Equiano’s Battle in Stockholm: Effects of
Internalized Racism
Tyayia Zarelle’ June
Young
Student’s Majors:
Creative Writing, English, & Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Sharleen Mondal, English
The
Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789) has inspired some compelling arguments for
current scholars regarding race during the eighteenth century. Equiano’s
autobiography talks about his identity in regard to whiteness. Equiano
describes his enslavement from Africa, to Great Britain, to America. Equiano
also uses his narrative to persuade readers to support the abolition of
slavery. Literary scholar Ronald Paul argues that Equiano’s psychological
dualism is a representation of the denial of Black self and the adoption of a
White other. Although I agree with Paul, I think it is important to narrow down
what Equiano’s racial alienation led to, which is internalized racism. For
this reason, I will argue that looking at Equiano’s enslavement from the
position of Stockholm Syndrome and its many elements will show how Stockholm
Syndrome aided in his internalized racism. Investigating deeper into the text
with a psychoanalytic lens allows for a vast understanding of how Stockholm
Syndrome, the act of becoming emotionally attached to one’s kidnapper or
abuser, aided in Equiano’s experience, and the prosperity of slavery as a
whole. Over the course of his narrative he becomes emotionally dependent on his
various “masters.” He even goes as far as trying to protect his enslavers in
his narrative. For instance, he never gives himself credit when speaking about
his education, and instead gives all the credit to them. Exploring the story
from the perspective of Stockholm Syndrome also raises the question of how free
Equiano truly was.
Writing and Publishing Personal Creative Nonfiction: How to Breathe Through It
Erika Gallion
Erika Gallion is a 2014 graduate of Ashland
University. Erika graduated Magna Cum Laude with double degrees in English and
Creative Writing as a part of the AU Honors Program. After graduating from AU,
Erika went on to complete a master’s degree at Kent State University where she
studied Higher Education Administration. Her career has been centered on
international efforts within Higher Education - she has worked at the
University of North Florida as a Study Abroad Advisor and International Student
Advisor, UCLA as a graduate student advisor, and now works at USC in
International Admissions. Erika’s creative writing has appeared in Entropy,
Angel City Review, The Racket, Women’s Review of Books, and more. She has a
monthly Substack newsletter and a website (www.erikagallion.com). Currently,
she lives in Los Angeles, California with her fiance and cats. She is working
on completing her memoir and finding an agent to sell the book.
Writing has been a daily practice for me since I learned to write and read. As an adolescent, writing took place in the solitary spaces of my mind and journal; I was extremely hesitant to share my work with anyone. During my four years at Ashland University, I learned how to share my work and how to accept criticism. I began feeling comfortable sharing my work in workshop settings, but worried about what would become of my writing and the progress I’d made once I graduated from AU. I completed a master’s degree in Education and my career took the path of administration within Higher Education. Throughout my career, though, writing has stayed constant for me, and in 2018, I began sending my writing out for publication. As a mainly creative nonfiction writer, sharing my work can bring forth difficult memories or emotions, such as shame, grief, and the perplexing experience of wondering if the story I’m telling is actually mine to tell. Despite these difficulties, I’ve found contentment in the publishing process, and know that examining the human condition, which writing is ultimately about, is something I have a deep interest and talent in. I will read the first creative piece of mine to be published (via Entropy in 2018) and discuss the difficulties and joys of publishing such personal work.
Synthesis of Phosphazene Drug Delivery Systems &
the Investigation of Imidazole-Based Compounds as Anti-Cancer Agents
Evan Thomae
Student’s Major: Biochemistry
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Nicholas Johnson, Chemistry
The
use of imidazolium salts and their derivatives as potential anti-cancer
molecules is gaining attention within the medical field; however, imidazolium
salts, and many other pharmaceuticals, suffer from the loss of water solubility
(hydrophilicity) as the anti-cancer activity increases. The effects of the
decreased solubility can be circumvented by attaching the drug molecule to a
carrier molecule with high hydrophilicity. Utilizing a phosphazene, we were
able to synthesize a tunable drug delivery system. Phosphazenes possess many
qualities that make them a favorable candidate for drug delivery systems. The
ease of substitution that phosphaszenes possess makes them a favorable delivery
candidate for our research utilizing imidazoles as a potential anti-cancer
agent. Highly water-soluble groups, such as tetraethyleneglycol monomethylether
(TEGME), can be added to the phosphazene while still leaving points of
attachment open for imidazolium salts. Imidazolium salts are being studied for
their potential anti-cancer activity that comes from their structure,
containing primarily insoluble portions that increase the anti-cancer activity
of the molecule. We have synthesized a benzimidazole based compound in order
to explore its potential anti-cancer activity. The imidazole that was
synthesized contained an alcohol moiety for future attachment to the
aforementioned phosphazene drug delivery system. Results from this study were
characterized via 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy.
