The Research Paper (TRP), Winter 2009 by The Research Paper

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Feature Articles

The Role & Importance of the NRP1 Gene Arts and Sciences

Nanowire Synthesis for Solar Cells Engineering

As the Tree Grows, So Do Our Children Human Ecology

Sulfated Nucleosides: A Novel Natural Product from Spider Venoms Arts and Sciences

18th Century Staging and Acting Arts and Sciences

Vol VIII Issue 1

Cornell’s Undergraduate Research Magazine

Probing Predation Patterns After a Late Pliocene Extinction Arts and Sciences

Pet, Underwater, Robotic Spider 12 My Engineering

Novel Approaches to Bioremediation 16 Arts and Sciences Gambling and U.S. Policy 17 Industrial and Labor Relations

18 Arts and Sciences

19 Human Ecology

Creating a Moral School Environment Agriculture and Life Sciences

Should We Trust Doctors?

Architecture, Art, and Planning Feature

Sharing the Land, Sharing the Power By Barrett Lane ’10

Engineering Feature A Hole to Cure Another Hole: Two Engineers’ Quest to Cure HLHS By Grace Chen ’10

Faculty Feature Autism and Precipitation By Daniel Kaufman ’09

CALS Feature Maize It Up By Abubakar Jalloh ‘10

Arts and Sciences Feature

Playing for Conclusions: How Work Can Be Fun and Games By Simin Zhang ’11

Be Happy Now!

~Check Us Out on the Web~ http://www.research.cornell.edu/TRP/default.htm Cover Photo by David Byun

The Research Paper Winter 2009

The People Behind The Research Paper The Research Paper is an independent student publication about undergraduate research, created by and for undergraduates.

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editors Executive Editor Treasurer Design Editor Asst. Design Editors

Kevin Coughlin Evan Bander Jamie Feigenbaum Steven Sachs Jason Bierig Raihan Faroqui David Byun Laura Janka Sophia Lu Reeva Makhijani Natalie Masis

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Jessica Goldstein Daniel Kaufman Andrew McReynolds Michael Beyman Haixin Dang Andrzej Ejsmont Abubakar Jalloh Paul Weiner Haixin Dang Lesley Yorke David DeVries (dd75)

The Vision Statement of The Research Paper

Our vision as the founders of The Research Paper is to create a magazine that humanizes research on all levels. We believe that research is as much about self-discovery as it is about achievement. In addition to showing the outstanding research that is done here at Cornell, we also aim to show the uniqueness, creativity, and personality of each researcher to all of our readers. We do this by focusing our articles on who the researcher is, what they are involved in both at Cornell and in their local communities, and what their future visions and aspirations are.

Acknowledgements The Research Paper is funded in part by:

Dr. Michele Moody-Adams

Dr. Robert A. Buhrman

ILR Dean Harry Katz

Student Assembly Finance Commission

Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Senior Vice Provost for Research

The Research Paper would like to thank the following people and groups for supporting the success of the magazine: Krisin Ramsay of CPRS Michele M. Moody-Adams Isaac Kramnick Robert Richardson Dean David DeVries Linda Grace Kobas CURA

Janet McCue Jim Morris-Knower Emily Posner Jack Cognetta Brandon Goldberg Lesley Yorke Mann Library

And all those who have supported our hard-working staff.

The Research Paper Winter 2009

The Role and Importance of the NRP1 Gene College of Arts and Sciences By Brendan Corey ’12 Few Cornellians arrive here on the Hill with a lot of research experience. Where Benjamin David Solomon went to high school in Maryland, though, opportunities for bright students to get involved in the scientific research were abundant. Through selection and participation in a program for local area high school students sponsored by NIH, a mere five minute drive from his house, Solomon was exposed to immunology, the field in which he currently conducts research. He really enjoyed his internship there, and was convinced that he would like to pursue research after graduating. Once Solomon entered Cornell as a Biology and Philosophy double major in the College of Arts and Sciences, he managed to forgo the warnings that traditionally scare freshman away from getting involved in faculty research labs. He sent out numerous emails, finally receiving a positive reply from Dr. Margaret Bino, and became involved in her lab working on immunology. When Dr. Bino arrived at Cornell a few years ago, she brought with her an extensive background in immunology experimentation. Her previous research focused on Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease more commonly referred to as MS. More specifically, she was studying Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), a version of MS that affects the mouse models that she studied. In exploring the causes of the disorder, Dr. Bino recognized that MS occurs in patients whose bodies recognize the peptide coating on neurons as foreign, and the subsequent autoimmune response attacks and kills the nerve cells. To create a research base, she injected the peptide into mouse cells, which then stimulated an immune response. As expected, this led to neural degenerative effects that ultimately killed the mice. If the peptide was placed on a patch and then applied to the skin prior to the intravenous injection, however, a tolerating protective effect was discovered. It was at this point that Solomon’s research began. After genetic analysis of the peptide in the patch, the gene NeuropilBrendan Corey ’12 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at bwc52@cornell.edu

len I (NRP1) was isolated as having the greatest expression. While NRP1 was already known to play a role in axon development and growth, its effects on immune response were not very well defined. To test the effect of this gene on the mouse samples as a whole, he first provoked over-expression of the gene. As expected, the subjects under this treatment demonstrated protection. He then removed the gene from the samples and as expected the samples showed increased susceptibility. Having now demonstrated the importance of NRP1 in protecting the organism, the task became to explain the mechanism. Currently, Solomon seeks to delineate the process by which the NRP1 gene and the protein that it codes for act to suppress immune responses. The presence of the NRP1 gene in humans as a surface receptor emphasizes the potential medical applications that Solomon’s research could lead to. Besides the obvious application in MS treatments, his research could also be tweaked to help people with other compromised immune conditions as well as organ transplant recipients. Suppression of immune responses could prove instrumental in increasing Courtesy Benjamin Solomon the success of transplant operations. Of course, his research has been more rewarding than the prospects of future implications of the work itself. While helping people has always been a strong source of motivation for Solomon, he has also satisfied a desire to break from the typical, rote learning style and indulge a passion for discovering new answers. He personally recommends that all Cornell students get involved in research of some kind or another, as it develops critical thinking skills that extend beyond the traditional “A or not A” mentality. When faced with a true “A or B” situation, it is important to be able to weigh the options and draw appropriate conclusions. Solomon admits, research allowed him to indulge his “perverse desire to categorize”; he was able to organize a fuzzy body of knowledge into clear and coherent categories. “So explore your personal interests,” he urges, “ and don’t be afraid to let your interests change and grow as you discover other things.”

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Sharing the Land, Sharing the Power College of Architecture, Art, and Planning By Barrett Lane ’10 Ever think there was no way you could connect agriculture with computers and politics? For Andrea Nelson, Masters Regional Planning ’08, the link between these three entities was all too clear after conducting seven months of research in the tiny island nation of Dominica in the Caribbean. Nelson, in partial cooperation with the Dominican Ministry of Agriculture, helped give local farmers better information for growing seasonal crops by acquainting them with specialized agricultural modeling software through participatory planning. The ultimate goal, according to Nelson, was not only to get farmers to become expert users of the software, but to also help bridge the gap between Dominican politicians and farmers by creating a more efficient use for the land through improved knowledge of the agrarian economy. The software, called ALES (Automated Land Evaluation System) was developed at Cornell University as a way to evaluate agricultural use of a given sample of land. According to Nelson, the ALES works by inputting various factors, such as economic conditions and physical characteristics, and the software generates a model that describes what sort of crops would best be suited for the land given. Given that the software is designed for “expert” use (those most knowledgeable about agriculture and the software) and that it runs in DOS format, it is not easy for the average farmer to know how to use the

Courtesy Andrea Nelson program, but, once instructed, the user could more accurately predict what crops would grow best given current conditions Nelson taught the farmers the software by running individual workshops in two of the island’s villages as part of a trial run of the program partially sponsored by the government. In these workshops, Nelson showed the farmers different ways to properly gather data for the ALES. Each individual workshop focused on a different type of characteristic, such as physical Barrett Lane ’10 is a student in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. He can be reached at bsl35@cornell.edu

characteristics during one workshop and economic characteristics during another. The most important part, however, was getting the farmers to enter data from their own point of view rather than what they thought the government wanted

