Undergraduate Projects & Research Conference 2022

FIRST ANNUAL

UNDERGRADUATE PROJECTS & RESEARCH

CONFERENCE MARCH 17,

2022

A forum for students to share their discoveries.

SCHOOL OF SCIENCE MATH AND ENGINEERING

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

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A MESSAGE FROM THE DEANS “I’m just here to take my generals.” It’s a comment I have heard many times from students as they make their way through our halls. Yet, SLCC offers so much more than just classes! For students seeking to explore their ideas and cultivate the habits of mind that build true thought leaders, the opportunities for research and creative projects are there for anyone to experience. When we first started our Science and Math Symposium 11 years ago, it was a forum in which we celebrated student discoveries. It was, and continues to be, our greatest hope that students will use their natural curiosity to engage in creative and thoughtful projects as part of their learning experience. The results have been truly remarkable, and our students have shown the capacity to engage with the world in ways that far exceeded anyone’s expectations. Now, we are ready to take another step and welcome participants from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences into our celebration of student discovery! There could be nothing more natural since the commonality between all disciplines is that that it involves human beings. The innate curiosity we all possess make us unique as explorers, thinkers, and crafters of our own destiny. SLCC is invested in offering opportunities for students to explore the remarkable human capacity for wonder and we celebrate them in this event so that others are inspired to do the same. With thanks to everyone that worked to make this event possible, I welcome you to the SLCC Undergraduate Project and Research Conference and invite you to be inspired by the projects and discoveries you will find here.

Together we are pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a member of the SLCC community.

Dr. Craig Caldwell - Dean, School of Science, Math and Engineering It is both an honor and a privilege to collaborate on this opportunity to provide our students the space to showcase their intellectual curiosity through undergraduate research. While the School of Science, Math and Engineering pioneered this effort by hosting the annual student conference for the past eleven years, this is the first time we have collaborated on such a venture.

As we seek to be a model for inclusive and transformative education, participation in undergraduate research empowers and invites students to be innovative, share their ideas, inventions and findings with their peers, faculty, staff, and the broader community. Engaging in this high impact practice of undergraduate research, at a community college, situates students to be better prepared as they continue their academic pursuits at a four-year institution. Having this research experience provides a platform for students to balance between individual and collaborative work, discover a passion for research, puts them on a trajectory for graduate studies, and is a catalyst for their careers as future researchers and potentially future faculty.

There are many benefits for students and faculty alike, who engage in undergraduate research. As such, we invite faculty, staff, and students to spread the word and invite others to join in this worthwhile endeavor.

GO BRUINS! Dr. Roderic R. Land - Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences

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Table of Contents

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SCIENCE, MATH, AND ENGINEERING ORAL PRESENTATIONS

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SCIENCE, MATH, AND ENGINEERING POSTER PRESENTATIONS

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THANK YOU

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EVENT AGENDA

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HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES POSTER PRESENTATIONS

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

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ALBERT SZENT-GYÖRGYI

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“Research is seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.”

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Luisa Whittaker-Brooks

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Lunch Keynote Speaker:

A Non-traditional Journey thru Energy, Electronics, and STEM Luisa Whittaker-Brooks is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Utah. Her research centers on the design of well-defined hybrid materials with controlled morphology and interfaces that serve as conduits for deterministic and coherent energy and charge transfer for applications in energy conversion, storage, and electronics.

Dr. Whittaker-Brooks received her B.S. degree in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Panama. Under a Fulbright Fellowship, she received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Chemistry from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University.

She was the recipient of the 2013 L’Oréal Fellowship for Women in Science Award and the 2015 Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Recently, she was named a Scialog and Cottrell Fellow by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), a Talented 12 by C&En news, and a GERA Ovshinsky Energy Fellow by the American Physical Society (APS). She is also the recipient of a Department of Energy Early Career Award and a Sloan Fellowship in Chemistry.

Having been born and raised in Panama, I often witnessed how many communities at risk struggled to obtain clean water and electricity. I vividly remember how the “El Niño” climate pattern brought a lot of drought to the country back in 2003.

The drought was so severe that the government had to make the tough decision to either restrict electricity or provide drinkable water to the nation. It is a no-brainer that the latter was the better alternative to keep. Amid adversity, I saw many opportunities and became interested in learning more about sustainable energy processes and clean water filtering technologies. I decided to major in chemistry, and as part of my thesis work, I investigated how the water quality in lakes and rivers was affected by massive maritime transport through the Panama Canal. My training in materials and physical chemistry has led me to develop fundamental research insights that could enable high-performing and low-cost solar cells and energy storage devices that could one day be deployable to communities at risk in different parts of the world. Through my science journey, I have been empowered to instill in my students the gift of utilizing their unlimited talent to solve some of our global energy challenges.

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Moin Syed

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Dinner Keynote Speaker:

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A primary strand of Dr. Syed’s research is to apply basic psychological theory and research on identity development to understand students’ educational experiences and career orientation. He has a long-standing program of research examining how identity issues play a central role in the experiences of racial/ethnic minority college students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This work seeks to link educational experiences within STEM majors (e.g., authentic research experience, mentoring) with psychological processes (i.e., identity, self-efficacy) to better understand participation and retention in STEM.

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Moin Syed, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He is a cultural developmental psychologist with interests in identity and personality development among adolescents and emerging adults from diverse ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds.

Much of his current scholarly work focuses on methods, theories, and practices within the broad frameworks of open science and meta-psychology, with a particular emphasis on ethnic minority psychology, diversity within the field, and building bridges across the fractured sub-disciplines of psychology. He is currently the Editor of Infant and Child Development, is co-Editor (with Kate C. McLean) of the Oxford Handbook of Identity Development, the past Editor of Emerging Adulthood, the official journal of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, and is past President of the International Society for Research on Identity.

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Identity Development in College: Core Concepts and Contextual Considerations for Understanding the Experiences of Ethnically-Diverse Students

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Humanities & Social Sciences:

Oral Presentations Second-hand Elephant Jenna Thompson, Ted Moore

In 1916, the Salt Lake City newspaper, The Telegram, began imploring its readers for donations to buy an elephant (Princess Alice) for the growing Liberty Park Zoo. Later that year, Princess Alice and her trainer Dutch Shider, made Salt Lake City their home and were popular subjects for advertisement in The Telegram. Other newspapers at the time voiced their opposition to the purchase, calling her a “second-hand elephant, and circus reject”. This project explores how a newspaper fighting for more readers purchased this elephant for the sole purpose of making money, and when she had served her purpose, she was forgotten about and ultimately discarded. Princess Alice was known as the only breeding elephant in the United States and lived in Salt Lake City for 60 years after being purchased from the owner (H. Tammen) of the Sells-Floto circus. She was notoriously known for her stubborn attitude, many escape attempts, and the birth of her third calf, “Prince Utah”. Princess Alice was housed at both the Liberty Park Zoo and later at the Hogle Zoo, neither of which had the funds or facilities to properly house the animals, resulting in horrible living conditions. Princess Alice’s life tells the story of how businessmen, a growing zoo, a struggling newspaper, and a circus mogul took advantage of a cultural fascination with elephants to line their pockets and grow their other business ventures while providing an early example of sensationalized news.

The Effect of Religion on Black Marriages Lucy Shirisia, Faculty Presenter

This qualitative study examined how religion strengthened the marriages of three (n = 6) African American couples. An ancillary purpose of this study is to examine the extent that spirituality influences the marriages of these couples. Through the use of a family-strengths framework, this study examined how a religious orientation (Hill, 1968) stabilized Black marriages.

Qualitative analysis revealed the following four themes: (1) Religion is The Foundation of the Marriage; (2) Couples Consistently Practiced their Religion; (3) Couples Turned to Religion during Difficult Times; and (4) Religion Transcended Race. The findings indicate these couples practiced their religion in all aspects of their lives. As it relates to spirituality, these couples discussed this construct as the relationship that they established between themselves and God, and God and their spouse. The study provides an explanation of why a paradox may exist within the African American community in terms of religion and divorce. The implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Feminism

Sol Vargas-Carrillo There are three main strands within the feminist movement. Namely, radical feminism, liberal feminism, and socialist feminism. The present research focuses on those main strands and how they interact with one another to accomplish a common goal: the termination of sexist oppression implemented by the patriarchy. The relationship between feminism and the established ideology of liberalism is also used to explain the similarities and differences between liberal feminists, radical feminists, and socialist feminists. These similarities and rival tendencies are further analyzed to indicate the benefits and challenges of the political application of feminism as a whole. More specifically, this work will examine the differing perception of politics that each strand holds to explain the rival tendencies that prevent unanimity among feminists. Additionally, this work will scrutinize the core themes of feminism (i.e. the private/public divide, the patriarchy, sex and gender, and equality and difference) to explain rival tendencies within the feminist ideology. And most importantly, this work will explore gender and its use as a social cleavage to define, arguably, the most prominent rival tendency: the definition of politics in private and public spheres (e.g. family roles and relations, versus employment opportunities).

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It was long hypothesized that anxiety and depressive disorders (and many other mental illnesses) were caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. More specifically, the “chemical imbalance” theory presumed that serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain, was below normal levels, causing anxiety and depressive disorders. However, over the last ten years, independent research has continually shown the chemical imbalance theory to be false. Furthermore, independent research has shown that medications used to “correct” the imbalance are largely ineffective. Many performed no better than placebos, and it was discovered that drug companies were spending twice as much on marketing as they were on actual research to persuade the public of the theory. In 2008, the New England Journal of Medicine published that 88 percent of clinical trials that showed the drugs didn’t work either weren’t published in medical journals or were presented as positive findings. Examples of this type of misleading marketing from major anti-anxiety medication companies are included in this literature review, as well as current research on how it has hurt patient outcomes. Thus, the central question asked in this literature review is: if this theory is incorrect, what theory and research should be the foundation of our investigations to solve the problems of anxiety, PTSD, and depressive disorders? Findings from studies to calm the Amygdala are presented and analyzed for future applications with the Stellate Ganglion Block. The utilization of fMRI scans in combination with this procedure is being analyzed for future research as well as practical inpatient and outpatient psychiatric intervention.