The (Not So) Good, Bad, and Ugly: Adolescent Alcohol
Exposure
Dr. David Werner
Dr. David Werner graduated in 2001 with a double major
in biology and chemistry. While at Ashland, he was a member of the Honors
Program and completed his thesis under the guidance of Dr. Brian Mohney. David
was also a collegiate athlete in swimming throughout his time at Ashland, and
was involved in Greek life. Following graduation, he continued onto his
graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
specializing in neuropharmacology, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the
University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He is currently a tenured
associate professor and Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of
Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at Binghamton University, State University
of New York, where his lab focuses on intrinsic and extrinsic developmental
factors related to substance use disorder, primarily alcohol.
Despite
its widespread societal use, much remains unknown regarding alcohol use and
consequences therein, particularly during adolescence when the brain is still
undergoing major developmental changes. This presentation will give an overview
of the current state of understanding adolescent alcohol use vulnerability,
its relationship to alcohol use disorder later in life, and novel translationally
relevant preclinical interventional conduits.
Investigating the Role of γN-Crystallins
in Zebrafish Eye Lens Development
Adil Hussen
Student’s Major: Biology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Mason Posner, Biology
Zebrafish
are important model organisms for the analysis of eye lens development and
vision diseases like cataracts. Similar to other vertebrates, the zebrafish
lens is composed of crystallin proteins (α, β, and γ) that are largely responsible for maintaining its
transparency. While many studies have examined the functions of α-crystallins, little is known about what γ-crystallins do in the lens, especially a subtype
called the γN-crystallins. Therefore, our
goal was to use CRISPR gene editing to examine the role of γN1- and γN2-crystallin. We injected zebrafish zygotes with a
mix of four guide RNAs to direct Cas9 protein to damage each γN-crystallin gene. Microscopic analysis of the
embryos at 4 days after injection showed that 83.3% of lenses were abnormal. We
found two types of defects in the lenses. The most common was an abnormal
central pitting. Some lenses also showed disorganization in the radial
arrangement of fiber cells. Furthermore, the lens diameters of the γN-crystallin CRISPR damaged embryos were
significantly smaller than those of untreated embryos (P<.001, Tukey
post-test). These results suggest that both γN-crystallins are required for normal lens
development. We are now generating a population of zebrafish with a
nonfunctional γN2-crystallin gene to
facilitate further experiments on the role of this protein. We have
successfully generated a mutation using multiple guide RNAs that deleted ~3000
base pairs of the gene and confirmed this mutation with PCR genotyping. We
provide the first evidence that γN-crystallins are required for lens development and
are generating tools that can be used to examine their roles in the development
of the vertebrate lens.
Triumphus
et Ruina autem Leviathan:
A Critique of
Christianity’s Embrace of the State as Savior
Nathan Sims
Student’s Majors:
Religion, Philosophy, & Political Science
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Craig Hovey, Religion
The
Christian faith has a rich history of relationships to societies and governments.
Both the church and the state have taken many different stances on the
relationship between the church and the state throughout history. However, the
rise of early modern political philosophers such as Hobbes, Locke, and
Machiavelli ushered in a new age of church-state relationships. Mark Lilla
calls this the Great Separation, which relegates the church to a position which
is under the jurisdiction of the state and makes the state the sovereign of the
church. This shift is problematic for the church because it has resulted in the
church idolizing the state, replacing God as savior with the state as savior.
The most blatant example of this is the allegiance of the German Christian
Church to Adolf Hitler. I was driven by the desire to know why the church
accepts the state as savior and how, if there is any way, to keep the church
from idolatry of the state. The use of Romans 13 by the German Christian Church
is what spurred both the critique of the church’s theology and the state’s
theology regarding their relationship. I discovered a way to recognize the
theological significance of the state, by reading and analyzing theologians
like Karl Barth, Augustine, and William Cavanaugh, while at the same time
recognizing the church’s relationship to the state as an entity that provides
goods to the church but also threatens the political integrity of the church’s
existence. This led me to extend Augustine’s teachings on disordered desires to
the realm of the state and revealed that the state’s telos in the end time
events is to eventually disappear and give way to the Kingdom of God.
The Chemical Synthesis of Six-Armed Calixarene
Polylactide/Polyethylene Glycol Star Block Copolymers
Taylor Kroll
Student’s Majors: Biochemistry & Environmental
Science-Toxicology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Perry Corbin, Chemistry
The
design and synthesis of polymers for use in biomaterial applications (e.g.,
drug-delivery and antimicrobial agents) is an important area of current research.
Most polymers used in biomaterial applications have a linear structure
compared to star-shaped polymers, which is the focus of our research group. The
synthesis and study of star-shaped polymers is significant because of the
potential for star polymers to have different properties than their linear
counterparts. In this presentation, efforts to synthesize new six-armed calixarene-core
polylactide/polyethylene glycol (PLA-PEG) star block copolymers will be
described and compared to our research group’s earlier synthesis of four- and
eight-armed calixarene-core PLA-PEG copolymers. The six-armed calixarene-core
PLA-PEG star block copolymers have been synthesized in several steps. First,
six-armed PLA star polymers were prepared using an appropriate calix-6-arene
initiator in a Sn(II)-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of lactide.
