Student Poster Abstract Booklet...antibacterial endophyte, an assay that demonstrates endophytes'...

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Student Poster Abstract Booklet Research Competition Sponsors:

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Title Page

Pre-College Student Poster Research Presentations 4

Undergraduate Student Poster Research Presentations 10

Graduate Student Poster Research Presentations 18

NOTE: Abstracts in each of the above categories are listed in alphabetical order by research presentation title. Abstracts submitted after the deadline may not appear in the abstract booklet.

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AISES Pre-College Student Poster Research Presentations

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Comparison of DNA Sequences of Different Rubus Plants Booth 17 Dakota Kaupu Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Life Sciences - Plant Sciences/Botany

Comparisons DNA sequences of different Rubus hawaiensis to see if the different morphologies are due to changes in DNA or in the environment found. Three different DNA extraction methods were performed, then ran in a spectrophotometer. Genomic DNA was also used for PCR with multiple primers until successful with primers "RBCLa" and "MatKim". The DNA was then ran in a 1.0% gel and sequenced. A sequencing program was used to align the same species. Different point mutations were observed among Rubus rosifolius species and OPA’s were able to detect the change of genetic diversity between Rubus rosifolius and Rubus hawaiiensis species. The changes in SNPs among aligned Rubus rosifolius species suggests changes in amino acids, which may affect the proteins making up the plant, furthering speciation. Evolution of Rubus species in Hawaii impacts the native plant life and continues research on it evolution may help us slow down its destructive impact.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Presenter: Dakota Kaupu Email: [email protected] Biography: Dakota Kaupu is a student at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama

mailto:[email protected]

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Developing and Analyzing Hydropower Generators in Fishpond Mākāhā Booth 14 Joshua Parker Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Engineering - Mechanical Engineering

Harnessing tidal energy of local fish ponds would contribute to alleviating the burden of dependency for food and energy on the continental United States. Construct and test three hydropower generators in fishpond mākāhā. Develop an analytical software capable of automatically monitoring the electrical production of hydropower generators. Construct and test a model with multiple generators to maximize electrical production. Prototype 2 generated the most power out of the three tested prototypes. An analytical software can automatically monitor the electrical production of hydropower generators. Prototype 4 harnessed 57-87 W of energy, which is enough to power the lighting systems at the fishponds. The usage of my developed hydropower generators is a sustainable solution to providing clean energy for the restoration efforts of Hawaiian fishponds. They would be an appropriate way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, provide much-needed energy in a sustainable way, and will impact the community in a positive way.


Presenter: Joshua Parker Tribal Affiliation: Kanaka Maoli Email: [email protected] Biography: Joshua is a high school senior at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama with a passion for ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, basketball, pole vaulting, science, and sustainability! He has been a student member of AISES since 2018. Joshua has competed in and won two AISES Energy Challenges for his research on hydropower in traditional Hawaiian fishponds. This year, his project placed 5th overall and 1st in environmental engineering at the Hawaiʻi state science fair, qualifying for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).


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Isolation and Characterization of Endophytes from Cordyline fruticose Booth 16 Cade Kane Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Life Sciences – Microbiology

Endophytes are microorganisms that live inside plant tissue. This study investigated properties of endophytes from ti leaf, which may hold applications in medicine, agriculture, etc. The various procedures used include: the isolation of endophytes from ti leaf tissue, an antibacterial disk assay using crude extracts generated from said endophytes, a growth curve for one antibacterial endophyte, an assay that demonstrates endophytes' production of Indole-acetic- acid (plant growth hormone), and a seed-colonization assay using radish seeds. 70 endophytes were obtained from the ti leaves, nine of which demonstrated some antibacterial properties. The growth curve confirmed the antibacterial activity of one endophyte in liquid culture against Bacillus subtilis. Eight bacterial and fungal endophytes produced Indole-acetic-acid; three of these showed potential in colonizing and enhancing (radish) seed growth. Many endophytes are studied because they don't harm their plant hosts. For instance, antibacterial properties may indicate the role of endophytes in defending their hosts against pathogens; the production of Indole-acetic-acid may demonstrate their plant-growth-enhancing abilities. Inoculation or colonization of these endophytes is a definite area of future research.


