CGPS ASR Symposium 2022

KEYNOTESPEAKER

FABIHARAFRAFIN

CGPSASRCLASSOF2021

COGNITIVESCIENCEMAJORATYALEUNIVERSITY

MESSAGEFROM ASRSTUDENTS

Oursenseofcommunityfollowsus,whetherit’sonZoom,inaclassroom,oratalab.ASRismoreofa communitythananyotherclass,team,orprogramatthisschool,despitetheindividualpathsweare taking.Beingin503Shascreatedamorecollaborativeenvironmentandprovidedtheopportunityto cultivateagroupofpassionateandsupportivepeople.Throughthis,wehavedevelopedunexpectedyet valuableconnectionswitheachotherwhilesimultaneouslyfindingwaystomakeuniquecontributions tothevastandunfamiliarworldofresearch.Whetheritsprovidingeditsonapaper,orfeedbackina presentation,thegoalisalwaystokeepimprovingtogether.Thisyear,ourfirstyearfullybackinperson, hasprovidedusaspacetocometogetherandformonehive—averybusy,scientifichive.

WhetherweareinpersonoronZoom,weareacommunityinASR.Wesharetheanxietyofour assignments,provideguidance,andweknowhowtosharealaugh.Thisprogramhastransformedfroma seriesofpixelsonacomputerscreentoacollectionofdedicatedstudentsintheflesh.Withoutthe encouragementofourclassmates,noneofuswouldhavetheaccomplishmentsthatwedonow.Although weallcomplain,wealwayslookforwardtowalkinginto503S.Weallknowthatwecancomebacktothis placeandfeelasthoughweareapartofsomethingbiggerthanourselves.Wehavelearnedtocelebrate eachother'ssuccessesandempathizewitheachother’sstress.Aswefinallygetthechancetoholdthe symposiuminperson,wealsofinallygettheopportunitytoseeeachotherbeyondourresearchprojects. Withtheopportunitytoseeallofeachother'supsanddownscomestheopportunitytoshareoursense ofpride.

InASR,wespendcountlesshourstoilingoverourprojects.Fromthesophomoresworkingontheir reviewarticles,tothejuniorsfurtheringtheirresearch,andtotheseniorspolishingtheirpresentations, ourclassisfueledbythedrivetodiscoversomethingnovel.Ourresearchprojectsarelikeourchildren. Wepushourselvestothelimit,nomatterwhatittakes,toprotectthemandmakethemthebesttheycan be.Wenurturethemforyearsuntilweunveilthemtotherestoftheworld.Ourprojectsarenotsimply “homeworkassignments,”butsomethingwearegenuinelycuriousaboutandwanttousetobetterthe world.Ourpassioniswhatguidesusthroughthehardshipsthatwewillinevitablyfacelateron.

Merriam-Websterdefinesperseveranceasa“continuedefforttodoorachievesomethingdespite difficulties,failure,oropposition.”ThiscapturesourexperiencesinASR.Perseveranceiswhathasmade ASRsuchasuccess.ByovercomingthechallengespresentedbyASR,wehavenotonlygrownasstudents butalsoasindividuals.Foreachmountain,wehadtopushourselvestoreachtheirpeaks,pastboulders ofreviewarticlesandcliffsofpresentations.TheASRclassroomatmospherefostersskillsthatbringus ourhard-wroughtsuccess.Welifteachotherup.Perseveranceiswhathasallowedustomakeithere,to thismomentattheSymposium:theculminationofallofourjointeffortsthisschoolyear.Througheach trialandtribulation,wewereabletoendure,notasindividuals,butasourgroup.Because,attheendof theday,itwasnotourindividualworkthatallowedustosucceedbeyondtheclassroom,butthestrength ofourperseverance.

MESSAGEFROMMR.YASHIN, ASRINSTRUCTOR

Thiswasayearofhattricks,ayearofmemorablethrees.

ItwasthethirdyearoftheAdvancedScienceResearchprogramatColumbiaPrep.Threeoftheseniors havebeentherefromtheverybeginning,havingsignedupforanewprogramwhilebarelyknowing whattheywerereallygettingthemselvesinto.Threestudentsreceivedhighdistinctionsfromthethree biggestscienceresearchcompetitionsforhighschoolstudents,puttingColumbiaPreponthemapin thesecircles:ScienceTalentSearch,JuniorScienceandHumanitiesSymposium,andtheInternational ScienceandEngineeringFair.

Youmighthaveheardabouttheseaccomplishmentsalready.They’vemadetheschoolnewstotheloud fanfarethattheydeserve,andthey’llgettheirfairshareofattentionattheSymposiumandin thesepages.

Andwhataboutalltheotheraccomplishments?Whereisthekidwhohadstruggledwithtime managementandprocrastinationformanyyearsandhasfinallybeguntogetthemundercontrol?

Whereistheterriblewriterwho,injustafewmonths,wentfrombarelybeingabletopiecetogethera legibleparagraphtowritinganentirecollege-levelreviewarticle?Whereisthepainfullyshypresenter whochosetocometopracticesessionafterpracticesession?Whereisthe“I’mnotascienceperson” personwhoisnowtheonlyhighschoolstudentthattheirmentorisworkingwith?Wherearethe overloadedupperclassmenwhovolunteeredtheirtimetohelpthesophomoresstrugglingthroughthe firstyearofASR?Wherearetheywhochosetodorevisionafterrevision,overhaulafteroverhaul,forno otherreasonthantoproduceapieceofworkthatistrulytheirbest?Wherearethosewhohavegonean extramiletomakesurethattheirresearchdesignisvalidandbulletproof,evenifnobodywould’ve noticediftheyhadn’tdonethat?Whereareallthosewhohaveclawedtheirwaythroughtheirpersonal thicketsofIcan’tdoitandYoucan’tdoittogettoLetmeshowyouwhatI’vedone?

They’reallhere,too.You’llseetheirworkandhearthemspeakattheSymposium.

Enjoy.

ASRCLASSOF2022

Raihana Rahman

Abstract

Billionsofpeopleusesearchengines,like Google,daily.Thesesystemsidentifythe meaningofawordusingmachinelearning classifiers(MLCs)throughataskcalledword sensedisambiguation(WSD).MLCsare algorithmsthatidentifypatternsindatatoinfer thedefinitionsofunseenwords.Ataskrelevant toWSDispart-of-speechtagging,which identifiesthepart-of-speechofawordusing algorithmscalledpart-of-speechtaggers (POSTs).PastresearchonWSDandpart-ofspeechtaggingindicatesthatusingPOSTs whiletrainingMLCsincreasestheMLCs’ accuracy.However,thespecificchangesin accuracycausedbyPOSTsarenotup-to-date withtheMLCsandPOSTsthatarecurrently widelyusedinresearch.Iaimedtostudythe relationshipbetweenpopularMLCsandPOSTs toprovideinformationthatiscurrent.I exploredtheeffectoftwodifferentPOSTs,the NaturalLanguageToolkitTaggerandthe StanfordTagger,ontheaccuracyofthree differentMLCs:thenaiveBayes,randomforest, andk-NNclassifiers.IusedtheSemCor3.0 dataset,andallofmyobjectivesweremet.My findingssupportedconclusionsfromMorenoMonteagudoetal.(2006),whichstatedthat POSTsincreasetheaccuracyofMLCsbya marginalamount,andcertaincombinationsof POSTsandMLCsaremoreaccuratethanothers. MystudyalsofoundtheStanfordTagger increasedtheaccuracyofMLCsthemost. However,therewereinstanceswherethe accuracywasnotimproved,whichmaybedue tooverfitting.Additionally,mystudyfoundthat k-NNclassifiersoutperformedallother MLCstested.

