systems elsewhere.
Funding Source: Annell Bay Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in
Geosciences
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Poster Session Presentation 46
Kynurenine metabolism alters microglial activation
following lipopolysaccharide challenge
Arnulfo Tunon*, Allison M. Dugan, Jason C. O’Connor
Neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases have been linked to
inflammation in the brain. Neuroinflammation disrupts the kynurenine pathway of
tryptophan catabolism which leads to increased levels of neurotoxic metabolites.
However, the modulatory role of the kynurenine pathway on microglia, the resident
immune cell in the brain, has not been investigated. To further investigate this role, BV-2
murine microglial activation was measured in response to in vitro challenge with
lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin that induces an immune response. Furthermore,
BV-2 cells were co-treated with Ro 61-8048, a kynurenine-3-monooxygenase (KMO)
inhibitor. Kynurenine-3-monooxygenase is an enzyme that catabolizes kynurenine into 3-
hydroxykynurenine. To evaluate the pro-inflammatory microglial profile, nitrites were
measured via Griess assay while pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β, interleukin-
6, and tumor necrosis factor-α) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (a target of kynurenine)
mRNA was measured via real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). LPS-treated
cells increased production of nitrites and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and
aryl hydrocarbon receptor. KMO inhibition had no effect on LPS-induced production of
IL-1β, IL-6 and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, but reduced production of nitrites and
TNFα. These results suggest that kynurenine metabolism affects microglial activation.
Funding Source: R25 NS080684; MH09127; T32 NS082145
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Poster Session Presentation 47
Microanalysis of diverse feldspars occurring in the
Marble Falls pluton, Llano Uplift, central Texas
James Uroff* and Diane Smith.
The Marble Falls pluton is one of several ~1.1 Ga granitic intrusions, collectively
known as the Town Mountain Granite emplaced into ~1.2-1.4 Ga metamorphic rocks
(Mosher, 1998, Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 110: 1357-1375). The intrusion is unusual in that
it contains a wide variety of megacrysts (i.e., individual crystals larger than ~2 cm) of the
mineral feldspar. We have identified at least six types of feldspar megacrysts: (1)
discrete pink microcline; (2) discrete white/light gray plagioclase; (3) plagioclase with
dark gray cores and narrow white rims; (4) pink microcline surrounded by white
plagioclase rims (rapakivi); (5) white plagioclase cores with varying amounts of
ferromagnesian inclusions surrounded by pink microcline rims (antirapakivi); and (6)
grains with either oscillatory or patchy zoning of both pink microcline and white
plagioclase.
We analyzed samples representing each population of megacrysts with Trinity’s
scanning electron microscope and the electron microprobe at the University of
Oklahoma. Our results suggest that the megacrysts do not represent equilibrium
assemblages and are probably the result of mingling or mixing of magmas of differing
composition. For example, several examples of types (2) and (3) plagioclase megacrysts
have cores of An40-47 with rims of An15, indicating early crystallization from a
significantly less siliceous liquid (e.g., diorite to granodiorite) followed by crystallization
from typical granitic magma. We interpret the rapakivi and antirapakivi textures
exhibited by types (4) and (5) to also be the result of magma mixing, resulting when
magma with a different composition entered the existing crystal-liquid mush, causing
disequilibrium and the megacrysts to begin nucleating a different mineral phase.
Funding Source: W.M. Keck Foundation grant to Trinity University and the Dept. of
Geosciences Edward C. Roy Student Activities Fund.
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Poster Session Presentation 48
Modeling the Effects of ZO-1 Protein Expression on
Epithelial Cell Migration
Chrissy Nielsen*, Ryan Reynolds*, Cassie Watson*, Drs. E. Cabral Balreira, J.
Roberto Hasfura-Buenaga, Jonathan M. King.
Tight junctions are a major component in a cell’s skeletal structure, providing key
physical support as well as controlling some of the phenotypic makeup of a cell. Zonula
Occludens-1 (ZO-1) is an essential component of the tight junction scaffolding barrier
proteins with the actin cytoskeleton. A recent study implicated ZO-1 protein knock down
as an important element in cell migration. We employed the classic MDCK epithelial cell
line with endogenous and knock-down levels of ZO-1. These lines were transfected with
a fluorescent mApple-Histone-2B construct to determine real-time cell density measures.
Confluent MDCK monolayers were wounded and migration was visualized using real-
time confocal microscopy. We developed a mathematical model to describe cell
movement and examine the effect of ZO-1 expression. In addition, the project
incorporated the effect of glucose concentration and proliferation in the migration
process. This project explains the mathematical model and the required variables for each
cell line.
Previous literature suggests that cell migration can be modeled by diffusion. In
our project, we introduced a two-step model which combines a one-dimensional diffusion
with a subsequent transport process. Numerical approximations of the solutions were
obtained to the diffusion and transport equations using the finite difference method. The
model incorporates variables for a diffusivity coefficient, velocity of movement during
transport, and a transition time indicating when the model switches from diffusion to
transport.
We found that cells with ZO-1 knocked down often had higher migration speeds
than cells with endogenous ZO-1. We also noticed that cells tended to move faster in
higher glucose media than cells in lower glucose media. We conclude that ZO-1 proteins
play a significant role in cell migration. In the future, we expect to build on this model,
taking into account other physical and biochemical variables such as the energetic
processes that influence the movement of the cells as they migrate.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # DMS-0926702
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Poster Session Presentation 49
The Neuroendocrine Basis of Behavior: Androgen
Receptor Expression in Lizards of the Caribbean
Miguel A. Webber*, Michele A. Johnson
Hormones are chemical molecules used in signaling and communication within
even the simplest plant and animal organisms. Sex steroid hormones are a class of
hormones that regulate aggressive and courtship behavior across vertebrates. In this
study, we examine how social behavior is regulated by androgens (male sex steroid
hormones) in three closely-related pairs of Caribbean lizards in the genus Anolis. These
pairs represent three distinct habitat specializations, referred to henceforth as ecomorphs:
trunk lizards, gray lizards that primarily occur on tree trunks (A. distichus & A.
brevirostris); trunk-crown lizards, green lizards that use the low branches of the canopy
(A. coelestinus & A. chlorocyanus); and trunk-ground lizards, brown lizards that occur
low on tree trunks and the ground surrounding them (A. longitibialis & A. cybotes). Each
of these pairs is composed of a species that performs frequent displays of a throat fan
(called a dewlap) during social interactions, and one species that uses the dewlap rarely.
We collected behavioral data on these species in the Dominican Republic during the
summer of 2015. We will use immunocytochemistry to quantify the density of androgen
receptors (AR), proteins activated by binding to androgens such as testosterone, in
muscles and brain regions associated with copulatory behavior and dewlap display
behavior. In particular, we will measure AR density in the the retractor penis magnus
muscle (used in copulation) and the ceratohyoid muscle (used in dewlap display), as well
as in three key areas of the brain associated with sexual behavior: the amygdala (AMY),
ventral-medial hypothalamus (VMH), and pre-optic area (POA). We predict that species
with higher rates of copulatory and display behavior will have higher densities of ARs in
both the brain regions and the muscles that control these behaviors. These results will
help us understand the evolution of the relationships among brain, muscles, hormones,
and behavior.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # IOS 1257021 to M. Johnson
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Poster Session Presentation 50
Marching to the Tune of Data Analytics:
A Rank Aggregation Problem
Eliza Wright*, Dr. E. Cabral Balreira.
Drum Corps International (DCI) is the non-profit governing body for junior drum
and bugle corps, for members ages 21 and younger. The DCI competitive summer tour,
consisting of competitions throughout the United States and Canada, finishes in August
with the DCI World Championships. Bands are assigned scores by judges based on their
performance in several different categories, including general effect, visual, and music.
Performance order for the World Class Preliminaries is generally based on the average
scores from three of the contests on tour. The top 20 bands in Preliminaries advance to
Semifinals, and the top 12 there will advance to Finals. We have used data analytics to
measure the performance of the bands during the competitive summer tour and quantify
the factors that determine the competition outcome between the bands. We have
developed our own ranking system using tools from Linear Algebra to predict the scores
and results of the DCI finals. Our method includes adaptations of the Colley and Oracle
methods as well as predictive analytic methods using the scores in each of the categories.
We also address the problem of determining how early in the summer tour one can make
an accurate prediction of the DCI final competition.
Funding Source: FASTER Grant SURF - National Science Foundation DUE S-
STEM Award 1153796
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Poster Session Presentation 51
Building a Benchmark Generator for Dynamic Game
Theory Models
Jingqing Yang*, Albert Xin Jiang
The computation of solutions to game theory models is an essential problem at the
intersection of computer science and game theory, and has many applications including
security and game playing. There has been recent progress in algorithms that efficiently
compute solutions for specific dynamic games like Poker, but there is currently a lack of
publicly available generators of dynamic game instances to serve as benchmarks. The
goal of our project is to create a game generator for extensive form games so that further
researchers and developers of game algorithms can test their solvers with these instances.
In this project, we added dynamic, or extensive-form, games into Gamut, an
existing suite of generators for static games. We leveraged gtlibrary, a library of
algorithms for extensive form games developed by Bosansky et al. We modified Gamut’s
structure and class hierarchy, and also wrote new classes for dynamic games, in order to
combine the functionalities of Gamut and gtlibrary.
As a result, our code is now able to generate extensive form games and outputting
games into files that can be read by other solvers, while enabling users to specify
parameters of games as well as generating randomized games.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Poster Session Presentation 52
Parental Alcohol Use Effects on Parkinson’s Disease in
the Next Generation
Briahna Yarberry,* Mona Bains,1 Andrea Asimes,2 Toni Pak,2 and James Roberts
1 University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio TX 2 Loyola School of Medicine, Chicago IL
Parkinson’s Disease (PD), the second most chronic neurodegenerative disease
in the world, is caused by a degeneration of the dopamine-releasing neurons in the
substantia nigra, a region of the brain that plays an important role in movement. PD is
characterized by resting tremors, bradykinesia, impaired balance and coordination, as
well as a host of other motor and nonmotor symptoms that are known to be exacerbated
by alcohol. Astrocytes, a type of glial cell in the brain, have been shown to protect
neurons from degeneration by supplying lipids and cholesterol when the neuron faces
oxidative stress. This transport is primarily mediated by Apolipoprotein E, or ApoE.
Expression of ApoE has been found to be decreased in the offspring of rats treated with
a binge alcohol drinking paradigm, which we hypothesize to lead to a decreased
neuroprotective effect. This project will test the ability of the offspring’s astrocytes to
protect neurons from an oxidative stress insult that mimics PD. Conditioned media
from the astrocytes derived from control or ethanol-treated rat offspring was added to
N27 dopaminergic neurons for pretreatment. MPP+ (1-methyl-4-phenylpyridium), a
toxin that models PD by killing dopaminergic neurons, was then added to the N27s
after removal of the astrocyte media. We propose that the astrocytes of these alcohol
naïve offspring will offer less protection against MPP+ than astrocytes from offspring
whose parents were not binge alcoholics.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Poster Session Presentation 53
The Mechanisms of Social Behavior: Neuromuscular
Junction Size and Density in Dominican Anole Lizards
Zeb, Adam J.* Johnson, Michele A.
In the transmission of a signal from the brain to a muscle, an action potential must
travel down the axon of a neuron towards a synaptic gap called the neuromuscular
junction (NMJ). The NMJ is where the fiber of a muscle and the nerve transmitting the
signal come into contact with one another. When a signal reaches a NMJ, the
neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, is released onto the surface of the muscles fiber where it
is picked up by acetylcholine receptors. These receptors translate the chemical signal into
a muscle contraction. In this study, I examine how the size and density of NMJs vary
among 10 different species of lizards in the genus Anolis (i.e., anoles) from the
Dominican Republic. These species vary dramatically in their use of a throat fan called a
dewlap, a structure extended during courtship and aggressive displays. The extension of
the dewlap is controlled by a single muscle, the ceratyohyoid. I will measure the size and
density of NMJs in the ceratohyoid muscle of 10 males of each of the 10 species by
staining the muscles for acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme that breaks down the
acetylcholine in the junction. I will then use behavioral data on the frequency and
duration of dewlap extension to test the hypothesis that lizards that display their dewlap
more frequently and for longer durations have more abundant and larger NMJs. These
results will provide insight on the evolution of social behaviors and the neuromuscular
traits that underlie them.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # IOS-1257021 to M. Johnson
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Poster Session Presentation 54
UV-B Radiation Sensitivity in annAt1-4 Arabidopsis
Jason Zhang*, James Shinkle
The annAt1-4 mutant of Arabidopsis lacks a protein important in maintaining the
plasma membrane of cells and plant resistance to stress. We investigated if the annAt1-4
mutant of Arabidopsis would be more sensitive to ultraviolet-B radiation, due to the lack
of Annexin 1 in the vascular tissue and root system. Wild type and annAt1-4
Arabidopsis seeds were plated on sucrose-based agarose gel, allowed to germinate for
several days until root growth was established, and then exposed to varying amounts of
UV-B radiation. Irradiation with 100 minute UV-B caused 54% and 26% inhibition in
wild type and annAt1-4, respectively, while 30 minute UV-B caused 44% and 17%
inhibition, respectively. Furthermore, irradiation with times as short as 10 minute UV-B
caused 40% and 17% respectively, while data on shorter exposures will be presented.
There was also a lower growth rate in the unirradiated control annAt1-4, and less growth
in the annAt1-4 compared to the wild-type overall. We concluded that although annAt1-4
Arabidopsis had less inhibition and growth than the wild type, respectively, at this time
we could not make any conclusions on the UV-B sensitivity of annAt1-4.