Presenter: Cade Kane

Email: [email protected] Biography: Student from Kamehameha Schools Kapalama on Oahu, Hawaii.


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Ivermectin Induces Apoptosis, Cell Cycle Arrest, and Senescence in C4-2 Prostate Cancer Cells Booth 13 Taylor Moniz Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Life Sciences - Cancer Biology

How does Ivermectin effect the C4-2 castration resistant prostate cancer cell line and through what mechanisms does it have these effects? Ivermectin was tested on C4-2 cells in 0, 4, 8, and 12 micromolar concentrations. The effects of Ivermectin on C4-2 cells were quantified using multiple methods including cell counting, MTT assays, western blots, neutral comet assays, and GFP-AR transfection. These experiments were statistically analyzed utilizing the 2-tailed student’s t test. Ivermectin was found to decrease cell density and decrease cell viability, up regulate the PARP protein which is a family of apoptosis related proteins, and down regulate the Cyclin E and Cyclin D proteins. Ivermectin was found to increase the number of senescent cells at 24 hours. Ivermectin induces apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and senescence at 24 hours in C4-2 cells. Effects in the C4-2 castration resistant prostate cancer cells could be due to DNA damage or decreased androgen receptor activity and expression induced by Ivermectin. Ivermectin down regulates FOXA1 protein possibly causing decreased androgen receptor activity.


Presenter: Taylor Moniz

Email: [email protected] Biography: Taylor Moniz is a Senior at Kamehameha Schools Kāpalama. She is Native Hawaiian as well as Japanese and Filipino. She has been conducting biological research for the past two years and is also passionate about serving her community. Taylor is an active volunteer at her local humane society and Special Olympics. She is passionate about making the world a better place through servant leadership and research in the lab.


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AISES Undergraduate Student Poster Research Presentations

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Calibrating the Next Generation of Neutrino Detectors Booth 20 DeAngelo Wooley University of California, Davis Physics & Astronomy - Astronomy and Astrophysics

The Calculate Neutron yield from the neutrino neutron interaction Set up a tank and shoot neutrinos at it to measure how many neutrons where captured The experiment is still on going, no major findings yet The findings have not yet been published since the experiment is still ongoing and we don't have enough data to conclude.


Presenter: DeAngelo Wooley

Tribal Affiliation: Muscogee Creek Nation Email: [email protected] Biography: Passionately studying the nuclear world around me and trying to understand how do neutrinos oscillate and how that might explain the matter anti-matter Asymmetry.


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Conjugation of Silver Nanoclusters and Virus-Like Particles as a Potential Antibacterial Complex Booth 22 Meredith Dennis Naomi Lee Northern Arizona University Life Sciences – Biochemistry

The purpose of this project is to conjugate silver nanoclusters onto the surface of VLPs to increase the bioactivity of the VLP-cluster complexes will be conjugated via lipoic acid peptide derivatives. Thus far, we synthesized Qbeta VLPs using standard molecular biology techniques. Currently, we are synthesizing various LA derivatives of different composition, length, and flexibility via solid phase peptide synthesis. The derivatives are characterized by HPLC and MALDI-TOF. By the time of the poster presentation, we aim to have successfully synthesized silver nanoclusters with at least one LA peptide derivative. In the future we will continue synthesizing peptide derivatives and conjugate VLP-cluster complexes that will be characterized using various techniques such ultracentrifugation, TEM, AFM, and Raman spectroscopy. Upon characterization with instrumental techniques, we expect to find spectra consistent with expected results. This would include peptide purification on HPLC and analysis using MALDI- TOF, TEM, AFM, and Raman spectroscopy.


Presenter: Meredith Dennis, Naomi Lee Tribal Affiliation: Cherokee Nation Email: [email protected], [email protected] Biography: Meredith is from Dallas, Texas and currently attends Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff as a junior undergraduate. There she is majoring in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry, and she recently began participating in undergraduate research mentored by Dr. Naomi Lee. Meredith is also fortunate to be a part of the Research Initiative or Scientific Enhancement (RISE) where she receives funding for her research and academic and professional guidance.