The most important part, however, was getting the farmers to enter data from their own point of view rather than what they thought the government wanted to hear. to hear. Working with the farmers, Nelson helped to compile Dominica’s very first ALES models composed entirely from the farmer’s perspective. At the time of this article, Nelson is currently finishing a report to be presented to the Dominican government about these trial models. Nelson’s research was also an exercise in participatory planning, in which multiple parties work with a facilitator or moderator to help reach a common goal with each entity often having to compromise or cooperate with the other parties involved to make progress. In Nelson’s case, she acted as the primary liaison between the government and the farmers, often facing steep opposition from both sides. The farmers initially found it difficult to use the ALES, while the government was uncomfortable with giving farmers more autonomy over their land through the use of the ALES. “I was trying to bridge the gap between politics and farmers,” recalls Nelson, “Both the government and farmers have unique benefits and I was simply trying to get both sides of the story.” Nelson and her government supervisors often butted heads when discussing how involved the farmers should be in the project. Although Nelson worked solo during her time in Dominica, she learned a lot. An international studies graduate of California Lutheran University, Nelson had always had an interest in agriculture growing up in California’s San Joaquin Valley, and became much more vested in the field of modern agriculture while completing her research. Moreover, she also gained a more realistic view of participatory planning, citing that it is much easier in theory than in practice. She had also learned about the importance of being an unbiased mediator through her workshops and reports and gained a more realistic view on the current power struggle between governments and their constituents in developing nations. Nelson will be receiving her Masters in Regional Planning from Cornell this December, and hopes one day to work for a non-governmental organization.

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Nanowire Synthesis for Solar Cells College of Engineering By Sakul Ratanalert ’11 When Rona Banai is not working as head choreographer for Beketsev, an Israeli fusion dance organization, she journeys to Olin Hall to continue her investigation of nanowire synthesis. A junior in chemical engineering, she works with Dr. Tobias Hanrath and graduate student Stephen Codoluto to create germanium wires on a nanoscale that would increase the efficiency and decrease the cost of solar cells. Photovoltaic cells convert solar energy to electrical energy. Current solar cells have a maximum efficiency of about 25%. With the application of nanowires, according to their calculations, an efficiency of at least 40% is attainable. To reach this goal, the research group aims to coat germanium nanowires with germanium nanocrystals, which serve as photon receptors. They are responsible for absorbing sunlight. Once the photons excite the electrons in the crystal, the electron-conducting nanowires transmit them elsewhere. This creates an electric current. Banai’s current task is creating the seed crystals for nanowires in the continuous-flow reactor. In the reactor, the seed crystals serve as roots to which the germanium particles can bind, the end product being a multitude of germanium nanowires. Banai is working to make functional bismuth

Banai’s journey to finding his current research position was short. The summer before her sophomore year, she began to do research in Argonne National Lab, near Chicago, Illinois. Her work there inspired her to start research back at Cornell. When she returned Cornell she e-mailed professors

Although she admits that mistakes can be made, and can be costly and frustrating, she enjoys the aspect of delving deeply into research that has never been investigated before.

that conducted research in her fields of interest. Hanrath was one of few who responded positively, and encouraged her to begin working in his lab a few weeks into the fall semester of her sophomore year. After working in the lab for over a year, Banai has learned a lot about science and theory behind her research, and also many of the tools and instruments at her disposal in the lab. In addition to learning how to use a glove box and Schenkline, both of which keep the materials in a nitrogen gas environment to prevent the undesirable oxidation of the nanoparticles, Banai learned techniques for cleaning and fractionalizing particles. She uses all of these techniques when sorting particles to use for seed crystals. Banai also aids Codoluto in his work creating the germanium nanocrystals that will be coated on the nanowires. Also, Banai and Hanrath collaborate on the theoretical components and more difficult laboratory tasks. All three share the single determination to make their new solar technology a reality. She is still open-minded about her possible career paths. She has not ruled out industry-related opportunities, and is willing to give each option a fair try before committing to one choice. Although she admits that mistakes can be made, and can be costly and frustrating, she enjoys Courtesy Rona Banai the aspect of delving deeply into research that has never seed crystals, which would form a wire of germanium in the been investigated before. Even though her future is undetermined, Banai does have reactor. Her most recent obstacle is a property of the bismuth nanocrystal synthesis: the reaction is reversible, a process clear goals for her current research project. This nanocrystalquite detrimental to the goals of the research project. Once this based solar technology is not yet widespread. Nanocrystalobstacle is surpassed, her semester goal is to create functional based solar cells have yet to reach the market available to consumers. However, Banai hopes the technology will be nanowires and test their efficiency. adopted and, in the future, her contribution to nanowire synSakul Ratanalert’11 is a student in the College of Enthesis will be applied worldwide. gineering. He can be reached at sr486@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Winter 2009

As the Tree Grows, So Do Our Children College of Human Ecology By Kiwoong Yoo ’11 From the cradle to the grave, we live most of our lives inside of buildings removed from nature. Children spend almost half of the day in schools, some of which are now even removing recess as part of lunch. Humankind has diverged from nature, and the effects of this deficit are becoming apparent. However, Emelia Day, ‘09, a student in the College of Human Ecology, wants to reverse our detachment from the natural world by incorporating nature into all buildings. She plans to start with schools that recycle rainwater, paper, and food. Day’s research project analyzes the effect of European green schools on children’s environmental attitudes and behaviors. Green schools are ecologically-focused schools seeking to reduce their net environmental impact. In the future she hopes to promote further discussion and action aimed toward cyclical thinking in the design of all buildings. Originally enrolled in the College of Architecture, Day transferred to the department of Design and Environmental Analysis (DEA) in the College of Human Ecology when she realized how much its philosophy that “[architecture] can affect peoples’ behavior” resonated with her. She saw that DEA benefits society by studying and designing based on the dialectical relationship between people and their environment. With a concentration is ergonomics, the study of how the human body interacts with and is affected by the built environment, she addresses issues such as accessibility and universal design. Day seeks ways in which the body can relate to and understand nature while still inside a building. Many eco-schools make this connection by introducing interactive visual displays that showcase the structure’s sustainable systems. However, Day is concerned that many Cornell architecture students do not know about DEA or about how important user–focused research is in the design process. Although architecture and DEA are separate programs, she sees the synergy that can exist between them. During her junior year, Day attended the Building Energy 2007 Conference, an event hosted by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. In a presentation about high energy performance schools, the keynote speaker stated that the Kiwoong Yoo ’11 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at ky259@cornell.edu

building sector comprises 40% of the nation’s total energy consumption. This both shocked and sparked an interest for a research project in Day, who did not have prior research experience. She expressed her concerns to her mentor, Dr. Nancy Wells, who wrote a letter of recommendation on her behalf to the Frederick Conger Wood Fellowship through the Institution of European Studies. This fellowship enabled Day to conduct research in Europe during the summer of 2008. While DEA research often focuses on the many potential negative aspects of the built environment on the human body, Day wanted to put a positive spin on her research by doing a study on how green schools could positively affect environmental awareness and long-term, whole-systems thinking in children. Green schools are unique in that they integrate sunlight, wind, earth, and water with their use of technology, in ways such as day lighting, rainwater collection, natural ventilation, and automated sensors. In green schools, these processes are visible to everyone through glass windows, exposed pipes, or façade-integrated solar cells; they become part of the children’s daily Courtesy Emelia Day lives. Day’s research did not include aspects of health, economics, or academic performance since her goal was to assess whether these green schools could ultimately nurture the children to develop energy-efficient skills and be ecologically minded. The ultimate goal would be for these children to create a sustainable world in the future.