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Ammon Love, Xin Zhao

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The Chemical Imbalance Myth: Practical Applications for Calming the Amygdala in Treating Anxiety and PTSD

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Carl Jung was one of the major contributors to modern psychoanalytical psychology and was especially esteemed for his model of the psyche, which can help us understand the dangerous behaviors that hinder our psychological development. Jung believed that if you understand the reality of your own psyche, you can accelerate the natural development of your consciousness to become a more complete person. This is what he called the process of individualization. In this project, I explored the four major personal archetypes that must be faced and integrated during the individualization process. First, the Persona, which is the mask we present to the world, this is who we wish to be. Second, the Shadow, known as the dark side of our personality or the aspects of ourselves that we despise or repress. Third, is the most controversial of his archetypes, the Anima/Animus; the femininity in men, and masculinity in women. This third archetype is often criticized because of the terminology Jung used; rather than assuming heteronormality, this archetype can be described as the opposite of one’s persona. The final archetype is the Self, which is the core of the Jungian psyche, which occurs when the unconscious and conscious minds are unified. I am presenting a literature review of Carl Jung’s work, the critiques, and the developments of his model of the psyche. The process of individualization is unique to each individual, and the complexity of one’s psyche cannot be simplified into basic terminology. Jung’s theory was not meant to be a set doctrine of the psyche, rather his theory was an advancement to our understanding of the unconscious. Lastly, Jung wanted to help individuals to face the obstacles one might find in the search for meaning, completeness, or their highest state of self.

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Gabriel Chacon

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Understanding the Jungian Unconscious: A Guide to Individualization

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Humanities & Social Sciences:

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Oral Presentations

International Relations Theories and the War in Afghanistan Jonah Blackham

After almost exactly 20 years, the United States has finally withdrawn from Afghanistan. With the fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021, Afghanistan finds itself in the same spot politically as when the war started, with the Taliban in control. To find out why the war in Afghanistan was started, why the US remained for so long, and why the war was ultimately a failure, I examined it through the lenses of important theories in international politics. First, the war was started because of liberal institutionalism.

In an anarchic system with no world leader, states seek to work together to create and maintain collective security. This is what happened at the start of the war, when multiple developed states, such as Canada, Germany, and Australia, joined the United States to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and promote collective security. Second, the United States remained for so long because of the belief in democratic peace. Democracies generally don’t start wars with each other, so states should democratize to promote peace. This is a sentiment held by many foreign policy leaders today, as evidenced by the American efforts to create a liberal democracy in Afghanistan. Finally, the United States ultimately failed in Afghanistan because of the prospect theory. People will work harder to avoid loss than to achieve gain. In the Taliban’s view, they had so much to lose in this war, so they fought hard to keep it. In the view of the United States and its citizens, there wasn’t much to lose, so they didn’t put as much effort and resources towards it as the Taliban. These theories of international relations provide a framework to better understand contemporary international politics, especially in confusing or complicated situations like the war in Afghanistan.

International Relations Theory and US Involvement in Afghanistan Donna Gibbons

The purpose of my research for an essay written last fall, was to look at the theories of international politics that apply to the war in Afghanistan and in doing so answer questions about why the United States invaded Afghanistan, why we remained there for 20 years, and why that is now branded as a failed effort. I felt that I needed to start by providing an important historical account of international events in the years leading up to the 9/11 attacks. In the 1980s a UN Resolution was followed by a covert soft power operation by the CIA, and a subsequent Realist reaction and strategy around our decision to invade. I provide three reasons, tied to Realist theory, as to why we stayed in Afghanistan; Strategic, Hegemonic, and Geopolitical. These reasons were respectively employed to prevent terrorism, hold our position of power regarding energy access, and gain influence in Central Asia which has large deposits of oil and natural gas. I apply the idea of Imperialism to our failure to nation build in Afghanistan. A domestic level of analysis illuminates the role of national politics in decisions made by the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations as they grappled with the war. I also acknowledge that at the interstate level, the war in Afghanistan involved power relations between the U.S. and rival countries as they competed for resources and geopolitical advantage. I would like to relate that war to what we are now experiencing with Russia’s incursion into Ukraine how it would appear that lessons from Afghanistan have been conveniently forgotten or ignored.

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Fanfiction, although it may seem like a contemporary phenomenon, has existed throughout human history. So, what is the distinction between a fan’s work and the source material? How are they differently respected, and why do people choose to write in the world of modern fanfiction? The impact of fanfiction in modern media is not small and represents the everpresent issues of representation and censorship of marginalized communities. In this presentation, I will explore the intention and quality of fanfiction, and its distortion in the eyes of the public.

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Sophia Dodge

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Fanfiction: A Labor of Love

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Nietzsche’s philosophy was built as both a prophecy of future philosophy and a call to arms. His target was the “philosophers of the future”, who would rebel against all philosophical norms that exist within the modern world. In this paper, I examine the elements of these “new philosophers”, including a strong skepticism towards modernity, a revaluation of the strong individual, and a rejection of current philosophical thought. Upon evaluation of these traits, I bring to light a further trait that has escaped examination. Nietzsche’s “philosophers of the future” would reject the systems and traditions of philosophy, seeking their own expression of philosophy through other means. Utilizing Boris Groys’ understanding of Antiphilosophy as a sister to Antiart, we can understand Nietzsche’s “new philosophers” to be antiphilosophical, not just in thought, but indeed. With this understanding, I make a short case for an examination of contemporary metal music as the current fertile ground of organic Nietzschean thought. As a continuation of the musical traditions set by Wagner, metal contains many of the elements Nietzsche claims his “new philosophers” would espouse as their guiding principles. Studying this sub-group of contemporary music, we could hope to extract a more nuanced understanding of modern underground Nietzschean thought that has escaped examination thus far.

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Austin Karn

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The Evil Song You Sing inside Your Brain: The Antiphilosophical Growth of Nietzsche’s “New Philosophers”

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Stoic philosophy holds that there is very little that a person can control except their own thoughts and feelings about things.

This has led to a philosophy centering around the cultivation of inner virtues, like temperance, courage, practical wisdom, and justice. In the modern resurgence of Stoicism which started in the early nineties and continues today, Stoicism is a philosophy largely characterized by online communities, and active participation in philosophical exercises, in order to cultivate inner virtue in a complex and changing world. However, I argue these modern applications of stoicism have a tendency to become merely an ad hoc application of Stoic thought as a tool for momentary functionality, rather than a life philosophy. The purpose of this paper is to explore this “life-hack Stoicism.” By taking a brief survey of modern Stoic writings, as they appear in the blogs and other texts of prominent practitioners of what-I-am-calling “popular stoicism,” I aim to analyze their effects on the Stoic philosophy as a whole, and how it is practiced today. Namely, I will argue that these writings alter the understandings of Stoicism in ways that align with modern ideas of masculinity and taciturn endurance, and minimize the importance of the Stoic virtues of justice and duty.

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Emma Wadsworth

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How Modern Gender Values Have Shaped Modern Stoicism Focus

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Oral Presentations Theory Contrast Essay (Liberalism) Carter Darger, Colin Moore

Political ideologies are extremely nuanced and complex such as the case of Liberalism, reflected in the difference between its classical and modern branches. Both branches have various views about the role of government, the market, and use of positive and negative freedom. This paper analyzes these differences in a compare and contrast format. These differences are then applied to modern issues such as debates about free college, economic stimulus packages, and mask and vaccine mandates for Covid-19. The results of this analysis show us that while classical and modern branches of Liberalism remain similar at the core, they differ in ways that give us insight into our current political landscape and many modern issues.

The Mycelial Network and Evolution of Human Consciousness Saint Gallardo-Marin

When we think about fungi, our imagination is largely dominated by mushrooms budding from the surface of the soil; but just as the fruits of a flowering plant are one part of a larger structure, mushrooms are only the fruiting bodies of fungi.

Beneath mushrooms exists the mycelial network, an interconnected sentient web that mirrors the design of dark matter and neural connections in the brain and courses through nearly all land masses on Earth. The mycelium is the oldest and largest living organism on Earth. It is extremely sensitive to its environment and is aware and responsive to changes, such as membrane excitation and physical growth restrictions that inhibit branching patterns. Mycelia are also capable of learning and exhibit short-term memory. These are expressions of higher consciousness and while these expressions are very simple, they align with the consensus that the human mind is one expression of consciousness among a continuum that shares the same cellular mechanisms. We tend to associate sentience and awareness with consciousness and as something uniquely human, but what if consciousness evolved first in fungi, or perhaps the microbial ancestors of fungi and animals (opisthokonts), and later was inherited by humans?

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Emblematic Language Style and How It Represents the Characters in “Funes the Memorious:” A Literary Analysis David Hockett

This presentation compares the “emblematic” literary devices in relation to language style in “Funes the Memorious,”

by Jorge Luis Borges. The story is centered around the incomprehensible Ireneo Funes, a Uruguayan boy genius and savant whose mind perceives all and forgets nothing. Yet, this extraordinary power seems negated by his paralyzed body and lack of understanding of abstract human concepts. In the presentation, it is argued that the style of language used by Borges represents Funes’ contradictory nature through his use of diction, tone, and symbolism.

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Utah, home to the Rocky Mountain front, has significantly higher levels of depression and suicide rates than other regions of the United States. Utah ranks 9th in the nation for people killing themselves and is lacking in resources to save people. Among these, Utah has prescription drug abuse, misuse, and overdose deaths related to its Opioid Epidemic. This research seeks to suggest an alternative solution that may show promising and positive results when implemented correctly. That investigation lies within the realm of medical cannabis. Along with this topic/research, there must be an acknowledgment of its problematic past in discrimination and racialization of marginalized communities. If there is a push for cannabis reform, there must also be a push to reduce and reform the wrongs accompanying it. With an insufficient and counterintuitive amount of data categorizing the effects of cannabis when treating those with MDD, it is still unethical to say because it works for someone, it can be apply to everyone; correlation is not causation. Numerous case studies indicate a conflicting agreement between data.

Cannabis’s current Federal standing makes it challenging to conduct and gather this research. With this area of ambiguity, Utah has the opportunity to become one of the first states to pioneer a treatment plan, alongside a cognitive mind-frame, to decrease the likelihood of cannabis use disorder and dependency while simultaneously increasing one’s growth to a better life with cannabis. This is not to be seen as a solution, but a crutch to lessen the rate of suicide and depression. for Covid-19. The results of this analysis show us that while classical and modern branches of Liberalism remain similar at the core, they differ in ways that give us insight into our current political landscape and many modern issues.

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Brian Ruelas

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Hidden in the Grass: De-rooting Drug Radicalization, Discrimination, and Planting Seeds for Modern Problems

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Poster Presentations Investigating Habitat Preferences of Cebus imitator at La Selva Research Station Tessa Sivertsen, Melissa Seaboch

Rivers create natural variation within landscapes, leading to diverse habitat preferences among primate species.