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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COVID-19 Death Prediction Booth 28 Silas Leggett, Shakhawat Hossain University of Winnipeg Mathematics – Statistics

The purpose of our research was to be able to accurately predict current and future deaths due to COVID-19. We used Worldometer and Github websites to obtain global Covid-19 data from January 2020 to June 11, 2020. Based on the data from 68 countries, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to predict the total number of death count in Canada using confirmed, active, recovered, and death cases and CFR. Our data analysis shows that 95% of the variability of total death count is explained by the fitted regression model. This model predicts 8121 deaths in Canada on June 11, 2020 with 95% prediction interval [3551, 18576]. The predicted death count 8121 is close to the actual count 7994. Using data from 68 countries, our predicted total death count in Canada on June 11, 2020 is 8121 which is very close to the actual count 7994. We are currently working to predict the total death count on July 10, 2020 and the subsequent months.


Presenter: Silas Leggett, Shakhawat Hossain Tribal Affiliation: Metis Email: [email protected], [email protected] Biography: Silas Leggett is a 17 years old Metis student from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is entering his first year at the University of Winnipeg in a Bachelor of Science. Silas has worked for the Winnipeg Newcomers Sports Academy for 4 years, has been a part of Covid-19 related research, and is working with Waterways Canada for the summer teaching Indigenous youth about the outdoors and how to canoe. He is passionate about nature and hopes that in pursuing his degree he gets the chance to learn more about the land and how to help the environment.


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Determining rare earth elements in waters with TQ-MS compared to with ICP- MS Booth 18 Sidney Leggett University of Winnipeg Geoscience - Earth Science

Compare the LODs when determining trace/ultra-trace amounts of rare earth elements in waters with the TQ-MS, to previous studies using various forms of ICP-MS. Conducting trials to determine the trace and ultra-trace amounts of REEs in water samples with the TQ-MS and recording the LODs that are achieved, then comparing those with the LODs recorded in previous studies where ICP-MS is used. We are then seeing which method is more effective It was found that the levels of detection were lower when determining with the TQ-MS, whereas the previous studies done with ICP-MS LODs were higher. With the TQ-MS being able to reach LODs then previously achieved by ICP-MS, we are able to be more confident in our sample since we don't have to do separation/ preconcentration techniques. This means we can better deal with salinity, avoid contamination, and mass interferences, and be more cost effective.


Presenter: Sidney Leggett

Tribal Affiliation: Metis Email: [email protected] Biography: Sidney Leggett (wápiskisiw pinésiw iskwéw) is a Métis woman from Treaty 1 Territory, on the land now known as Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Science in Data Science with a minor in Computer Science at the University of Winnipeg. She works as a Junior Epidemiologist for the Government of Manitoba, a web designer and developer and a member of numerous research projects. Since entering university Sidney has found a passion in connecting her technological skills with ways to enrich her Indigenous community and be a part of making positive change.


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Differences in benthic composition between Savai’i and Upolu following a disturbance event Booth 21 Ahmyia Cacapit University of Guam Life Sciences - Marine Sciences

How does the benthic composition of the two main islands in Samoa, Savai’i, and Upolu, differ before and after a disturbance event? We used image analyses to determine the benthic cover on each island in 2017 and 2019. We used nine sites on Upolu and ten sites on Savai'i, looking at 18 photo quadrats taken at each site. The average percent cover of hard coral, calcified algae, and fleshy algae were determined. We found that hard coral significantly differed between the islands in 2017. Calcified algae were significantly different between both islands and both time points. Hard coral cover decreased in Savai'i and increased in Upolu. Fleshy algae were the most dominant benthic functional group on both islands during both years. By examining benthic functional groups, we were able to gain a holistic view of the system on each island in Samoa. Learning how the benthic cover of both islands is changing over time helps address the health of reefs on each island to see whether they are growing or declining.