Our generation can teach [the future generation] to think in cyclical ways so that ultimately our human processes will not only be sustainable, but regeneratve. With support from the Wood Fellowship, Day traveled to Holland, Germany, and the United Kingdom, three pioneers in green school architecture. She administered surveys to children in four different schools. Continued on page 20

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Sulfated Nucleosides: A Novel Natural Product from Spider Venoms College of Arts and Sciences By Sean Lawless ’11 For many students of science, both at Cornell and at other colleges across America, one subject is notorious for its difficulty and complexity: organic chemistry. The subject has become a rite of passage required by many majors, with many students unable to find justification for the need to comprehend the sometimes-confusing concepts involved with the properties and reactions of various hydrocarbons. To them, the numerous recrystallizations, extractions, and distillations seem to serve no practical purpose. However, with exposure to the interesting work in synthetic organic chemistry of students such as Aman Prasad ’10, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, perhaps their views will change. Prasad’s current research is in the lab of Cornell Research Associate Frank Schroeder at the Boise Thompson Institute, where he diligently works to help synthesize molecules of various natural products. These products are compounds that can be isolated from plant material and insects, among other natural sources. His work is quite unique amongst the varied undergraduate researchers at Cornell; rather than running trials and studies to help support a hypothesis, Schroeder’s lab is a scientific independent contractor of sorts that facilitates the work of numerous other research groups. Often, researchers discover natural compounds and secondary metabolites that can potentially interact in interesting ways with the various pathways of the human body; the compounds may lead to medically useful products such as DNA vaccines or even treatments for diabetes. However, these researchers often experience a challenge with respect to the purity of the natural compounds; the extracts from plants and insects are rarely pure enough to have a significant effect on humans, and thus are not sufficient for research purposes. This is where Prasad and Schroeder’s lab play a critical role; they take these natural compounds and attempt to develop a method to artificially synthesize the metabolites at a greater level of purity. For Prasad, the main focus of his research has been to artificially synthesize the sulfated nucleosides found in various spider venoms for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has also just started a project to synthesize a new class of compounds that would affect lipid metabolism. Through his work, the NIH hopes to develop a library of various sulfations that can be used while exploring the extracts’ similarities to DNA nucleotides and other possible applications of this knowledge. So far results are pending from the NIH, but Prasad and his colleagues have managed to provide a number of these sulfations with 99% purity to the collaborators. As an undergraduate, he is also responsible for the cleaning and Sean Lawless ’11 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at sml252@cornell.edu

maintenance of the lab, as well as for passing on knowledge about the experiments to new members of Schroeder’s team. Prasad describes the work as “intellectually stimulating, highend science,” in a field where he is constantly challenged to solve unique problems that have never been tackled before. For him, the real joy of his research comes from being able to hold something he made in his own hands and envisioning its potential to benefit humankind in the near future. This research is a unique departure for Prasad from his previous research experience. Raised in Pocatello, Idaho, he performed research at Idaho State during high school. There he performed epidemiological research on disease transmission. In particular, he modeled tuberculosis rates and investigated adolescent mood and depression. Afterwards, in the summer of his freshman year, he conducted research in a biophysics lab at the University of Wisconsin. Intent upon pursuing clinical work and a medical profession at this point, his current research position came up accidentally and has done much to change his plans. After Prasad’s teaching assistant recommended him for his excellent work in organic chemistry lab, Prasad applied to the lab and was accepted for the position a week Courtesy Aman Prasad later. Through the mentorship of Schroeder, he progressed from basic lab work to running and holistically analyzing reactions. Schroeder brought the importance of research into focus for Prasad, helping him connect the theory of organic chemistry to a practical level and its real world applications. Presently, Prasad is intent upon pursuing a Ph.D. in organic chemistry and has decided to forego clinical work. He hopes to continue research in the field as well as help others better understand organic chemistry and appreciate all sciences and their applications, as his mentor Schroeder did for him. He currently pursues this goal through his work as a member of the Cornell EYES program, a tutor for Chemistry 1057 (a supplemental help course for organic chemistry students), and a writer for The Salubrion (Cornell Health International’s print journal).

The Research Paper Winter 2009

18th Century Staging and Acting College of Arts and Sciences By Deirdre Dulak ’11 Have you ever wondered how the people of earlier times truly behaved and acted? Unfortunately, history books can only go so far; while they can provide us with facts and happenings from thousands of years ago, the lives and mundane actions of everyday people are largely lost. However, despite the changes that people have undergone throughout history, one might say that these actions are not lost; we need only to look at ourselves, for even today, they are very much alive. Many people speculate that while certain gestures and sayings go in and out of vogue, we still operate by the same basic principles and emotions. So, we must have the same fundamental ways to express these emotions. How do we conduct research to determine if this hypothesis is true? Well, it seems logical to start with the art of controlling or imitating behavior and emotions, otherwise known as acting, which is exactly what Dorian Bandy, a music theory major in the College of Arts and Sciences, researches. Bandy, a musician whose instrumental talents range from the baroque violin to the harpsichord and fortepiano, is well-versed in the discipline of Historically Informed Performance Practice (HIP). This technique involves using instruments and playing techniques from the 18th century to reconstruct the way music might have sounded in the classical and baroque periods. One of the most pervasive forms of entertainment during this era was the opera. Therefore, by drawing on his knowledge of eighteenth century music and performance techniques, Bandy decided to research the other major aspect of eighteenth century opera, acting. He reached this decision after watching a performance of an opera that had attempted to use HIP practices in the music, but set the stage action on a space ship. The dramatic effect made the opera Deirdre Dulak ’11 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at dad265@cornell.edu

sound the way the composer intended, but at the same time achieve a very modern look. This experience catalyzed his thought process as to how an 18th century opera was actually intended to look. Why have people largely focused on only the music, and not the acting? On first thought, one may propose that while acting has seen some minor changes over the centuries, it is still basically the same. However, after reading and researching approximately sixty texts published during the years ranging from 1615 to 1845, Bandy has discovered that this could not be further from the truth. During these times, actors apparently developed extremely exaggerated and expressive movements and gestures, which today would be viewed as unrealistic overacting. Bandy’s research enabled him to find critical documents from the eighteenth century that provided diagrams of motions, positions, gestures, and stances with short phrases Courtesy Dorian Bandy underneath them indicating to actors what movements and gestures could be associated with each portion of a text. Luckily, these gestures seem to be relatively universal for eighteenth century operas. Bandy’s research will culminate in a November production of the opera buffa, or comic opera, Don Giovanni by Lorenzo Da Ponte with the musical score composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The opera will be complete with eighteenth century makeup, costumes, lighting, music, and, of course, acting. Javier López Piñón, who has also been researching eighteenth century acting for quite some time, is even flying in from Amsterdam in order to co-direct the opera with Bandy, who will also be conducting the music. Don Giovanni is normally associated with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the composer of the opera’s music. However, by focusing on Da Ponte, one of the great Italian poets of his time and the author of the opera’s text, Bandy emphasizes his focus on the words of the play, not the music, in order to highlight the acting. Continued on page 20

The Research Paper Winter 2009

A Hole to Cure Another Hole: Two Engineers’ Quest to Cure HLHS College of Engineering By Grace Chen ’10

