The72ndAnnualEasternCollegesScienceConference

IthacaCollege21April2018

ProgramBook

MEETINGWELCOMEWelcometoECSC2018andIthacaCollege!It’smygreatpleasuretowelcomeyoualltoIthacaCollegeforthe72ndEasternCollegesScienceConference.Weareexcitedtobewelcomingstudentsandfacultyfromnearly20collegesanduniversities,representingdozensoffieldsinthesocialandnaturalsciences.IhavebeenattendingECSCwithmyownresearchstudentssince1989,andIhavealwaysfounditbeanincrediblyrewardingexperienceforbothmeandformyundergraduatestudentsinpsychology.Studentsaredelightedtohavetheopportunitytosharetheirresearchwithfacultyandotherstudents,explainingtheirfindingsandansweringquestionsabouttheirmethodsandtheimplicationsoftheirresearchforthefield.MystudentshavecomebackfromECSCweekendreallyjazzedaboutdoingresearch,andproudofrepresentingtheirworkandIthacaCollege.Ihopethatallofyouhavethesameexperiencethisweekend.Iencourageyoutoattendasmanyplatformpresentationsandviewasmanypostersasyoucan–includingonesfromareasoutsideyourownfield.Askquestions,engageindiscussionsabouttheimplicationsofthefindings,andmakeconnectionswithstudentsfromothercollegesanduniversities.Inthiseraof“fakenews”anddistrustoffactsandnewsmedia,scientificthinkingismoreimportantthaneverbefore.Itissuchaprivilegeandapleasuretogathertogetherwithalargegroupofscientists(ofmanyages)tocelebratetheworkthatwedo.CyndyScheibeCo-Chair,ECSCHostCommitteeECSCBoardMemberProfessor,Dept.ofPsychologyIthacaCollege

ECSCHostCommitteeatIthacaCollege

CyndyScheibe,Psychology

BrandyBessette-Symons,PsychologyL.LeannKanda,Biology

SebastianHarenberg,ExerciseandSportSciencesScottUlrich,ChemistryAnnaLarsen,Chemistry

SusanAllen-Gil,EnvironmentalStudiesandSciences

GENERALINFORMATIONNeedHelp?Youcangethelpfromanyofourvolunteers,identifiedwithlanyardsort-shirts.AvolunteershouldalsobestationedatCNS117throughoutthesessions.Incaseofemergency,contact911,orifoutsidepickupablue-lightcampusemergencyphone.WirelessInternetICCampushasawifinetworkcalledIthacaCollege-Guestthatdoesnotrequireapassword.InformationforPlatformPresenters:Pleasebringyourtalkpowerpointtotheroominwhichyouwillbepresenting15-20minutesbeforethestartofthesession(whenkeynotefinishesat10amforSessionA,at2pmforSessionC).Notethatasapresenterinasession,itisprofessionalcourtesytoremainintheroomforallthetalksofthesession.InformationforPosters:AllposterswillbeinthefronthallwaysofCNSfirstandthirdfloor.Spacesonthewallsoreaselsareeachmarkedwithtwonumbers,matchingtheabstractIDforthemorningandafternoonsessions.Morning(SessionB)postersshouldbeputupanytimepriorto11:40,andremovedattheendofsession,priortolunch.Afternoon(SessionD)postersmaythenbeputupafter12:40andbeforesessionbeginsat3:40.Pleaseremovepostersbeforedepartingforthereceptionandbanquetdowntown.InformationforFaculty:CNS117isreservedasafacultyspaceforyourconvenience.InformationforJudges:PleasedropfeedbackformsattheFacultySpaceCNS117assoonaftercompletionaspossible.Photography:

Pleasedonottakephotographsorvideosofpresentationsorposterswiththe"Nophotography"iconaccompanyingtheirabstractintheprogram.

Directions:MapsoftheIthacaCollegecampusanddirectionstoHotelIthacaareatthebackoftheprogram.

72NDECSC,ITHACACOLLEGE,APRIL21,2018SCHEDULEOFEVENTS

7:45-9:00 Registrationandbuffetbreakfast EmersonSuites,CampusCenter9:00-9:20 WelcomingRemarks EmersonSuites,CampusCenter9:20-10:00 KeynoteSpeakerThomas Gilovich EmersonSuites,CampusCenter "WhyScienceEducationisforEveryone”10:00 - 10:20 Break 10:20 - 11:40 Platform Session A Williams 202, 222, 225, 323, CNS 112, 115, 118 11:40 - 12:40 Poster Session B CNS 1st and 3rd floors; refreshments CNS 2nd floor 12:40 - 2:20 Lunch Students: Campus Center Dining Hall, Campus Center Faculty: Klingenstein Lounge, Campus Center 1:20 - 2:20 ECSC Board Members Meeting Ithaca Falls Room, Campus Center

2:20 - 3:40 Platform Session C Williams 202, 222, 225, 323, CNS 112, 115, 118 3:40 - 4:40 Poster Session D CNS 1st and 3rd floors; refreshments CNS 2nd floor 5:30 - 6:30 Reception and photos (cash bar) Hotel Ithaca 6:15 - closing Buffet dinner and awards Hotel Ithaca

PLATFORMSESSIONATime A1:Williams202

PHYSIOLOGY/DEVELOPMENT/BEHAVIOR

A2:Williams222CHEMISTRY

A3:Williams225POLITICALSCIENCE/PSYCHOLOGY

A4:Williams323GENETICS/MICROBIOLOGY

A5:CNS112GENETICS/MOLECULARBIOLOGY

A6:CNS115ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE/BOTANY

A7:CNS118ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE/BOTANY/ECOLOGY

10:20

1EFFECTSOFDIETHYLPHTHALATEONTHEDEVELOPMENTOFDROSOPHILAMELANOGASTEREllenReidy;WagnerCollege

5ARSENICANDSELENIUMINHUMANTISSUES:THEINVESTIGATIONOFARSENICCONTAMINATIONINHUMANFOODANDURINESAMPLESLejlaBolevic&MohammadAlauddin;WagnerCollege

9THEINEFFECTIVENESSOFINTERNATIONALHUMANRIGHTSLAWHunterHilinski&AndrewP.Miller;WilkesUniversity

13YEASTBXI1P/YBH3PISAPH-SENSITIVECALCIUMCHANNELINESCHERICHIACOLIJamesMullin,NicholasMello,AlexanderStrakosha,AmandaRaffa&JackKalhorn;ProvidenceCollege

17CHARACTERIZATIONOFANOVELCHICKENFOOT-LIKENODULES(CFN)MUTANTDEFECTIVEINROOTARCHITECTUREANDSYMBIOTICNITROGENFIXATIONINTHEMODELLEGUMEPLANTMEDICAGOTRUNCATULARoshaniBudhathoki;EasternConnecticutStateUniversity

21GLOBALCO2EMISSIONS:SOURCES,HISTORICALTRENDS,ANDLINKSTOECONOMICGROWTHSamanthaSusi&JackLeighton;WagnerCollege

25LEAFVEINSTRANSPORTWATERTOTHESMALLESTAREASJorgeGonzalez;ManhattanCollege

10:40

2EPITHELIALLININGTURNOVERINTHERODENTSMALLINTESTINEBASEDONMITOTICINDICESINTHECRYPTSOFLIEBERKÜHNJohnAcquaviva;WagnerCollege

6WALKINGONEGGSHELLS:THEEFFECTSOFTHEOBROMINEONTOOTHREMINERALIZATIONAnnaCios;WagnerCollege

10THEEFFECTOFPEER-COMPARISONINSOCIALMEDIAONFOODSELECTIONLaurenTaibi;WagnerCollege

14EXPOSINGCHROMOSOMALPROTEIN-PROTEININTERACTIONUPONDNADAMAGEBrightShi;ManhattanCollege

18EXAMININGREGULATIONOFSPLICINGINGENESTHATAROSEFROMGENOMEDUPLICATIONINS.CEREVISIAEMichaelAttebery;IthacaCollege

22ACIDITHIOBACILLUSSP.CYCLESINORGANICSULFURCOMPOUNDS:IMPLICATIONSFORGEOCHEMISTRYOFTHEIROQUOISNATIONALWILDLIFEREFUGEACIDICSPRINGSHaleyParker&CassandraMarnocha;NiagaraUniversity

26QUANTIFYINGPOST-HURRICANEREGENERATIONOFSCAEVOLAPLUMIERIANDSCAEVOLATACCADAUSINGAERIALPHOTOGRAPHSMirandaElla,PeterMelcher&SusanWitherup;IthacaCollege

11:00

3MECHANISMSOFNEUROPEPTIDEYINHIBITIONINGUINEAPIGCARDIACGANGLIAKatieHutton&JeanHardwick;IthacaCollege

7PHOTOTUNABLEPOLYMERSOFINTRINSICMICROPOROSITYJesseHsu;IthacaCollege

11THEBENEFITSOFPSYCHOTHERAPY:AQUALITATIVESTUDYDevonBaris,AbreyFeliccia,DavidBrown&EmilyGalbraith;IthacaCollege

15PREVALENCEOFBETALACTAMASEANTIBIOTICRESISTANCEINWHITE-TAILEDDEERINWESTERNNEWYORKAbigailE.Salter,RafayTariq,RachisanDjiakeTihagam&MarkA.Gallo;NiagaraUniversity

19SULFORAPHANEALTERSTHEACIDIFICATIONOFTHEVACUOLETOTRIGGERCELLDEATHVictoriaHallisey;ProvidenceCollege

23PLASTICSANDFISHDON'TMIX:POTENTIALEFFECTSOFMICROPLASTICSONJUVENILEFATHEADMINNOWSGeorgiaCaplen;IthacaCollege

27PREDICTINGBARKCOVERAGEONSAGUAROCACTIMarissaLoCastro;ManhattanCollege

11:20

4CHANGINGTHEMICROBIOMEANDHOWITCANAFFECTANIMALBEHAVIOREleanorAlmeida&LeannKanda;IthacaCollege

8THEDEVELOPMENTOFEPIBATIDINEANALOGSSYNTHESISTHROUGHDIELS-ALDERREACTIONTOPRODUCESARATTHE_4_2NICOTINICRECEPTORSZamzamaGafar;UniversityofSaintJoseph

12FATALREACTION:ACONTENTANALYSISOFTHENATUREANDCONTEXTOFMENTALILLNESSPORTRAYALSONTELEVISIONSarahVengen&GeselleDominguez;IthacaCollege

16IDENTIFICATIONOFAGLYCOSIDEHYDROLASEFORUNIVERSALBLOODNadineHusami&MarkA.Gallo;NiagaraUniversity

20EVIDENCEFORHORIZONTALGENETRANSFEROFXENOBIOTICDETOXIFICATIONGENESINSCLEROTINIAHOMOEOCARPABrieannaFuentes;EasternConnecticutStateUniversity

24GROWTHDYNAMICSOFARTEMISIATRIDENTATAClaudiaSRamirezMarcano;ManhattanCollege

28ANALYSISOFCLIMATECHANGEDATAANDPREDICTEDIMPACTONJAPANANDSURROUNDINGAREASMaraMineo,TamarAmirov&VinhPhuong;WagnerCollege

PLATFORM

SESSIONA

PLATFORMSESSIONCTime C1:Williams202

ENGINEERING/PHYSICS/CHEMISTRY

C2:Williams222PSYCHOLOGY/HEALTHCARE

C3:Williams225GENETICS/CELLULAR/MICROBIOLOGY

C4:Williams323GENETICS/MICROBIOLOGY/BIOCHEMISTRY

C5:CNS112ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE/BOTANY

C6:CNS115ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE/BOTANY

C7:CNS118BOTANY/ECOLOGY

2:20

98THEFITBITANDFARADAY:ASTUDYINTOMECHANICALLIGHTINGLiamReilly&StephenMecca;ProvidenceCollege

102FEELINGLOW?INCREASESINDEPRESSIONAMONGCOLLEGESTUDENTS:2009-2015SophieHancock,JessicaCollins&EmmaWeiss;IthacaCollege

106ISOLATIONOFGLYCOSYLHYDROLASESTOWARDSGOALOFUNIVERSALBLOODMiaByrd&MarkGallo;NiagaraUniversity

110MAKINGAPOSITIONALGENEASSIGNMENTFORTHE"CURLYWHISKERS"(CW)MUTATIONINMICESidneyEragene&JachiusJ.Stewart;CentralConnecticutStateUniversity

114ANALYSISOFHEAVYMETALACCUMULATIONINDUNE-DWELLINGPLANTSONVIEQUES,PRDanielleBucior;IthacaCollege

117PREDICTINGRATESOFBARKFORMATIONONSAGUAROCACTI(CARNEGIEAGIGANTEAMiaBertoli;ManhattanCollege

121THEEFFECTOFSEMI-PRECOCIALDEVELOPMENTONMOVEMENTOFJUVENILECOMMONTERN(STERNAHIRUNDO)FROMTHENESTMonicaValero;WagnerCollege

2:40

99OPTIMIZINGASUPER-RESOLUTIONMICROSCOPYSYSTEMTOSTUDYPROTEIN-PROTEININTERACTIONSAlexanderBredikin;IthacaCollege

103THEEFFECTOFINDEPENDENTLOCOMOTION,THROUGHTHEUSEOFAROBOTIC-ASSISTEDDEVICE,ONINFANTS'VISUALATTENTIONTOAPUPPETSTIMULUSAbigailBrown,LaurenHughes,CaraSchanbacher,MorganSchall&KarinaFeitner;IthacaCollege

107PREVALENCEOFGIARDIALAMBLIAINMYTILISEDULISFROMORCHARDBEACH,NEWYORK,IN2016DanielleBaik&LukeAmmirati;ManhattanCollege

111INITIALBIOCHEMICALCHARACTERIZATIONOFTHESWS1/RLP1/RDL1PROTEINCOMPLEXINTHEREGULATIONOFRAD51CATALYZEDRECOMBINATIONINTHEFISSIONYEASTSCHIZOSACCHAROMYCESPOMBEMyrandaWilliams;UniversityofSaintJoseph

115GLOBALSEALEVELMEASUREMENTS:HISTORY,CURRENTSTATUS,ANDFUTUREIMPACTDerekAvery,ZacharyPandorf&MichelleHernandez;WagnerCollege

118COMPARISONOFAMINOACIDSANDSUGARINNECTARFROMSCAEVOLATACCADAANDSCAEVOLAPLUMIERIColettePiasecki-Masters;IthacaCollege

122PREDICTINGMORTALITYRATESFORSAGUAROCACTI(CARNEGIEAGIGANTEAColeJohnson;ManhattanCollege

3:00

100QUANTIFYINGSPECTRALMAPPINGTECHNIQUESFORTHEOSIRIS-REXPROJECTSalvatoreFerrone;IthacaCollege

104HOWABOUTAFRIENDLYSHRINK?PORTRAYALSOFMENTALHEALTHPROFESSIONALSANDTREATMENTONTELEVISIONEliotHagerty&PeterWestacott;IthacaCollege

108CONSERVATIONIMPLICATIONSOFTHETEMPORALCHANGESINGENETICDIVERSITY(1870S-2016)AMONGTHEENDANGEREDNORTHWESTERNATLANTICPOPULATIONOFROSEATETERNS(STERNADOUGALLII)JacobDayton;EasternConnecticutStateUniversity

112EFFECTSOFENTEROBACTERACEAEGROWTH,COMMUNICATION,ANDPATHOGENICITYUPONEACHOTHERShaniqueService&MarkGallo;NiagaraUniversity

116QUANTIFICATIONOFECCENTRICGROWTHINSTEMSOFARTEMISIATRIDENTATAIsmaelPena;ManhattanCollege

119ANALYSISOFHURRICANESANDCYCLONESINNORTHAMERICAANDASIAMatthewBarreto&VictorRuan;WagnerCollege

123COMPARINGTHERMALTOLERANCEAMONGDAPHNIAPOPULATIONSSophiaA.Cameron;IthacaCollege

3:20

105IMPROVINGTHEDELIVERYOFMEDICATIONWITHINTELLIGENTAUTOMATIONDeanaConzuegra&ErikaBerger;PaceUniversity

109EFFECTSOFONO-RS082ANDDIFFERENTCONCENTRATIONSOFEXOGENOUSCHOLESTEROLINTHELOCALIZATIONANDPROCESSINGOFAMYLOIDPRECURSORPROTEININSH-SY5SCELLSAnnaTarren;IthacaCollege

113POPULATIONDIFFERENTIATIONOFTHENORTHAMERICANBLACKTERN:AREGIONALPOPULATIONGENETICSSTUDYTOENHANCECONSERVATIONMeganDeacon;EasternConnecticutStateUniversity

120XYLEMCONDUCTIVITIESFROMSTEMSTOLEAVESFORGRASSSPECIESHumbertoOrtega;ManhattanCollege

PLATFORM

SESSIONC

HISTORYOFTHEEASTERNCOLLEGESSCIENCECONFERENCEThefirstEasternCollegesScienceConference(ECSC)wasorganizedin1947byundergraduatePaulineNewmanatVassarCollegeinPoughkeepsie,NewYork.Theaimthen,asnow,wastostimulateinterestinundergraduateresearchinthesciencesandrelatedfieldsandtoprovidealivelyforumforthepresentationofresearchpapers.PaulineNewmanreceivedherbachelor'sdegreeinchemistryandwentontoreceiveaPh.D.inchemistryfromYale.About22schoolsattendedthefirstconference,andthethemewas"Science,PhilosophyandSociety."TheconstitutionoftheECSCwasratifiedonApril24,1948atUnionCollegeinSchenectadyNY,makingtheconferenceaself-sustainingbody.In1972thePennsylvaniaStateUniversitywasnamedtherepositoryforallofficialdocumentsoftheECSC.ProfessorStanleyShepherdwasnamedthepermanentsecretaryofECSC.In1980ProfessorShepherdsteppeddownandProfessorGerardO'LearyfromProvidenceCollegewaselectedtothepost.Atthe35thannualconferenceasteeringcommitteewasestablishedtoassistindirectingtheactivitiesoftheECSC.In1983theECSCwasincorporatedinRhodeIslandandnowoperateswithaBoardofDirectors,electedfromfacultyoftheparticipatingcollegesanduniversities.In1986ProfessorGerardO'Learysteppeddown,andProfessorEdwardGabrielofLycomingCollegewaselectedChairofECSC.In1995Dr.GabrielwassucceededbyProfessorLanceEvansofManhattanCollege.In2007,Dr.MichaelKotarskiofNiagaraUniversitywaselectedtoChairoftheBoardofDirectors,andin2011wassucceededbyDr.DonaldStearnsofWagnerUniversity.Interesthasincreasedintheconferenceandoverour72-yearhistory50collegesanduniversitieshaveattendedthisannualevent.Overtimetherangeofsubjectmatterhasalsoexpandedandnowcoverscomputerscienceandbehavioralandsocialsciences,aswellastheoriginalareasofbiology,chemistry,mathematics,physicsandengineering.

PREVIOUSEASTERNCOLLEGESSCIENCECONFERENCEMEETINGS1947:VassarCollege,Poughkeepsie,NY1948:UnionCollege,Schenectady,NY1949:AdelphiCollege,GardenCity,NY1950:BernardCollege,NewYork,NY1951:YaleUniversity,NewHaven,CT1952:PACollegeforWomen,Pittsburgh,PA1953:N.Y.StateCollegeforTeachers,Albany,NY1954:BrooklynCollege,Brooklyn,NY1955:SetonHallUniversity,SouthOrange,NJ1956:TempleUniversity,Philadelphia,PA1957:GeorgetownUniversity,Washington,DC1958:WilkesCollege,Wilkes-Barre,PA1959:SuffolkUniversity,Boston,MA1960:HunterCollege,NewYork,NY1961:SUNYCollegeofForestry,Syracuse,NY1962:NorthCarolinaStateCollege,Raleigh,NC1963:BostonCollege,ChestnutHill,MA1964:JerseyCityStateCollege,JerseyCity,NJ1965:DanburyStateCollege,Danbury,CT1966:D.C.Teacher'sCollege,Washington,DC1967:FordhamUniversity,NewYork,NY1968:YaleUniversity,NewHaven,CT1969:YaleUniversity,NewHaven,CT1970:WilkesCollege,Wilkes-Barre,PA1971:RosaryHillCollege,Buffalo,NY1972:U.S.MilitaryAcademy,WestPoint,NY1973:PennsylvaniaStateUniv.,UniversityPark,PA1974:WorcesterPolytech.Institute,Worcester,MA1975:WidenerCollege,Chester,PA1976:RhodeIslandCollege,Providence,RI1977:FairleighDickensonUniv.,Rutherford,NJ1978:UnionCollege,Schenectady,NY1979:WilsonCollege,Chambersburg,PA1980:SUNYatCortland,Cortland,NY1981:JerseyCityStateCollege,JerseyCity,NJ1982:LycomingCollege,Williamsport,PA1983:WilkesCollege,Wilkes-Barre,PA1984:ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI

1985:SUNYatFredonia,Fredonia,NY1986:DuquesneUniversity,Pittsburgh,PA1987:LycomingCollege,Williamsport,PA1988:IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY1989:U.S.MilitaryAcademy,WestPoint,NY1990:ManhattanCollege,NewYork,NY1991:SUNYatFredonia,Fredonia,NY1992:UnitedStatesNavalAcademy,Annapolis,MD1993:CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,New

Britain,CT1994:DuquesneUniversity,Pittsburgh,PA1995:IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY1996:LycomingCollege,Williamsport,PA1997:CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,New

Britain,CT1998:NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY1999:SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT2000:WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY2001:WilkesUniversity,Wilkes-Barre,PA2002:NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY2003:IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY2004:ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY2005:CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,New

Britain,CT2006:St.Joseph'sUniversity,Philadelphia,PA2007:CollegeofMountSt.Vincent,Bronx,NY2008:NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY2009:WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY2010:PaceUniversity,Pleasantville,NY2011:SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT2012:WilliamPatersonUniversity,Wayne,NJ2013:ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI2014:MaristCollege,Poughkeepsie,NY2015:NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY2016:WesternNewEnglandUniv.,Springfield,MA2017:WilkesUniversity,Wilkes-Barre,PA2018:IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY

2018ECSCKEYNOTEADDRESS

"WhyScienceEducationisforEveryone"Dr.ThomasGilovich,CornellUniversity

It can be easy to be misled by our personal experience and end up believing things that careful analysis indicates are not true. People are prone to “confirmation bias,” their judgments are often distorted by their hopes and fears, and their beliefs are guided as much by the opinions of their neighbors as by independent, reflective analysis. This talk will discuss each of these sources of bias in people’s judgments and beliefs, and argue that the problems run even more deeply than most people recognize, and are based on fundamental features of how the mind works. These sources of bias are best overcome through a familiarity with the basic principles of the scientific method.

ABOUTDR.GILOVICHThomas Gilovich is the Irene Blecker Rosenfeld Professor of Psychology at Cornell. He specializes in the study of everyday judgment and reasoning, psychological well-being, and self-assessment. In addition to his articles in scientific journals, Dr. Gilovich is the author of How We Know What Isn’t So (Free Press), Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes (Simon and Schuster, with Gary Belsky), Social Psychology (W.W. Norton, with Dacher Keltner, Serena Chen, and Richard Nisbett), and The Wisest One in the Room (The Free Press, with Lee Ross). He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.

MANUSCRIPTSSUBMITTEDFOREVALUATIONANDCONSIDERATIONFORECSC2018EXCELLENCEAWARDS

Title: PredictingRatesofBarkFormationonSaguaroCacti(Carnegieagigantea)FirstAuthor: MiaBertoliSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: Imidacloprid-containingPesticidesDisruptC.elegansDevelopmentFirstAuthor: BeatrixBradfordSchool: MaristCollegeCategory: EnvironmentalScienceandHealthTitle: PossibleNeuroprotectiveFunctionofColonyStimulatingFactor-1Receptorin MultipleSclerosisBrainsFirstAuthor: EmilieChristieSchool: JohnCarrollUniversityCategory: CellandMolecularTitle: HowdoLeafVeinsTransportWatertotheSmallestAreas?FirstAuthor: JorgeGonzalezSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: PredictingMortalityRatesforSaguaroCacti(Carnegieagigantea)FirstAuthor: ColeJohnsonSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: EffectsofOralAdministrationofMidazolamonSpatialMemoryinRatsFirstAuthor: AnastasiyaKalininaSchool: JohnCarrollUniversityCategory: HealthSciencesTitle: PredictingBarkCoverageonSaguaroCacti(Carnegieagigantea)FirstAuthor: MarissaLoCastroSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: XylemConductivitiesfromStemstoLeavesforGrassSpeciesFirstAuthor: HumbertoOrtegaSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: Botany

Title: QuantificationofEccentricGrowthinStemsofArtemisiatridentataFirstAuthor: IsmaelPenaSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: EnvironmentalEffectsonStress-Manifestations,Behavior,andWorking MemoryinFemaleLongEvansRatsFirstAuthor: MadelynJ.PierceSchool: JohnCarrollUniversityCategory: PsychologyTitle: GrowthDynamicsofArtemisiatridentataFirstAuthor: ClaudiaS.RamirezMarcanoSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: TheToxicologicalEffectsofPolystyreneMicrospheresonHudsonRiverNative Crayfish,OrconectesvirilisFirstAuthor: JasonRandallSchool: MaristCollegeCategory: EnvironmentalScienceandHealthTitle: TheEffectofBiofeedbackTrainingonBeta-AdrenergicReceptorsinHeart FailureFirstAuthor: AlisonSwiftSchool: JohnCarrollUniversityCategory: PhysiologyTitle: TheEffectofSemi-PrecocialDevelopmentonMovementofJuvenileCommon Tern(Sternahirundo)fromtheNestFirstAuthor: MonicaValeroSchool: WagnerCollegeCategory: Behavior

ABSTRACTS1 (SESSIONA1)EFFECTSOFDIETHYLPHTHALATEONTHEDEVELOPMENTOFDROSOPHILAMELANOGASTER

EllenReidyDept.ofBiologicalSciences,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Thepurposeofthepresentstudywastotesttheeffectsondiethylphthalate(DEP)onthedevelopmentoftheclassicmodelorganismDrosophilamelanogaster.DEPisadiethylesterofphthalicacid,anaromaticdicarboxylicacidcommonlyusedasanorganicsolventinthemanufactureoffragrances,cosmetics,plastics,detergentsandaerosolsprays.Becauseofitswidespreaduse,thequestionofDEPtoxicityisessential.SeveralstudiessuggestthatDEPexposurehasadverseeffectsonanimals.Forthesestudies,groupsof50flyeggswererandomlytransferredtovialscontainingeither0ppmDEP,1000ppmDEP,3000ppmDEPor5000ppmDEP.Thenumberofpupathatformedaswellasthenumberofnewfliesthateclosedwerequantifiedandthedataanalyzedusingaone-wayanalysisofvariance(ANOVA).ThedataindicatethatchronicexposuretohighconcentrationsofDEPcausesasignificantdelayinflydevelopment.2 (SESSIONA1)EPITHELIALLININGTURNOVERINTHERODENTSMALLINTESTINEBASEDONMITOTICINDICESINTHECRYPTSOFLIEBERKÜHN

JohnAcquavivaDept.ofBiology,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Theregenerativepropertiesofthesmallintestinearemediatedbyasmallgroupofintestinalstemcells(ISCs)withinthebaseofthecryptsofLieberkühn.However,thedifficultyinidentifyingtheseISCsincontemporaryresearchlimitstheinformationonthedivisionandmigrationofthesecells.Inthisstudy,usingrandomhistologicalslidesfromtherodentsmallintestineandbycapturingdigitalmicroscopicimagesat100xinoilimmersion,thedividingcapabilitiesofthesmallintestinalcellswereanalyzed.Theidentificationofmitoticfiguresofdividingcellsanddifferentiatedenterocyteswithinthecryptsallowedforthecalculationofthetotalmitoticindex,whichwasfoundtobe6.1%fortheanalyzedtissuesamples.Theaveragelocationofthemitoticfiguresfromtheluminalcryptmid-linewas11.916_m.Regardingthemorphologyofthemitoticfigures,onlyprophase-likeandanaphase-likestagescouldbeidentified,suggestinganon-typical,amitoticdivision.Unidentified,distinctivecellsamongthelaminapropriaandenterocyteliningofthecryptswerealsonoticed.Wehypothesizethemtobeintestinalstemcellsmigratingfromthecryptbases.Furtherresearchcanfocusonthistypeofcell.

3 (SESSIONA1)MECHANISMSOFNEUROPEPTIDEYINHIBITIONINGUINEAPIGCARDIACGANGLIA

KatieHutton&JeanHardwickDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Sympatheticneurotransmitter,NeuropeptideY(NPY),functionsinregulatingbloodpressure,contractionfrequency,andcontractionstrength.Duringheartdisease,parasympatheticresponseattemptstoremedydiseasedtissue,butisinhibitedbyNPY.ThisstudyusedguineapigcardiacgangliatostudymechanismsbehindNPYinhibitionofparasympatheticresponse.ItishypothesizedthatNPYinhibitsvoltage-gatedcalciumchannels(L-typeandN-type).ElectrophysiologyrecordingsofmembranevoltageincardiacgangliawereusedtoanalyzetheeffectsofNPYonactionpotentials,andNPYwithcalciumchannelinhibitors(Nifedipineandcadmium).NPYhadaninhibitoryeffectonneurons,causingadecreaseinactionpotentialrecoverytime.NPYinthepresenceofNifedipineorcadmiuminhibitedneuronstoalesserextentthanNPYalone.NPYappearstobeaffectingparasympatheticresponsethroughbothL-typeandN-typecalciumchannels.NPYisstillabletodecreasetherecoverytimeoftheactionpotentialinthepresenceofacalciumchannelblocker,implyingthatsomecalciumisenteringtheneuron.Twopossibleexplanationsarethat(1)notallthedesiredchannelswereblockedand(2)NPYactsthroughbothL-typeandN-typechannels.Furtherresearchisneededonhigherconcentrationsofcalciumchannelinhibitorsandtheircombined.4 (SESSIONA1)CHANGINGTHEMICROBIOMEANDHOWITCANAFFECTANIMALBEHAVIOR

EleanorAlmeida&LeannKandaDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Microbiomes,thetrillionsofmicroorganismshousedinourbodies,arevitalformaintainingourhealthbutcanbeinfluencedbymanyfactorssuchasantibiotics.RecentresearchhasfurtherdelvedintotheconnectionbetweenthemicrobesalongtheGItractandthecentralnervoussystemwithstudiesshowingthatalteringthemicrobiomescanchangeanimalbehavior.Inthislab,weusehousemice,Musmusculus,tostudyhowtheirbehaviorchangeswhenalteringtheirmicrobiome.Wesoughttoexamine:1.Doesantibioticstressalterbothmicrobecommunityandmousebehavior?2.Doesprobiotictreatmentrecovertonaturalcommunityandmousebehavior?Weconductedanopenfieldbehavioralassayoneachmousebothbeforeandafterexperimentaltreatment.Fromthesetestsweexpecttoseemicewithjustantibioticstoshowincreasedstressbehaviorssuchasgrooming,defecation,thigmotaxis,andalteredactivity.Wealsoexpecttoseemicetreatedwithprobioticsafterantibioticstoexhibitsimilarbehaviorstomicethatreceivednotreatment.Ifthereisaconnectionbetweenantibiotics,probiotics,themicrobiome,andbehavioralchangesthenthiscouldhaveimplicationsinhumanmedicalpractices.

5 (SESSIONA2)ARSENICANDSELENIUMINHUMANTISSUES:THEINVESTIGATIONOFARSENICCONTAMINATIONINHUMANFOODANDURINESAMPLES

LejlaBolevic&MohammadAlauddinDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Metabolicstudieshaveshownthatthechemicalpropertiesofseleniumandarseniccounterthetoxicityofoneanother;thereforetheintermolecularinteractionsbetweenseleniumandarsenichasbeenutilizedasameanstoprotectagainstthetoxicityofarsenic.Throughdietaryinterventionofagroupofhumansubjectsinacontrolledexperiment,theantidotecharacteristicofseleniumwasinvestigated.Thedeterminationoftheexactlevelsofarsenic,aswellas,seleniumindietaryintakewasmeasuredthroughAtomicAbsorptionSpectroscopy.Inahabitatwherearsenicfreedomesticwaterisunattainable,asimpleadditionofdietarysupplementsmayamelioratearsenictoxicity.AnalyticalresearchintheingestionofarsenicissignificantinprotectingagainstthewidespreadtoxicityobservedinhumanpopulationsexposedtoarsenicthroughdrinkingwaterfromcontaminatedtubewellsinWestBengalandBangladesh.RecentfindingsfromourowncollaborativestudiesinBangladeshwillbepresented.6 (SESSIONA2)WALKINGONEGGSHELLS:THEEFFECTSOFTHEOBROMINEONTOOTHREMINERALIZATION

AnnaCiosDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10312

Theobromine,anextractofthecacaobean,hasdemonstratedagreatereffectintheremineralizationofenamelcomparedtofluoride.Theenamelofthetoothisnaturallydemineralizedbytheonsetofacidicplaqueswithintheoralcavity.Asthecarbonatedhydroxyapatitemineralwithinthetoothstructureisdissolvedbytheacidicplaquescoatingthetooth,dentalcariesbegintoform.Remineralizationoccurswhenionsinthesalivadistributeoverthetoothsurface.Topreventdentaldecay,fluorideisaddedtotoothpasteanddrinkingwater.Studiesrevealdentalandskeletalfluorosis,causedbyexcessiveingestionoffluoride,leadtoover-calcificationofthebonewithfurtherdetrimentalsituations.Eggshells,primarilycomposedofcalciumcarbonate,wereemployedasenamel-mimickingsubstrates.Theshellfragmentsweretreatedwithvarioustoothpasteanalogscontainingtheobromineandotherxanthinederavitves.TheshellswereanalyzedusingScanningElectronMicroscopybeforeandaftertreatingwiththeformulatedtoothpastes.Theporoussurfaceofeacheggshellwassurveyedforsizeandpopulation,quantifyingtheeffectivenessofeachxanthinederivative.

7 (SESSIONA2)PHOTOTUNABLEPOLYMERSOFINTRINSICMICROPOROSITY

JesseHsuDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Typicallinearorganicpolymers,materialscomposedofsmallmolecularbuildingblocks,exhibithighdegreesofflexibilityandentanglementwhichinhibitporosity.Somepolymerframeworksdoexhibitporosity,likecovalentorganicframeworks(COFs)andmetalorganicframeworks(MOFs);however,theyarenotsolubleandarethereforechallengingtoprocessandcharacterize.Polymersofintrinsicmicroporosity(PIMs),originallydevelopedbyNeilMcKeownandcoworkers,arearelativelynewclassofporouspolymers,whicharealsotwodimensionalandsoluble.PIMsretaintheirporositybymeansofarigidbackbonestructureconsistingofinflexiblespiromonomers.Thismakesthempotentiallyusefulincatalysis,fuelstorage,organicnanofiltration,orpervaporation.Inordertocreateareversibleporesizeswitch,ourgrouphasbeguntoexploretheincorporationofphoto-tunableazofunctionalgroupsintoaPIMbackboneviareductivecouplingofadinitromonomer.Althoughphoto-switchabilitywasconfirmedbyUV-VisandNMRspectroscopy,onlymodestmolecularweightswereachievedusingthissyntheticmethod.Herein,wereportanewsyntheticroutetoazoPIMsvianucleophilicsubstitutionreactions.Characterizationofthepolymer,includingitsstructuraldynamicsandinherentsurfaceareawillbediscussed.8 (SESSIONA2)THEDEVELOPMENTOFEPIBATIDINEANALOGSSYNTHESISTHROUGHDIELS-ALDERREACTIONTOPRODUCESARATTHE_4_2NICOTINICRECEPTORS

ZamzamaGafarDept.ofChemistry,UniversityofSaintJoseph,WestHartford,CT,06117

Theconsequencesofusingopioidstotreatpatientswithchronicpaincanresultinpatients'abusingopioidsandpotentiallybecomingaddicted.It'sevidentthatthereisadesperateneedforalternativesforthetreatmentofseverepain.Onepossibilityincludesutilizingepibatidine,theproductofnaturalfrogpoisonthatcontainsnicotinicreceptoragonists.Thedevelopmentofchemotypeswithactivityatkappaopioidand_4_2nicotinicreceptorshasshownpotentialtotreatmentofdrugaddictionandanalgesiceffects.VaryingscalesofreactionshavebeencompletedtoeventuallycarryoutDiels-Alderreactiontosynthesizeepibatidineandobtainselectivityofnicotinicsubtypesanditsstructureactivityrelationship.FurtherinvestigationisneededforthedevelopmentofepibatidineinrelationtomakingarobustSARmodel.ThepurposeistodeviseaSARoftheanalogous[2.2.2]scaffoldforsubstitutionofthesubtypeselectivity.ModifyingliteraturemethodswithmicrowaveDiels-Alderconditionsthearylcontainingdienophilesmustbeusedtomakethederivatives.AnSARmodelisneededtosynthesizeanalogsbysubstitutingthedienophileanddieneportion.Theseconditionswillbehigher-yieldingandprovidingeasierpurification.Themodelwillshowthedesiredsubstitutionstohelpdevelopalternativesforanalgesicagents.