Funding Source: Kline Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Multidisciplinary Session A Presentation 55
Immigration Across the Atlantic
Liliana Diaz *
Dr. Bladimir Ruiz
Recently, immigration is a topic that has made headlines around the world for
various reasons. Just in Madrid, you will find that 13.34% of the population is made up of
foreigners and it will continue to increase with the influx of immigrants. Extensive
research was conducted at Centros de Participación e Integración de la Comunidad de
Madrid (CEPI)- Chamartín where I was able to interact with these people to further find
the roots of these increasing numbers. CEPI Chamartín is a center that is dedicated to
helping ease the transition for anyone who may be needing any sort of aid whether it be
getting a job, obtaining legal help, or perhaps taking courses geared towards their own
educational development.
The Latin American population is strong in numbers and this study helped further
uncover the reasons for migrating thousands of miles away. By taking a random sample
of the people who came to this CEPI (I explained the matters of this project and it was
their decision to participate or not) they answered questions formulated to stigmatize a
conversational interview to help explore the roots of their immigration.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program
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Multidisciplinary Session A Presentation 56
My Summer Internship at Local Sprout: Playing the
Part of Scientist, Farmer, and Businesswoman
Julianna Kurpis*, Jason Zang, James Shinkle
The density of the world’s population is increasing and the climate is drastically
changing, both at an alarming rate. Hydroponic farming is one solution to these
problems: by growing plants indoors in a closed system of nutrient rich water, we can
reduce the environmental impact of traditional farming methods. Over the summer I
worked for a hydroponic company called “Local Sprout.” At the primary location in a
warehouse downtown, kale is grown vertically in a hydroponic system. Basil is grown at
greenhouse located at the San Antonio Foodbank. Local Sprout actually partners with the
foodbank by selling many of the crops on the farm in return for a percentage of the
profits.
I learned the ins and outs of Local Sprout; not only did I learn how to take care of
plants in a hydroponic system, but I also learned a lot about the business side. I assisted
in making deliveries and managing customer orders, as well as providing samples of new
herbs and vegetables to local restaurants. I helped harvest and package plants to sell at the
farmer’s market. I also suggested some ideas and helped rearrange the warehouse in a
more customer friendly way. I attended biweekly meetings between the head farmers at
the Food Bank, the person in charge of the Food Bank, and my boss. In these meetings
we discussed which crops were being farmed and were available to be sold, as well as
what to do with empty fields after harvests were complete.
One thing that led me to Local Sprout was research I have been doing on plant
responses to UVB radiation in Dr. Shinkle’s lab. Ultraviolet light is an important part of
the light spectrum, and UVB is essential for many plant processes. However, many
hydroponic farms, including Local Sprout, do not take UV radiation effects on plant
quality and production. Using what I learned from previous research, I set up two
experiments at Local Sprout: UV light was excluded over a section of basil at the
greenhouse, and UV light was supplemented over a section of kale in an indoor primarily
LED environment. These results will inform Local Sprout how either excluding or
supplementing UV light can improve overall plant quality and yield, affecting factors
such as taste, texture, and chlorophyll and flavonoid levels.
Funding Source: Arts, Letters, and Enterprise Program
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Multidisciplinary Session A Presentation 57
Immunological approaches to identifying proteins
upregulated during neural morphallaxis in Lumbriculus
variegatus.
Mark D. Platt1,2* and Veronica G. Martinez-Acosta2. Physiology Department, The Univ.
of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom; Biology Department, The Univ. of the
Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX, USA2.
Body fragments of the annelid worm, Lumbriculus variegatus, regenerate lost
body parts during asexual reproduction and recovery from injury. Regeneration of new
head or tail segments is accompanied by a transformation of the original fragments
through a process called Morphallaxis. Morphallaxis involves the reorganization of many
body processes and structures, including the central nervous system, to match changes in
segmental position as fragments regenerate (Zoran and Martinez 2009). Morphallactic
events in regenerating or reproducing worm fragments involve the induction of a 66kDa
protein, MP66 (Zoran and Martinez, 2009; Martinez et al., 2005). This 66kDa protein is
recognized by Lan 3-2, a monoclonal antibody that labels a mannosidic epitope born on
proteins expressed in neural tissues within the central nervous system of Lumbriculus
(Martinez et al., 2005). MP66 remains unidentified.
A major focus of the laboratory continues to be the characterization of proteins
that play a role in the unique regenerative capability of Lumbriculus. Using various
immuno-purification techniques coupled with mass spectrophotometric analysis, we hope
to ultimately determine the protein sequence of MP66 and other proteins of interest. The
protein purification work presented here will allow for further biochemical
characterization of the mechanisms involved during Lumbriculid regeneration.
Funding Source: VG Martinez Acosta is supported by the Department of Defense (grant
no. W911NF-13-1-0164).
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Multidisciplinary Session A Presentation 58
Subsumption Data Structures
Evan LeGros*
Seth Fogarty
A data structure is a way to organize information within a computer. Different
data structures will speed up or slow down certain operations, and so are appropriate for
different applications. We consider the problem of storing collections of elements using
subsumption, which arises in formal verification. Subsumption is a method that lets us
store fewer elements. The normal structure used in this application is a linked list, which
must check every element on every insertion. Last summer we considered subsumption
of sets. We proposed a new data structured called a subsumption tree, which can avoid
checking every element on an insertion. We examined the performance of subsumption
trees in nondeterministic finite automata (NFA) universality checking. Unfortunately,
This problem proved to be too easy, and the data structure was completely irrelevant.
Thus our results were inconclusive.
This summer, we developed subsumption trees for the case of ranked sets.
Whereas a set only has to consider if it will include a given element, a ranked set attaches
a numeric value to each element. Ranked sets are used in formal verification with Büchi
automata, which can express more robust properties than NFA. We formalized the data
structure and implemented it in C. Initial experiments indicate that this problem can
benefit from a better data structure. Further experimentation is required.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Multidisciplinary Session A Presentation 59
Empowering Chicana Alliances: Testimonios of
Scholar-Activist Dr. Antonia Castañeda and the
Esperanza Peace and Justice Center
Author: Giovanna Espinoza*
Advisors: Ms. Graciela Sanchez and Dr. Rosana Blanco-Cano
Chicana feminism seeks to reinterpret the socio-historic experiences that have
shaped Chicanas’ identities and contributed to the development of resistant spirits that
fight against a history and culture of colonization, marginalization, silence, and
oppression of Chicanas in the United States. To understand how social justice and
empowerment for Chicana communities are pursued and earned within a space that
recognizes the importance of these lived experiences, it is critical to examine these
communities and feminists outside the academic realm. Through an interdisciplinary
theoretical framework encompassing film, ethnic, gender, history, and cultural studies
this paper examines the alliance between Chicana scholar-activist, Dr. Antonia Castañeda
and The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in San Antonio, TX. I believe that this
partnership between Castañeda’s “ally” role and a non-governmental grassroot
organization provides a unique example of the championing for the pursuit of social
justice and the empowerment of Chicanas within their own communities.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program
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Multidisciplinary Session A Presentation 60
The Agency of Young Adult Superheroines in Marvel’s
“Runaways”
Catherine Clark* & Jennifer Henderson, Ph.D.
Through textual analysis, this study analyzed the representation of the four
primary young superheroines in the first eighteen issues of the comic, Runaways, written
by Brian K. Vaughan. Standing the test of time, Runaways has remained one of the most
popular young-adult comics.
This study focused on multiple aspects of female agency, or lack thereof
including: suggesting an idea, going along with another’s idea, questioning others, being
ordered by others, ordering others, disagreeing with others, overruled by others, attacked,
attacking, taking care of others, protecting others, using superhero powers, and lacking
control over and understanding of powers.
The study revealed these preliminary findings. First, all four female protagonists
possess multifaceted personalities and showcase distinct methods of agency. Second, all
fall broadly within the trope spectrum. For instance, there is the “Beauty” and the
“Feminist.” Although they originate inside of the stereotype, each young woman breaks
free from the norm. In other words, the “Beauty” proves to have the greatest power, while
the “Feminist” nurtures others. Finally, while these four superheroines possess greater
power than their male counterparts; they lack control over their powers often making
them subordinate.
The research will culminate into a submission to the 66th annual International
Communication Association Conference to be held in Fukuoka, Japan in June 2016.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session A Presentation 61
Visualizing Biological Networks in 3D Virtual Reality
Ali Mangalji*, Matthew A. Hibbs
Biological research yields vast amounts of data to be analyzed and interpreted,
and visualizing this data is essential to being able to understand it. An increasingly
common data type is “biological networks” that represent the complex relationships
between individual entities (e.g. genes, proteins), and the connections between those
entities (e.g. physical binding, pathway relationships, etc.). However, it is a notoriously
difficult problem to visualize these biological networks. Although significant progress
has been made in two-dimensional visualization, three-dimensional visualizations have
been much less successful due to issues of occlusion, perspective projection, and lack of
interactivity.
The goal of my research is to devise an interactive, three-dimensional layout for
biological networks via the Unity game development engine. The use of Unity enables
the incorporation of a virtual reality component with the Oculus Rift, potentially
addressing the limitations of prior three-dimensional visualization efforts, by allowing
for close, immersive inspection of the networks.
Funding Source: Howland, Eggen, and Pitts Computer Science Student Summer
Research Fellowship (HEP
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Multidisciplinary Session B Presentation 62
The Laundry Crew
Mikki Hoffman*, Edwin Manton, Luis Martinez
The Laundry Crew, a new startup at Trinity University. Over the summer, Josh
Manton and Micaela Hoffman worked alongside Luis Martinez to create this Limited
Liability Company. It will start up this fall, open to all Trinity University Students,
Faculty, and Staff. The process of creating this business will be discussed in the
presentation. We have conducted surveys, research, and met with consultants to start our
service.
www.TheLaundryCrew.com
Funding Source: Stumberg Funds
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Multidisciplinary Session B Presentation 63
Texas Chiaroscuro:
Arthur and Marie Berger, Stewart E. King, and Architectural
Regionalism
Jason Azar
Advising Professor: Dr. Kathryn O’Rourke
This project investigates the history and theory of landscape architecture in Texas
in the mid-twentieth century in order to illuminate underexplored aspects of modern
architectural history and identify principles that might guide planning in the twenty-first
century. The paper contextualizes the work of Texan landscape architects Arthur and
Marie Berger and Stewart E. King in a larger history of modernist approaches to
landscape and planning by explaining the personal and intellectual links between the
designers and nationally and internationally renowned theorists of landscape and regional
design. By pairing internationally read periodicals published in the mid-twentieth century
on the work of the Bergers and King with essays on architectural regionalism, the project
demonstrates the centrality of landscape design and theory to the movement of
architectural regionalism. Part two of this project (discussed in the poster session) shows
ways lessons from the work of King and the Bergers might be adapted in designs to
reconnect Trinity University to the San Antonio River and the city more generally.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session B Presentation 64
O’Neil Ford: An Early and Unexpected Contributor to
Sustainable Architecture
Fiona Lane* and Dr. Kathryn O’Rourke
This project examines the historical relationships and thematic continuities in the
work of twenty-first century “green” architects and their predecessors of the mid-twentieth
century who worked before air conditioning was used widely. In the architectural history of
Texas, the roots of many of today’s ideas about sustainable architecture can be traced to
works by architects who sought to create climate-responsive works. Comparing O’Neil
Ford’s early buildings with recent projects by Lake|Flato Architects as a case study, this
project historicizes “sustainable” design and identifies principles that inform work by some
of the state’s foremost architects.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session B Presentation 65
The effects of temperature on lipid composition and
membrane fluidity in lizard brains
Jacob M. Stercula* James L. Roberts, Michele A. Johnson
The ability for species to adapt to both sudden and long term changes in
temperature is crucial for survival. Lipids, the defining feature of biological membranes,
help cells remain viable in a variety of temperate environments by driving changes in
membrane fluidity – the extent of disorder in the lipid bilayer. When cells are exposed to
high temperatures, lipid tails become long and saturated, stabilizing the membrane in a
dominant liquid-solid phase. In contrast, as temperature decreases, desaturases add
double bonds to acyl chains that produce kinks in lipid tails, decreasing surface area and
stabilizing the membrane in a dominant solid-liquid phase. The extent of fluidity in
membranes is known to affect a multitude of enzymes, transporters, and receptors within
the bilayer that alter cellular functions. However, little research has addressed how
temperature differences within and across species affects lipid composition and
membrane fluidity in the brain. Specifically, there is a lack of knowledge in
understanding if species that live in similar temperatures evolve the same membrane
fluidity by adjusting unsaturated fatty acids or if different species have evolved a unique
fluid-state that is optimum to their survival and cellular functioning, regardless of
temperature. To understand this relationship, I conducted a field study of body
temperature with 7 Puerto Rican lizard species in the genus Anolis to identify differences
in brain lipid content across species. Currently, I am also performing a controlled
laboratory experiment where native Texas anoles, A. carolinensis, are housed in one of
two rooms – a hot room (34 °C) or a cool room (26 °C) – to identify differences in brain
lipid content among individuals of the same species and of their first generation
offspring. This experiment will determine how temperature directly influences lipid
content. To measure membrane fluidity, astrocytes from two A. carolinensis brains will
be cultured and allowed to grow to confluence at 26 °C or 35°C. Fluorescent polarization
will be used to quantify the extent of fluidity in the plasma membrane. I predict that body
temperature will be the primary factor driving differences in brain lipid composition
among species and within individuals of the same species. I also predict that lizards who
occupy a hotter environment will have a more fluid plasma membrane than those that
occupy cooler temperatures. These results will add to our understanding of how
organisms can respond to a rapidly changing environment.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # IOS-1257021 and Texas Ecolab.
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Multidisciplinary Session B Presentation 66
High HOPEs: Modeling Electric Fields in the Earth’s
Plasmasphere to Estimate its Temperature
Grace D. Corley*, Will R. Farner, Kevin J. Genestreti, Jerry Goldstein, Brian A.