Lab responsibilities include culturing embryos every three to four days, ultrasound imaging and using a laser system to, Akshay Shekhar and Ajinkya Rane have an opportunity “Develop a reliable protocol for the induction and recovery of that few aspiring undergraduate researchers can only dream HLHS in chick embryos with the aid of a femtosecond laser.” about. These researchers not only get the opportunity to To solve the problem, the pair must first create HLHS in chick research and develop a treatment for a rare congenital heart embryos with a laser. After the problem is present, the duo defect but also get to work closely with their faculty mentor, attempts to cure the problem by adding another hole into the Professor Jonathan Butcher. Since starting their work in Pro- affected heart. Upon completing the steps, the second hole fessor Butcher’s lab back in the spring of 2007, the pair has allows for, “Studying the effect of various blood flow shunts on embryonic heart develnot taken their research opment and its role in opportunity for granted. the possible treatment Rane and Shekhar of HLHS.” The laser hope to use the knowlapproach has immense edge they have gained potential because the to understand and cure a laser is able to, “Jump congenital heart defect through layers of skin” called hypoplastic left and reach the exact arheart syndrome (HLHS). eas of the heart where HLHS occurs in humans the blood flow can be when the heart fails to alternatively directed. completely form during The approach is rather the embryonic stages. ironic because, accordCurrently, the only availing to Rane and Shekable treatment option inhar, they are, “Curing volves complex surgery a problem with a hole to manually close the with another hole.” newborn’s heart. Right Rane and Shekhar’s now, the laboratory is research is being condeveloping a laser to perform the same operation Photo by Grace Chen ducted in three phases. Phase I included, “dewhile the newborn is still in the womb. The research conducted in Professor Butcher’s veloping a method to transport and cultivate embryos outside of the egg.” For this phase, Rane and Shekhar developed a, “porlab has extraordinary and important societal implications. Rane and Shekhar’s research focuses around identify- table, circulating water bath,” out of everyday items such as ing morphological changes in the hearts of chicken embryos. Tupperware and a plastic container for cereal. Phase II involved By studying chick embryos’ hearts, Rane and Shekhar hope developing a, “baseline for normal cardiac function.” To do so, Rane and Shekhar utilized high to learn more about normal heart frequency ultrasound imaging and development. Rane and Shekhar multi-photon microscopy imaging. utilize chick embryos as a model HLHS occurs in humans when the They also applied their engineering for the human heart in their reskills by performing computational search. The chick embryo provides heart fails to completely form durfluid dynamic modeling. a good model because, according ing the embryonic stages. The pair is currently in Phase to Shekhar,“The heart mimics III of their research. Phase III inthe human heart well and is fully developed in merely fourteen days.” Many of the procedures volves, “Quantifying post induction and treatment changes involved in working with lasers or other techniques are highly in cardiac function.” Developing an efficient means for the involved and “easier said than done,” says Rane. Chick em- lasers to have clinical potential still requires more months of bryos, in particular, are exceedingly fragile and the capillaries problem-solving and creativity. However, Shekhar and Rane are optimistic that, in a short matter of time, they will develop are micrometers in diameter. an extraordinary way to tackle this complex disorder. Grace Chen ’10 is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. Continued on page 20 She can be reached at gmc28@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Probing Predation Patterns After a Late Pliocene Extinction College of Arts and Sciences By Xiaohong Liu ’11

production after the extinction. Such an event would decrease the amount of available food for the predators, thus weakenHave you ever collected shells along the beach? Have you ing them. Therefore, the crabs’ initial attempts to attack their ever noticed the tiny hole on the apex of the shell, which you prey at the visceral mass might fail, increasing their frustration might have thought was conveniently placed there for you to and leading them to attack the siphonal canal. Moreover, data make a shell necklace or earring? These holes are actually also indicates that octopi drill holes were decreasing, which drill holes made by the predator of that shell’s occupant. These could indicate that the octopi were becoming less numerous or drill holes provide evidence of predator-prey interactions and reducing their attacks because of lower primary productivity competition among tropic levels in ecological habitats, and and less energy traveling up the trophic levels. Analysis of the they are among thousands that Carlie Pietsch has examined third predator-type scar from Muricid drills revealed that there during her one and a half years of research at Cornell and the was a drop in drill holes before the late Pliocene extinction and a slight increase after the extinction. These drills reflect Museum of the Earth. Pietsch, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, ma- high competition and lower food availability, which could have joring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is avidly pursu- forced the Muricids to eat one another. Pietsch concluded that ing the trends of predation frequencies from a late Pliocene after the extinction event, predation pressure declined. Pietsch then examined further potential applications of her extinction event in tropical America over four time intervals: the Pinecrest, Caloosahatchee, Burmont, and Fort Thompson. fossil studies. Because the research concentrated on tropical These names may sound very unfamiliar to the reader who seagrass habitats, the data collected from the Pinecrest time has not delved into the fascinating trophic interactions of period could be a baseline for a healthy ecosystem. Modern different ecological niches; however, for Pietsch, these terms trends in predation when collected could be compared to have become an important aspect of her research. Since the those of the Pinecrest or other time intervals to determine the summer after her freshman year, when she asked Director Dr. health of the ecosystem. The trends reflected that the seagrass predation frequencies and tropic system had Warren Allmon at the Museum of the Earth in still not recovered to their level and condition Ithaca, NY, about volunteer opportunities, she before the extinction. Recent attention has has been working with fossilized specimens. been focused on preserving coral reefs, but Pietsch’s interest in this research topic emerged Pietsch’s research has shown that many other through her participation in the National Scihabitats such as these seagrass habitats, which ence Foundation’s Research Experiences for are home to numerous species, should also Undergraduates (REU) program with Dr. Greg receive significant consideration. According Herbert. to Pietsch, seagrass habitats, compared to coral Currently, she and her mentor, Dr. Greg reefs and tidal marshes, are currently “not at Dietl, are conducting trophic studies of the the very top of conservation lists.” Muricidae gastropod Phyllonotus, a predatory To refine her data, Pietsch is still continusnail that inhabits tropical seagrass habitats. ing to collect more snails (from different MuriPietsch has analyzed thousands of snails, meacidae genera). Asked why she enjoys research, suring their body sizes (their lengths from the apex to past the aperture) to classify the snails Courtesy Carlie Pietsch Pietsch says that she loves to “puzzle through the problems,” to visualize a data set, generate into different sizes, and looking at the trace fossil record. The trace fossils depict predation by octopi, crabs, hypotheses, and arrive at novel conclusions. When asked what and even co-familial Muricidae snails. Pietsch analyzed the new skills she has acquired from her research experiences, scars and drill holes on the snail shells to observe the patterns she answers, “Everything!” Research has helped her improve and frequencies of predator-prey interactions before and after her skills in writing—as she has already written two research posters—formulating hypothesis, knowing how to take good the extinction event. After analyzing thousands of snails and compiling the sample sizes, and collecting the desired data. Pietsch plans to pursue research in the future by studying numerous data in Excel, Pietsch found that after the extinction, there was a general trend of increase in siphonal canal scars, paleontology in graduate school. She would like to study the which are caused by crabs. Pietsch hypothesized that this trend development and change over time of interactions between most likely indicates that the crabs were becoming weaker animals. When Pietsch is not delving into the complex tropic and less adept at attacking as a result of the drop in primary interactions of gastropods, she enjoys participating in triathlons; she has already completed three! She can be found Xiaohong Liu ’11 is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. swimming, cycling, and running around Cayuga Lake. She can be reached at xl226@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Autism and Precipitation Faculty Feature By Daniel Kaufman ’09

leagues examined state-collected data by the US Department of Education concerning the prevalence of autism. In 2003, it Only thirty years ago, the incidence of autism was esti- was clear that autism is more prevalent in northern states than mated at roughly 1 in every 2,500 children. However, accord- southern states. From this data, Nicholson hypothesized that ing to the most recent studies conducted by the Centers for an environmental trigger for autism in genetically predisposed children may be correlated with Disease Control and Prevention, bad weather. approximately 1 in every 150 chilTo investigate their hypothesis, dren now suffers from the disorder. From this data, Nicholson hyDr. Nicholson and his colleagues Dr. Sean Nicholson, Associate Prostudied county-level autism rates fessor in the Policy Analysis and pothesized that an environmental California, Oregon and WashManagement (PAM) Department trigger for autism in genetically in ington. Using regression analysis in the College of Human Ecology of children born in these states recently published a study in at- predisposed children may be corbetween 1987 and 1999, they found tempt to shed some light on this that county-level autism prevalence disturbing rise in prevalence. related with bad weather. rates were positively associated Though it’s generally accepted with a county’s mean annual prethat some children are genetically predisposed to developing autism, the influence of environ- cipitation. But why? Dr. Nicholson suggested the possibility mental variables has, to this point, not been elucidated. Nichol- that the environmental trigger might be associated to indoor activities that are clearly son, in conjunction with Dr. more dominant in areas Michael Waldman, Profesknown to have high rates sor in the Johnson School of precipitation. Some trigof Management, sought to gers he and his colleagues empirically investigate posuggested were lack of vitatential environmental facmin D exposure, increased tors that may be linked to exposure to mold or some autism. In particular, they other indoor pathogen, and examined the association increased television viewof precipitation rates and ing. Nicholson hopes that the incidence of autism. the compelling evidence in According to Nicholson, this study will spur followthe study, published in up research that can further the November issue of the illuminate the possibility of Archives of Pediatrics & an environmental trigger of Adolescent Medicine, was autism, particularly televithe “first peer-reviewed sion viewing. paper to find evidence of Professor Nicholson an environmental factor currently teaches two gradlinked to autism.” uate classes, one in HealthWhy precipitation? At care Finance and the other first glance, endeavoring in Healthcare Informational to uncover a link between Technologies. In the spring, precipitation and autism he will once again teach seems rather arbitrary. the increasingly popular Upon closer examination, undergraduate class, US however, it proves to be a very shrewd undertaking. Courtesy Sean Nicholson Healthcare System. Dr. Nicholson hopes that his When initially considering environmental triggers for autism, Nicholson and his col- efforts in researching environmental influences on various aspects of health will profoundly and positively affect public Daniel Kaufman ’09 is a student in the College of Human Ecology. policy and ultimately, people’s lives. He can be reached at dgk9@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Winter 2009