9 (SESSIONA3)THEINEFFECTIVENESSOFINTERNATIONALHUMANRIGHTSLAW

HunterHilinski&AndrewP.MillerDept.ofPoliticalScience,WilkesUniversity,WilkesBarre,PA,18702

Mostofthestudiesconcerninghumanrightslawmeasureacountry'scompliancewithdomesticlegislation.Thisresearchanalyzestheabilityofinternationallawtopreventhumanrightsabusesintimesofconflictbymergingcasestudyanalysisofthreeseparateconflicts:thePeloponnesianWar,theVietnamWar,andtheIran-IraqWar.Thispaperalsotracesthehistoricaldevelopmentofhumanrightslawandsomeofthephilosophicalfoundationsonbothsidesofthehumanrightsdebate.Bycombiningstudiesofhumanrightsratification,compliance,andabuseinconflict,thispaperconcludesthathumanrightstreatiesnotonlyfailtoimprovehumanrightsprotectionbutthatithasactuallyhadanadverseeffectontheseprotectionsduringtimesofconflict.10 (SESSIONA3)THEEFFECTOFPEER-COMPARISONINSOCIALMEDIAONFOODSELECTION

LaurenTaibiDept.ofPsychology,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Aindependentgroupsexperimentwasconductedtotesttheeffectofpeer-comparisonviaInstagramonfoodselection.Participantsincludedundergraduatewomenrangingfromtheagesof18-20yearsoldwhowererandomlyassignedtoviewanInstagramaccountthateitherinducedpeercompetition,inducednon-peercomparison,orthatservedasacontrol.Participantswerescreenedforsocialmediause.Appetite,socialcomparison,bodydissatisfaction,andemotionaleatingweremeasuredaswasBMI.Afterviewingthefeedforfiveminutes,participantswereaskedtoselectfoodsfromabuffetoffoodimagesthatconsistedof6unhealthyitemsand6healthyitems.ParticipantshighinsocialcomparisonwhowererandomlyassignedtothePCconditionwerehypothesizedtoshowdifferentpatternsofeatingbehaviorthanotherconditionsbychoosinglessunhealthyitems,takingfewerbitesofunhealthyitemsifchosen,orbyhavingfewertotalbites.Itwasalsohypothesizedthatthosehighinsocialcomparisonwouldhavehigherlevelsofbodydissatisfactionwhichwouldbereflectedinthepredictedfoodbehaviors.Finally,itwaspredictedthatfoodchoicewouldbepredictedbyemotionaleatingscorebecauseanystressfromthemediamightimpactemotionaleatersmore.11 (SESSIONA3)THEBENEFITSOFPSYCHOTHERAPY:AQUALITATIVESTUDY

DevonBaris,AbreyFeliccia,DavidBrown&EmilyGalbraithDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,IthacaNY,14850

Therehasbeenextensiveresearchonpsychotherapyoutcomeoverthelastseveraldecades.Mostofthisresearchdemonstratestheeffectivenessofabroadrangepsychotherapies(Wampold,Mondlin,Moody,Stich,Benson&Ahn,1997).Thevastmajorityofresearchreliesonquantitativemethodologies.Manyresearchershaveargued

formorequalitativestudiesastheyprovide"phenomenologicalcontextualinsights"thatcannotbederivedfromquantitativedata(Midgley,Ansalado,&Target,2013).InthecurrentstudyresearchersemployedamodificationofamethodologydescribedbyAttride-Stirling(2001)identifyingemergentthemeswithin23transcriptsofopen-endedinterviews.Theninecategoriesofpositiveexperiencethatemergedfrominterviewtranscriptswere:(1)mutualliking/respectinrelationship,(2)workingtoachieve/understanding/insight,(3)comfort/supportive/safe-therapist/space,(4)emotionalrelease,(5)outsiderelationshipimprovement,(6)non-judgmentalperspectiveframing/normalizing,(7)copingskill,(8)generalpositiveaffect,and(9)improvedsymptoms.Whilesortingstatements,categoriesoneandthreewerecollapsedintoasinglecategory,asjudgesdeterminedthatmanystatementscouldbecodedineithercategorymakingdifferentiationunreliable.Thisresultedinafinaleightcategorytypesofpositivestatementsclientsmaderegardingtherapyandtherapyoutcome.Theimplicationsformaximizingpositivetherapeuticexperiencesarediscussed.12 (SESSIONA3)FATALREACTION:ACONTENTANALYSISOFTHENATUREANDCONTEXTOFMENTALILLNESSPORTRAYALSONTELEVISION

SarahVengen&GeselleDominguezDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,IthacaNY,14850

Previousresearchhasexploredtheetiologyoflearnednegativeattitudetowardsmentalillnessbyanalyzingitsportrayalonchildren'sprogramsandevaluatinghowothercharactersresponded(Hanrahan,Karl,Lasher,Swaye,&Wahl,2017).TheCenterforResearchontheEffectsofTelevision(CRETV)hasanextensivearchiveoflive-recordedcontentfrom14televisionprogramtypes.Arepresentativesample(2011-2016)ofcontentfromthisarchivewasanalyzedinordertogatherinformationabouthowmentalillness(includingsuicideandaddiction)isportrayed,drawingfrombothfictionandnonfictionprograms.ThecurrentlongitudinalstudyisareplicationandexpansionofapreviousstudybyLearyandWarren(2017)withalargersampleofmorethan1,450incidentsin689programs.Theanalysislookedatthetypeofmentalillnessportrayed,thecontext(humorous/serious;positive/negative/neutral)andthereactionsofthepersonwiththementalillnessandthepeopleinthescenetowardsthepersonwiththementalillness(e.g.,laughtrackorlaughter;providingorseekinghelp/support;beingindenialordefensive;showingdistress,frustrationorfear;engaginginblameoraccusation).Thenatureandcontextofthementalillnessportrayalswasalsocomparedacrosscharacterdemographicsandprogramtypes.13 (SESSIONA4)YEASTBXI1P/YBH3PISAPH-SENSITIVECALCIUMCHANNELINESCHERICHIACOLI

JamesMullin,NicholasMello,AlexanderStrakosha,AmandaRaffa&JackKalhornDept.ofBiology,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02908

YeastBaxinhibitor-1(BXI1/YBH3)encodesaproteinthatbelongstotheBaxInhibitor(TMBIM)familyofproteins,whichhasbeenlinkedtodifferenttumortypesinhuman

patients.Thecrystalstructureofaprokaryoticmemberofthefamily,BsYetJ,hasrevealedthattheBxi1proteinsarepHsensitivecalciumleaks.OurlaboratoryhasshownthatBxi1pislocalizedtotheyeastERandvacuoleandourgeneticstudiessuggestthattheproteinisachannelthatcontrolstheeffluxofcalciumfromtheER.WehavealsooverexpressedBxi1pinE.coliandhaveusedafura-2basedcalciumassaytoshowthattheproteinfacilitatestheinfluxofextracellularcalciumintothecell.FurtherstudieshavesuggestedthattheinfluxofcalciumcanbealteredbythepHoftheextracellularenvironment,andthatBxi1pfunctionsasageneralizedcationchannel.WehaveinitiatedascreentoidentifysmallmoleculeblockersforthechannelinthehopesofidentifyingdrugsthatwouldkillcancercellsthatareaddictedtoBxi1p.PreliminaryresultssuggestthatGadoliniumisapotentialmolecularinhibitorofyBxi1p.[OurlaboratoryissupportedbygrantNIGMSR15GM110578,awardedtoN.Austriaco.]14 (SESSIONA4)EXPOSINGCHROMOSOMALPROTEIN-PROTEININTERACTIONUPONDNADAMAGE

BrightShiDept.ofChemistry,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Geneticinformationisstoredaschromatin,consistingofDNA,histonesandotheressentialproteins.Histonesmediateallaspectsofchromatinfunctionandareregulatedbysetsofposttranslationalmodifications(PTMs).Modificationpatternsdictatedifferentialpathwaysandtheirdynamicbehaviorisattheheartofallchromatinrelatedprocesses,suchasreplication,transcriptionandrepair.Unfortunately,DNAisinherentlysusceptibletodamage.Therearenumerousformsofdamagingfactors,whereseveralDNAdamagepathwayscollectivelyprotectthegenomefromlife-threateningmutations.Itiscrucialthatmethodsaredevelopedthatallowforustostudychromatindamageprocessesatamechanisticlevel.Weuseasyntheticbiologyapproachthattrapshistone-proteininteractionsinlivingcells,usingunnaturalaminoacids.Comparinghistone-proteininteractionsthatarealtered,duetoDNAdamage,willhelpusresolvethemechanismsthatreshapechromatinstructureunderdamagingstress.DNAdamagesignalingpromotesbroadchangesinhistonePTMsthatcontrolinteractionsatthenucleosomalinterfaceduringtheresponsepathway.Weaimtoilluminatethosedynamicinteractionswherewehaveobservedahistone-proteincontactthatisdependentuponthedamagingagentmethylmethanesulfonate.Wearecurrentlyidentifying,isolatingandcharacterizingthisproteinviamassspectrometry.15 (SESSIONA4)PREVALENCEOFBETALACTAMASEANTIBIOTICRESISTANCEINWHITE-TAILEDDEERINWESTERNNEWYORK

AbigailE.Salter,RafayTariq,RachisanDjiakeTihagam&MarkA.GalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

StaphylococcusisaGram-positivebacteriumthatcanhaveeffectsonmammalianhostsspanningthespectrumfrombeneficial,throughbenigntopathogenic.Strainsofspecificconcernarethosethatexhibitantibioticresistance,becausetheybecomemuchmore

difficult,ifnotimpossible,totreat.Thus,antibioticresistancehasbecomeagreatconcernintheclinicalworldbecauseofthehealthimplications.However,humansarenottheonlyhostsofStaphylococcus.AnimalsinthewildarealsohoststoStaphandyetlittleisknownregardingthelevelofantibioticresistanceinthesebacteria.Onesuchhostisthewhite-taileddeer,Odocoileusvirginianus.Staphylococcusfromthenosesofthesedeerhavebeenisolatedandpurified.Thepurifiedsampleshavebeengrowninm-StaphbrothandhavebeententativelyidentifiedasStaphylococci.TheantibioticresistanceprofilesofthestrainshavebeendeterminedandtheirlevelsandtypesofresistancewerecomparedtothoseseeninStaphfoundassociatedwithhumansaswellasagriculturally-importantanimals,especiallydairycattle.GenesassociatedwithantibioticresistancewillbeidentifiedthroughPCR.16 (SESSIONA4)IDENTIFICATIONOFAGLYCOSIDEHYDROLASEFORUNIVERSALBLOOD

NadineHusami&MarkA.GalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

TheantigenicsaccharidesofA-andB-typebloodcellsarethesourceofproblematicimmuneresponsesthatareassociatedwithbloodtransfusions.EnzymaticcleavageoftheterminalsugarsofA-andB-typebloodcellantigens-N-acetylgalactosamineandgalactose,respectively-hasbeenproposedasamethodfortheproductionofO-typebloodfromanybloodcelltype.Glycosidehydrolaseshavebeenstudiedduetotheirabilitytocleavecarbohydratelinkagesbuttherehasnotyetbeenaglycosidehydrolasewithsufficientactivityforallpossibleglycosidelinkagesassociatedwiththeantigenicportionsofredbloodcells.Oneparticularfamily,glycosidehydrolase98,appearstopossesstheabilitytocleavebothA-andB-typesugarantigens.BioinformaticcomparativeanalysesofthisfamilyhasledtothediscoveryofagenethatcouldprovideapotentialenzymeinThermobacilluscomposti.AnotherhasbeenidentifiedinClostridiumperfringens.ThisprojectaimstoanalyzetheglycosidehydrolasesisolatedfromT.compostiandC.perfringensthroughgenecloningandexpression,enzymeisolation,purification,andoverexpressioninE.coli17 (SESSIONA5)CHARACTERIZATIONOFANOVELCHICKENFOOT-LIKENODULES(CFN)MUTANTDEFECTIVEINROOTARCHITECTUREANDSYMBIOTICNITROGENFIXATIONINTHEMODELLEGUMEPLANTMEDICAGOTRUNCATULA

RoshaniBudhathokiDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Legumeplantssuchassoybeansinteractwiththesoilbacteriarhizobiaandformuniqueorganscallednodulestocaptureandconvertinertatmosphericnitrogen(N2)intousableformbysymbioticnitrogenfixation(SNF).ToidentifynovelgenesinSNF,chickenfoot-likenodules(cfn)mutantwasisolatedinaforwardgeneticscreenfromaTnt1mutantpopulationinthemodellegumeplantMedicagotruncatula.cfnmutantwasnamedafteritscharacteristicclusterednodule-likestructuresonrootssimilartoachickenfoot.cfnmutantplantsshowabnormalrootarchitecture,decreasednodulenumbers,reddish-purpleshoot,

whitenodulesanddefectiveinSNF.Incfnmutant,nodule-likestructuresacquireroot-likeidentityandoccasionallyroottransformsintonodule-likeorgans.ComparisonofcfnmutantphenotypewithpreviouslycharacterizedM.truncatularootarchitectureandnoduleorganidentitydefectmutantsindicatesthatcfnisanovelmutant.Segregationanalysisshowsthatcfnphenotypeiscontrolledbyasingle,recessivemutation.cfnmutantplantsareseedlinglethalandneedstobemaintainedinheterozygotes.Tofindthecausativemutationunderlyingcfnmutantphenotype,IwillminetheMedicagoTnt1mutantsdatabaseandperformwholegenomesequencing.IdentificationofthecausativemutationincfnmutantwillprovidenovelmechanismsunderlyingSNF.18 (SESSIONA5)EXAMININGREGULATIONOFSPLICINGINGENESTHATAROSEFROMGENOMEDUPLICATIONINS.CEREVISIAE

MichaelAtteberyBiochemistryProgram,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Regulationofgeneexpressionisanessentialcellularprocess.AppropriategeneexpressionrequirestheremovalofintronsfromRNAsinaprocessknownassplicing.Saccharomycescerevisiae,buddingyeast,isagreatmodelorganismforexaminingsplicing,becausetherearefewergenesthataresplicedinyeast,butyetthesplicingisverysimilartothatinhumans.Interestingly,100millionyearsago,therewasagenomeduplicationeventthatoccurredwithinyeast,creatingtwopoolsofgenesknownasparalogues.Throughevolutiontheseparalogueshavedivergedandmanywerelost,becausetheywerenotneeded.However,forsomegenes,bothformsstillexistsuggestingthattheybothserveimportantfunctions.IamstudyingtheRPS30AandBgenes.Previousexperimentsshoweddifferencesintheirsplicing,suggestingthattheyareregulateddifferentlydespitehavingnearlyidenticalcodingsequences.WeconductedquantitativePCRanalysistomeasuretheirsplicing.However,wearecurrentlydevelopingnextgenerationsequencingapproachestobetterquantifytheirsplicingeffectsandidentifyfactorsinvolvedinregulatingthesegenesdifferently.Giventhehighlevelofconservationofsplicingacrosseukaryotes,weexpectthattheseresultswillsignificantlyimpactourunderstandingoftheregulatorymechanismsofsplicinginhighereukaryotes.19 (SESSIONA5)SULFORAPHANEALTERSTHEACIDIFICATIONOFTHEVACUOLETOTRIGGERCELLDEATH

VictoriaHalliseyDept.ofBiology,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918

_Sulforaphane(SFN)isacompound[1-isothiocyanato-4-(methylsulfinyl)-butane]foundinbroccoliandothercruciferousvegetablesthatiscurrentlyofinterestbecauseofitspotentialasachemopreventiveandachemotherapeuticdrug.RecentstudiesinadiverserangeofcellularandanimalmodelshaveshownthatSFNisinvolvedinmultipleintracellularsignalingpathwaysthatregulatecelldeath,cellcycleprogression,andcellinvasion.InordertobetterunderstandthemechanismsofactionbehindSFN-inducedcell

death,weundertookanunbiasedgenomewidescreenwiththeyeastknockout(YKO)librarytoidentifySFNSmutants.OurmutantswereenrichedwithknockoutsingeneslinkedtovacuolarfunctionsuggestingalinkbetweenthisorganelleandSFN'smechanismofactioninyeast.OursubsequentworkrevealedthatSFNincreasesthevacuolarpHofyeastcellsandthatvaryingthevacuolarpHcanalterthesensitivityofyeastcellstothedrug.Infact,severalmutationsthatlowerthevacuolarpHinyeastactuallymadethecellsresistanttoSFN.Finally,weshowthathumanlungcancercellswithmoreacidiccompartmentsarealsoSFNRsuggestingthatSFN'smechanismofactionidentifiedinyeastmaycarryovertohighereukaryoticcells.20 (SESSIONA5)EVIDENCEFORHORIZONTALGENETRANSFEROFXENOBIOTICDETOXIFICATIONGENESINSCLEROTINIAHOMOEOCARPA

BrieannaFuentesDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Duetotherelianceonantifungaldrugsusedtocombatmycosesinhumansandagriculture,pathogenicfungidisplayingmultidrug-resistance(MDR)arebeingincreasinglyreported.InthisstudyaplantpathogenwithMDR,Sclerotiniahomoeocarpa,wasexaminedtocharacterizeputativehorizontalgenetransfer(HGT)eventsthatcouldhaveservedasamechanismforacquisitionofxenobioticdetoxificationgenes.Apriorgenomeanalysisuncovered301candidateHGTgenes,with71originatingfromtheorderXylariales(PhylumAscomycota).Thissubgroupwasanalyzedtoidentifygenesco-localizedtothesamegenomiccontigthatcouldrepresenthorizontally-acquiredgeneclusters.Forty-threeofthegenesco-localizedintosevengroups,eachcomposedofonetothreegenes.RNA-SeqdatafromapreviousstudywereminedtodetermineifthesegenesshoweddifferentialexpressioninaMDRstrainofS.homoeocarpa.Geneswithfold-changegreaterthanthree-foldwerecharacterizedbyconserveddomainsearchesandblastxsearches.PhylogenetictreeswerealsoanalyzedtobetterunderstandtheevolutionaryhistoryofthesegenesinXylarialesandrelatedfungi.FurtherexperimentswillberequiredtosupporttheinvolvementofHGTcandidatesinfungicidemetabolism.21 (SESSIONA6)GLOBALCO2EMISSIONS:SOURCES,HISTORICALTRENDS,ANDLINKSTOECONOMICGROWTH

SamanthaSusi&JackLeightonDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

ThroughoutEarth'shistory,therehasbeenacycleofgreenhousegasesintheatmosphere,whichwasmostlyself-regulatingduetoenvironmentalfactorssuchasplantphotosynthesisandtectonicplatemovement.However,humanimpactonCO2levelsbeganrisingsincethebeginningoftheIndustrialRevolution.Thiscreatesahotteratmosphereandforyears,scientistshavesuggestedreducingCO2emissionsinanefforttocombatclimatechange.CO2isseenasoneofthemostprominentgreenhousegasesthatcontributestoclimatechange.Therefore,multipleproposalstocontrolCO2levelshavebeen

putforward,howeverargumentsagainstthelargecostsofimplementingthempreventedtheirexecution.ThisprojectanalyzesandpresentswaysinwhichtomeaningfullyreduceCO2emissionsintotheatmosphereataloweconomiccostorevenpossibleeconomicbenefit.Thisprojectalsoanalyzesproposedalternativemethodsofproducingandconsumingenergyindifferenteconomicsectorsatalowercostandreduced"carbonfootprint".AllworkandcalculationsweredoneusinghistoricaldataofCO2levelsincomparisontoprojectedCO2levelswiththeproposedchanges,viatheWolframprogramminglanguageaspartoftheScientificComputingcourseofferedexclusivelytoHonorsFreshmanstudentsatWagnerCollege.22 (SESSIONA6)ACIDITHIOBACILLUSSP.CYCLESINORGANICSULFURCOMPOUNDS:IMPLICATIONSFORGEOCHEMISTRYOFTHEIROQUOISNATIONALWILDLIFEREFUGEACIDICSPRINGS

HaleyParker&CassandraMarnochaBiologyDept.,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109

TheIroquoisNationalWildlifeRefugewetlandsarehometoasetofacidicspringsthatactasaconstantsourceofsulfide.Microbialcommunitiessupportedbythisuniqueenvironmenthavenotpreviouslybeenstudied.WeexaminedthemicrobialcommunitystructureoftwooftheseacidicspringsandfoundthattheywerelowinspeciesdiversitywhencomparedagainstthenearbyOakOrchardCreek.Acidophilicbacteriawerecommoninbothsprings,withthegenus,Acidithiobacillus,predominantinthemoreacidicspringandmakingupanotablepercentageofthecommunityofthesecondspring.WehaveisolatedastrainmostcloselyrelatedtoAcidithiobacillusthiooxidansthatiscapableofchemoautotrophicgrowthoninorganicsulfurcompounds.Wehavefoundthatthisorganismproducessulfateasitgrows,andwearecurrentlystudyinghowitusesothersulfurspeciesinitsmetabolism.TheimplicationsforthestudyofthisparticularAcidithiobacillusculturewouldbetheabilitytopredicthowthepresenceofthismicrobemightchangethegeochemistryofthespringsthemselves,andthesurroundingwetlands.23 (SESSIONA6)PLASTICSANDFISHDON'TMIX:POTENTIALEFFECTSOFMICROPLASTICSONJUVENILEFATHEADMINNOWS

GeorgiaCaplenDept.ofEnvironmentalScience,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Thereislimiteddataontheeffectsofmicroplasticscontaminationonfatheadminnowsduringthecriticalearly-stagesofdevelopment;thisisaconcernbecausemicroplasticsarebecominganincreasingthreattoaquaticenvironments.Studieshaverecordedanestimateof5.25trillionparticlesofplasticweighing268.940tonsintotalhaveendedupinourwatersystem.Microplasticparticlesareincreasingthreatstoaquaticbiotahealthbycontaminationandmayleadtoleachingofchemicalpollutantswithintheirtissue.Thus,thepurposeofthisstudyistoexaminethepotentialeffectsofmicroplasticsonthedigestivetractsofjuvenilefatheadminnows.Inthistwo-partstudy,microbeadswereintegratedinto

theirdietsandaftertwodifferentexposureperiods,theyweredissectedandanalyzedtoidentifythetotalnumberofmicroplasticsremainingintheirdigestivetracts.Highernumbersofretainedmicroplasticsinthedigestivetractmayresultindecreasedgrowthrates,highermortalityratesamongpopulations,orincreasedleachingofchemicalsintotheorganism'stissues.Thisstudyprovidesinsightonhowmicroplasticsmaybeaffectingthisindicatorspeciesthroughtheirearlystagesofdevelopmentwiththeambitiontofurtherunderstandtheireffects.24 (SESSIONA6)GROWTHDYNAMICSOFARTEMISIATRIDENTATA

ClaudiaSRamirezMarcanoDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

ThemanysubspeciesofArtemisiatridentatacoveredmost(586,306km2)ofthewesternUnitedStatespriortomigrationofAnglos.Today,thisspeciesisessentialasitprovidesshelterandfoodformanymigratoryandnativeanimalsofthearea.SixstemsamplesofArtemisiatridentataNutt.ssp.tridentatawerecollectedeachweekfromearlyJunetotheendofNovember2015fromThistle,Utah.Eachsamplewasanalyzed,measuringstemandbranchlengths,stemdiametersandseedcount.ThisresearchpresentstheearlyresultsoftheanalysisandapotentialgrowthmodelforArtemisiatridentata.Mainstemshadameangrowthrateof0.77mmperdaythroughouttheperiod.Onaverage,onesidebranchwasproducedeveryninedaysuntilmainstemshad30to35sidebrancheswithameanfinallengthof45mm.Consideredtogether,cumulativebranchlengthsofallsidebranchesincreased0.65mmpermmofstemlength.DuringlateAugust2015,manysidebranchesbecamereproductivebranches(producedflowers,andseeds).Onlyafewsidebranchesremainedvegetative.Remainingvegetativebranchesareestimatedtobecomemainstemsduringthenextgrowingseason.Onaverage,eachplantproducedabout20mainstemswithreproductivebranches.Eachmainstemproduced25reproductivebrancheswhileeachreproductivebranchproducedabout300seeds.Therefore,eachplantproducedabout100,000seedseachyear.25 (SESSIONA7)LEAFVEINSTRANSPORTWATERTOTHESMALLESTAREAS

JorgeGonzalezDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Thepurposeofthisstudywastodetermineleafvenationpatternsandinterveinalareasinplantleavesoftwenty-fivespecies.LeafsampleswereobtainedfromManhattanCollegeandVan-CortlandtPark.Twoleavesofeachspecieswerephotographedforanalysis.Leafmidribswerecalledprimaryveins,veinsthatleadfromprimaryveinswerecalledsecondaryveins,veinsthatleaffromsecondaryveinswerecalledtertiaryveins,andveinsthatleadawayfromtertiaryveinswerecalledquaternaryveins.Entireleafareaswerecalledprimaryleafareas.Secondaryareasconsistedofbisectingtheareabetweentwosecondaryveinseachsideofeachsecondaryvein.Leafareaswerewellcorrelatedwithsecondaryareasforalltwenty-fivespecies(y=0.097x-2.081,r2=0.93).Tertiaryareas

werewellscaledtoleafareas,(y=0.0068x-0.083;r2=0.81),withmeanareaof0.40cm2.Quaternaryareaswerewellscaledtoleafareas,((y=0.0004x+0.0063;r2=0.66),withameanareaof0.031cm2.Thenumberofareasforsecondary,tertiary,andquaternaryareaswerenotwellscaledtoleafarea,thusremainconstantamongallspecies.Overall,leafareascanhelpunderstandthedistributionofwaterinleafveins.26 (SESSIONA7)QUANTIFYINGPOST-HURRICANEREGENERATIONOFSCAEVOLAPLUMIERIANDSCAEVOLATACCADAUSINGAERIALPHOTOGRAPHS

MirandaElla,PeterMelcher&SusanWitherupDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Studyingtheimpactsofhurricanesonislandecosystemsisanimportantwaytolearnmoreaboutoverallplantcommunitydynamicsbyidentifyinghowdifferentspeciesrespondtowindandwaterdamage.Thisisusefulinunderstandingthenative-invasiverelationshipbetweenScaevolaplumieriandScaevolataccadaonthebeachesofPuertoRico.Asdunespecies,theyareexpectedtofacethefullforceofthehurricane,sustainingwindandwaterdamage.Theinvasive,S.taccada,isexpectedtoregeneratemoreeffectivelythanS.plumieri.DatacollectedonthebeachesofCulebra,PuertoRicowillprovideinsightintohowS.plumieriandS.taccadaregeneratesixmonthsaftertheimpactofthecategory4HurricaneMaria.Thiswillanswerquestionsregardingtheenduranceofduneplantsandthecompareddurabilityofnativeandintroducedspeciesinthefaceofanaturaldisaster.27 (SESSIONA7)PREDICTINGBARKCOVERAGEONSAGUAROCACTI

MarissaLoCastroDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,10471

Barkcoverageofsurfacesofmorethan22speciesoftall,long-livedcactiisoccurringthroughouttheAmericas.Thisbarkcoveragehsbeenshowntoleadtoprematuredeathofthesecactusspecies.Thisstudyutilizeddataofbarkcoverageon1149cactusplantsofsaguarocacti(Carnegeiagigantea(Engelm.)BrittandRose)from50desertfieldplotsinTucsonMountainPark,Tucson,AZ.Thesecactusplantswereobservedforfourperiods,1994,2002,2010,and2017.Theanalysisofthisresearchwascompletedafterthe2017sampling.Previousresearchhaddemonstratedthatbarkcoveragestartsonsouth-facingfacingsurfacesandprogressestonorth-facingsurfaces.Forthecurrentresearch,dataofbarkcoveragewasprocessedwithWEKA3.8,astandardmachine-learningprogram,todeterminethedegreethatbarkcoverageononesetofsurfacescanpredictbarkcoverageonothersurfaces.DecisiontreeswerecreatedbytheJ48treeclassifierandconfusionmatriceswereproducestodeterminetheaccuracyofthedecisiontreepredictions.Cactiweresubdividedintobarkcoveragecategoriesforanalysis.CactiinCategoryAhadlittlebarkcoveragewhilecactiinCategoryEhadextensivebarkcoverage.Theintentoftheresearchwastousedecisiontreestousedatafrom1994,2002and2010topredictchangesincategoriesfrom2010to2017.Forallcomparisons,decisionaccuraciesranged

between90-99%.Thesedatasupporttheoverallhypothesisthatamountsofbarkcoveragecanbeusedtodeterminetheageinwhichindividualcactusplantswillliveordie.28 (SESSIONA7)ANALYSISOFCLIMATECHANGEDATAANDPREDICTEDIMPACTONJAPANANDSURROUNDINGAREAS

MaraMineo,TamarAmirov&VinhPhuongDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

AlthoughclimatechangeintheUnitedStateshasbeentoucheduponinthemedia,theimpactofclimatechangeontheEasternhemisphereisjustasdetrimentalasintheWesternhemisphere.CountrieslikeChinaandJapanarechallengingclimatechangewhiletheirenvironmentsarecurrentlysuffering.WhileJapanistheleadingcountryincombatingclimatechange,thedevastationsarestillprevalentinJapan'ssocietytoday,andwillcontinuetobeprevalentinthenearfuture.Sincethisarchipelagostretchesacrossfourmainislandsaswellasasmallerislandchain,Japanishometonumerousclimaticzoneswhichwillwitnessthestressofclimatechangefirsthand.SincemostofChinaislesshabitable,themajorityofthepopulationlaysontheeasterncoastofthecontinentfacingJapan,aidinginthedetrimenttotheregion.ThisanalysisofJapananditssurroundingareasfocusesonkeypointssuchassealevels,cultivatedfieldsandcrops,andurbanheatislands,aswellasothers.Thisresearchwascarriedoutinthefreshman-onlyHonorsScientificComputingcourseatWagnerCollege.ComputationalthinkingskillshavebeenutilizedtoapplyfunctionalprogrammingtodevelopclimatechangedataanalysisusingtheWolframprogramminglanguage.29 (SESSIONB)SYNTHESISANDCHARACTERIZATIONOFSUBSTITUTEDTRANSITIONMETALOXIDES

CoryDavis&JanetHuntingDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Titanium(IV)oxide,TiO2,(rutilestructure)isastable,inexpensiveandnon-conductingcompound.TiO2wasmadeconductingbysubstitutingtungsten,molybdenum,niobiumasfirstdopants,andothertransitionmetalandrareearthcationsasseconddopantsinplaceofaportionofthetitaniumcations.Compoundsweresynthesizedusingchemicalvaportransportinsealed,evacuatedtubeswhichwereheatedto1100˚C.Manyofthesubstitutedoxideproductsmaintainedtherutilestructureandwereconducting.ThenewcompoundswerecharacterizedbypowderX-raydiffraction,X-rayfluorescenceandbyresistivitymeasurements.

30 (SESSIONB)FLUORESCENTSELF-HEALINGPOLYMERS

EthanCramer&MichaelHaafDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Currentresearchonself-healingpolymershasrangedfrombio-mimetichydrogelsforuseinmedicine,pioneeredbyDengetal.,toplastic-likepolymerswithindustrialuses.Recently,boronateestercross-linkedpolymershavebeenshowntoreassembleafterbreakinginarangeofpHfromneutraltoacidic.Here,weattempttosynthesizeapolymerwithself-healingproperties,aswellasnovelproperties,mainlyfluorescence.Thiswasachievedbycreatingorganometalliccomplexeswithanaromaticquinolineligand,containingareactivevinylgroup,andvariousmetalsandsemi-metalssuchas:aluminum,zinc,andboron;aswellasvariouspolymerizationmethodstocreatelinearandcross-linkedpolymers.Thesemolecules,whichfluoresceundervoltageorUV,havemanytheoreticalapplications.OLEDdisplaysareacommonexampleofthesefluorescentpolymers,whichwouldgreatlybenefitfromaself-healingcomponent.Inaddition,wewereabletosolvethecrystalstructureofthemonomerofonesuchpolymer,azinccomplex,byutilizingx-raydiffraction.Knowingtheexactarrangementofatomshasgiveninsightintothetruestructureofthepolymerswehavebeensynthesizing.Furtherresearchwillfocusoncontinuingtocharacterizetheseorganometallicself-healingpolymers,mainlydescribingtheirmacroscopicproperties.31 (SESSIONB)DYE-SENSITIZEDSOLARCELLS

KelseySavje&DomenickPalmieriDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Dye-sensitizedsolarcells(DSSCs)havebeenthesubjectofmuchresearchinrecentyears,astheemploymentofsolarenergyasameansofgeneratingelectricityhasdrawnincreasinginterest.Organicdyesareparticularlyattractive,asitiseasiertomodifythestructureoforganicmoleculescomparedtometal-baseddyes.Thisprojectexploresthesynthesisofconjugatedorganicmoleculesthatcontainsimilarstructuralmotifstodyesreportedtohavehighconversionefficiencies.Thefirststepinthesynthesisoftheinitialtargetdyewasthepreparationof4-butoxyiodobenzene.Thisreactionusedethanolasasolvent,whichisacceptedasagreenorganicsolvent.Thealkoxybenzenewasthenusedinacouplingreaction,inanattempttosynthesizeatriphenylaminederivativethatwouldserveasthedonorregionofthetargetdye.Thereisnoconclusiveevidencethatthetriphenylaminedonorhasbeenisolated,soalternativedonorregionsarebeingexplored.ThenewtargetsarebasedondatafromHarvardCleanEnergyProject,whichlistsmoleculesthathavedemonstratedhighenergyconversionbasedoncomputationalanalysis.

32 (SESSIONB)ACCESSINGDIYNESCONTAININGTHIOCYANATEANDTHIOPHENEEND-GROUPSENROUTETOWARDSPOLYDIACETYLENES

OskarSundberg&IireyelGittensDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Polydiacetylenes,PDAs,areafamilyofpolymersthatcanaccessawidevarietyofpropertiesbyattachingdifferentend-groups.AmongstthemostinterestingpropertiesisthechromaticcolorchangethatoccurswhenPDAsareexposedtocertainexternalstimuli.ThispropertyhascausedPDAstobefoundinmanysensoryassemblies,whichcanbeusefulinforexamplethefoodindustry.Althoughpolydiacetyleneshavebeenknownofsincethe1960s,thereislittleknownaboutthepossibleapplicationsarisingfromattachingdifferentend-groups.Thesynthesisofthiocyanate-andthiophene-cappeddiynesisinprogress,withtheultimategoalofaccessingpolydiacetyleneswiththeseend-groupsusingahost-gueststrategy.Boththiocyanateandthiopheneend-groupsareexpectedtoimpacttheelectronicpropertiesofthepolymerizedsystembecauseoftheresonance-stabilizationandelectroniceffectsofthesegroups.Effortstosynthesizethiocyanatoethyneand1,4-dithiocyanatobuta-1,3-diynehaveproducedpromisingresults,with13CNMRdatacontainingpeaksthatcorrespondwellwithpredictedspectra.Additionalcharacterizationisneededtoconfirmisolationofthisnoveldiyne.Thesynthesisof3,3-(1,3-butadiyne-1,4-diyl)bis[thiophene]wasalsoachieved;howeverinitialattemptstowardspolymerizationareinconclusive.33 (SESSIONB)BIOCHAR-ENHANCEDSLOWSANDFILTER

CarlosPerez&EmilyCarrilloDept.ofEngineering;Physics;Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918

Arecentpaper,"EfficacyofbiochartoremoveEscherichiacoli(E-coli)fromstormwaterundersteadyandintermittentflow"(2014),hasidentifiedthattheuseof5%biocharinaSlowSandFilter(SSF)retainedupto3ordersofmagnitudeofE-coli.Inthisresearchprojectwecontinuedstudyingthemodel'sefficacybydesigningandbuildingmultiplefiltersthatwilltesttheefficiencyoftheadditionofbiochartoasandfilter.Thereasonusingbiocharistransformativeisbecauseitiseasilyaccessibleinunderdevelopedcountriesandcouldpotentiallyimprovesomeofthehealthissuesthesecommunitiesface.Basedonthephysicalpropertiesofbiocharwhenmixedwithwater,itisthoughtthatbiocharenhancesthesandtolatchtheE-coliandslowthemobilizationofbacteriumthroughthefilter.Wetestedtheefficacyofbiocharinslowsandfiltersbycomparingacontrolfilterwitha3%,5%,and10%biocharbyweightfiltersthatwerehomogenouslymixedwithsand.Currentlywearetestingthepossibilityofbacteriumproliferatinginthebiocharovertime,sinceourlatestresultsareshowingthatbacteriumissurvivingonthefilterevenafterweeksofnouse.