Larsen, Chae M. Ramnarace, Geoff Reeves, Ruth M. Skoug, Harlan Spence, and
Niescja E. Turner
The plasmasphere is a region of cold, dense plasma in the Earth’s inner
magnetosphere and outer ionosphere. The plasma is composed of three major ion species
(hydrogen, oxygen, helium), and electrons. Onboard each of the two Van Allen probes
spacecraft (which pass through the plasmasphere once per orbit), the HOPE (Hydrogen
Oxygen Protons Electrons) instruments count the number of particles, per position per
velocity, for each ion species. These HOPE data can be fitted to an equilibrium
distribution function to describe the particles in the plasmasphere. Because of the electric
fields produced by when the Van Allen spacecraft perturb the ambient plasma, HOPE can
only measure the high-energy tail of the plasmasphere. In order to fit the distribution
function to calculate the temperature from these limited data, we constrain the two open
parameters, bulk velocity and density. The motion of the plasmasphere is subject to ExB
drift from Earth’s geomagnetic and electric fields. In this project, we model corotation and
convection electric fields using solar wind data to constrain the bulk velocity of the
plasmasphere.
Funding:
This work was supported by the NASA Van Allen Probes mission’s RBSP-ECT project
and the Charles A. Zilker Endowment for Physics and Astronomy.
.
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Multidisciplinary Session B Presentation 67
Plasmon Enhanced Förster Resonance
Energy Transfer Using Gold Nanogratings
Beth Legg*, Jennifer Steele
Surface Plasmon enhanced fluorescence was observed on gold gratings with a
period of 500 nm. Gratings were manufactured with soft lithography using master
gratings and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molds. Grating geometry was verified with
Atomic Force Microscopy, which produces a topography scan of the gratings.
Fluorescence from Atto532 and Atto633 in the range of 550 to 750 nm was enhanced by
up to a factor of 30 relative to a glass slide similarly spin-coated in Atto532 and/or
Atto633. Fluorescent enhancement from the gold gratings corresponds to Surface
Plasmons observed by measuring the transmission of white light through the
gratings. Fluorescent enhancement of two fluorophores on two gratings was studied
using various concentrations of Atto532 and Atto633 to examine the relationship between
concentration of fluorescent coating concentrations and fluorescent enhancement. The
measurements were taken by rotating the detector angle relative to the sample while
keeping the mounted sample fixed, with the 532nm laser pointing in the middle of the
grating. White light transmission measurements were recorded while the incident angle
was varied.
Funding Source: WM Keck Foundation
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Multidisciplinary Session B Presentation 68
Modeling the 2012 Presidential Elections Battleground
States
Evan Cofer*, Dr. Eddy Kwessi, Dr. Hoa Nguyen, Dr. Albert Jiang, Dr Katsua Nishikawa
The goal of this project is to build a model for prediction of presidential elections
based on polls that are available at the time of the election, specifically, starting on a
chosen day after the conventions of the two majors political parties. Contrary to existing
models in the literature, this model distinguishes between polls collected by different
firms and uses Monte Carlo methods to construct polling data for a given firm on a day
when the firm has no new polls. Additionally, this model foregoes using uniform swing –
the assumption that national polling dictates state polling – and national polling data in
favor of state-by-state polling data. Conditions specific to a state, such as a candidate’s
home state advantage, are therefore reflected in the collected data rather than in the
model, allowing for more abstraction. Polls among likely voters are used rather than as
registered voters’ polls, as likely voters most readily translate into actual voters. States
were limited to a select few – the so-called battleground states – where no party has a
clear advantage.
Missing polls are generated under the assumption that changes in polls are determined
by the events of that day and are therefore typically moderate but otherwise
unpredictable. This day to day change is represented by adding Ɛ, a standard normal
distributed random number generated using the Mersenne Twister.
A dynamic bootstrap (B = 10,000 samples) is performed on the last day of the election
to produce a probability density function for the election outcome. The model is
considered successful if the state’s actual popular vote falls within a 95% bootstrap bias
corrected and accelerated (BCA) confidence interval. The seed for Ɛ is then shuffled and
the whole process is repeated (N = 2,000) and the median of all estimated value is chosen
as an estimate of the true poll for the candidate. Biases and mean square errors for
different values of N are reported.
Funding Source: Trinity University
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Multidisciplinary Session C Presentation 69
Confirming the Genotypes of SCE 2600-SCE 2607
Alexsandra Rojas, Dr. Kevin Livingstone
Budding yeast [Saccharomyces cerevisiae], a eukaryote, has a genome that is
historically simple to manipulate. This, combined with its ability to reproduce
significantly faster than most eukaryotes, makes budding yeast a prime model system.
Stocks of eight stains of yeast, mutated to include antibiotic resistance to either
nourseothricin or geneticin, were acquired from James B. Anderson. In these strains the
antibiotic resistant genes were inserted in the Ura3 gene, each with its own unique
barcode. In order to test the identities of these strains, all eight strains as well as a wild
type antibiotic sensitive control, were streaked on plates containing nourseothricin,
geneticin or no antibiotics. A PCR was then performed on each sample using unique actin
primers, geneticin primers, nourseothricin primers, Ura3 primers and primers for their
appropriate barcodes. Due to unexpected results, with bands for geneticin resistance
appearing in strains that were nourseothricin resistant and vice versa, these tests were
performed multiple times. It was hypothesized that geneticin resistant DNA could still be
present in Narseothricin resistant genes, causing the extra bands. Using these PCR results
the genotypes of our mutant strains was determined and categorized.
Funding Source: Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (BSURF)
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Multidisciplinary Session C Presentation 70
Adopting new methods in art education for students
with learning differences
Sonny Luna*, Dr. Rocio Delgado
There is an entire field of research dedicated to defining art and many
professional fields have developed unique definitions of art that they tailor to their own
beliefs and aims. Artists and art educators tend to utilize a product definition of art, where
the focus of art education is on attaining skills and recreating or reinterpreting
masterworks. Practitioners of art therapy are trained to adopt a process definition of art,
which views art as a creative process, which can give insight to an individual's emotional
experiences and can be a tool of therapy. Based on which definition an individual
subscribes to determines how they interpret a student’s success. For students with
learning differences, art should be defined based on the specific needs of the students.
Examples will be be provided drawing from previous research on art programs that meet
diverse student needs.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program
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Multidisciplinary Session C Presentation 71
No Thermometers in Space: Modeling Cold Space
Plasma in Near-Earth Space to Estimate Plasmaspheric
Temperature
Will R. Farner*, Grace D. Corley, Kevin J. Genestreti, Jerry Goldstein, Brian A
Larsen, Lynn M. Kistler, Chris Mouikis, Chae M. Ramnarace, Geoff Reeves, Ruth M.
Skoug, Harlan Spence, and Niescja E. Turner
Located just above the ionosphere, the uppermost region of Earth’s atmosphere,
the plasmasphere consists of atmospheric gases ionized by ultraviolet radiation from the
Sun. Understanding the environment of the plasmasphere and its variability helps
scientists better model the near-Earth space environment. In that regard, an accurate
estimate of the plasmaspheric temperature is useful. Because of the low density of the
ionized space plasma, conventional methods of measuring temperature (e.g., a
thermometer) do not work. In this project temperature is being estimated using the Van
Allen probes satellite mission to measure the energy per charge, position, and velocity of
the ions that compose the plasma. These data are then fitted with a Maxwellian
distribution function, which is used to calculate the temperature of the plasma. However,
due to the limits of the instrumentation aboard the probes, it is not known how accurate
the calculated values for the temperature are. The goal of this project, then, is to calculate
both the temperature and its uncertainty by calculating a reasonable range of possible
temperature values. Applying this method, an idealized Maxwellian distribution function
was calculated and manipulated by varying the input parameters describing the idealized
plasma. The results indicate that this method may be adequate to correctly calculate the
temperature of the plasmasphere within reasonable error. At minimum, this technique
yields a gross estimate of intervals when the plasma is “supercold” versus slightly heated.
Future work could involve the application of a more complicated distribution function to
model the behavior of the plasma, or a less mass-dependent function so that the more
accurate partial density values could be used in place of the total density.
Funding Source: This work is supported by the NASA Van Allen Probes mission’s
RBSP-ECT project and the Charles A. Zilker Endowment for Physics and Astronomy.
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Multidisciplinary Session C Presentation 72
Youth Radio Workshops: An Ethnographic Study in
Participatory, Alternative Communication
Megan Medrano*, Dr. Robert Huesca
Youth media training programs can serve as outlets for creativity and self-
expression, while facilitating skill development and personal growth. Through a
combination of library research and ethnographic fieldwork, this study examines youth
media training programs in their structure and impact on participants. Specifically
drawing on field observations and exit interviews of youth on probation who participated
in radio production workshops, this research presents the empowerment experienced and
the skills attained from the youth’s participation in the six-week program. As a result of
learning skills in audio recording and editing, participants were able to manage their own
production. From analyzing the literature and the data collected over six weeks, this study
seeks to understand the importance of youth agency and development in the field of
youth media.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program
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Multidisciplinary Session C Presentation 73
Computer Simulation of the Anoplophora glabripennis
Ramiro Ramirez*, Dr. Shelly McGee
The Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) has directed the
removal of thousands of urban trees, therefore research has been placed in developing
methods to the control and eradication of the Asian longhorned beetle. A Matlab
simulation of the Asian longhorned beetle infestation of a forest was created to
investigate optimal control strategies and eradicate the wood-boring beetle. The model
was created with dispersal and spatial temporal data collected from previous studies.
Currently, the Matlab computer simulation considers a dispersal rate, survival rate for
larvae and adult beetles, and the probability tree detection. The model is an age/stage
structured model with an implementation of a time-delay, which is the development time
of the beetle from egg to adult. Management treatment, which consists of cutting and
burning infected trees, was implemented into the model. Lastly, numerical results and
future work will be discussed.
Funding Source: McNair Scholars Program -- Our Lady of the Lake University
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Multidisciplinary Session C Presentation 74
Visualization of Functional Enrichment Analysis of
Genomic Data
Isaac Thacker*, Matthew A. Hibbs
Many modern biological experiments produce lists of genes implicated by an
experiment or disease (e.g. genes that appear to be abnormal in a specific cancer tumor);
however, the interpretation of these gene lists is more complex. A common analysis
approach for this problem is to assess the “functional enrichment” of gene lists (i.e.
which gene functions are statistically overrepresented in the lists) compared to existing
databases, such as the Gene Ontology. The purpose of this project is to provide an
efficient, functional, and online visual representation of genomic functional enrichment
data. To do this, we created a database with the ability to complete queries efficiently as
well as a visual representation of the results, based on TreeMaps, to enable the user to
quickly and easily view the data at various levels of detail. Often, existing
implementations of these two ideas lack flexibility, are inefficient, and/or visually
unpleasing (e.g. messy, overly complex, or too large of scale). Although the project is not
fully completed, it still has the ability to efficiently find matches for a user's specified
entries, display relationships in the genomic data, and allows the user the ability to
complete statistical analyses on a subset of the given data.
Funding Source: Trinity University
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Multidisciplinary Session C Presentation 75
Modeling E. coli Flagellar Motility & Chemotaxis in 3D
Charles Stein*, Joshua Cohen
Advisors: Dr. Frank Healy, Dr. Hoa Nguyen
In the quest for food, E coli use their helical flagella to move through fluid
environments toward areas of high nutrient concentrations (chemotaxis). If all the flagella
rotate counterclockwise, they bundle together and made the cell propel forward in a
certain direction (called a “run”). Conversely if one of the flagella rotates clockwise, the
flagella unbundle and the cell can reorient itself in a different direction (called a
“tumble”). We model the run/tumble movement of a cell propelled by a flexible
flagellum within a three dimensional nutrient concentration gradient. This is achieved by
coupling the helical flagellar Kirchhoff Rod Model with the structure-fluid interactions
using the Method of Regularized Stokeslets and the intracellular signaling pathway
RapidCell (RC) model. Our simulations provide insights into the flagellar mechanism and
how it aids the cell in moving through its environment.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # DMS 0926702
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Multidisciplinary Session D Presentation 76
Examining the Relationship Between Acculturation and
Assertiveness on Our Lady of the Lake University’s First
Generation Students
Juanita Ramos Martinez*
Dr. Karina E. Gil
This research examines the relationship between acculturation and assertiveness on
Our Lady of the Lake University First Generation Students. This research hopes to add to
the body of knowledge by researching a topic that has been under studied. A review of
the literature found a significant gap on the relationship between acculturation and
assertiveness on Latino First Generation students. This is alarming since the Latino
population will be nearly one quarter of the U.S population by 2050 (U.S. Department of
Health & Human Services, 2001) and young Latinos are half as likely to have finished a
four-year college degree (11%) compared to their White counterparts (Fry & Taylor,
2012). Four surveying instruments were used: The Simple Rathus Assertiveness Schedule
(McCormick, 1984), the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics by Marin et Al. (1987)
and researcher created Demographic and Academic Questionnaires. A variety of statistical
analysis were conducted including, Regression Analysis, Analysis of Variance, Multiple
Analysis of Variance, and Correlations. This ongoing research, which will be finalized by
mid-August, is expected to provide new insights on the relationship between acculturation
and assertiveness in first generation students.
Funding Source: McNair Scholars Program -- Our Lady of the Lake University
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Multidisciplinary Session D Presentation 78
The Consequences of Changes in Grassland Species
Composition on Rangeland Forage Value and Nutrient Cycling
Austin Phillippe*, Kendall Kotara*,Kelly Lyons
The rate at which recently introduced, invasive species decompose has the
potential to affect rates of nutrient cycling and soil nutrient composition over time. These
changes can also cause positive feedback loops that perpetuate the invasive species and
hinder native species reestablishment. The introduction of non-indigenous, invasive
species such as Bothriochloa ischaemum (a.k.a. King Ranch bluestem) to Texas
grasslands has resulted in a widespread decline in native diversity and loss of ecosystem
function. In this study, we aim to assess differences in rates of decomposition between
the non-indigenous, invasive King Ranch bluestem (hereafter referred to as KR) and the
native species Schizachyrium scoparium (little Bluestem) and Bouteloua curtipendula
(sideoats Gramma). Based on previous research in arid, C4 grassland ecosystems, we
hypothesize that the native species will decompose more quickly than KR. In other
words, invasion results in a slowing of nutrient cycling. Grass culms typically
decompose more slowly than leaves. Therefore, species with higher culm to stem ratios
are expected to decompose more slowly. To account for species differences in
culm:stem, we assessed the ratio for ten samples of each of our three focal species and
found no significant differences between culm to leaf ratios among them. Based on these
results, we constructed 125 litterbags of each species, containing one gram of biomass
per bag with 60% culm and 40% leaf material. We placed the litterbags at three
properties along paired transects in either KR or native-species dominated areas. The
study is ongoing and will include five collection dates through December 2015. Soils
and plant species composition will be analyzed at all sites and the rates of decomposition
of each species over time will be assessed. Results collected to date will be presented.