Understanding the habitat preferences of primates can be useful in assessing their overall ecological significance and informing future conservation efforts. The confluence of the Sarapiqui and Puerto Viejo Rivers forms a natural boundary at La Selva Research Station. This area is differentially occupied by primate species like Alouatta palliata (mantled howler monkey), Cebus imitator (white-faced capuchin), and Ateles geoffroyi (Geoffroy’s spider monkey). Previous studies on C. imitator have supported a strong preference for secondary forest habitats over riparian habitats due to their lower canopy, as well as the presence of human-planted invasive fruit trees. For this study, I will be investigating the habitat preferences of C. imitator in relation to the Sarapiqui and Puerto Viejo Rivers, to see if the results are approximate to those of other studies done in northeastern Costa Rica. I hypothesize that there will be a negative correlation between spatial proximity to rivers and C. imitator population density, consistent with the results of prior studies. C. imitator is a monkey of Central and South America, endemic to Honduras through northwestern Ecuador. They are black and white in color, express moderate sexual dimorphism, and weigh from 15 to 40 kg, depending on sex. They are predominantly arboreal, forming multi-male/multi-female groups of up to 24, and have a highly varied omnivorous diet. To test my hypothesis, I will do a census on C. imitator by walking all the trails at La Selva Research Station at a pace of 1 km per hour. I will record the number of individuals and their location by trail name and nearest meter marker. The group’s proximity to rivers will be calculated using La Selva Research Station’s trail maps, and I will compare the number of sightings near and far from rivers with the results of other research sites.

Affiliation and Aggression in Primate Groups Savannah Davis, Melissa Seaboch

Interactions between species are thought to be one of the largest factors of natural selection. Prior research has shown that primate species are constantly interacting, and that these interactions are not always peaceful or playful. Studies from La Suerte Biological Station have shown that howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) and spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) displace each other in order to get to the food resources. Other times, the two species are seen playing with each other. Alouatta palliata appear to be tolerant of other resident males but aggressive towards nonresident males. Ateles geoffroyi have been known to use fission-fusion dynamics which decrease competition and aggression. Whether these patterns of interactions are also found at La Selva Research Station is unknown. This study will examine the interactions within species and between species of Alouatta palliata and Ateles geoffroyi. I predict that interactions within Alouatta palliata groups will be more affiliative compared to interactions with Ateles geoffroyi groups. This research will take place at La Selva Research Station in May 2022.

La Selva Research Station is located in the lowlands of the Caribbean in Costa Rica and is surrounded by the Sarapiqui and Puerto Viejo Rivers totaling about 103.89 km. Due to the high amount of rainfall, La Selva Research Station is covered with tropical pre-montane wet forest, which is more commonly known as rainforest. La Selva Research Station is home to Alouatta palliata, Ateles geoffroyi, and Cebus imitator. La Selva Research Station also has an expansive number of trails totaling in 50 km.

Alouatta palliata are recognized by dark brown/black coloring with a lighter color along their sides and back. Males average about 9.8 kg while females average 5 kg. Ateles geoffroyi have dark hair with lighter coloring on their chest and stomach.

Males and females both average between 6 and 9 kg. For my data collection I will be using instantaneous scan sampling with an interval of 30 seconds. I will alternate between Alouatta palliata and Ateles geoffroyi each day. For each scan I will record whether behaviors are solitary, affiliative, or aggressive, and for social behaviors I will record the partner. I will compare the amount of affiliation and aggression within groups and between groups.

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The proposed research question, “Is Animal Therapy Effective for Mood Disorder Recovery?” will be used to provoke research and analysis into whether animal therapy truly is effective for mood disorder recovery. Studies were included where an animal was involved intentionally as therapy. Studies were also included that compared results of those with control groups, as well as pre-post one-group design. The results also showed that those waiting for a service animal and those who already had a service animal held very large variations between the two, though traditional psychotherapy interventions were statistically slightly less as effective as service animal therapy. Ultimately, the presence of animal-assisted therapy maintains benefits that can seem to slightly outweigh other psychotherapies, such as psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral therapy. This is a call for more future studies of the relief animal therapy can have on those with mood disorders; however promising the research has been so far, it is strongly noted that more needs to be done.

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Peter Scott, Justice Morath

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Is Animal Therapy Effective for Mood Disorder Recovery?

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Halisha Knipe, Casey Gilbert, Isabella Clark, Meridith Wismer

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This is a literature review analyzing data to determine whether Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is effective in children and adolescents with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Within this literature review, there will be a focus on the meaning behind EMDR as well as the history behind it, how it is used in therapy, and whether it has also had effectiveness towards others overall. It would discuss PTSD and how some patients find EMDR therapy effective for moving forward from their traumatic experiences. Based on available research and testing data, the discussion would then transition to finding out if EMDR could have the same effect on children and adolescents. It is important to discuss the reasons why EMDR is effective for some patients, as this can be helpful with therapy in psychiatric clinics and practices for children who experience PTSD.

R E S E A R C H

Jacklyn Ortiz Aviles, Justice Morath

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Is EMDR Therapy Effective Towards Children and Adolescents with PTSD?

P R O J E C T S

There are a variety of natural and human caused processes that impact skeletal remains; the study of these processes is called taphonomy. Human causes include anthropogenic mark such as chops, cuts and kerfs that are distinctive from marks caused by plant or animal activity. By studying the different marks made by a variety of tools on faunal bone, we can learn to identify these patterns and apply them to future research. This aids in forensic investigations to identify what has occurred to an individual such as previous trauma or manner of death.public spheres (e.g. family roles and relations, versus employment opportunities).

U N D E R G R A D U A T E

Bashers and Slashers: Anthropogenic Marks in Forensic Taphonomy

2 0 2 2 C O N F E R E N C E R E S E A R C H & P R O J E C T S U N D E R G R A D U A T E | E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T H S C I E N C E O F S C H O O L S L C C

Humanities & Social Sciences:

Poster Presentations The Power of Notetaking Babi Abdalla

Notetaking has been a staple activity of academic life, particularly in lecture courses, for decades. Despite its widespread use, notetaking has been taken for granted by both instructors and students. However, in the past few years, changes in the landscape of higher education, such as the proliferation of commercial notetaking services, have led instructors to ask questions about the efficacy of notetaking in promoting learning and their own role in the process. These questions reflect instructor concerns not only about notetaking services, but also the clear decrease in student notetaking abilities, the introduction of active modes of learning within lectures, and the ease with which instructors can post their lecture notes online for campus-based courses or distance learning. The purpose of this is to review the impact of notetaking and how the review of notes affects student learning. The also explores the role that instructors can play, suggesting several specific strategies to support students.

Biting Off More than You Can Chew: Animal Gnawing in Forensic Taphonomy Rachel York, Lexi Thompson, Emma Hastings, Meridith Wismer

Taphonomy is the study of the processes that impact skeletal remains between the time of death and retrieval by forensic investigators. There are many different animals that will scavenge skeletal remains for food and minerals. By gnawing on the bones, carnivores and rodents will leave different types of indentations/marks on the bone. By studying these patterns of marks, we may be able to determine what animals were responsible, and thereby infer important information, such as if the remains were moved or left exposed. Ultimately, this helps us to reconstruct what happened to an individual’s remains within forensic investigations.divorce. The implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Maternal Behavior in Howler Monkeys (Alouatta palliata) Madisen Killpack, Melissa Seaboch

Maternal behavior in primates has shown that they take care of their infants to help them develop. When infants play and socialize with each other, they are developing behaviors and social skills. A study on Alouatta palliata in Honduras found that females with infants were spending more time with other mothers than with any other member of their group. We don’t know if this is true at La Selva. Who do female A. palliata spend the most time with? I predict that female A. palliata with infants will spend more time with other female A. palliata with infants than with female A. palliata who do not have an infant.

This study will take place at La Selva Research Station. Located at the confluence of the Puerto Viejo and Sarapiquí Rivers, La Selva Research Station can be found in the province of Heredia, Costa Rica. La Selva is 1500 hectares of protected primary and secondary rainforest. The average rainfall is 4000 mm per year with average temperatures of 25° C to 27° C. One of the species of monkeys found here is A. palliata. These monkeys are black with a long gold fringe on their sides. Males weigh 4.5 to 9 kg and females 3.5 to 7.3 kg. For my data collection, I am going to do 10-second instantaneous focal sampling and record mothers’ proximity to their nearest neighbor and who that neighbor is. I will compare proximities of mothers with and without infants.

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S L C C U N D E R G R A D U A T E P R O J E C T S & R E S E A R C H

The purpose of this literature review is to bring to light the effect of stress on first-generation college students. The importance of this topic is to be able to understand the hardships that first-generation college students face, which tend not to affect their peers. It is also crucial to understand what that difference is to be able to make learning easily accessible to everyone, not just those with the same background and privileges. All college students feel stress, but there is an added pressure for firstgeneration college students that is never addressed.

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Carolina Huess, Justice Morath

S C I E N C E S

How First-Generation College Students Manage Stress

S O C I A L

Primates are social animals; they live in groups composed of mothers, their offspring, and a variable numbers of males.

Mother-infant interaction is one of the earliest forms of primate bonding and communication. After a certain period of attachment, the infants begin to become more independent from their mothers, finally reaching adulthood. Capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator) have a relatively slow life history compared to howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). C. imitator infants begin to first explore away from their mothers at 3 to 6 months of age and are adults at about 47 to 60 months of age.

In comparison, A. palliata infants begin to explore in the first week or two of life, becoming entirely independent at about 30 to 36 months of age. As these data indicate, C. imitator infants are dependent on their mothers longer than A. palliata infants.

Whether these patterns of independence are found in the primates of La Selva Research station remains unknown. The aim of the present study is to compare the amount of time that infant C. imitator and A. palliata spend near versus far from their mother as a measure of their dependence. I hypothesize that C. imitator infants will spend more time in close proximity to their mother compared to A. palliata infants. This research will be conducted in May 2022 at La Selva Research Station, located in northeastern Costa Rica. The station offers 3,953 acres of tropical forest and it is home to three species of primates: Alouatta palliata, Ateles geoffroyi, and C. imitator. Cebus imitator is a small animal, weighing 1.4 to 4 kg. They are black on the body, tail, and limbs and are white on the chest, shoulders, and face. The birth season is from February to July with the mean peak in birth activity in May. Alouatta palliata are sexually dimorphic with males weighing 4.5 to 9.8 kg and females weighing 3.1 to 7.6 kg. Infants are born a gray color but then become black. Data will be collected using 10-minute continuous focal sampling of mothers and infants. I will record proximity between mothers and infants. Proximity will be recorded as “in contact” (0 m), “near” (0±1 m), “far” (greater than 1 m). Also, I will record feeding, travel, grooming, and resting. The proximities of the two species will be compared with each other as well as with data from other research sites.