34 (SESSIONB)PHYSICALTHERAPYMONITORFORLOWEREXTREMITYINJURIES

MadisonTribuna,MarkParker,MattKidney,RaidAlmuhanna,RussellPierson&YazmeenShahin

SchoolofEngineering,RogerWilliamsUniversity,Bristol,RI,02809Whenaphysicaltherapisttreatsapatientwithalowerextremityinjury,aweightrestrictionontheinjuredextremityistypicallyimposedbythetreatingphysician.Theweightrestrictionisusuallysomefractionofthepatient'sbodyweight.Usingastandardbathroomscale,thetherapistmaytrainthepatienttotrytorecognizewhatthemaximumallowableloadfeelslike,withthehopesthattheywillavoidexceedingthisloadwhileinrecovery.Thistrainingtakesplaceforabriefamountoftimeatthetherapist'soffice,usuallyduringthefirstappointment.Whiletraininginthisfashionworksforsome,mostpeopledonotmastertheskill.Inthispaper,wedescribeworkcarriedouttodevelopaninstrumentedphysicaltherapybootthatmonitorstheloadplacedonalowerextremityandalertsthepatientwhenapredeterminedloadhasbeenexceeded.Theeffectivenessoftheinstrumentedbootwastestedusingahumansubjectstestprotocol.Theresultssuggestthatthebootdoesimproveoratleastaugmentsthesubject'sabilitytoavoidexceedingtheweightrestriction.35 (SESSIONB)CALLIPHORIDAELARVAEDEVELOPMENTFEEDINGONTISSUEEXPOSEDTOALCOHOLANDOVERTHECOUNTERMEDICINES

ErinN.McEwen&AliciaM.BrayDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053

Calliphoridae(blowflies;Diptera)areshinyandmetallic,witholfactoryreceptorssensitivetothevolatilechemicalsemittedduringthedecayofbodytissue.Thisallowfemalestodetectandovipositeggsonacadaverwithinminutesofexpiration.Theirquickresponsetodecayingtissuemakesthemanexcellentresourcewhendeterminingthepostmorteminterval(PMI)ofabody.PMIisdeterminedbycollectingandtrackingthedevelopmentofblowflylarvaeastheyprogressthroughtheirdevelopmentalstages.Thetimeandspeedittakesforlarvaetocompletethesestagesiswelldocumented.However,thespeedoflarvalgrowthcanbealteredinthepresenceofillicitdrugssuchascocaineorheroinandthereforetheexpectedPMIisaltered.Lessresearchhasbeenperformedonlegaldrugsandnarcotics,suchasoverthecounter(OTC)medicineandalcohol.IntheUnitedStates,suiciderateshaveincreasedandOTCdrugsarethesecondmostcommonmethodinoverdosesuicides.LiverscontainingalcoholandvariousOTCdrugswereusedforlarvalconsumption.Thespeedofdevelopmentwastrackedandvariationstothestandarddevelopmentaltimesweredetermined.ThisinformationmaybeusedtoestimatemoreaccuratePMIforoverdosevictims.

36 (SESSIONB)INVESTIGATINGALZHEIMER'SDISEASEPATHOLOGY:THEEFFECTSOFREDUCEDASTROCYTEBECLIN1ONRETROMERTRAFFICKINGANDRECEPTOR-MEDIATEDPHAGOCYTOSIS

YuberkiDelgadilloDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Alzheimer'sdisease(AD)isaneurologicaldiseasecharacterizedbytheaccumulationofamyloidplaqueswithinthebrain,resultinginneuronaldeathandmemoryloss.ADbrainsarealsoassociatedwithreducedlevelsofbeclin1,aproteininvolvedinautophagyandreceptortrafficking.Howreducedbeclin1mightaffectADprogressionisunclear.Astrocytesareanintriguingtarget,astheyarethemostabundantcellsinthebrainandarecapableofdegradingplaquesviaphagocytosis.UsingC6astrocytecells,wereducedbeclin1withanshRNAlentivirus.Reducingbeclin1impairedphagocytosisoflatexbeads.ThisappearstobemediatedbyreducedlevelsofVps34,abeclin1-associatedproteinkinasethatphosphylatesthemembranesurroundingphagocytosedmaterialfortherecruitmentofproteincomplexes.AssociatedwiththesechangesarediminishedlevelsofVps35,aproteinthatisrecruitedtophagosomesandisinvolvedinreceptorrecycling.Interestingly,levelsofSR-B1,aphagocyticscavengerreceptor,werediminishedwhenbeclin1wasreduced,indicatingtraffickingofthisreceptormightbeimpaired.Thesefindingssuggestalinkbetweentheproteinbeclin1,receptortrafficking,andreceptor-mediatedphagocytosis.Therefore,enhancingbeclin1inastrocytesmayprovideanovelapproachforthetreatmentofAD.37 (SESSIONB)DOESPRENATALSTRESSAFFECTPERSONALITYANDPHYSIOLOGYOFOFFSPRINGINSIBERIANDWARFHAMSTERS?

CaraHoefen&LeannKandaDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Personalityisbasedonananimal'srepeatablebehaviorsandcanimpacttheirfitness.Personalityisinfluencedbydevelopmentalconditionspossiblyincludingprenatalmaternaleffects.InthisstudywestressedpregnantPhodopussungorusdamstotesttheeffectintheoffspringonbehaviorandfecalcorticosterone(themainstresshormoneinrodents).Westressedtwodamsinapassiverestrainttubefor8daysmid-gestation,threetimesadayfor30minutes.Therewerealsotwounstressedcontroldams.Offspringwereassayedinatunnelmazeforactivityandboldnessafterweaning,andthenagainat100daysold.Fecalsamplesweretakenfromoffspringatthesetimesandcollectedfromthemotherbeforeandafterstressing.FecalcorticosteronewasanalyzedusinganELISAkit.Itisexpectedthatthecorticosteronelevelswillbehigherinthestresseddamsandoffspring,andtheoffspringwillbelessactiveandboldcomparedtocontrol.Weexpecttheseeffectstoberetainedintoadulthood.Ourfindingswilldemonstratetheimportanceofprenatalmaternaleffectsonlong-termanimalpersonality.

38 (SESSIONB)ASOCIALBEHAVIORINZEBRAFISH

KyleHammondDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Varianceinsocialbehaviorhasbeenseeninmanyanimalspecies,andcanhaveaprofoundeffectontheirabilitytosurvive.Butisasocialbehaviorgenetic,orenvironmentallylearned?Andifitisgenetic,whatpartofthebraindictatesthesetraits?Toresearchthis,Iwillobservetheconsistencyofzebrafishsocialbehaviors,theheritabilityofthesebehaviors,andwhetherdifferentwildtypespeciesofzebrafishexhibithigherorlowerlevelsofsociabilitytoprovideuswithnewopportunitiesforfutureresearch.Inthelab,therearetwotypesofwildtypefish:TLandAB.IwillberaisingpopulationsofTL,TLAB,andAB.Iwillobservewhetheranyexhibitasocialbehavior,andwhetherthisbehaviorisconsistentovertime.Theresultsbetweenthewildtypeswillbeanalyzedforstatisticalsignificance,showingwhetheronehasahigherpropensityforasocialbehavior.Ifthetypesdoshowdifferentsociability,itwillprovideresearcherstheopportunitytoexaminethegeneticdifferencesbetweenthesetypesandlocatethegeneticcauseofpredispositiontoasocialbehavior.StrongasocialfeelingsarecommoninthosewithpersonalitydisorderssuchasAvoidantPersonalityDisorder,whichaffects2.4%ofAmericansandoftenincludescharacteristicslikeextremesocialisolationandfeelingsofinadequacy.Asocialityisalsoamajorsymptomofotherpersonalitydisorderssuchasschizophrenia,mooddisorderssuchasdepressionandsocialanxiety,andthosewithtraumaticbraininjury.Inmanyofthesecases,aperson'squalityoflifeisaffectedbytheseasocialfeelings.Ifweknewthegeneticcauseforthesetypesofdisorders,wecanhelpthesepeopleliveabetterlife.39 (SESSIONB)VITAMINDEFFECTSONPDTAPOPTOSISINMCF-7CELLS

BrittenyPurcellDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109

TheroleofthevitaminDsignalingpathwayinbreastcancerhasbeenheavilyinvestigatedsincethediscoveryofthevitaminDreceptor(VDR).Asdemonstratedbypreviousstudies,vitaminDreceptorligandscouldbeusedtherapeuticallyasapotentialtreatmentofcertainbreastcancersduetoitsabilitytoinhibitthegrowthofcancercells.PaststudieshavedeterminedthatvitaminDhasincreasedtheeffectsofanticancertreatmentsofavarietyofneoplasmsincludingprostate,breast,colorectalandskincancers.ThegoalofthestudywastouseMCF-7luminalbreastcancercellsasaninvitrostudytodeterminethepossiblesynergisticrelationshipbetweenvitaminDandphotodynamictherapy(PDT).InthestudyMCF-7cellsweretreatedwithvaryingdosesofthephotodynamicagent5-aminolevulinicacid(ALA)alongwithlowdosesofVitaminD.AfterALAandvitaminDincubation,cellswereexposedtoalightemittingdiode(LED).CellapoptosiswasdeterminedbyflowcytometryassessmentandEVOSimagingsystem.ThepresentstudydemonstratesthatvitaminDincreasesthetherapeuticeffectsofPDTandsupportsthehypothesisofapotentialsynergisticrelationshipbetweenthetwo.ThefindingsdemonstrateapotentialfutureroleofvitaminDandALAcombinationtherapiesforpatientswithluminalbreastcancer.

40 (SESSIONB)STUDYINGTHYROIDHORMONEFUNCTIONINPLANARIANS

RyanDonnellyBiomolecularSciencesDept.,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,

06053Thyroidhormonesregulatedevelopmentandmetabolisminvertebrates.Non-vertebratebilaterians,suchasplanaria,alsoproducethyroidhormoneandhavethyroidreceptors.However,fewstudieshaveinvestigatedthyroidhormonefunctioninbilateriansingeneralandfewerstillinplanariaspecifically.Planarianflatwormsareofparticularinterestastheycanregenerateanypartoftheirbody.Afteramputationorinjuryneoblasts,theonlydividingcellsinthebody,increasetheircelldivisionrateandcontributetotheregenerationblastema.Theblastemaisanunpigmentedaccumulationofcellsfromwhichmuchoftheamputatedtissuesarereplaced.Weproposethatthyroidhormonesignalingmayaffectregenerationeitherbyregulatingthemetabolicrateoftheregeneratingplanariaorbyregulatingtissuepatterning.Totestthishypothesiswecutplanarianwormsintofragments,removingthehead.Afterallowinghealing,weadministerthyroidhormones(T3andT4)totheregeneratingtailfragments.Toassessratesofregenerationwemonitormorphologicalsignsofregenerationdaily.Morphologicalsignsinclude,theappearanceoftheblastema,eyespots,andthepharynx.Weexpectthathighconcentrationsofthyroidhormonemayaccelerateregenerationratesasindicatedbyearlierappearanceofthesestructures.41 (SESSIONB)MEASURINGAPOPTOSISINHELACERVICALCANCERCELLSANDCAL-27ORALCANCERCELLSAFTERTREATMENTWITHCURCUMINANDPHOTODYNAMICTHERAPY

ChristianDomin&RobertGreeneDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

Incurrentresearch,HeLacellsandCAL-27areinducedtoundergoapoptosisaftertreatmentwithcurcumin,whichisderivedfromthespiceturmeric.Thisspicehasbeenusedasananti-oxidant,ananalgesic,andananti-inflammatorymedicineforcenturies.Recently,curcuminhasbeenshowntohaveanticancerpropertiesduetoitseffectonbiologicalpathwaysinvolvedincell-cycleregulation,oncogeneexpression,apoptosisandmetastasis.Curcumininhibitscellularsignalingpathwaysthathavekeyrolesincancerprogression1.TreatmentofHeLacervicalcancercellsandCAL-27oralcancercellswithincreasingconcentrationsofcurcuminshowedinductionofapoptosis.Whencombinedwithphotodynamictherapy,cytotoxicityagainstHeLabutnotCAL-27cellswasdemonstrated.Fluorescencemicroscopyandflowcytometrywereusedtodetermineapoptosis.Resultsshowedthatinductionofapoptosisandincreasingconcentrationsofcurcuminwerepositivelycorrelated,suggestingthatcurcumincouldimprovethetreatmentoforalcancer,andthatcombinedtreatmentwithcurcuminandphotodynamictherapycouldimprovethetreatmentofcervicalcancer.Geneticdatafrombothcelltypes

wasalsoobtained,showingchangesingeneexpressioninseveralgenesknowntobeinvolvedinapoptosis.42 (SESSIONB)EFFECTSOFTHEPSYCHOACTIVEDRUGCAFFEINEONTHEBEHAVIOROFZEBRAFISH(DANIORERIO

KevinLipton&BrianPalestisDept.ofBiology,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Caffeine,apsychoactive,plant-basedalkaloidisfoundinavarietyoffood,whichincludecoffeeandtealeaves.Caffeineactsasastimulantthathasthepotentialtocausedependencyifalargeamountisingested,andisanxiogenic(anxietycausing).Zebrafish(Daniorerio)isanidealmodelorganismforpharmacologicalstudiesandneurobehavioralstudies,duetothehomologyoftheirnervoussystemwiththatofthehumannervoussystem.Thisexperimentwasperformedtogainabetterunderstandingofthebehaviorofzebrafishwhenexposedtocaffeine.Thisstudytestedthebehaviorofadultzebrafishwithaconcentrationof0.00625%caffeine.Thebehaviorwasquantifiedbycountingthenumberoflineseachzebrafishcrossedonagridin30seconds,usingrecordedvideos.Outofallthefishthatweretested,therewasonlyonefishthatwasnotmobileanddidnotcrossasingleline,andthisfishwasintheexperimentalgroup.Therangeofthenumberoflinescrossedforthecontrolfishwasgreaterthantherangefortheexperimentalfish,butthemeannumberoflinescrossedbetweenthetwogroupsdidnotsignificantlydiffer(control:38.6;experimental:36.0).Thisstudy,aswellasothersimilarstudies,canincreaseknowledgeandunderstandingofhowanxiogenicsubstancesaffecthumans.43 (SESSIONB)POST-GLACIALEXPANSIONOFTHEBLACK-CLAWEDSCORPION,ANUROCTONUSPHAIODACTYLUS(WOOD,1863)

HaleyGrimason&AlexsisM.PowellDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Theblack-clawedscorpion,Anuroctonusphaiodactylus,isdistributedthroughouttheMojaveandGreatBasindesertsofthewesternUnitedStates.ThemorenorthernGreatBasinDesertwasnotdesert-likeduringPleistoceneglacialperiods,whereasmuchoftheMojaveDesertremainedwarmanddry.ThisleadstothequestionofwhetherdesertscorpionslikeA.phaiodactyluspersistedintheGreatBasinduringthecoolerandwetterglacials,orrecentlycolonizedtheareafromdesertrefugiaintheMojaveasclimateswarmedduringtheHolocene.Phylogeographictheorystatesthatareasthathavebeenrecentlycolonizedbydispersal-limitedtaxalikescorpionsshouldbelessgeneticallydiversethanpopulationthathaveremainedstable.WecollectedA.phaiodactylusfromthroughoutthespecies'rangeandextracted,amplified,andsequencedmitochondrialDNA(COI)fromlegtissues.PhylogeographicanalysesoftheDNAdataindicatethatA.phaiodactyluspopulationsaremuchmorediverseintheMojaveDesert,consistentwithourhypothesisofrecentnorthwardexpansionintheGreatBasin.Thisresultiscontraryto

patternsfromco-occurringvertebratetaxa,suggestingthattheGreatBasindesertharborsaremarkablyyoungdesertfauna.44 (SESSIONB)EFFECTSOFCHEMICALEXPOSUREONTADPOLEBEHAVIORANDPERSONALITY

CassidyStranzlDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Repeatabilityofbehaviorswithinindividualsisthoughttobeindicativeofbasicanimal"personality",arelativelyunderstudiedfieldespeciallyinamphibianspecies.Itestedwhether"personalities"inindividualbullfrogtadpolescouldbemeasurable,andiftheserepeatablebehaviorscouldbeaffectedbypreviousexposuretoacarbamateinsecticideandaneco-friendlieralternative(lemongrassoil).Imeasuredactivitylevelsandextentofexplorationbyquantifyingmovementsfrom15minutevideotrials.Tadpoleswereobservedintheirfamiliar"home"laboratoryenvironment,andtheninanew"novel"environmentonconsecutivedays.Wefoundthattadpolesmayexhibitevidenceof"personality"andthatcarbamateinsecticidescauseanincreaseinbothactivityandexplorationbehaviors.Thesefindingscouldsuggestitisimportanttoconsiderindividual"personalities"whenevaluatingtheeffectsofenvironmentalpollutantsonlarvalamphibians.Mystudyisamongthefirsttoexaminetheeffectofchemicalexposureonindividualamphibianbehavioraltypes.45 (SESSIONB)TURNTAKINGDURINGWHITE-HANDEDGIBBON(HYLOBATESLAR)SONGDUETS

StephanieGiblin,AlexandriaMesropyan&ThomasTerlephDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

GibbonsareAsianapesthatproduceelaboratevocalizations(songs),oftenasmale/femaleduetsbymatedpairs.Duetsfunctioninterritorialdefense,andmayadvertisepairbonds.White-handedgibbon(Hylobateslar)duetsincludeturn-taking:themalerefrainsfromcallingduringamate's'greatcall'phrase,andtypicallyrepliesfollowingit,withhis'coda'phrase.Recentevidencesuggeststhat,althoughthevocalizationsofnonhumanapesarelargelyunlearned,inthesetypesofvocalexchangesgibbonsmaylearntoadjustthetimingoftheirsongoutput.Sincefemalegreatcallsshowbetween-individualdifferencesinduration,wepredictedthattheirmateswouldlearntoadjustsongtoherspecificgreatcall.Wequantifiedthelengthoffemalegreatcalls,andtheonsetofmalecodaresponsestothem,fromfieldrecordingsofalargepopulation(n=18)ofwildgibbonsfromKhaoYaiNationalPark,Thailand.Resultssuggestthatamalemayflexiblyadjusthissingingtothatofalong-termmate.

46 (SESSIONB)IMAGECLASSIFICATIONDATASETANDAPIDESIGNFORSVMEXPERIMENTATION

JustinBodnar,SimonChu,SofyaChepustanova&AnthonyKapolkaDept.ofMathandComputerScience,WilkesUniversity,Wilkes-Barre,PA,18766

TosupportteachingComputerSciencestudentsmachinelearning,twothousandjpegphotographswereobtainedfromaveterinarian'selectronicmedicalrecord.Animalsvisitingaveterinaryofficeareoftendistressed,sothisdatasetdiffersfromthosetypicallycomposedofownerselected,internetpostings.Imageswereanonymized,eachanimal'sfacewashandlocated,andtheimagesweretaggedusing144distinctlabels.AnAPIwaswritteninPythontoallowstudentseasyaccesstothetagsandtofacilitatemanipulationoftheimages.ThedatasetandAPIwerethenusedasamachinelearninglabassignmentinanundergraduateArtificialIntelligencecourse.StudentsusedaSupportVectorMachine(SVM)toclassifydatasetimagesatthreeresolutionsovermultiplecolorspaces.Resultswereobtainedidentifyingcats,animalswithblacknoses,andthosewithfloppyears.47 (SESSIONB)MINDFULNESS:RELATIONSHIPSWITHIMPULSIVITY,ANXIETYSENSITIVITYANDINTEROCEPTIVEAWARENESS

AmyPildner,DevonBaris&JessicaCollinsDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Thecurrentstudyexploredtherelationshipbetweenmindfulness,anxietysensitivity,impulsivity,andinteroceptiveawareness.Mindfulnesshasbeendefinedasnon-judgmental,presentmomentawarenessandhasbeenassociatedwithmanypositivementalhealthoutcomes.Thestudyexpandsonpreviousresearchontherelationshipbetweenmindfulnessandthethreeconstructs.Asampleof191collegeageparticipantscompletedtheonlinestudyandtheresultsdemonstratedrobustrelationshipsbetweenthevariables,includinganegativerelationshipbetweenmindfulnessandanxietysensitivityaswellasimpulsivityandtwoofitssubscales.Additionally,resultsrevealedapositiverelationshipbetweenmindfulnessandinteroceptiveawareness.Theimplicationsoftheserelationshipsarediscussed.48 (SESSIONB)TVIS"TOTESCRAY":MISLEADINGANDDEROGATORYPORTRAYALSOFMENTALILLNESSONTELEVISION

NiaKerr&JuliaFitzgeraldDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Previousstudieshaveexaminedtheimpacttelevisionhasonbeliefsandattitudesofviewersregardingmentalillness.Thecurrentstudyrepresentsacontentanalysisof689televisionshows,including14differentprogramtypes(7fiction,7nonfiction)thatwerevideotapedbetween2011-2016fortheCenterforResearchontheEffectsofTelevision(CRETV)archiveatIthacaCollege.Morethan60%oftheprogramscontainedoneormorementalillnessincidentsorlanguage,includingawiderangeofeuphemismsformental

illness(e.g.,"crazy,""nut-job,""whacko,""totescray")thatwereappliedtohumanandnon-humancharactersaswellastosituationsandobjects.Thisanalysisexploreshoweuphemismscanreinforcederogatoryperceptionsofmentalillness,andtocomparethe"world"ofmentalillnessontelevisionwithstatisticsaboutmentalillnessintherealworld(e.g.,thefrequencyandtypesofdifferentmentalillnesses,thedemographicsofthosediagnosedwithmentalillnesses).Resultsshowedahighincidenceofderogatoryeuphemisms(especiallyonsitcoms,children'sandteenshows)frequentlyportrayedinahumorousandnegativecontext.Televisionalsoportraysmentalillnessverygenerally,andunderrepresentschildren,teens,olderadults,andpeopleofcolorwithmentalillness,includingaddiction.49 (SESSIONB)EFFECTOFSINGLESEXSCHOOLSONGENDERSTEREOTYPING

BrigidN.Treverton,CheyenneM.Loveland&DonnaFisher-ThompsonDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109

ManyhighschoolstudentsthroughouttheUnitedStatesattendsingle-sexprivateorpublichighschools.Whilerecentresearchhasbeguntoquestionwhetherstudentsattendingtheseschoolsshowhigherlevelsofacademicachievementandlessstereotypicalcareerpaths,therearealsoconflictingreportsonwhetherstudentsattendingthemendorsegenderstereotypesmorestronglythanstudentsattendingco-educationalhighschools.Moststudiesassessinggenderstereotypeshaveonlyinterviewedstudentsaboutmathematics,science,andverbalperformance.Wequestionwhethercollegestudentsholddifferentattitudesaboutthebehaviors,personalitytraits,andcognitiveskillsofmenandwomendependentonthetypeofhighschooltheyattended.Thus,collegestudentswillbeaskedtocompleteasurveytoassessgenderstereotyping.Halfwillbeaskedtorate"atypicalmalecollegestudent"andtheotherhalfwillratea"typicalfemalecollegestudent."Studentswillalsobeaskedabouttheircollegemajorandwhethertheyattendedacoeducationalorsame-sexhighschooltodeterminewhetherthetypeofschooltheyattendedinfluencedtheirdecisionofcollegemajor.Basedonpastresearch,wehypothesizethatstudentswhoattendedsingle-sexschoolswouldhavehigherscoresonthegenderstereotypingscale.50 (SESSIONB)VISUALACUITYINGOLDFISH

BrianM.McGuire,SaraVogel&DonnaFisher-ThompsonDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

Ourpresentationsummarizesanexperimentalstudyusingoperantconditioningtotestvisualacuityingoldfish(Carassiusauratus).Twocalicofantailgoldfishwereconditionedtolookthroughportholesattheendofthetank.Thefishcouldseeblackandwhitestripespositionedatadistanceof20cmfromtheportholes.Stimuluscardsvariedfrom3to55black-whitepairs(i.e.,3to55cycles)per11cm.Thefishwereinitiallyshapedtobitestimuluscardswith3or4cyclesbyrewardingthefishwithfoodforbitingtheportholedisplayingstripesratherthanacontrolstimulus(123cycles).Testingbeganoncefish

reachedan80%criterion.Fishwerepresentedwithvarious5to7stimuluscardsoneachdayofthe28testingdays,20trialsperday.Bothfishweresuccessful,reachingaminimumof70%accuracy,onstimuluscardswith18orfewercycles(comparableto20/1025onaSnellenscale).Oneadditionalcalicofantailfishandthreeblackmoorsarebeingtrainedwiththeeventualgoaltocomparethevisualacuityoftheblackmoorsthatwereartificiallyselectedtohaveenlargedtelescopiceyeswiththefantailfishthathaveunalteredeyes.51 (SESSIONB)DOESALINEUPMAKEADIFFERENCEINDEFENDANT-CULPRITMATCHING?

AmandaGarry,AlizeRosado&ZacharyGlowackiDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

CCTVsurveillancecamerashavebecomeincreasinglyprevalent.Whenaskedtoidentifyculpritsinvideos,peopletendtobelessaccuratethanexpected.Inthecurrentstudy,participantswereshowneightdifferentvideosofrealcrimesandwereaskedtoidentifywhotheybelievedwastheculpritbasedonvideoevidence.Participantswereeithergivena"fillercontrol"testcomposedof5mugshotswheretheguiltyorinnocentdefendantwaspresentamongfourfillers,ora"same/different"testwithonemugshotofeithertheguiltyorinnocentdefendant.Theguiltydefendantwaspresent50%ofthetime.Thepurposeofthefillercontrolistohelptheparticipantsrelyonevidenceratherthanpossibleoutsidebiaseswhichoftenoccurbyseeingonlyonedefendant(same/differentcontrol).Weincludedconditionswherethevideoresolutionwaseitherhighorlowandiftheculpritworeadisguiseornot.Ourstudyshowedthatparticipantspresentedwiththefillercontrollineupweremoreaccurateincorrectlyidentifyingthedefendant.Invideoconditionswithlowresolutionorwhenadisguisewaspresent,participantsfrombothgroupsperformedequally,indicatingthathighresolutionvideosaremoreaccurateforidentifyingacriminal.52 (SESSIONB)ENVIRONMENTALEFFECTSONSTRESS-MANIFESTATIONS,BEHAVIOR,ANDWORKINGMEMORYINFEMALELONGEVANSRATS

MadelynJanePierceNeuroscienceProgram,JohnCarrollUniversity,UniversityHeights,OH,44118

Thisstudyinvestigatedthecorrelationsthatenvironmenthadwithphysicalmanifestationsofstress,behavior,andworkingmemoryin18femaleLong-Evansrats.Onegroupofratswasexposedtopositive-associatedpicturestapedtotheircages(PE),whileanothergroupwaspresentedwithnegative-associatedpictures(NE),andafinalgroupwasexposedtoblankwhitepaper(C).GroupPEandhalfofgroupCwereplacedinoneroomandgroupNEandtherestofgroupCwereplacedinanotherroom.Dailyrecordsoffoodconsumption,waterconsumption,behavior,andactivitywerecollected.Bodyweight,andMorrisWaterMazetimeswererecordedeveryotherdayinarotatingcyclebetweenrooms.Attheendoftheexperiment,adrenalglandweightswererecorded.ThereweresignificantdifferencesbetweengroupsNEandCandNEandPEforadrenalglandweightsandgroupsNEandPEforbehavior.Resultsindicatedthatthenegativeenvironmentinfluencedstressand

behaviorinfemaleLong-Evansrats.Neitherthepositivenorthenegativeenvironmentinfluencedworkingmemory.53 (SESSIONB)GO!ANEVALUATIONOFAONE-TO-ONETUTORINGPROGRAM

CaraSchanbacher,GretaO'Hara,ChristinaCarden&MelanieMalcomsonDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Manycommunitiesoffertutoringprogramstohelpacademicallystrugglingstudentssucceedinschool.Researchindicatespositiveimpactsofone-to-onetutoringinacademicandnon-academicskillsforstudents.Childrencanbenefitfromhavingacommittedadultintheirlifeasitisfoundtocreateameaningfulmentoringconnection.However,researchfindingsontheeffectoftutoringonacademicperformancevariesandcomparativestudiesareuncommon.Weconductedaprogramevaluationofatutoringprogramofferedtostudentsingrades2-8.Thisprogramprovidesone-to-onetutoringtostudentsatriskforacademicfailure.Tutorsarevolunteerretiredteachers.DataincludedNYSMathandEnglishLanguageArts(ELA)testscoresandmathandreadingassessmentscoresfortutoredstudentsandacomparisongroup,andqualitativedatafromsurveysfromteachers,parentsandtutorsofthesestudents.Resultsshowthatstudentsinthetutoringprogramweremorelikelytoincreaseormaintaintheirscoresovertimethanthecomparisongroup,howeverthedifferencewasnotstatisticallysignificant.Qualitativeanalysesrevealedthatteachers,parentsandtutorsfelttheprogrammadeapositiveimpactinthestudents'socioemotionaldevelopmentandschoolrelatedattitudes,aswellasimprovementsinacademicareas.54 (SESSIONB)INTERMITTENTSTRESSDOESNOTIMPACTINTERMITTENTETHANOLINTAKEACROSSTHEADOLESCENTTOADULTTRANSITIONINMALEANDFEMALESPRAGUE-DAWLEYRATS

GrantM.Brighter,JackC.Lewis,MadisonN.Sluter&TamaraL.FitzwaterDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Adolescenceisadevelopmentalperiodcharacterizedbyincreasedalcoholconsumption.Giventhecomplexinteractionobservedbetweenstressandalcohol,thecurrentstudyexaminedtherelationshipbetweenintermittentstressandethanoldrinkinginananimalmodelofadolescence.Adolescent[postnatalday(P)302]maleandfemaleSprague-Dawleyratsweregivenfree-accesstoa2-bottlechoicebetweenwaterandsweetenedethanoleveryMonday,Wednesday,andFridayforatotalof17exposures.Controlgroupshada2-bottlechoicebetweenwaterandthesweetsolutionwithoutethanol.Additionally,halfoftheratsreceivedintermittentexposureto1hofrestraintstressonnon-drinkingdays(i.e.,TuesdaysandThursdaysafterbottleremoval).Thus,ethanolconsumptiondayswereinterleavedwithstressexposure.Drinkingdatarevealedmoderateinitiallevelsofethanolintake(~6-7g/kg),whichremainedstableforthefirsthalfoftheexperimentandthensignificantlydeclined(~4g/kg).Unexpectedly,intermittentstressexposuredidnotsignificantlyimpactethanoldrinkinginmalesorfemales,andnosignificantsexdifferences

inconsumptionwereobserved.Together,thesedatasuggestthattheIA2BCparadigminducedmoderatelevelsofethanolintakeinadolescentrats,butthatethanolintakeundertheseconditionswasnotresponsivetomildintermittentstress.55 (SESSIONB)MALLEABILITY,CONTROLLABILITYANDTHESELF-CONSCIOUSEMOTIONSINAHEALTHCONTEXT

EvaA.Garcia-FerresDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Shameandguiltaretwoself-directedemotionsthatariseinresponsetonegativeevaluationsofpersonalfailures.Whileshametendstoemphasizetraitsascausalfactorsofapersonalfailure,guiltfocusesonpersonalbehaviors(Lewis,1971).Thisdistinctionisduetodifferentframeworksforunderstandingthefailureathand.Whiletheself-consciousemotionsreflectaffectiveresponsestowaysofunderstandingpersonalfailure,constructssuchasImplicitTheoriesandLocusofControlassessspecificbeliefsaboutmalleabilityandcontrollabilityofdomainssuchasintelligence.Thepresentstudyinvestigatedthewaycertainframeworksforunderstandingpersonalhealthsetbacksrelatetoemotion.Participants(N=253)completedmeasuresofimplicittheoriesofhealth,healthlocusofcontrolandhealth-relatedshameandguilt.Theresultsindicatedthatalthoughshameandguiltwerehighlycorrelated,theypresenteddistinctrelationshipswiththeotherconstructs.Individualswhobelievedtheirhealthwasfixedandpersonallyuncontrollableweremorelikelytoexperienceshame,butnotguilt,thanthosewhobelievedhealthwasmalleableandpersonallycontrollable.Furtherexaminationofthesubscalesrevealedthatindividualsassuminganactiveroleintheirhealthwerelesslikelytoexperienceshame.56 (SESSIONB)NOVELFERTILIZERAPPLICATIONTOIMPROVEHEALTHOFGREENHOUSEPLANTS

AshleyVaselDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053

Thisstudyexploredpestcontrolinrelationtothechallenginggreenhouseagriculturalenvironmentsitcanface.Aphidsaresmallsapsuckinginsectsthatdestroyplantsintemperateregions,aswellasgreenhouses,provingthemselvestobeaseriouspestforagriculture,forestry,andgardeners.Theycanrapidlyreproducethroughasexualreproductionresultinginaplanttoexpendmostofitsenergyindefenseratherthanfruitproduction.Overtime,manypopulationsofaphidshavedevelopedaresistancetopesticidestherefore,organic,naturalimprovementofplanthealthwillservetobefavorable.Throughtheuseoforganicmaterialsinvaryingpottingsoils,thisexperimentwilltesttoseeifthereisasoiltreatmentthatcanincreasetheplantsabilitytofightthesepeststhroughitsowndefenses.

57 (SESSIONB)POLLENANALYSISOFSCAEVOLAPLUMIERIANDSCAEVOLATACCADAINPUERTORICO

AbbyWine,SophiaPitti-Daly,AdrianaDelGrosso,SusanWitherup&PeterMelcherDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

OurresearchfocusesonunderstandingthepotentialimpactsoftheinvasiveScaevolataccadaonthenativeScaevolaplumieriinPuertoRico.Thelargerinvasivespecies(300-400flowers)mayimpactsmallernativespecies(10-15flowers)byaffectingthebehaviorofpollinators.Thisstudyassessedwhethertheinvasiveplantattractsthesamepollinatorsthatvisitthenativeplant.Weapproachedthisquestionbyfirstcharacterizingthepollengrainsfromeachplantspecies.WefoundthatpollengrainsfromS.taccadawerelarger(~39.05m)thanthoseofS.plumieri(~33.13m)butwereotherwisesimilarmorphologically.Apreliminaryanalysisofpollenwasconductedfromopen-pollinatedflowerscollectedin2017fromS.taccada(n=2)andS.plumieri(n=3)thatrevealedthatS.taccadapollenwaspresentinflowersofS.plumieri,butnotthereverse.ThepresenceofS.taccadapollenonS.plumieriflowerssuggeststhatthesespeciessharesomepollinators.WewereunabletofindanyS.taccadaflowersthatcontainedS.plumieripollen.Additionalanalysesofopen-pollinatedflowerscollectedin2015and2016mayrevealS.plumieripollenontheinvasivespecieswhichwillprovidesupportforourpreliminaryconclusionthatthesespeciessharepollinators.58 (SESSIONB)ESTABLISHINGANEFFICIENTANDEFFECTIVESAMPLINGPROTOCOLFORTHEMUDPUPPYSALAMANDER

SamuelPallisDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,CT,06226

TheCommonMudpuppy,Necturusmaculosus(Family:Proteidae),isafully-aquaticsalamanderfoundthroughoutCanadaandintothenortheasternandmidwesternUnitedStates.Mudpuppypopulationshavedeclinedthroughouttheirentiregeographicrange.Awidearrayofsamplingtechniquesrangingfromhandnettingtoelectroshockinghavebeenusedtosamplepopulations;however,noconsistentsamplingprotocolhasbeenestablished.Thisexperimentalstudywillcomparetwocollectiontechniques,activesearchingandbaitedtrapping,selectedfromtheprimaryliteratureduetotheirreportedeffectiveness,lowexpense,andhighfeasibility.PopulationsamplingwillbeconductedintheConnecticutRiverandassociateddrainages.ActivesearchinginvolvesflippingrocksandseinenettingwhilebaitedtrappingemploysmeshtrapsoriginallydescribedbyFosteretal.(2008)andmodifiedbyBriggleretal.(2013)andMurphyetal.(2016).Theeffectivenessandefficiencyofbaitedtrappingversusactivenettingwillbecomparedbydeterminingcaptureratesandassessingcapturedemographicsofsalamanders.Baitedtrappingisexpectedtobemoreefficientthanactivesearchingduetotheecologyofthestudyspeciesandbecause20baitedtrapscanbedeployedfor24hoursinonly3-4efforthours,whileactivesearchingislimitedbythenumberofcollectors.