Presenter: Ahmyia Cacapit

Email: [email protected] Biography: Ahmyia Cacapit is a rising senior at the University of Guam, majoring in Biology. Over this summer, she participated in the NSF Ocean Sciences REU under the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.


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Higher Expression of TNF-a in Liver of Arsenic Exposed Mice Associated with Death Booth 23 Dawson Hollingsworth Oregon State University Life Sciences - Biology (general)

Our research question was if and how the inflammatory response of mice to arsenic poisoning plays a role in if they live or die. We are comparing perturbed and acutely poisoned sick vs healthy mouse’s expression of IL-6 and TNF-a. To do this we dissolve tissues using the Zymogen RNA extraction kit. Then reverse transcriptase makes cDNA that is used in qPCR. Using protocol B-Actin is the house keeping gene for normalizing expression values Normalized to the expression of B-actin in each sample comparing expression levels of IL-6 to TNF-a normally in the sham. IL-6 is more expressed than TNF-a. Mice that get sick seem to be more likely to be expressing more TNF than IL-6, and healthy mice express IL-6 more than TNF This is significant because it suggests that increased TNF-a expression correlates to the mice dying as hypothesized. This suggests a response to a more local disturbance than if there was more IL-6 expression. This suggests that the mouse is dying from something other than an actual infection due to the locality.


Presenter: Dawson Hollingsworth Tribal Affiliation: Tlingit Email: [email protected] Biography: Dawson is an undergraduate senior at Oregon State University, he is currently looking for a place to go to graduate school. His primary research interest in CRISPR. He also has an interest in promoting native American participation in STEM fields.


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Particulates and Toxic Gases: The Hidden Harm in Wood Fires Used in Traditional Hogans And Their Correlation with Asthma and Lung Cancer Booth 15 Keona Hosteen School: Northern Arizona University Engineering - Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering

How do particulate matter content correlate with certain diseases like asthma and lung cancer? First, I gathered six regular-size of the four types of firewood (oak, pine, pinon, and cedar) I used to test each on carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, radon (long and short), and particulate matter (PM 2.5 and 10). I tested every other day when the woodstove was not used. Through my research, which based on carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and radon that cedar was the worst while pine was the best. However, as for particulate matter, I received the opposite results because pine had the highest PM while oak had the best. Therefore, the hypothesis that the four types of firewood can be ranked from best to worst from toxic gases and particulate matter is accepted, because of the data collected from the CO and CO₂ phase and the particulate matter phase.


Presenter: Keona Hosteen

Tribal Affiliation: Navajo Nation Email: [email protected] Biography: Ya’at’heh (Hello), her name is Keona Hosteen, but she prefers to be called Ona. She is currently an undergraduate first-year student at Northern Arizona University located in Flagstaff, Arizona. She is a Native American from the Navajo Nation tribe. She is from Crownpoint, New Mexico but lives in Standing Rock, New Mexico. Her traditional four clans that identify who she is as Dine are Red Bottom (Tł'ááshchí'í), Red Running into the Water (Táchii'nii), Zuni (Tábąąhá), and Water Edge (Naasht'ézhi dine'é). She is interested in STEM and open to discussion and opportunities.


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Testing Rapamycin as a Treatment for White-Nose-Syndrome Booth 24 Cassidy Lamirande School: University of Winnipeg Life Sciences - Wildlife Conservation

White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), has

devastated bat populations across North America. One challenge for chemical or biological

treatment for WNS is confirming efficacy and safety for animals, humans and the environment.

The drug rapamycin is widely used for cancer treatment, has shown antifungal activity, and is

known to be safe for mammals. We tested the hypothesis that Rapamycin would inhibit growth

of Pd in vitro. We inoculated Rapamycin-treated and control petri plates with Pd and found that

Rapamycin inhibited Pd growth. This suggests potential of Rapamycin as a treatment for WNS.


Presenter: Cassidy Lamirande

Tribal Affiliation: Métis Email: [email protected] Biography: I am a young indigenous woman who is strongly interested in the scientific study of the human body and mind. One day, I hope to help discover a cure for the various auto-immune diseases affecting humans every day as I myself have an auto-immune disease called juvenile arthritis.