College,intendedmajor HarvardUniversity MathematicsandComputerScience

Projecttitle

TheImpactofPart-of-SpeechTagging ontheAccuracyofWordSense DisambiguationModels

Mentor

Dr.TerryRuas, UniversityofWuppertal,Germany

Quote

"It’samazinghowfaryoucan goinoneyear.IstartedASRnot knowinganythingotherthan whatIwantedtodoandwithin 365dayscompleted anentireproject."

Entrant,RegeneronScienceTalentSearch2022 Firstplace,NYMetroAreaJuniorScienceand HumanitiesSymposium2022

Oralpresenter,NationalJuniorScienceand HumanitiesSymposium2022

Firstawardincategory,TerraNYCSTEMFair 2022

Abstract

Cancermetastasisposesasignificantthreattoglobal publichealth,accountingforanestimated90%of cancer-relateddeathsduetoalackofeffective pharmaceuticalsthattargetmetastasis.The overexpressionofcoactivatorassociatedarginine methyltransferase1(CARM1),acoregulatorof transcription,isamechanismforbreastcancer metastasis,andisthusatargetforselectiveinhibition. Threepromisingsmall-moleculeCARM1inhibitorsare EZM2302,TP-064,andSKI-73.TheseCARM1inhibitors haveapotentialclinicalapplicationtotargetbreast cancermetastasis,buttheeffectofEZM2302andTP-064 onmetastaticbreastcancersubpopulationsisunknown. Thisstudyfoundthattheonlypublishedalgorithmto evaluateEZM2302andTP-064unexpectedlyfailsto identifysubpopulationsdepletedbytwoCARM1 inhibitors.Consequently,thisstudyintroducestwo novelsingle-cellalgorithmsthatcanclassifytheeffectof small-moleculeinhibitorsoncancersubpopulations. Thesealgorithmsareapplicabletoanyheterogeneous cancertype.Single-cellRNAsequencingdataofbreast cancercellstreatedwithCARM1inhibitors,andtheir correspondingcontrolcompounds,wasusedas algorithminputtoevaluateEZM2302,TP-064,andSKI73.WhileEZM2302andTP-064failedtotargetidentified metastaticsubpopulations,SKI-73exhibiteda noticeableanti-metastasiseffect,supportingpublished literature,andshouldbeconsideredforanimaltesting.

Overall,thisstudyprovidestwonovelsingle-cell algorithmsthatcancategorizetheeffectofsmallmoleculeinhibitorsoncancersubpopulations,identify thespecificeffectonmetastasis,andthusrecommend well-performinginhibitorsforfutureclinicalresearch.

Akshay Shivdasani

College,intendedmajor

UniversityofChicago

AppliedMathandDataScience

Projecttitle

Twonovelsingle-cellalgorithms elucidatethetherapeuticpotential ofclinically-relevantsmall-molecule inhibitorsfortargetingcancer metastasis

Mentor

Dr.MinkuiLuo,

MemorialSloanKettering CancerCenter

Quote

“OneofthemainreasonsI’vebeen drawntoscienceisfiguringout problemsthataffectusaspeoplein oureverydaylives.IfIcanmake evenasmallstepforwardinbreast cancerresearch,thatwouldbe monumental.”

Entrant,RegeneronScienceTalent Search2022

Semifinalist,NYMetroAreaJunior ScienceandHumanitiesSymposium2022

Firstawardincategory,TerraNYCSTEM Fair2022

Finalist,InternationalScienceand EngineeringFair2022

SiyangWei

Abstract

Thepathologyofdiabetickidneydisease (DKD),astrongriskfactorforcardiovascular diseaseandend-stagerenaldiseases(ESRD), isnotfullyunderstood.Thepathogenesisof DKDismultifactorial,andit’sknownthat doctorsobservedanincreasedlevelofthree immunecellsrelatedmoleculesfromthe kidneytissuesextractedfromDKDpatients, whichiswhythisstudyfocusesonstudying thecompletelandscapeoftranscriptomic profilesofkidneyimmunecellsinearlyDKD. Allmajorimmunecellsthatparticipatein theprogressionofDKDwereidentified.This studyanalyzedthedifferenceingene expressionbetweenWTandOVE26diabetic miceimmunecells.Distinctchangesin specificsubclusters,transcriptionregulatory networks,andmolecularpathwayswerealso analyzed.Continuousmacrophageactivation wasobserved,andallmacrophage subclustersshiftedtowardmore inflammatoryandlessdifferentiationstatus inearlyDKD.Thisstudyprovidesthefirst comprehensiveanalysisofthekidney immunecellstranscriptomeprofilesinWT andOVE26diabeticmicewithearlyDKD. Thisstudywillhelppushthestudyofthe pathogenesisofDKDbyprovidingseveral insightsandbeingarichresourceforthe fieldtoexaminethemechanismsofcell injuryinDKD.

Projecttitle

Single-Cellimmunelandscapein earlydiabetickidneydisease:A statistical-basedstudyonamice sample

Mentors

Quote

"ASRisthemostvaluableclassI haveevertaken-notonlyhave Ilearnedhowtopresent,butI havealsolearnedhowto managemyowntime,andhow toeffectivelycommunicatewith highlyexperiencedresearchers inmyfield."