Funding Source: Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (BSURF) and
Texas Ecolab
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Multidisciplinary Session D Presentation 79
LIGO Charging Noise Minimization
Jacob Abajian*, Dr. Dennis Ugolini
Charging is a dominant noise source for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-
Wave Observatory (LIGO), as moving charge on the surface of fused silica optics causes
a torque that exceeds the anticipated signal. Charge builds up on the optic because of the
use of an electrostatic drive (ESD) for positioning. The charge can be removed, but First
Contact cleaning solution may leave surface patches that retain charge. Another solution
is to use a highly conductive coating, so that excess charge quickly relaxes to
equilibrium. The goals of my research project were to find methods of preparing the
optic to minimize the buildup of charge, to search for First Contact patches, and to test
the relaxation time of two different conductor-coated optics.
We placed a 3” diameter optic in a vacuum chamber at ~10−4 Torr. A translation
stage moved the optic between an electrode pattern and a Kelvin probe, to measure
surface charge. We cleaned the test optic with several agents and measured surface
charge at four-hour intervals. Relaxation times were measured by exposing the optic to
the ESD before taking continuous charge measurements and fitting the data with an
exponential. We used an atomic force microscope to probe a microscope slide cleaned
with First Contact.
Results will be provided for charging rates after cleaning with acetone, methanol,
First Contact, and isopropyl alcohol, and relaxation times for aluminum and zinc oxide
conductive coatings.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # PHY-1404269
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Multidisciplinary Session D Presentation 80
Rethinking Homer
Austen Hall*, Corinne O. Pache, Ph.D.
During my Mellon fellowship, I assisted in the preparation of a final manuscript
for the Cambridge Homer Encyclopedia, a forthcoming publication that will present, in a
comprehensive and cohesive format, the best Homeric scholarship available at this time.
My work consisted of two main projects: one focused on editing the sections of the
publication that have already been written, and the other comprised my own research and
writing with the goal of publishing two articles in the encyclopedia.
Both of my articles deal with the reception of Homer by a philosopher, albeit two
vastly different philosophers. One article is on Plato, who lived and wrote in Athens
during the 4th century B.C.E; the other is on Simone Weil, a French philosopher, political
activist, and Christian mystic who lived from 1909 to 1943. Plato’s relationship with
poetry (and thus with Homer) is notoriously complex; he is perhaps most famous in this
regard for denying poets entry into his ideal city in the Republic, but his critique is
complicated both by the poetic elements of his own writing and by the specific nature of
the rejection. The reception of Homer given to us by Simone Weil, on the other hand, is
quite narrowly-focused. In her 1940 essay “The Iliad or the Poem of Force,” Weil argues
that the true subject matter of Homer’s epic is force, and that the way in which force is
portrayed in the poem reflects fundamental and historically transcendent truths about the
human condition; an argument influenced, no doubt, by the contemporaneous Nazi
occupation of her home country.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session D Presentation 81
A Narrative Research Study on the Linguistic Identity
of Spanish/English Bilinguals in the U.S.
Arturo Mendiola, Jr.* and marcela polanco
The number of Spanish-English bilinguals in the United States is rising. Between
1980 and 2011, there has been a 158.2% increase in the number of Spanish-speaking
individuals in the U.S. (Ryan, 2013). The phenomenon of bilingualism has been widely
studied, primarily about the experiences that bilinguals have in each language and how
they switch between languages in different social contexts to express different aspects of
their experience. However, there is a scarce literature on the experiences of bilinguals at
the intersection of both cultures and languages.
The present narrative research (Lieblich et al., 1998) plans to collect data on the
stories that Spanish-English bilinguals tell as it pertains to their linguistic identity at the
intersection of both languages. Six to ten bilingual participants will be recruited for this
research. The way participants construct their identity stories will be analyzed from a
narrative analysis perspective with special interest on the cultural and linguistic
disparities between one language and the other. The findings of this study may add on to
existing research about bilingualism from a multicultural perspective, which could be of
value to educational, counseling, and therapeutic settings.
Funding Source: McNair Scholars Program -- Our Lady of the Lake University
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Multidisciplinary Session D Presentation 82
Understanding the Jewish Community of Dura-Europos
Savannah Wagner,* Dr. Chad Spigel
Although the ancient synagogue of Dura-Europos is well-studied due to its
preserved wall art, extrapolating the worship patterns of the Jewish population is a
complex task that cannot rely on clues from the murals alone. This presentation shows
how the methods suggested in Chad Spigel’s book Ancient Synagogue Seating
Capacities: Methodology, Analysis, and Limits can be used to determine possible worship
patterns based on the seating configurations and capacities of the Dura synagogue
building. When used in comparison to estimates of the city’s population and in
conjunction with other demographic data, the capacities of the synagogue give us an idea
of the size, growth, and even the roles of women in the Jewish community; they also
allow for comparisons with nearby Christian and Mithraic buildings. While the evidence
from the Dura synagogue should not be interpreted as typical of synagogues in all ancient
cities, it does help us develop a more comprehensive understanding of the Jewish
community in this famous city.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session E Presentation 83
HOPE Springs Eternal: Constraining partial densities
of ion species of cold plasma in near-Earth space to
estimate plasmaspheric temperature
Chae M. Ramnarace*, Grace D. Corley, Will R. Farner, Kevin J. Genestreti, Jerry
Goldstein, Lynn M. Kistler, Brian A. Larsen, Chris Mouikis, Geoff Reeves, Ruth M.
Skoug, Harlan Spence, and Niescja E. Turner
The Van Allen Probes are two spacecraft orbiting the Earth, collecting data in the
plasmasphere and radiation belts. This project uses data from the Van Allen Probes
HOPE (Helium Oxygen Proton Electron) instrument obtained inside. The plasmasphere
is a region of space close to the Earth, filled with plasma, a fourth state of matter that
consists of charged particles. The HOPE instrument measures particles between the
energies of 1eV and 50keV. A Maxwellian distribution function is fitted to these data to
estimate the temperature. To accomplish this, variables in the function such as bulk
velocity and density of the plasma must be constrained. Because HOPE measures
multiple ion species (He+, O+, H+), it is necessary to determine the temperature of
specific ion species, and thus the partial densities must be constrained using individual
ion species data from the HOPE instrument.
Funding Sources: This work was supported by the NASA Van Allen Probes mission’s
RBSP-ECT project and the Charles A. Zilker Endowment for Physics and Astronomy.
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Multidisciplinary Session E Presentation 84
Job Needs of the Eastside: A Study Examining the
Barriers and Workforce Needs of the People Using the
Ella Austin Community Center
Rosa Olivares*, Dr. Christine Drennon
Goodwill Industries Inc. opened its first Good Career Center on the eastside of
San Antonio, Texas in March of 2015. Goodwill located its new Good Career Center on
the campus of the Ella Austin Community Center since the center already provides
childcare, youth programming, senior and individual and family emergency services to
area residents. Unlike the rest of Bexar County, which has an average median household
income of $52,800, the two zip codes surrounding the Ella Austin Community Center
have an average median household income of $26,111. Within the last few years, the
eastside of San Antonio has seen initiatives to help grow and improve the community.
The Good Career Centers offer services such as job preparation, training and referrals and
are free to everyone. In order to better serve the surrounding neighborhoods, Goodwill
sought to understand the different types of job needs, training and barriers to employment
that residents have experienced. Parents currently using the Ella Austin Community
Center for its child services and seniors from the senior center were interviewed to
understand the work barriers that people face and how jobs have changed in the
community. This paper analyzes the history of welfare, workforce development, local
census demographics and the zip codes from which people come from that presently use
Ella Austin and the Good Career Center through maps using the ArcGIS software. This
paper argues that people from the community need different job assistance and job
training programs than what the Goodwill Good Career Center is providing, so that
residents can obtain higher paying jobs and take the first steps to becoming self-
sufficient.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program
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Multidisciplinary Session E Presentation 85
Writing Without Boundaries: A Study of the Pedagogy
of a Current Traditionalist Models in First Year
Composition
Monique Cortez*,Candace Zepeda
My research is to determine if a Current Traditionalist Model of teaching First
Year Composition (FYC) negatively impacts first-year students’ attitudes and beliefs
regarding academic writing. Rather than use an outdated model of teaching academic
writing, I argue that composition classrooms designed using an Expressivist approach has
the ability to counteract the negative attitudes some first year students may experience in
an FYC course. To support my research, I present a historical analysis of the discipline of
Composition as well as explore a variety of pedagogical approaches used in composition
classrooms that will dictate if there is an impact on the attitudes and beliefs of students in
FYC classes. By examining the history of composition, I argue that the curriculum has
changed drastically to current approaches of composition where students obtain
knowledge on how to structure their academic papers.
I propose that the Current Traditionalist (CT) model uses rigorous rules for
writing college papers and the modes of discourse. The CT approach to academic writing
essentially limits students’ ability to write freely and expressively. What happens to
students during their first year of college in a CT composition class may have drastic
negative effects on activities they will be subjected to in the future. I turn to the pedagogy
of Expressivism, which will allow students more freedom with their writing as well as
creative opportunities, thus resulting in a positive impact from their FYC class. By
applying Expressivist approaches to a FYC classroom, freshmen will be granted the
opportunity to develop a positive composition experience by exploring their creativity
and limiting rigid guidelines on developing academic prose.
Funding Source: McNair Scholars Program -- Our Lady of the Lake University
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Multidisciplinary Session E Presentation 86
Tiptoe Aspirations: 19th Century Poetry and Ballet
Ryan Diller*, Samantha Heffner*, Betsy Tontiplaphol
This project focuses on the relationship between nineteenth century poetry and
ballet, exploring the parallels between ballet’s codified, courtly movement and poetry’s
conventional verse forms. In addition, we have traced the way the chosen poets’ works
reflect and possibly resist the culture of ballet that permeated their contemporary culture,
looking at the transfer of ideas from page to stage, as well as from stage to page. In the
former case, balletic adaptations of Byron’s works and the continuing endurance of
“Byronic energy” in 20th century dance have been explored (special focus has been paid
to the two Byron works that have been adapted into ballets - The Corsair and Manfred -
as well as the great Russian dancer Nureyev’s lifelong obsession with the poet). This
exploration has been additionally informed by examining Byron’s fusion of high and low
culture in his works as well as his notoriously complicated relationship with the stage. In
the latter case - from stage to page - balletic language and the figures of ballerinas
themselves were examined to see how they may have informed Elizabeth Barret
Browning’s poem, Aurora Leigh. Fanny Elssler, in particular, was looked at as a possible
model for an independent female artist when the expectation for women was making a
good marriage. Aurora’s and Fanny’s ambiguity within gender roles was also examined -
Aurora chooses a literary form more closely related to the male; Fanny and her sister,
Therese, often danced en travesti, and Fanny was favorably compared to the Greek god
Hermaphrodite.
Through these examinations of Byron and Barrett Browning, we challenge the
common perception that 19th century poets were scarcely concerned with ballet; instead,
we identify ballet as being in dialogue with the works of both Byron and Barrett
Browning.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session E Presentation 87
Escape From Recuperation:
Avant-Garde, The Murderer
Anthony D. Sanchez*, Abraham DeLeon
The art form Avant-garde, historically, has gone through many interpretations to
what methods and products are considered to be avant-garde. Since the time Olinde
Rodriguez first consciously applied the term to artists, avant-garde has transitioned from
an art form that challenged society and the traditional methods of the institutional art to
what curators would say is an out of date term that only exist in the past. Many art
theorists also claim that avant-garde is dead and Paul Mann, one of such theorists,
explains that recuperation– the absorption, acceptance, and normalization of an idea or
object into society – is to blame for avant-garde’s death.
This project presents a theoretical art form that counters such arguments by using
murder as a medium of art and opens the conversation of avant-garde living in the
extreme fringes of aristic production. This presentation is a theoretical exercise that
explores a rabbit hole in which avant-garde can possible live outside recuperation and
leaves the viewers to contemplate whether or not the theory is acceptable.
Funding Source: Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program
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Multidisciplinary Session E Presentation 88
Natural Language Processing for Interactive Media
Joshua Ward*, Matthew A. Hibbs
Communicating with computer systems using natural language has been a goal of
artificial intelligence and computer science since its inception. The Turing Test (proposed
by one of the founders/inventors of computer science, Alan Turing) is a “holy grail” of
artificial intelligence research, and is passed when a computer system can convince
impartial judges that they are communicating with a human rather than a computer.
While a notoriously difficult problem, natural language processing systems have made
great strides towards fulfilling Turing’s vision. The goal of this project was to create a
natural language processing framework that could decide appropriate reactions to user
input, but within a constrained scenario through the use of a flexible script. Using a series
of rules, user input is mapped to one or more semantic meanings within a limited scenario
of interactions. These meanings are stored into working memory where they are used to
determine how the AI will react and respond dynamically to user inputs. We have created
an input/response meta-language enabling designers to quickly create plausible
interactive scenarios. Further, we utilize the WordNet database of the English language to
enable the use of synonyms, verb tenses, and colloquialisms within user inputs. The
framework is written in a way that it can be easily incorporated into the Unreal Engine
video game system to create dynamic, language-based interactive media. We will
demonstrate this framework using a simple call center scenario as well as a short
interactive story.