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The Investigation of Best Practices in the Indigenous Studies Discipline Booth 19 Tyara Marchand Emily Wang University of Calgary Psychology & Social Sciences - Other Psychology & Social Sciences

Does INDG studies align with recommended practice found in literature review and how does Canada, United States, New Zealand, and Australia compare to each other? Based on a codebook derived from the literature, we conducted a quantitative content analysis of 238 Indigenous Studies websites in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Factor analysis was then used to compare the university websites to each other. Our analysis identified five factors that defined Indigenous studies: Indigenous ways of knowing/doing, student community, language usage, community member involvement, and research methodologies. It was found that Canadian universities and US public universities ranked highest in compliance with these five factors. Adherence to these principles differed significantly by country, sector, and whether the institution offered an undergraduate degree. The impacts of our findings can be used to guide indigenous studies curriculum development and can be used by students to help decide what institution they should attend.


Presenter: Tyara Marchand Tribal Affiliation: Okanagan Indian Band Email: [email protected] Biography: Tyara Marchand is a member of the Okanagan Indian Band in British Columbia. Tyara is currently a senior undergraduate student studying Honors Biological Anthropology at the University of Calgary in Alberta Canada. She has assisted in mainly indigenous focused research, which has included chronic disease and tobacco rates on First Nations reserves and identifying best practices in the Indigenous Studies academic discipline. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, she has plans to pursue a medical degree in Alberta and continue working with indigenous scholars and communities.

Presenter: Emily Wang Email: [email protected] Biography: Emily Wang is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Calgary, studying Commerce. She has worked with communities in the Nuxalk and Ahousaht Nations, using art to generate dialogue and social change.


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AISES Graduate Student Poster Research Presentations

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Application of Smart Irrigation Scheduling to Improve Water Use Efficiency for Sustainable Agriculture in the Pacific island of Guam Booth 25

Joseph Lance Casila

University of Guam

Engineering – other Engineering

Implementation of CropManage smart program aims to increase crop irrigation efficiency, thereby reducing cost and increasing overall agricultural sustainability in the Pacific Island of Guam. Using weather, soil, and previously crop growth stage data, daily irrigation rates were generated from CropManage and applied to eggplant and corn crops. Crops grown using CropManage irrigation and crops grown through farmer's irrigation were compared. Crop canopy growth, crop yield, and water usage were used to measure CropManage effects. Throughout the eggplant planting season, crops irrigated using CropManage had favorable canopy growth, yield, and water usage compared to crops irrigated with farmers. CropManage crops 1) had higher canopy percentages, 2) yielded greater total pounds of harvest, and 3) used less total water used for irrigation. Corn results are underway. Preliminary results show that CropManage has the potential of decreasing water use while also increasing (if not, at least maintaining) crop yield. More planting trials of current crops and further implementation of CropManage for other types of crops are needed to increase statistical significance.


Presenter: Joseph Lance Casila Email: [email protected] Biography: Joseph Casila comes from the Pacific Island of Guam. At the University of Guam, he graduated with honors as Suma Cum Laude with three bachelor of science degrees in math, chemistry, and biology. He plans to apply or graduate school in the upcoming Fall, and after graduate school, go back to the island of Guam to give back and serve his island community.

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Axon Diameter Measurements using Magnetic Resonance Imaging Booth 27 Melissa Anderson University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba Engineering - Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering

A new diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique is being developed to infer micron-scale restrictions to water diffusion in samples with complicated geometries. The new method uses magnetic resonance imaging and will have important neuroscience applications; one example is probing axon diameter distributions. Axon diameters and their density in fibres change due to aging and many disorders. This method will provide a tool to measure the properties of axons in live subjects. I will present steps toward the development of this method including the design and construction of a new sample holder, and preliminary data from mouse brains. The method is currently able to detect axons smaller than 5 µm in diameter in live mouse brains in less than 11 minutes. Inferred axon diameters in the brain ranged from 4- 12μm. Verification of the results using electron microscopy is needed. Image optimization is required to begin to understand the role axon diameter changes have in disease and development. This is the first step toward fast live MRI inferences of micron-scale axon diameters.