Dr.CijiangHeandDr.FuJia, IcahnSchoolofMedicineat MountSinai

College,intendedmajor BostonCollege Neuroscience Entrant,RegeneronScienceTalent Search2022

Abstract

HistonesareproteinsinwhichDNAwrapsaround. Histoneproteinscanbemodifiedthrough methylation,inwhichamethylgroupisaddedtoan aminoacidsidechain.Histonemethylation regulatesmanyimportantfunctionssuchasgene expression,withdysregulationsoftenleadingtothe emergenceofcancer.Themechanismsbehind methylationaredifficulttostudyusingpeptide probesthatmimicthesubstrates,asinteractions betweenmethyltransferasesandtheirsubstrates areoftenweakandtransient.Inaddition,many substrateshavemultipleenzymesthatbindtothem, makingitdifficulttodifferentiate methyltransferasesfromotherenzymes.Inan attempttosolvethisproblem,mymentorandI designedcrosslinkingpeptideprobesthat incorporatednorleucineresidueinplaceofthe targetlysineresiduetoincreaseaffinitywith methyltransferases,whileaphoto-crosslinking residuewasalsoincorporatedinordertoform covalentbondswiththemethyltransferases.SAM wasalsoaddedtothesampleinanattemptto increasetheaffinitybetweentheprobeandthe methyltransferase.Thegoalofmystudywasto investigatewhetherthenorleucineprobeswouldbe betteratlabelingmethyltransferasescomparedto lysineprobes,whichwouldallowforfurther identificationofnovelmethyltransferases.The probeswereabletosuccessfullylabelknown methyltransferasetargets,buttheeffectsofthe incorporationofnorleucineresidueandofthe additionofSAMwereunclearfromthe collecteddata.

College,intendedmajor WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis Chemistry

Projecttitle

DevelopingPhoto-crosslinking PeptideProbesasSubstrate MimicstoTrapProteinLysine Methyltransferases

Mentor

Dr.MinkuiLuo, MemorialSloanKettering CancerCenter

Quote

"Ithastrulybeenawildridewith manyupsanddowns,ithas beenawonderfuljourneyandI trulythankeveryonewho’s helpedmealongtheway."

MorganAmoils

Abstract

Upto65%ofpregnantwomenintheUSand50%ofpregnantwomenworldwide takeacetaminophen,theactivedruginTylenol,whilepregnant.Acetaminophenis currentlyconsideredthepreferredpainkillertobeusedduringpregnancysinceit hasnotbeenassociatedwithadverseoutcomesatbirthlikeotherpainkillers,such asibuprofen,theactivedruginAdvil.Recently,however,ithasbeenshownthat acetaminophenmayinfactleadtopotentialproblemsinthepreterminfant population.Whenpreterminfantsareborn,theyareoftenbornwith underdevelopedlungs.Duetotheirunderdevelopedlungs,thesenewbornsmust undergooxygentherapy,wheretheyareexposedtoairthatisbothhighly pressurizedandcontainsahigherpercentageofoxygenthantheairinthe atmosphere.Althoughthisoxygentherapyisnecessarytoensurethesurvivalof thesenewborns,itcanleadtoachroniclungdiseaseknownasBrochopulmonary Dysplasia(BPD).BPDischaracterizedbydamagetothebronchiofthelungsand alveolarsimplificationofthelungs.AstudyconductedbySantoroetal.in2021 showedthatthereisanassociationbetweenthepresenceofacetaminophen metabolitesfoundinthebreastmilkofmothersandhigheroddsofBPDinthe preterminfantpopulation.Thisstudywasthebasisbehindmyresearchwhich investigatedacausationalrelationshipbetweenacetaminophenexposurein combinationwithoxygentherapyandhyperoxia-inducedlungdamage,thelung damageoftenseenafterbeingexposedtoairwithhighlevelsofoxygen.Byusinga mousemodelandexposingthemicetohyperoxia,whichmimicsthelungdamage thatiscommonlyseeninhumanswithBPD,weareabletoconductmorphometric analysis,whichexaminetheshapeofandamountofalveoli,onthelungsamples thatwecollectandassessthedegreeoflungdamagewhenacetaminophenisand isnotadministered.Myresearchhasthepotentialtorevealwhether acetaminophenshouldbetakenbypregnantwomen,forifwedoconcludethat thereareadverseoutcomescausedbythedrug,acetaminophen’scurrentstatusas asafedrugtobetakenduringpregnancymaychange,potentiallyallowingusto preventmanyfuturecasesofBPD.

Abstract AndrewChen

Projecttitle

Examiningtheeffectof acetaminophenonBPDina mousemodel

Mentor

Dr.SenthilMuthuswamy, BIDMCHarvardMedicalSchool

Projecttitle

TheimpactoftheCOVID-19pandemicon 3rd-8thgradeacademicperformance

Mentor

Dr.ErikRuzek, NorthwestEvaluationAssociation

Researchhasfoundlargesocioeconomic,geographic,anddemographic disparitiesinschool-districtresponsestoCOVID-19andmethodoflearning(i.e., in-personorvirtual).However,thereisstilllittleresearchonCOVID-19’sactual impactonstudenteducation.AsreducedCOVID-19casesintheUnitedStates haveallowedmanyK-12studentstoreturntoin-personinstruction,measures needtobetakentoprovideagrowth-basedassessmentofacademic achievementovertimeandunderstandtheschool/school-districtlevelfactors, suchassocioeconomicandracialdisparities,thatcouldexplainwhichstudents weremostimpactedduringthepandemic.Theobjectivesofmyresearchproject aretoanalyzethechangesin3-8gradestudentacademicperformancefromthe 2018-2019to2020-2021schoolyear(beforeandduringthepandemic), understandtheextenttowhichstudentsinschoolswithvaryingsocioeconomic status,segregation,location,andracialcompositionwereimpacteddifferently duringthepandemic,aswellasanalyzetheassociationbetweenastudent’s academicachievementpriortothepandemicasadeterminantofperformance duringCOVID-19.Thisresearchismeanttocontributetoagrowingbodyof researchontheimpactofthepandemicontheeducationsystem,provide effectivesolutionstoproblemsposedbythepandemicattheschoollevel,and supporteducatorsintheiraimtoimproveeducation,takingintoaccount possiblechangesinknowledgegapsandgrowthpatternsduringCOVID-19.

Projecttitle

Resultsofsynthetichigh-resolution spectrafromTitansurfaceobservations

Mentor

Abstract

Titan,amoonofSaturn,istheonlymooninthesolarsystemwithadense atmosphereandclouds.Thecombinationofthesecharacteristicscreatesahaze overtheentiremoon,whichcompletelycoversthesurfaceinvisible wavelengths,makingitimpossibleforustoobservethesurfacewithstandard photography.ThismakesitnecessarytoobservethesurfacewithRADARand IR(infrared)spectroscopy.AboardtheCassinispacecraft,VIMS(Visualand InfraredMappingSpectrometer)capturedhyperspectralimages,whichgave accesstothesurfacethroughmanyatmosphericwindows,orportionsofthe infraredspectrumwherelightwasnotobstructed.Theseimagesmakeit possibletostudythecompositionofterrainsuchasequatorialdunefields. However,aninstrumentmalfunctionledtothewavelengthsshiftingovertime. Thiscreatedaninaccuracyinallofthespectroscopicmeasurementstakenof thesurface.Tofixthisproblem,mymentorandIdevisedamethodtousethe shiftingtomakethespectralmeasurementsmoreprecise.Ourdatawastaken fromtheequatorialdunefieldsofTitan,astheyaremateriallyuniformand haverelativelylowatmosphericobstruction.Wesplittheimagestakenfromthe dunesintoseveraldifferentyeargroups.Wethenaveragedallofthespectraper group,andobservedhowthedistributionofwavelengthsshifted.Thisallowsus toprovethatthespectrumshiftactuallyoccurred,andwearecurrently focusingonattemptingtocreateahigher-resolutionspectrumofthesurface.If thiscanbedonesuccessfully,wecanprovideamuchmoreaccurate representationofthemakeupofTitan’ssurface,andbenefitfuture compositionalresearch.