Funding Source: FASTER Grant SURF - National Science Foundation DUE S-
STEM Award 1153796
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Multidisciplinary Session E Presentation 89
“Cities of Hope and Freedom: The Parallels between
Harlem and Moscow as Seen through the Accounts of
the Black and White Cast”
Ileana Sherry*, Dr. Soto
In 1932, Meschrabpom films brought twenty-two young African Americans to
Moscow to film Black and White, a propagandistic film depicting American race
relations in an attempt to highlight racism in United States. Although almost all those
involved agree that the film was an artistic and political failure, the literary accounts in
response to the Black and White project reveal a considerable amount of insight into the
black American experience in Moscow during the Soviet regime.
The journey from Harlem to Moscow brought these two distant cities under close
comparison, highlighting the many parallels between African American experiences in
each city. Harlem and Moscow were both cities of purported opportunity for those
racially oppressed like African Americans. The push-pull forces of oppression and
opportunity—not unlike those that gave rise to the Great Migration—shaped the
perception of Moscow for many of the African Americans involved in the Black and
White project. This project seeks to evaluate the real and symbolic representations of
Moscow as a city of hope for African Americans during the 1930s, and its relation to
similar representations of Harlem in the previous decade.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session F Presentation 90
2D Simulation of E. coli Chemotaxis and Motility in
Confined Space
Cameron McKay*, Joshua Cohen
Advisors: Dr. Frank Healy, Dr. Hoa Nguyen
We want to model E. coli hydrodynamic movement toward a food source
(chemotaxis) in a confined space with and without obstacles. This can be achieved by
coupling the intracellular signaling pathway RapidCell (RC) model with the cell motility
in a fluid using the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). The LBM also allows for the
simulation of boundaries and obstacles, and therefore yields a more realistic simulation of
E. Coli chemotaxis when coupled with RC.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award #DMS-0926702
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Multidisciplinary Session F
Presentation 91
The Dark Pastoral in Karen Traviss's and Margaret
Atwood's Cli Fi Novels
Alex Holler*, Heather Sullivan
Dr. Sullivan and I are researching how literature, specifically science fiction,
explores climate change, global pollution, genetic modification, and other anthropogenic
changes to "nature" in the age of the Anthropocene (defined by climate scientists,
geosciences, and humanities scholars as the era since the Industrial Revolution marked by
accelerated use of fossil fuels). Since human industrial activities have left their traces on
the entirety of the Earth's surface, scholars are now speaking of the "new nature" and
seeking new strategies for adjusting to the rapidly accelerating changes of the
Anthropocene. We call this project the "dark pastoral" since it uses the frame of the
Anthropocene to grapple with this "new nature."
In this project, we analyze Margaret Atwood's MaddAdamm series and Karen
Traviss's Wess'har Wars series in terms of their portrayal of ecological damage and
radical solutions. It is in science fiction where we most often find direct representation
and analysis of global problems like climate change and ecological devastation, as well as
possible cultural solutions to these problems.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session F Presentation 92
Clicking the “like” button: An in-depth analysis of
Facebook interactions and motivations
Davis K. Alcorn*, Luisa M. Ruge-Jones*, Dr. Sumner
Facebook is a tool that lets us build and maintain relationships with friends,
family, and that one guy from high school. While there have been many studies into other
facets of this site, there has been little research on the use of the “like” button. Our
research looks at individual’s motivations behind clicking the “like” button. Through an
online survey, we collected responses about the various reasons people use the “like”
button. Overall, we have concluded that people use the like function on Facebook under
three circumstances: relational maintenance, self presentation, and pleasing content.
Funding Source: Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
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Multidisciplinary Session F Presentation 93
Constructing the Imaginative Bridge: Third
Generational Holocaust Narratives
Megan Reynolds*
Dr. Victoria Aarons
This research examines the ways in which third generation Holocaust writers such
as Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, and Julie Orringer approach the subject of their
own traumatic history and the ways in which trauma has been inherited
intergenerationally. It discusses how, despite the generational divide between Holocaust
survivors and their grandchildren, the trans-generational transmission of trauma continues
to persist. This project examines defining characteristics of third generational narratives
such as the desire to uncover the truth or tell one’s story, the struggles with faith and
personal identity, and the use of imaginative leaps.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session F Presentation 94
The Effects of Density in a Three-Species System of
Texas C4 Grasses
Ann Adams*, Avva Bassiri-Gharb*, Cassandra Alvarado*,
Dr. Kelly Lyons, and Dr. Eddy Kwessi.
Today the dominant grasses in C4-dominated grasslands throughout the southern
Great Plains are non-indigenous and invasive. These grasses, such as King Ranch
bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum; hereafter referred to as KR), negatively affect
grassland ecosystems by homogenizing and reducing the plant species and wildlife
diversity. Unfortunately, control of these invasive grasses has proven difficult and post-
removal reintroduction of native species is contingent on identifying species that can
establish and outcompete KR upon re-invasion.
According to niche theory, species whose niches overlap experience direct
competition with one another. Species can employ different mechanisms in the face of
direct competition, such as niche shift. Alternatively, the most-fit species could dominate
over others. Therefore, we hypothesize that the best competitor against KR will be a
species whose niche overlaps with that of KR, and whose growth is minimally or
positively affected despite this.
To identify species and species combinations that effectively control KR and
assess species competitive behavior (shifts in niche space), we conducted a competition
study between KR and two common native C4 grass species that often grow
sympatrically with KR, little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and sideoats grama
(Bouteloua curtipendula). We also included density as a factor to study density as a
determinant of the mechanisms of competition. In areas of high density, plants may be
more likely to shift their niches away from those of their competitors, whereas the
opposite may be true in low-density areas where the intensity of competition is reduced.
As such, our study manipulates the area in which a constant number of plants are grown
in all possible combinations of the three species.
From this density-controlled design, we will assess species richness, species
composition, and planting density as determinants of KR fitness (i.e., control). We will
use principal component analysis (PCA) to determine which plant traits are most suitable
for modeling competition in this three-species system. Building upon the PCA, a cluster
analysis will be performed to assess if species shift the niche space they occupy when
grown in competition with other native species and KR. This will allow us to design a
predictive model of competition for this three species system with a more thorough
understanding of the species interactions in space and time and in response to the
presence of other species.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # DMS00926702
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Multidisciplinary Session F Presentation 95
More than Logos: Controversy in Collegiate Debate
Nathan Rothenbaum*, Dr. William Mosley-Jensen
The world of collegiate policy debate attracts the support of a large swath of
people hailing from diverse backgrounds including academics, business professionals,
politicians, and more. Much of this support emerges not from first-hand encounters with
debate and its practices but rather from vague expectations of what debate has to offer: an
informed citizenry wedded with logic and critical thinking. However when these
outsiders to the debate community encounter collegiate debate and its current practices,
praise turns into disgust. This paper takes the final rounds of the 2013 National Debate
Tournament, the 2014 Cross Examination Debate Association National Tournament, and
their resulting media attention as a case study. In these prolific and public rounds,
participants employed a style of argumentation that at times departed from traditional
expectations of debate as a purely logic-driven activity. Analyzing the way debate
participants used more than logos to buttress their arguments, this paper helps explain
how and why these final rounds attracted so much vitriolic attention in the media. This
paper argues that in the process of condemning the 2013 and 2014 national champions,
commentators revealed their own biases and expectations for a model of debate that, in
the end, also values more than logos.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Multidisciplinary Session F Presentation 96
Cape Gelidonya Shipwreck: From the Bronze Age to
the Digital Age
Christopher Hofmann*, Katie Middleton*, Jeremy Siegal* Nicolle Hirschfeld
Our project continues the investigation of an ancient shipwreck from the Late
Bronze Age around 1200 B.C.E. originally excavated in 1960 at Cape Gelidonya,
Turkey. The wreck was explored again in the 1980s, 1994 and finally in 2010 finding
new artifacts with each excavation. Many of the 1960 objects were published in a timely
and comprehensive manner, however many were never made public. The goal of our
project is to display the unpublished artifacts in an online open data format, and create
new photographs and illustrations of the artifacts.
Funding Source: Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
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Chemistry Session A Presentation 97
Substrate-Specific Inhibition of Insulin-Degrading Enzyme
by a Synthetic Receptor
Carolyn C. Young* and Adam Urbach.
Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates glucose metabolism in
mammalian systems. Insulin is degraded throughout the body by a zinc-metalloprotease,
known as insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE), which also degrades glucagon, amylin, and
amyloid-beta peptide. Inhibitors of IDE have been reported, and although they show high
affinity and specificity for IDE, the inhibitors are specific to the enzyme, and thus they
also inhibit its other catabolic functions. Previous research by our group has shown that
the N-terminal phenylalanine of the B-chain of human insulin (PheB1) binds with high
affinity to the synthetic receptor cucurbit[7]uril (Q7). PheB1 also happens to be part of the
binding site of IDE. Therefore, we hypothesized that Q7 could competitively inhibit the
binding and degradation of insulin by IDE and that this inhibition would be specific to
insulin versus the other substrates of IDE. Recent progress toward this goal will be
presented.
Funding Source: Welch Foundation and National Science Foundation
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Chemistry Session A Presentation 98
Heterogeneous Catalysis: Synthesis and
Characterization of supported Gold Nanoparticles
Alexander Huther*, Dr. Chandler, Dr. Pursell
Since the beginning of the 20th century heterogeneous catalysis has been a vital
field for the industry enabling the creation of materials at far higher rates and lower costs.
There are several different procedures for preparing nanosized gold particle catalysts;
however these often involve the use of costly reagents, and are plagued by issues with
reproducibility. We therefore systematically studied the preparation and characterization
of gold catalysts using a variety of precipitation methods. Several metal oxide supports
were prepared using a sol-gel procedure to that yields high surface area materials. The
surface area of the catalysts was determined through BET nitrogen adsorption analysis.
Gold was then deposited onto the supports with a variety of deposition methods such as
the urea deposition precipitation as well as pH deposition precipitation. Catalytic activity
was evaluated with the preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide (PROX) reaction.
From the analysis we concluded that even small deviations in deposition time and
temperature during synthesis have a large impact on PROx activity. Understanding how
these deviations affect the catalytic properties of the supported gold nanoparticles will
enable us to prepare more active catalysts in the future.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation and Welch Foundation
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Chemistry Session A Presentation 99
Hydrogen Adsorption on Gold Nanoparticle Catalysts
Christine Peterson*, Meagan Pollock*, Dr. Chris Pursell
Gold nanoparticles are selective hydrogenation catalysts. Hydrogen adsorption on
the gold nanoparticles is an essential first step in these hydrogenation reactions. The
purpose of this summer’s research was to examine hydrogen adsorption, focusing
primarily on Au/TiO2 catalysts. We observed that the hydrogen does indeed adsorb on the
gold where it dissociates (ca. chemisorption), producing an unusual infrared
phenomenon.
This phenomenon was observed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR)
spectroscopy and is characterized by a broad band change in the light transmittance of the
catalyst. Kinetics and thermodynamics experiments were performed at varying
temperatures from 25 – 50 C to better understand this broad band change and the
chemisorption of hydrogen on gold.
The thermodynamics data was fit using the Langmuir model to determine
equilibrium binding constant at each temperature, while the kinetics data was fit using the
initial rates method and the activation energy was determined according to the Arrhenius
equation. While the rate of the reaction increased with increasing temperature, the
binding constant did not change with temperature.
Additionally, the chemisorption of hydrogen on gold also led to chemistry
occurring on the surface of the TiO2 support. It was observed that –OH and water species
were formed with the addition of hydrogen. These results will be discussed during this
presentation.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation and Welch Foundation
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Chemistry Session A Presentation 100
Probing the Factors that Alter the Reduction
Potential of Thermus thermophilus Rieske protein
Michael Dybdal-Hargreaves*, Rachel Shepherd*, Dr. Hunsicker-Wang
The truncated Thermus thermophilus Rieske protein (truncTtRp) is an electron
transport protein that contains a [2Fe-2S] cluster which is ligated by two histidines and
two cysteines. The Rieske protein is located in complex three of the electron transport
chain (ETC). The protein acts as a catalyst in the oxidation of quinol to quinone and the
subsequent reduction of and protons translocation across the inner mitochondrial
membrane. The goal of our research is to determine the effects of various mutations on
the reduction potential. In order to study these factors, mutations are made to alter these
factors. The mutations that we are studying fall into three categories; mutants that affect
the number of hydrogen bonds bound to the cluster, those that change the charged
residues next to the cluster, and mutants that change the overall charge state of the protein
itself. Previous research has focused on of single mutations near the iron-sulfur cluster,
and thus current research is focusing on the effect of double mutations near the cluster to
determine if the charges are additive. In particular, L135E, which adds a charged residue
near the two ligating histidines, and Y158F, which removes a hydrogen bond to one of
the ligating histidines have been combined (L135E/Y158F) to determine how the protein
is changed by both mutations. Currently, reactions with diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) of
the double mutant have implicated slowed kinetics of the reduction of the protein. To
probe the effect of overall charge state, a series of Lysine and Arginine mutants have
been produced: R161E, R161A, R173A, K100E, K100E/R173A, K100E/R161E/R173A,
K100E/R161E/R173A. The reduction potential of K100E and K100E/R173A have been
measured, The K100E mutant showed a decrease in reduction potential by 3 mV relative
to truncTtRp, whereas the double mutant decreased by 7 mV. Reactions of all the mutant
with DEPC will also probe if the protein reduces similarly to the wild type protein. A
series of Asp and Glu mutants are also being produced that should have the opposite
effect raises the potential. All of these mutants will have the reduction potentials
measured and the proteins will be structurally and spectroscopically characterized.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # CHE-1055516
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Chemistry Session A Presentation 101
Cucurbit[7]uril-Rhodamine Conjugate
as a Nanomolar Sensor
Amy Grice*, William Mobley*, Lauren Smith, Omar Ali, Wei Li, Brittany Vinciguerra,
Lyle Isaacs, and Adam Urbach
Chemical sensors are indispensable to modern civilization and constitute the
enabling technology in medical diagnostics, food and air quality control, and the
detection of chemical and biological warfare agents. Indicator displacement assays, in
which a dye molecule is displaced from a receptor by a competitive analyte, are widely
used as chemical sensors in biochemical systems due to their chief advantage of not
requiring chemical modification (i.e., labeling) of the target analyte. The downside to
current indicator displacement assays is their bimolecular nature--that is, the sensor is
composed of a "reporter pair" comprising a receptor and dye as separate molecules.