Presenter: Melissa Anderson Tribal Affiliation: Fox Lake Cree Nation Email: [email protected] Biography: Melissa has been a student member of AISES since 2019. She co-founded the University of Winnipeg Chapter in 2019. She completed her BSc (Hons) degree in Physics at the University of Winnipeg in June 2020 and will begin her MSc in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Manitoba in the Fall of 2020.


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Developing an Optimization Framework to Achieve Campus Carbon Neutrality with both Technological and Ecological Solutions Booth 31 Michael Charles, Vivek Vattyam, Bhavik Bakshi The Ohio State University Engineering - Chemical Engineering

As many colleges and universities are setting goals to achieve carbon neutrality, we aim to use computational optimization to aid in their strategy and decision-making. After developing the Ohio State Climate Action Plan (published in April 2020) with stakeholders from across the University, we built an optimization framework that included options for carbon reduction in electricity and heat production, land-based sequestration, and other policies and scenarios. This was then applied for the OSU campus. Afforestation efforts are typically found in each scenario, as long as land is available. These forests efforts are optimal when planted immediately as they sequester more carbon as they mature. Technologically, big shifts in electricity production must occur to meet reduction targets. Limited carbon-reduction solutions often require purchased market-based offsets. Developing a framework which can tell users the cheapest way to meet their carbon targets is useful for decision-makers as they try to communicate across stakeholders of the institution. It also encourages ecological solutions, instead of just focusing on technology investments. Further, applying sensitivity analyses reveals scenarios where strategies change.


Presenter: Michael Charles, Vivek Vattyam, Bhavik Bakshi Tribal Affiliation: Diné / Navajo Email: [email protected] Biography: Michael Charles is Diné, a citizen of the Navajo Nation in the Southwest United States and a current Chemical Engineering Ph.D. at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on the integration of ecosystems into process engineering with the goal of promoting sustainable solutions for industry and manufacturing. Understanding the limitations of academic research, Michael also works with Sustain US, a youth-led climate justice organization and the International Indigenous Peoples' Forum on Climate Change, attending UN Climate Negotiations to advocate for indigenous issues in the global response to climate change.


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DNA barcoding: what is it, and how can it be applied to Arctic freshwater invertebrate communities? Dani Nowosad

Booth 26

University of Guelph

Life Sciences- Ecology/Evolutionary Biology

Which freshwater invertebrate species exist on Victoria Island, Nunavut? How much have they genetically diversified from closest relatives - when did Arctic colonization likely occur? During the summers of 2018 and 2019, lakes and ponds were surveyed in the vicinity of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS), Victoria Island, Nunavut, using D-nets and plankton tows. In 2019, 70+ samples were collected, representing 11 invertebrate orders. ~2000 specimens were genetically sequenced. Preliminary results based on a small number of DNA sequences show several species that are currently not in the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD - a public, online repository for DNA sequences and metadata). New biodiversity not previously known from that area is being documented. Increasing baseline understanding of Arctic limnological systems will serve as a reference for future alterations to the environment from climate change. This includes general biodiversity monitoring which would aid in identifying possible invasive species and may help predict future dispersal patterns.


Presenter: Dani Nowosad Tribal Affiliation: Metis Nation Email: [email protected]

Biography: Dani is a MSc candidate at the University of Guelph studying freshwater ecology in the High Arctic. She is currently working on creating a DNA barcode library of freshwater invertebrates on Victoria Island in Nunavut, Canada. Besides loving spending time in the North, Dani enjoys bird watching, wildlife photography, reading fantasy novels, and camping. She plans on pursuing a career in Polar sciences when she finishes her MSc program, whether that takes her back to the Canadian Arctic or down to the South Pole.