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Asia Rondoni, Melissa Seaboch

H U M A N I T I E S

Infant Proximities to Mothers: Comparing Cebus imitator and Alouatta palliata

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2 0 2 2 C O N F E R E N C E R E S E A R C H & P R O J E C T S U N D E R G R A D U A T E | E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T H S C I E N C E O F S C H O O L S L C C

Humanities & Social Sciences:

Poster Presentations Activity Budget of Alouatta palliata and Ateles geoffroyi at La Selva Research Station: A Comparison Hank Basta, Melissa Seaboch

Being the largest New World monkeys, mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) and spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) vary greatly in terms of appearance, diet, and time budgets. Recent studies show that Alouatta palliata spends about 17% of their time foraging and about 80% of their time in a resting activity. Conversely, Ateles geoffroyi have been shown to budget their time as such: 33.5% foraging, 24.1% resting, 32.6% travelling, and the rest of the time is divided between other categories.

This difference in time budgeting is attributed to the difference in diets between species, as Alouatta palliata has a folivorous diet and Ateles geoffroyi has a frugivorous diet. Because fruits are not located in any specific area, but are spread out throughout the forest, there is a general trend of frugivores spending more time looking for food, while folivores spend more time resting to digest food. When comparing similarities between species, simultaneous study of activity budgets between co-existing species is rare. Additionally, activity budgets of Alouatta palliata and Ateles geoffroyi at the La Selva Research Station are unknown. The question then becomes: do these different species attribute their time at the La Selva Research Station similarly?

I hypothesize that Alouatta palliata will have more resting and foraging periods compared to Ateles geoffroyi. I will be going to the La Selva Research Station, located in Costa Rica, in May 2022. The La Selva Research Station offers 1,600 hectares of forest where a number of Alouatta palliata and Ateles geoffroyi can be found. Alouatta palliata have fur that ranges from walnut, gold, chocolate brown, and black colors across their bodies; whereas Ateles geoffroyi are reddish brown, yellowish brown, black, or silvery-gray. Weight differences of Alouatta palliata and Ateles geoffroyi are important, too. Alouatta palliata males weigh between 4.5 kg and 9 kg with females weighing 3.1 kg to 7.6 kg. Ateles geoffroyi males, on the other hand, weigh between 7.4 kg and 9 kg, and females weigh between 6 kg and 9.4 kg. Instantaneous focal sampling will be completed at 1-minute intervals.

Key characteristics that are going to be observed are feeding, aggression, vocal calling, resting, and travel. This allows a broad enough spectrum that multiple data points are going to be collected for a quantitative analysis. This is completed by comparing the proportion of budget categories observed, by species, relative to the number of scans obtained. These budgeting categories will then be compared to those from other sites.

Mother-Infant Interactions of Alouatta palliata Melissa Carter, Melissa Seaboch

The principal social connection among primates is that between mother and infant; the survival of an infant primate relies heavily on the level of maternal care provided. Until about three months of age, an infant Alouatta palliata (Mantled Howler Monkey) will spend most of their time with their mother. Alouatta seniculus have been observed behaving positively towards their infants, grooming, and protecting them; however, mothers have also exhibited agonistic behaviors such as pushing their infants away. Limited research has been conducted on the behaviors of A. palliata mothers and their young at La Selva Research Station. I predict that the interactions between mothers and their offspring at La Selva Research Station will be primarily affiliative. Research will be carried out at La Selva Research Station in May 2022. La Selva Research Station is a private reserve located in the northern region of Costa Rica. It spans over 1,600 hectares of rainforest and is home to three species of primates, one of which is A. palliata. A. palliata are primarily black with gold fringing on the sides, and they average 6 kg for males or 4.8 kg for females. I will be collecting data by performing instantaneous scans of mother primates and their babies, at 20-second intervals. In that time, I will be recording whether interactions between mothers and their young are affiliative, aggressive, or solitary. The frequency of affiliative and aggressive interactions between mothers and infants will be compared.

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S L C C S O C I A L S C I E N C E S

This research will examine the history of Korean pop culture, also known as “K-culture,” how it started and spread, and its relation to globalization. When many experts explain how Hallyu spread worldwide, they tend to give credit to the Korean government. Partially it is correct but mostly wrong. The Korean government realized that Steven Spielberg’s 1993 epic Jurassic Park raked in more cash for Universal Pictures than the return on a year’s worth of Hyundai cars. So, they realized how precious the culture industry could be, and they thought it would be their primary industry to benefit. This thought sparked their support in the cultural sector. Thus, Hallyu, Korea’s entertainment industry, was born. But many countries support their cultural industry, but they cannot succeed as much as Korea, so just only the government’s support cannot explain the success of Hallyu. This research will historically examine K-dramas like Winter Sonata to Netflix’s biggest hit, Squid Game, K-pop groups (such as BTS, Black Pink), and its explosive popularity in the United States.

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Changyoung Lim

H U M A N I T I E S

Is Hallyu (K-wave) the Next Mainstream Culture of the World?

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Sabin Shrestha

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Music is sometimes referred to as a universal language and is enjoyed casually and professionally around the world by all classes of people. Music has been shown to have a great effect on the mind. It has been used to mitigate and improve the symptoms of those suffering from dementia and other mental illnesses. It is also used to enhance drug induced stupor and is sometimes argued to have an even greater influence on the state of mind than the substance consumed. Just about anyone will attest to music’s ability to improve their mood, express emotions, and cope with stress. This literature review aims to determine how effective music therapy is in the treatment of depression and how it compares to other common treatments such as psychotherapy and drug treatments. It will also look at variations of and future possible uses for music therapy.

R E S E A R C H

Coby Robertson

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Music Therapy and the Treatment of Depression

P R O J E C T S

In recent years, the world has been an eventful place to live in, particularly in the United States (e.g., the 2016 presidential election riots and what some would-call the “Capitol Insurrection of 2021”). These events have a commonality: they tend to involve groups of people who have acted upon their strongest passions. This poster will ask the broad question, “Does passion lead to closemindedness? If so, to what extent can an individual be both open-minded and passionate?”. I will offer an overview of the various philosophers of the Enlightenment – a period where knowledge was thriving across Europe and people were coming up with innovations to improve the lives of others based on the central value of reason, as opposed to narrow-mindedness and superstition, as it was in the Middle Ages. On this poster, I will explore the works of Baruch Spinoza, Emmanuel Kant, and René Descartes and their views on the relationship between passion and reason. From there, I will focus on Spinoza’s views on passion as I demonstrate why Spinoza’s perspective on passion is the better option to deal with my research question at hand (especially as compared to Descartes’ work on passions).

U N D E R G R A D U A T E

Passion of Human Beings

2 0 2 2 C O N F E R E N C E R E S E A R C H & P R O J E C T S U N D E R G R A D U A T E | E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T H S C I E N C E O F S C H O O L S L C C

Humanities & Social Sciences:

Poster Presentations Reactions to Human Presence by Primates at La Selva Research Station (Alouatta palliata, Ateles geoffroyi, and Cebus capucinus) Cassidy Potter, Chadwick Smith, Melissa Seaboch

Although closely related, primates and humans do not often interact. This lack of interaction has led to researchers facing limitations in collecting data due to an inability to detect primates before they flee or hide. Habituation is when wild animals become comfortable with human interaction and presence; this can be useful to researchers in allowing them to observe wild animals in closer proximity. Although a useful tool for researchers, habituation can lead to wild animals becoming vulnerable; poachers have easier targets and humans can introduce new diseases. Though the primates at La Selva have not been purposefully habituated, they do have constant contact with humans due to the large amounts of human interaction caused by the researchers who frequent the station. This study will be conducted in May 2022 and will research the effects of human presence on Alouatta palliata, Ateles geoffroyi, and Cebus capucinus. I predict that human presence will have little to no effect on these species. La Selva research hub is a hotspot for researchers and is home to three species of primates: Howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata), Spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), and Capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus). I will be doing a census, walking at a speed of 1 km/hr across the 61 km of paved and dirt trails, which are all marked every 50 m. During my census, I will be recording primate and human locations (trail name and nearest marker). Proximity to human-dense areas such as the research station and commonly used trails will be calculated using a La Selva trail map. When primates are located, the census will be paused to collect data on displaying, feeding, locomotion (including whether they are fleeing or approaching), grooming, resting, and vocalizing. A comparison between the abundance of primates found near human-dense areas and more remote areas will be made.

Parent Proximity amongst Alouatta palliata Brittney Loose, Melissa Seaboch

The interactions between mothers and their offspring are vital for successful child-rearing. Due to the energy-intensive nature of reproducing and child-rearing, a mother Alouatta palliata, or mantled howler monkey, will protect the health and safety of her offspring. However, within three years, the offspring must obtain the skills to survive independently. Female A. palliata experiences a gestational period of approximately 180 days. Every two years, females give birth to one child. An infant A. palliata will nurse for the first 18 months of its life. I hypothesize that mothers will maintain closer proximity to infants than to juveniles. My research will be conducted in May 2022 at the La Selva Research Station in Costa Rica’s north-eastern rainforests. The primary and secondary forests there create an ideal habitat for A. palliata. The adult A. palliata are primates weighing 4 to 5 kg and covered in black fur. Infants will be covered in gold or silver fur until their fur darkens when they reach sexual maturity at three years old. Data will be collected using instantaneous focal sampling in 10-second intervals that will alternate between mothers and offspring. I will distinguish between infant A. palliata, as those clinging to their mothers, and juveniles as those who nurse but transport themselves predominantly independently. A. palliata mothers will be distinguished by the act of nursing their offspring. I will study the methods applied by the mother, A. palliata, in the rearing of her offspring.

I will record their proximity to one another and to others, distinguishing between physical contact, within 1 meter, 3 meters, or a distance greater than 3 meters. I will record their behaviors such as feeding, resting, traveling, and grooming. This data will be compared to data collected on other Alouatta species.

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U N D E R G R A D U A T E

Human children have the critical developmental step of socializing partially met through peer-to-peer interactions.

Similarly, Ateles geoffroyi (the Central American Spider Monkey) is known to be a social primate where juvenile socialization is critically important for finding food, avoiding predators, preparing for adult life, and handling distinct everyday challenges.