Subsequent incorporation of alkyne functional groups at the end groups of the
star PLA chains provided a handle for attaching PEG blocks using a
copper-catalyzed click reaction. No-deuterium (No-D) NMR spectroscopy has been
used to successfully follow and optimize this challenging polymer coupling.
Efforts are currently underway to scale up the synthesis of calixarene-core
star polymers in order to further research their use in biomaterial
applications.
Headphones:
A Familiar Story
Tyayia Zarelle’ June
Young
Student’s Majors:
Creative Writing, English, & Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Deborah Fleming, English
“Headphones”
is an essay about the effects catcalling has on young women and the extremes
these women will go through to divert this unwanted attention. Once women
begin to experience catcalling, using headphones for musical entertainment is
no longer their sole reality. Instead they are forced to carry headphones
around as a security blanket to protect them from catcallers. Headphones
discourage some men from catcalling because they usually do so at a distance,
and headphones make it easier for women to pretend they did not hear. I discuss
how to address catcalling and the traumas it can cause better than we have in
the past. Movements such as “Me too” have caught the attention of millions,
making the conversation easier to bring up and allowing young women to come
into contact with others who share similar stories. I also discuss how
catcalling is so normalized that it is seen as a “rite of passage” for teen
girls. These young women are often told they are overreacting to these
advancements and are questioned by peers and family rather than supported.
Other times they are coerced into simple things such as giving out their phone number.
These men will harass women until they feel as if they have to give into the
men’s wishes in order to get out of the situation safely. The essay also
discusses the effects catcalling can have on women of different backgrounds.
Women of color, particularly Black women, often face more severe catcalling and
at younger ages.
Developing
a New Method for the Analysis of Volatile Chemicals
Kayla Lightcap
Student’s Major:
Chemistry
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Chemistry
Alliaria
petiolata, or garlic mustard, releases
small amounts of volatile, biologically active chemicals from its roots,
including benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC). Isothiocyanates provide a defense
against herbivores and pathogens, as well as other plants. Isothiocyanates are
biologically active at very low (micromolar) concentrations, and this combined
with BITC’s volatility has made it difficult to develop sensitive analytical
methods that can be used in the field. Our research goal is to trap and analyze
BITC through a new sampling method where a syringe needle is placed inside a
gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) vial containing silicone tubing.
Silicone is effective in trapping nonvolatile chemicals, so our hope was that
it would trap volatile chemicals as well. BITC will diffuse through the needle
into the vial but remain in the silicone. The silicone is then extracted with
solvent and the BITC trapped is analyzed by GC-MS. The most effective method
for our purposes was Selective Ion Monitoring (SIM), in which particular ions
produced by BITC are measured, giving higher sensitivity. Preliminary results
showed inconsistencies, but also showed that BITC can be trapped and retained
on the silicone. Success in retaining enough BITC in our sampling vials is a
large step towards reproducible analysis of volatile chemicals in soil.
Further studies are planned to characterize the length of time required for
BITC to absorb in the silicone, the rate at which it is lost from the vials if
undisturbed, and how needle diameter and placement affects BITC recovery.
Visual and Auditory Memory Differences
Julia Valeiro Paterlini
Student’s Major: Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Christopher Chartier, Psychology
Auditory
and visual memory are important aspects to be studied because they are the
reason why living beings are able to retain and retrieve important information,
emotions, and events from the past. Cohen, Horowitz, & Wolfe, (2009) found
that visual memory is far superior in memory recollection than auditory memory.
This may be because visual memory has better cognitive accessibility. The
purpose of this study was to find out if, when an image and a sound are paired
together, they could aid each other in memory recollection. Participants were
exposed to 50 matching images and sounds (e.g. image of a dog and a sound of a
dog barking) and 50 mismatching images and sounds (e.g. image of a bird and the
sound of a car’s horn). To allow memory decay, participants took a demographic
survey, and then they received a questionnaire with very detailed descriptions
of images and sounds such as “You were exposed to an image of a small red car.”
Participants then had chosen 1 of the 3 answers, 1. Yes, I remember; 2. No, I
didn’t; and 3. I don’t remember. A within-subject ANOVA revealed a significant
difference between the matching and mismatching conditions, (N=45), F
(1,44) = 2.30, p= 0.003. Participants performed worse on the
mismatching items (M = 0.61, SD = 0.49) than on the matching
items (M = 0.69; SD = 0.47). The results suggest that people remember
better when an image and a sound are complementary to each other.