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Effect of Variations in the Riveting Process of an Aircraft Alejandro Najera- Acosta

Booth 33

New Mexico State University

Engineering- Other Engineering

Which are different factors during manufacture that affect the quality of formed rivets? The presentation of this work is part of a larger project carried out for the aircraft division in a local manufacturing company, it contemplates a statistical analysis to determine the significant factors and their interactions on the formation of rivet head dimensions. There are different factors during manufacture that affect the quality of formed rivets. The results show that the process detects variation between the parts, however the measurement system is unacceptable, is of no value for controlling the process, since one part cannot be distinguished from another. Identifying the sources of variation that affect the measurements made in a system, as well as implement experimental designs to observe and analyze corresponding changes in the output response, are powerful statistical approaches for quality systems improvement.


Presenter: Alejandro Najera- Acosta Email: [email protected]

Biography: Alejandro Najera-Acosta is a doctoral student at New Mexico State University (NMSU) pursuing a major in Industrial Engineering (IE), and a minor in Applied Statistics. He received his B.Sc. and M.Eng. degrees in Industrial & Systems Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering with a Product Design Concentration respectively. His professional work experience starts in 2006 as an Engineering Intern, giving support and maintenance of computer systems. In 2008-2009 as a Production Engineer in a telecommunications’ manufacturing company, establishing processes for high-mix low-volume products. He also has experience as a professor, teaching courses of IE at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez (2010-13). His research interest is on the fields of Maintenance and Reliability, Quality Assurance, Product Design and Development, DFSS, Manufacturing, Applied Statistics. Beside AISES, he is also a member of SACNAS, Tau Beta Pi: The Engineering Honor Society (ΤΒΠ) and Alpha Pi Mu National Honors Society for Industrial Engineers (ΑΠΜ).

Elucidating the Regulatory Mechanisms of Delayed-Early Gene Targets of

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Oncogenic MAPK Signaling Kali Dale

Booth 30

University of Utah

Life Sciences- Cancer Biology

To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of delayed-early response genes (DEG) that are essential for an invasive phenotype in Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) mutant cancers. We use a conditional oncogenic activation of MAPK cell lines to compare “normal” to oncogenic induced states. We evaluate induced changes in chromatin structure by high-throughput sequencing and active enhancers using chromatin immunoprecipitation. We identify regions sensitive to the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, like the DEG are. Oncogenic activation and cycloheximide treatment induce changes in the chromatin landscape with an enrichment in the AP1 binding site by motif discovery analysis. This canonical transcription factor rejects our hypothesis of a noncanonical regulatory mechanism, but further validation is required using siRNA or CRISPR/Cas9 to ablate expression of AP1. One of the top causes of death in American Indians and Alaskan Natives is cancer. Most cancer deaths are related to metastatic disease. Understanding how the metastatic process is regulated is of great concern in the treatment of patients. This work will elucidate those regulatory properties in MAPK mutant cancers.


Presenter: Kali Dale Tribal Affiliation: White Earth Ojibwe Email: [email protected]

Biography: Born and raised in Bemidji, Minnesota, Kali has been a member of AISES since 2010 when she began her undergraduate schooling at the University of Minnesota Morris. Now a graduate student at the University of Utah, she is studying cancer signaling pathways in Dr. McMahon's laboratory in the Huntsman Cancer Institute working towards her Ph.D. in Oncological Sciences.

Everyone poops, but some throw it: the evolution of excrement removal by

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caterpillars Booth 35 Makani Fisher Purdue University Life Sciences - Ecology/Evolutionary Biology

We investigated the evolution of the various methods and behaviors caterpillars use to remove their frass (insect feces) from their immediate surroundings. We gathered all available records of active frass removal by caterpillars, and coded which groups exhibit the behavior onto published molecular phylogenies for Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). We then conducted ancestral trait reconstruction, a technique to statistically visualize the evolutionary history of the behavior. We found that the early ancestors of Lepidoptera likely did not remove their frass. However, several groups exhibited the behavior and the evolutionary history depended on the phylogeny considered. In some cases, frass removal evolved several times independently whereas in others it evolved once with a few subsequent losses. This contrast between the phylogenies of how frass removal evolved is likely due to differences in the taxa and genes utilized. Overall, our study provides insight into the evolution of this unique and prolific behavior within Lepidoptera and will be helpful as we further investigate its purpose.