Therefore, the sensor is only operable under working conditions in which the dye can
bind appreciably to the receptor, which is at concentrations above the equilibrium
dissociation constant of the dye. In an effort to eliminate the problem of the sensor being
concentration dependent, we developed a single component sensor, Q7R, that consists of
a synthetic receptor, cucurbit[7]uril (Q7), conjugated to tetramethyl rhodamine (TMR), a
widely used fluorescent dye. The synthesis of the conjugate and characterization of its
photophysical and analyte binding properties will be described.
Funding Source: Welch Foundation, National Science Foundation, and Trinity
University
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Chemistry Session A Presentation 102
Chiral Organic Superbases
Ann Andrews*
Dr. Bachrach
Organic superbases, such as 1,8-bix(dimethylamino)biphenyl, are strong bases due to
the strain created by the proximity of the nitrogen lone pairs and the large relief of this
strain when protonated. This study looks at the ability of these chiral organic superbases
to transfer the chirality present in these molecules to a non-chiral acit, forming a chiral
conjugate acid and a non-chiral conjugate base. The transference of chirality will be
observed at the pro-chiral carbon to see if the base selectively deprotonates the pro-R or
pro-S hydrogen. The kinetic selectivity was examined by optimizing transition states for
the acid base reaction of ωb97X-D/6-31G(d).
Funding Source: Welch Foundation, Trinity University
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Chemistry Session B Presentation 103
Effects of Dib1 Mutations on RNA Splicing
Christian Schreib*, Cody Hernandez, Emily Bowman, Dr. Corina Maeder
Pre-messenger RNA splicing is a molecular process that removes non-protein-
coding segments from mRNA. The process of splicing is catalyzed by a large molecular
machine, the spliceosome. The spliceosome is made up of around 300 proteins and five
snRNAs. Dib1 is one of these proteins that make up the spliceosome in Saccharomyces
cerevisiae. Dib1 is essential for cell viability and splicing, it occupies the active site of
the spliceosome, and it leaves during the catalytic activation of splicing. Dib1 must leave
in order for the pre-messenger RNA to bind to the active site. To characterize the role of
Dib1 in splicing, we will test how mutations in Dib1 affect splicing. To do this, we
created various mutations in the DIB1 gene on the plasmid pSE362 by performing PCR
mutagenesis. These mutated plasmids were transformed into a S. cerevisiae Δ DIB1
strain and grown on a series of selective plates in order to select for usage of the mutated
Dib1. Temperature sensitive pronging assays were performed on these yeasts to test if
any of the Dib1 mutations affected cell viability at 16℃, 25℃, 30℃, 33℃, and 37℃. The
mutations F85A and L76A D78A caused deterred growth in the yeast at 37℃. To
determine if these Dib1 mutants would directly affect splicing, we performed splicing
assays. A splicing extract was isolated from the yeast harboring the F85A and L76A
D78A mutations. These extracts were used to perform a splicing assay with heat
inactivated extracts. Purified wild type Dib1 was added to some of the extracts after they
were heat inactivated to restore the defective spliceosome. The splicing assay was then
run on a denaturing polyacrylamide gel to separate splicing products. The results showed
that the Dib1 F85A and L76A D78A mutants caused splicing to break when heated, and
that the wild type Dib1 added to the mutant extracts after heat inactivation caused
splicing to work again. These results identify a clear splicing defect for Dib1 mutants.
Additionally, the ability to reconstitute the extract suggests that although Dib1 is an
integral component of the spliceosome, it can readily exchange.
Funding Source: FASTER Grant SURF - National Science Foundation DUE S-
STEM Award 1153796
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Chemistry Session B Presentation 104
XRF Analysis of Spanish Colonial Alamo Frescoes
Julia Meitz*, Tian Tian, Michelle M Bushey
In the 18th century, Mission San Antonio de Valero was founded, known commonly
today as the Alamo. This Spanish colonial mission once housed frescoes on its walls, but
the images deteriorated over time. Today, they are barely visible. Portable X-ray
fluorescence (pXRF), provides an opportunity to bring the lab to the sample. As a non-
destructive and portable analysis tool, pXRF is useful for detailed study of frescoes
within the Alamo. Our goal is to digitally recreate these elaborate frescoes and reimagine
a cornerstone of Texas history. Areas of interest are analyzed with the pXRF, providing
us with the opportunity to identify distinctive elements in 18th century pigments, based on
characteristic differences in energy emissions. The presence of such elements indicated
by pXRF analysis, supported by multispectral imaging and off-site study of physical
samples with scanning electron microscopy, offers a means of digitally reconstructing the
original appearance of the Alamo. Thus far, several designs in the mission’s sacristy have
been characterized and mapped. Most recently, further in-depth study of formerly
identified stem-like patterns has suggested the possibility of attached flowers, expanding
our understanding of these designs. This research has revealed repeated design elements
and detail on the frescoes in the Alamo sacristy, moving us closer to the complete
recreation of this piece in art history.
Funding Source: Texas General Land Office
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Chemistry Session B Presentation 105
Enhancing Binding Through A More Planar ExBox
Zachary Nickle*, Dr. Bachrach
The original ExBox4+ macrocycle is used to understand more about host-guest
interactions, including binding between the host and possible guests. The present goal is
to explore potential hosts that could more strongly bind polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
(PAH) guests. Several PAHs that were considered included: benzene, naphthalene,
anthracene, tetracene, and pentacene. The two analogs proposed have “flatter” top and
bottom sections as compared to the original ExBox4+ host molecule. DFT calculations
(ωb97X-D/6-311G(d,p)) were run with and without the PAH guests, both in the gas phase
as well as in solution. The resulting computed energies were compared to those of the
original ExBox4+ to determine any improvements due to the planar ExBox analogs.
Funding Source: Trinity University
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Chemistry Session B Presentation 106
Structural and Functional Characterization of the Sco
Protein from Thermus thermophilus
Liezelle Lopez*, Dr. Laura Hunsicker-Wang
The Sco family of proteins has been implicated in the assembly of cytochrome c
oxidase (Complex IV) of the respiratory electron transport chain, but its function is still
under debate. TtSco has been shown to bind to Cu (I) and Cu (II) ions. However, it is also
structurally similar to thioredoxins and has been shown to be able to reduce the disulfide
bond present in the CuA site of cytochrome c oxidase prior to copper insertion. To
provide evidence of Sco’s role in the assembly of the CuA center, single cysteine to serine
mutants, TtSco-C53S and TtCuA-C149S, were first produced. TtCuA was also conjugated
to a chromophore that is released upon reaction with TtSco. The two proteins were
reacted and monitored via UV-Visible spectroscopy in a 1:1 ratio at 412 nm to monitor
formation of a mixed disulfide intermediate (MDI) between the two. Currently, TtSco and
TtCuA are being reacted to form the MDI at different stoichiometric ratios and
experimental conditions to probe the kinetics of formation of the MDI. Our aim is to
crystallize the mixed disulfide intermediate to visualize and better understand the
interactions between TtSco and TtCuA. Cation exchange chromatography has shown the
most success in separating MDI from unreacted starting materials. A successful condition
for crystallization of the MDI has been found and consists of ammonium sulfate and
polyethylene glycol 8,000. Lastly, the effects of copper binding on the relative stability of
apo and holo forms of TtSco have been studied via chemical denaturation. Interestingly,
preliminary data suggests that holo-TtSco is slightly less stable than apo-TtSco. Future
studies aim to investigate the effect of the copper-ligating His139 on stability of the
protein, both with and without metal bound to gain more insight into TtSco’s ability to
bind metals and the role metal binding plays in its function.
Funding Source: Welch Foundation
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Chemistry Session B Presentation 107
The Molecular Characterization of Dib1
Bowman, Emily*, Cody Hernandez, Amber Lucas, Dr. Corina Maeder
Pre-messenger RNA splicing is a process that involves the removal of non-coding
regions of RNA and the ligation of coding regions in order to become a mature
messenger RNA. This process involves the sequential addition of small nuclear
ribonucleic protein particles, or snRNPs, that come together to form a pre-catalytic
spliceosome. Once formed, two snRNPs leave and create the catalytically active
spliceosome. Dib1 has been shown to be a necessary protein for cell viability, in addition
to an integral part of the mechanism of splicing. However, its role in splicing is currently
unknown. The model organism s. Cerevisiae has been chosen due to its fast generation
time and simple gene structures, most intron containing genes contain only a single intron
and do not have alternative splicing. Multiple mutations of the DIB1 gene have been
created previously in order to study their effects on cell viability in s. Cerevisiae. In order
to molecularly characterize Dib1, the protein was purified and quantitative analysis was
performed. Expression vectors containing the DIB1 gene along with two mutants, an
F85A mutation and an L76A D78A mutation in the pET15b vector were transformed into
expression cells in order to make protein for purification. The protein itself was purified
using a Nickel-NTA column followed by a Q-sepharose anion exchange column. CD
spectroscopy was performed on wildtype and will be performed on the F85A and L76A
D78A mutants. However, what has yet to be answered is which step in the process of
spliceosome assembly the dib1 mutants are hindering. This can be answered through the
use of biotinylated pulldowns, in which biotinylated RNA is incubated with splicing
extract from dib1 mutants in s. Cerevisiae and the U4/U6 snRNA ratio is measured using
RT-qPCR in order to determine whether or not the dib1 mutant is hindering the assembly
of the U6/U6.U5 tri-snRNP or catalytic spliceosome complex.
In light of recent structures Dib1 appears to occupy the active sight of the pre-
catalytic spliceosome and be in close proximity of the U5 snRNA. Therefore, we chose to
study the ability of the protein to bind with the U5 snRNA through gel shift assays in
which the RNA is incubated with the protein and run on a native gel to visualize whether
or not binding occurred. This would provide a way to test the ability of Dib1 mutant
proteins to bind to the U5 snRNA and therefore would suggest which residues in the
protein Dib1 are required for interactions with U5 snRNA.
Funding Source: Trinity University
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Chemistry Session B Presentation 108
Understanding PROx over supported Au catalysts
Todd Whittaker*, Dr. Bert Chandler, Dr. Chris Pursell
H2 production is an important industrial process, as 10 million tons are produced
annually in the United States alone. Over half of this is used to make ammonia, which is
used for fertilizer. Preferential oxidation of CO (PROx) could replace CO methanation as
the predominant purification technique for H2, given that up to ~10% of H2 is lost in
methanation. Several factors have been proposed over the last 30 years of what influences
Au reactivity in PROx; such as Au particle size and the type of metal oxide support used.
In a recently proposed mechanism, we show that having sufficient water coverage on the
surface of the catalyst is the key to high activity. In this project, we synthesized catalysts
using urea deposition-precipitation on different supports to analyze the effect on PROx
activity. In this way, we characterized both the synthesis techniques and the PROx
reaction. We found that PROx activity is very sensitive to the synthesis conditions,
particularly deposition temperature and time. This should allow us to prepare better
catalysts in the future.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # , Welch Foundation and
Petroleum Research Foundation
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Chemistry Session C Presentation 109
Chemical Modification of the CuA Protein from
Thermus thermophilus
Taylor Devlin*, Laura Hunsicker-Wang
The CuA site in Thermus thermophilus is located in subunit II of cytochrome c
oxidase, also called complex IV of the respiratory electron transport chain. Its primary
function is the transfer of electrons from cytochrome c to subunit I where molecular
oxygen is reduced to water. The center is composed of two copper ions bridged by two
cysteines and ligated by two histidines, a methionine, and the carbonyl group of a
glutamine. Due to the similarity of the binuclear metal center of CuA to the Reiske protein
in complex III and parallel importance in redox activities, the reactivity of ligating
histidines, His114 and His157, was probed using the chemical modifier diethyl
pyrocarbonate (DEPC). Modification was observed using UV-Visible and circular
dichroism (CD) spectroscopy at pH 5.0-9.0. Changes in CD spectra and in the ligand-to-
metal charge transfer bands seen in UV-Visible spectra suggest that at least one ligating
histidine is modified by DEPC, but the center is not reduced. The rate of reaction differed
at various pH values. Continued studies aim to verify the modification of ligating
histidines by removing the two non-ligating histidine residues and to better quantify the
pH dependence of the reaction. A better understanding of the deprotonation and reactivity
of the ligating histidines may lead to new insights into the movement of protons across
complex IV and into the intermembrane space.