The Impact of E-Cigarette Exposure on the Metabolism
of Male and Female
C57/BL6 Mice
Gabriella Hartz
Student’s Majors:
Biology & Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Dolly Crawford, Biology/Toxicology
Inhalation
of e-cigarette vapor may shift metabolism from a carbohydrate-based system to a
lipid-based system, but this has not been empirically tested. I tested the
hypothesis that inhalation of e-cigarette vapor will cause a shift to a
lipid-based metabolism in male and female C57/BL6 mice using indirect
calorimetry. Six mice (three males and three females) aged between 177-296 days
were exposed to either room air (controls) or 15-seconds of e-cigarette vapor
(experimental) in a 1 L chamber over a period of fifteen minutes. The volume of
CO2 produced and O2 consumed
was measured using a GA-200 gas analyzer (iWork Systems, Inc.). The respiratory
exchange ratio (RER) is the ratio of CO2 to
O2; an RER > 0.70 denotes carbohydrate metabolism
and RER < 0.70 is indicative of lipid metabolism. The statistical analyses
assessed the impact of the independent variables on the dependent variables
(RER, O2, CO2) using the Wilcoxon and
Kruskal-Wallis tests in R v.3.4.3. Tests of normality were validated for RER
(W=.441, p<.001), CO2 (W=0.853, p<.001), and O2 (W=.907,
p=.002). Animals exposed to e-cigarette vapors (N=40) had lower median RER
(W=86.85, p=0.006 and higher) CO2 production (W=53.28, p=0.003)
compared to the controls (N=24). These results suggest that inhalation of
e-cigarette vapor produces a shift toward lipid metabolism, which may have
significant health consequences. Additional research is needed in order to
fully extrapolate the interrelationship between e-cigarette exposure and
metabolism.
Synthesis of Phosphazene Based Drug Delivery System
& the Investigation of Incorporating Targeting Groups
Patricia Alley &
Zoey Lockwood
Students’ Majors:
Biology (PA) & Biochemistry (ZL)
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Nicholas Johnson, Chemistry
Approximately
1.7 million American people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Due to the
large number of diagnoses, the need for effective cancer treatment is
essential. Most current pharmaceuticals are lipophilic (fat soluble) molecules
which have inherent issues of delivery throughout the body. Therefore, these
pharmaceuticals must become more hydrophilic (water soluble) to be fully
utilized. Cyclichlorphosphazenes can be utilized to increase the aqueous
solubility of the current pharmaceuticals. Substitution can occur at six different
sites within the cyclichlorphosphazenes because the phosphorus atoms are highly
substitutable. Anaerobic techniques were utilized to increase the aqueous
solubility of the drug delivery system, tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether
(TEGME), onto the phosphazene trimer ring. Once three equivalents of TEGME are
substituted, there are three more sites available for different modifications
and substitutions. The primary focus of our research is to add the targeting
agent, triphenylphosphonium cations, to the previously synthesized phosphazene
system along with an anti-cancer agent. This targeting agent has demonstrated
effectiveness in attacking the mitochondria of cancerous cells and may lead to
increased efficiency while also decreasing toxicity. The results of this study
were primarily characterized using proton, carbon, and phosphorus NMR.
An Investigation of Fish Biodiversity in
the Ashland University Canfield & Dayspring Preserves with Respect to
Species Tolerance & Upstream Habitats as Indicators of Water Quality
Kassandra Blackburn
Student’s Majors:
Biology & Toxicology
Faculty Sponsor: Mr.
Merill Tawse, Biology
Aquatic
habitats are known to be good indicators of environmental pollution as they
accumulate contaminants from the adjacent areas. This project investigated the
fish biodiversity within two Ashland University preserves and compared their
streams based on species tolerance and upstream habitats as measures of water
quality. The Canfield Preserve has a small to mid-sized stream that has passed
through agricultural land near State Route 250 in Ashland County. The
Dayspring Preserve has a small stream that drains from and through wooded
properties in Coshocton County. Field sampling was conducted during the summer
of 2020 using seines, D-nets, minnow traps, and visual counts to catalog
species and populations. The primary species at Canfield was the Creek Chub, Semotilus
atromaculatus, a highly tolerant fish to polluted waters. The primary
species at Dayspring was the Western Blacknose Dace, Rhinichthys obtusus,
a less tolerant species that prefers high gradient streams with water free of
silt. Both sites also supported varied populations of mottled sculpin, green
sunfish, and several darter species. Some moderately sensitive species were
found at Canfield; however, particularly sensitive species were absent or
scarce. As the upstream waters of this site run through farmland, runoff of
agricultural chemicals and silt are likely pollutants. The water upstream from Dayspring,
in comparison, is primarily surrounded by woodland that is less likely to be a
source of chemicals or eroded soil. Additional biological assessments may be
done to further the understanding of the differences in species diversity at
these and other university preserves.
Microplastics
Testing in Lang Creek Basin, Ashland County
Molly Madill
Student’s Majors:
Forensic Biology & Toxicology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Patricia Saunders, Biology
Microplastics
are small plastic particles, measured at less than 5 millimeters, that can
infiltrate bodies of water, harming aquatic life and contributing to pollution
of the water source. While previous research has measured microplastics in
other MidWest rivers, we are interested in Lang Creek and its tributaries that
flow through the Canfield Preserve and downtown Ashland, OH, as well as
residential areas S/ SE of Ashland University’s campus. The hypothesis being
tested is that microplastic concentrations decline with distance downstream of
the source, as they are diluted or buried in the stream sediment. In fall 2020,
samples were collected from the river at seven locations along three streams in
the Lang Creek Basin, each flowing through parts of the basin that are more
urban, suburban, or agricultural. There are three pairs of locations,
representing upstream and downstream, as well as samples from below the
Ashland Wastewater Treatment Plant. Four-liter whole- water samples were
collected along with turbidity and other water quality measurements at each site.