A. geoffroyi subadults have a long maturation period (4 to 5 years), and they are more vulnerable to starvation and predation due to their lack of efficiency in foraging and underdeveloped motor skills. The socialization of an A. geoffroyi subadult is crucial to survival, yet limited research on A. geoffroyi subadults suggests socializing interactions mainly display competition for resources and aggressive food-related behavior. There is a lack of further research available about the socialization of A. geoffroyi, other than evidence that they tend to live in social groups with fission-fusion dynamics and often communicate via vocalization. In an attempt to discover how subadult peer-to-peer influence may lead to important socialization skills later in life, I want to investigate how subadult A. geoffroyi interact and socialize with one another. I hypothesize that subadult A. geoffroyi will spend more time socializing with other subadults than with adult A. geoffroyi. This research project will be conducted at La Selva Biological Research Station, located in the north-eastern rainforest of Costa Rica, where A. geoffroyi can be observed in its natural habitat. The method of collecting data will be ten second instantaneous focal sampling. Every ten seconds, I will record individual behaviors of play, allogrooming, embracing, food sharing, aggression, vocalizing, resting, self-grooming, locomoting, eating, drinking, and foraging. These individual behaviors will then be categorized as either solitary, social interaction with an adult, social interaction with another subadult, or social interaction with another species. After data collection is complete, the gathered data will be compared with other published data.

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Celeste Dean, Melissa Seaboch

S C I E N C E S

Subadult Socialization with the Primate Ateles geoffroyi (Central American Spider Monkey)

S O C I A L

Atta colombica, a species of leafcutter ants, forages from the same leaves that the mantled howler monkeys Alouatta palliata eat. Alouatta palliata and Atta colombica have no recorded interactions that would indicate hostility, and they show no inclination to interact either. Alouatta palliata will eat the leaves of these trees and lead a sedentary lifestyle, howling early in the morning and eating throughout the day, while the ants forage for leaves during the day constantly to bring back to their nest to use for growing fungus they use to feed their colony. This fungus may be very notorious but is only grown in colonies. Do howler monkeys and leafcutter ants have any interactions? Do Alouatta palliata possible eat the ants or do they avoid them if they can? I hypothesize Aloutta palliata will eat Atta colombica to supplement their diet. This research will take place at La Selva Research Station, which is in Costa Rica along the equator. It is a tropical rainforest home to many insect species, species of primate, and species of plant. My research will be focused on the mantled howler monkey, Alouatta palliata. Alouatta palliata are black in color, with the males having a longer beard and a white scrotum weighing in at 6 to 7 kg, and females at 4 to 5 kg. Atta colombica are a maroon color, with the queens being over 29 mm in length. Data will be collected using 30-second instantaneous scan sampling; Alouatta palliata’s resting, traveling, vocalization, eating habits, and feeding will be recorded. I will also record the presence of any Atta colombica.

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Michael Kelly, Melissa Seaboch

H U M A N I T I E S

Alouatta palliata and Atta colombica: Interactions at La Selva Research Station

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Poster Presentations

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Humanities & Social Sciences:

2 0 2 2 C O N F E R E N C E R E S E A R C H & P R O J E C T S U N D E R G R A D U A T E | E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T H S C I E N C E O F S C H O O L S L C C

Humanities & Social Sciences:

Poster Presentations Census and Habitat Preference of Ateles geoffroyi at La Selva Biological Station Samantha Rustad, Melissa Seaboch

Rivers and other bodies of water are hotspots for animal activity because of the food resources that grow in the surrounding areas. In Central America, monkeys live in the emergent layer of the rainforest where food is most abundant. La Selva Biological Station is a nature preserve encompassing 1,536 hectares of the dense northeastern rainforest of Costa Rica and is home to many different primates, including howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata), spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), and capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator). Ateles geoffroyi are commonly found in the forest regions of Central America but have become endangered due to intense forest degradation. La Selva Biological Station is approximately 55% primary forest and 45% regenerating former pastureland and has two large rivers and tributaries that mark the north, east, and west boundaries of the preserve. La Selva offers researchers a look at primate life in the wild. Do spider monkeys at La Selva prefer habitats near rivers? I predict that spider monkeys will live closer to rivers. A. geoffroyi has long slender limbs and a strong prehensile tail. As the name implies, the hands and feet are black, and their coat coloring can range from a light brown to reddish-brown or black. Spider monkeys are one of the largest monkeys of the Americas with males weighing 7.4 to 9 kg and females weighing 6 to 8 kg. A. geoffroyi is strictly arboreal and uses brachiation and semibrachiation as its primary forms of locomotion in the upper levels of forest canopy. Spider monkeys are mostly frugivorous and subsist on ripe and fleshy fruits such as mangos and figs. I will do a census on A. geoffroyi by walking the trails at La Selva at a pace of 1km per hour. Proximity will be measured with La Selva scaled maps. I will record their location and the number of individuals in the group and will also record general behaviors, such as feeding, resting, and traveling. These data will be compared with similar data from other sites.

Bioessentialism Hurts Everyone Lauren Hamilton-Soule, Christie Bogle

Bioessentialism as a societal paradigm, regarding the relationship between gender and sex organs, limits the broad and complex fundamentals of gender as a societal construct through discrimination toward people who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. As societal understanding of gender concepts becomes deconstructed over time, a degradation of patriarchal norms has allowed for a bloom of gender understanding. Bioessentialism claims that gender is associated specifically and solely with the genitalia of an individual at birth, and that any deviation from a binary gendered system is scientifically unsound. Additionally, the moral value of gender in relation to sex is often brought into consideration through harmful legislation and discourse without the commentary of transgender or gender non-conforming communities.

At large, psychologists agree that gender exists within a large and inclusive spectrum, and that every individual falls within such a spectrum. Reinforcing bioessentialism is equally harmful to individuals within and outside of a categorical gender minority — queerphobia reinforces a harmful system of control, affecting a variety of social systems at large. Research regarding bioessentialism and its effects on society was gathered through firsthand accounts of trans individuals, a written critical analysis of the harms of bioessentialism, and audiovisual representations of the psychological deconstruction of gender. Bioessentiallism gives rise to harmful stereotypes that marginalize every individual who cannot conform: men who don’t subscribe to the traditional ideas of masculinity, women who rise above their stations, and transgender and gender-non-conforming people.

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Forensic taphonomy is the study of various ways that a body can be damaged between time of death and time of discovery.

We are going to discover how bones are damaged in fires by learning to identify patterns of fire alteration on animal bones.

Looking at the taphonomy of the bones we can discover how high temperatures were, as well as potentially important information about the condition of the body before it was burned. Understanding how to read patterns of damage on skeletal remains, such as fire alteration, provides valuable evidence to forensic investigators.

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Sheila Kartchner, Savannah Davis, Valery Cordova, Meridith Wismer

P R O J E C T S

It’s Getting Hot in Here: Fire Alteration in Forensic Taphonomy.

U N D E R G R A D U A T E

Social grouping is rare among most mammals but is extremely routine within primates. With the increase in group living comes the increase in intraspecific foraging competition. However, niche divergence, or the differences in food selection and habitat use, may help mitigate this competition. Interactions between species are a major force in structuring ecological communities because they affect speciation, survival, and phenotypic divergence. In several studies of Alouatta seniculus, found in the Amazon, it was revealed they were absent from many sites compared to Ateles and Lagothrix species, suggesting that Ateles and Lagothrix shared common habitat use in certain sites found in the Amazon where Alouatta seniculus was absent.

Because the number of Alouatta differs depending on their habitat location, understanding the coexistence of Alouatta and surrounding primates species is of the utmost importance because of how it affects the surrounding ecosystem. One of the coexisting primates at La Selva, Cebus capuchinus, tends to reside within the middle strata, using the upper canopies for travel, while Alouatta palliata tend to stay within the middle and upper canopies. Because of this slight overlap, I hypothesize both have interactions with one another. Whether those interactions are affiliative or aggressive will be recorded. I will record species, the proximity to the nearest neighbor, sex, and age. This study will be conducted at La Selva Research Station in May of 2022.

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Destiny Cobos, Melissa Seaboch

S C I E N C E S

Interactions of Alouatta palliata and Co-Existing Species at La Selva Biological Station

S O C I A L

Adolescence is a time of significant change in life. Positive psychology skills have the potential to support adolescents in their transition into adulthood. This literature review focuses on positive psychology interventions and their efficacy for assisting adolescents in their mental health and well-being during this time characterized by great change in their mental landscape. This information will likely be applicable in organized settings like school, where such interventions could be implemented on a large scale.

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Emily Loughlin, Justice Morath

H U M A N I T I E S

Literature Review: Can Positive Psychology Interventions Help Adolescents Better Manage Their Transition to Adulthood?

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Humanities & Social Sciences:

Poster Presentations Aerial Predator Avoidance in Alouatta palliata, Mantled Howler Monkeys Paige Tetzlaff, Melissa Seaboch

Since Darwin, biologists have recognized that social animals in nature must balance the need to find food and mates, often competing for both, with the necessity to avoid capture by a predator. Unlike the chronic problem of failing to obtain food and mate, one failure to avoid a predator is catastrophic to future lifetime fitness. We should, therefore, expect that the minuteto-minute behavior of a wild animal reflects these competing selection pressures. Predator avoidance in primates includes freezing, fleeing, vigilance, and alarm calls. Predation on arboreal primates has been described anecdotally in several species.

There is little research specifically on predator avoidance in Alouatta palliata, the mantled howler monkey, in Costa Rica.

This research will study whether they have predator avoidance behaviors. I hypothesize that A. palliata in La Selva Research Station will exhibit predator avoidance in response to aerial predators. Research will be conducted on a protected reserve with 1,536 hectares of both primary and secondary forest at La Selva Research Station located in Heredia Providence, Costa Rica in May 2022. A. palliata are black, long, and stocky, with brown or yellow saddles on their sides, and can grow to be 22 to 36 inches long and weigh 11 to 15 pounds. A. palliata’s predators are harpy eagles (Harpia harpyja) crested eagles (Morpheus guianensis), black hawk eagle (Spizaetus ornatus), jaguar (Panthera onca ocelot), ocelot (Felix pardalis), tayra (Eira barbara), boa constrictor (Boa constrictor), and anaconda (Eunectes marinus). Methods for study will include a 10-minute continuousfocal sampling followed by an instantaneous scan sample. I will record ecological variables such as resting and sleeping site height and the presence of vines at resting and sleeping sites, as well as the number of subjects and their sex, the presence or absence of predators, and behaviors such as vocalization, freezing, vigilance, fleeing, feeding, and resting. I will compare these behaviors in the presence and absence of predators.