WhileDNAencodesallgeneticinformation,theexpressionofgenesgoesbeyond theDNAitself.Forinstance,DNAcanbesubjecttomethylation,theadditionofa methylgrouptocytidinesitesofDNA.Methylationsitesareoftenoccupiedby methyl-CpG-bindingproteinssuchasMeCP2.MeCP2aidsingenerepressionby recruitingotherbindingfactorssuchashistonedeacetylase(HDAC)tocompact chromatinstructure.MeCP2mutationsareknowntocausegeneticdiseasessuch asDuplicationandRettsyndrome.RevealinghowMeCP2recognizeschromatin canbeessentialtounderstandingthemechanismsofMeCP2behindthese diseasesanddevelopingpotentialtreatmentstrategies.Asamethyl-CpG-binding protein,MeCP2preferstobindtomethylatedDNAoverunmethylatedDNA. However,previousstudieswereconductedwithbareDNA(nochromatin),even thoughDNAisalwaysintheformofchromatin(DNAandnucleosomes)in eukaryotes.IfMeCP2’sbehavioronchromatincanbestudied,itsobserved behaviorwillmorecloselyresembleitsbehaviorinthehumanbody.Inmystudy, bycombiningopticaltweezerswithfluorescencemicroscopy,MeCP2’sbehavior wasobservedonthesingle-moleculelevel.Here,IfoundthatMeCP2 preferentiallyboundtochromatinoverbareDNAandpreferentiallyboundto methylatednucleosomesoverunmethylatednucleosomes.Inaddition,Iobserved thatnucleosomesstabilizedthemovementofMeCP2.Inthisstudy,MeCP2is revealedtobenotonlyamethyl-CpG-bindingprotein,butalsoachromatinbindingprotein.ThesefindingsrevealnewandunexpectedbehaviorofMeCP2on chromatinthatmayhavemoreaccurateimplicationsforfutureresearchon MeCP2-relateddiseases.

Dr.PaulCorlies, MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology

Abstract

Riskadjustmentmodelsareusedinthehealthcareindustrytopredicthealthcare expendituresforaparticularpopulationbasedonavarietyoffactorsincluding historicaldatasuchasdemographicinformationanddiagnosticcodes.These modelsarewidelyusedbyhealthcareproviders,insurers,governmentagencies, andotherstakeholderstonegotiatepaymentsinreturnforprovidinghealth insurancecoveragetoapopulation.Areviewoftheliteraturesuggeststhat commerciallyavailableriskpricingmodelsaretypicallybasedonsomeformofa regressionanalysis.Machinelearning(ML)modelsoffercertainadvantagesover regressionmodelssuchasincorporatinghiddenrelationshipsandaccountingfor nonlinearinteractionsbetweenvariables.However,MLriskpricingmodelshave notbeenshowntohavesuperiorpredictivepowersonlargedatasets.Social DeterminantsofHealth(SDoH)factorshavebeenlinkedtotheincidenceof disease,risk,andoutcomes.However,SDoHfactorsarenotwidelyutilizedinthese riskpricingmodels.Mispricingofhealthcareinsuranceduetoinaccurateforecasts ofexpenditurescanleadtowastedresources,financiallosses,andareluctance amonginsurerstoinsurepopulationswithhigherperceivedrisks.Thismispricing resultsinimpairedaccesstohealthcareanddisadvantagescertainsegmentsofthe population.Inourstudy,wewillinvestigatewhethertheaccuracyofhealthplan paymentriskadjustmentmodelscanbeenhancedbyusingnewmethodologies andconceptualapproachessuchastheincorporationofSDoHdatainML algorithms.Fromasocietalperspective,improvedmodelswouldenableamore efficientpricingofriskandtheappropriateallocationofscarceresources. ImprovingpredictionsbyusingMLtechniquesandadjustinghealthplan paymentsforSDoHriskfactorsmayleadtoanincreasedwillingnessbyinsurersto extendhealthcarecoveragetovulnerablepopulationswhoareperceivedtobeat higherriskduetodisadvantagedSDoH.WehypothesizethatMLmodelswillbetter capturethenon-linearinteractionsandhiddenrelationshipsbetweenriskfactors andincludingSDoHfactorswillimprovetheaccuracyoftraditionalhealthplan paymentriskadjustmentmodelswhichdonotincludeSDoHfactors.

MayaSmith

Projecttitle

Canthepredictivepowerofhealthplan paymentriskadjustmentmodelsbe improvedbyutilizingMLtechniquesand incorporatingSDoHfactors?

Mentor

Dr.SanjayBasu, StationHealth

Abstract

Projecttitle

MapleSyrupUrineDisease(MSUD)

RepresentedinaCowAnimalModel

Mentor

Dr.HeatherGray-Edwards, UniversityofMassachusettsMedicalSchool

MapleSyrupUrineDisease(MSUD)isanautosomalrecessivegeneticdisorder characterizedbypsychomotordelay(slowingdownofmentalorphysical activities),feedingproblems,andasweet-smellingodoroftheurine.MSUD resultsfromanonsensemutation,inwhichacodonforanaminoacidmutates intoastopcodon,whichcutsshorttheproteinthatitcodesfor.Asaresult,this causesadeficiencyinthebranched-chainalpha-ketoaciddehydrogenase complex(BCKDC),anenzymethatworksinthemetabolicpathwayresponsible forbreakingdownthethreebranchedchainaminoacids(BCAAs):leucine, isoleucine,andvaline.Becauseofthemutation,theseBCAAscannotbe metabolizedproperly.Theonlycurrenttreatmentistolimittheintakeof BCAAsthroughdiet.Amorepermanenttreatmentisstillbeingsought,and animalmodelsaregreatwaystoassesstheefficacyoftreatmentssuchasgene therapies.Genetherapiesworktocorrectdisordersbyalteringaperson’s geneticmakeupinhopesofreversingamutation.Genetherapiesareapplicable toawiderangeofdiseases,andmanyresearcherschoosetousethemforthis reason.Mystudywillinvestigatethisbyusingacowmodelofthedisease.Ifwe areabletoassesstheeffectsofgenetherapiesonanimalsthathavebeen modifiedtoaccuratelymodelthisdisease,wecanthenapplythattopeoplein hopesoffindinganeffectivetreatmentwhilealsogainingabetter understandingofthepathophysiologyofthedisease.