The lab analysis included gravimetric separation of the microplastics from
sediments in the suspension. The abundance of microplastics ranged from
11.3-37.0 particles/liter. The upstream sites had slightly higher microplastic
concentrations than their correlating downstream sites. These samples assure
that there is a baseline for comparison with future measurements and monitoring
of change over time. The information collected from this research can be used
to inform ongoing community projects towards improving and sustaining their
resources.
Soil Degradation Dynamics of Thiophenes Released by
Marigolds
Maykahla Gain & Zoe Shellenbarger
Students’ Majors: Toxicology & Environmental Science-Biology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Chemistry
Thiophenes
are naturally occurring compounds exuded from marigold roots which are toxic to
other plants and help defend against pathogens and herbivores.
Alpha-terthiophene (Alpha-T) and 5-(3-buten-1-ynyl)-2,2’-bithienyl (BBT) are
two of these compounds. Though highly beneficial, the degradation of these
compounds in soil has not been thoroughly studied, providing the objective of
the experiment. BBT was isolated from marigold root extract and spiked onto
sterile and non-sterile soil at three different concentrations: 1, 5, 10
microgram BBT per gram soil, rates known to be comparable to actual thiophene
levels under marigolds. The soil was extracted at ten time points and analyzed
using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence
detection. Preliminary studies suggested BBT will break down similarly to
Alpha-T. We found the time it took for the spiked alpha-T concentration to
degrade to half its original amount was 4.65 weeks for sterile soil and 3.02
weeks for non-sterile soil. This aligns with the hypothesis that microbial
interactions will speed compound degradation. By contrast, we found that
sterile soil contained half of the original concentration of BBT at 3.6 weeks,
but that the half-life was longer, 5.5 weeks, in non-sterile soil. This unusual
result counters initial predictions that BBT will degrade at a faster rate in
non-sterile soil due to microbial interactions. The extracted BBT standard was
found to be impure, which may have impacted the results. Further experiments
with more highly purified BBT will be required to confirm these results.
Capturing & Quantifying Volatile Organic
Compounds from Garlic Mustard
Maykahla Gain & Zoe Shellenbarger
Students’ Majors: Toxicology & Environmental Science-Biology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Chemistry
Many
plants produce volatile chemicals involved in both defense and communication,
known as allelochemicals. Alliaria petiolata, or garlic mustard, is an
invasive species in North America and is a plant that produces potent allelochemicals.
Garlic mustard releases allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC), a compound that is also
found in horseradish, giving it its pungent smell. AITC has proven to be
difficult to quantify in field experiments due to its high volatility. The
objective of this study is to create a new method that can capture and
quantify AITC and can be used in the field. It is known that AITC absorbs onto
silicone tubing, a material that absorbs nonpolar compounds, but desorbs after
short periods of time. With this new method, syringe needles are inserted into
sealed vials containing silicone tubing. AITC vapors diffuse through the needle
and are trapped on the silicone inside the vial. To quantify the captured AITC,
the tubing was extracted and analyzed using Gas Chromatography (GC) with flame
ionization detection. We found that the capturing method retained roughly 70%
of the originally spiked concentrations, 0.15 milligram/liter and 1.5 milligram/liter,
over a two-week period at the two concentrations studied. The study also showed
that AITC was retained for a longer period when a thinner needle was used. The
capturing method was successful in the laboratory and will be examined in a
field study.
Getting
Them on Their Own: Methods of Bacteriophage Isolation for Broadening Host Range
Megan Lollo &
Joshua Davis
Students’ Majors:
Biology (ML, JD) & Toxicology (ML)
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Paul Hyman, Biology
Bacteriophages
are viruses that infect bacteria. They are found in different environments,
including soil, which was the bacteriophage source utilized for this research
on bacteriophage host range. Host range is a characteristic of viruses that
describes which cells the virus is capable of infecting. Knowing which bacteria
are infected by which bacteriophages facilitates a greater understanding of the
microbial ecology of soil. Additionally, the isolation and host range
characterization of bacteriophages can be useful in the practice of phage
therapy, using bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections. We wanted to
assess whether adding a specific host to the isolation sample would produce
bacteriophages with a broader host range than isolation relying on bacteria
already in the same soil sample to initially grow the bacteriophages. Bacteriophages
were isolated from several soil samples found in a variety of locations. Some
samples were inoculated with Bacillus cereus 6A3 bacteria, while others
were left uninoculated. Bacteriophages were isolated from these samples, and,
through procedures of passaging and amplification, stocks of phage were
obtained. From these stocks, host range was determined. There did not seem to
be a distinct difference in the host range pattern between the samples with and
without bacteria. Throughout both of these, there was a mixture of broader and
narrower host ranges.