Presenter: Makani Fisher Email: [email protected] Biography: Makani is a PhD. Student in the Department of Entomology at Purdue University and an NSF funded STEM intern at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Makani’s primary research interests center on tiger moths whose caterpillars feed on lichens rather than plants. He is being trained as an evolutionary ecologist and investigates how these moths with such intriguing feeding behavior fit into their natural ecosystems and environments.


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Global Sensing of Soil Moisture and Biomass Using Imaging Radar

Adam Roberts

Booth 34

The University of Michigan

Engineering/ Electrical Engineering

Global surface soil moisture and aboveground biomass are important for studying climate

change. We studied a novel method for measuring these quantities using imaging radar. Our

method utilized the frequency correlation function (FCF). An FCF was generated by simulating

the frequency response of a radar echo from vegetated terrain. A straightforward inversion

algorithm was then applied to the FCF to measure soil moisture and biomass. The results were

then compared with the simulation model. We found that the FCF and inversion algorithm were

able to roughly measure the soil moisture and biomass. However, the results could vary widely

as parameters in the inversion algorithm were changed. Our method only gave accurate

measurements when the appropriate parameter values were selected. An imaging radar that

could measure the FCF would provide a tool for readily extracting soil moisture and biomass

across the globe, which would aid future climate change studies. However, more investigation

on an adequate inversion algorithm is required to yield consistent results across different types

of terrain.


Presenter: Adam Roberts Email: [email protected] Biography: Adam Kaleo Roberts goes by his middle name Kaleo. He is a PhD pre-candidate in the University of Michigan’s electrical and computer engineering doctorate program, which be began in September 2019. He joined AISES as a student member in early 2020. Kaleo enjoys learning about how things work and hopes to invent new things that will help people. He completed a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Brigham Young University in April 2017, with a focus on small radars. In his free time, he enjoys flying stunt kites, reading, and golfing.

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Measurements of polarized ultracold neutrons at TRIUMF Booth 29 Sean Hansen-Romu University of Manitoba Physics & Astronomy - Physics

TUCAN Collaboration is a Canadian-Japanese collaboration at TRIUMF, Canada, working towards the search for a neutron Electric Dipole Moment (nEDM), requiring a polarization detection system. Using a Ultra Cold Neutron (UCN) Source the experimental set-up to characterize the UCN polarization power and spin flipping efficiency uses a pair of thin magnetized iron foils and a pair of identical spin flippers in between them, with a UCN detector at the end. In the fall run of 2018, we created polarized UCNs at TRIUMF by passing the UCNs through iron foils. Measuring the polarizing power to be 0.60, while the spin flippers were measured to be 95% and 98%, with 100% being within experimental uncertainty. Simulations of the experiment reveal that the result of a relatively low polarizing power of the foils could be explained by magnetic misalignment of the foils.


Presenter: Sean Hansen-Romu Email: [email protected] Biography: Sean Hansen-Romu is a newly joined member of AISES. He completed his undergraduate degree in Physics at the University of Winnipeg, in May 2015.


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Population Structure and Virulence Gene Distribution among B. cereus Group Isolates from Diverse Sources Naomi Niyah 32 The Pennsylvania State University Life Sciences - Microbiology

The goal was to utilize whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to characterize Bacillus cereus group isolates and evaluate the distribution of virulence genes across phylogenetic clades. 197 isolates from various sources underwent WGS using Illumina and 109 sequences were retrieved from NCBI or obtained from the CDC. Sequences were assembled using SPAdes, and analyzed using BTyper. Phylogenetic clades were identified based on panC gene sequence and species were identified using ANIb. The clade distribution is: clade I (n=5), clade II (n=43), clade III (n=74), clade VI (n=82), clade V (n=450, clade VI (n=45), and clade VII (n=12). 74% of isolates carried one or more hbl genes. Isolates from clades III and IV had a significantly higher occurrence of hbl operon (p

Student Poster Abstract Booklet...antibacterial endophyte, an assay that demonstrates endophytes'...

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