Mantled Howler Monkeys: Reproductive Success Through Mate Guarding Heather Warren, Melissa Seaboch

In the natural world, there are many reproductive strategies that are ways for organisms to increase their reproductive success. One reproductive strategy of primates is mate guarding, where they guard a reproductive female and won’t let her get near any other suitors. Mate guarding is often seen in multi-male and multi-female troops because the male wants to limit the female’s access to other males in the troop. Among monkeys of Central and South America, Alouatta palliata (mantled howler monkeys) has multi-male and multi-female troops. These troops are made up of non-kin members and male coalitions. There can be anywhere from 1 or more males and 9 or more females. Individuals of A. palliata are mostly black in color, with long, black guard hairs that give them the name “mantled”. A. palliata are polygynous and mate all year long. It is unclear if the rainforest structure at La Selva Research Station would lead A. palliata to mate guard or not. I predict that A. palliata at La Selva Research Station will mate guard females with no infants due to the rainforest structure being 43% re-growing secondary forest. I will investigate if mate guarding is one of the tactics used to deter other males from copulating with females. I will collect data by using instantaneous scan sampling at two-minute intervals. The data I will record will be the sex, age, whether the females have an infant, and proximity to the nearest neighbor. I will also record the nearest neighbor’s sex, and age. I will judge proximity by three categories: In contact (zero m apart), close will be more than zero and up to one m apart, and far will be greater than one m apart. This will be used to compare the proximity of males to females with no infants and the proximity of males to females with infants. Afterward, I will compare these results with those of A. palliata from other sites.

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Adults and infants have different dietary intake needs, from how much they eat to the different types of foods they eat.

Infants and juveniles need more food (energy) than adults because they are growing. While infants and juveniles need more energy, they are also less proficient at foraging than adults. This, coupled with their higher energy needs, suggests that infants and juveniles will need to spend more time foraging. Prior research on Alouatta caraya reported that as they become older, the amount of time they feed and move decreases. Alouatta palliata also known as howler monkeys, are primarily folivores.

They eat a wide variety of different plant species and parts, including, leaves, berries, fruits, seeds, nuts, and flowers. A. palliata infants suckle for 6 months to 1 year on average and then begin to transition to solid foods. It is unknown whether this pattern of infants and juveniles spending more time feeding is true for A. palliata at La Selva Research Station. I predict that A. palliata infants will spend more time eating than adults. This research will be conducted at La Selva Research Station from May to June of 2022. La Selva Research Station is in Costa Rica, and it is 1,600 hectares of well-preserved old-growth and recovering wet lowland tropical forest. The primary forest takes up 53% of the forest, and the rest is in various types of secondary forest and abandoned land. A. palliata are stoutly built bearded monkeys with a hunched appearance and thickly furred prehensile tails that are naked on the underside of the tip to afford a better grip. The hair is long and thick and is typically black, brown, or red. Data will be collected using 30-second instantaneous scan sampling. I will record the age (infant and adult) and feeding, travel, and rest. I will compare the proportion of feeding scans between infants and adults.

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Savannah Martin, Melissa Seaboch

S C I E N C E S

Feeding and Foraging Differences in Infant and Adult Mantled Howlers (Alouatta palliata) in Costa Rica

S O C I A L

Alloparenting, defined as care provided by individuals other than parents, is a universal behavior among humans that has shaped our evolutionary history and remains important in contemporary society. Human alloparenting takes place in the context of cooperative breeding, wherein individuals live in groups and coordinate their efforts to feed, care for, and protect young to which they themselves did not give birth. Alloparenting has a positive correlation with infant development. Although rare in primates, mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) live in social groups where adults engage in alloparenting. Several females can help to look after a single baby, carrying it and grooming it. Young males are often not allowed to alloparent because they can sometimes harm the infants. Mother-infant interactions in A. palliata, such as infant riding, pushing away, sharing food, nursing, and eating on their own, have been observed. In social contexts where mothers interact with physical contact, it provides emotional confidence for both mother and infant, and induces a sense of individual agency. Whether alloparenting occurs in A. palliata at La Selva Research Station is unknown. This research will investigate alloparenting at this site. I hypothesize that mother A. palliata will let other group members interact with their infants. This study will take place at La Selva Research Station in May of 2022. La Selva Research Station is in the Caribbean foothills of Costa Rica. It consists of old growth and new growth tropical wet forests. It is home to A. palliata which are large and stocky with black fur, and most individuals have long, yellow, or brown fur. Adult females typically weigh 4 to 5 kg, and newborn infants weigh 0.4 kg and appear silver to golden brown. The average number of offspring is one, and the average gestation period is 186 days. Data will be collected daily using 1-minute instantaneous scan sampling. I will record the interactions between mother and infant, male and infant, and non-mother female infant, in grooming, carrying, sharing food, and resting, as well as infant solitary behavior. This data will be examined in the presence of alloparenting.

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Hevelyn Klegues Brown, Melissa Seaboch

H U M A N I T I E S

Alloparenting in Howler Monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in Costa Rica

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Poster Presentations

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Humanities & Social Sciences:

2 0 2 2 C O N F E R E N C E R E S E A R C H & P R O J E C T S U N D E R G R A D U A T E | E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T H S C I E N C E O F S C H O O L S L C C

Humanities & Social Sciences:

Poster Presentations Photogrammetry and Its Applications in Anthropology: A Literature Review Carly Green, Kristin Verostick

Photogrammetry can best be described as a 3D image processed by specialized software that results from 2D photographs, laser scans, and other types of imaging. The technique, although originating in the early 19th century, has been an area of particularly increasing multidisciplinary interest since 2010. This review is being written with the intention of assessing and informing on the utility of such technology, as well as its applications in various fields such as forensic anthropology and archaeology, specifically in relation to human skeletal remains. Techniques in photogrammetry allow for evaluation of morphological characteristics, and even provide assessments available exclusively through this type of imaging. It can be used to render 3D prints that can be employed as teaching collections or as replicas placed in museums to protect more fragile and deteriorating bones. Photogrammetry can even be used on in-situ graves or dig sites to preserve what inevitably gets destroyed when excavating, something of utmost importance, especially in the medicolegal community, where vital evidence could be found long after the scene has been released. Photogrammetry is extremely useful in these situations because it is a non-destructive tool that can be cost- and time-efficient, and it is intended to supplement rather than replace excavations, investigations, and osteological studies.

Are Volunteers Effective in Refugee Resettlement Services?

Jawaher Fadhel

This research project will examine how volunteerism affects services for refugees in resettlement agencies. The methods used in this project are made up of fieldwork to observe different settings volunteers experience as well as an interview with an agency professional. The fieldwork experiences include settings at Catholic Community Services office and share house as well as helping refugee clients with transportation to medical appointments in hospitals and clinics. The purpose of this study is to examine how volunteers can positively affect services for clients through cultural and personal connections, especially those who reflect the populations they’re serving. This project also demonstrates the challenges that volunteers face and how non-profit and non-government agencies can exploit volunteerism.

Do You Know the Challenges Previously Incarcerated Students Face Going to School?

Gicela Stoof

The purpose of this research study is to acknowledge the challenges that previously incarcerated students face going to college.

A mixed research method approach including quantitative and qualitative research designs and data collection strategies are used in our study. Interviews from prison programs will be highlighted in this study. The primary focus will be on the barriers and successful approaches that have affected college enrollment and graduation rates for previously incarcerated students. This study will examine which college majors that most formerly incarcerated students decide to pursue, as well as what academic and systemic challenges formerly incarcerated college students face and how it affects graduation and retention at Salt Lake Community College. We will also examine post-degree education statistics on formerly incarcerated students in terms of post-graduation career, life exploration, and the possibility of reoccurrence of recidivism. We will also make suggestions on how to improve programming and services for formerly incarcerated students at Salt Lake Community College.

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S L C C S O C I A L S C I E N C E S | U N D E R G R A D U A T E

Climate change is a growing concern for unprotected habitats. Tropical dry forests support a wide range of species yet are vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances. Climate change affects animals indirectly through the availability of food and water and can cause heat stress. However, there is limited research on primates’ adaptation and resilience to disturbances in connection to climate. A study reported that Papio hamadryas ursinus (Chacma baboon) behavior becomes more sedentary in warming temperatures. A study reported that during the dry season, Cebus imitator (capuchin monkeys) rested more and traveled shorter distances during the hottest hours of the day. C. imitator has been able to adapt to various environments.

This research project will examine whether this activity pattern is consistent for C. imitator in Costa Rica. The C. imitator’s response to heat will help in conservation efforts, such as preserving habitats in cooler areas or planting heat resistant fruit trees. How does the C. imitator adapt to the weather, specifically temperature? I predict that C. imitator will travel less and rest more in warmer temperatures. Research will be conducted in May 2022 at La Selva Research Station, located in Costa Rica in the foothills of the central volcanic plain. Average rainfall is 4 m a year, rarely having a severe dry season. The annual temperature range is between 24.7° and 27° C. In times of food stress, their diet is primarily bromeliads, fruits, and insects.

The method for collecting data will be a one-minute instantaneous scan sampling, recording food foraging, social behavior, resting, and travel. Weather-related data will be collected with an electronic weather measuring device (Kestrel). Temperature, wind speeds, humidity, dew point, and the presence or absence of rain will be recorded. The activity budget during warmer periods will be compared with the activity budget during cooler periods.

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Grecia Sanchez, Melissa Seaboch

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Activity Budgets of Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus imitator) in Warmer and Cooler Temperatures

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Humanities & Social Sciences:

P R O J E C T S & R E S E A R C H C O N F E R E N C E 2 0 2 2

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2 0 2 2 C O N F E R E N C E R E S E A R C H & P R O J E C T S U N D E R G R A D U A T E | E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T H

Oral Presentations

Near to Far: Analysis of Dust Transport Across Spatial Scales in the Great Basin, USA Talon Roberts, Shane Schmidt, Maura Hahnenberger

The western United States, and particularly the Great Basin physiographic province, contains many regional dust sources due to its endorheic characteristics and arid climate. This study analyzes the diversity of dust transport events from hyper-local (10s of meters) to local (10s of kilometers), to regional (100s of kilometers), and to extra-regional (1000s of kilometers). Case study events from the 2021 dust season provide examples of diverse dust transport events, including events in which PM 2.5 levels exceeded NAAQS standards, causing a tragic 8-fatality, 22-vehicle accident triggered by low visibility. Meteorological and remote sensing data indicate that as spatial scale varies, both source type (e.g., playa, lakeshore, agricultural operation) and meteorological forcing (e.g., intermountain cyclone, pre/post frontal winds, convective storms) varies as well. Weather Research and Forecasting-based dust modeling, driven by the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) meteorology, provides high spatial and temporal resolution analysis of dust transport pathways, source regions, deposition regions, and locations of potential human health impact. The variety of dust sources, and their varied particle size and chemical composition, have impacts on ecosystems in deposition regions and biogeochemical cycling. This study has implications for forecast and warning of these wide-ranging events, which can be challenging due to the regional nature of the National Weather Service (NWS) and Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs).