59 (SESSIONB)BLOCKISLAND,HORSESHOECRABPARADISE?

ChristinaCerreta&AmandaBeecherDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

LongIslandSoundisanurbanestuarythathasbeendominatedbyhumanactivity.CountsofjuvenilehorseshoecrabsonbeachesinConnecticuthaveshownthatsurvivalisloworabsentonhalfofthebeachessurveyed.Also,juvenilesinolder(largersize>5cm)classeswereabsent.OnBlockIsland,isolatedinBlockIslandSoundoffthecoastofRhodeIsland,thebeacheshavelesspollutionandthedensityofpeopleislowerthanCTbeaches.Juvenilehorseshoecrabswereabundantandwefoundnumerousindividualsacrossmostsizeclasses.Juvenilehorseshoecrabsfeedonavarietyofbenthicinvertebratesincludingsegmentedwormsandsmallbivalves.Sedimentcoresamplesweretakenfrom10beachesinCTandtwositesonBlockIslandtocomparethedifferencesinbenthicfaunadiversityanddensitybetweenthesetwoareas.ThiswillhelpdetermineiffoodavailabilitymaybeoneofthefactorsleadingtothedeclineofjuvenilesfoundonCTbeaches.Wefoundthatindeed,benthicinvertebratediversityanddensityisimportantforhorseshoecrabgrowthandsurvivalandthatthecleanerbeachesofBlockIslandprovideabetterhabitat.60 (SESSIONB)PATTERNSOFAMPHIPODFEEDINGANDPHENOLICCONTENTINAPICALANDMIDDLEPORTIONSOFINVASIVEMYRIOPHYLLUMSPICATUMANDNATIVECERATOPHYLLUMDEMERSUM

MeghanKebalkaDept.ofEngineering-Physics-Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918

Althoughthefactorsleadingtosuccessfulsubmergedplantinvasionsarepoorlyunderstood,highlevelsofchemicalfeedingdeterrentsininvasiveplantspeciesmaybepartlyresponsible.However,chemicaldeterrentsarenotalwaysuniformlydistributedwithinplanttissues,andlittleisknownabouthowthatmayaffectherbivorefeedingpatternsinaquaticandmarinesystems.ToexaminethedistributionofphenolicswithinthetissuesofinvasiveMyriophyllumspicatumandnativeCeratophyllumdemersum,2-cmfragmentsweretakenfromtheapexandmiddleportionsof10individualsofeachspecies.Analysisoftotalphenoliccontentinthesetissuesiscurrentlyunderway.PreviousworkshowedthatphenoliccontentinwholeM.spicatumplantsis2-3timeshigherthaninC.demersum.Ano-choicefeedingexperimentshowedthatamphipods,thedominantherbivoreatourstudysite,consumedsignificantlymoremiddlethanapicalC.demersumtissueandateverylittleM.spicatum.Achoicefeedingexperimentconfirmedthatamphipodspreferredthelow-phenolicnativeC.demersumtothephenolic-richinvasiveM.spicatum.WeexpectthatapicalportionsofC.demersumwillcontainmorephenolicsthanmiddlesegments,whichmayallowC.demersumtodivertgrazingawayfrommeristematictissuecriticalforregrowth.

61 (SESSIONB)WATERYOULOOKINGAT?LANDUSEANDWATERQUALITYONTHEDINGLEPENINSULA

ElizabethBouchard&JennaRondeauDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

MorethanhalfofthepopulationoftheUnitedStateseitherliveswithinthecoastalzone.Coastalzonessupportadiversearrayofindustries(aquaculture,tourism,shipping),recreation,anddesirablespaceforurbandevelopment,whichprovideenormouseconomicproductivity.However,humanactivitiessuchaswastewatereffluent,runoff,sedimentation,andhabitatdestructionthroughinfillingwaterfrontdevelopment,reducewaterqualityincoastalecosystems.Sustainabledevelopmentofcoastalsystemsreliesonunderstandingthecomplexcoupleddynamicsbetweennaturalandhumansystems.Weconductedanenvironmentalassessmentoftwodivergentcoastalwatersheds(DingleandBallyferriter)ontheDinglePeninsulainIrelandtodetermineifandhowlanduseinfluenceswaterquality.InteractivesupervisedclassificationswereperformedonbothwatershedsusingArcGIS.Waterqualityparameters(DO,nitrates,phosphates,conductivity)wereassessedoverthepastfouryearsprimarilyduringsummermonthsinbothwatershedsaspartofalongtermresearchproject.Analysesindicateyearlyandseasonaldifferencesbetweenwatershedswithrespecttonitrateandphosphateload.Ingeneral,nutrientconcentrationswerehigherinDinglethaninBallyferriter.Weexaminethesedifferenceswithrespecttolanduseacrossbothwatershedsanddiscussnutrientdynamicswithinthecontextofthedynamicsanddiversityofcoastalhabitats.62 (SESSIONB)DIGESTIONOFMICROPLASTICSWITHTHEUSEOFNILEREDSTAINING

JuliaKeeneDept.ofEnvironmentalScience,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

ThisexperimentisresearchingmicroplasticsandthemostefficientwaytodetectthemincurrentsamplesfromCayugaLake,Ithaca,NY.Iftherearemicroplasticsembeddedinthesamples,thenIwillbeabletomakethemfluoresceusingNileReddyeandcolortechniques.Thishasbeenshowninpreviousresearchonthedigestionofmicroplasticswiththeuseofnilereddyedilutedwithn-hexane,orahexaneisomermixtureasthebaseofthedigestion(Shimetal.,2016).CurrentsampleshavebeencollectedfromvariouslocationsonCayugaLake,sieveddownto350micronstoseparateanyorganicmatter,driedusingavacuumfilterfortenminutes,andthengothroughdigestion.Severaldigestionprocesseshavebeenused,inShim'sresearchpaper,itsuggestedusingN-Hexane,andsinceusingitIhaveattemptedseveralotherdigestiondilutionswithNileRedincluding:methane,andhydrogenperoxide.Oncethesampleshavefinisheddigestionandarestained,thenextmethodtofollowissettingupthedissectingscopetodetectfluorescence.ThisisdonewiththeuseofablueLEDandplasticopticalfilterstoadjustwavelength.Alldigestionmethodshaveledtothefluorescingofmicroplasticsinthesamples.

63 (SESSIONB)CAREFULWHATYOUCLEAN:THETHREATOFMICROFIBERPOLLUTIONDUETOTEXTILEWEATHERING

BriannaMatthews&OscarMayerDept.ofEnvironmentalStudiesandSciences,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Ourmodernsocietyheavilyreliesontheuseofplasticmaterials,however,theconsequencesofcontinuedplasticuseareonlyrecentlybeingexplored.Microplasticsarebeingidentifiedinthroughoutwatersystemsinhuman-developedareas,posingamassiverisktotheenvironmentandpublichealth.Amajorsourceofmicroplasticsisclothing,specificallyapparelcomposedofsyntheticfabrics.Aswewashsyntheticfabrics,smallstrandsofplastic,calledmicrofibers,arereleasedfromthematerial.Thisprocessintroducesthesefibersdirectlyintotothewatersystem.Ourresearchteamhassetouttodeterminetheamountofmicrofibersreleasedfromwashingvarioustypesofsyntheticclothing.Bycollectingsamplesdirectlyfromwashingmachineaffluent,weareabletoanalyzehowmanymicrofibersarereleasedundercertainconditions.Inadditiontothemanysampleswecollect,wehavebeendirectlycomparingthereleaseofmicrofibersfromanoldpieceoffabrictoacompletelynewpieceoffabric,andcomparingtheamountoffibersreleasedfromloosely-knitsyntheticfleecestotightly-knitathleticapparel.Syntheticmicrofibersposeagreatrisktotheenvironmentandpublichealthandthroughthisproject,wewanttofurtherconversationandbringmicrofiberpollutionintothepublicawareness.64 (SESSIONB)OXYGENUPTAKEANDSPECTROSCOPICANALYSISOFFERROXIDASEACTIVITYBYFET3P

MatthewMichienzi,ElaineMilitello&ChristopherS.StojDept.ofBiochemistryChemistryandPhysics,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109

Ironmetabolismineukaryotesinvolvescarefulredoxcyclingbetweenbioactive,yetpro-oxidantFe(II)andbio-unavailable,yetredoxstableFe(III).Themechanismsbywhichbiologicalsystemsmodulatetheredoxstatusofironarecentraltoacreatingacomprehensiveviewofmetallobiochemistryandtheroleofthisessentialbiologicalcofactor.Akeyplayerinthemanagementofironredoxstatusareaclassofenzymescalledthemulticopperoxidases(MCOs).ThoseMCOswhodemonstratespecificitytowardsFe(II)arefurtherclassifiedasferroxidases,whichcoupletheoxidationofirontothereductionofmolecularoxygen.ThisstudyextendsthestructuralandfunctionalcharacterizationoftheferroxidaseFet3pfromSaccharomycescerevisiae(Baker'sYeast).ThepHdependenceofenzymaticcatalysisforFe(II)byFet3phasbeenexaminedincomparisonto,andincompetitionwith,variousironchelatorstoprobethenatureofFet3pFe(II)bindingandsubsequentoxidationtoFe(III).Oxygenuptakeexperimentshavefocusedonanironchelator4-(2-Thiazolylazo)resorcinol(TAR)whichhasbeenrecentlyshowntoexhibituniqueUV-Visspectralchangesinresponsetotheredoxstatusofiron.WearecurrentlyinvestigatingthespectroscopicfeaturesofTARforuseinacontinuousassayofferroxidaseactivitybyFet3p.

65 (SESSIONB)INFRAREDTHERMOGRAPHYAPPLIEDTOTHESTUDYOFENZYMEKINETICS

KaitlynCrobar&AndrewT.TorelliDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Enzymekineticsisafundamentalareaofstudyinbiochemistrythatinvolvesmonitoringtheratesofcatalyzedchemicalreactions,oftenbyspectrophotometricdetectionofchangesinproductorsubstrateconcentrations.Analternativestrategyfortrackingreactionratesinvolvesmonitoringtheevolutionofheatfromtheenzyme-catalyzedreactions.Thetotalheatofreactioncanthenbeusedtocalculatethemolesofproductformedbytakingintoaccountthemolarenthalpychangeforthereaction.Thisapproach,aformofenthalpimetricanalysis,offerssomeadvantagesbyavoidingrelianceonchromophoresspecifictothereactionbeingstudied,orsensitivitytointerferenceinmixedsamplesarisingfromthesimultaneouspresenceofundesirablechromophoresormultipleproteinspecies.Suchmethodologiesweredevelopedover50yearsagousingnear-adiabaticinstrumentationtoquantifythetotalheatchange.Morerecently,infraredimagingtechnologiessuchasthe$200FLIRONEhavebecomeavailable,whichopenspossibleapplicationsforanalysisofenzymekinetics.Wereportinitialstudiesbasedoninfraredthermographicimagingofanenzyme-catalyzedreactionyieldingsemi-quantitativeresultsusingasimpleexperimentalsetup.ExploitingtheuniqueaffordancesofIRimagingincludingaccelerateddatacollectionandrich,intuitivevisualfeedbackofthereactionmayprovesuitableforapplicationsofthisapproachinabiochemistryeducationsetting.66 (SESSIONB)FLUORESCENCESPECTROSCOPYTOEXPLOREMOTIONWITHINDNABINDINGDOMAINS

NatalieA.George&JamieP.EllisDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

TranscriptionofDNAisregulatedbybindingoftranscriptionfactorstospecificDNAsequences.Theauxinresponsefactor(ARF)familyisasetoftranscriptionactivatorsandrepressorsfoundinmanycrops.AllARFscontainanN-terminalDNAbindingdomain(DBD)thatincludesaB3DNAbindingmotifandadimerizationsubdomain.TheinterplayofthesesubdomainsmayexplaintheselectivityinbindingtoDNA,butmotionwithinthisdomainispoorlyunderstood.WecomparetheDBDsofARF1andARF5asARF5ismorepermissivetoalargerspacingbetweenbindingsitesonDNAsuggestingahigherflexibility.Fluorescencespectroscopyresolvessubdomainmotionsandbindingeventsthatoccuronthesametimescaleasthefluorescentlifetimes(~ns).Wetestedtheexpressionandpurificationoftheproteinthencomparedthiol-reactivefluorophorereactionstoanewN-terminalconjugationmethodinordertoapplyasmallexogenousfluorophoretomultiplespecificsites.FluorescenceanisotropyissensitivetochangesinrotationalcorrelationtimestodirectlyobservesubdomainmotionsinthepresenceandabsenceofDNA.Differencesintheavailablestructuralensemblemayexplainthestructuralbasisoftargetspecificityaswellastheinterplayofthesetranscriptionalon-andoff-switches.

67 (SESSIONB)ANNOTATIONOFSCHIZOPHYLLUMCOMMUNEMATING-TYPELOCIREVEALSDISTINCTPATTERNSOFSEQUENCEEVOLUTION

MiaMagazin&MichaelBoylesBiologyDept.,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

Schizophyllumcommuneisamushroom-formingfungusthathaslong-servedasamodelsystemforinvestigatingthemolecularcontrolofdevelopmentthroughstudyofitscomplexmatingsystem.Theproductsofthegenesencodedwithinthemating-typelociinteractinnon-selfcombinationstoactivatetheinitialeventsofsexualdevelopment.Recently,thisfungushasalsobeennotedforahighlevelofsequencediversitybetweenstrainswhichishypothesizedtobeduetoahighmutationrateandinefficientDNArepairmechanism.TheAmatingtypeloci,thatpartiallycontrolsexualdevelopment,standouteveninthishighlydiversefungusasextremeoutliersinlowsequenceidentitybetweenstrains,leadingtoahypothesisthatthisareaisunderselectionforbothsequencedivergenceatthenucleotidelevelandconservationoffunctionattheproteinlevel.AnnotationandsequencecomparisonoftheA-alphamating-typelociinthetwentystrainsforwhichgenomicsequencesareavailablerevealadistinctpatternofsequenceidentitybetweenstrainsdifferinginmating-typeandaconfirmanabruptboundaryinsequenceidentitybetweenstrainsatthebordersofthemating-typeregions.WeareexpandingourmethodsofanalysistoprovidefurtherinformationonthenatureofsequenceevolutionbetweenstrainsattheA-alphamating-typelocusofSchizophyllumcommune68 (SESSIONB)RESCUEOFETHANOLINDUCEDPHENOTYPESINZEBRAFISHEMBRYOSTREATEDWITHN-ACETYLCYSTEINE

AlexanderRadeckiBiomolecularSciencesDept.,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,

06053Zebrafishisanestablishedmodelforstudyingfetalalcoholspectrumdisorder(FASD).EthanoltreatedzebrafishembryosexhibitFASDphenotypes,suchascongenitalheartdefects(CHD),bodytruncation,andcraniofacialdefects.N-acetylcysteine(NAC)isadrugthatisusedtotreatacetaminophenoverdoseandworksbyincreasingglutathionelevels,reducingreactiveoxygenspecies(ROS).SinceROSarealsoproducedbyethanol,wehypothesizedthatNACmayalsoreducephenotypesassociatedwithFASDinthezebrafishmodel.TotestthishypothesiswemonitoredCHDandthesurvivalrateofembryosexposedto1.5%ethanol.Weseparatedzebrafishembryosatspherestage(~4hrs)intogroupswhichincludedthreecontrolgroupsthatwerefishwater,1.5%ethanol,10µMNAC,andanexperimentalgroupof10µMNAC+1.5%ethanolmixture.Theembryosfromeachgroupwereexaminedforsurvivalrate,levelofcardiacedema,andhatching.NACpreventedcardiacedemaindevelopingembryosthatwereexposedtoethanol.Wearecurrentlyinvestigatingeffectsonheartfunction(heartrate,heartmorphogenesis)andareassessinglevelsofapoptosisinethanoltreatedembryos.WeexpectthatNACco-administrationwillalsoreduceothertypesofcardiacdefectsandreduceapoptosisassociatedwithFASD.

69 (SESSIONB)INVESTIGATIONOFTHEMECHANISTICDETAILSOFTHERSC1ANDRSC2SUBUNITSOFTHEYEASTRSCCHROMATINREMODLER

AdaezeObinelo&BryanJ.WilkinsDept.ofBiochemistry,ManhattanCollege,BX,NewYork,10471

Weaimtoilluminatethestructure/functionrelationshipoftheyeastRSCchromatinremodeler.Remodelersareresponsiblefortheregulationofnucleosomalpositioningandregulatechromosomalfunction.RSCiscomprisedof17subunitsandverylittleisknownabouttheoverallorganizationorfunctionofeachunit.Todate,therelacksacrystallizedstructurefortheRSCremodeler.RSCexistsastwoisoformsthatdifferonlyinonesubunit,Rsc1orRsc2.Thesetwoproteinsarehomologsinfluencingalteringcellularphenotypes.Itisnotwellunderstoodhoweachisoformcontrolsvariablechromosomaldynamics.Weutilizeanexpandedgeneticcodeinyeastandacrosslinkerunnaturalaminoacidtoscanforhistone-Rsc1/2nucleosomalcontactsasawaytoidentifyinterfacesatthechromosomallevel,invivo.Rsc1andRsc2containbromodomainsthatareknowntobindhistoneacetyllysines.Therefore,wearescanninghistoneH3andH4tailsduetotheirhighlevelsoflysineacetylation.WeexpectthattheRsc1/2bromodomainsareresponsibleforbindingtothenucleosomeandthattheacetyloflysineisthesequesteringmechanism.Wewilltheninvestigatehowthetwohomologsaresequesteredbyvaryinghistoneposttranslationalmodificationsandidentifytheirdivergentbiochemicalroles.70 (SESSIONB)MACROH2AEXPRESSIONINCLONEDBOVINEEMBRYOS

SavannahPareDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06050

Insufficientnuclearreprogrammingisthoughttocausethelowefficiencyinproducingliveanimalsbysomaticcellnucleartransfer(SCNT).DNAdoublestrandbreaks(DSB)canresultindamagingmutations.Inthisstudy,clonedembryosdevelopedinatmosphericoxygenlevels(20%),whichcouldcauseanincreaseinfreeradicals,contributingtoahigheramountofDSBversustheembryosdevelopedinvivoundernormalconditions.H2AFX(macroH2AFX)playsanintegralpartindirectingtherepairofDSB,whichmakesitaninterestingcandidatetostudywhenlookingatpossibleviabilityproblemsinclones.WeinvestigatedgeneexpressionofH2AFXininvivoproduced(n=9)andSCNT(n=10)blastocyststagebovineembryosbyRT-qPCR.TheSCNTembryoswerecreatedusingfibroblastdonorcellsinwhichH2AFXexpressionwasalsomeasured.Itwasfoundthattherewasnosignificantdifference(P-value=0.31)inexpressionofH2AFXintheinvivoversustheclonedembryos.ThissuggeststhatH2AFXexpressionwasnotincreasedduetohigherlevelsofDSBintheclonedembryos.However,therewasasignificantdifference(P-value=0.04)inH2AFXexpressionbetweentheclonesanddonorcells,indicatingthatH2AFXexpressionwassuccessfullyreprogrammedbySCNT.

71 (SESSIONB)CHARACTERIZATIONOFANOVELMUTANTTRAPEZIAWITHENHANCEDANTHOCYANINACCUMULATIONINTHEMODELLEGUMEPLANTMEDICAGOTRUNCATULA

RamisSaleemDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Anthocyaninsarered,purpleorbluecoloredflavonoidcompoundsproducedbyplantswhichplayanimportantroleinstresstolerance.Anthocyaninshaveshownnumeroushealthbenefitsincludinganti-inflammatoryandanti-oxidanteffects.Anthocyaninsarealsousedastherapeuticagentstoimprovehumanhealth.ToidentifynovelgenesthatregulateanthocyaninaccumulationinthelegumemodelplantMedicagotruncatula,Dr.Veerappanscreened~500mutantplantsfromaTnt1mutantpopulation.Iamcharacterizingoneofthemutantscalledtrapezia(tpz)whichshowsenhancedanthocyaninaccumulation.tpzmutantwasnamedafterthered-spottedguardcrab(genusTrapezia)whichprotectscoralreefs.Comparedtowild-typeleaves,tpzmutantdisplaysincreasednumberofreddish-purpleanthocyaninspotsonbothadaxial(top)andabaxial(bottom)sidesoftheleaves.Dataonphenotypiccharacterizationoftpzmutantwillbepresented.Toidentifythecausalmutationresponsiblefortpzphenotype,IwillsearchMedicagoTnt1mutantdatabaseandalsoperformwholegenomesequencing.Discoveryofnovelgenesandmechanismsregulatinganthocyaninaccumulationinplantswillenableustomanipulatecropplantsforenhancedstresstoleranceandimprovedhumanhealth.72 (SESSIONB)ANALYSISOFAREGIONOFTHECYTOCHROME-BGENETOEXAMINEPATTERNSOFPOPULATIONSTRUCTUREANDDISPERSALOFNORTHAMERICANBLACKTERNS(CHLIDONIASNIGER

StefanosStravoravdis&MelodySlaterDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Whenconsideringconservationpolicy,definingdispersalpatternsandconnectivityamongsubpopulationsofmigratorybirdsisvitaltoprotectsiteskeytoaspecies'annualcycle.ThisisespeciallyimportantforpopulationsofBlackTerns(Chlidoniasniger),amarsh-nestingspeciesoftern.Previously,atranscontinentalanalysisofBlackTerngeneticdiversityandgeneflowrevealedpopulationstructure(limitedgeneflow)amongdecliningpopulationsacrossEurope.OurstudyservestoanalyzeBlackTernpopulationsacrossNorthAmerica,which,sincethe1960s,havebeendeclining.BlackTerns(N=106)weresampledata480-baseregioncytochrome-bgenefrompopulationsinOregon,Nebraska,Wisconsin,Ontario,andMaine.Thepopulationswereassessedforgeneticdiversity(haplotype,nucleotide,andgenediversity;meanheterozygosity)toinfergeneflow.Asinpreviousstudies,sexwasdeterminedusingpolymerasechainreactionoftheCHDregiontolookforsex-biaseddispersalofhaplotypes.WecompareresultstothoseoftheEuropeanstudy.AnysimilaritiesinhaplotypestructureandfrequencybetweenNorthAmericanandEuropeanpopulationscouldconsequentlyrepresentasharedevolutionaryhistorythatmayinformconservationdecisions.

73 (SESSIONB)DISCOVERINGHOWGENESINTERACT:RNAISCREENFORTRANSCRIPTIONALREGULATORSOFODD-SKIPPEDGENESINC.ELEGANS

JonathanRappi&AmyGrothDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Genesinteractwitheachothertoformcomplexnetworkscalledpathways.Transcriptionfactorgenescodeforproteinsthatactivateorinhibitthetranscriptionofothergenes.Odd-skippedgenesareanimportantgroupofevolutionarilyconservedtranscriptionfactors.InhumanstheyarecalledOsr1andOsr2andtheyplayimportantrolesinthedevelopmentofthekidney,heart,colon,skeletalmuscleandpalate.IncorrectexpressionofOsr1hasbeenlinkedtopancreaticandgastriccancer.ThesegenescanbestudiedinthemodelorganismC.elegans,amicroscopicworm.About60%to80%ofhumangenesarerelatedtoC.elegansgenes.Osr1andOsr2haverelatedgenesinwormscalledodd-1andodd-2.WeaimtoidentifytranscriptionfactorsthatregulateOdd-skippedgenes.Geneexpressioncanbevisualizedusingreporterstrainsthathavegreenfluorescentprotein(GFP)fusedtoodd-1orodd-2.Cellsthatfluoresceunderconfocalmicroscopyexpressthesegenes.RNAinterferencecanbeusedtoinhibitvarioustranscriptionfactorsintheOdd-skippedreporterstrains.Changesinexpressionindicatethattheknocked-downgeneregulatesOdd-skippedtranscription,directlyorindirectly.Wehaveidentifiedseveralcandidatesfrom~15genestestedtodate,andthescreenisongoing.74 (SESSIONB)REASSESSMENTOFINBREEDINGANDEFFECTIVEPOPULATIONSIZEOFTHECRITICALLYENDANGEREDCOMMONTERM(STERNAHIRUNDO)POPULATIONINBERMUDA

AbigailRidlerDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

AfteradirecthitbyaCategory4HurricaneFabianin2003,thepopulationofCommonTerns(Sternahirundo)inBermudaexperiencedamajorbottleneckingeffect.Since2003,managershavemonitoredthepopulationbytaggingandtakingbloodsamplesfromadultbirdsandhatchlings.Mostofthepopulationiscomposedoffemalesandonly2-4breedingpairshavebeendocumentedannuallysince2005.Inthisstudy,weanalyze16chickshatchedin2015-2016usingnewlypublishedhighlyvariablemicrosatellitemarkers.Allindividualswillbegenotypedforupto18independentmicrosatellitelociusingvariousPCRpanelsonacrylamidegel.Genotypeswillbeusedtoconstructageneticpedigreeforthepopulation,toinferthepresenceofunsampledbreedingadults,andtoassessthelevelofinbreedinginthissmallpopulation.Weanticipatethestatisticalpowerusingthisexpandedpanelofvariablemarkerstoinferthetotalnumberofbreedingadultsinthispopulationbetween2005and2016andperhapstoinferhistoriceffectivepopulationsizeofthisisolatedpopulation.ThesedatawillsupportconservationplansforthecriticallyendangeredpopulationofcommonternsinBermuda.

75 (SESSIONB)MOLECULARMECHANISMSOFSOMATOSENSORYNEURONFUNCTIONANDDEVELOPMENTINZEBRAFISH

MadisonChlebowskiDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Sensoryneuronsenableappropriateresponsestoenvironmentalstimuli,therebyallowingusavoidpainanddanger.Theseneuronsgrowbybranchingthroughtheskin,andtheirgoalistomaximizecoverage.Todothat,theyinteractwiththemselves,withotherneurons,andwiththeskinitself.Wehypothesizethatcell-surfaceadhesionproteinscontributetotheseinteractionsandareimportantfordevelopment.Furthermore,weproposethatregulatorsofthecytoskeletonhelpgivetheseneuronstheirshape.First,IhaveworkedtoidentifyfoundersforCRISPR/Cas9-inducedmutationsandperformedthehusbandrytocrossthesemutationstohomozygosity.Second,Ihavepreparedassaystoevaluateandanalyzeloss-offunctionmutationsingenesthatregulatedevelopmentandactivityofsomatosensoryneurons.Specifically,Ihaveappliedordevelopedassaystoanalyzecellfate,quantifygrowthandcoverageofsensoryarbors,andassessappropriatebehavioralresponsestosensorystimuli.Theseassayshelptoidentifythespecificphenotypesofsubsetsofsensoryneurons,leadingtoagreaterunderstandingofhowtheyinteractinsomatosensorydevelopment.Weusethisknowledgetoenhanceourunderstandingofdiseasescausingsensorydeficitsinhumans.76 (SESSIONB)INVESTIGATINGGENETICMECHANISMSTHATREGULATEGERMCELLFATEINC.ELEGANS

DallasFonseca,EmilySiniscalco,VanditaBhat,ZacharyT.Campbell&Te-WenLoDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Multicellularorganismsarecomprisedofnumerouscelltypes.Weareinterestedinaparticularclassofcellscalledstemcells.Stemcellsareundifferentiatedcellsthathavetheabilitytoachievemanydifferentcellfates,suchasspermandeggsinthegermline.WeareusingtheC.elegansgermlineasamodeltobetterunderstandhowstemcellsdifferentiatetoachievetheirfinalcellfates(spermoregg).Previousresearchhasidentifiedtwopathways,theconservedNotchandFBFpathways,whichworktogethertoplayaroleingermcelldifferentiation.However,themechanisticlinkbetweentheNotchandFBFpathwaysisunknown.OurresearchisfocusedonelucidatingthegeneticmechanismsthatlinktheNotchandFBFpathways.Basedonpreviousgeneticandbiochemicalexperiments,twocandidategenes,lst-1andsygl-1,wereidentifiedasthepotentialgeneticlink.Totestthishypothesis,weconductedacandidatetwo-hybridscreenandidentifiedaminoacidL153intheLST-1proteintoberequiredfortheFBFLST-1interaction.UsingCRISPR/Cas9weisolatedLST-1L153Amutantsinvivo.Thesemutantsexhibitasignificantreductioninmitoticzonesize,suggestingthatL153isessentialforLST-1function.

77 (SESSIONB)ANALYSISOFCHLOROPLASTINTRONLOSSINPLANTFAMILYGOODENIACEAE

NgawangChimeDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Chloroplastgenesrpl16andrpoC1areknowntobeinterruptedbyintronsinmanylandplants.Previousresearchindicatedthelossofrpl16andrpoC1intronsfromspeciesintheGoodeniaceae,butonlytwospeciesweretested.Ourgoalwastoassessrpl16andrpoC1intronpresenceinadditionalspeciesoftheGoodeniaceae.Twoapproacheswereused.PolymeraseChainReaction(PCR)wasusedtoamplifyintronsinfivespeciesofGoodeniaceaeusingprimersbasedonconservedregionsofthosegenesinrice,tobacco,andaliverwort.Secondly,wholegenomesequences(WGS)of13additionalGoodeniaceaespecieswereanalyzedusingGeneioussoftwareandthelettucechloroplastgenomeasareference.PCR-basedanalysisindicatedrpoC1intronabsence,butrpl16intronpresence,howevertheamplificationproductsizeoftherpl16intronvariedamongspecies.TheWGSanalysisconfirmedtherpoC1intronwasmissinginallspeciesexceptBrunoniaaustralis.Therpl16intronwaspresent,orpartiallypresentinallGoodeniaceaespeciesanalyzed.Thevariationofrpl16intronamplificationsizeisconfirmedbypartialintronlossesseeninWGS.Ourresultsindicatetherpl16intronhasnotbeencompletelylostinGoodeniaceaebutmaybeintheprocessofbeinglost.78 (SESSIONB)INVESTIGATINGTHEROLEOFTHECTDOFRNAPOLYMERASEIIONGENEEXPRESSIONVIASATURATIONMUTAGENESISINS.POMBE

JelaniWilliamsDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Duringgeneexpression,RNAPolymeraseII(RNAPII)isthemolecularmachinethatcarriesoutthevitalprocessoftranscription,thatis,thecopyingofDNAtoRNA.Inhigherorganisms,RNAsareprocessedforpropertranslationtoproteintooccur.Thecarboxyl-terminaldomain(CTD)ofRNAPIIconsistsofmultiplerepeatsoftheaminoacidheptadY1S2P3T4S5P6S7,whichisknowntorecruitRNAprocessingfactorsforpropergeneexpression.TodissecttheroleoftheaminoacidsintheCTDinRNAprocessing,weareusingtheprogrammedallelicseries(PALS)mutagenesisapproach(Shendure,2015)withthefissionyeastorS.pomberpb1gene,whichencodesthemajorsubunitofRNAPII.Weareconductingsite-directedsaturationmutagenesissuchthateveryaminoacidineachoftheCTD's29heptadrepeatswillbemutatedtothenineteenotheraminoacids,astopcodon,andadeletion.Wearedesigningandthensynthesizingthislargearrayofmutagenicprimersonamicroarray.UsingseveralPCRstepstheseprimersarethenamplifiedandextendedtocreatealibraryofrpb1mutants.Wewillthenassaythispoolofmutantsfortheireffectsongenome-widegeneexpression.

79 (SESSIONB)IDENTIFYINGDOWNSTREAMTARGETSOFCARTPEPTIDESINMEDIATINGREGENERATINGZEBRAFISHFINFOLDS

KevinTranDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Regenerationistheabilitytorepairandreplacedamagedorlosttissue.Someorganismslikehumansareunabletoregeneratemostdamagedorlostbodyparts,whereasotherorganismssuchaszebrafishandsalamanderscan.Themechanismunderlyingthisdifferenceremainslargelyunknown.However,animprovedunderstandingofwhyandhowsomeorganismscanregeneratebodyparts,mayfacilitatedevelopmentofimprovedmedicaltreatments.Classicstudieshaveuncoveredakeyroleofnervesinappendageregeneration.WefoundthatincreasedexpressionofCocaineandamphetamineregulatedtranscript(CART)enhancestherateofregenerationofthelarvalzebrafishfinfoldbutthemechanismunderlyingthiseffectremainsunknown.Toexploreconnectionsbetweennervesandregenerationinzebrafishweareusingpharmacologicaltreatmentsthatenhanceorblockfornerveactivityorgrowth.Furthermore,weareinvestigatingnerve-associatedgenesknowntobeassociatedwithregenerationincludingagr1,nrg1,ngn1,andduox.WearealsoinvestigatingwhetherexpressionofthesegenesisregulatedbyCART,andwhethertheeffectsofincreasedCARTpersistwhenthesegenesareknockedout.IwillpresentdataaboutprogressingeneratingCRISPRknockoutsandexaminingexpressionofthesegenesinzebrafishwithubiquitousexpressionofCART.80 (SESSIONB)THEEVOLUTIONOFDOSAGECOMPENSATION:WHATHAPPENSWHENYOUHAVETWOXCHROMOSOMESINSTEADOFONE

JacquelineAlexander,JihyeLee,JeffreyPage,EricHaag&Te-WenLoDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850andDept.ofBiology,Universityof

MarylandCollegePark,CollegePark,MD,20742DosagecompensationisanessentialprocessinheterogameticorganismswherethenumberofXchromosomesdiffersbetweenmales(XO/XY)andfemales/hermaphrodites(XX).DosagecompensationensuresthatbothsexeshaveequivalentlevelsofX-linkedgeneexpressionregardlessofXchromosomesquantity.Thisprocessisnothighlyconserved.Flies,mammals,andwormsallusedifferentmechanisms,therefore,itisnecessarytoexaminemorecloselyrelatedspecies,suchasC.elegansandC.briggsae,tobetterunderstandtheevolutionofdosagecompensation.InC.elegans,dosagecompensationismediatedbythedevelopmentalmasterswitchgenexol-1.Thefunctionofxol-1isconservedbetweenC.elegansandC.briggsae.Inbothspecies,lossofxol-1resultsinmale-specificlethalityandoverexpressionresultsinhermaphroditespecificlethality.Tofurtherunderstandtheevolutionofxol-1function,wescreened4338mutagenizedF1sandidentifiedeightpotentialC.briggsaexol-1suppressors.Wearecurrentlycharacterizingeachsuppressorbasedontheirabilitytorescuethexol-1lethalityphenotype.Wholegenome-sequencingwillbeusedtodeterminetheidentityoftheseeightC.briggsaexol-1suppressors.ThesedatawillnotonlyfurtherourunderstandingofC.briggsaedosagecompensationbutalsoprovideinsightsintotheevolutionofdosagecompensation.

81 (SESSIONB)THETEMPORALANDSPATIALGENETICEXPRESSIONOFKV2.1INCONVERGENTEXPRESSIONINZEBRAFISH

RaquelIreifejDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Convergentextensionistheprocessinearlyvertebrateembryonicdevelopmentthatspecifiestheanterior-posterioraxisandisrequiredforlaterdevelopmentofthenotochordandmidlinestructures.Adisruptioninconvergentextensionisfataltoembryossincedevelopmentofthespinalcordcannotproceed.Thisstudyfocusedonconvergentextensioninzebrafishembryos.Priorresearchinthelabhasshownthatthepotassiumvoltage-gatedchannel,kv2.1iscrucialtoconvergentextension.Withoutkv2.1,therewillbedefectiveconvergentextensionandembryoniclethality.Tofurtherunderstandthisnoveldevelopmentalfunctionofkv2.1expressionbothtemporalandspatial,mustbedetermined.Tounderstandthetemporalexpression,profileaquantitativerealtimereversetranscriptasepolymerasechainreaction(qRT-PCR).AqRT-PCRwilldeterminetherelativelevelofgeneexpressionovervariouscriticaldevelopmentaltimepoints.Anin-situhybridization(ISH)wasusedtolocalizethespecificRNAtissuelocalizationatthesamedevelopmentaltimepoints.Ihypothesizethatthegenekv2.1willbemosthighlyexpressedinthe60%epibolystagesincewehaveseenanessentialrequirementforthegeneproductatthisstage.Inconclusion,theseexperimentswillcomplementfunctionaldatatohelpidentifyanoveldevelopmentalfunctionforkv2.1.82 (SESSIONB)USINGMOLECULARMARKERSTOCONFIRMDELETERIOUSEFFECTSONCONVERGENTEXTENSIONINTHEABSENCEOFFOCALADHESIONKINASE

MariaMazoDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Afundamentalmechanisminthedevelopmentofavertebrateembryoisconvergentextension(CE).Astheembryodevelops,thecellsutilizeCEtonarrow(converging)thecellsalongoneaxiswhilelengthening(extension)thecellsalongtheperpendicularaxis.Thisprocessisessentialintheformationofanterior-posterioraxisandassociatedstructuressuchasthenotochord.Ourlabhassuggestedthatthedelayedrectifierandvoltage-gatedpotassiumchannel,kv2.1andFocalAdhesionKinase(FAK)bothplayanimportantroleincellmigrationandattachmenttoneighboringcellsduringCE.Usingamolecularmarkerassay,theeffectsonCEintheabsenceofFAK,weretested.Insituhybridizationwasusedonzebrafishembryoswithinjectedmorpholinoknockingdownorpreventingcellsfrommakingtargetprotein,FAK.Insituhybridizationwasalsousedoncontrolzebrafishembryos,injectedwithphenol,meaningthatFAKwaspresent.ThisallowedfortheeffectsofFAKdependentCEinaspecifictissuelocationtobeobserved.IhypothesizethattheuseofmolecularmarkerswilldemonstrateineffectivedevelopmentofCEintheabsenceofFAK.Overall,myresultsmayconfirmanessentialroleofFAKduringvertebrateCE.