Funding Source: Semmes Distinguished Scholar in Science Award
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Chemistry Session C Presentation 110
Structural Characterization of Mutants of the Thermus
thermophilus Rieske Protein
Ambrose Paige*, Dr. Hunsicker-Wang
The Rieske protein is an electron transport protein that contains a [2Fe- 2S]
cluster that is ligated by two histidines and two cysteines. It is found in the bc1 complex
(complex III) of the electron transport chain. It is the catalyst that oxidizes ubiquinol to
ubiquionone. Its reduction potential is pH-dependent and varies across species. The
structure of the protein points to the types of factors that affect the reduction potential of
the clusters. These factors include, the number of hydrogen bonds to the cluster, the
solvent accessibility of the cluster, the charges adjacent to the cluster, and the ligands
bound to the cluster. Several mutants of the Thermus thermophilus Rieske protein have
been created in order to probe each of these factors. H134C and H154C explore the effect
of a change in the ligands to the cluster, creating a 3 Cysteine-1 Histidine environment
for the [2Fe-2S] cluster. H134C and Wild-type Rieske are being created in full-length for
reduction potential measurements. H134C has also been crystallized and shows only
minor changes to the overall structure. H154C is undergoing characterization using UV
visible spectroscopy and circular dichroism studies. The IscU D73A mutant can also
contain a 3 cysteine-1 Histidine ligation environment. It is currently undergoing cluster
reconstitution for comparison studies to the H134C and H154C mutants. The
L135E/Y158F double mutant explores if the effects of the mutations are additive. This
double mutant contains mutations that alter the charges adjacent to the cluster and the
number of hydrogen bonds to the cluster. This double mutant protein has been
crystallized at 1.3Å resolution and is currently being refined.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # CHE-1055516
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Chemistry Session C Presentation 111
Selective Hydrogenation of Phenylacetylene and 1-
Hexyne over Metal Oxide Supported Au Nanoparticles
Heidi Krause*, Erika Salarda*, Dr. Chandler
Gold nanoparticle catalysts have been found to have high selectivity in
hydrogenation reactions, making them potentially useful for industrial reactions;
however, these catalysts do not have high reactivity. Factors that affect this reactivity
include support effects, electronic differences in the metal particles, and number of active
sites on the catalyst. Support effects were studied through the hydrogenation of 1-hexyne
on multiple gold catalysts with varying metal oxide supports. Comparing the
reactivity and alkene selectivity of the different catalysts helped characterize the reaction
and screen catalyst synthesis techniques.The number of catalyst active sites involved was
studied in solution using phenylacetylene hydrogenation. This reaction was intentionally
poisoned with controlled amounts of butanethiol to estimate the number of reactive
centers. These kinetic poisoning experiments showed that a subset of the Au surface sites
were key to maintaining catalytic activity.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation, Petroleum Research Fund & Welch
Foundation
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Chemistry Session C Presentation 112
Modulating Levels of Neuronal Plasma Membrane
Cholesterol and its Effect on the Toxicity of β-Amyloid:
Mathematical Modeling
Chloe Phea*, Yara Samman*, Rachel Tchen*, Dr. Farazan Aminian, Dr. Kelvin
Cheng, Dr. Saber Elaydi, Dr. James Roberts
β-Amyloid (Aβ) is the main protein involved in the pathology of Alzheimer’s
Disease (AD). Aβ tends to form aggregates on and near lipid rafts causing oxidative
stress in neuronal cells. Lipid rafts are areas of the plasma membrane that contain higher
concentrations of cholesterol, sphingolipids, and sphingomyelin. Cholesterol is
synthesized by glial cells and transported to the neurons via apolipoprotein E (ApoE). In
aging brains, the amount of cholesterol produced and transferred by astrocytes is reduced,
while the rate of turnover in neurons increases due to higher rates of cholesterol
oxidation. We hypothesize that this leads to decreased levels of cholesterol in the
neuronal plasma membrane lipid rafts. Both this decrease and a higher incidence of
Alzheimer’s Disease occur in aging brains, which led us to believe that cholesterol is
protective. Despite this reasoning, the literature supports multiple theories of how Aβ is
affected by changes in cholesterol content.
We treated hippocampal neurons from mice (HT22) with methyl-β-cyclodextrin
(MβCD) to extract plasma membrane cholesterol. We then treated the cells with varying
concentrations of Aβ1-42 and measured the mitochondrial activation induced by the
treatment. We aimed to represent our data with a mathematical model such as the Ricker
model. This model predicts the mitochondrial activation dependent on the concentration
of Aβ (µM) measured as relative fluorescence units at a fixed time. We hypothesize that
decreased amounts of cholesterol would make the cells more susceptible to the oxidative
stress caused by Aβ.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # DMS00926702, Cowles
Distinguished Professorship Research Fund
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Chemistry Session C Presentation 113
Nickel Catalyst Synthesis and Screening
Nico Dwarica*, Gabriel Levine*, Bert Chandler, Chris Pursell
The purpose of our research was to examine the effect of synthesis technique on
the performance and characteristics of Ni/Al2O3 catalysts and to develop a fast, cost-
effective, and simple screen for hydrogenation activity. Pore volume impregnation and
pH precipitation were used to prepare Ni/Al2O3 catalysts of varying weight loadings and
expected particle sizes. The catalysts were screened with liquid-phase hydrogenation of
1-octene using toluene as a solvent and H2 gas as the hydrogen source. The extent of
hydrogenation, and thus catalyst activity, was determined with a UV-visible titration,
using bromine to functionalize the unreacted double bonds. We found that pore volume
impregnation produces more active nickel catalysts than pH precipitation. These
discoveries may enable simpler and more controlled catalyst synthesis for future work
and the screen may enable more rapid evaluation of viability of future catalysts for more
advanced and expensive characterization.
Funding Source: Petroleum Research Fund, National Science Foundation Award # ,
Welch Foundation
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Chemistry Session D Presentation 114
Concentric Saturn-like Systems from
Cycloparaphenylenes
Zeina Zayat* and Dr. Bachrach
The optimizations of the host/guest interaction between two cycloparaphenylene
nanohoops were studied using density functional theory (ωB97XD/6-31G(d)). These
complexes are analogous to Saturn systems, where the host is a nanohoop and the guest is
a fullerene. Different configurations of these two-nanohoop complexes were optimized to
look for the highest binding energy. Figure 1 shows an image of one of the optimized
host/guest configurations. Complexes with varying sizes of the nanohoops along with
their relative inclination will be presented.
Funding Source: Welch Foundation and Trinity University
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Chemistry Session D Presentation 115
Thermodynamic Studies of Analyte Retention on Lauryl
Acrylate Porous Polymer Monolith Stationary Phases as a
Function of Mobile Phase Composition
Pooja Bollampally*, David Anguiano, Tian Tian, Michelle Bushey
The development of porous polymer monoliths (PPMs) as new stationary phases has proven to
be useful for separations of organic molecules and biomolecules. These PPMs are still being
investigated, and our goal is to examine the thermodynamics of the separation process on lauryl
acrylate porous polymer monoliths. The system is primarily studied by capillary
electrochromatography (CEC). Retention time was recorded for six different mobile phase
compositions (80:20, 75:25, 70:30, 65:35, 60:40, 55:45 acetonitrile: trisma Base) over a range of
temperatures from 25°C to 60°C in 5°C increments. A decrease in retention was observed for all
runs as the temperature increased. Enthalpy and entropy values were calculated from van’t Hoff
plots. The numbers of theoretical plates over the range of temperatures and the range of mobile
phase compositions were also calculated.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award # , and the American Chemical Society
(Petroleum Research Fund).
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Chemistry Session D Presentation 116
Studying the Mass Transport Phenomena Associated with
Evaporation
Taylor Piske*, Gregory Wassom*, Dr. Kelly-Zion, Dr. Nguyen, Dr. Pursell.
The subject of our research is evaporation, looking particularly at the two mass
transport phenomena of the vapors – diffusion and buoyancy-induced convection.
Diffusion is the outward expansion of the evaporated gas driven by a concentration
gradient and the tendency of the gas to distribute itself evenly throughout a given space.
Convection is the gravitational effect on the gas, which tends to pull the gas down and
prevents it from spreading upward freely into the ambient gas (for evaporated gases that
are heavier than the ambient gas). Traditionally, mathematical models used to describe
the vapor transport of evaporation are diffusion-limited, meaning they do not take into
account the effects of convection on evaporation. The purpose of our research is to gain
insight into how diffusion and buoyancy-induced convection combine to affect
evaporation, as well as how these two vapor transport phenomena are coupled.
Several experiments have been carried out. Evaporation rates in air at one
atmosphere have been directly determined using a gravimetric technique, while a
shadowgraph technique in a pressure chamber has been utilized to measure evaporation
rates in a variety of gases at various pressures. In our most recent experiments, the vapor
concentration above an evaporating droplet of methanol, hexane, and 3-methylpentane
was measured using infrared spectroscopy.
Funding Source: Petroleum Research Fund.
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Chemistry Session D Presentation 117
Evaporation Rate of a Sessile Droplet in Different
Pressures and Ambient Gases
Kristen Rundstein* & Brenton Mandelkorn*
Dr. Peter Kelly-Zion, Dr. Chris Pursell
The evaporation of sessile droplets, which are droplets of small radii pinned to a flat
surface, is an important subject of study due to its applications in spraying, coating, ink-jet
printing, surface patterning, and much more. Evaporation of small droplets has traditionally been
thought to be diffusion-limited, but new studies show that the evaporation of sessile droplets is
also affected by the transport mechanism of natural convection. Diffusion is the molecular
mechanism that is driven by the concentration gradient of the vapor cloud above the droplet,
which would naturally form a spherical vapor cloud. On the other hand, natural convection is
driven by the bulk density gradient of the vapor-gas mixture. Experiments have been performed
to analyze the relative contributions of both diffusion and natural convection on the evaporation
of hexane and methanol.
The experiments were conducted in a pressure chamber with pressures ranging from 1 to
6 atmospheres and with ambient gases of air, helium, argon, krypton, and sulfur hexafluoride.
The pressure and ambient gases were altered in order to vary the density of the gas mixture,
along with the diffusion coefficient. Both hexane and methanol were used to vary the
hydrocarbon and learn how the thermophysical properties of each compound influences diffusion
and convection. The evaporation rates were measured using a shadowgraph imaging technique.
This technique consists of a bright light source, parabolic mirrors, and a high definition, high
speed digital camera. The light passes through the pressure chamber and a shadow image of the
droplet is recorded by the camera. The volume of the droplet is then measured over time as it
evaporates. Multiplication by the hydrocarbon’s density produces the evaporation rate.
These experimental results will be compared with a previously determined evaporation
model. This correlation model was developed for multiple hydrocarbons at varying radii in air at
one atmosphere. These additional experiments with hexane and methanol were conducted in
different ambient gases and varying pressures to help further identify the contributions of
diffusion and natural convection. The new data collected should allow a more global correlation
to be created to accommodate varying pressures and ambient gases and therefore provide greater
insight into the vapor transport mechanisms responsible for evaporation.
Funding Source: Petroleum Research Fund
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Chemistry Session D Presentation 118
Efficiency Study of Analyte Separations on Porous Polymer
Monoliths as a Function of Mobile Phase Composition Using
Capillary Electrochromatography (CEC)
Shivani Desai*, David Anguino, Tian Tian, Michelle M. Bushey
The number of theoretical plates represents chromatographic efficiency. Efficiency can
be used to quantitatively compare different experimental setups for chromatography or
other separation processes. To better understand the factors that affect efficiency, it is
important to study the interactions between analytes, mobile phases, and stationary
phases. The separation performance of various mobile phase consisting of mixtures of
aqueous buffers or formic acid with different amounts of acetonitrile or methanol were
studied by capillary electrochromatography (CEC) on a lauryl acrylate porous polymer
monolith column. Analytes were alkyl benzene series (toluene through octyl benzene). It
was found that acetonitrile/formic acid mobile phase results in higher efficiency than an
acetonitrile/tris mobile phase. The impact of different ratios of acetonitrile/formic acid on
efficiency was also studied. Future work includes exploring more mobile phases in order
to achieve higher efficiency.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award #, The Petroleum Research
Foundation of the American Chemical Society
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Chemistry Session E Presentation 119
The Scientific Analysis and Classification of Amber
Nicole R. Rueb*, Joseph B. Lambert
Fossilized plant resin, which has matured over millions of years, is known today as
amber. This material, which typically dates from the Tertiary to the Cretaceous periods, has had
many uses since the Upper Paleolithic time including jewelry, religious relics, and incense.
Scientific analysis of the material began in the Renaissance but was not successful until 1986
when Beck used infrared spectroscopy for analysis of Baltic Amber. Today, amber is primarily
analyzed using mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
Results from both techniques reveal distinct classifications of the material based on differences
in geographical and paleobotanical origins. NMR has classified amber from around the world
into five distinct groups based on repeatable spectral patterns. Groups A and B are found
worldwide; whereas Group C is found only in the Baltic. Group D is found in Latin America,
Africa, and the Caribbean, and Group E contains only fossilized polystyrene. Specifically, amber
and copal samples from South and Central America, North America, Africa, Eastern Europe, and
East and Southeast Asia were analyzed this summer, with a particular emphasis on samples from
Japan for a focused study.
Funding Source: Welch Foundation
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Chemistry Session E Presentation 120
Thermal Analysis of Fossilized Resin by Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Truongan V. Nguyen*, Joseph B. Lambert
Fossilized plant exudates, more commonly known as amber, are praised for their
paleontological importance. Along with its younger, less mature relative, copal, fossilized
resins have been the subject of numerous studies using nuclear magnetic resonance
(NMR) spectroscopy. Historically, resins are known for their uses in medicine, incense,
and jewelry. Resin beads are of particular interest because it is believed, during the
shaping process, that they may have been exposed to heat. These heat-treated amber and
copal samples produce NMR spectra that are different when compared with their
unheated resin samples. Heat treatment of these resins may simulate maturation of the
material as indicated by NMR spectra of samples that are known to have been heated. In
order to investigate the effect of heating resin samples, two thermal analyses were
conducted. The first used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), because previous
publications had successfully characterized the age of resins using thermogravimetric
techniques. Results using DSC analysis showed minor patterns within each NMR
classification; however, these patterns were not reproducible enough to be considered
meaningful. Further analysis involved heating resin samples at high temperatures for 12
hours and recording their NMR spectra. NMR analysis of these samples reveals that
changes are observed in the spectra around 200 and 250 ˚C for copals and ambers,
respectively. The results of these thermal analyses are discussed.
Funding Source: The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation
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Chemistry Session E Presentation 121
Cross-linker Studies of a Lauryl Acrylate Porous
Polymer Monolith Using Capillary
Electrochromatography and Scanning Electron
Microscopy
Ann Marie Hilborn*, David Anguiano, Tian Tian, Michelle M. Bushey
Recently there has been a revolution in the separations world with the
development of porous polymer monoliths (PPMs) as stationary phases. The structures of
PPMs have many advantages over traditional silica-based columns. The purpose of this
project was to study the performance of columns made with two distinct cross-linkers,
1,3-butanediol diacrylate (BDDA) and trimethylpropyl trimethacrylate (TMPTMA),
respectively. By making small changes in the polymerization recipes, morphology and
separation capabilities may change dramatically. Three recipes of lauryl acrylate porous
polymer monoliths were prepared in fused silica capillary columns. The effects of
different cross-linkers were investigated by capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The
retention time and efficiency of an alkyl benzene series (toluene through octyl benzene)
on these columns were compared across various mobile phases. Cross sections of these
columns were also sputter coated with gold and imaged under scanning electron
microscope (SEM). Quantitative comparison between columns was enabled from SEM
measurements. The morphological discoveries provide explanations for the column
performance. The results of this study provide insights for understanding the relationship
between the structure and property of lauryl acrylate porous polymer monoliths.