My Pet, Underwater, Robotic Spider College of Engineering By Jason Bierig ’10

designed a pneumatically controlled, elephant truck-like appendage, Gluck was introduced to McKibben muscles. UsThe strange tentacle writhed in what seemed like intense ing the basic principles in the OctArm design in conjunction pain. The black leathery skin hinted at a stegosaurus-like bone with the post-doc’s morphology research, Gluck was able to structure as it squirmed helplessly. This limb is the result of the create his own version, which was much better suited for his work done by Cornell junior Karl Gluck. Gluck is an Electrical hydraulic system. Engineer from Grapevine, Texas. His research, partly financed Although his research is well on its way, Gluck has hit a by the Hunter R. Rawling III Cornell Presidential Research few snags. As a result of the structure’s weight, his design must Scholarship, is broadly labeled as soft robotics – the design be based in an underwater environment. Gluck is currently and construction of flexible, versatile robots. The machines working on designing the pump structure and the associated already have an extensive list of applications due to their delivery system for the pressure created. Due to the robot’s maneuverability, ability to operate dynamically in very tight size, he must find a design that is both compact and powerful. spaces, their adaptive quality to react like a living creature (i.e. He then has to create a design to deliver the pressure from the adjust to a limb being severed), and their autonomy. pump to the desired limbs, which requires locating a manifold Gluck got his first taste of research when he was introduced and valve structure to accommodate the robot’s needs. to Cornell’s CU24 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Team, which The next step, however, is to form a genetic algorithm, involved creating an unmanned airplane that could fly autono- which will act as a developmental program to operate the mamously for 24 hours. He contributed to the project by working chine. The proposed plan would involve a program that told on the vehicle’s GPS system. Then, durthe robot what limbs it had, but not what ing his second semester, Gluck became they do. In other words, the robot knows interested in the Sarah Bates’ amoebot it has legs, muscles, pumps, etc., but is project, which was based on building a clueless as to how they work and what controllable, interactive colony of small each is capable of doing. The robot would robots. Bates introduced Gluck to Profesthen test its components, learn about its sor Hod Lipson, who became Gluck’s environment, and begin working on an mentor, in the Cornell Computation assigned task. Synthetic Lab (CCSL). Someday, Gluck hopes to attempt Gluck didn’t start out with soft roa version of his project that operates botics in mind. His task was to design a responsively above water. Although the robot that would resemble a spider. He idea would increase the potential applianalyzed spider movements and detercations for these machines, Gluck points mined that a traditional robot would put out that the ease with which water is too much strain on the leg joints. By pulled directly from the environment (to mimicking a biologically analogous procompensate for the weight strain) would cess in the eight-legged creatures, Gluck be nullified once taken out of the water. applied a hydraulic pressure system to Gluck’s love of building started with extend the legs. The use of hydraulics a childhood fascination with LEGOS. He was serendipitous in that it consolidated Courtesy Karl Gluck remarked that his lab work is a lot like the mechanical portion of the robot to one big-kid LEGOS, except that the parts power source, reduced the dead weight (made it lighter), and aren’t already there to work with. When not in his lab, Gluck as a result, expanded the possible size of the final product. enjoys rock climbing, and playing bass guitar. As Gluck began his sophomore year, his research was Although progress from his research has already been impeded by troubles in designing a hydraulic system that could published, Gluck continues his work with Lipson and CCSL work. Knowing that this could be problematic, Gluck’s mentor, in hopes of finalizing his project. He stresses that while workProfessor Lipson, stepped in and directed Gluck to contact a ing through the designing process, he “had to make it, then post-doc doing research on cephalopods. After looking into fail in order to develop skills” to improve his work. He also the new biological morphology in that research, Gluck was remarked that the work is “way more complicated than you able to apply soft robotics to make a working design. With think it’s going to be, especially when you spend eight months the help of research from a project called OctArm, which designing a leg.” Although Gluck’s uncertain about a future Jason Bierig ’10 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life career, he hopes to incorporate robotics and electronics into his prospective choice. Sciences. He can be reached at jtb45@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Creating a Moral School Environment College of Agriculture and Life Sciences By Reeva Makhijani ’10 While growing up, we make friends and lose friends. We try to figure out where we ‘fit in,’ and in doing so, we develop our morals and self-image. Most people recall a time when they hurt someone’s feelings to gain approval of their peers. This suggests the ubiquity of relational and social aggression among adolescents, and this is precisely what Emily Weinstein, a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, studies with Dr. Dawn Schrader, a professor in the Education Department at Cornell University. Surprisingly, as we sat on the outside of Olin Library, Emily told me, “I was never the type of person that I thought would be spending hours doing research.” That all changed after attending a dinner at the home of a faculty member where she met one of her former co-undergraduate researchers, Nicole Mangiere ‘08. After looking into the available opportunities on campus, Emily found herself working with Dr. Dawn Schrader, whose research team studies relational aggression in middle and high school girls. In the initial study, adolescent girls were interviewed about their perceptions of themselves, relational aggression, and moral reasoning underlying their actions and thoughts. Emily explained that some girls when asked, “What do you do when someone is mean to you?” became uncomfortable Photo by Reeva Makhijani and could not answer suggesting that these girls lacked coping mechanisms to deal with relational and social aggression. This study showed that girls need guidance in developing strategies to handle such instances. Furthermore, it underscored the lack of emphasis placed on social learning in many classrooms. This study prompted another project led by Mangiere, who looked at the moral environment within middle schools. Jessica Matthews Duval, a PhD student in Dr. Schrader’s research team helped oversee and develop this project. Emily assisted Nicole and they looked at concern forms that had Reeva Makhijani ’10 is a student in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at rbm32@cornell.edu

been instituted by some middle schools in Ithaca as a method through which students could voice their grievances. There was no restriction on how large or small of a complaint went on the slip; it could range from something

Emily explained that some girls when asked, “What do you do when someone is mean to you?” became uncomfortable and could not answer suggesting that these girls lacked coping mechanisms to deal with relational and social aggression. This study showed that girls need guidance in developing strategies to handle such instances. as small as losing a calculator to as serious as being bullied. The idea behind these forms was to give the students a way to confidentially voice their complaints without having to directly address authority figures such as teachers, principals, and other administrators. These forms would then inform administrators of the problem and allow them to find ways to resolve them. The team looked at the variety of problems students were using the forms for, the diversity in students who were using them, and more generally, whether the forms were being used at all. The results of this study were analyzed and compiled in Nicole’s Honours thesis. The study will hopefully be published during the Fall 2008 semester. They showed that the forms were indeed being used by a diverse group of students; usage alone standing as a strong indication that they were a worthwhile implementation. Also, the results illustrated that the forms were being used for a range of problems. These findings will be presented at the upcoming convention of the Association of Moral Education. At present, Emily has further expanded on the study of relational aggression in middle school and high school girls, and she authored an article with Jess Matthews Duval and Dr. Schrader. For her next project she will interview college-aged women rather than adolescent girls. The idea behind this new survey is to see whether college-aged women, through personal growth and self-reflection, have developed coping mechanisms since middle school to better deal with relational aggression. This study will commence during the Fall 2008 semester.