Phosphazenes & Metal-Organic Frameworks
Benjamin Jones
Student’s Major:
Geology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Nicholas Johnson, Chemistry
Metal-organic
frameworks (MOFs) have been increasingly gaining interest due to their highly
variable and tunable structures. MOFs are compounds consisting of organic
ligands chelated to metal ions which result in a porous cage-like framework.
These open structured compounds have numerous applications and show great
potential in carbon capture, energy storage, and drug delivery. The typical
organic component of a metal-organic framework contains aromatic rings. The
focus of this study is to synthesize metal-organic frameworks that are
phosphazene based. Phosphazenes, which are compounds consisting of alternating
phosphorus and nitrogen atoms, are extremely versatile and easily
substitutable. By modifying cyclophosphazenes with carboxylic acids, a ligand
was created to chelate to various precious and base metals through
organometallic synthesis. Several experiments were conducted with a series of
different transition metals; however, gold, silver, and copper displayed the
most promising results. Adsorption trials were conducted utilizing common
organic dyes and their adsorption capabilities were tracked via
UV-spectroscopy.
Using Solid-Phase Sediment Extraction (SPSE)
with Hydrophobic Pesticide Contaminants in Sand
Destiny Whitmer
Student’s Majors:
Biology & Toxicology
Faculty Sponsors: Dr.
Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Chemistry
& Dr. Andrew Trimble,
Biology/Toxicology
Solid
Phase Sediment Extraction (SPSE) is an innovative passive sampling technique
that is quick, inexpensive, and adaptable compared to other methods of trace
pesticide analyses. Passive sampling is an environmental monitoring technique
involving the use of a collecting medium to accumulate chemical pollutants in
the environment over time. The aim of this study was to use silicone-based
tubing to passively sample pesticides in sand. The pesticides used include
insecticidal compounds in current use today, along with legacy pesticides that
are no longer used, but still remain at detectable levels in the environment.
The extraction efficiency of the probes was evaluated at low concentrations
using 10 ppb DDE, DDD, methoxychlor, lindane, and chlorpyrifos, 50 ppb
bifenthrin, and 300 ppb imidacloprid. Extraction efficiency was also evaluated
at high concentrations using 30 ppb DDE, DDD, methoxychlor, lindane, and
chlorpyrifos, 100 ppb bifenthrin, and 500 ppb imidacloprid. Using a gas
chromatograph that is equipped with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD)
sensitive to halogenated compounds, pesticide residues were detected following
hexane extraction of the compounds. More pesticide was extracted from the
probes as pesticide concentrations increased and as the time the probes were
exposed to sand increased. The findings reveal how effective it is to measure
pesticide residues in solid environmental media using this passive sampling
method. This methodology potentially can be utilized in future studies for a
variety of applications, in areas such as food, environmental, biological,
pharmaceutical, and forensics fields. Further projects will include analyzing
real sediment samples from the Black Fork Wetlands.
Water
Quality Testing of Lang Creek Basin in Ashland, Ohio
Allison Whitt
Student’s Major:
Biology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Patricia Saunders, Biology
Water
is essential to life, so it is crucial to study concerns with local bodies of
water as they have significant impacts on the surrounding environment and human
health. Lang Creek in Ashland, Ohio was chosen due to its proximity to campus
and public interest in its quality. Lang Creek water improves at more natural
sites and collects pollutants as the water travels through less natural land.
The objective of this project was to gather information on 24 sites in the Lang
Creek watershed using water samples, a turbidity stick, and water quality
sensors to measure dissolved nutrient levels, turbidity, salinity, dissolved
oxygen levels, conductivity, and temperature. Samples were taken at 24 sites
along Lang Creek approximately every two months from March to November of 2020.
Pairs of sites were compared upstream and downstream of wooded sections. The
study results include differences in elevated levels (upstream vs. downstream)
of total dissolved solids, phosphates, and nitrates for different areas of Lang
Creek Basin. This information provides a baseline for comparison with future
monitoring data, indicates locations that could benefit from further
assessments and interventions, and increases awareness of the different impacts
that human activities have on Lang Creek. Further, these results can be used to
manage local streams for safe private and public recreational use.
Inventory of Ambystomid Salamanders at Minnich Pond
Brenda Boes
Student’s Major: Environmental Toxicology
Faculty Sponsor: Mr.
Merrill Tawse, Biology
This
study observes the population of two species of salamanders (Ambystoma
tigrinum and Ambystoma texanum) in Mansfield, Ohio. Population
samples of the two species of salamanders were collected to find out which
species were in the area as well as their relative abundance to each other in
the vernal pool (seasonal wetlands) located near Minnich Manufacturing. The
collecting of the salamanders was completed by setting minnow tunnel traps
inside the vernal pool. The traps were then checked each morning and the
species, gender, and number of each species of salamander was recorded.
Twenty-four traps were used in various areas of the vernal pool. Within a month
of collecting data, it was found that the Ambystoma texanum were mostly
caught around the areas that had trees surrounding the vernal pool and the
Ambystoma tigrinum were mostly caught around the area where there were no trees.