Funding Source: The Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society,
National Science Foundation Award #
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Chemistry Session E Presentation 122
Characterization of the Methyl Bromoacetate-Modified
Rieske Protein
Frances Claire Steinman*, Laura Hunsicker-Wang
Rieske proteins are electron transport proteins which contain a [2Fe-2S] cluster
ligated by two cysteines and two histidines. The dimeric Cytochrome bc1 (complex III) of
the mitochondrial electron transport chain contains two Rieske proteins. Previous studies
have shown that the reduction potential of the Rieske protein is pH dependent, which is
due to the deprotonation of the ligating histidines. Previous work by this lab has also
demonstrated that when a truncated version of the Rieske protein from Thermus
thermophilus (truncTtRp) is reacted with diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC), the ligating
histidines His154 and His134 and the two non-ligating histidines are modified, the
reduction potential is raised, and the [2Fe-2S] cluster is reduced. It has been proposed
that the increased reduction potential is due to electron-withdrawing properties of the
DEPC-histidine adduct. Methyl bromoacetate (MBA) does not have the electron-
withdrawing properties of DEPC, and was used to modify truncTtRp. This reaction was
found to only yield about 20% modified protein, thus the modified fractions were isolated
in order to better characterized the modified protein. The reaction mixture was purified
using an anion exchange column and identified using an isoelectric focusing gel. Two
species were isolated from the column, with one eluting into fractions earlier than the
other, and were independently characterized with UV-visible and circular dichroism
spectroscopy. The MBA-modified protein found in these fractions exhibited small, but
reproducible differences compared to unmodified protein and did not show any signs of
reduction. Additionally, the MBA-modified truncTtRp, unlike the DEPC-modified
protein, was able to be chemically reduced. The difference between the two fractions is
unknown, but could be due to different combinations of modification of the histidine
residues in the protein.
Funding Source: National Science Foundation Award #CHE-1055516
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Chemistry Session E Presentation 123
Searching for a Möbius Strip with Cyclometaphenylene
Skylar Cho*, Dr. Bachrach
The plausibility of Möbius strip was explored with various sizes of the
macrocycle cyclometaphenylene 1 using density functional theory. In order to compare
how competitive the Möbius structure will be in terms of energy, the most stable
structures of cyclometaphenylenes were thoroughly investigated. The Möbius-resembling
conformation starts to emerge with the 10-phenyl macrocycle decacyclometaphenylene.
1
Funding Source: Trinity University
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Chemistry Session E Presentation 124
Characterization Studies of Gold Nanoparticle
Supported Catalysts Using the Selective Oxidation of
Benzyl Alcohol
S. Luikart*, M. Santos*, B. Chandler, C. Pursell
This study focused on characterizing metal oxide supported gold nanoparticle
catalysts such Au/TiO2 and Au/Al2O3. This interest led us to use selective benzyl alcohol
oxidation as a probe reaction for investigating the inherent reactive properties of these
catalysts. These characterization studies investigated basic kinetics and the effects of
water in the reaction. The basic kinetics of the reaction were examined with reaction
order and Michaelis-Menten analyses. In particular, parameters such as the concentration
of benzyl alcohol and temperature were varied to determine the kinetic properties
associated with the catalysts. In order to investigate the reaction’s dependence on water, a
series of drying studies were conducted to study the change in reactivity as the catalyst
was dried. The effects of water were also examined with Hammett studies, which probed
electronic changes to the active site. These studies highlighted the important, and
previously unappreciated, role that water plays in alcohol oxidation chemistry over gold
catalysts.
Funding Source: FASTER Grant SURF - National Science Foundation DUE S-
STEM Award 1153796
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Aarons, Victoria 93
Abajian, Jacob 79
Adams, Ann 94
Alana, Nicholas 1
Al-Bataineh, Areej 44
Alcorn, Davis K. 92
Ali, Omar 101
Alvarado, Cassandra 94
Aminian, Farazan 112
Andrews, Ann 102
Anguiano, David 115, 121
Asimes, Andrea 52
Azar, Jason 2, 63
Bachrach, Steven M. 102, 105, 114, 123
Bains, Mona 52
Ball, Whitney 3
Bassiri-Gharb, Avva 94
Blanco-Cano, Rosana 59
Bollampally, Pooja 115
Bovio, R.S. 4
Bowman, Emily 103, 107
Bushey, Michelle 104, 115, 121
Cabral Balreira, E. 30, 48, 50
Cabrera, Karina 5
Cantu, Amanda 6
Chandler, Bert 98, 108, 111, 113, 124
Cheng, Kelvin 43, 112
Childers, Jane B. 6
Cho, Skylar 123
Chocano, Magaly 28
Clark, Catherine 60
Cofer, Evan 67
Cohen, Joshua 75, 90
Contreras, Adriana 13
Corley, Grace D. 66, 71, 83
Cortez, Monique 85
Coverdale, Thomas 20
Crues, Ashton, 8
Debner, Emily 9
Deckard, Faith 10
DeLeon, Abraham 87
Delgado, Rocio 70
Desai, Shivani 118
Devlin, Taylor 109
Diaz, Liliana 55
Diller, Ryan 86
Drennon, Dr. Christine 84
Dunn, Connor 11
Dugan, Allison M. 46
Dwarica, Nico 113
Dybdal-Hargreaves, Michael 100
Easwaran, Gopalakrishnan 32
Elaydi, Saber 15, 43, 112
Endresen, K. 12
Escapita, Franchesca 13
Espinoza, Giovanna 59
Evans, Cole, 35
Evans, Robert Cole, 14
Farner, Will R. 66, 71, 83
Finch, Heather 15
Fogarty, Seth 58
Frasch, Duncan 16
Freund, Danielle 17
Gamboa, Alexandra 6
Gardner, Thomas 38
Genestreti, Kevin J. 66, 71, 83
Gil, Karina E. 76
Goldstein, Jerry 66, 71, 83
Gonzalez, Camilo 35
Gray, Cheryl 18
Grice, Amy 101
Gulliver, Kirk 19
Hall, Austen 80
Hall, James 44
Hamilton, Kristy A. 20
Hanes, Madeline 21
Hasfura-Buenaga, Roberto 15, 48
Healy, Frank 12, 21, 75, 90
Heffner, Samantha 86
Henderson, Jennifer 60
Hernandez, Cody 103, 107
Hertel, Paula T. 20
Hibbs, Matthew A. 61, 74, 88
Hilborn, Ann Marie 121
Hoard, Danielle 22
Hoffman, Mikki 62
Hofmann, Christopher 96
Author Index
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Holler, Alex 91
Holmes, Amy 34
Huesca, Robert 72
Hunsicker-Wang, Laura 100, 106, 109, 110, 122
Huther, Alexander 98
Isaacs, Lyle 101
Izquierdo, Alyssa 14
Jaramillo, Maria A. 23
Jiang, Albert Xin 51
Johnson, Clara 6, 24
Johnson, Michele 10, 23, 36, 49, 53, 65
Kelleher, Caroline 25
Kelly, Kassie 26
Kelly-Zion, Peter
King, Jonathan M. 1, 9, 48
Kistler, Lynn M. 71, 83
Kotara, Kendall 78
Krause, Heidi 111
Kurpis, Julianna 56
Kwessi, Eddy 94
Lalani, Sabina 5
Lambert, Joseph 119, 120
Lane, Fiona 64
Larsen, Brian A. 66, 71, 83
Leafstedt, Carl 26
Legg, Beth 67
LeGros, Evan 58
Lehrmann, Adrien
Lehrmann, Daniel 25, 42
Leifer, Jack 40, 41
Levine, Gabriel 113
Lewandowski Jr., Gary W. 18
Li, Wei 101
Livingstone, Kevin 33, 69
Lopez, Liezelle 106
Luikart, S. 124
Luna, Sonny 70
Lyons, Kelly 78, 94
Maeder, Corina 103, 107
Mahapatra, Subrat 27
Mandelkorn, Brenton 117
Mangalji, Ali 61
Manton, Edwin 62
Martinez, Luis 35, 62
Martinez-Acosta, Veronica G. 57
Matthews, Martel 28
Mattingly, Brent A. 18
McGee, Shelly 73
McIntyre, Kevin P. 18, 20
McKay, Cameron 90
Medrano, Megan 72
Meitz, Julia 104
Mendiola Jr., Arturo 81
Middleton, Katie 96
Miller, Conor 17
Mobley, William 101
Mosley-Jensen, William 95
Mouikis, Chris 71, 83
Muniz, Yvette 29
Murphy, Troy 17
Navarro, Aaron 24
Nguyen, Hoa 7, 16, 68, 75, 90, 116
Nguyen, Truongan, V. 120
Nickels, Kevin 16, 227
Nickle, Zachary 105
Nielsen, Chrissy 48
Nishikawa, Katsua 68
Norman, Patricia 31
O’Connor, Jason C. 46
Olivares, Rosa 84
Oranday, Andrea 30
O’Rourke, Kathryn 2, 63
Pache, Corinne O. 80
Paige, Ambrose 110
Pak, Toni 52
Parrish, Sarah 6, 24
Patel, Vik 35
Patzke, Mollie 19
Persellin, Julie 34
Petri, Madeline 15
Phea, Chloe 43, 112
Phillippe, Austin 78
Phillips, Kimberley 14
Piske, Taylor 116
Platt, Mark D. 57
Plenge, Megan 29, 37
polanco, marcela 81
Poovathoor, Vivek 27
Author Index (cont.)
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Pursell, Chris 98, 99, 108, 113, 116, 117, 124
Quigley, Catherine 31
Ramnarace, Chae M. 66, 71, 83
Ramos Martinez, Juanita 76
Reeves, Geoff 66, 71, 83
Reynolds, Megan 93
Reynolds, Ryan 48
Ribble, David 4, 15
Roberts, James 5, 43, 52, 65, 112
Rodriguez, Nicole 32
Rojas, Alexsandra 33, 69
Rothenbaum, Nathan 95
Rueb, Nicole R. 119
Ruge-Jones, Luisa M. 92
Ruiz, Bladimir 55
Rundstein, Kristen 117
Salarda, Erika 111
Samman, Yara 43, 112
Sanchez, Anthony D. 87
Sanchez, Graciela 59
Sannoh, Steven 34
Santos, M. 124
Schreib, Christian 103
Selleck, Thayer 35
Selznick, Leah 36
Shepherd, Rachel 100
Sherry, Ileana 89
Shinkle, James 33, 54, 56
Siegal, Jeremy 96
Simoneau, Samuel 37
Skoug, Ruth M. 66, 77, 83
Smith, Diane 47
Smith, Lauren 101
Solano, Tristan 38
Soto, Michael 89
Spence, Harlan 66, 71, 83
Spiegel, D. 12
Spigel, Chad 82
Stark, Mason 39
Steele, Jennifer 67
Stein, Charles N. 7, 23, 75
Stein, Miguel A. 23
Steinman, Frances Claire 122
Stercula, Jacob M. 65
Stone, Amy 3, 22
Suarez-Domit, Juan Carlos 40
Sullivan, Hannah 3
Sullivan, Heather 91
Surpless, Benjamin 8, 11, 45
Surpless, Kathleen 19
Suttner, Selena 6
Swanson, Nicholas 41
Swartz, Hadley 42
Tatman, Jared 6
Tchen, Rachel 43, 112
Thacker, Isaac 74
Thomas, Jordan 44
Thorne, Sarah 45
Thurman, Sarah 19
Tian, Tian 104, 115, 118, 121
Tingle, Jacob 39
Tontiplaphol, Betsy 86
Tunon, Arnulfo 46
Turner, Niescja E. 66, 71, 83
Ugolini, Dennis 79
Ulin, Lindsey 14
Urbach, Adam 97, 101
Uroff, James 47
Vinciguerra, Brittany 101
Wagner, Savannah 82
Walker, Elizabeth 17
Ward, Joshua 88
Wassom, Gregory 116
Watson, Cassie 48
Webber, Miguel A. 23, 49
Whittaker, Todd 108
Willey, B. 12
Wright, Eliza 50
Yang, Jingqing 51
Yarberry, Briahna 52
Yazbek, Lindsey 37
Young, Carolyn C. 97
Zayat, Zeina 114
Zeb, Adam J. 53
Zepeda, Candace 85
Zhang, Jason 54, 56
Author Index (cont.)
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Trinity University is grateful to the following
organizations and donors for their support.
Alvarez Internship Grant
American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund
Arts, Letters, and Enterprise Minor
Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Fund
Chevron
Conoco Phillips
U.S. Department of Defense
Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation
FASTER Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Garrett Wallace Brown
Howland, Eggen, and Pitts Computer Science Student Summer Research Fellowship
Tim and Karen Hixon Endowment for Environmental Studies
W.M. Keck Foundation
Mark W. Kline, M.D. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
The Steven P. Mach Family
Mellon Initiative for Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities
Murchison Undergraduate Reach Fellowship
NASA Van Allen Probes Mission’s RBSP-ECT
National Science Foundation
R. David Shiels
The Semmes Distinguished Scholars in Science Endowment Fund
Shell International Exploration and Production
Silver and Black Give Back
Stumberg Competition
Texas General Land Office
Trinity University Annell Bay SURF in Geosciences
Trinity University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
Upward Bound
Tinker Family Endowment for Geosciences
U.S. Department of Education
Charles A. Zilker Endowment for Physics and Astronomy