Abstract AnnikaSpaet StephanieWang

Urbanizationisexpectedtoincreasesubstantiallywithalmost¾oftheworld’s populationlivingincitiesby2050.Astheglobalpopulationincreaseswith urbanization,foodwillbeincreasinglyscarceandindemand.Tomeetthis demandforfood,greenroofs(GRs)canbeusedtogrowediblevegetationlike lettuce,tomatoes,cabbage,etc.Inaddition,GRsareeffectiveatretaining stormwaterandpreventingrunofffromgettingintodrinkingsuppliesand aquaticecosystems.However,theeffectofplantspeciesonGRwaterretention isnotfullyunderstood.Inaddition,itisunclearifdomesticatedcropspecies–likeediblevegetation–aresuitablefortheharshconditionscommononGRs. Tofilltheseresearchgaps,Iwillbestudyingtheabilityofdifferentvegetation–lettuceandSedum–toretainwater.Iwilldothisbyfindingthedifferencein theweightofeachGRmodulecomparedtothepreviousdaywhichwould indicateifwaterwasevaporatedorretained.IfGRswithediblevegetationcan retaincomparableamountsofwatertoGRswithSedumvegetation,thiscould behelpfulforthefutureofurbanagricultureasGRswithediblevegetationcan helpprovidefoodsecurityfortheeconomicallyvulnerable.

Waterretentionofgreenroofswith ediblevegetation

Abstract

Lonelinessisconsideredthelatesthealthepidemic,withserioushealthimplications. Lonelinessiscorrelatedwithpoormentalhealth(e.g.depression,anxietydisorders, cognitiveimpairment,suicidalideationandbehavior),worsephysicalhealth(e.g. malnutrition,hypertension,disruptedsleep),andhighermortalityrates.However, notalllonelyindividualsdevelopadversehealthoutcomes.Thus,itcomestoterms withthefactorsthatmakethemlesslikelytodevelophealthproblems,whichare calledprotectivefactors.Thepotentialprotectivefactorsagainstlonelinessselected areresilience,hope,andwisdom.Resilienceisdefinedasasuccessfuladaptation processinresponsetotraumaticadverseexperiences.Researchstudyingthe relationsbetweenlonelinessandresilience,focusingontheelderly,homelessyouths, andstudentsshowedanegativecorrelationbetweenresilienceandloneliness.Hope istheperceivedcapabilitytoderivepathwaystodesiredgoalsandmotivateoneself viaagencythinkingtousethosepathways.Researchfoundthatbothhopeand lonelinessmediatetheeffectofstressonsubjectivevitalityandpredictastudent's effortlevel.Lonelinesswasfoundtopredictlowerlevelsofhopeamongbereaved parents.Wisdomisacomplex,multi-componentpersonalitytrait.Studieshavealso shownstrongnegativeassociationbetweenwisdomandloneliness,suggesting wisdom’spotentialcriticalroleasatargetforpsychosocial/behaviorinterventionin reducingloneliness.Yet,overallresearchonrelationshipsbetweenlonelinessand wisdomissparse.Protectivefactorsforlonelinessamongmidandlateadolescents arealsounder-explored.Thus,thegoalofthisstudyistoexploreamultidimensional modelonrelationshipsbetweenloneliness,well-being,resilience,hope,andwisdom amongadolescentindividuals.Thisstudyaimstoshowwhichfactorsbestprotect againstloneliness,andthus,ifresearchersweretodesignfurtherintervention,would yieldthemosteffectiveresults.

14•Juniors

Projecttitle

Lonelinessandwell-beinginmidand lateadolescents:Theroleofresilience, hope,andwisdomasprotectivefactors

Mentor

Dr.AntoniaYpsilanti, SheffieldHallamUniversity,UK

Projecttitle

Mentor

Dr.TylerCarson, ArcadisEngineering

PhoebeCohen

Abstract

Environmentalexposuresarethreatstoallhumanbeings,butespeciallypregnant women.TheenvironmentaleventthatIchosetoutilizeformyresearchinvolvesa cyclonefrom2015thathitthesmallsouthwesternPacificislandofVanuatu.The goalofmyresearchistocontextualizetheconclusionwhichfoundthatasaresult ofthecyclonetherewasanincreaseinmacrosomicbirthweights.Inmyresearch,I plantousethecategoricaldatasettoexplainthisresult,andcrosscheckmy explanationswithpreviousdefinedresearchtoensureuniquefindings.The immenseamountofresearchthathasbeendoneonthistopicinvolvesawide rangeofexposuresandimplicationsintermsofparentalandneonatalhealth.For example,commonindustrialpollutants(PerfluoroalkylSubstances)areknownto causedecreasedbirthweight,disaster-relatedincreaseofobjectivestress (commonlydefinedasthreat,loss,scope,change)areknowntocauseagreater increaseinthechild’sBMIwithage,andtheassociationbetweenneonates exposedtotheWenchuanearthquake(particularlyinthefirsttrimesterwhen mostvulnerable)resultinginhigherbirthdeficitratiocomparedtopostearthquakegroups.Researchconductedinthisinterdisciplinaryfieldbetween environmentalexposuresandprenatalorneonatalhealthcanleadtomore efficienthealthcarepractices,whichwillbetterprotectpregnantwomenin vulnerablelocationsagainstextremeenvironmentaldisasters.

SkylarDeutsch

Projecttitle

Environmentalexposuresimpacton adversebirthoutcomes

Mentor

Dr.KelseyDancause, UniversitéduQuébecàMontréal

Projecttitle

Theunderrepresentationofwomenin leadershippositionsintheworkforce

Inworkplacesaroundtheworld,womenareunderrepresentedinleadershippositions. In2021,only8.1%ofCEOpositionsinFortune500companieswereheldbywomen. Therefore,itisoftheutmostimportancetofindthecauseoftheunderrepresentation offemalemanagementintheworkplace.Furthermore,inorganizationswithgreater genderdiversityintop-tiermanagement,thereturnperemployeeisalmosttwiceas muchasincompaniesthathavealessdiversegendermake-up.Researchsuggeststhat apartofthisissuestemsfrombothgenderstereotypesandbiases.Stereotypesare commonlysharedbeliefsaboutcertaincharacteristicsofagroup,inthiscasegender, andthosewhobelongtothegroup.Biasesareprejudicestowardsagroupbasedon stereotypes.Womenacrosstheentireworkforce,includingthosewhoseekleadership positions,facenegativestereotypesandbiases,puttingthematadisadvantagefor acquiringjobs,afairsalary,andleadershippositions.Inordertocombatthisissue, morespecificresearchtobedoneonfactorsthatimpactthenumberofwomenin leadershippositionsandeffectiveinterventionmethodsthatmayincreasethenumber ofwomenholdingtop-tierpositions.Afullerunderstandingoffemale underrepresentationinleadershipwouldallowforsuccessfulinterventionsina woman'scareerpathtoincreasethenumberofwomeninworkplaceleadership positions.Byfindingmorespecificcausesoftheimbalancesinthenumberofwomen tomeninleadershippositionswillultimatelybenefitwomenintheworkforce worldwide.