83 (SESSIONB)COMPARISONOFWILD-TYPEVERSUSMUTANTL1CAMEXPRESSIONINCULTUREDNEURONS

DavidR.Cannata,CassandraLew,EvaMurphy&SamanthaPignatelliDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

Thecorrecttargetingofproteinstoaxonsanddendritesofneuronsisessentialfortheproperdevelopmentofthenervoussystem.L1CAMisacell-adhesionmoleculeresponsibleformultipleaspectsofneuronaldevelopment;mutationsareknowntoresultinadevelopmentalsyndromecharacterizedbycognitiveandmotordisabilities.Weexpressedwild-typeL1CAMandknownL1CAMmutantproteins,P941LandD544N,inculturedembryonicchickforebrainneuronsandcomparedtheircellulardistributions.Preliminarydatasuggeststhatboththewild-typeL1CAMandtheP941LL1CAMmutantaretargetedtoaxonsinasimilarfashion.Incontrast,theD544NL1CAMmutantdoesnotappeartoreachthecellsurfaceoftheneuron.84 (SESSIONB)AFUNCTIONALSCREENIDENTIFYINGNOVELDROSOPHILAEGFRECEPTORTARGETSWITHROLESINEGGSHELLMORPHOLOGY

CorinneBrown,NicholasHudock,HunterHughes,ZacharyWalter&LisaKadlecDept.ofBiology,WilkesUniversity,WilkesBarre,PA,18701

SignalingbytheDrosophilaepidermalgrowthfactorreceptor(EGFR)playsanimportantroleinmanyaspectsofflydevelopment,includingoogenesis,embryogenesisanddevelopmentoftheeyeandwing.MicroarrayscreensbyourlabandothershaveidentifiednoveldownstreamtranscriptionaltargetsoftheEGFreceptorusingtheDrosophilaovaryasamodelsystem.OurinitialworkcomparedgeneexpressioninflyovariesinwhichtheactivityoftheEGFR-pathwaywasreduced,normal,orconstitutivelyactive.Asmall-scalefunctionalscreenusingavailablelibrariesofUAS-RNAitransgenicfliesandP-elementinsertionlineswasusedtoinvestigatethepossiblefunctionsofasubsetoftheseEGFR-responsivegenes.Thisfunctionalscreenrevealedrolesforseveralofthesegenesinnormaleggshellstructuringandmorphogenesis.RNAiknockdownphenotypesincludedecreasedchorionicintegrity,shortenedeggs,andvariousdorsalappendagemalformations.Wearefurtherinvestigatingthesegenesinseveralways,includingexaminationofexpressionpatternsinovariesviainsituhybridizationandevaluationofthefertilityofRNAiknockdownflies.Inaddition,wearecreatingmutantflylinesusingtheCRISPR-Cas9systemtofurtherstudyourgenesofinterest.

85 (SESSIONB)POTENTIALROLEOFHSP70DURINGREGENERATIONINPLANARIA

SeanP.Byrne&M.A.KapperDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,

06050Planariahavelongbeenusedasmodelorganismstostudyregeneration.Whenpartofthewormisamputated,eachpieceregrowsthemissingpart.Followingamputationneoblastsgotothesiteoftheinjury,closeoffthewound,andbegingrowingthemissingpartofthebody.Thisgrowthisreferredtoasablastema.Sincethefunctioningofcellularproteinsisduetoproperthree-dimensionalfolding,amechanismwhichmaintainsthestructuralintegrityofcellularproteinsmustbepresent.Wehypothesizethatproteinconformationandfunctionissustainedduringregenerationduetoinductionofchaperoneproteins.Chaperoneproteins,orHSPswillbindtotargetproteins,preventingtheirdenaturation.HSPsareencodedbygeneswhoseexpressionistypicallymodulatedbythermalstressbuthavealsobeenshowntorespondtootherenvironmentalstressors.Westernblotsdemonstratethepresenceofstress-inducedHsp70.WearecurrentlycomparingHSP70expressionoveratimecourseofregeneration,tothatinuncutcontrolworms.ResearchsupportedbyCSUResearchGranttoMAK.86 (SESSIONB)THEROLEOFLEADERCELLSANDCONTACTINHIBITIONOFLOCOMOTIONINPARIETALENDODERMMIGRATION

BryanSzewczyk,ArdianFerraj,BrandonLepore&JamesMulrooneyDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,

06053Ourlaboratoryinvestigatesthemolecularmechanismsofcellmigrationandtheroleofcelladhesionsindirectedcellmigration.PreviousworkinourlaboratoryhassuggestedthatE-cadherin-basedcell-cellcontactsareimportantforproper,collectivecellmigrationduringdevelopment.However,thesignalingthatregulatesE-cadherininparietalendodermisnotwellunderstood.ResearchbyothershasindicatedtherequirementofleadercellsthatdirectmigrationinaPI3K-dependentmanner.Theseleadercellsareresponsibleformakingcell-celladhesionsduringmigration.Rab11,asmallGTPaseinvolvedintherecyclingofmembrane-localizedE-cadherin,mayplayaroleinregulatingtheformationofthesecontactsbytargetinganotherGTPasecalledRac1.Ourgoalistodetermineifparietalendodermestablishleadercellsandelucidatethesignalingpathwayswithinthesecellsthatareimportantforcollectivecellmigration.

87 (SESSIONB)SELECTIONOFHEAT-SHOCKRESISTANTOCTAVIOUSREX

RyanMcHaleForsterDept.ofNaturalSciences,MountSaintMaryCollege,Newburgh,NY,12550

Themostdiverseentitiesontheplanetarebacteriophages,virusesthatinfectbacteria.Theextentofbacteriophagediversityandhowtheyevolvearequestionsofcurrentinterest.ByisolatingandcharacterizingnovelbacteriophagesofthehostMycobacteriumsmegmatis,thisdiversitymaybefurtherunderstood.OctaviousRex,apreviouslyisolatedandannotatedbacteriophageofthesiphoviridaefamily,wasexposedto65oCheat-shocktoexploreitsabilitytoadapttohighertemperatures.Repeatedincubationatthespecifiedtemperatureallowedforselectionofaheat-shockresistantstrainofOctaviousRex.Furthermore,distinctivepatternsofinfectionattributedtoOctaviousRexchangedtoincludebothlargeandsmallplaquemorphologies.ThegenotypicchangesassociatedwiththeheatshockresistanceandthedifferentplaquemorphologieswereinvestigatedafterisolatingDNAfrombothlargeandsmallplaquemorphologies.RestrictiondigestanalysisofgenomeDNArevealednoclearrestrictionsitemutationsbetweenthetwoplaquemorphologiesandtheoriginallyisolatedOctaviousRex.However,thesequencedgenomesfrombothplaquemorphologiesrevealedamutationintheminortailproteinintheDNAisolatedfromthesmallplaquemorphology,whichiscurrentlyunderinvestigationforitsroleintheobservedplaquemorphologyandheat-shockresistance.88 (SESSIONB)ANALYSISOFMICROBIALCOMMUNITYDIVERSITYINTWOWATERSHEDSONTHEDINGLEPENINSULA

KendraSherman&VictoriaSalvatoreBiologyDept.,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

Anthropogenicimpactsonwaterqualityincoastalecosystemsisofincreasingconcerngivencurrentland-useandpopulationpatterns.Inparticular,sustainabledevelopmentinareasofhighpopulation/tourismpressureincoastalwatershedsisofconcernanddemandsanunderstandingofthecomplexrelationshipsbetweenthe"natural"and"human"systemsaffectingtheecosystem.TwoadjacentwatershedsontheontheDinglePeninsulainIreland(DingleandBallyferriter)provideaninterestingopportunitytoseparatetheeffectsofnatural/agriculturalimpacts(Balleyferriter)vs.natural/agricultural/tourismimpacts(Dingle)onwaterqualityintheprimaryriversystemsdrainingthetwowatersheds.Aspartofalargerefforttoconductathoroughenvironmentalassessmentofthetwowatersheds,wehavebegunanassessmentofthemicrobiologicalcommunitiesintheMilltown(Dingle)andFeonagh(Ballyferriter)riversystemsbasedonfecalcoliformcountsandsmallsubunitribosomalRNAprofiling.CurrentlyourdataindicateahigherfecalcoliformloadintheFeonaghriversystemduringthefallwiththereversebeingtrueduringthesummertouristseason.SmallsubunitribosomalRNAsequencingalsoindicatesdifferencesinthemicrobialcommunitiesbetweenthetwowatersheds,howeverthesignificanceofthesedifferenceswillrequirefurtherinvestigation.

89 (SESSIONB)EVALUATINGTHESCORPIONABDOMINALMICROBIOMEFORANTIBIOTICPRODUCTION

LaurenAtkinsonDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Therapidevolutionofantibioticresistancehasmaderesearchintosourcesofnewantibioticscrucial.Scorpionsareauniquepotentialsourceofantibioticssincetheyareanancientlineagethathascoevolvedwithterrestrialpathogensfor325-350millionyears.Theyareroutinelyexposedtopotentiallydeadlymicrobessincetheirprey,whichincludemiceandinsects,areoftenvectorsfordangerouspathogens.Recentresearchshowsthatthegutmicrobiomeplayscriticalrolesinbuildingandmaintainingimmunesystemsinanimals,includinginarthropods.Wehypothesizethatthescorpionmicrobiomeincludesbacteriathatproduceantimicrobialcompoundsassecondarymetabolites.Usingculture-basedtechniques,bacteriawereisolatedfromtheabdominalcavityofSmeringurusmesaensis,thedunescorpion.Isolateswereidentifiedusingmorphologyandgeneticanalysis.Theywerecharacterizedusingbiochemicaltestsandtestedforantibioticproductionusingco-cultureagainstsaferelativesoftheESKAPEpathogens,thesixmostcommonantibiotic-resistantpathogens.Fromthe13scorpionssampled,102bacterialcolonieswereisolatedandstoredinglycerol.Gram-stainingshowedpredominantlyGram-positivebacteria.Fermentationtestsshowedhighratesforsucroseandlactoseutilization.Initiallow-stressantibiotic-productiontestsfailedtoshowantibioticactivity.Furtherworkwillfocusonstressingthecoloniestotriggerproductionofantibacterialsecondarymetabolites.90 (SESSIONB)CHLAMYDIAVIRULENCEFACTORSHOMETOHOSTCELLORGANELLES

ZoeMendrysaDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Chlamydiainfectionscausesignificantmorbidityinhumans.BlindnesscanresultfromocularChlamydiatrachomatisinfectionwhilesexuallytransmittedinfectionscanleadtoinfertility.Chlamydiahastwiceindependentlyevolvedadaptationstohumansasahostorganismmakingthemanexcellentmodelofemerginginfectiousdisease.Chlamydiagrowsinsideahostcellwhereitusesatypethreesecretionsystem(T3SS)toinjectbacterialproteinsintothehostcytosol,subvertinghostcellularimmuneresponses.Hostcellstypicallytriggerapoptosis,deprivingChlamydiaofareplicativeniche.WehypothesizethatChlamydiacanstabilizethemitochondriaandnucleusbysecretingafactorwhichstabilizesthemitochondriaandpromoteshostsurvival,however,themainfunctionofthesefactorsisunknown.Thesevirulencefactorsarelikelytobehostspecific.Usingbioinformaticsandcellstaining,wewereabletodeterminebyinfectingwithC.trachomatis(humanspecific),C.muridarum(mousespecific),orC.caviae(Guineapigspecific)todetermineimpactsofinfectiononlocalizationofvirulencefactors.

91 (SESSIONB)CHARACTERIZATIONOFROB1HETEROZYGOUSDELETIONINCANDIDAALBICANSFORALLELEDEPENDENTPHEOTYPICCHARACTERISTICS

TaylorSanders&VirginiaGlazierDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

Candidaalbicansisafungalpathogenwiththepotentialtocauselifethreateninginfections,specificallyinindividualsthatareimmunocompromised.PathogenicityofC.albicansispresentduringcommensalgrowthandtissueinvasion.TypicallymucosalinfectionsbyC.albicansarerestrictedtotheoralcavity,gut,orthevagina.Insomeinstances,asystemicinfectionofC.albicansinimmunocompromisedindividualscanarise,whichcanbelife-threatening.Theroleofzincclustertranscriptionfactors,specificallyROB1inC.albicans,hasbeenwellcharacterized.ThisprojectwillfocusonROB1,atranscriptionfactorwhichisrequiredforbiofilmformationinC.albicans.Biofilmformationallowsforgrowthathumanbodytemperatureanddrugresistance,bothofwhichcontributetopathogenicityofC.albicans.OurlabpreviouslyshowedanallelicheterozygositydependingonwhichalleleofROB1wasdeleted.RNAsequencingwasperformedtoidentifytranscriptionalchangesdependentonwhichallelewasdeleted.ThepurposeofthisprojectistoanalyzetheRNAsequencingdatatounderstandhowthedifferentallelesofROB1impactthetranscriptomeofC.albicans92 (SESSIONB)THEFATEOFBIOGENICSULFURINTHEENVIRONMENT:WILLITSTAYORWILLITGO?

EmilyMagyarDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

MembersoftheAcidithiobacillusgenusarecapableofconsumingandproducingelementalsulfuraspartoftheirenergymetabolism.Acidithiobacillusandothersulfuroxidizersproducebiogenicsulfurviasulfideorthiosulfateoxidationaslongasthosesulfurcompoundsareavailable.Inasulfide-richenvironmentitisunclearwhattheultimatefateofbiogenicsulfuris:isitconsumedbyothersulfuroxidizers?IsitrecycledandreusedbyAcidithiobacillus?Doesitcrystallizeandbecomelessbioavailable?Tostudyhowcellsandsulfurinteractovertime,wehaveobtainedacultureofAcidithiobacillusalbertensisandarecharacterizingitsgrowthonthiosulfate,whichitusestomakebiogenicsulfur.Wehavealsostartedtoexperimentwiththeorganism'sabilitytoformbiofilms.OurgoalistounderstandhowthebiofilmitselfimpactsthelifetimeofbothintracellularandextracellularsulfurandtheabilityofA.albertensistorecycleit.Ultimately,wewanttoapplybiofilmresultsfromthelabtothefieldinordertounderstandhowsuchmicroorganismsliveinthe"SourSprings"atIroquoisNationalWildlifeRefuge.

93 (SESSIONB)EFFECTSOFPLASTICPOLYMERCOMPOSITIONONEARLYMICROBIALASSOCIATIONINAFRESHWATERENVIRONMENT

ReneHoover,CarleyMcMullen&MarkA.GalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

Plasticpolymershavebecomeomnipresentinourenvironment.Frombeveragebottles,topackaging,andevenautomobiles,it'shardtoimagineourliveswithoutplastic.But,whathappensonceapieceofplasticisdiscarded?Inourenvironmentweconsiderittrash,butonamicroscopiclevelourplasticsarehometoadiverseecosystemofmicrobesformingcomplexbiofilmsandproducingenzymesthatprofoundlyaffecttheirhabitat.Wesubmergedsix,commonplasticsintheNiagaraRiver,andexaminedthemicrobiallifethatcolonizedthem.CommunitiesofbacteriaformedquicklyandafteroneweektheplasticsampleswerecollectedforDNAanalysis.Theresultsconfirmedarich,diversemicrobialconsortiumthatvariedgreatlybetweentheplasticpolymers.Thisindicatesthatdifferentspeciesofbacteriamaypreferparticularsurfacechemistriesandcompetewitheachotherforresourcesontheselocations.Microbialecosystemsarecomplex,andourresearchshowsthatmicrobialcommunitiesmayformdiscriminatelyonplasticsintheenvironment.Thisinsightintowhichmicrobesarepresentondifferentpolymersandwhatmetabolicprocessestheycarryoutmayeventuallyhelpusfindnew,innovativewaystodealwithdiscardedplasticsinourownenvironment.94 (SESSIONB)MUTANTSOFGASOLINE-CATABOLIZINGBACTERIAWITHINCREASEDTOLERANCEFORGASOLINE

BryanSzewczyk,JahlyssaBlackwin&MichaelDavisDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritainCT,

06050Thegoalofthisresearchprojectistodevelopprotocolsfortheeliminationofgasolineincontaminatedsoilusinggasoline-catabolizingbacteria.Forexample,landsurroundingautomobileservicestationscannotbeeasilyrepurposedduetogasolinecontaminationofthesoil.Thecandidatebacteriausedforthisprojecthavebeenisolatedfromsoilsamplestakenfromvariousgasstationsandselectedbasedontoleranceforgasolineanduseofgasolineasthesolesourceofcarbonandenergy.Wehaveisolatedseveraldozensuchstrains,andhaveshownthatthesecandidatestrainscancarryoutremediationofgasolinecontaminatedsoilsinthelab.Ourcandidates,whiletolerantoflowlevelsofgasoline(24-120µl/gsoil),areallinhibitedorkilledbyintermediatelevels(320µl/gsoil).Tobroadentheapplicabilityofourprotocol,wehaveisolatedmutantsoftwocandidatestrains(M7,MM3Big)thattoleratehigherlevelsofgasoline.Wehavestudiedthegrowthcapabilitiesofthesemutantsinnormalandgasolinecontaminatedsoils,andhavefoundthattheyaremoretoleranttointermediategasolinelevelsthanthewildtypestrains.Wearecharacterizingtheabilityofthesemutantstoremediatesoilatlowandintermediatelevelsofgasolinecontamination.

95 (SESSIONB)IDENTIFICATIONOFANTI-MYCOBACTERIALCOMPOUNDSPRODUCEDBYSOILBACTERIA

AmberGabbert,AyeishaWashington,MarisaBudlong,CatherineMartello&MichaelDavis

Dept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritainCT,06050

ThebacteriumMycobacteriumtuberculosiscurrentlyinfectsroughlytwobillionpeople,thevastmajorityofthemlatentlyandasymptomatically.However,activetuberculosisdiseasekillsnearlytwomillionpeopleayear.Thispathogenisinnatelyresistanttoallbutafewavailableantibiotics,andthespreadofmulti-drugresistant(MDR)tuberculosisfurtherreducestherapeutictreatmentoptions.ThefocusofourprojectistoidentifynovelnaturalcompoundswithactivityagainstMycobacteriumspecies,initiatingthedevelopmentofnewdrugstotreattuberculosispatients.Wehaveworkedwithonebacterialisolate(#22)fromsoilthatsecretesananti-mycobacterialcompound.Mostrecently,wehavetestedthehypothesisthatthecompoundwasstreptomycin,apreviouslyidentifiedanti-mycobacterialcompoundmadebythebacteriumStreptomycesgriseus.Severallinesofevidencehaveconvincinglyshownthat#22didnotproducestreptomycin,butinsteadmadestreptothricin,arelatedbutdistinctanti-mycobacterialcompoundthatisnotsuitablefortuberculosistherapy.Wehavethereforeinitiatedworkonthreenewsoilbacterialisolates.Theirinhibitionoftestmycobacteriaiscomparabletothatof#22,butpreliminaryresultsconfirmthattheyproducecompoundsdifferentfromeachother.Applyingthemethodologydevelopedwith#22,wewillinitiallydetermineiftheanti-mycobacterialcompoundsarenovelorknown.96 (SESSIONB)EFFECTSOFANTIBIOTICSANDBACTERIOPHAGEONTHESKINBACTERIUMPROPIONIBACTERIUMACNES

ElizabethGwara,ClarissaSarmiento,MonaAhmaripour,DenverHopkins&MichaelDavis

Dept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritian,CT,06050

Existingantibacterialtreatmentsfortheskindiseaseacneincludeantisepticsorantibiotics.TheseagentstargetthecommonskinbacteriumPropionibacteriumacnes.WehavebeendevelopinganovelacnetreatmentusingPacnes-specificbacteriophage,whicheffectivelykillPacnesbacteriabycelllysisduringbacteriophagereproduction.Ourcurrentworkisfocusedonidentifyinginteractionsbetweentwodifferentantibacterialtreatments,antibioticsandPacnes-specificphage.Duetothelargerangeofproductsavailableforacnetherapy,itisexpectedthatacnepatientswillcombinetreatments.Sincephageandantibioticsactindifferentways,wehypothesizedthattherewouldbenointeractionsbetweensubclinicaldosesofantibioticsandtheactionofphage.Ourexperimentsweredesignedtotestthathypothesisandtodetectanyinteractionsbetweenphageandantibiotics.WorkwithonephageisolateandtheantibioticsclindamycinanderythromycinsuggeststhatlowdosesofantibioticdoaffecttheabilityofthephagetokillthePacnes

bacteria.ThesetestsarebeingbroadenedtoincludetetracyclineandotherPacnes-specificphageisolates.Additionally,wearetestingtheefficacyofantibiotic-phagecombinationsonPacnesbiofilms,agrowthstatelikelytoreflectthenormalenvironmentofPacnesonskin.97 (SESSIONB)EXTRACTIONOFANTIBIOTICSFROMBACILLUSSPP.ANDTHEIREFFECTIVENESSAGAINSTG(-)BACTERIA

AriannaMedinaScienceDept.,DominicanCollege,Orangeburg,NY,10962

Thediscoveryofantibioticshassavedmillionsoflivesbuthasalsocausedtheevolutionofmultidrugresistantstrainsofbacteria.Developingnewantibioticsiscriticalifwearetopreventinfectionsfromthesepathogens.TheaimofthisstudyistoextractantibioticsthatshowbacteriocidalactivityagainstG(-)bacteriatakenfromourlocalwatershed.PutativeantibioticproducerswereisolatedfrommudandwatersamplesintheSparkillCreekandPiermontMarsh,asweretheG(-)targets.16SrDNAsequencingshowedtheidentityoftheseG(-)targetstobePseudomonas,Chromobacter,Acinetobacter,Pleiseomonas,Chromobacterim,Aeromonas,andPantoea.AdiscdiffusionassaywasdonetodeterminewhichG(-)bacteriawereresistanttothegreatestnumberofantibiotics,indicatingmultidrugresistance.AllbutAeromonasandPantoeawereshowntoberesistantto5ormoreantibiotics.Putativeantibioticproducerswereisolatedanddeterminedhaveactivityagainsttheseisolates.SequencingrevealedthesetobelongtoBacillussp.SynergisticactivityoftheseextractswithknownantibioticsorsubstancesdemonstratingantibacterialactivitywillbedeterminedforboththeG(-)targetsandotherlabstrains,bothG(+)andG(-),aswellasMycobacteriumsmegmatis.Futurestudiesincludedinvivomutagenesistoenhancetheantimicrobialactivity.98 (SESSIONC1)THEFITBITANDFARADAY:ASTUDYINTOMECHANICALLIGHTING

LiamReilly&StephenMeccaDept.ofEngineering-Physics-Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918

Thesignificanceofanaffordablelightingsysteminoff-grid,developingregionsoftheworldisundeniable.Tothisend,theS-Labhasbeenexploringthepotentialofmechanicallightingsystemswhichmayfillthismuchneededrole.Theabilitytogeneratelightinsuchconditionswithminimaleffortexpendedbytheuserandwithouttheneedforsolarpanels,whichareoftenprohibitivelyexpensive,offersmanybenefitsthatwillgreatlyimpactthelivingconditionsofpeopleinsuchareas.Itwillallowthosewhomakeuseofittheabilitytoread,work,oruserestroomfacilitiesafterdaylighthours.Ourinvestigationbeganbyanalyzingvariousshake,spring,andgravitydesignsbeforemovingtothecurrentmodelwhichmakesuseoflowfrictionfidgetspinnerswhichmayprovidepowerforseveralminutes.Whilethisisnottheoriginaldesignexploredintheproject,itoffersaninterestingprobleminphysicsandgeometry.ThispresentationwillpresenttheworkthathasbeendoneindevelopingamodelthatutilizesachangingmagneticfluxtoinduceanEMFina

stationarycoil,whichmaythenberectifiedandusedtopowerasimplelightingsystemcomprisedofoneormoreLEDs.99 (SESSIONC1)OPTIMIZINGASUPER-RESOLUTIONMICROSCOPYSYSTEMTOSTUDYPROTEIN-PROTEININTERACTIONS

AlexanderBredikinDept.ofPhysicsandAstronomy,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Fluorescencemicroscopyisapowerfultoolforstudyingcellsamplesbecauseitallowsbiologiststodifferentiatebetweenstructureswithinthecell.Maddenetal.(2010)foundthattwointracellularproteins,b-adrenergicreceptorandb-arrestin,canbeindirectlylinkedtocancermetastasis,andthismotivatedDr.KelleyD.SullivanofIthacaCollegetostudytheinteractionoftheseproteinsbasedontheirproximitytoeachother.Unfortunately,conventionalfluorescencemicroscopytechniquescannotbeusedtostudytheinteractionoftheproteinsbecauseoftheresolutionlimitofthemicroscope.Instead,super-resolutiontechniquesmustbeemployed.Thefocusofthispresentationisontheoptimizationofthesuper-resolutionsystemintheIthacaCollegeMicroscopyLaboratoryandontheprocessofgrowingandlabellingcellsamplesforstudy.Twocancercelllines,4T1andMB-231,havebeensuccessfullystainedusingdirectimmunofluorescencetechniquesandimagedusingtotalinternalreflectionfluorescencemicroscopy(TIRFM).ColinearizationofthelaserlightsourcesandcalibrationoftheTIRFMopticswasalsoachieved,whichisnecessaryforsuper-resolutionimaging.Finally,successfulpreparationofabufferneededforsuper-resolutionimagingwasdemonstratedusingtwostandardizedsamplesofadextran-dyeconjugateandfilamentousactin.ThecompletionofthesestepsrepresentsanexcitingstepforwardfortheMicroscopyLaboratorytofullyrealizesuper-resolutionimaging.100 (SESSIONC1)QUANTIFYINGSPECTRALMAPPINGTECHNIQUESFORTHEOSIRIS-REXPROJECT

SalvatoreFerroneDept.ofPhysics,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

OSIRIS-REx,anasteroidsamplereturnmission,isthethirdprojectofNASA'sNewFrontiersprogram.TheOSIRIS-RExspacecraftiscurrentlyonitsoutboundcruisetoasteroid101955Bennu,amemberoftherareB-classasteroidsandpotentiallyhazardousobject,andisscheduledtorendezvousinNovemberof2018.Inthisstudy,weexploredifferentmethodsofcreatingspectralmapsanddeterminedwhichmethodprovidesmapswiththehighestfidelity.Spectralmapsidentifythesurfacemineralogyateverylocation.WebeginbycreatingidealizedmineralogicalmapsofBennuandsimulatespectrometerobservationstomakespectralmaps.Weanalyzethemapsusingthreeoriginalmetrics:Contrast,Smear,andObliteration–toquantifythespatialresolvability.Ourresultsindicatethatmapscreatedbyassigningdatafromthenearestspectrometerobservationtoafacetareofthehighestfidelity.Mapscreatedusingfinershapemodelresolutionsareofthehighestfidelity.Wearestilltestingourhypothesisthatcombiningdatafromthree

differentglobalsurveysofBennucouldbeusedtodemonstratespectralsuper-resolution.ThesefindingswillbeofutmostimportancetotheOSIRIS-RExscienceteamwhencreatingspectralmaps,startinginApril2019,andwheninterpretingthemapstodetermineasampleselectionsite.102 (SESSIONC2)FEELINGLOW?INCREASESINDEPRESSIONAMONGCOLLEGESTUDENTS:2009-2015

SophieHancock,JessicaCollins&EmmaWeissDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Trendsindepressionratesinadolescentsandyoungadultshavebecomeanareaofclosestudyinrecentdecades.Severalresearchersarguethatdepressionrateshavebeenincreasingovertime(Twenge,2017;Twenge,Gentile,DeWall,Ma,Lacefield,&Schurtz,2010;Kitzrow,2003).However,thisviewisnotuniversallyshared(Schwartz,2010).Thecurrentstudyexploresdepressionratesin1938collegestudentsincohortsspanningfrom2009-2015.Itwaspredictedthatdepressionrateswouldriseovertime.Similarly,levelsofneuroticismandstudents'experienceswithpsychotropicmedicationandpsychotherapywerepredictedtoincrease.Therelationshipwithstressandsocialsupport,typicalpredictorsofdepression,wasalsoexamined.Datawasgatheredeachsemesterfromthefallof2009throughthespringof2015,totalling11cohorts.Reporteddepressionratesrosesteadilyfrom2009to2015.Studentsin2015reportedsignificantlyhigherratesofdepressionthanstudentsin2009.Similarly,levelsofneuroticismalsoincreasedoverthisperiod,asdidreporteduseofpsychotropicmedication.Increasesindepressionwerebothstatisticallysignificantandpracticallymeaningful.Thesehigherlevelsofdepressiondidnotappeartobeduetoelevatedstressorlowersocialsupport.Futureresearchshouldexplorethecausesofthissharpincrease.103 (SESSIONC2)THEEFFECTOFINDEPENDENTLOCOMOTION,THROUGHTHEUSEOFAROBOTIC-ASSISTEDDEVICE,ONINFANTS'VISUALATTENTIONTOAPUPPETSTIMULUS

AbigailBrown,LaurenHughes,CaraSchanbacher,MorganSchall&KarinaFeitnerDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Self-Initiatedlocomotionprovidesnewwaysofexperiencingtheworldanditisalsothoughttocontributetotheenhancementofhigher-ordercognitive,self-regulatory,andattentionalcontrolprocessesunderlyinggoal-directedbehaviors,namelyexecutivefunctions(EF).Lookingdurationtovisualstimuliisthoughttoreflectpatternsofattentionalcontrolininfants.Ourstudyexamineswhetherpre-crawlinginfantsabletoexerciseindependentlocomotion,usingaroboticassisteddevice,wouldshowchangesintheirvisualattentiontoapuppetstimulus.Usinganexperimentaldesign,infantsparticipatedin12sessionsoflocomotorornon-locomotorplayacrosstwomonths.At5-monthsandat7-months,allinfantsparticipatedinavisualattentiontask.Theresultsshowedgreaterpeaklookdurationsamongpre-crawlinginfantswhousedaroboticdevicethatenabledtheirindependentlocomotion,comparedtoinfantswhodidnothaveindependentmobilityexperience.Thisshowsthatindependentlocomotioninduces

increasedattentionalcontrolininfants.Thisstudycontributestoourgrowingunderstandingoftheeffectoflocomotorexperienceoncognitivedevelopment,inparticularonthedevelopmentofattentionalcontrol.Ourfindingsalsohaveimplicationsforinterventionsusingrobotic-assistedlocomotionforinfantswithmotorimpairments.104 (SESSIONC2)HOWABOUTAFRIENDLYSHRINK?PORTRAYALSOFMENTALHEALTHPROFESSIONALSANDTREATMENTONTELEVISION

EliotHagerty&PeterWestacottDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Televisioncontinuestobeaverypowerfulmediumthatinfluenceshowweperceiverealityandformexpectationsforgroupsofpeopleorsocialroles.Whilemessagesaboutmentalillnessappearfrequentlyontelevision,treatmentforthementalillnessisrarelyportrayed-andwhenitis,manytimesthoseportrayalsarenegativeandinaccurate.Inastudydoneontheinfluencesofportrayalsoftherapistsintelevision,Robinson(2013)foundthatfictionalteleviseddepictionsofpsychotherapyhavethepotentialtoinfluenceviewers'concernsandattitudesonseekingpsychotherapytreatment.ThecurrentstudyisareplicationandexpansionofanearlierdescriptivecontentanalysisbyJonesandCalhoun(2017)withalargersampleof689televisionshowsvideotapedoverasix-yearperiod(2011-2016)fortheCenterofResearchontheEffectsofTelevisionarchiveatIthacaCollege,including14differentprogramtypes(7fiction,7nonfiction).Trainedpairscodedportrayalsofmentalhealthprofessionalsandformstreatmentrelatedtoincidentsinvolvingmentalillness(includingaddiction).Resultsshowedthatwhilethereweremorethan1,450incidentsinvolvingmentalillness,lessthan20%includedanyreferencetotreatmentandonly47incidentsinvolvedtherapistsortherapy,mostshowninanegativeorstereotypicalfashion.105 (SESSIONC2)IMPROVINGTHEDELIVERYOFMEDICATIONWITHINTELLIGENTAUTOMATION

DeanaConzuegra&ErikaBergerSeidenbergSchoolofComputerScienceandInformationSystems,PaceUniversity,

Pleasantville,NY,10570Administeringhospitalmedicationsisacrucialcomponentofapatient'srecoverywhilestayinginahospital.Medicationsarerequiredtobeadministered30minutesbeforeorafterthescheduledtime.Failingtodosocouldresultinharmtothepatientorcouldhaveasignificantimpactontheintendedtherapeuticorpharmacologiceffect.Nursesfacemanychallengeswhilecaringforpatients,someofwhichbeingtheunavailabilityofmedicationsorthelatedeliveryofmedications.Intelligentautomationinhospitaloperationscanaddresstheseissuesbydeliveringpatientmedicationsontime.Thistechnologyutilizesvariousalgorithmstodeterminetheshortestpathpossibletodelivermedicationtotheunitsthroughoutthehospital,maintainsadatabaseofmedicationsandnotifiesthepharmacywhenneeded,andtransportsmedicationstopropermedicationrooms.Ourgoalistoassessqualityofperformance,identifydeficiencies,errors,orpotentialoptimizations,

andcost-benefitanalysistodeterminewhichtasksshouldbeautomated,whichtasksshouldinvolveintimateinteractionbetweenpatientandrobot,andwhichonesshouldrelysolelyonhospitalstaff.106 (SESSIONC3)ISOLATIONOFGLYCOSYLHYDROLASESTOWARDSGOALOFUNIVERSALBLOOD

MiaByrd&MarkGalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

Glycosylhydrolases,astheirnameimplies,areenzymesabletoremovesugars.SugarsfoundonthesurfaceofbloodareresponsiblefortheirantigenicpropertiesnotedwithA,B,andOtypeblood.Itfollowsthatremovalofthesugarsresponsiblefortheirantigenicityshouldproducea"universalblood."TheterminaltrisaccharidesonthesurfaceofbloodcontainamoietyofeitheranN-acetylgalactosaminelinkedinanalpha1,3configurationtofucoseinAtypebloodorgalactoselinkedinasimilarmannertofucoseinBtypeblood.Manybacteriautilizeglycosylhydrolasesasameanstobreakdowncomplexcarbohydratepolymers.Severalgroupshaveidentifiedenzymeswithactivitiesagainstthesugarresiduesonbloodhowevernoneareofsufficientcatalyticactivitytobecommerciallyviable.Thisresearchwillisolateenzymesfromnovelgroupsofbacteriainhopesofidentifyingenzymeswithgreateractivityandspecificityfortheremovalofsugarsfromblood.107 (SESSIONC3)PREVALENCEOFGIARDIALAMBLIAINMYTILISEDULISFROMORCHARDBEACH,NEWYORK,IN2016

DanielleBaik&LukeAmmiratiDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Riverdale,NY,10471

Bivalvesareusedasbioindicatorsformetalsandparasitestotestthequalityofwater.GiardialambliaisanintestinalparasitethathasbeenfoundinNewYorkCitybeachesusingbivalvescollectedin2014.Thepurposeofthisstudyistodeterminewhetherthereisachangeintheprevalenceofthisintestinalparasiteusingbluemussels(Mytilusedulis).Themusselswerecollectedin2016fromOrchardBeach,NewYork.Eachmusselwasdissectedforthegill,mantle,foot,digestivegland,andadductormuscle.Inthisstudy,33ofthe62musselswereanalyzed.DNAwasextractedfromthetissuesassessed.TheprevalenceofG.lambliawastestedusingapolymerasechainreaction(PCR)-basedassay.Wefoundthat32samples,onemusselwaspositiveforG.lambliafoundintheadductormuscleprovidinga3%prevalence.Outofthetotal62mussels,therewasan11.3%prevalencewhichwaslowerthanthe20.6%and28.8%observedin2014and2015,respectively.