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Maize it Up College of Agriculture and Life Sciences By Abubakar Jalloh ’10

Despite frequent commutes to the laboratory over the summer, Eliasinski self-enrolled in a time-demanding Kaplan Unlike lecture halls where professors bombard you with MCAT review course. Additionally, she spent a lot of time in questions and immediately follow up with readymade answers, the Gorges appreciating Ithaca’s natural beauty. Citing the “research is about asking questions and finding [out answers] need for student researchers to balance work and play, she yourself,” says Patricia Eliasinski, a junior Biological Sciences claims, “I do whatever every Cornell student does.” When it comes to avoiding confounding variables, Eliamajor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a researcher in Dr. Wojtek Pawlowski’s Laboratory at the Depart- sinski made sure that all of her 25 mutant lines were native to the North East. In addition, she crossed each mutant line to the ment of Plant Breeding and Genetics in Bradfield Hall. sequenced cultivar, maize B73. As a transfer student from In spite of that precaution, the University of Rochester in Eliasinski could only collect a the fall of 2007, Eliasinski inilimited amount of data throughtially wanted to acclimate herself out her nine-week stay in Ithaca, to Cornell before hunting down in part due to long wait periods a research position. However, between growing and harvesting that plan changed after a friend her samples. In order to accomsuggested that she find a position plish more, she devised a method in the Pawlowski Laboratory. to cut down the length of some Overcoming her hesitations, experimental procedures from Eliasinski allowed her scientific five to two days. curiosity to dictate her academic Asked what she loved most plans, and without delay she acabout her research, Eliasinski cepted an invitation to join the responded, “the laboratory atlaboratory. mosphere” and the sincerity of In addition to joining the the graduate students and post laboratory, Eliasinski enrolled docs in her laboratory. These colin BIO G 2990: Introduction to Research Methods in Biology. Courtesy Patricia Eliasinski leagues served as a vital source of encouragement in her research. There, she was charged with a subset of the maize diversity project, and for a whole year, she For the record, “they’re real people, not stuffy scientists,” recorded frequencies of genetic recombination for 25 mutant she noted. As a student who has done research during every summer in lines (or cultivars) of maize (Zea mays) cells, which underwent double strand breaks and cross-overs during meiosis. Once high school and for a full year at Cornell, Eliasinski pointed out a fundamental difference between she completed her first semester, high school and undergraduate Eliasinski took on another dose of She recorded frequencies of genetic research: freedom. In high school, BIO G 2990 in the spring of 2008. she claimed, research experiences This fall, she is enrolled in Inderecombination for 25 mutant lines included additional, yet mandatory pendent Research, and has shifted didactic sessions. The Hughes Proher focus from studying only pre(or cultivars) of maize (Zea mays) gram, on the other hand, afforded crossover scenarios to comparing undergraduate researchers more different datasets of pre- and postcells. time and freedom to go on with crossovers. their individual studies. In the spring of 2008, having When it comes to drawing the line between researchers spent a whole semester familiarizing herself with how things worked (and how they did not) in a plant breeding setting, and non-researchers among the undergraduate population, Eliasinski applied to the Cornell Hughes Scholars Program to Eliasinski recounted Carl Wieman’s definition of an expert fund her summer research. She received a stipend to spend and a novice: “Everyone starts as a novice, and after thortwo months in Ithaca, embarking on what she describes as “a ough exposure, experts decipher interrelatedness within their subject matter.” In a sense, by doing research, Eliasinski truly great opportunity to advance in research.” believes that she is receiving invaluable exposure to her field Abubakar Jalloh ’10 is a student in the College of Agriculture and of interest. Life Sciences. He can be reached at aj245@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Playing for Conclusions: How Work Can Be Fun and Games College of Arts and Sciences By Simin Zhang ’11 When one thinks of research, one usually doesn’t picture excited preschool children playing and reading in a colorful classroom with equally excited college students. However, that is exactly what senior Lucy Chen does. A history major in the College of Arts and Sciences, Chen heads over to the Human Ecology building several times a week to talk and play with children. Surprisingly, this is actually part of her research. Lucy Chen has been working in the Cornell Language Acquisition Lab since her junior year. Since she started, she has been continuing the “ANT” (Attention Network) project, which was started by her mentor, Professor Barbara Lust, and a graduate student, Sujin Yang. The project studies whether bilingualism in early childhood has cognitive advantages when compared to monolingualism. Although there is still debate over whether bilingualism helps or hinders a child, evidence so far suggests that bilingualism improves cognitive abilities for executive attention. In Chen’s project, the main concern is to not disturb the children’s natural environment and daily activities in the classroom. To achieve this, she and another researcher first observe the children from a one-way mirror so they can put names with faces of the children. This way, they are more comfortable going in and can interact more personally with each child. Once each child is at ease with the experimenters, Chen goes up to a child and asks them, “Do you want to go out and play with us?” If the child agrees, he or she is taken out to a quiet nearby space in order to participate in the experiment. In order to test cognitive ability, Chen administers two tests. The first one is the ANT, or Attention Network Task, a test better known to the children as The Fish Game. In this task, a number of fish appear on a computer screen, and the keyboard is covered except the left and right buttons. The child has to pick which way the fish in the middle is pointing. This task measures the alertness, orientation, and executive control in the children’s minds. The other test that Chen administers is the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Task (PPVT). The child is shown a book of pictures and asked to name the picture. Depending on the age of the child, the task starts at a certain level and, depending on whether the child gets the question right, the child either moves on to the next question or stops. In addition to the ANT, the PPVT also helps measure the cognitive abilities of the children. Due to the length of this project, it has been especially challenging for the group to continually collect data. The biggest roadblock so far has been time. Because they have to have the children voluntarily go outside the classroom with them, it Simin Zhang ’11 is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at sz84@cornell.edu

usually takes three to four sessions in the classroom before the children feel comfortable enough to agree to “play” with Chen and her colleague. This time, in addition to the time Chen and her colleague spend behind the one-way mirror observing the children, amounts to a large amount of time in just preparing to administer the tasks to the children. Once the children are in the other room, though, it is still possible for them to lose interest or become scared. At this point, some of the children get frustrated and say, “I don’t want to play anymore.” Since everything is on a voluntary basis, the researchers have to let them go and the incomplete data has to be thrown out. As a result, the team has not consolidated and analyzed the full and large data set yet. So far, Ms. Yang has published several papers and given several conference presentations on the results of the project. In addition, Chen is optimistic that even more quantitative data

Courtesy Lucy Chen will be drawn in the future. For her, this project is more than contributing to a better understanding of language development in children. For Chen, this project has also been a personal journey. Through ANT, Chen has dramatically improved her analytical skills. After observing children for so long, she now has a keen attention to detail. In addition, since she always works with a partner to increase objectivity, she has learned to balance cooperation and voicing her own opinions. Last but not least, with such a busy schedule, her work has significantly improved her time management skills. When asked about her favorite aspect of the project, she smiles a sure smile and answers quickly, “The kids.” In fact, she says that, after graduating, she might go into research in educational policy, maybe even educational psychology. Lucy Chen is living proof that even in today’s world, work can be fun and games!