Abstract MiaGrasso

Projecttitle

Connectionsbetweencandidategenes andbrainregionsindyslexia

Mentor

MyshaJaveri

Abstract

Approximately10%oftheU.S.populationhasbeendiagnosedwith DevelopmentalDyslexia.Developmentaldyslexiaisalearningdisabilityin whichpeoplehavedifficultylearninghowtoreadandinterpretwords,but thosefactorsdonotaffecttheirintelligence.Peoplewithdyslexiahavesomeof thefollowingdifficulties:decodingwrittentext,understandingsubject meaning,readingfluency,wordrecognition,readingandlistening comprehension,andpoorspelling.Developmentaldyslexiaiscurrently diagnosedbyneuropsychologicalevaluations.Theproblemwiththese evaluationsisthattheycanonlybegivenafterthechildstartsandisstruggling withreading.However,anearlieridentificationcanleadtoimprovedabilityto decodewrittentext,understandsubjectmeaning,fluency,wordrecognition, andreadingcomprehension,whichcanleadtolessinterventionfordiagnosed childreninthefuture.Currentresearchsuggeststhateitherscreeningsthat lookatstructureandfunctionofthebrainorscreeningtestswhichwouldlook atthepossiblemutationsintheDNAwillbeabletodiagnosedyslexiaatan earlierage.However,thiscannotbedoneuntilconflictingneuroimagingresults frompreviousstudiesareclarifiedandadefinitesetofvariantsandgenesare confirmed.Adefinitesetofvariantsandgenescanallowgeneticscreening trialstostartwhichwouldlookattheDNAsequenceandseeifthemutations correlatetothesetofvariantsandgenesconfirmedindyslexia.Ihopetoclarify andconfirmtheseresultsbylookingattheconnectionsbetweencandidate genesandbrainregionsindyslexia,hopefullyallowingclinicaltrialstostart.

Citiesarequicklygrowing,andthenumberofinhabitantslivinginthemisrapidly increasing:currently55%ofallpeopleliveincities,andurbanareasmakeup3%of earth’slandmass.Ascitiesgrowandexpand,urbanizationbecomesmoreofa disturbancetotheEarth'snaturalecosystemsandhasmoreofanimpactonspecies globally.Thisisbecauseurbandevelopmentwillspreadintoruralareasandtake overthehabitatofvariousorganisms.Asaresult,morespeciesofplantsandanimals willbeforcedtoadapttourbanconditions,meaningurbanevolutionwill increasinglybecomeamorecommontypeofevolutionaswellasamorecriticalarea ofresearch.Thisisbecausewhenplanningforconservationandurbanmanagement, itwouldbeimportanttoconsiderhowmetropolitancentersaffectorganisms.

Studyingurbanevolutionisalsoimportantforecologistsandevolutionarybiologists whowanttounderstandtheeffectsofanthropogenicactivityonwildlife,andhow humanshavealteredandcreatedenvironmentalconditionsforotherspeciestolive inandadaptto.Ithasbeenobservedthaturbanizationcanaffectadaptiveandnonadaptiveevolution.Adaptiveforcesrefertoevolutionarychangethatmakesan organismmoresuitableorsuccessfulinitshabitatwhilenon-adaptiveevolutionis evolutionarychangethatisn’tbasedonthefitnessorsurvivalofanorganism. Moderncitieshavenotbeenaroundforalongtime,sotheevolutionandadaptation oforganismswithinthesecitieshaveoccurredonashortertimescale.Urban evolutionisstillarelativelynewfieldandtherearestillmanyareasofresearchthat needtobefurtherstudied–suchashowurbanizationaffectsmarinelife. Additionally,furtherresearchneedstobedoneonhownaturalselection,andthe populationgeneticpatternsofdifferentplantandanimalpopulationsareaffectedby urbanization.Iaminterestedinlearningmoreabouthowcertaintraits,like behavioral,morphologicalandphysiologicaltraits,areaffectedbyurbanization.In additiontounderstandingtheresponsesofdifferenttypesoforganismslike terrestrial,avian,andmarineorganisms,tourbanization.IhopethattheresearchI dointhisfieldcanbeappliedtotheconservationofbiodiversity.

16•Sophomores

Projecttitle

Theeffectofurbanizationon adaptiveandnon-adaptiveevolution

Mentor

Dr.ChloéSchmidt, YaleUniversityand UniversityofManitoba

Dr.GaoWang, ColumbiaUniversity

MayaKazemi

Abstract

Leukemiaisaformofbloodcancerthataffectspartsofthebodysuchasbone marrowandbloodcells.However,itisabletospreadtootherpartsofthebodyas well,suchasorgans,afteritentersthebloodstream.Acuteformsofleukemia accountforalargeportionofmalignantdisordersandarethe15thmost commonlydiagnosedcancerglobally,ranking11thplacefordeathsdueto malignantdisorders.Theyarecharacterizedbytheirrapidattackandtargetingof immaturecellswhichareunabletoproperlyfightoffinfections,allowingthe cancerouscellstospreadfurtherandmorerapidly.Patientswithacuteformsof leukemiacanbecomeillquickly,duetothespeedwithwhichthecancerintheir bodyspreads.However,currentone-size-fits-alltreatmentsforpatientsarenot alwayseffective,asleukemiapresentsitselfdifferentlyforanumberofpatients. Therefore,analternativeoptionthathasbeenproposedandtestedisprecision medicine,alsoknownaspersonalizedmedicine.Specificallyinthecaseof leukemia,precisionmedicineisaformoftailoredmedicationorcourseof treatmentthatisindividualtothepatient’sgeneticprofile,medicalhistory,blood counts,diseasecharacteristics,andpatientdemographics.Oneoftheseproposed treatmentsthatisbeingtestedandresearchedincludesthetargetingofleukemia stemcells(LSCs).LSCsareabletoavoidcelldeath,self-renew,andevade treatment,usingvariousmethods,whichallowsthemtofurtherspread. Therefore,IhopetoworkonwaystotargetLSCs,aswellasthemethodsinwhich LSCscommunicatewiththeirenvironmentinordertofunctionandspread,asthis couldgreatlyadvancethetreatmentofleukemia.