108 (SESSIONC3)CONSERVATIONIMPLICATIONSOFTHETEMPORALCHANGESINGENETICDIVERSITY(1870S-2016)AMONGTHEENDANGEREDNORTHWESTERNATLANTICPOPULATIONOFROSEATETERNS(STERNADOUGALLII)

JacobDaytonDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Despiteintensivemanagementactionsince1991,recoveryoftheendangerednorthwesternAtlanticpopulationoftheRoseateTern(Sternadougallii)hasbeenslowtocombatlowproductivityfromafemale-biasedsexratio(1.3:1),lowjuvenilerecruitment,predation,andhabitatconstriction,whereby>90%ofindividualsbreedacrossfoursitesfromcoastalNewYorktoMassachusetts.TocharacterizetheimpactofhistoricalbottlenecksandongoingfluctuationsongeneticdiversityamongRoseates:individualsfromthe1870s(pre-bottlenecks),1975(post-bottlenecks),1997(post-conservation),and2016(modern)weregenotypedat8-18autosomalmicrosatellitesandtwopartial-mitochondrialregions.Neutralmicrosatellitesrevealedsignificantdeclinesinvariationfromthe1870s(HE=0.54,AR=2.9)to1975(HE=0.40,AR=2.4;p<0.04)and1997(HE=0.40,AR=2.4;p<0.002).Althoughsignificantgeneticsignaturesofseverehistoricalbottleneckspersistedinboth1997(Wilcoxonranked:p<0.008)and2016(p<0.02),near-recoveryof1800svariationoccurredby2016(HE0.51,AR2.6).Thisworksuggeststhatmanagementactionstorestorehabitatquality/availabilityofmajorcolonysiteshavereestablishedstrongmetapopulationconnectivityandfacilitatedarapidredistributionofgeneticvariationthroughoutthenortheast.ContinuedworkwillemployBayesiancoalescenceapproachestoestimatetheunknownhistoricalpopulationsize,acriticalmetricforconservationgoal-making.109 (SESSIONC3)EFFECTSOFONO-RS082ANDDIFFERENTCONCENTRATIONSOFEXOGENOUSCHOLESTEROLINTHELOCALIZATIONANDPROCESSINGOFAMYLOIDPRECURSORPROTEININSH-SY5SCELLS

AnnaTarrenDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Themisprocessingofamyloidprecursorprotein(APP)isahallmarkofAlzheimer'sdisease(AD).However,itisstillunknownwhattriggersthemisprocessing.UnderstandingthelocalizationofAPPmayhaveimportantimplicationsforthemisprocessingoftheprotein.WehavefoundthatdifferentconcentrationsofexogenouscholesterolandperturbationofcholesteroltraffickingaffectsthelocalizationofAPPinHeLacells.SinceADisaneurologicaldisorder,weperformedthesesameexperimentsinSH-SY5ScellsderivedfromaneuroblastomaandcommonlyusedinADresearch.TreatmentofcellswithONO-RS082,aphospholipaseA2inhibitorcausedaredistributionofAPPsimilartothatseeninHeLacells.ImmunofluorescencemicroscopywasusedtofurtherunderstandthelocalizationofAPPwhenSH-SY5Scellswerefedlowversushighconcentrationsofcholesterol.ImmunoblottingwasusedtofurtheranalyzetheeffectofdifferentexogenouscholesterollevelsontheprocessingofAPP.ThistechniquewasalsousedtoobservetheprocessingofAPPwhencholesterolhomeostasiswasdisruptedusingONO-RS082.

110 (SESSIONC4)MAKINGAPOSITIONALGENEASSIGNMENTFORTHE"CURLYWHISKERS"(CW)MUTATIONINMICE

SidneyEragene&JachiusJ.StewartBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053

TodiscoverwhichgeneonmouseChromosome9harborstherecessive"curlywhiskers"mutation(abbreviatedcw),weproposedtotakea"positional"approach,wherebythecausativegeneisidentifiedbasedonthegeneticlocationofthemutantphenotype.Ourfirstgenetic-mappinganalysisplacedcwatthecentromericendofChromosome9,however,thatregionofthemousegenomeencodedonlyalimitednumberofPCR-basedpolymorphismsthatcouldbescoredamongthestandardinbredstrains.Toovercomethisobstacle,oursecondmappinganalysismeasuredthefrequencyofrecombinationaroundcwinhybridfemalesweproducedbycrossingcw/cwmice(Musmusculusmusculus)withinbred,wild-derivedM.m.castaneusmice.PolymorphismsofferedbytheM.m.castaneusbackgroundallowedustolocatecwintoasmallregionwhereonly3skin-expressedgenesarealsolocated.Finally,wesequencedthecodingregionsofoneofthosecandidates,Hephl1,andfoundasingledefectinthemutantstrainthatispredictedtodestroyaspliceacceptorsite.Wewilldiscussadditionalanalysesthatcouldlendsupporttoourcurrenthypothesis:thatthepointmutationwehavediscoveredintheHephl1geneisthecauseofthecurlywhiskersmutantphenotype.111 (SESSIONC4)INITIALBIOCHEMICALCHARACTERIZATIONOFTHESWS1/RLP1/RDL1PROTEINCOMPLEXINTHEREGULATIONOFRAD51CATALYZEDRECOMBINATIONINTHEFISSIONYEASTSCHIZOSACCHAROMYCESPOMBE

MyrandaWilliamsDept.ofChemistry,UniversityofSaintJoseph,WestHartford,CT,06117

Genomerearrangementcanleadtocancerthroughtheinadvertentactivationofcancergenes.Thisrearrangementcanariseviaduplications,deletions,insertions,orinversionsthatresultfromdouble-strandbreaksintheDNA.Onepathwayfortherepairofthesedoublestrandbreaksishomologousrecombinationrepair.Mutationsinregulatoryfactorsthatcontrolhomologousrecombinationrepairhavebeenshowntoleadtogenomeinstabilityandcarcinogenesis.Proteinfactorsthatactasregulatorsofrecombinationareclassifiedasmediatorsorsuppressors.ThesemediatorsandsuppressorproteinscompetetoregulatetheactivityoftheRAD51recombinase,whichcatalyzestheinitialstepsofhomologousrecombinationrepair.TheSWS1/RLP1/RDL1proteincomplexisaknownrecombinationmediatorcomplexthatfunctionsatanearlystageofhomologousrecombinationrepairinthefissionyeastSchizosaccharomycespombe.GeneticanalysissuggestthatthiscomplexactstofacilitatetheformationoftheRAD51presynapticfilament,theactiverecombinogenicstructure.Howevernobiochemicalanalysisofthiscomplexhasyetbeenperformed.Wereporthereonourstudiestoclonethegenesthatcodefortheseproteins,expressandpurifytheresultantproteincomplexandcharacterizethe

biochemicalactivitiesofthiscomplexinanefforttodeterminethemechanismbywhichitfacilitatespresynapticfilamentformation.Abetterunderstandingofthebiochemicalmechanismbywhichthiscomplexregulateshomologousrecombinationrepairmayleadtotheidentificationofnovelcancertherapeutictargets.112 (SESSIONC4)EFFECTSOFENTEROBACTERACEAEGROWTH,COMMUNICATION,ANDPATHOGENICITYUPONEACHOTHER

ShaniqueService&MarkGalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

Weshareourbodieswithacollectionofbacteriathatconstructourmicrobiomeandhavebecomekeymediatorsinsideus.Extracellularsignalscanaffectthephysiologyofcertainbacteria,disruptingthissymbioticrelationship,thusallowingbacteriatobecomepathogenictothehost.Norepinephrineisacatecholaminethatfunctionsasahormoneandneurotransmittertomobilizeresourcesinmammalians.ItalsostimulatesthecellgrowthofEscherichiacoli,agram-negativebacteriumintheintestinaltract.E.coliisamemberofEnterobacteriaceaefamily,bacteriumthatsharedistinguishablepropertiesincludingtheabilitytoproducetoxins,enzymes,andotherfactorsthatallowE.colitofunctionasavirulentpathogen.Onesuchfactorisanautoinducer,whichregulatespopulationdensitythroughquorumsensingaswellassignalsforvirulencefactorproduction.WhetherotherentericbacteriacaninterpretthisE.coli-specificautoinducerisunknown,asitisunclearifotherentericbacteriahaveautoinducersfunctioningatthislevel.ThisstudywillobservecellgrowthandvirulencefactorproductioninEscherichia,Citrobacter,Vibrio,Salmonella,Yersinia,Klebsiella,Shigella,Enterobacter,andSerratiatodeterminetheeffectsofautoinducercrosstalkfunctionalityonotherEnterobacteriaceae113 (SESSIONC4)POPULATIONDIFFERENTIATIONOFTHENORTHAMERICANBLACKTERN:AREGIONALPOPULATIONGENETICSSTUDYTOENHANCECONSERVATION

MeganDeaconDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Sincethe1960s,theNorthAmericanBlackTern,Childoniasniger,hasexperiencedsignificantpopulationdeclinesgeneratingconcernfromthepublicandconservationistsalike(Novak1992;Peterjohn1997).ThisstudyexploresthepopulationgeneticsofthreeBlackTernpopulationsinthenortheasternandGreatLakesregiontoidentifygeneticallydistinctorrelatedpopulations.Ultimately,thiswillhelptobetterunderstandthepotentialcausesandconsequencesofthedeclinetomakeappropriateconservationmanagementdecisions.Atotalof32individualsfromthreelocations,Maine,Ontario,andMichigan,weregenotypedateightmicrosatelliteloci.Themeannumberofallelesperlocusforeachpopulationrangedfrom5.83to6.33withanaverageheterozygosityvalueof0.73,bothofwhichvaluesindicatemoderatetohighlevelsofdiversity.PairwisepopulationFSTvaluesrangedfrom0to0.033revealingoverallpanmixes,withparticularlyhighgeneflowbetweenMichiganandOntario.ThisstudyreportsthatthesampledBlackTernpopulations

havemaintainedgeneticvariation,asmeasuredbyallelicrichnessandheterozygosity,despiteobservedandreportedpopulationdeclines.Theirpopulationconnectivitycallsforregionalandinternationalconservationmanagementcollaboration.114 (SESSIONC5)ANALYSISOFHEAVYMETALACCUMULATIONINDUNE-DWELLINGPLANTSONVIEQUES,PR

DanielleBuciorDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

From1943to2003theU.SNavyownedmostoftheeasternandwesternportionsofVieques,PuertoRico.Thelandandseaartillerytestedduringthistimeisthoughttoincreasebioavailabilityofheavymetalsincludinglead,aluminum,andtitanium.Previousstudieshaveindicatedthatplantsarereliablebiologicalindicatorsfordetectingtoxinsandheavymetalsintheirenvironments.Wecollectedacoastalduneplant,Scaevolataccada,alongwithsamplesofsurroundingsoilfrom12beacheslocatedintheViequesNationalWildlifeRefuge.WetestedsamplesforthepresenceofmetalsusingICP-OES.Additionalfactorsconsideredincludedgeographiclocation,soilpH,soilgeochemistry,andproximitytoawaterdrainage.Ouranalysesfoundlevelsofmetalsinbothsoilandplantsthatareabovenaturalgeochemicallevels.Weassumethatthesourceofthesemetalsareanthropogenic.MetalpresenceinplantsisassociatedwithcloseproximitytodrainagesandtohighsoilpH.Metalaccumulationmayalsobeduetootherpointsourcesofcontamination,whicharedifficulttoquantifyandcharacterize.115 (SESSIONC5)GLOBALSEALEVELMEASUREMENTS:HISTORY,CURRENTSTATUS,ANDFUTUREIMPACT

DerekAvery,ZacharyPandorf&MichelleHernandezDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Sealevelsaroundtheglobehavebeenrisingrapidlysincethelatenineteenthcentury.Variousareasaroundtheworldaredirectlyaffectedbytheserisingsealevels,specificallyheavilypopulatedcoastalregions.Primarycausesofrisingsealevelsarethermalexpansionofoceansandincreasedmeltingofglaciers.Themeltingoficecapshavepotentialcatastrophiceffectsontheenvironment.Thispresentationillustratestherelationshipbetweenclimatechangeandpast,current,andfuturesealevels.TheresearchwasperformedintheScientificComputingcourse,afreshman-onlyhonorsclassatWagnerCollege.Withinthecourse,computationalskillsandcriticalthinkingareimplementedusingtheWolframprogramminglanguage.TheMathematicaprogramisessentialforlarge-scaledataanalysisthroughcollectionandpresentationofsealevelsandhistoricaltrends.Economicandagriculturalimpactsexistinmostregions,whichhasaneffectonthestandardoflivingintheseareas.Thiswillbecomparedbetweendevelopedanddevelopingnations.Predictionsforfuturesealevelsposethreatstolifeanddevelopmentaroundtheglobe.UsingMathematica,thepresentationdisplaystheprojectionsandtrendsofsea

levels,usingavarietyofinteractivefunctions.Altogether,therisingglobalsealevelswillbeeffectivelyexhibitedusingcomputationaldataanalysis.116 (SESSIONC5)QUANTIFICATIONOFECCENTRICGROWTHINSTEMSOFARTEMISIATRIDENTATA

IsmaelPenaDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Riverdale,NY,10471

Artemisiatridentata,BigSagebrush,isthemostdominateshrub,coveringmorethan60millionhectares,inthewesternUS.Itprovideshabitatforcountlessnumbersofanimalspecies.StemsofthevarioussubspeciesofA.tridentataexhibiteccentricgrowthduetothedeathofvascularcambiumaffectingfuturestemgrowth.Inthisfirststudy,concerningratesofeccentricitybetweensubspecies,stemsofA.tridentatassp.wyomingensisandssp.tridentatawereanalyzed.Comparisonsof8mmstem-diametersamplesshowedthatmostsamplesinbothsubspecieswereeccentric.ThesecondtestwastodetermineeccentricityalongthreestemsofA.tridentatassp.wyomingensis.Stemdiametersrangedfrom5-40xylaryringsandwerebetween33-50cmlengthwise.Stemsegmentscontaining>10xylaryringswereeccentric.Thedatashowthateccentricityresultingfromdeathofvascularcambiumwas:localized,notmaintainedwellamongsequentialstemsegments,andubiquitousinstemsofArtemisia.Stemswitheccentricgrowthareweakermechanicallywhichmayhelpexplainwhyindividualstemsdonotgrowwell.However,individualplantsproducethousandsofseeds,accountingforA.tridentata'sdominanceintheregion.ThisstudyisthefirsttoquantifyeccentricityalongstemsoftwosubspeciesofA.tridentata117 (SESSIONC6)PREDICTINGRATESOFBARKFORMATIONONSAGUAROCACTI(CARNEGIEAGIGANTEA

MiaBertoliDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Riverdale,NY,10471

Saguarocactus(Carnegieagigantea)isakeystonespeciesoftheSonoranDesertofArizonaandMexico.Recentevidenceshowsthatepidermalbrowning,thepresenceofbarkonthesurfacesofsaguaros,leadstoprematuredeathofplantsfromtheaverage200to300-yearlifeexpectancy.Saguarocacticontainmultiplesurfacesthatbarkstartingonsouth-facingsurfacesandendingonnorth-facingsurfaces,sincesouth-facingsurfacesareexposedtomoresunlight.Thelastsurfacetoshowbarkwasnorth-righttroughs.Previousresearchhasshownthatoncenorth-righttroughshad80%bark,cactusplantsdiedwithineightyears.Thecurrentresearchwasaimedatfurtherunderstandingbarkformationonnorth-righttroughsusingvariouscomputerprograms.TheresultsshowthatusingvariouscombinationsofRandomForestpredictorsurfacesandValidateModelhistograms,themostaccuratesurfacestopredictthenorth-righttroughwerethenorth-lefttroughscombinedwithwest-lefttroughs.Highstandarddeviationvalueswerecoincidentwithlowpredictiveaccuracy.Cactusoutliersthatbarkedslowerthanpredictedweremoreshadedthancactusoutliersthatbarkedfasterthanpredicted.Overall,computerprogramsWEKA,Validate

Model,andRem_High_Lowareaccuratetoolstopredictbarkformationratesonnorth-righttroughsandwhenindividualcactusdeathwilloccur.118 (SESSIONC6)COMPARISONOFAMINOACIDSANDSUGARINNECTARFROMSCAEVOLATACCADAANDSCAEVOLAPLUMIERI

ColettePiasecki-MastersDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Scaevolaplumieri,aspeciesofcoastalshrub,isnativetotheCaribbeanIslands.Scaevolataccada,acongenernativetotheIndopacific,wasintroducedtotheCaribbeaninthe1970sandwasfirstrecordedinVieques,PuertoRicoin2002.S.taccadahasbeenreportedtodisplaceS.plumieri,whichisnowlistedasthreatenedinmanylocations.Sincethesespeciescompeteforresources,weareinterestedinexploringthepossibleimpacttheinvasiveS.taccadahasonthepollinationbiologyofthenativespecies.Wepresentdataonthenectarconstituents—specificallysugarandaminoacidconcentrations—ofthesespeciesfromVieques.Nectarsampleswerecollectedfrom2015-2017usingmicrocapillarytubes.Thenectarvolumewasmeasuredfromindividual,baggedflowers.ThesucrosepercentagewasanalyzedusingadigitalrefractometerandtheaminoacidprofileswereanalyzedusingHPLC.TheaveragesucroseconcentrationisslightlyhigherinthenectarofS.plumieri,whiletheaveragevolumeperflowerishigherinS.taccada.Thespecies'aminoacidprofileswerefoundtosharesimilarcompoundsinthenectars,however,theconcentrationoftheserespectivecompoundsisvariable.Usingappropriatestatisticalmeasures,wehavequantifiedtheintra-andinterspeciesvariability.119 (SESSIONC6)ANALYSISOFHURRICANESANDCYCLONESINNORTHAMERICAANDASIA

MatthewBarreto&VictorRuanDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

ClimatechangehascausedanemergenceofextremeweathereventsintheUnitedStatesandAsia.Mostnotably,thispresentationanalyzesthejuxtapositionbetweentheeffectsofhurricanesintheUnitedStatessuchasHurricanesSandyandKatrina,andcyclonesprevalentinAsia,primarilyTyphoonChan-hom(2015),orTyphoonFalconinthePhilippines.Theprevalenceoftheseextremeweathereventshavecausedmanyeffectsontheworldandhumanlife.Furthermore,thispresentationshowcasesacorrelationbetweentheseverityandfrequencyofhurricanesandcycloneswithcertainfactorssuchasjoblossrates,insurancedeficits,andpublicassistancenecessities.ThisresearchhasbeencarriedinthefreshmanonlyScientificComputingcourseatWagnerCollege.ThecomputationalanalysisofthedatawascarriedoutusingtheWolframprogramminglanguage.Thisresearchfocusesontheseveritiesofhurricanesandcyclonesindifferentpartsoftheworldandhowtheyimpacttheglobaleconomy.Basedonthesefindings,therehasbeenanotabletrendinadecreaseinamountofextremeweatherevents,butanincreaseintheirintensities.ThisdatacouldserveasaprecursorforextremeweathereventsthatmayoccurinthefutureofNorthAmericaandpartsofAsia.

120 (SESSIONC6)XYLEMCONDUCTIVITIESFROMSTEMSTOLEAVESFORGRASSSPECIES

HumbertoOrtegaBiologyDept.,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Grassesgrowinavarietyofenvironments,somewithlimitedwater.Thisresearchisimportantbecausegrassgrowthandproductivitydependuponwaterconductionfromstemstoleaves.Thepurposeofthisstudyistounderstandcharacteristicsofxylemcells,xylemcellswithinvascularbundlesandxylemconductivity.Xylemconductivityisusedtoestimatethecells'abilitytotransportwaterfromstemstoleaves.Datafrom13C3grasses,speciesmostlyconfinedtotemperateclimates,and13C4grasses,speciesmostlyfromtropicalclimates.Stemswithlargerdiametershadmorevascularbundles(y=25.1x-18.7,r2=0.92).Numbersofleafbundleswerelinearlyrelatedwithnumberofstembundles(y=0.10x+6.61,r2=0.84)demonstratingthatstemscontributed10%oftheirbundlestoeachleaf.Xylemconductivityvaluesperbundleinleaveswerelinearlyrelatedwiththestembundleconductivity(y=0.054x-0.00,r2=0.84).Xylemconductivityvaluesofentireleaveswerelinearlyrelatedwithentirestems(y=0.060x+0.027,r2=0.90).Leafconductivityvalueswereaboutsixpercentofstemconductivities.Bothgroupsdisplayedsimilarxylemconductivitiesthereforeweconcludedthatxylemconductivityisindependentofwateruseefficiency.121 (SESSIONC7)THEEFFECTOFSEMI-PRECOCIALDEVELOPMENTONMOVEMENTOFJUVENILECOMMONTERN(STERNAHIRUNDO)FROMTHENEST

MonicaValeroDept.ofBiology,WagnerCollege,SI,NY,10309

Theobjectiveofthisexperimentwastoobservetheeffectofsemi-precocialdevelopmentonthemovementofjuvenileCommonTerns(Sternahirundo)asthechicksaged.Semi-precocialspeciesbegintowanderawayfromthenestataroundtwotothreedaysold.Overthecourseoftwomonths,twositesinBarnegatBay,offLongBeachIsland,NewJerseywereobservedtoexaminecommonternchickmovementfromthenest.Oncethechickshatched,datawascollectedonthechicks:bandnumbers,thechicks'distancefromthenest,aswellasthedistancebetweenneighboringnests.Theresultscollectedwereexpectedtoreflectsemi-precocialdevelopment,meaningthatasthechicksaged,theywouldbefoundfartherfromthenest.ObservationsofS.hirundochicksfromsevendifferentagegroupssupportedthehypothesisthatchicksmovedfromthenestastheymatured.Inthefirstagegroupof1to3days,itwasfoundthatthemediandistancefromthenestwasonly0.10mawayfromthenest.Inthenextagegroupof4-6days,themediandistanceawayfromthenestwas0.45maway.Intheagegroupofoverthreeweeksold,themediandistanceawayfromthenestwas6.45meters;nochickswerefoundattheirnest,andthechickswereabouttofledge.Althoughcomplicationsdidarisesuchasstorms,predationbygulls,andthechicksmovingintodensevegetation,enoughchickswererecordedtodemonstratethatS.hirundochicksmoveawayfromthenestafteronlydaysof

hatching.Ultimately,thedatashowthatCommonTernchicksarenotattachedtothenestsite,despitecontinuingtorelyontheirparentsforcare.122 (SESSIONC7)PREDICTINGMORTALITYRATESFORSAGUAROCACTI(CARNEGIEAGIGANTEA

ColeJohnsonDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Saguarocacti(Carnegieagigantea)areoneofmorethantwentyothercolumnarcactusspeciesintheAmericassubjecttobarkformation,orepidermalbrowning.BarkformationisknowntobetheresultofUV-Blightcomingfromthesun.Extensivebarkcoverageleadstoprematuredeathofsaguarocactusplantsthatareknowntoliveforhundredsofyears.ThisstudyusedWEKAmachinelearningprogrammingtopredictdeathratesforapopulationofsaguarocactilocatedinTucsonMountainPark,Tucson,AZfrom1994-2017over8-yearintervals.Itwashypothesizedthatnorth-facingsurfaceswouldbethemajorpredictorofcactusmortalitybecausepreviousresearchhasshownthatcactusdeathoccurswhennorth-facingrighttroughshave80%barkcoverage.Eachindividualcactuswasassignedahealthclassbasedonpercentagesofbarkcoverageonsurfacesfrom1994-2002,2002-2010,and2010-2017.Cactiwereevaluatedfor1994,2002and2010topredictmortalityin2002,2010,and2017,respectively.DatawereanalyzedwithWEKAdecisiontreeprogramstodeterminetheabilityofcactussurfaces(north,south,east,andwest)topredictcactusmortality.Confusionmatriceswereobtainedtounderstandthemethodofprediction.Forcactiwithcactiwithbarkcoveragebelow80%,north-facingsurfaceswerethebestpredictorsofcactusdeath.Forthesegroups,deathwaspredictedformorethan80%ofcacti.Forcactiabove80%barkcoverage,south-facingsurfaceswerethemajorpredictorsofdeath.Forthesecacti,deathwaspredictedatonlythe72%level.123 (SESSIONC7)COMPARINGTHERMALTOLERANCEAMONGDAPHNIAPOPULATIONS

SophiaA.CameronDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Understandinghowpopulationsandspecieshaveevolveddifferencesintraitsinvolvedinthermaltolerancewillbeinformativeinpredictingfutureevolutionaryresponsestoclimatewarming.DaphniapulexandDaphniapulicaria.arecloselyrelatedspeciesoffreshwaterzooplanktonthataremorphologicallyindistinguishable.D.pulexistypicallyfoundinephemeralponds,whileD.pulicariainhabitslakes.Despitetheirmorphologicalsimilarityandabilitytohybridize,multiplesourcesofmoleculardatahaveconfirmedtheirstatusasseparatespecies.HereweinvestigatethehypothesisthatpopulationsofD.pulexmaypossessgreaterthermaltolerancethanD.pulicariabecauseofthegreateramplitudeoftemperaturevariationtheylikelyexperienceinnature.Usinglaboratory-grownlineagesofDaphniaestablishedfromfieldsamplingofmultiplelakeandpondhabitats,wemeasuredcriticalthermalmaximum(CTmax)ofadultanimalsviaadynamicmethod.Thisconsistsofafast-rampingassayinwhichanimalsexperiencedaconstantrateof

temperatureincrease(1Cper20s)untilfainting.WecompareCTmaxamongpopulationswithinspecies,andbetweenspecies.124 (SESSIOND)POLYMERSOFINTRINSICMICROPOROSITYINCORPORATINGAZOFUNCTIONALGROUPS

KarlOttoEuller,JesseHsu&MichaelP.HaafDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Polymersofintrinsicmicroporosity(PIMs)arearelativelynewcategoryofpolymerswhichdifferfromtraditionallinearorganicpolymers.Incontrasttoinsoluble,highlycross-linkedpolymers,PIMsderivetheirintrinsicporositythroughlargeplanarstructuresinterspacedbytetrahedralcarboncentersthatexhibitadistinctlytwistedstereochemistry.PracticalapplicationsofPIMsincludegasfiltration,drugdelivery,orenantiomericseparationofmolecules,throughthefine-tuningoftheircharacteristicpores.WeareintheprocessofsynthesizingaPIMthatincorporatesanazofunctionalgroupintothepolymerbackbone.AzofunctionalgroupsexistinthecisortransconfigurationandthestereochemistryofthefunctionalgroupcanbeswitchedthoughUVlightexposure.IncorporationofthisfunctionalgroupwouldlikelyallowadegreeofcontrolovertheshapeofthisPIMandcouldenabledramaticchangesintheporosityofthepolymerwiththeuseofUVlight.ProgresstowardthesynthesisandcharacterizationofaphotoswitchablePIMwillbepresented.125 (SESSIOND)ANTIBACTERIALPROPERTIESOFFUNCTIONALIZEDMELAMINE

PiperSkinnerDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Theantibacterialactivityofmoleculesistypicallyattributedtothepresenceoflonghydrophobicalkylchainsorphenolgroups.Attachingsuchgroupstomelamine,anaromaticheterocycle,canresultinnewmoleculesthatpossesstheabilitytoresistbacteria.Theantimicrobialactivityofchlorinatedmelaminehasbeenreportedintheliterature.Thisprojectfocusesonthealkylationofmelamineasameansofenhancingantimicrobialproperties.Attemptstofunctionalizemelaminewithalkylchainsusingsubstitutionreactionsareinprogress.Bromobutaneandbromopentanehavebeenemployedthusfar,withvariousreactionconditionsunderreview.Oncealkylationisachieved,thecompoundwillbeappliedtoinfectedagarplatestodetermineifthecoloniesofbacteriadoindeeddecrease.Inadditiontoaddingalkylgroups,phenolicsubstituentswillalsobeexploredasameanssynthesizingadditionalmelaminederivativeswithantibacterialactivity.

126 (SESSIOND)CHEMISTRYINTHEAEROSOLINTERFACIALREGION:ACOMPUTATIONALSTUDY

GentPrelvukajDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301

Thechemicalreactionscausedbyatmosphericaerosolparticlesareinvolvedinradiativeforcing,chemicalreactioncycles,andhumanhealth.Thechemicalreactionsthatoccurintheinterfacialregionremainambiguous.Duetothecomplexityoftheinterfacialregion,selfassembledreversemicelles(RM)areusedasproxiestohelpdevelopacompleteunderstandingofthephotochemicalpropertiesoftheregion.Weperformedfullyatomisticmoleculardynamicssimulationstoexploretheimpactoftrappedionicspeciesonthesizeandshapeofreversemicelles.Oursimulationsoflargerreversemicellesfromw0=10,15,20provideatemplateforfurtherstudies.ForeachRMsize,theionsformlayersintheinterfacialregion.K+ionsresidenearthesurfactantheadgroupsandevenreplacetheNa+counter-ionofthesurfactantwhiletheCl-anionsarelocalizedintheaqueouscore.Densitycalculationsindicatethattheinterfacialregionofthereversemicellesarestructuredasfollows:R-SO3->Na+≥K+>Cl-(Core).Oursimulationsindicatethatthetrendinshapeofreversemicellescontinuesforsmallerreversemicellesincludingw02,3,4,and6.Afterrunningmultiplesimulationsofdifferentconcentrationswediscoveredthatthereisathresholdconcentration.127 (SESSIOND)THEIMPACTOFTHEORIENTATIONOFTHEMICROFLUSHVALVEINTHEGLOBALSUSTAINABLEAIDPROJECTTOILET

ColbyAndersonAndresenDept.ofPhysics-Engineering-Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918

TheMicroflushvalveintheGlobalSustainableAidProject(GSAP)toiletisdesignedtominimizeaerosols/spraybyslidingthewastewhenthetoiletisflushed.Thevalvecanhaveoneoftwoorientations.Onewherethecounterweightisforwardintheuserinterfaceandonewhereitisonthebackendoftheuserinterface.Theaimofthisresearchistoconsidertheimplicationsofbothorientations.Avalveinterfacewasbuiltinthelabtofacilitatethisstudy.Asolutionofreddyewithwaterwaspouredintothevalvetosimulatewaste.Thespraywasthenexaggeratedthroughanextremeflushing.Measurementsweretakentoobservethedistributionofthesprayjustabovethevalve,inthemiddleofthebowlofthetoilet,andatthetopofthetoilet.ThedistributionswerethenanalyzedusingImageJtofindthecenterofmass.Resultsshowthatthecenterofmasswasorientedtowardsthebackoftheuserinterfacefortheforwardpositionofthecounterweight.Justtheoppositefortheotherorientation.Thus,installingthevalveintheforwardorientationcoulddecreasethepossibilityofinfectionthroughsplattercontactwiththeuser.

128 (SESSIOND)THEMETHODOFUSINGMULTIPLE3DLASERSCANNINGSTOSCANTRIMCASTLEINTRIM,IRELAND

AlexanderTuongDept.ofPhysicsandAstronomy,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

3Dlaserscanningisbecomingmoreprominentintheworldinfieldssuchasautonomousvehicles,forensics,3Dmodelingandarchitecture,constructionandhistoricpreservation.Withtheriseof3Dlaserscanningnewresearchmustbedonetolearnhowtoimplementthistechnologyintotheworld.Theresearchbeingpresentedinvolvesthemethodologyofimplementingmultiple3Dlaserscannersimultaneously.ThefieldworkwascontextuallybasedinhistoricpreservationofTrimCastleinTrim,IrelandusingtwoLeicaScanstation3DLaserScanners.Amethodforusingboththescannerssimultaneouslyandefficientlywasdevelopedinwhichsmallscanteamswithonemanagingbodywasproventobemoreworkandcostefficient.Thescannersalsomustbeoutofsightofeachother.InthecaseofTrimCastle,thebestmethodwashavingthescannersonseparatefloorsorinside/outside.Inordertocompilethedataintothesamepointcloud,thescannersmustbeabletosharecoordinatesandbelockedintothesamecoordinategrid.129 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFMICROGRAVITYONTHEGROWTHANDFUNCTIONOFNEURALCELLS

BenRumrill&BarbraMurdochDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

AsNASAstrivestoadvancethereachofhumanspaceexploration,astronautsarespendinglongerdurationsexposedtomicrogravity.Astronautsreturningfromspaceshowcognitivedeficits,likeattentionlapseandlowerreactiontimes.Thereasonforthisareunclear,however,onepossibilityisthatmicrogravitycausesthelossofneuronsinthebrain.Typically,cellreplacementinvolvescelldifferentiation.Perhapsmicrogravityaffectscelldifferentiation?Wehypothesizethatmicrogravityimpairstheabilityofneuralcellstodifferentiateintoneurons.Usingthemouseneuroblastomacellline,Neuro2A(N2A),wetestedtheabilityofN2Acellstoproduceneurons,followinggrowthinsimulatedmicrogravitycomparedtonormalconditions.N2Acellsareideal,asdependingonthecultureconditions,N2Acellscaneitherbemaintainedasdividingcellsordifferentiatedtoproduceneurons.N2Acellsweregrownwithandwithoutsimulatedmicrogravityfortwodays.Subsequentlyundernormalgravity,thecellsweredifferentiatedandtestedforneuronproductionusingimmunocytochemistry.Preliminaryexperimentsindicatecellularchangesinmicrogravitycomparedtonormal,withneurondifferentiationevidentinbothconditions.Neuronquantitationiscurrentlyunderway.Alossofneuronscouldtranslateintoalteredcommunicationinthebrain,leadingtothecognitivedeficitsseeninastronautsafterspaceflight.

130 (SESSIOND)ASSESSMENTOFMICROGLIALFUNCTIONINBRAINANDBLOODMICROENVIRONMENTS

LillianHydeDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Microgliaaresupportcellsinthecentralnervoussystemthattriggerdefensemechanismsinresponsetoforeignparticles.Microglia,althoughnaturallyfoundininterstitialfluid,anenvironmentsimilartocerebrospinalfluid(CSF),areroutinelystudiedinvitrobyculturingthesecellswithfetalbovineserum(FBS).WhethermicrogliaculturedwithFBSarefunctionallysimilartothoseintheirnativeenvironmentisunclear.Thisquestionisparticularlyinterestinggiventhatmicrogliacanbeactivatedintoapro-inflammatory(M1)oranti-inflammatory(M2)phenotypebasedonsignalingmoleculesintheirenvironment.Thesephenotypescanhaveprofoundlydifferentinfluencesonbrainhealthbydamagingneurons(M1activation)orpromotingneuronsupport(M2activation).ThisstudyassessesifmicroglialactivationdiffersinFBScomparedtotheirmorenaturalenvironmentofCSF.Byestablishingabaselinecharacterizationofmicroglia,theroleofmicrogliaindiseasecanbemorecloselymodeledinvitro.PreliminaryresultssuggestthatCSFpromotesmicroglialmorphologyreminiscentofM2activationwhileFBSpromotesM1activation.Furtherstudieswillcharacterizethesecellsbasedoncellularmarkersandfunction.ThesefindingssuggestthatculturingmicrogliainFBSmightdrivethesecellstowardsadifferentactivationstatethanwheninthecentralnervoussystem.131 (SESSIOND)FUNCTIONOFLEPTININFINFOLDREGENERATION

NishatRahmanDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Humansandotheranimalscannotregeneratewell.Someanimalscanregeneratewholebodyparts.Vertebrateslikefishandsalamandersareexamplesofspeciesthatregeneratelimbsormissingpartsoftheirorgans.Ifwecanunderstandwhysomecanregenerateandotherscannot,thenwecanhelpfurtherregenerativemedicine.Weusezebrafishmodelforstudyingregeneration,focusingontheregenerationofthelarvalfinfold.Whenthefinfoldisamputated,theexpressionoftheneuropeptideleptinincreasesatthesiteofamputation.Whiletheroleofleptininappendageregenerationisunknown,leptinisknowntoplayanimportantroleinboneremodeling.LeptinactsupstreamofCart,whichisanotherneuropeptideexpressedinthebrainandperipheraltissues.Wewillstudythefunctionofleptininfinfoldregeneration.Todoso,wewillgeneratefishinwhichtheexpressionofleptincanbeexperimentallyinduced.Wehypothesizethatincreasedleptinexpressionwillenhanceregenerationrate,increaseexpressionofcart,andincreaseexpressionofgenesinvolvedinboneremodeling.Furthermore,theseeffectswillbeblockedinfishthatcarryageneticlossoffunctioninCart.Thesestudiesshouldimproveourknowledgeofregenerationandboneremodeling.