The research was started in late February 2020 and went into early April 2020.
As temperatures increased in the springtime, it was found that the Ambystoma
texanum population increased until it hit mid-March. As the experiment went
on, the Ambystoma texanum population decreased as the Ambystoma
tigrinum population increased. There were more males than females in the
sample of salamanders. For the Ambystoma texanum the sample count
reached twelve males without any females present. If a female Ambystoma
texanum was present, the male count reached as high as twenty-four
individuals. For the Ambystoma tigrinum, the number of males tripled
upon introduction of a female.
Overall
Health and the Contributing Variables of Stress, Companionship, and Life
Satisfaction
Agatha Loucks
Student’s Majors:
Criminal Justice & Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Allyson Drinkard, Sociology
Stress,
companionship, and life satisfaction are factors that have an impact on health.
The current study examined how stress, companionship, and life satisfaction
impact overall health. A secondary analysis was conducted using General Social
Survey data (2018) consisting of 696 complete cases. The Stress Process
framework, developed by Pearlin in 1981, was used to frame this study. The
three null hypotheses stated that stress, companionship, and life satisfaction
had no relationship to overall health. Univariate analysis, bivariate
analysis, mean comparisons, and multiple regression were conducted. Results
showed that each of the three null hypotheses were rejected because stress,
companionship, and life satisfaction had statistically significant associations
with overall health.
Superior
Origins: How Empires Craft Their Identities to Assert Dominance
Joshua Jasmin
Student’s Majors:
Political Science, History, & Spanish
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Gregory McBrayer, Political Science
When
considering the world’s greatest empires, one usually thinks of the Roman
empire and the Aztec empire in different spheres. Separated by a vast ocean and
almost a millennium of time, their cultures and stories may seem at first
glance to be completely foreign to one another, lacking even the remote
possibility of having come into direct contact. Nevertheless, a closer examination
reveals striking similarities between the two and suggests a larger pattern
common to all empires. Drawing upon recorded mythology and archeological
evidence, this study asserts that military dominance alone does not define an
empire and that the Roman and Aztec empires demonstrate three areas of
dominance necessary for an empire to exist: origins, religion, and technology.
These two empires crafted nearly identical historical origin stories to
establish the legitimacy of their dominance over other states. Both stories
begin with the birth of a people from a fiery disaster, tell how the gods gave
them a quest to find a new home, and end with the building of a city at a
divinely ordained location. Once the city is built, it prospers in accordance
with the promises of the gods, justifying the shadow it casts over its
neighbors.
Optimizing Initial Settlement Placements in The
Settlers of Catan
Josiah Moore
Student’s Major:
Computer Science
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Christopher Swanson, Mathematics
The
Settlers of Catan is a popular board game that
has a heavy emphasis on resource management and maximizing the odds of
obtaining more resources. Every game uses a randomized board that consists of
numbered tiles. Players can place settlements on intersections of these tiles.
On each turn, two dice are rolled and if a player is settled next to a tile
that has the sum that was rolled, they gain resources that will help them win
the game. This means that the starting tiles a player chooses to settle on
dictates the odds of obtaining resources throughout the game, so it ends up
being the single most important decision made in the game. In order to increase
the chances of winning the game, I have designed and written a program where
the user is able to either manually enter a specific game board or have one
randomly generated for them. The program will then calculate and display the
most optimal settlement locations on that game board. The program does this by
using five unique strategies that are each designed to fit different
playstyles. For example, one strategy best supports playstyles based around
trading, and another one supports players who would rather prioritize expanding
their settlements as much as possible. Each strategy has its own way of
evaluating what the most optimal settlement locations are regarding that
specific playstyle. This allows the user to choose the strategy that best
matches their own personal playstyle.
Intellectual Disabilities and Reformation Theology:
What Do Luther and Calvin Have to Say?
Alec Dunlap
Student’s Majors: Religion
& Philosophy
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
David Aune, Religion
This
presentation explores how the theology of Reformation leaders Martin Luther and
John Calvin help us to think about and minister to people with intellectual
disabilities. It follows three major loci within the Reformers’ theological
systems: the image of God in humanity, the providence of God, and the sacraments
of the Church. This framework is used to show that the Reformation theology of
Luther and Calvin is helpful today for ministering to those people with
intellectual disabilities. The frameworks that Calvin and Luther provide allow
us to see how people with disabilities should be viewed within the Church, how
God is involved in their disabilities, and how they should be included in the
life of the Church through the means of grace.