MiraLengsfield

Projecttitle

Usingprecisionmedicinetotreat acuteformsofleukemia

Mentor

Projecttitle

TNTsasapotentialtherapeuticfor MucopolysaccharidosistypeIIIC

Mentors

Tunnelingnanotubes(TNTs)arearecentlydiscoveredmeansofbothlong-and short-distanceintercellularcommunication.Theyarethin,actin-based protrusionsthatconnectcytoplasmsofalmostallcelltypes,whetherthecellsare adjacentordistant.Thenanotubeshavedemonstratedabilitiestomediatethe transferofvariouscellularcargoes,rangingfromsmallionstowholeorganelles. ResearchhasshownthatTNTsmostlikelycontributetoembryonicdevelopment andmaintaininghomeostasis.Inaddition,therehasalsobeeninterestintherole ofTNTsindiseasepathogenesisaswellasincreaseddrugresistance,which makesTNTsapromisingtherapeutictarget.TNTshavetherapeuticapplications; however,therehasnotbeenenoughresearchonTNTs,andmoreresearchis neededbeforetheycanbeusedintherapeuticapplications.Oneoptionthat shouldbefurtherstudiedistheuseofTNTsasapotentialtherapeuticoptionfor MucopolysaccharidosistypeIIICdisease.MucopolysaccharidosistypeIIIC (MPSIIIC)isageneticallyinheritedseverelysosomalstoragediseasethatcauses fatalbraindamage.Thediseaseiscausedbyalackofanenzymeknownas Heparan-α-glucosamineN-acetyltransferase(HGSNAT)thattypicallybreaks downcomplexsugarmoleculeheparansulphate.Theheparansulphate accumulatesandcausesdamagetocellsinthecentralnervoussystem,mainly thebrain.MPSIIICbeginsearlyinlifeandleadstosevereneurologicaldamage, lossofmotorfunction,andearlydeath.Thereisnoavailabletreatmentfor MPSIIIC,andnewtreatmentsneedtobedevelopedthatnotonlyrelieve symptomsofthedisorder,butalsoproposealongtermmethodofrestoring productionofHGSNAT.TNTshavethepotentialtobeapromisingtreatmentfor MPSIIIC.Sinceithasbeenpreviouslyshowninacystinosis(anotherlysosomal storagedisease)mousemodelthatTNTsmediatethetransferofcystinosinbearinglysosomesbetweenstemcellsanddiseasedcells,itisthehopethatthe samemechanismscanbeappliedtoMPSIIIC.Myaimistousehematopoietic stemandprogenitorcellsinaMPSIIICmousemodelandidentifythetransferof theHGSNAT-bearinglysosomesviaTNTs.Iamhopefulthatusingstemcellswill helpdelivertheHGSNAT-bearinglysosomestocellsaffectedbyMPSIIIC,andin turncorrectthedamageofthediseasebyallowingforthenormalbreakdownof heparansulphate.

Dr.StephanieCherquiand Dr.RafaelBadell-Grau, UniversityofCaliforniaSanDiego

GreyLinsley

Projecttitle

Theneurobiologyof humanecholocation

Mentor

Echolocationisusingechoesreflectedfromobjectstoidentifysize,material, shape,etcwithouttheneedoflight.Animalssuchasbatsanddolphinsuse echolocationasanavigationaltoolbyusingself-producedsoundtointerpret echoesoffanobject.Blindexpertecholocatorsareabletoroamcities unaccompaniedwiththeuseofecholocationanditgivesthemalevelof functionalmobilityandindependencethatwouldotherwisebehardtoattain forablindperson.Echolocationhasalmostallofthenecessarybenefitsthat arederivedfromsight.Unlikesight,echolocationoffersa360ºrangefor interpretingechoicsound,sometimesgivingfullerviewsofspace.While extremelyuseful,echolocationisstillnotaswidelytaughtasotherblindnavigationtechniquesasitshouldbeasitisstillviewedasanon-conventional method.Somepeoplewhoarebornblindorbecomeblindearlyhavetaught themselvestoecholocate.Neurologically,weunderstandthatecholocation causesarepurposingofregionsofthebrainthatwouldotherwisebeusedfor sigh.Blindecholocatorscanassigndirectionalmeaningtoechoeswhereas sightedecholocatorshavemoreconsciousthoughtprocesseswheninterpreting echoes.Westilldonotknowwhichareasofthebrainareactivatedwhen echolocationisusedtoorientoneselfintheirenvironment,howthebrainofa blindpersoninterpretsechoesdifferentlyfromthatofasightedperson,nordo weunderstandthefullrangeofpotentialuseofecholocation.Itwould additionallybeinformativetocompareoccipitallobescansofblindpeople beforeandaftertheylearnecholocation,soonecouldobservethechangesin targetedregionsofthebrain.Thiswouldprovideinsightonhowecholocation affectsthebrain.Studyinghumanecholocationishelpingusunderstand neuroplasticityandhowourbrainsinterpretatypicalsensoryinformation,and willhelpusteachanddesignspacesforblindecholocation.

MasonSabellaRosa

Abstract

Incomputerscience,andvariousotherfieldssuchasengineering,optimization problemsarequiteprominent.Inoptimizationproblems,theeffectivenessof everypossiblesolutioncanbepreciselyevaluated.Often,suchproblemshavefar toomanypossiblesolutionstotest.Anexampleofsuchaproblemisthetraveling salesmanproblem,wheretheobjectiveistofindtheshortestround-triproute thathitsabunchofpoints.Evenforseeminglymodestnumbersofpoints,there arefartoomanyroutestoallbetested.Swarmintelligence,however,iscapableof findingnearoptimalsolutionstosuchproblemsbyonlytestingasmallfraction ofthepossiblesolutions.Swarmintelligencedoessobyemployingagroupof agentswhosebehavioriscontrolledbyrelativelysimpleruleswhichtellthe grouphowtousecollaborationandcompetitioninordertoimprove.Theseare techniquestraditionaloptimizationalgorithmscannotusesincemost algorithmsemployonlyoneagent.Inorderforanyswarmintelligencealgorithm toworkwell,eachagentmustbeprogrammedtostrikeagoodbalancebetween testingsolutionssimilartowhathasworkedpreviously,andtestingmore experimentalsolutions,whichareconceptsknownasexploitationand exploration,respectively.Inordertocreatethesealgorithms,researchershave observedtheproblem-solvingcapabilitiesofswarmsfoundinnature.Thereare swarmintelligencealgorithmsbasedonants,fireflies,bats,flowers,birdsand muchmore.Currently,Iplantoapplyswarmintelligencetomedicalimaging.