132 (SESSIOND)COMPARINGRATESOFEVOLUTIONINARTHROPODDNADAMAGEREPAIRGENES

TaylorYowanDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

ExposuretoultravioletradiationiswellknowntocauseDNAdamageandmutationsleadingtodiseasesassevereasskincancerinhumansorevendeath.OrganismssuchasDaphniapulexliveinshallowareasofwaterwhichcanbedirectlyexposedtosunlightandthereforultravioletradiation.IaminvestigatinghowexposuretoultravioletradiationaffectstherateatwhichorganismswithintheArthropodafamilyevolvethisisbasedoffpreviousworkdonebyProfessorBrooksMinerwhichexploredhowdifferentlevelsofexposuretoultravioletradiationaffectedthediversitywithinneighboringDaphniapulexpopulations.ThiscanbequantifiedbycreatingaKa/KsratioofgenesassociatedwithDNAdamageresponseforeacharthropodofinterest.IwillthencomparetheseratiosinordertocreateaphylogenyofarthropodsthatvisualizeshowDNAdamageaffectstherateatwhichtheseorganismsevolveinavarietyofecosystems.IbeganwithalistofknownDNAdamagegenesinthemodelorganismDrosophilamelanogasterwhichIthenusedtosearchfororthologousgenesinaseriesofdiversearthropodsforwhichDNAsequencedataisavailable.OnceIhadaccesstothegenomesofthearthropodsofinterestIusedcommandlineBLASTandpythonscriptstoidentifytheseDNAdamageorthologs.ThenextstepsinvolveotherprogramsincludingMUSCLEandPAMLtocalculatetheKa/Ksratiosoftheseorganisms.Iwillpresentonhowtheresultsofthisongoingresearchconfirmordenythehypothesisthathigherexposuretoultravioletradiationisassociatedwithfasterratesofevolution.133 (SESSIOND)CRACKINGTHECODE:DISCOVERINGTHEROLEOFGENETICSINDEGENERATIVEMYOPATHY

CaitlinSteinbeck&Dr.ArévaloDept.ofBiology,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918

Ourlabisinterestedinlookingattheaspectsofthedoggenomethatspecificallyrelatetotheinteractionsbetweengenesandtheirphysicalcharacteristicsanddiseases.Ihavefocusedonalate-onsetneurodegenerativedisorderofthespinalcordcalleddegenerativemyopathy(DM),whichleadstothelossofcontrolofthehindlimbs.TheprogressionseenindogsaffectedbyDMhasbeencorrelatedwiththesymptomsinhumanssufferingfromamyotrophiclateralsclerosis(ALS).SeveralgeneshavebeenassociatedwithALSincludingSOD1,agenethatisalsolinkedtoDMindogs.However,theroleofSOD1indogsisnotsufficienttofullyexplainthediseasebecauseofthelowlevelsofgeneticpenetranceindogscarryingthemutation.OurlabisscreeningforalternategenesthatareeitherknowntobeinvolvedwithALSorareknowntohavearegulatoryroleonSOD1expressionindogs.IamlookingatthedogversionoftheC9orf72gene,whichisassociatedwithALSandFrontotemporalDementia(FTLD).Weplantoscreenalmost300dogDNAsamplesforgeneticvariabilityinthecanineC11H9orf72genetodeterminewhetherithasaroleinDM.

134 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFMICROGRAVITYONNEURONALCELLS

CarlyBalskusDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Astronautsareknowntoexperiencecognitivedeclinewheninspace.Thecauseoftheseimpairmentsisunclear.Todeterminewhethermicrogravityimpairsneuronalfunction,differentiatedmouseneuroblastomacellsweregrownonmicrocarrierbeads.Cellswerethensubjectedtonormalgravityorsimulatedmicrogravityfor48hoursusingaRotaryCellCultureSystem.Microgravityreducedneuronalprocesslengthandexpressionofthesynapticmarker,synaptophysin,asmeasuredbywesternblot.Importantly,cellviabilitywasnotalteredbymicrogravity,indicatingoureffectsarenotaconsequenceofenhancedcelldeath.Thesedatasuggestthatexposuretomicrogravitymaydisruptneuronalcommunicationandpossiblyunderliethecognitiveimpairmentsseeninastronauts.135 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTSOFDIETARYANTIOXIDANTSONOXIDATIVESTRESSLEVELSINEUROPEANSTARLINGS,STURNUSVULGARIS

OliviaFatica&MaxTrudeauDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

Migratorybirdsrelyheavilyontheconditionoftheirmusclesandthequalityoftheirfatstorestomakeitsafelytotheirdestinations.Butunfortunately,theycopewithseveremuscledamageduetotheirextremelylongenduranceflights,whichcangreatlyaffecttheirperformanceinanegativeway.Antioxidants(AOs)arecomponentsthatcombatthismuscledamage.Uricacidisconsideredtobeanendogenousantioxidantandreliablebiomarkerforoxidativedamageandisreleasedduringmusclecatabolism.Inthisstudy,femaleEuropeanStarlingsunderwentastricttrainingregimeleadinguptoa6-hourmigrationsimulation.Groupsofstarlings,bothtrainedanduntrained,werefeddietswitheithernodietaryantioxidantsaddedordietssupplementedwithantioxidantsintheformofanthocyanin.Bloodwasdrawnatthreetimepoints;backgroundsample,apost-flightsample,andafinalsampletwodaysafterflightrecovery.Uricacidlevelsweremeasuredinbloodplasma.Wepredictthattheuricacidlevelswillbesignificantlyhigherintheabsenceofthedietaryantioxidant,especiallyintrainedbirds,asthebodywillonlyhaveaccesstotheirendogenousAOs.Preliminaryresultssuggestapossiblecorrelationbetweenlevelsofuricacidanddietaryantioxidants.136 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFBIOFEEDBACKTRAININGONBETA-ADRENERGICRECEPTORSINHEARTFAILURE

AlisonSwiftNeuroscienceProgram,JohnCarrollUniversity,UniversityHeights,OH,44118

Ofthe5.7millionadultsdiagnosedannuallywithheartfailure,50%willsuccumbtothediseasewithinfiveyears,creatingademandformoreeffective,long-termtherapies.Prior

studiesdemonstratedthattotalbeta-adrenergicreceptordensityfollowingbiofeedback-assistedstressmanagementtraining(biofeedback)isdown-regulated,similartofailingheartsandunlikefailingheartstreatedwithleft-ventricularassistdevices(LVAD).However,itisunknownwhetherbiofeedbacktrainingresultsinalterationsinbeta-adrenergicreceptorsubtype(beta-1andbeta-2)ratio.Therefore,thepresentstudysoughttodeterminehowbiofeedbackaffectsbeta-adrenergicreceptorsubtyperatioincomparisontonon-failingandLVADgroups.Itwashypothesizedthatbeta-adrenergicreceptorsubtyperatiointhebiofeedbackgroupwouldbesimilartothatofnon-failingandLVADgroupsandsignificantlydifferentfromthefailinggroup.Theresultsdidnotindicateasignificantdifferencebetweengroupsforbeta-1receptors.Forbeta-2receptors,densityresultsindicatedasignificantdifferencebetweenboththefailingandbiofeedbackgroupsincomparisontotheLVADandnon-failinggroups.Theresultsobtainedforthefailinggroupdidnotcorroboratehistoricaldata,indicatingpotentiallimitationstothestudyandencouragingfuturestudy.137 (SESSIOND)PHYLOGEOGRAPHYOFAMOUNTAINTOPSALAMANDER,PLETHODONPUNCTATUS(PLETHODONTIDAE)

AlexsisM.Powell&HaleyC.GrimasonDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Thecowknobsalamander,Plethodonpunctatus,isalittle-knownmemberofthelunglesssalamanderfamilyPlethodontidae.ThespeciesonlyoccursinafewisolatedmountainrangesandmountaintopsthatstraddletheVirginiaandWestVirginiaborder.WestVirginiahasdesignatedP.punctatusasaS1(CriticallyImperiled)speciesofconcernduetohabitatfragmentation,lowabundance,anditsnarrowdistribution.ThisledtothequestionofwhetherP.punctatuspopulationsindifferentisolatedmountainrangesaregeneticallydivergentandshouldbemanagedasseparateunits.Tailtipswerecollectedfromspecimensthroughouttheknownrangeofthespecies,andDNAwasextracted.Threegeneticloci,twomitochondrialandonenuclear,wereamplifiedandsequenced.PhylogeneticanalysesoftheDNAdatarevealedthatindividualmountainrangesdonoteachharborauniquegeneticlineage.Instead,P.punctatusiscomprisedoftwogeneticclades,onefoundinnorthernhalfofthespecies'rangeandanotherinthesouth.HaplotypenetworksandpopulationgeneticanalysesindicatethatthenortherncladeofP.punctatusunderwentrecentpopulationexpansion,whilethesouthernclademayhavebeenmorestable.Interestingly,thetwocladesappeartohavedivergedaround2.6millionyearsago,coincidingwiththeonsetofthePleistocene.138 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFINSECTICIDESONTADPOLEDEVELOPMENT,ANDBEHAVIOR

CaitSackmanDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Riverdale,NY,10471

Amphibiansareimportantindicatorspeciesfortheecosystem,withpermeableskinandaquaticreproductionmakingthemvulnerabletoenvironmentalperturbation,and

susceptibletochemicalpollution.Contaminationoffreshwaterhabitatswithtraditionalinsecticidaltoxinsisthoughttobeacontributingfactortotheglobaldeclineofamphibianspecies.However,theuseofmoreeco-friendlyalternativecompoundsisontherise,butunderstandingthewaysinwhichthesealternativecompoundsmayimpactnaturalpopulationsisimportant.Ihypothesizedthat:1)tadpolesinthepresenceoftraditionalcarbamateinsecticideswouldexhibitabnormalbehaviors,2)carbamateinsecticideswouldnegativelyaffecttadpoledevelopment,and3)tadpoleswouldexperiencefewernegativeeffectsonbehavioranddevelopmentinthepresenceofanaturalinsecticidealternative(lemongrassoil).Theresultsshowthattadpolesexposedtoinsecticidechemicals(bothtraditionalandeco-friendlyalternatives)showedsignsofbehavioralanddevelopmentalchangesrelativetocontroltadpoles.EvenatconcentrationssignificantlylowerthanthosesuggestedbyEPAguidelines,insecticidescouldcausesignificantsub-lethalchangestolarvalamphibians,whichcouldhavedetrimentaleffectstothefitnessofwildpopulations.139 (SESSIOND)ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCEANDTHEROADMAPTOCYBERNETICIMMORTALITY

DavidBernhardt&NoelleFrancisSeidenbergSchoolofComputerScienceandInformationSystems,PaceUniversity,NY,

10570ArtificialIntelligence(AI)andCybersecurityaretwodisciplinesthatareadvancingbyleapsandbounds.Yet,withtheadvancesinAIcriminalsareusingcyberspacetocommitnumerouscyber-crimes.Cybersecurityplaysavitalroleintoday'stechindustry.Physicaldevicesandhumaninterventionarenotsufficientformonitoringandprotectingtheseinfrastructures.That'swhereAIcomeintoplayforcybersecurity.ArtificialIntelligencehasprovenveryhelpfulindealingwithcybercrimes,inthattheyhelppreventthesecrimes.However,thereisaneedformoreadvancedcyberdefensesystemthatcanassessasituationquicklyandmakeintelligentreal-timedecisionsimmediately.Inthisstudy,weanalyzehowAIandCybersecurityhavebeenimproperlymerged.Analyzingthesefailures,wethenproposeanapproachformergingthemeffectivelyandtheirapplication.Inaddition,wediscussthebenefitsofwhenArtificialIntelligenceandcomputersecurityarecombinedcorrectlytocombatcybercrime,aswellashowtocorrectlyusethetwoareasinharmony.140 (SESSIOND)DEPRESSION,SOCIALSUPPORTANDRACE:DISPARITIESAMONGCOLLEGESTUDENTS

SerenaBerrios,MayaHoward,ShannaleeBrown&TyreshaPringleDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Manystudieshaveexploreddifferencesindepressionandsocialsupportasafunctionofrace.InthecurrentstudywecomparedBlack,White,Asian,Latinx,andMultiracialstudentsonmeasuresofdepressionandsocialsupport.Unlikethegeneralpopulation,Blackstudentsreportedthehighestlevelsofdepressionandlowersocialsupport.Latinxstudentsalsoreportedelevatedlevelsofdepression.Despitethelimitedsamplesize,therewasevidencethatMultiracialstudentsreporthighlevelsofdepressionandlowlevelsof

socialsupport.Theimplicationsofthesefindingsforsupportingdiversestudentpopulationsarediscussed.141 (SESSIOND)INSANEINTHEMEMBRANE:VARIATIONSINPORTRAYALSOFMENTALILLNESSONTELEVISIONBYTIMEPERIOD,STATIONANDPROGRAMTYPE(2011-2016)

LiaBradley&SabrinaDeArmasDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Previousresearchhasshownthattelevisionhasstronginfluencesonthebeliefs,attitudesandbehaviorsofbothchildrenandadults.Giventheriseinmentalillness(includingaddictionandsuicide)overthepastseveraldecades,whatdoviewerslearnaboutmentalillnessfromwatchingtelevision?ThecurrentlongitudinalcontentanalysisisanextensionandreplicationofearlierstudiesbyGomez&Hochberger(2015)andBevan(2017)usingalargersampleof689televisionprogramsvideotapedfrom2011-2016fortheCenterforResearchontheEffectsofTelevision(CRETV)archive.Bothfiction(soapoperas,dramas,crime/action,sitcoms,children'sshows,andteenshows)andnonfiction(news,talkshows,magazineshows,andreality/re-enactmentdramas)programswereincluded.Thedatareportedinthisanalysisincludetheproportionofshowsineachprogramtypethatcontainedcontentrelatedtomentalillness,thenumberandtypeofincidentsineachprogram,thecontext(humorous/serious,positive/negative)andhowthosedatavariedbyprogramtype,station,timeperiodandyear.Mentalillnessportrayalsoccurredinmorethan60%oftheprogramsstudied,includingover85%ofdramas,talkshows,magazineshowsandsitcoms.Theywereleastlikelytoappearonprosocial/educationchildren'sshowsandlocalnewsprograms.142 (SESSIOND)ROBOTICASSISTEDLOCOMOTOREXPERIENCELEADSTOENHANCEDEXECUTIVEFUNCTIONING

LacieGary,LiyaLachovizer&AveryWhisman-WoodwardDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,IthacaNY,14850

Executivefunctioning(EF)involvesinhibitorycontrol,planning,andcognitiveflexibility.Researchershavesuggestedthatself-guidedlocomotioncontributesitsdevelopment;ourresearchwasdesignedtotestthisclaim.Five-month-oldnon-crawlinginfantswererandomlyassignedtoalocomotorornon-locomotorconditiontostudytheeffectsofgoal-directed,self-guidedlocomotiononEF.Bothgroupscametothelabfor12playsessionsoveraperiodoftwomonths.DuringthesesessionsinfantsinthelocomotorgroupwereabletolocomotetotoysusingaroboticdevicefittedoutwithawiiboardthatwasdesignedbyLarin,Dennis,andStansfield(2012).Theplaysessionsforthenon-locomotorgroupwereidenticalexceptthatthetoyswerealwayswithinreachandnolocomotionwaspossible.AtsevenmonthsofageinfantsinbothgroupsweretestedonanumberofvideovignettesdesignedtomeasureEF.Toavoidconfoundswithmotordevelopment,eyemovementsweremeasuredastheyviewedthevideos.Reportedhereareresultsforthreeofthevideotasks:1)apuppetdancingtomusic,2)aswitchtask,and3)aPiagetianA-not-

Btask.AcrossthesetaskslocomotorinfantsshowedenhancedEFfunctioningwhencomparedwiththeinfantsinthenon-locomotorcondition.143 (SESSIOND)AREYOUCONFIDENT?THEROLEOFCONFIDENCEINEMOTIONALMEMORY.

YoussefAmin,KyleRichardson&IsabellaMoreno-KingDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,IthacaNY,14850

Previousresearchhasshownthatemotionalmaterialprovokeanincreaseinconfidenceregardingthevividnessofmemories,whichisevidentbygreaterhigh-confidencehitratesinrecognitionmemory.However,emotionalmaterialisoftenassociatedwithgreaterfalsealarmrates,suggestingamoreliberalresponsebiasinrecognitiondecisionsforemotionalitems.Whereas,theliteraturehasconcentratedondifferencesinhigh-confidencehitrates,therehasbeenlittleinvestigationofhowconfidenceinfluencesemotionaldifferencesinfalsealarmrates.Therefore,weexaminedtheeffectofemotiononrecognitiondecisionsacrossvariouslevelsofmemoryconfidence,whilealsoexploringiftheavailabilityofaguessoptionwouldinteractwithreportedemotionalmemorydifferences.Wefoundthatprovidingaguessoptiondidnotinteractwithanyofthereportedemotionaldifferences.Overallaccuracyandresponsebiasestimatesshowedreducedaccuracyandamoreliberalresponsebiasfortheemotionalpictures.Inspectionofthehitratedatarevealedthattheoverallfindingofagreaterhitratefornegativethanpositiveandneutralpictureswaslimitedtoonlythehighestconfidencedecision,whereaswefoundgreaterfalsealarmratesforbothnegativeandpositiveacrossallconfidencelevels.144 (SESSIOND)SLEEPMAYNOTINFLUENCETHESUSCEPTIBILITYTOTHEMISINFORMATIONEFFECT

SaraVogelDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

Duringeyewitnessstudies,memoryisoftenquestionedduetoitslackofreliability.Thepresentstudytestedthereliabilityofmemorybydeterminingifseeingacrimebeforesleepingorafterwakingupandexperiencinganaveragedayfortheparticipantmakesanimpactofthesusceptibilityofthemisinformationeffect.185participantsweretestedusingtheonlinestudysourceProlific;halfoftheparticipantssawavideoofacellphonerobberybeforetheywenttobedandtheotherhalfwatcheditaftertheywokeup.Whenallparticipantsreturnedtoanswerquestions,halfofthemreadasummarybeforehandthatincludedsomemisinformation.Usingap-value<0.05,theresultsshowedthatneithersleepnorthemisinformationhaveaffectedthememoryofevents.Thisimpliesthatthetimeseeinganevent(atnightorinthemorning)andbeingtoldsomeincorrectinformationaboutaneventmaynotimpactmemoryofsaidevent.

145 (SESSIOND)HUMANFORAGINGBEHAVIORUNDERUNCERTAINTYANDITSRELATIONSHIPTOPERSONALITY

JohnTaylor&MilenRadellDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

Foragingbehavior,anditsrelationshiptothepersonalitytraitsbehavioralinhibition(BI)andintolerancetouncertainty(IU),bothassociatedwithanincreasedriskforanxietydisorders,wasexaminedusingaconditionedplacepreferencetask.Inthistask,participantssearchedforrewardinavirtualenvironmentconsistingofmultipleinterconnectedrooms.Oneoftherooms(therichroom)waspairedwithahighrateofrewardbutalowrateofpunishment(i.e.,chancetolosealreadyacquiredrewards)whileanotherroomwastheopposite.Preferenceforeachroom,includingacompletelynewroom,wasmeasuredinasubsequenttest.Inaddition,theamountofinformationavailableaboutthenewroomwasmanipulated.Forsomeparticipants,thecolorofitsdoormatchedthatoftherichroom(informedcondition)—forothers,thecolorofthedoorwascompletelynew(uninformedcondition).WeexpectthatindividualswhoratehigherinBIand/orIUwillshowgreateravoidanceofthenewroom,inparticularwhenuninformed,andoftheroomwheremorepunishmentwaspreviouslyadministered.146 (SESSIOND)EFFECTSOFORALADMINISTRATIONOFMIDAZOLAMONSPATIALMEMORYINRATS

AnastasiyaKalininaNeuroscienceProgram,JohnCarrollUniversity,UniversityHeights,OH,44118

Studieshaveshowntheabilityoftheclassofbenzodiazepinedrugstocausememorylossinanimalsandhumans.Midazolamisabenzodiazepinecommonlyadministeredintravenouslyduringsurgicalproceduresbecauseitcausesanterogradeamnesia.ThecurrentstudyevaluatedtheeffectsoforallyadministeredmidazolamonspatialmemoryincontrolandexperimentalfemaleLong-EvansratsutilizingtheMorrisWaterMaze(MWM).Sampleandtestrunstoaplatforminthemazewererecordeddailyforallanimals.ArepeatedmeasuresANOVAwasperformedforallratsonthefollowingdata:meanMWMtimes,bodyweight,foodintakeandwaterintake.Spatialmemorywassignificantlyimpairedintheexperimentalgroupandtherewasasignificantdifferenceforsampletrialswithinthecontrolandexperimentalgroups.ExperimentalratshadsignificantdifferencesinMWMtimescomparedtothecontrolrats.Theexperimentalgroupalsohaddifferentactivitypatternswithlowpeaksfollowedbyhighpeaksduringthedarkcyclecomparedtothecontrolrats.Thisstudyprovidesevidencethatorallyadministeredmidazolammayimpairspatialmemoryandalteractivitypatterns.

147 (SESSIOND)STREAMOFSUBSTANCE:ACONTENTANALYSISOFDRUGS,ALCOHOL,ANDTOBACCOONNETFLIXSHOWS

MikaylaNolan&CaileyMcGillicuddyDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

BroadcastandcabletelevisionhasbeenastapleofentertainmentinAmericanhomes,butrecentlyonlineplatformslikeNetflixhaveexpandedviewers'optionsfortelevisionprogramming.StatisticsshowthatNetflixsubscriptionshaveincreasedwhilecableTVsubscriptionshavedropped(Huddleston,2017).StudieshaveexaminedNetflixviewinghabitsincluding'bingewatching'(Jenner,2016)andhowcertaincontentsuchasmentalillnessandsuicideareportrayed(Singer,2017;Stafford,2017).However,thereislimitedresearchonportrayalsofharmfulbehaviors(e.g.,theuseofdrugs,alcohol,andtobacco)onNetflixTVprograms.ThecurrentstudyisanexpansionofpreviousresearchbyMihelisandMangano(2017)thatexaminedportrayalsofdrugs(illegalandlegal),alcohol,andtobaccooncableTVshows,PSAsandcommercials.Thepresentstudyanalyzedportrayalsin90Netflixshowsforcomedy,drama,andactiongenres.Messagesaboutthesesubstanceswerecodedasnegative,positiveorneutral,accordingtotheportrayaland/orverbalstatementsmadeduringthescenes.Findingsshowthatthemajorityofmessagesinvolvedalcohol,followedbylegalandillegaldrugs,withfarfewerportrayalsoftobaccouse.Positiveportrayalsoutweighedneutralandnegativeportrayalsforallthreesubstances.148 (SESSIOND)AMIXED-METHODSINVESTIGATIONOFPSYCHOSOCIALFACTORSRELATEDTODIABETESSELF-CARE

JackFiccardi,JennaCaster,KevinToal,AlyssaCohen,RalfSilva&JoannaLangdonDept.OfPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

In2015,therewereapproximately30.3millionadultswithdiabetesintheUnitedStates,creatingapressingneedtounderstandthepotentialroleofpsychosocialinfluencesondiseaseself-care.Thus,thepresentstudyexaminestherelationshipbetweencounterfactualthinking(CFT),copingmechanismselection,anddiseaseself-carepracticesofindividualswithdiabetes.Usingamixed-methodsapproach,10participants(3male,7female)havecurrentlycompletedourprotocol.Quantitativemeasuresincludeoptimism,diabetesself-efficacy,andguilt.Participantsalsocompleteda45-minuteinterviewwhichassessedcognitiveandaffectivereactionstolivingwithdiabetes,particularlywithrespecttoCFT.Participantsrangedinagefrom21-93(M=58.7).Threeindividualsreporthavingtype1diabetes,andsevenreporthavingtype2diabetes.Preliminaryresultsindicatethatthetendencytoengageinself-referentupwardCFTisassociatedwithfeelingsofguilt.Inturn,guiltisassociatedwithcopingthroughbehavioraldisengagement.However,CFTisalsorelatedtoimprovedbloodglucosetesting(BGT).Incomparisontoindividualswithtype2diabetes,thosewithtypeonediabeteshavehigherdiabetesself-efficacyscores,andreportedbetterdiet,exercise,andBGT.Atthisjuncture,thechallengemaybetounderstandhowtoencouragecounterfactualthinkingwithoutpromotingguiltorbehavioraldisengagement.

149 (SESSIOND)UNREALISTICOPTIMISMANDGELOTOPHOBIA:BLEAKPASTANDBLEAKFUTURE

CharlieLevitz&EmmaMcCarthyDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Whenpeopleassessthelikelihoodthattheywillexperiencepositiveornegativelifeevents,theyoftenshowunrealisticoptimism.Theybelievethatgoodthingswilloccurandbadoneswillnot.Basedonpreviousresearch,wehypothesizedthatgelotophobes,whofearbeinglaughedat,wouldviewtheirlivesaslowinpositivityandhighinnegativitywhenrespondingabouttheirlifeingeneral.ParticipantscompletedtheAttitudesTowardTimeInventoryandameasureofgelotophobia.Participantslowingelotophobiawereoptimisticthatgoodthingswouldhappentothemselvesandothers;theyweremuchmoreoptimisticthattheywereimmunetonegativeeventsthanothers.However,gelotophobeswerenot"plagued"byunrealisticexpectationsregardingthelikelihoodofpositiveeventsintheirlives.Thisfindingisconsistentwithearlierresearchreportingthatgelotophobesdonotself-deceive.Theyhavearealisticoutlookontheirlivesanddonotautomaticallyanticipatepositiveoutcomesthewaythatnon-gelotophobesdo.However,theyarelikeeverybodyelsetheyfeelprotectedwhenitcomestoanticipatingnegativeevents.Thisstudysuggeststhatgelotophobesdonotbelievethattheirliveswillbebad;theyjustdonotbelievethattheirliveswillbegood.150 (SESSIOND)BLOOD-REDNECTAR:WHATHAPPENSIFAHUMMINGBIRDTAKESIT?

IsaacDiaz&ThomasMioneDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053

TheflowerofJaltomataquipuscoae(Solanaceae)secretesblood-rednectarthatservesasanenergyrewardtopollinators.Thepurposeofthisexperimentwastodeterminewhetherornottheflowerofthisspeciesrespondstonectarremovalbyreplenishingitsnectarsupply.Inthisexperiment,weremovedallnectarfromapairofflowersatthesamedevelopmentalstageonthesameplant,atthebeginningofan8-hourperiod.Thenectarofoneflowerwasthenremovedevery2-hourswhiletheotherflower(thecontrol)didnothaveitsnectarremoveduntiltheendofthe8-hourperiod.Thevolumeandsugarconcentrationwererecordedfor20pairs.Bothvolumeofnectarproducedandsugarcontent(mg)producedwerecomparedusingpairedt-tests.Significantlymorenectarvolume(P=0.003)andsugar(P=0.011)wereproducedbytheexperimentalflowers.TheflowerofJ.quipuscoaerespondedtonectarremovalbysecretingadditionalnectar.OurlabistheonlylabintheworldgrowingJ.quipuscoae,anherbaceousperennialthatwasrecentlydiscoveredinArequipa,Peru.ThisisthefirstnectarremovalstudyinthegenusJaltomata.

151 (SESSIOND)FINDERS,KEEPERS;LOSERSCHANGECACHESITES?PILFERAGEOFNUTSCACHEDUNDERTREESMAYLEADSQUIRRELSTOCACHEMORENUTSINTHEOPEN

JosephSoucy,TiaBrown,MelissaHart,DawnHubbell&SylviaHalkinBiologyDept.,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06050

EasternGraySquirrels(Sciuruscarolinensis)havebeenreportedtocachehighcaloriefoodssuitableforlongtermstorageintheopen,awayfromthecoveroftreecanopy:thisincreasessquirrels'exposuretopredators,butreducestheriskofpilferage(theft)oftheircachednuts(Steeleetal.,2014,BehavioralEcology25(1),206-215).Inordertolearnmoreaboutthedevelopmentofthisbehavior,weconductedanexperimenttodeterminewhetherrepeatedpilferageofnutscachedundertreecanopywouldleadtosquirrelscachingmorenutsintheopen.Whenwesimplyobserved11squirrelscachinghazelnutsweprovidedinintactshells,8ofthemcachedmorenutsintheopenthanundertreecanopy.Whenwecontinuedprovidinghazelnutstothosesquirrelsbutattemptedtodigupeachnutcachedundertreecanopy,9ofthe11squirrelscachedanevenhigherpercentageofnutsintheopenthantheyhadbeforewestarteddiggingthemup,providingevidencethatexperiencemaybeinvolvedinthedevelopmentofthetendencytocachevaluablenutsintheopen.152 (SESSIOND)SITEFIDELITY,FECUNDITY,ANDCOHABITATIONOFREDBACKSALAMANDERSINCONNECTICUT

LiaSpencer-DupretDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Giventheglobaldeclineofamphibians,monitoringpopulationshasbecomeespeciallyimportant.Manyamphibianspecies,includingsalamanders,areespeciallysensitivetoenvironmentalchanges,makingthemgoodindicatorspeciesofecosystemhealth.TheRedbackSalamander,Plethodoncinereus,isanativeamphibianimportantasbothpredatorsandpreyinforestecosystemsofthenortheasternUnitedStates.ToassessfactorsthataffectsurvivalandreproductionofRedbacks,salamandersweresurveyedusingmark-recapturetechniquesinsix5x10-mcoverboardplotsatChurchFarmPreserve,Ashford,CT,USAduringthefall2016,spring2017,andfall2017seasons.Capturedsalamandersweretaggedwithanelastomerdyeforidentificationduringfuturesurveys,andthensexed,measured,andexaminedforeggsbeforerelease.Thisresearchanalysisexaminedsubplotpopulationdynamics,particularlymalesitefidelityandmovementrangewithinplots,aswellascohabitationpatternsandrecapturepatternsacrossseasonsandplots.Theseplotsrepresentoneof21sitesthatarepartofalargerregionalresearchgroupthatisstudyingtheeffectsofclimatechangeonsalamandersatbroadgeographicscales.

153 (SESSIOND)CONNECTICUTLIVINGSHORELINEANDITSEFFECTSONSPAWNINGHORSESHOECRABS

JordanFrederick&AndrewAmuroDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

Globalclimatechange,coastalhabitatdegradation,andcoastalerosionbyhumandevelopmentultimatelyresultinaflatandbarrenshoreline.Historically,StratfordPointsupportedoysterreefs,alargefringingmarshandamosaicofuplandcoastalhabitats.Overthepastcentury,thesitehasbeensubjecttosubstantialhabitatalteration.Since2001,theshorelinehaserodedinlandby24manddownbyover1m.A'livingshoreline'wasinstalledtoarresttheerosiveforcesandallowforsedimentdepositionandretention.In2014,a49mlivingshorelinepilotprojectwasconstructedintheintertidalzonetoabateerosion.Thelivingshorelineconsistsofanartificialreefconstructedwithconcretereefballs,andplantedsaltmarshgrasses.Over30cmofsedimentaccumulatedbehindthereefandwithinthegrowingsaltmarsh.InNovember2016,thelivingshorelinewasexpanded228malongtheHousatonicRivershorelineleadingintoLongIslandSound.Overthepastsevenyears,spawninghorseshoecrabswerecountedonthebeachatStratfordPt.todetermineifthelivingshorelineconstructioninhibitedtheirspawningactivity.Duringtheyearsofconstruction,countswerelowbutnowtheyhavestartedtoincreaseclosertonumbersfoundbeforetherestorationactivity.154 (SESSIOND)IMIDACLOPRID-CONTAININGPESTICIDESDISRUPTC.ELEGANSDEVELOPMENT

BeatrixBradfordDept.ofBiology,MaristCollege,Poughkeepsie,NY,12601

NeonicotinoidsareaclassofpesticidethathasbeenunderinvestigationbytheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)inrecentyears.Amajorconcernisthepossibleroletheymayplayincolonycollapsedisorderinhoneybees,whereinneonicotinoidsdisruptboththeirdevelopmentandbehavior.Oneexampleofaneonicotinoidisimidacloprid,anactiveingredientinpesticides.Here,weinvestigatedtheeffectsoftheimidacloprid-containingpesticideBayerTreeandShrubontheC.elegansgermline,apopulationofcellsthatgivesrisetoallofthespermandeggsoftheorganism.Todeterminetheeffectsofimidiclopridongermcelldevelopment,Iscoredapoptoticnucleiandassessedfertility.IfoundthatimidaclopridcausedastatisticallysignificantincreaseinthenumberofapoptoticnucleiasaresultofBayerTreeandShrubexposure.IalsodiscoveredareductioninfertilityinanimalsexposedtoBayerTreeandShrubversuscontrols.ThesedatasupportmyhypothesisthatimidaclopridnegativelyimpactsgermlinedevelopmentandareinagreementwithEPAfindingsthatneonicotinoidscausewidespreadharmtomultiplespecies.

155 (SESSIOND)EFFECTSOFMICROPLASTICSONFRESHWATERDAPHNIA

JacksonCedrone&TomMinettDept.ofEnvironmentalScience,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Plasticisoneofthemostcommonlyusedmaterials.Microplastics,usuallyunder50micronsindiameter,areincrediblysmallpiecesofplasticdebristhatmaketheirwayintowatersystems.Thesemicroplasticscancomefrombrushingone'steeth,washingcertainfabrics,andindustrialwaste.OurresearchisspecificallyobservingtheeffectsofmicrofibersandmicrobeadsonfreshwaterDaphnia.Daphniaarecrustaceanfilterfeedersthatusuallyrangefrom1mmto5mminsize.Thisaquaticcreatureisanidealcandidatetoobservewhentestingmicrobeadandmicrofibereffectsonlivingaquaticorganismsduetotheirsensitivitytochangesintheecosystem.Theyarealsoknowntoconsumeplasticparticles,sinceDaphniaarefilterfeeders.OurteamwillhavetwoseperategroupsofDaphnia,oneexposedtomicrofibersandoneexposedtomicrobeads.Withinthesetwogroupswillbethreegroupsof20,eachexposedtomicroplasticsfor24hours,3days,andaweek.Foodwillincludemicrofiber/microbeadsandgroundfishfoodwithaconsistentconcentration.Attheendofeachtimeperiodwearemeasuringformortality,reproductiverates,andgrowth.InitialresultsshowthatmicroplasticscanbefoundandobservedwithinthedigestivetractofDaphnia.156 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTSOFADVANCEMENTSINCOSMETICMICROBEADTECHNOLOGY:NEWTRENDOFCOSMETICMICROBEADSINFILTRATINGAQUATICECOSYSTEMS

JasonRandallDept.ofEnvironmentalScience,MaristCollege,Poughkeepsie,NY,12601

Microplasticingestionisarelativelynewecologicalandhumanhealthconcern.ThefocusofthisstudyisthetoxicityofpolystyrenemicrospheresormicrobeadsonOrconectesvirilis,aHudsonRivernativecrayfish.Itwashypothesizedthatpolystyrenemicrosphereswouldproducetoxicologicaldamagetobiochemicalandphysiologicalfeaturesandprocessesofthecrayfishuponaccumulationintissuewhileaffectingbehaviorandinducingecdysisandmortality.Thefollowingexperimentalexposuretreatmentswereestablished:10µmdiameterlowandhighconcentrations,and45µmdiameterlowandhighconcentrations.Inaddition,threecontroltreatmentswereestablished:rivercontrol,flowthroughcontrol,andstationarycontrol.Afterthe14-dayexperimentalperiod,thereweremajordifferencesobservedbetweencrayfishexposedtopolystyrenemicrospheresincomparisonwithcontrols.AstatisticallysignificantincreaseinDNAdamageinthehepatopancreaswasrecorded.Therewasanincreaseinpathologicalfeaturessuchasvacuolization,cellhypertrophy,cellmembranedegradation,eosinophilicinclusionbodies,anddemineralizationofexoskeletonsinexposuregroups.Ecdysiswasmorefrequentamongorganismsexposedtoplastics.DNAdamageandpathologicalfeatureswerecorrelatedwithmicrosphereaccumulationinthehepatopancreas.ThetoxicologicaldamageexemplifiedbyOrconectesvirilisraisesconcernsastothepotentialtoxiceffectsofmicroplasticsonhumanandenvironmentalhealth.