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Novel Approaches to Bioremediation College of Arts and Sciences By Peter Meng ’11

from its niche and learn more about the functions of magnetosomes—cellular compartments present in G. metallireducens Bacteria are tiny organisms, often regarded as nuisances that are suspected to be responsible for the reduction of heavy because of their role in disease. Mohammad Osman’s research, metals. He hopes that magnetosomes will complement his curhowever, refutes this claim. In fact, Osman uses bacteria to rent approach, which involves the use of magnets to drag the bacteria out of its sediments. cleanse the environment of heavy Although scientists have hymetals that cause pollution and pothesized different mechanisms to restore water sources to their Osman uses bacteria to cleanse the for the reduction of heavy metals, natural pristine condition. the chemical mechanisms of magA Biology major and busi- environment of heavy metals that remain a mystery. It is ness minor in the College of Arts cause pollution and to restore wa- netosomes now known that iron present in and Sciences, Osman began his magnetosomes forms chains that research at McNair Academic ter sources to their natural pristine align themselves to the earth’s magLabs in 2005 as a high school netic field. Furthermore, current rejunior. Upon reading an article en- condition. search suggests that magnetosomes titled “Electrifying Toxic Cleanup: may actually facilitate reduction in Electrodes Could Stimulate the Removal of Toxic Waste” in Science News, he learned that a an environment outside of the bacterial cell. Osman’s research has not gone unnoticed. He has been team of researchers led by Dr. Derek Lovely at the University of Massachusetts Amherst used wild type Geobacter metal- recognized by the Hudson County Science Fair, Society of In lireducens bacteria to reduce uranium to insoluble ions that Vitro Biology, Rutgers National Symposium, and the National can be precipitated. Subsequently, Osman pondered, since G. Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Osman believes that bioremediation might just be the metallireducens can reduce uranium, a heavy metal, could it key to revolutionizing our also reduce heavy metals like approach to cleaning up toxic lead and chromium? water sources and sites. He To answer this question, claims that “contaminated Osman developed a research water is a huge problem around project with three phases. In many areas of the country.” the first phase, he was able He further argues that unlike to confirm that G. metallirefiltration and other traditional ducens could actually reduce methods of cleaning up water heavy metal ions that were sources laden with heavy metnot uranium. Using a photo als, bacteria stimulated with spectrometer, he showed that electrical current result in rapid his heavy metal samples had precipitation, thus easing the been reduced; in turn, the reremoval of heavy metals from sulting ions were precipitated contaminated water bodies. out of solution. Like many researchers, The second phase of OsOsman loves the excitement man’s research aimed to deand thrill associated with being termine the optimal concenat the forefront of research and tration and voltage necessary Courtesy Mohammad Osman discovery. He truly feels that to stimulate the bacteria and expedite the reduction process. He found that 1 ml of bacteria the development of novel ideas in attempt to solve problems per liter with a voltage of 0.5 volts produced an ideal envi- and benefit society create endless opportunities for people in ronment for precipitating metals in water. At higher voltages, every field of research. Although most of his research has been conducted offthings can go awry: the bacteria could be electrocuted and the campus, Osman hopes to become affiliated with a lab on camnon-ionic heavy metals could form precipitates. In the third phase, Osman seeks to to isolate the bacteria pus. Upon graduation, he plans to attend medical school. He is currently the President of Administration on the Committee of Peter Meng ’11 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Residential and Community Life of the Student Assembly. Sciences. He can be reached at psm72@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Gambling and U.S. Policy School of Industrial and Labor Relations A switch to a more liberal government has also made inroads for online gambling in the country. Mukherjee says that no What are the implications of overseas gambling legis- such internal or external factor has made the U.S lessen the lation on U.S policy? Does U.S policy towards gambling tight grip of the UIGA and Wire Act, but with the Democratic restriction pose an indirect threat to the balance of power in victory in the November 2008 election this trend of restriction international politics? These are intriguing questions which could be reversed. Moreover, Mukherjee says that implementDhruba Mukherjee, a senior in the New York State School of ing checks on online gambling can make restriction seem less Industrial Relations, has pondered in his extensive research necessary. The efforts of South Africa, for example, to mandate an online player’s account to be connected to their bank acon gambling laws. As a Hunter S. Rawlings scholar, Mukherjee was given count to prevent bankruptcy, can go a long way in preventing money by the program to harness his research on the legal moral opposition to gambling sites in the States. Mukherjee did not stop there. He is currently working limits to U.S online gambling. On top of assessing U.S policy, Mukherjee looked at other countries’ restrictions on online on his Honors Thesis, which looks at a case in the World gambling in order to put U.S laws into context and to gauge Trade Organization between the U.S and Antigua. Because their influence on U.S policy. U.S. actions to restrict online a large portion of the Antiguan GDP is brought in by online gambling sites, Antigua challenged the gambling, he says, have centered around United States when it started to close its two actions – the Unlawful Internet Gamonline gambling to other WTO countries bling Enforcement Act (UIGA) and the as a result of a more restrictive domestic Wire Act – which have led to significant policy. Antigua claimed that the U.S. made restrictions. The Wire Act clearly prohibits previous commitments to opening their sports betting, but is much more ambiguonline gambling sector to other countries ous about the online gambling world. This and should therefore honor them, while the ambiguity, he posits, gives politicians and U.S – like France – claimed this commitbanks the power of interpretation and alment now interfered with their moral interlows for partisan groups to forge policy. ests. The courts, however, as with France, Conservatives such as recent Republicited the hypocrisy of the U.S.’ Interstate can Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee Horse Racing Act and sided with Antigua. have taken a vested interest in limiting The case did not strike a blow to the U.S, online gambling, which has led to a more however, as Antigua was able to impose prohibitive interpretation of the Wire Act. Courtesy Dhruba Mukherjee only $20 million in sanctions, a price the This has led major online gambling sites such as PartyPoker.com to withdraw. The UIGA forces banks U.S. would rather pay than change their policies. This specific online gambling case, says Mukherjee, has to stop online gambling related transactions. The bill, which was snuck through before congress adjourned for the winter, influenced other countries and may have further implications makes banks overcompensate in their assessment of transac- for U.S foreign policy. Other countries are similarly wary of tions, stopping anything suspicious so that the most benign reversed U.S. commitments. A feisty Brazil, for example, is forms of online gambling are inhibited. The UIGA, like the looking at intellectual property cross retaliation in their fight Wire Act, has led to a large drop in online gambling in the with the U.S for cotton subsidization. Strikingly, Mukherjee claims that Chinese officials are looking at the case between United States. In looking at EU nations’ dealings with online gambling, the U.S and Antigua closely. If the U.S is allowed to reverse commitments in internaMukherjee found that European countries have liberalized their gambling laws. France and Italy, for example, used to restrict tional organizations, even if the commitments are not globally online gambling, but repealed these laws because of a couple relevant, this may give China impetus to reverse their own factors. The EU requires the freedom to provide cross border promises in other issues of diplomacy. Put in this context, services unless a member state can show that it’s not in their and considering that China is a rising challenge to the U.S public’s moral interest. France tried to keep their restrictions by hegemony, continuing the argument with a small Caribbean claiming its moral interest was at stake, but failed because their island, over such a trivial topic as online gambling, may state-owned horse racing empire made this claim hypocritical. not be in the best interests of the United States. In any case, In Italy, the same EU law forced it to repeal their restrictions. Mukherjee’s close work on the subject reveals the unlawful extent of U.S online gambling restrictions and its relevance Donny Szirmak ’11 is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. to today’s world. He can be reached at dgs88@cornell.edu By Donny Szirmak ’11

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Should We Trust Doctors? College of Arts and Sciences By Jimmy Wang ’12 When you visit the doctor’s office, what do you expect? In addition to the dangling stethoscope, illegible handwriting, and overpriced prescriptions, you would probably expect that all those certificates on your doctor’s wall actually mean something. In other words, medical knowledge is a must. A good doctor should be able to diagnose just about anything (or if he or she is a specialist, anything related to his or her specialty) with minimal hesitation and maximum confidence. But how do doctors make such judgments, and, more importantly, how do they know that their judgment is correct? Stefani Birnhak and her team have set out to answer this is the elusive question. Birnhak’s team is primarily interested in doctors’ diagnoses of patients with chest pains. According to the project’s faculty advisor, Dr. Valerie Reyna, there are, “more than 6 million patients present[ed] to emergency rooms with chest pain each year in the U.S.” The government provides doctors treating these patients with a set of guidelines which are revised every few years. Two of the major afflictions that patients with unstable angina (severe chest pain resulting from partially damaged blood vessels in the heart) may develop are coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI), also known as a heart attack. The guidelines essentially assign a level of risk (high, intermediate, or low) to the set of symptoms a patient shows, such as frequency and duration of angina, his or her medical history, as well as other factors such as gender and age. Based on this risk assessment, a doctor would ideally be able to make a more educated prognosis than if they had not used the guidelines. However, Birnhak and her associates have found that the most recent changes made in 2000 to this clinical protocol have made the previous 1994 version less effective. As a result, up to eight percent of heart attack patients today are misdiagnosed and subsequently sent home without the proper treatment. Aside from the devastating loss of life, copious amounts of money and resources, both labor and material, are wasted. The key differences between the old guidelines and the Jimmy Wang ’12 is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at xw225@cornell.edu