18•Sophomores

Projecttitle

Swarmintelligencefor imageprocessing

Mentor

Dr.KarriChiranjeevi, UniversityofBeiraInterior, Portugal

Dr.LukasKunz, ColumbiaUniversity

MichaelShor

Abstract

Quantumcomputingusestheideasofquantumphysicstocreateanewtypeof computerthataimstoextendthecomputationalpowerofthefastestclassical computers.Aquantumcomputerusesaqubitinsteadofaclassicalbitasthe fundamentalpieceofinformation.Whileaclassicalcomputercanperformn operationswithnbits,aquantumcomputercanperform2^noperationswithn qubits.Thisisbecauseaqubitfollowstherulesthatquantumphysicsposessuch assuperpositionandentanglementwhichincreasestheefficiencyofaquantum computerexponentially.Superpositionenablesaquantumsystemtobeinmore thanonestateatatime,andentanglementisabletoconnectmultiplequbits together.Thismeansthatasinglecomputationcaninvolvemultiplequbitsin morethanonepossiblestate.Atraditionalquantumcomputerusesanelectron’s spinasaqubitwhichhasthreepossibleconfigurations;theup-state,down-state, orasuperpositionofthetwostates.Inaquantumcomputer,electronsneedtobe inanenvironmentthatisaround273degreesbelowzero,whichisdifficultto implement,andhaveshortlifetimes.Trappedionquantumcomputingfocuseson usingtrappedionsasqubits.Trappinganionallowsqubitstobestoredinthe energylevelsofanion,inwhichtherulesofsuperpositionandentanglementstill apply.Trappedionsprovideforaneasiersystemtocreateandmoreefficientto run.Iamfocusingonbuildingcircuitstogeneratemagneticandelectricfieldsto trapanion.Creatingacombinationofelectricandmagneticfieldsisanimportant stepintheiontrappingprocesswhichinvolvestrappingtheion,creatingthequbit states,controllingthequbitstates,andthenmeasuringthequbitstate.This processhasmanydifferentapplicationsinvariousfieldssuchasquantum simulation,cryptography,andAI.

GrahamSmith

Projecttitle

Filteringcircuittoreducequantum noiseforaniontrap

Mentor

Dr.DanielSlichter, UniversityofColorado,Boulder

Projecttitle

ElectricVTOLaircraftwith novelbatterytechnologies

Mentor

Dr.ImonChakraborty, AuburnUniversity

Aviationisresponsiblefor2.5%ofglobalcarbonemissionseachyear.Dueto theinventionoflithium-ionbatterytechnology,thedesignofshortrange 100%sustainableaerialvehiclesispossible.Thesedesignsarebuiltwiththe purposeoftravelingfromcitytocityandusuallyhaveverticaltakeoffand landingabilities(VTOL).Thismeansthattheseplaneshavetheabilityto takeoffandlandlikehelicoptersanduseenergyefficientlylikeplaneswhilein cruiseflight.Inthefuture,asbatterytechnologygetsmoreadvanced,the flightrangeandthereforetheusabilityofthesecraftwillincrease.Since weightissuchahugefactorintheairplanedesignprocess,theenergydensity ofbatteriesbecomesacrucialfactorinthedesign.Witheachnewgeneration ofbatteries,anincreaseinenergycomesatthecostofeitherextravolumeor mass.Sometimes,increasingthestoragevolumeisnecessarytoincreasethe storagecapacityforbatteries,whichcanchangetheaerodynamicefficiencyof theplane.Ontheotherhand,ifthebatteriesweighmore,thenlargerwings willbeneededtocompensatefortheextraweight.Computeralgorithmscan effectivelybalanceallofthesefactorsbyusingpreviousplanedesignstorun simulationstoseewhattheoptimaldesignis.Iplantotakeanewbattery technologyandusethesecomputeralgorithmstocreateanewplanedesign andtestmydesignthroughaphysicalmodel.

Theevolutionarygrowthofthehumanbrainhasbeenimplicatedgreatlyinthe successofourspecies.Recently,ithasbeenshownthatwhenthehuman lineageseparatedfromnon-humanprimatesabout6millionyearsago,aburst ofgeneduplicationsoccurred.Usingthisfinding,researchershave hypothesizedthattheseevolutionarilygeneduplicationsmayhaveplayeda roleintheemergenceofhuman-specifictraitsofbraindevelopmentand function.Byidentifyingthesegenes,wecanknowaboutneurodevelopmental disorders.Neurodevelopmentaldisordersarethoughttohavestemmedfrom disruptionofhighercognitivefunctionsofthebrain,whichisuniqueto modernhumans.Bygleaninginformationabouttheevolutionarymechanisms thathaveledtothesehigherfunctions,scientistswillpossiblybeabletoseethe placeswheredisruptionsintheseprocessesoccurwhichwouldleadto neurodevelopmentaldisorders.Theissuewiththisresearch,though,isthatthis portionofthehumangenomehaslargelyremainedunexploredmainlybecause therecreationofthegenomeisverypoorlyassembled.Iwillbeassistingmy mentorandhisteamintryingtodeterminetherolethathominoidandhumanspecificgeneduplicationsplayedduringbraindevelopmentandevolution, whichisauniquescientificmodel.Determiningtheroleofhuman-specificgene duplicationsduringbraindevelopmentwillbeamilestoneinour understandingofthegeneticandneurobiologicalmechanismsunderlyingthe emergenceofhuman-specifictraitsofthebrainaswellastheway neurodevelopmentaldisordersdevelopandaffectourbrains.

SENIORSUPERLATIVES

BESTPERSONTOBESTRANDEDON ADESERTISLANDWITH AKSHAYSHIVDASANI

BESTGROUPPROJECTLEADER RAIHANARAHMAN

Projecttitle

Mentor

Geneticmechanismsunderlyinghuman brainevolution

Dr.FranckPolleux, ColumbiaUniversity

BESTSHOULDERTOCRYON

ANOTEOFTHANKS

FromallthestudentsenrolledinASR,thankyouto thosewhohavemadetheSymposiumandthe coursepossible.ThankyoutoMr.CharlickandMr. LouriganfortechnicalsupportfortheSymposium. ThankyoutoMr.Grande,Mr.Hinds,andthe maintenancecrewforgettingtheSymposiumvenue ready.ThankyoutoMr.YashinandMr.Keithfor lendingtheirtirelesscommitmenttosupportingusin allofourASRadventures.Thankyoutoour mentorsfortheircontinuedguidancethroughout theresearchprocess.ThankyoutoDr.Donohue, Mr.Wilson,andMs.Buckleyformakingthiscourse possible.Andofcourse,thankyoutoourparents, whohavesupportedusthroughoutthecourse.

SYMPOSIUMCREDITS

Copyediting:JoshuaLuo,RaihanaRahman, YuqiaoZou

Decorationsandsetup:AndrewChen, MayaKazemi,MiraLengsfield,TaliSmith, AnnikaSpaet

Graphicdesign:PhoebeCohen,MiaGrasso, RaihanaRahman,MasonSabellaRosa, ArjunSharma,StephanieWang

Invitations:MayaSmith,SiyangWei

MC:MorganAmoils

Symposiumslideshow:GreyLinsley, GrahamSmith

Techsupport:LucasLibshutz,MichaelShor