Using GPS to Implement PID Control for a RemoteControl Car’s Speed Cecilia Costelow, Jacob Sampson, Jeremy Riedl, Quentin McRae

ENGR 2900 students work on improving the SLICK Science cars that are used for an interactive summer camp for middle school students to learn more about engineering and robotics. This year, students plan to add a PID controller to the throttle so that the cars can maintain a desired speed regardless of the surface on which they are driving. PID controllers are a common way of aligning as closely as possible the output of a system to a desired value. The “P”, “I” and “D” in PID control stands for “proportional”, “integral” and “derivative”. Implementation of a PID control comes in comparing the output of a system (as read from a sensor) to a desired input. The difference between the two, the “error”, is then integrated and differentiated and the new output to the system is a scaled up or down version of the sum of the proportional, integral, and derivative terms.

With the implementation of PID control, the motors on the SLICK Science cars will work harder to maintain a certain speed on rough terrain, such as grass, than they will on smooth surfaces like asphalt. The controller uses information from the GPS in a closed loop system in order to adjust power to the motors. PID controllers are a powerful way of controlling an input given a desired output and are used in many every day and industrial applications.

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Kevin Aquilera Hernandez, Salvador Reynaga

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Our goal was to reverse engineer remote-control models for drift cars. Some of these models cost anywhere from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars. We don’t have that type of money and these are not accessible to most underrepresented students. We decided to make our own using our knowledge from Jordan PREP. We would like to design one that is affordable, not just for us, but for any kid or teen that is interested in engineering and cars. The concept is that we are trying to make our product a hands-on kit. It will teach the kids about working with electronics, engineering and problem solving by making a drift remote-control car that is pocket-size, affordable, and STEM-education related.

U N D E R G R A D U A T E

Jordan PREP Nano Drifters

S O C I A L

This is our year four scholar symposium capstone project representing Jordan PREP. We are both active high school wrestlers and we are constantly trying to figure out how we compare to other wrestlers in our weight class. We have noticed by watching various matches that light weight wrestlers are fast and agile, while heavy weight wrestlers are often slow but strong. To help us and other wrestlers compare ourselves with other wrestlers we developed a website. The name of our website is Wrestle Test. The idea is that wrestlers will take a strength, agility, and endurance test and input their results into the website. Wrestle Test will then give the user a score on each athletic element. We created this website to help fellow wrestlers out. Our primary goal is to help wrestlers and coaches track where they are compared to other wrestlers.

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Kal-El Thomas, Kendall Denos

H U M A N I T I E S

Wrestle Test

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Oral Presentations

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P R O J E C T S & R E S E A R C H C O N F E R E N C E 2 0 2 2

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Science, Math & Engineering:

Poster Presentations Demonstration of First Law of Thermodynamics Using a Household Hairdryer Gavin Thomas, Jacob Sampson

During an introductory course in thermodynamics, undergraduate engineering students are reintroduced to scientific fundamentals that include conservation of energy (also known as the first law of thermodynamics) and conservation of mass.

To help support these concepts, a simple lab experiment was created based on work from Robert Edwards (Pennsylvania State University) using a hairdryer along with basic measuring equipment. The amount of energy being drawn to run the hairdryer should equal the amount of heat energy leaving the open system. A variety of data is collected and applied to familiar equations to reduce the amount of error to be within 10%. Alterations to the published experiment were made based on the author’s observations and available equipment.

Successful Transformation of pYES2 Plasmid into BL21 Leading to New Directions to Allow for Expression in Yeast Deborah McDougal

For the PET Project at the InnovaBio lab, the goal was to grow a linked protein of PETase and MHETase in Brewer’s Yeast.

This was because the result would be the breakdown of Polyethylene Terephthalate (or plastic) and have the waste product of ethanol that could be used in a variety of ways. However, when the yeast was grown, no protein bands of any kind appeared on an SDS-PAGE gel or Western Blot after the yeast were lysed and sonicated. With the expectation of seeing the protein expressed after being lysed and sonicated, the project made a transition from yeast to Escherichia coli with the same pYES2 plasmid as it was compatible and could also be transformed into E. coli. Here, I present the pYES2 plasmid in BL21 E. coli. SDS-PAGE gels of the induced E. coli show that we were successful at lysing and sonicating but lack the expression of the protein. Double digest and PCR of purified plasmid show that the protein is present in the E. coli. These findings show that the sequence was successfully inserted into the pYES2 plasmid. However, further testing is needed to verify sequencing of the protein as well as to determine why galactose is not causing induction.

Demonstrating Work and Energy Using a Stirling Engine Jacob Sampson, Gavin Thomas, Jesse Shelkey

We designed an experiment to demonstrate the concepts of heat and work in a thermodynamic system. Heat is thermal energy in the form of the movement of particles at the molecular and atomic scale. A Stirling engine is a mechanical device that can harness heat energy into the mechanical energy of a spinning flywheel. In this lab experiment, the efficiency of the Stirling engine is determined by calculating how much heat energy in the system is transferred into the actual rotation of the flywheel of the engine. Through doing this, it demonstrates, in a non-abstract way, the concepts of work and energy.

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Anna Fotheringham

P R O J E C T S

Bottom Line - Ultimate Foot Analyzer

U N D E R G R A D U A T E

The Bruin Robotics Club will be presenting the Mars Rover at the 2022 UPRC. The Rover is comprised of different components that contribute to the mechanical design and overall communication system. The mechanical design has generally focused on converting the 3D printed prototype models to aluminum parts. Outside of the mechanical design of the platform, components on the rover includes LiDAR which helps with obstacle detection, a rocker bogy suspension that allows the rover to traverse over various types of terrain, the power system that provides power to the motors as well as to all of the sensors on the rover, electronic speed controller which will set the speed that the rover should be moving at, autonomous navigation that uses a GPS sensor to calculate current and desired location. The overall communication system design determines how all of the different sensors talk to the micro-controller. At the conference, we will be discussing the above topics in more detail via a poster presentation.

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Cecilia Costelow, Lucas Salas, Kevin Cassity, Kaimen Searle, Ezequiel Salas, Justin Goss, Quentin McRae

S C I E N C E S

Overview of the Mars Rover

S O C I A L

SLCC has recently acquired an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) for use with student projects. This device is located adjacent to the Geology classroom in the Science and Industry building on the Redwood Campus.

We anticipate that it will be ready in late spring or early summer 2022. ICP-OES is an easy, robust way to analyze samples for trace elements. Many elements and their concentrations can be determined using this technique, which super-heats samples until they produce photons, which can be translated into their identity and concentration. This technique is a geoscience industry standard for analysis. Students interested in utilizing this technique or interested in helping run the machine should contact the STEM center or any Geoscience Department Faculty for more information.

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Laura Podratz, Faculty Presenter

H U M A N I T I E S

Analytical Geochemistry with the ICP

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Poster Presentations

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C O N F E R E N C E 2 0 2 2

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Runners are always struggling with injuries from overuse and repetitive impact. For the runner, the main area that is affected is their feet, knees, and legs. Most of these are caused by the runner starting up too fast and high-mileage or repeating bad technique that can cause impact strain in the foot, knee, or leg. When researching and experiencing some of these issues, a solution to help prevent some of these injuries is to use pressure sensors that will show where the pressure is being distributed throughout the foot. Putting sensors in your shoes allow you to find where the most impact is being placed on your foot. The sensors will be wired on an insole that can be taken in and out of shoes for different people to use. The sensors will collect the data where the pressure is being applied and then the data will be uploaded to a computer program that athletes and coaches can analyze and improve their technique as needed.

2 0 2 2 C O N F E R E N C E R E S E A R C H & P R O J E C T S U N D E R G R A D U A T E | E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T H S C I E N C E

Poster Presentations Undergraduate Projects and Research (UPR) at STEM Learning Department, SLCC Santosh Kiran Balijepalli, Lane Law, Meghan Harding

Undergraduate Projects and Research (UPR) is a learning activity that enriches a student’s academic experience and assists students in exploring career directions. UPR, along with a solid academic foundation, empowers students with critical thinking skills, a rational approach to problems and soft skills. Do you wonder how things work but are unsure how to find the answer? Everyone starts here. Science, mathematics, and engineering are complex activities in which people explore and learn about our planet, gadgets, mechanisms, organisms, and other observable phenomena. At a very early age, you started the process of understanding the world through observations and experiments. By participating in UPR and majoring in a STEM discipline, you will have the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the world through discoveries that others and you have made, how to transform an idea into a research project, and how to do groundwork like literature review, technical writing and collaborate with peers and faculty. You also have the exciting opportunity to discover new knowledge and processes that will benefit others. To tackle some of these questions, we will consider both philosophical ideas as well as the mechanics of science. Our main goal at the STEM Department is to promote, simplify, and assist in the process of beginning and completing projects and research, provide basic mentorship to students wanting to engage in projects and research, and help connect students to other STEM faculty currently coordinating SLCC projects and research. Contact the STEM center or any Geoscience Department Faculty for more information.

Analysis of Variation in Volatile and Semi-Volatile Flavor Compounds in Vodka by Headspace Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Cynthia N. Sharma, Erin V. Robison, Ariana Bernuy, Elisha Jakala, Asma Bano, Katherine Christensen, Sahra Grosser, Brendan Schnopp, Ron Valcarce, Christopher Peak, Peter J. Iles, Rajan Kochambilli There are many variables in the production of vodka that affect the final taste profile. Filtration is one variable that significantly contributes to the palatability of vodka. This project was conducted to study the variation in volatile and semivolatile flavor components in vodka as a function of filtration. The vodka samples were provided by a local craft distillery, Dented Brick Distillery, which specializes in small batch production. Multiple vodka production batches were studied, and samples were analyzed by headspace GC/MS before and after each filtration step to establish and quantify changes in the flavor profile components.

Chaos Theory

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Johnathan Haraden, Shayne Vargo This poster will provide an introduction to the mathematical field of chaos theory. We describe how chaos is exhibited through discrete dynamical systems, with examples provided by the logistic map and the Mandelbrot and Julia sets. We describe a real-life chaotic model with the Magnetic Pendulum, providing a description of how to build one as well as a map of its potential basins of attraction. Lastly, we present a brief overview of personal research with a model of a leaf falling in a vacuum and the chaotic behavior exhibited by a decoding algorithm.