Leaching
Potential of High-Cadmium Jewelry
Rachel Price
Student’s Major:
Chemistry
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Chemistry
Cadmium
is a highly toxic metal, but has been found in high concentrations in some
inexpensive jewelry. When ultimately disposed of as trash, this jewelry can end
up either in landfills, where cadmium can leach out over time and contaminate
the surrounding environment, or if waste is incinerated, cadmium contaminates
the fly ash (burned landfill soil) which is then put on farmland, where it can
be taken up by crop plants and then consumed. In this study, 34 jewelry samples
were tested using an EPA procedure which evaluates potential hazards from
solid waste. Samples were analyzed by atomic absorption, which gave cadmium
concentrations in parts per million (ppm). The EPA limit for cadmium in TCLP
fluid is 1 ppm. Only two samples were below this limit. There were nine samples
between 1-100 ppm, fourteen between 100-500 ppm, seven between 500-1,000 ppm,
and four between 1,000-4,000 ppm. These results show that even though jewelry
makes up a small percentage of household waste, a large amount of cadmium can
still be leached from these items. At present, the US does not regulate the
cadmium content of inexpensive jewelry that is not intended for children.
Cadmium is used in these items because it is inexpensive, and there are no
regulations against using it. These results indicate that this approach needs
to be reevaluated.
Visual Attention Differences among Video-Game
Players
Andrew Bailey,
Miranda Bielawski, Natalie Clinger, Tyler Mothersbaugh, & Lacy Rasmus
Students’ Majors:
Biology (TM), Psychology (AB, MB, NC, LR), & Spanish (TM)
Faculty Sponsors: Dr.
Peter Mallik & Dr. Mitchell Metzger,
Psychology
It
has been demonstrated that individuals who are video game players outperform
non-video game players in visual cognition (Bediou et al., 2018); however, this
effect is not always observed leading to inconsistencies in the literature
(Mack et al., 2016). Based on their self-reported video-game experience,
seventy-four participants were divided into three groups and then completed
several visual attention tasks. A mixed ANOVA comparing the gaming group and
the number of distractors on the screen was conducted for the visual search
task for response time (RT) and accuracy. For RT, there was a significant
between-subjects effect for gamer group F (2, 69) =
6.376, p=0.003 η2p =0.156 . Non-gamer and moderate gamer’s RT was significantly
slower than heavy gamers (over 10 hours a week). There was a main effect for
distractor count with RT being slower when there were more distractors F (3, 207) = 37.790, p<0.001 η2p =
0.35. For the Posner cueing task (Probe and target on the same side for
congruent and different sides for incongruent), an ANOVA showed that the heavy
gamer group had faster RT (indicating a smaller cueing effect) than the other
groups F (2, 72) = 3.306, p=0.042 η2p =.08
. The data indicate that there is a relationship between visual cognition and
“heavy” videogame playing as opposed to non-gaming or moderate gaming. This has
demonstrated that not all aspects of visual cognition are differentially
related to video-game involvement.
The Impact of α-Crystallin
Loss during Lens Aging
Taylor Kaye
Student’s Major:
Biology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Mason Posner, Biology
Cataracts
are the leading cause of blindness worldwide and typically form when aging
protein aggregates and blocks light passage through the lens. Previous studies
show that proteins called α-crystallins
inhibit protein aggregation and slow cataract formation. However, the specific
role of each α-crystallin is not known, and
the presence of two αB-crystallin genes in the
zebrafish provides a unique opportunity to dissect the functions of this
protein. Our lab has engineered zebrafish that lack each αB-crystallin gene. In this study, we examined lenses
from these fish as they age to determine the impact of losing each αB-crystallin on lens clarity and size. Fish from
each strain were anesthetized and euthanized at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of age
and their lenses removed. Microscopy was then used to assess lens clarity and
measure diameter. The diameter of normal and knockout zebrafish lenses relative
to body length were compared. The αBa-crystallin knockout fish had significantly larger
lenses (ANOVA, p-value < 7x10-7). However, αBb-crystallin knockout lens diameters were not
statistically different from normal fish. We observed two types of lens
abnormalities that might impair vision. The first was a general opacity
throughout the lens and the second was a localized irregularity near the
surface of the lens. We are currently quantifying the prevalence of both
abnormality types to see if they are more common with increasing age or
knockout of an αB-crystallin. These findings
will help to detail the possibly divergent roles of different αB-crystallins in preventing lens cataracts during
lens aging.
Memories for the Moment
Erin Sievers
Student’s Major: Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Kelly Sundberg, English
“Memories for the Moment” is a personal essay about my grandmother’s gradually decaying memory and the struggle of seeing her regularly forget various aspects of her life. This essay emphasizes the privilege of memory, especially in the form of nostalgia, through a single morning at my grandmother’s house as I recall the days I spent there when I was younger. Each memory—painted happy and bright—is paired with the less-than-spectacular reality of the present and the mournful realization that things have changed. Though I am able to compare what used to be with the present; my grandmother no longer shares that opportunity. In conversation, she forgets what she has said previously, she tells the same story multiple times a day, and she’s slowly beginning to not recognize those close to her. I’ve also included stories of my dog from that morning. As she was always having adventures or finding something new to explore, she provides a mirror to my youth. This essay gives voice to my fears through my account of the days spent at my grandmother’s house, her lack of awareness of how severe her forgetfulness has become, and my dog’s constant eagerness to make new memories. This personal narrative uses literary techniques such as metaphors, imagery, and symbolism to subtly
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