current ones are that, in recent years, there has been a shift toward simplicity and certainty while sacrificing precision. For example, tachycardia, a condition in which heart rate speeds up quickly, was altered from having several possible causes to one cause – MI. In addition, in the past doctors would have had to determine whether their patients had definite angina or probable angina, and then assign a level of risk for CAD. Nowadays, patients simply are required to have chest pain, which may not even be cardiac related, in order to be labeled intermediate risk for CAD. While these new guidelines might be easier for medical students and residents to follow, Birnhak interviewed practicing doctors and found that they prefer to rely on experience rather than a rigid formula to assess their patients’ situations. The next time you have an appointment with your doctor, you should ask what method of diagnosis he or she prefers to use. It may just save your life. There is no question that Birnhak’s team is dedicated to their research. To emphasize the need for change, Birnhak’s poster features a glaring note: “IMPORTANT: The new guidelines have a lower predictive validity for the occurrence of subsequent cardiac outcomes.” The consequences of their project are particularly relevant to the team because in a couple of years they will all be working under these precise guidelines as Courtesy Stefani Birnhak doctors and making their own medical decisions. Despite the similarity in their direction of life, the group members’ interests are extremely diverse. For instance, their majors range from Biology to Applied Economics and Management to History. Their interests also encompass many areas, from volleyball to a cappella to Greek life. It just goes to show that there is no fixed path through the doors of medical school; what is really essential is that doctors-to-be need to care for their patients’ best interest, much like Birnhak and her team have shown they do in their quest to save lives through this piece of research. On a final note, Birnhak, a senior biology major with an impressive resume and tons of wisdom, encourages all undergraduates, even freshmen, to bravely approach professors to do research. That’s what she did, and just look where she is today: leading a research group aimed to improve the age-old practice of medicine.

The Research Paper Winter 2009

Be Happy Now! College of Human Ecology By Jessica Goldstein ’09 In a good mood? Wondering why? Lindsay McAleer and Professor Anthony Ong’s Resilience and Lifespan Development Laboratory can tell you why! Working with other lab members, her research focuses on understanding the relationship between positive emotions and resilience to stressful tasks. McAleer develops this understanding through a series of experiments and surveys with people 65 and older. Subjects are greeted and brought to the lab, where they meet the lab manager, David Brown. Interestingly, Brown is the only leader in the project and wears the same outfit the whole time. Pictures on the wall and other room objects are also held constant to later test people’s awareness of their surroundings and see if it’s linked to their ability to stay positive. He leads them through a series of tasks, including subtracting backwards, presenting an impromptu speech based on an accusation of theft, and watching humorous videos. Between each task, the participants are surveyed to assess their levels of boredom, interest, happiness, sadness and other such moods. Heart rate, blood

While this data is still being collected and analyzed, it is extremely useful in understanding not only human emotions but also what contributes to successful aging. pressure and coritsol levels are also measured to observe stress levels after each task. What they have found in preliminary data supports their original hypothesis. People who watched positive videos Jessica Goldstein ’09 is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at jbg44@cornell.edu

were observed to have lower stress levels prior to beginning a stressful task. Higher measures of resiliency (the ability to be successful in the face of adversity) were associated with reduced levels of cortisol among all participants. While this

Courtesy Lindsay McAleer data is still being collected and analyzed, it is extremely useful in understanding not only human emotions but also what contributes to successful aging. Another project with which McAleer is involved studies social relationships and resiliency in relation to chronic pain. Participants in this study, which is being conducted in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medical School, are, again, older adults. It consists of daily diaries, kept for fourteen days, that document emotions, location of pain and interactions with other people, namely family members. They hypothesize that subjects who posess positive social relationships can better cope with their pain. Another project, recently started, focuses on Asian American freshman at Cornell. They will complete daily diary studies to help McAleer and researchers understand the role of positive racial events and cultural resources in resiliency to racism, called racial microagression. Lindsay McAleer is a senior in the College of Human Ecology, majoring in Human Development with a concentration in Law and Society. She is the President of the Pre-Law Undergraduate Society. She also is a tutor at Gosset Residential Facility and is the head of the REACH program there. She hails from Seattle, WA and enjoys hiking, traveling, and cooking.

The Research Paper Winter 2009

As the Tree Grows, So Do Our Children From Page 6 These written surveys presented two different situations: one behavior is more environmentally responsible than the other, and the children decide which which group and how strongly they identify with the action. These questions attempt to give each child an environmental attitude score based on their belief, affect, and behavior. She also interviewed the principals of these schools and learned that green schools require leaders who understand the impacts of ecologically friendly schools on children’s mindsets. Day regaled me with a story about an Australian principal who had his students participate in an activity called “How far did your lunch travel?” In the activity, children are asked to add and calculate the total mileage necessary for the food in their lunch boxes to be grown, harvested, packaged, shipped to the grocery store, transported home, and then brought to school. This activity has proven to influence the kids in a positive manner. They learn to be thoughtful in their shopping and to be mindful of resources in their everyday lives. Day comments that in the future, “everyone must be involved [governments, parents, teachers, etc]” in order for green schools and buildings to be the norm.

18th Century Staging and Acting From Page 8 (Da Ponte and Mozart collaborated on at least three operas, and ironically, Da Ponte received more attention than Mozart for the works during their lifetimes. Now, of course, people normally focus more on Mozart than Da Ponte.) The opera is entirely in Italian, but conveniently for those who do not understand Italian, the acting and gestures pantomime the story on stage. Bandy credits his results in large part to his supportive, sympathetic mentors: classics Professor Jeff Rusten, music Professor Neal Zaslaw, and music Professor James Webster. For instance, Rusten was the first person to tell Bandy he was

A Hole to Cure Another Hole... From Page 9 Both have found the lab work to be rewarding. The research that occurs in the lab is highly collaborative, they explain. “Professor Butcher takes many people from other fields,” says Shekhar, “and brings together their strengths to tackle

The current situation of global warming, energy waste, and pollution is an immense challenge for our world. Day admits that today’s generation will have trouble changing its harmful habits, but she reminds us that the children are still learning. Our generation can teach them to think in cyclical ways so that ultimately our human processes will not only be sustainable, but regeneratve. Day presented her research proposal to the Cornell University Research Board (CURB) and won first place in their annual spring forum last year. She has recently received additional funding through the College of Human Ecology to continue her research in Japan this winter, and will finish her thesis this coming spring. Day is now a research assistant for Dr. Ying Hua, researching smarter lighting designs for a greener campus. After graduation, Day would like to attend the University of Oregon School of Architecture to pursue a Master of Architecture degree with an Ecological Design Certificate. Day has great passion for people and the environment. With the experience she has gained through her major and her research project, she has accumulated enormous potential energy to become a leader in her field. Day’s hope is that one day we might be able to see thoughtful, low embodied energy designs everywhere we go. not crazy to pursue his research and greatly facilitated his work; he also wrote the program notes for the opera. The rest of the results, Bandy modestly attributes to skills he has acquired over the years. Bandy says, “Last year I unearthed some music that was published once in 1742 and not printed again and never recorded as far as I know. I performed some concerts with this music, and in the Early Music world this is nothing. Special finds involving unknown music by an unknown composer are made relatively frequently. Reading old manuscripts, treatises, etc., is nothing new for us, since this sort of ‘research’ that in many other fields would make headlines is constantly required of people who specialize in music from this era. I suppose that the rest of my research is simply an extension of this skill that I’ve acquired over the years, and it’s therefore by now second nature to me; something I don’t even think about.” biomedical issues.” Professor Butcher has both allowed the pair to tackle worthy research questions on their own and, more importantly, has encouraged them to be creative in the lab. Looking ahead, Rane hopes study medicine while Shekhar hopes to pursue a career in the biomedical research industry. Both, however, find the engineering application to healthcare appealing and a motivating factor in their future career plans.

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