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S L C C U N D E R G R A D U A T E P R O J E C T S

A faculty-guided student research project involving the synthesis of hybrid nickel/silver nanowires using template-assisted electrodeposition is presented. Hybrid 1-D nanowires are formed from the reduction of nickel (II) and silver cations in the pores of an aluminum oxide template. Backscattered electron images obtained from scanning electron microscopy analysis allow assessment of the metal distribution pattern in the nanowires. Energy dispersed X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) provides a quantitative determination of nanowire composition when electrodeposition times for nickel and silver are varied. Additionally, this project includes an assessment of nanowire antimicrobial activity using the Agar disk diffusion test and bacterial absorbance.

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Wesley C. Sanders, Ron Valcarce, Peter Iles, Lane Law, Glen Johnson, Kash McDonald, Mitchell Millerberg, Daphne Nelson, Casey Hutto, Taylor Allred, Dillon Andrews, Benjamin Myers

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Scanning Electron Microscopy Analysis and Antimicrobial Study of 1-D Heterogeneous Nanostructures Synthesized Using Template-Assisted Electrodeposition

S O C I A L

Among the production variables that affect the flavor and palatability of whiskey, the aging or maturing process in wooden casks or barrels plays a significant role. Maturing contributes to whiskey’s final flavor through extraction, evaporation, oxidation, concentration, filtration, and coloration. This project used headspace gas chromatography mass spectroscopy to study the variation in volatile and semi-volatile flavor components in whiskey as a function of maturation time in the barrel. The whiskey samples were provided by a local craft distillery, Dented Brick Distillery, which specializes in small batch production of various spirits. Multiple whiskey production batches were studied, and samples were analyzed by headspace GC/MS at various stages in the aging process to establish and quantify changes in the flavor profile components.

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Cynthia N. Sharma, Erin V. Robison, Ariana Bernuy, Elisha Jakala, Asma Bano, Katherine Christensen, Sahra Grosser, Brendan Schnopp, Christopher Peak, Ron Valcarce, Peter J. Iles, Rajan Kochambilli

H U M A N I T I E S

Analysis of Aged Spirit Samples Using Headspace Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy

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Nikola Jaworska, Lane Law

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SCOBY, symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, is a byproduct of the Kombucha fermentation process. The waste product of such cultures, a bacterial cellulose, has potential as a support matrix for tissue cultured cells. This product is of interest to the tissue engineering field as this polymer could function as a scaffold for cells due to is cost effectiveness and biodegradability.

This study aims to test the scaffolding capabilities of the bacterial cellulose by seeding bone, heart, and kidney cells on such a scaffold. The study will focus on the ability of the scaffold to support cell proliferation and morphological differentiation. This will be accomplished by measuring the scaffold’s pore size and ability to absorb fluids (while maintaining structural integrity), as well as by observing the seeded scaffolds.

R E S E A R C H

Can Kombucha Be Used in Tissue Engineering?

2 0 2 2 C O N F E R E N C E R E S E A R C H & P R O J E C T S U N D E R G R A D U A T E | E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T H S C I E N C E

Poster Presentations Cost-Effective Synthesis and Pharmaceutical-Grade Purification of Phenytoin, an Anticonvulsant, for Use in Economically Developing Countries Rochelle Lambertsen, Katherine Christensen, Neslihan Parlak, Kail Timothy, Zachary Taha, Arianna Carter, Muntadher Al-Azzawi, Nathaniel Curtis, Christopher Peak, Anna Djedjemel, Brianne Barros, Asma Bano, Meredith Brennan, Shaun Miller, Brendan Schnopp, Alex Binsacca, Cynthia Sharma,Ron Valcarce, Peter Iles, Rajan Kochambilli, Wesley Sanders

Phenytoin is listed by the World Health Organization as an Essential Medicine that is one of the most cost-effective antiepileptic (AED) treatments available.1 However, availability of the drug to pharmacies in developing countries is limited. 85% of those affected with epilepsy live without treatment. Low commercial production, political instabilities, and/or financial barriers prevent the availability of this anti-epileptic drug. A more efficient and cost-effective method for supplying phenytoin to local clinics and medical personnel could alleviate some of these barriers. The goal of this project was to refine a small-scale synthesis and purification of phenytoin using base-catalyzed addition of urea to benzil, followed by pinacol rearrangement and recrystallization. Our procedure emphasized simple laboratory equipment found in the most basic of pharmacy laboratories.

Using the International Pharmacopoeia guidelines for pharmaceutical purity, we achieved over 98% purity. Verification of pharmaceutical grade purity was achieved by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Evaluation of Commercial Fluoride-Containing Products for HF using pH and Varied Sample Treatment Peter Iles, Rochelle Lambertsen, Sarah Moore, Muntadher AlAzzawi, Jared Thompson, Nadia Yahyapour, Dillon Reynolds, Grace Froh, Christopher Peak, Ron Valcarce, Rajan Kochambilli, Welsey Sanders.

A number of commercial products containing fluoride have been analyzed by our research team, Such products include mouthwash, dental varnish, tablets, drops, gel and foam. The use of these materials are common dental treatments used to prevent and reverse demineralization and tooth decaying processes. Previous research showed a FIA system employing an Ion-Selective Electrode as the ion detector to be a fast measurement method for low level fluoride samples with ease of application for these samples. This new study is to evaluate if HF is present in the foam and gel samples as suggested on the label and to investigate the presence of fluoro-metal complexes. Two approaches to evaluate this problem were taken. Firstly, by measuring the pH of the sample and secondly via the speciation study the amount of HF was calculated via the buffer equation. The pH proved difficult to measure due to the physical nature of the samples. Fluoride Speciation was achieved by varying the sample treatment of the samples. The use of a nonbuffered ionic strength adjuster, a buffered treatment, and a buffer containing CDTA ligand enables the F- content of all three speciation types . Both samples were found to contain Free F-, HF, and significant amounts of F- bound to metal ions as complex ions. The results have implications for the efficacy and shelf life of the products.

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U N D E R G R A D U A T E

As science evolves, humanity learns to overcome imperfections in this world. One of the many flaws that we face as humans is bodily defects such as osteoporosis. The integrity and rigidity of our bones comes from a chemical component called calcium phosphate (Ca3 (PO4)2). Thanks to the advancements in 3D printing technology, it is possible to print calcium phosphate structures that provide a strong representation of hard bone. Hard bone is not the only part of the bone that is vital to its functions. Bone marrow is required in bones to create the necessary cells the body needs. In the circulatory system. hFOB 1.19 is an osteoblast cell line that has, under observation, been proven to create tissues similar to adult bone marrow.

With these findings, we want to observe the growth of hFOB 1.19 on 3D printed surfaces. The growing surfaces proposed are the aforementioned calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, and a specialized Biolnk meant for cell culture. After observation of the cells and their growth patterns, we will build different types of scaffolds for the cells to grow in vitro. With the growth data of the cells received from these tests, we will be able to further refine the design and shape of the 3D printed material and the optimal growth for the hFOB 1.19. When the results are attained from these tests, a conclusion will be added to this abstract and display the growth capabilities of hFOB 1.19 on 3D Printed Materials. In the meantime, the data that we have collected shows a strong correlation between hFOB 1.19 and its viability on 3D Printed Calcium Phosphate Structures. With this, there is a possibility for a future with bone replacement and repair surgeries to be accomplished with 3D Printed Bones.

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Samuel Wright, Miguel Cuevas

S C I E N C E S

hFOB 1.19 Growth Trends and Research

S O C I A L

Geology seems to have become a ghost not talked about in many countries to understand the Earth’s geological past.

As a result, the present has been affected by unexpected natural hazards from which it has been challenging to recover. An example of this is El Salvador. Due to the lack of investment in geological science, its population has been less prepared for the disasters that have affected it in various areas. The country lies in the middle of the subduction zone in the northeast direction of the Cocos plate under the Caribbean plate. It is the middle point of the Central American volcanic chain that extends from Guatemala to Costa Rica, a length of 1,100 km. The compression produced by the subduction generates intense faulting throughout the country and is also the origin of the accentuated volcanic and seismic activity (Tonarini, S., 2007). In El Salvador, geological investigations and institutions are scarce, contributing to a lack of updating in the maps of geological structures and rock formations in the country. The geological map of El Salvador has not been updated since 1978 (Bosse et al. 1978). The lack of geological awareness in this country endangers its population and wastes the research potential of an area with many volcanic-seismic factors that are key to understanding subduction and plate movement in the Pacific. This knowledge cannot prevent future disasters but can better prepare the population and government to make smarter decisions with respect to hazards.

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Marcela Flores, Christopher Johnson, Matt Affolter

H U M A N I T I E S

The Lack of Economic Investment in Geology as an Obstacle to Understanding Past Hazards and Preparing for Future Events

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Poster Presentations

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Science, Math & Engineering:

2 0 2 2 C O N F E R E N C E R E S E A R C H & P R O J E C T S U N D E R G R A D U A T E | E N G I N E E R I N G & M A T H S C I E N C E O F S C H O O L S L C C

Thank You Thank you for participating in our 1st Annual Undergraduate Projects & Research Conference. Mark your calendar for next year’s conference in April, 2023!

A special thank you to Printing Services, Institutional Marketing, Dom Zook and the Media Services team, Phil Pendergast and the Events Scheduling team, all of our presenters, speakers, volunteers, and reviewers, and the numerous staff & faculty members who have helped to make this event possible. We can’t begin to express how much we appreciate your dedication, assistance, and above all, time that you have contributed.

Thank You!

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EVENT SCHEDULE PRESENTER CHECK-IN............................................................................................................... 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Student Event Center

MORNING POSTER SESSION................................................................................................... 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Student Event Center

MORNING ORAL PRESENTATIONS....................................................................................... 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Oak Room

LUNCH & KEYNOTE SPEAKER...............................................................................................11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Luisa Whittaker-Brooks, Ph.D.

Copper Room

AFTERNOON POSTER SESSION................................................................................................. 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Student Event Center

AFTERNOON ORAL PRESENTATIONS.................................................................................... 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oak Room, STC 207 & 213

FACULTY & STUDENT CLUB SOCIAL...................................................................................... 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Copper Room

RECOGNITION DINNER & KEYNOTE SPEAKER................................................................... 4:00PM - 6:00 PM

Moin Syed, Ph.D.

Oak Room

EXPANDED DINNER AGENDA WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS........................................................................................... 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Deans Craig Caldwell & Roderic Land

HONORABLE MENTIONS........................................................................................................... 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Deans Craig Caldwell & Roderic Land

KEYNOTE INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 5:00 PM - 5:15 PM

Thomas Hanson

KEYNOTE SPEAKER...................................................................................................................... 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM

Moin Syed, Ph.D.

Undergraduate Projects & Research Conference March 17, 2022 | SLCC Taylorsville Redwood Campus