157 (SESSIOND)SINGLECELLINTERROGATIONOFDOPAMINEFUNCTION

MelissaMcLain&DanChaseDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,

06053DefectsinsignalingbytheneurotransmitterdopaminecauseParkinson'sdisease.InwormsdopamineactsthroughaD1-likereceptor(DOP-4)tomodulateactivityofachemosensoryneuroncalledASH.Touncoverthemolecularmechanismsofdopaminesignalingwehaveexpressedagenetically-encodedcalciumsensorinASHtomeasuretheeffectsofdopamineonneuronexcitability.Wetraptheseanimalsinamicrofluidicchamber,stimulateASHusingchemicalcuesandmeasurecalciumfluxinthepresenceorabsenceofexogenousdopamine.Sofarmyresultsshownoeffectofdopamineoncalciumflux.However,itispossiblethatdopamine'seffectsareshortlived,soIhavebegunusinglight-activatedChR2totriggerthereleaseofendogenousdopamineimmediatelybeforeIstimulateASH.IwillperformtheseassaysonacontrolstrainthatcontainsDOP-4andanexperimentalstrainthatlacksDOP-4.158 (SESSIOND)CHARACTERIZINGINVIVOCHROMATINREMODELERINTERACTIONSATTHEYEASTNUCLEOSOMECORE

BrianEvansDept.ofBiochemistry,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Ineukaryotes,geneticinformationisstoredaschromatin.Withinthechromatin,DNAiswoundaroundoctamericunitsofhistoneproteins.Aclassofproteinsknownaschromatinremodelersphysicallyrepositionnucleosomesalongthechromatinfiberwhichdirectlyaffectsgeneregulation.Duetotheirlargesizes,chromatinremodelerinteractionsatthenucleosomeremainrelativelyobscure.Inthiswork,weusesyntheticbiologytotraphistone-remodelerinteractionsinlivingcellsusingtheunnaturalaminoacidp-benzoylphenylalanine(pBPA).Wesite-specificallyinsertpBPAintohistonesandidentifyremodelerbindingviatheadditionofshortpeptidefusiontagstoourinteractiontargetprotein.Thissystemhasthepotentialtoilluminatedetailedcrosslinkingmapsofanychromatinremodelercomplexwhichcanthenbeusedtoidentifyandassignbiologicallyimportantstructures.UsingWesternblotanalysis,weexemplifythepotentialofthistechnologyforcreatingcrosslinkingmapsforthechromatinremodelerRSC.Inaddition,weshowthatbindingtoH3(butnotH2A)isdependentuponPTMsandadefinedacetylationeventatlysine14onhistoneH3.IncellsthatlackH3K14ac,Sth1cannolongerbesequesteredtothenucleosome.Overall,thistechnologyenablesthedeterminationofin-vivomechanisticdetailsaboutRSC-nucleosomalfunction/structurerelationships.

159 (SESSIOND)QUANTIFYINGINTERNALSTRUCTURALCHANGESINTHEPB1DOMAINOFAUXINRESPONSEFACTORS

ReidGarnerDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

ThePhoxandBem1(PB1)domainwithinauxinresponsefactors(ARF)arerequiredforhormonalregulationinplants.TwochargedfacesfoundineachPB1domaincreatecomplementarysitesforprotein:proteinbindingthroughionicinteractionswithbothhomo-andheterodimerizationpossible.TheinternalinteractionswithinPB1domainsarenotwell-defined,butmayresolvequestionsregardingtheformationofhomo-vsheterodimersandthefrequencyofoligomers.WecombinedNMRwithfluorescencelifetimeexperimentstodeconstructmovementandalignmentoftheseinterfaces.Thecombinationprovidedcomplementaryinformationonthetimescaleofbiomolecularmotion.Ourworkfocusedonhighlyconservedtryptophanresidueswhichare(1)detectablebybothspectroscopiesand(2)locatedbetweentheinteractionsites.ThetryptophansareshelteredfromthebulksolventandchangeenvironmentslightlyupontheformationofdimersasconfirmedbyNMR.FluorescencelifetimeandcollisionalquenchingfurtherquantifiedthislevelofshelteringtoexplorethedifferencesbetweendifferentARFsaswellasintheformationofdiversedimers.ThePB1domainisfoundinavarietyoforganisms,yetthestructuralshiftsfeltwithinthedomainwhenforminginteractionsisuncertain.Ourworkprovidesnewinsightstowardthisclassofproteins.160 (SESSIOND)DI-N-BUTYLPHTHALATEORDBP,ACOMMONINGREDIENTINPLASTICS,INDUCESCRANIOFACIALDEFECTSDURINGEMBRYONICDEVELOPMENT

TannerJergensen,DanielleCusmano&NicoleM.RoyBiologyDept.,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

Di-n-Butylphthalate(DBP)isahighproductionvolumeplasticizeraddedtoincreasetheflexibilityofsyntheticpolymers.DBPisfoundinavarietyofeverydayitemslikefoodpackaging,cosmetics,cleaningmaterials,lubricants,waxesandinsecticides.DBPreadilyleachesfromproductsintosoilandgroundwateranditsubiquitouspresenceintheenvironmentalhasleadtheEuropeanCommissiontolabelDBPasaprioritysubstance.SedimentandwateranalysishasnotedhighlevelsofDBPandtheendocrinedisruptingeffectsofDBParewellnoted.GiventhewidespreadusesofandexposuretoDBP,studiesondevelopmentaltoxicityareneeded.Tothatend,wesoughttoinvestigatethedevelopmentaleffectsofDBPexposureduringearlydevelopmentutilizingthezebrafishvertebratemodelsystem.WetreatedgastrulastagedembryoswithincreasingconcentrationsofDBPandnotedconcentrationdependentdefectsincraniofacialdevelopment,buttheeffectwasspecificwithnootherdevelopmentaldefectsnoted.OverallcranialsizeinDBPtreatedembryos,asmeasuredverticallyfromcranialvaulttiptojawandhorizontallyfromnosetopectoralfin,wassignificantlylessthencontrols,buttheintraoculardistancewasincreased.Subsequentanalysisofjawbonedevelopmentdemonstratedlossofand/ordisorganizationofcartilagedevelopmentwithconcomitantdefectsinvascularinnervationandneuronalpatterning.Furthermore,vascularizationof

thecranialcavityalsobecamedisorganizedorcompletelylost.WeconcludethatDBP,atenvironmentallyrelevantdoses,istoxictocraniofacialdevelopmentinzebrafish.161 (SESSIOND)EFFECTSONGUTREGENERATIONINPLANARIATREATEDWITHANANTAGONISTOFRETINOICACIDSYNTHESIS

DusanEtienne&HannahKressbachBiomolecularSciencesDept.,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,

06053Planarianflatwormshaveanabilitytoregenerateanylostorinjuredbodyparts.Themolecularmechanismsunderlyingplanarianregenerationarestillunderinvestigation.Itisourcontentionthatretinoicacid(RA)playsaroleinmediatingposteriorregenerationinplanaria,justasRAplaysacriticalroleinposteriordevelopmentandregenerativeprocessesinvertebrates.WeareinvestigatingRAfunctionsinplanariabytestingeffectsofdiethylaminobenzaldehyde(DEAB),anRAsynthesisinhibitor,duringregeneration.WehypothesizethatDEABinhibitsposteriorregenerationinplanaria.Inpreviousstudies,wefoundthat45µMDEABinhibitsordelaystheformationofaposteriorblastema,butnottheanteriorblastema.Wenowwanttofollowthedifferentiationofvariouscellandtissuetypesastheyregenerate.UsingimmunofluorescenceweareassessingtheregenerationoftheposteriorgutinDEABtreatedworms.InthesestudiesplanariaweretreatedwithDEABorcontrolfor1-2dayspriortocuttingtoeliminateRA.Wormswerethencutandallowedtoregenerateforvariouslengthsoftime.Tovisualizethegutweuseamonoclonalantibody,6G10,thatlabelsthegutmuscle.WeexpectthatgutregenerationwillbelackingordelayedinplanarianfragmentstreatedwithDEAB.162 (SESSIOND)ADEFECTIVESPLICEACCEPTORSITEISSPECIFICALLYASSOCIATEDWITHTHE"CURLYWHISKERS"(CW)MUTATIONINMICE

JuanSamuel-Constanzo,JachiusJ.Stewart&SidneyErageneBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053

Withthegoalofassigningthecwmutationinmicetoaparticulargenedefect,wehavemappedthe"curlywhiskers"mutantphenotypewithinasmallregiononChromosome9,whereoneskin-expressedgene,hephaestin-like1(Hephl1),notonlybestfitstheprofileofalikelygene"candidate",butalsoshowsaDNAalterationpredictedtodestroythespliceacceptorsitethatis5'toExon11.TotestwhetherthisAtoGtransitionmightbethemolecularbasisofthecurlywhiskersmutantphenotype,weaskedifthismutationisalwaysassociatedwithcw,butneverfoundinanyothermousestrain.Toobtainananswer,firstweconsultedon-linedatabasesthatarchivewhole-genomeDNAsequencedataforvariousstandardstrainsofmice.Second,wedevelopedasimple,endonuclease-basedtesttoefficientlyscreenamongsomeadditionalmousestrainsforanythatmightlackthenormalspliceacceptorsequence5'toHephl1,Exon11.Becausethissearchuncoverednostrainswithspliceacceptordefects5'toExon11(exceptforasecondstrain

thatcarriescw),wesuggestthattheHephl1mutationwehavediscoveredislikelyspecifictothecurlywhiskersvariant,andcouldbeitscausalbasis.163 (SESSIOND)ANALYZINGTHEEXPRESSIONOFTET1INCLONEDANDINVIVOBOVINEBLASTOCYSTSTOUNDERSTANDLOWCLONINGEFFICIENCY

VincentThoren,AlexisTolley&AnnaBertoldoDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06050

Theefficiencyofcloningmammalsusingsomaticcellnucleartransfer(SCNT)hasremainedrelativelylowandrequireshundredsofattemptstocreateaviableoffspring,whichusuallyhaveothercomplicationsduetothecloningprocess.Failureincloningismostlikelyconnectedtotheinabilityoftheoocytetocompletelyreprogramtheepigenomeofasomaticcell.TET1mRNAistranslatedtocreateTET1protein,whichisinvolvedinthedemethylationofDNA.ToobservetheexpressionofTET1inpreimplantationdevelopment,real-timeRT-qPCRwasconductedusingbovineblastocystscreatedinvivoorviaSCNT.cDNAfromthedonorfibroblastcellswasalsomeasuredtoexamineTET1expressionindifferentiatedcells.ClonedblastocystsexpressedTET1atsignificantlyhigherratescomparedwithnaturallyconceivedembryos(P-value=0.01),andthefibroblastcellsdidnotexpressTET1atall.ThisindicatesthatTET1wasincorrectlyreprogrammedintheclonedembryos.OverexpressionofTET1duringpre-implantationdevelopmentmaycauseabnormalmethylationpatternsandleadtoembryonicloss.UnderstandingtheexpressionofTET1andothergenesresponsibleforregulatingDNAmethylationcouldhelpfurtherthesuccessoffuturecloningexperiments.164 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFINVITROCULTUREONTRIM28EXPRESSIONINBOVINEBLASTOCYSTS

DanielSigman&MichelleSeedsDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06050

Genomicimprintinginvolvesthesilencingofeitherthematernalorpaternalallele,preventingbi-allelicexpression.DNAmethylationisanimportantepigeneticmarkthatmaintainsthismono-allelicexpression.DemethylationatImprintingControlRegions(ICRs)canallowfortheexpressionofbothparentalalleles,resultingindevelopmentalproblemsfortheembryoanddiseasesinoffspring.DemethylationcanoccuractivelybyTETenzymes.TRIM28isacomponentofacomplexthatplaysasignificantroleinpreventingdemethylationbyTETsatICRsandthereforemaintainsimprinting.ExpressionofTRIM28ininvivofertilized/invitrocultured(invivoderived;IVD)bovineblastocystswascomparedwithTRIM28expressioninblastocystsproducedsolelyinvivo(artificialinsemination;AI).ItwashypothesizedthatTRIM28expressionwouldbedown-regulatedintheIVDembryosduetostudiesshowinghigherlevelsofimprintingdisordersinembryosculturedinvitro.TRIM28expressionwasdeterminedusingReal-TimeRT-PCR.Ashypothesized,therewasasignificantdifferenceinTRIM28expressionbetweentheAIandIVDembryos(P-value=0.01;Mann-WhitneyUtest)withhigherexpressionseenintheAI

embryos.Down-regulationofTRIM28couldleadtodemethylationofICRsandabnormalimprintedgeneexpression.165 (SESSIOND)INVESTIGATINGTHEMATINGSYSTEMOFTHEFUNGALPATHOGENNEONECTRIADITISSIMA

JamesKaneDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Neonectriaditissimaisafungalpathogenthatinfectsawiderangeoftreespecies,includingbirches(Betulasp.)andmayposeathreattodeciduousforestsofNewEngland.Thispathogencausesformationofcankersoninfectedtrees,referredtoasCankerDisease.Sporesaredisseminatedbywindandrain,andinfectionsareinitiatedwhensporesgerminateandinvadeopentreewounds.Previousstudieshavesuggestedthisspeciestobeeitherhomothallicorheterothallicbutwithminimaldatatosupporteitherpossibility.Infungi,homothallicspeciesaredefinedasself-fertile,havingbothmatingtypeloci,whileheterothallicspeciesrequiresyngamybetweenfungalstrainswithcompatibleMATloci.Thematingtypelociandmatingtypegenes,specificallyMATidiomorphs,whichgovernsexualreproduction,havenotbeencharacterizedinN.ditissima.TheobjectiveofthisstudyistodetermineifN.ditissimacouldpossessMATlocicharacteristicofahomothallicspecies.WeusedblastsearchesofthegenomicsequencedatatodeterminetwogenomiccontigswithduplicationsoftheMAT1-2locus.HowevertheMAT1-1locuswasnotobserved,suggestingthatthefunguscouldbeheterothallic.FutureworkwillenablethedevelopmentofgeneticmarkerstofacilitatecharacterizationofN.ditissimapopulationbiology.166 (SESSIOND)SECONDARYSCREENINGANDCHARACTERIZATIONOFMUTANTSDEFECTIVEINSYMBIOTICNITROGENFIXATIONINTHEMODELLEGUMEPLANTMEDICAGOTRUNCATULA

VincentBrownDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Nitrogen(N2)isanessentialnutrientforthesurvivalofalltheorganisms.Atmosphericaircontains78%N2butitisnotbioavailable.LegumeplantssuchassoybeansinteractwiththesoilbacteriarhizobiaandformuniquestructurescallednodulestoconvertinactiveatmosphericN2intoabioavailableformbysymbioticnitrogenfixation(SNF).ToidentifynovelgenesthatareessentialforSNF,Dr.VeerappanisolatedseveralmutantsdefectiveinSNFbyscreeningtheTnt1retrotransposonmutantpopulationinthemodellegumeplantMedicagotruncatula.Wild-typeplantsshowgreenshootsandovoidshapedlargereddish-pinknoduleswhereasmutantsaredeficientinN2fixationanddisplaypurpleshootsandwhitecolorednodules.Iamperformingasecondaryscreeningof10putativemutantsusingasoil-freeaeroponicrootphenotypingsystemtoidentifymutantswithrobustdefectiveSNFphenotypesforfurthercharacterization.IwillpresentdataonthephenotypiccharacterizationofasubsetofSNFmutants.Tofindthecausativemutation,I

willminetheTnt1mutantsdatabaseandalsoperformwholegenomesequencingtoidentifyTnt1mutations.UnderstandingtheSNFprocessbydiscoveringnovelgenescanpotentiallyhelpustotransferSNFtoothernon-legumeplantssuchascorn.167 (SESSIOND)IDENTIFICATIONOFODD-1ANDODD-2TARGETGENESTHROUGHSOAKINGRNAINTERFERENCEOFFLUORESCENTREPORTERSTRAINSINCAENORHABDITISELEGANS

ChristianneSenechalDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Caenorhabditiselegansisanematodeandeffectivemodelorganismduetoitssequencedgenome,transparentbody(allowingforvisualizationofindividualcells)andgeneticsimilaritytomostanimalspecies.Forexample,C.elegansgenesarerelatedto~60-80%ofhumanprotein-codinggenes,makingitausefulorganismforstudyinghumandiseases.TwooftheseC.elegansgenesincludeodd-1andodd-2,whichbelongtotheOdd-skippedgenefamilyandaffecttheexpressionofothergenes.odd-1/2arerelatedtohumanoddgenes,whichareimportantforthedevelopmentofvarioustissuesandcancer.Bothwormgenesaffectdevelopmentoftheintestine,whileodd-2alsoaffectstherectalglandcellsandislethalwhenmutated.WeareusingsoakingRNAinterference(RNAi)toknock-downodd-1andodd-2influorescentreporterstrainsforgenesthatarelikelytranscriptionaltargetsofodd-1orodd-2.Thewormsaresoakedinodd-1orodd-2RNAthatwillknock-downoddexpression.Thepotentialoddtargetgeneswearetestingincludeskn-1,ref-1,andpha-4,whichallfunctioningutdevelopment.Iftheyaretargetsofeitheroddgene,theywillhavechangesintheirfluorescentpatternwhentreatedwithoddRNAi.168 (SESSIOND)DISCOERYOFNOVELCOMPONENTSINFIBROBLASTGROWTHFACTORRECEPTORSIGNALINGPATHWAYS

JasonE.Webb,FardinAhmed,EricJ.Echelberger,MariyaStefinko,MichaelJ.Stern,CindyViosine&Te-WenLo

Dept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,953DanbyRoad,Ithaca,NY,14850;Dept.ofBiology,NortheasternIllinoisUniversity,5500NorthStLouisAvenue,Chicago,IL,60625

FibroblastGrowthFactorReceptors(FGFRs)areatypeofreceptortyrosinekinase(RTK)thatphosphorylateprecisetyrosineresidues.FGFRsplayaroleindiversehumandevelopmentalpathways.Mutationsinthesepathwaysresultindevelopmentaldisorderssuchasachondroplasia.WeuseC.eleganstobetterunderstandFGFRsignalingfortworeasons:C.elegansonlyhaveoneFGFR,EGL-15,anddefectsresultinstrikingphenotypes.Forexample,hyperactivationofEGL-15resultsinfluidimbalance(Clrphenotype).Isolationofsoc(suppressorofClr)mutantshasledtotheidentificationofmanycoreEGL-15signalingcomponentssuchasSEM-5,anadaptorproteinthatlinksRTKactivationtotheactivationoftheRAS/MAPKpathway.Anegl-15truncationmutation,n1457,eliminatesknownSEM-5bindingsitesonEGL-15but,doesnotconferaSocphenotype.ThisindicatesakeycomponentthatlinksactivatedEGL-15toSEM-5hasyettobediscovered.Toidentifythesemissingcomponents,weconductedamodifiedsocscreenusingtheegl-15(n1457)

mutant.Wholegenome-sequencinghasidentifiedcca-1asapotentialsocgene.Ongoingexperimentsarefocusedonverifyingandcharacterizingthispotentialsocgene.169 (SESSIOND)ASIMPLEMETHODTOREADILYDISTINGUISHTWOCLOSELYRELATEDSPECIESVIAANAMPLIFIEDGENETICPOLYMORPHISM

SarahCargill&BrooksMinerDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Daphniapulex,foundinephemeralponds,andDaphniapulicaria,foundinlakes,arecloselyrelatedspeciesoffreshwatermicrocrustaceanthataremorphologicallyindistinguishable.Previousresearchhasidentifiedasingle-nucleotidepolymorphismintheLdhAgenethatsegregatesbetweenthetwospecies.WehavedevelopedaCAPS(CleavedAmplifiedPolymorphicSequences)methodusingtherestrictionenzymeHphltoreadilydifferentiateD.pulex,D.pulicaria,andtheirhybrids.Usingprimerswedeveloped,wePCR-amplifyaspecificregionofLdhAthatcontainsthepolymorphicsite,thendigestthePCRproductswithHph1,whichonlycleavestheLdhAallelecarriedbyoneofthetwospecies,butnottheother.Speciesidentitycanthenbereadilyobservedonastandardagarosegel.170 (SESSIOND)CLASSIFYINGCOMMONRAVENPOPULATIONSINMEXICOVIACRYPTICGENETICVARIATION

SallyYraita&NandadeviCortes-RodriguezDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Thecommonraven(Corvuscorax)hasadistributionthatexpandsacrosstheentireNorthernHemisphere,butshowslittlephenotypicdifference.Althoughtheyhaveuniformmorphology,basedontheirmitochondrialDNA,theyhavebeenseparatedintotwocladesknownasthe'Holarcticclade'andthe'Californiaclade'.Despitethisgeneticdistinction,manypopulationshavenotbeenclassifiedaseitherclade,includingthepopulationsincontinentalMexicoaswellasislandsnearby.Toidentifytheirclassification,weobtainedtoepadsfromcommonravenfoundacrossMexicoandtheRevillagigedoIslands(ClarionandSocorro)andextractedDNAfrom14samplesbyfollowingaphenol/chloroformmethod.AfterisolatingtheDNA,wesequencedasmallfragmentofthecontrolregionofthemitochondria.Thisfragmentof150bpshowssomevariation;however,itisnotsufficienttodifferentiatetheindividualsfromtheRevillagigedoIslandsasanindependentevolutionaryunit.

171 (SESSIOND)CHARACTERIZINGTHEROLEOFCALCIUMINTERACTIONSINTHEELASTICITYANDSTRENGTHOFSLUGGLUE:STEPSTOWARDANORGANICHYDROGELGLUEANDASTITCH-FREEWORLD

ChristopherGallegoDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

Stitchesarecumbersomeforpatientsandposeaninfectionrisk.Medicalgluescouldserveasanalternativebuthavelimitations.Abiomimeticapproachtogluedevelopmentholdspromise.Analysisofthetough,stickydefensivesecretionoftheslugArionsubfuscushadguideddevelopmentofanovelmedicalglue.Theslug'sglueisheldtogetherbysacrificialbondsthatappeartobebasedonmetalinteractions.Calciuminparticularseemsimportantduetoitshighabundance.Theroleofcalciumwastestedbymanipulatingcalciuminteractionswithinthegluetoobservehowthisimpactsitselasticity.CalciuminteractionswerecontrolledbyvaryingpHanddeterminingtheresultingelasticity.Elasticitywasmeasuredincutgluesamplesinatensometer,andtheassociationbetweencalciumandglueindifferentpHbufferswasmeasuredwithanatomicabsorptionspectrometer.WefoundthatglueelasticitydecreasedmarkedlyatpH4.5whilecalciumlevelsdroppedalmostlinearlyintherangefrom2.5to7.Thus,althoughdecreasedcalciumwasassociatedwithlossofstrength,theywerenottightlycorrelated.Thisprovidesinsightintothepropertiesofthisslugglueandprovidesasteppingstoneforfutureresearchinmedicalgluecreation.172 (SESSIOND)EXAMININGTHEROLEOFTHEC-TERMINALDOMAINOFRNAPOLYMERASEONGENEEXPRESSION

AlexisBurian&JaredBarendsDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

GeneexpressionisanessentialprocessgovernedbytheCentralDogma,wherebygeneticinformationisstoredinDNA,transcribedintoRNA,andfinallytranslatedintoprotein.Westudygeneexpressioninthemodelorganism,Schizosaccharomycespombe,orfissionyeast.ThestepofgeneexpressionthatweareexaminingisthemechanismsofhowRNAissplicedoreditedinthecell.Theprocessofalternativesplicing,wherethecodingregionsofthegeneareeditedindifferentcombinationstogiverisetomanydifferentproteins,isanimportantmechanismforregulationofgeneexpression.RNApolymerase,theenzymethatmakesRNA,hasalongchainof~30sevenaminoacidrepeatscalledtheC-TerminalDomain(CTD).TheCTDplaysanimportantroleinrecruitingfactorsthataffecthowRNAisprocessedorspliced.OurpreviousstudiesshowthatlargescalechangestotheCTDhaveledtooverallincreasedgeneexpressionattheendsofthechromosomes.TostudythedetailedeffectsoftheCTDongeneexpressionandsplicing,wearemakingsinglechangestoeveryaminoacidintheCTD.OurgoalistogaininsightsintotheregulationofgeneexpressionviaRNAsplicing.

173 (SESSIOND)RECOMBINANTPURIFICATIONOFASMP15B;APROTEINRESPONSIBLEFORTHEFUNCTIONALPROPERTIESOFATOUGHBIOLOGICALGLUE

RebeccaFalconerDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850

TheslugArionsubfuscussecretesadefensivegluethatisverystrongdespitebeingcomposedof97%water.Theoverarchinggoalforanalyzingthisglueistoguidethedevelopmentofabiomimetichydrogeltoreplacestaplesandstitchesinsurgicalpractice.Previousresearchhasidentifiedcertainproteinsthatareuniquetotheglueandareintegralforadhesion.Thisparticularresearchaimstopurifyoneoftheseproteins,Asmp15b(Arionsubfuscusmucusprotein,size15kD)byusingarecombinantmethod.LigationindependentcloningwasusedtoinsertcDNAcodingforthisproteinintoaplasmidvector.TheplasmidalsocontainedaHis-tagtofacilitatepurification,andthecodingsequenceforProteinG.AppendingacleavableProteinGdomainmarkedlyimprovedthetoleranceofthebacteriafortherecombinantprotein.Afteramplificationandpurificationoftherecombinantplasmids,theplasmidswereusedtotransformanexpressionvectordesignedtofacilitatedisulfidebondformation(SHuffleTcells,NEB).Aftertriggeringoverexpression,theproteincouldbeisolatedbybindingtonickelresins.Thepurifiedproteinswillbefurtheranalyzedtoidentifyspecificdomainsthataidadhesion,identifycross-linkingsites,andtodetermineitsbindingpartners.174 (SESSIOND)MOLECULAREVIDENCEOFGENETICINTERACTIONSBETWEENKV2.1ANDFAKDURINGCONVERGENTEXTENSION

BrendaCarhuayoDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Duringvertebrateembryonicdevelopment,convergentextension(CE)isanimportantprocessthatspecifiestheanterior-posterioraxis,thedevelopmentofthenotochord,andothermidlinestructures.Convergentextensionrequirescellstomigrateandconvergeatthemidlinewheretheyintercalateandelongatetoformtheanterior-posterioraxis.Myresearchfocusesonthestudyofconvergentextensioninzebrafishembryosthroughmorpholinomediatedknock-downexperiments.Previousresearchhasshownthatthedelayedrectifyingpotassiumchannel,kv2.1,andfocaladhesionkinase,FAK,playimportantrolesinregulatingthisprocess.Independentknock-downofkv2.1andFAKresultsinnearlyidenticalphenotypessuggestingdefectiveCE.Thisresearchindicatesthatkv2.1andFAKinteractsgeneticallyduringtheprocessofconvergentextension.Ihypothesizethatduetothesimilarityintheknock-downphenotypesofkv2.1andFAKifadoubleknock-downisgenerated,theremovalofbothkv2.1andFAK,thesamedefectiveCEphenotypewillbeobserved.UsingmolecularmarkersshowsthatthereisdefectiveCEafterkv2.1andFAKhavebeenknocked-down.Myresultsindicateaninteractionbetweenkv2.1andFAKthroughouttheprocessofconvergentextensioninzebrafish.

175 (SESSIOND)THEGENETICEFFECTOFCONVERGENTEXTENSIONFOLLOWINGTHEREMOVALOFKV2.1ASASSAYEDBYMOLECULARMARKERS

JenniferZhanayDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471

Convergentextensionischaracterizedastheprocessinwhichthetissuesofanembryoisrestructuredthroughanarrowingalongoneaxisandanelongationalongtheperpendicularaxisascausedbycellularmigration.Thisprocesscanbeseenalongtheaxisdrawnbetweentheheadandtailofanembryo(anteriortoposterior)causingittobecomelongerasthetissuesmoveintowardsthedorsalmidline.Midlinestructuresincludethenotochordandneuraltube.Inthisresearch,zebrafishembryoswereusedtotestwhetheradelayedrectifyingpotassiumchannelwouldhaveadeleteriouseffectonconvergentextensionwhenkv2.1isabsent.Ihypothesizedthatifkv2.1isabsentduringembryonicdevelopmentofthenotochord,Iwillseethatkv2.1isrequired.Toachievethisaim,insituhybridizationwereperformedonembryosthatwereinjectedwithamorpholino,whichknocked-downkv2.1expression.Byusinginsituhybridizationsformidlineandmesenchymalmarkers,Iobservedclearanddistinctdeviationsfromcontrolpatterns.Allofmyresultsareconsistentwithsupportingmyhypothesis.Inconclusion,fromlookingatmyresultsitcanbeinferredthatkv2.1hasanovelfunctionwithinembryonicdevelopment,particularlyinconvergentextension.176 (SESSIOND)YEASTBAXINHIBITOR(BXI1)ISINVOLVEDINCALCIUMHOMEOSTASISOFTHEERINSACCHAROMYCESCEREVISIAE

LiamMcDonough,JosephAlisch,DavidEagan,JamesMullin,AlfredoGonzalez,&NicanorAustriaco

Dept.ofBiology,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918YeastBaxinhibitor-1(BXI1/YBH3)encodesaproteinthatbelongstotheBaxInhibitor(TMBIM)familyofproteinsthatallcontainatransmembraneBAXinhibitormotif.Thecrystalstructureofaprokaryoticmemberofthefamily,BsYetJ,hasrevealedthattheBaxinhibitorproteinsarepHsensitivecalciumleaks.Inmammals,theBaxinhibitorfamilyofproteinshascytoprotectivepropertiesthataremostevidentinparadigmsofendoplasmicreticulum(ER)stress.OurpublishedstudieshaveshownthatyeastBxi1pislocalizedtotheendoplasmicreticulumandisinvolvedintheunfoldedproteinresponse(UPR)thatistriggeredbyERstress.BXI1isthoughttoactviaamechanisminvolvingalteredcalciumdynamics.WenowshowthatcellslackingBXI1accumulatehigherlevelsofcalciumintheirERascomparedtotheirwildtypecounterparts.Ourpreliminarydatawith∆bxi1∆pmr1doublemutantssuggestthatBxi1pandPmr1p,theGolgi-ERcalciumpump,functioninanantagonisticmanner.[OurlaboratoryissupportedbygrantNIGMSR15GM110578,awardedtoN.Austriaco.]

177 (SESSIOND)THEEVOLUTIONARYGENETICHISTORYOFDIVERGENCEAMONGDOMESTICATEDANDWILDSTRAINSOFTHEYEASTSACCHAROMYCESCEREVISIAE

GabrielleGontarek,MaryA.Garside,JamesJ.Siclari,PatrickR.Cabana,FrancescaG.Norko,KirkA.Bartholomew&GeffreyF.Stopper

Dept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825StrainsoftheyeastSaccharomycescerevisiaeareusedfortheproductionofbread,beer,andwine.Thestrainsusedintheseindustriesappeartobequitevariableevenwithineachindustry,withmanystrainsshowingdistinctheritablephenotypes.Variabletraitsincludetheprofileofmetabolicbyproductsproducedduringfermentation,amongothervariablecharacteristics.Theprocessofdomesticationofyeastwasprobablyinadvertentlywellunderwaythousandsofyearsago,butthepatternandtimingofthedomesticationofSaccharomycescerevisiaeispoorlyunderstood.Forexample,itisunknownifstrainshavehistoricallybeenfrequentlypassedbetweentheseindustries,anditisunknownwhethertherehavebeenmultipleindividualdomesticationeventsfromwildancestorswithintheseindustries.HereweseektoidentifygeneticvariationamongmanystrainsfromtheseindustriesthroughPCRandsequencingofseveralgenes.Thisidentifiedvariationwillbeusedtounderstandtheevolutionaryrelationshipsofthesestrains,andthereforehistoricalpatternsofdivergenceintheirusewithinandamongthethreeindustries.Weintendtoextendthisstudythroughwholegenomesequencing,andhopetousethevariationtoalsomakestepstowarddevelopingmolecularassaysforrapidstrainpurityscreeninginthebrewingindustry.178 (SESSIOND)GENEEXPRESSIONANDMOLECULARSTUDIESOFTHEGBSSIGENEOFJALTOMATA

JeffreyFeola&BarryHoopengardnerDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,

06050Ourlaboratory,incollaborationwithDr.ThomasMione,islookingforconformationalpresenceofthegranule-bound-starchsynthasegene(GBSSI)withinnumerousspeciesofgenusJaltomata.PrimersweredesignedfromDSGenegenomicalignmentsofsimilarspecieswithinboththeJaltomataandSolanumgenera.AfterPCRandgelelectrophoresisconfirmthepresenceoftheGBSSIgeneinnovelspeciesofJaltomata,semi-qPCRwillbeperformedtoquantifyexpressionamountswithineachoftherespectivespecies.

179 (SESSIOND)USINGCRISPR-CAS9TOKNOCKDOWNGENEEXPRESSIONINC.ELEGANS

SylviaTang,SarojaKolluru,KaseyAndrist,ShannonMcEnerney,PriyaPatel,DawnRosenberg&DanChase

Dept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053

WeareusingCRISPR-Cas9tomodifygenesinC.elegansandtargettheirmRNAsforcell-specificknockdown.SingleguideRNAsdirectCas9tocutimmediatelyafterthecodingsequenceofthegene.WeprovideDNAtemplatestorepairthechromosomebreakthatinsertadditionalsequencesafterthegenethatcausethestopcodonintheresultingmRNAtoberecognizedaspremature.Suchtranscriptswillbedegradedbynonsense-mediateddecay(NMD).However,ifthesemodifiedgenesareexpressedinanimalsthatlackanessentialcomponentoftheNMDmechanismtheirmRNAshouldbestableandtranslatednormally.UsingtheseNMDdefectiveanimalswethenre-expressthemissingNMDcomponentinspecificcellsusingcell-specificpromoters.IntheNMD-rescuedcellsthemodifiedmRNAsaredegradedwhiletheycontinuetobeexpressednormallyinallothercellsoftheorganism.Wearecurrentlytestingthisknockdownstrategyontheocr-2gene,whichencodesaTRPV-likecalciumchannelrequiredforchemosensation.WewillmeasuretheefficiencyofknockdownusingbehavioralassaysandsinglecellmeasurementsofmRNAexpression.180 (SESSIOND)INVESTIGATINGCHANGESINGENEEXPRESSIONASSOCIATEDWITHTHEANTI-PROLIFERATIVEEFFECTOFTRANS-CINNAMALDEHYDEINHELACELLS

LilyGoodman&SuparnaBhallaDept.ofNaturalSciences,MountSaintMaryCollege,Newburgh,NY,12550

PhytochemicalshavehistoricallybeenusedformedicinalpurposesinseveralAsiancultures.However,onlyafewsuchcompoundshavebeensubjectedtorigorouscontrolledstudiesandmostofthedatainsupportoftheirbenefitsremainsanecdotal.Weareinterestedintheanti-proliferativeandanti-cancerouseffectsofbioactivecomponentsincinnamon.Wehadpreviouslydemonstratedthattrans-cinnamaldehyde(CIN),theactiveingredientincinnamon,hadapotentanti-proliferativeeffectonHeLacells,ahumancervicalcancercellline.Cancercellsevadecrucialcellcyclecheckpointsthatwouldnormallysendaberrantcellsintoapoptosis,orprogrammedcelldeath.Theproposedmechanismoftheanti-proliferativeeffectwashypothesizedtobeviaanincreaseinapoptosisofthecancercells.ResultsfromourTUNELassayssupportedourhypothesis.WearecurrentlyattemptingtofurtherdissectthemolecularmechanismofthiseffectbymonitoringchangesintheexpressionofgenesassociatedwithapoptosisusingquantitativePCR(qPCR).Preliminaryresultssuggestthatbcl-2,ageneassociatedwithcellsurvival,isdown-regulatedupontreatmentwithCIN.Wearecurrentlyinvestigatingchangesintheexpressionofthebaxgene,anadditionalapoptoticmarker,insupportofourhypothesis.

181 (SESSIOND)POSSIBLENEUROPROTECTIVEFUNCTIONOFCOLONYSTIMULATINGFACTOR-1RECEPTORINMULTIPLESCLEROSISBRAINS

EmilieChristieNeuroscienceProgram,JohnCarrollUniversity,UniversityHeights,OH,44118

ColonyStimulatingFactor-1Receptor(CSF-1R)isatyrosinekinasereceptorwhosesignalingregulatesdevelopmentofmicrogliaandmacrophages.Recently,CSF-1Rhasbecomeatargetmoleculeformultiplesclerosis(MS)research,andstudiesexploringtherapeuticeffectsofinhibitingCSF-1Randothertyrosinekinaseshavebeenconductedinmousemodels.However,littleisstillknownaboutthelocalizationandfunctionofCSF-1R,andthereisagrowingbodyofevidencetosuggestthatitsinhibitioncouldbeharmfulforpatientswithneurodegenerativedisorders.ThepurposeofthisstudywastoestablishthepatternofexpressionofCSF-1RinnormalhumanandMSbrainstoprovideinsightintoCSF-1Rlocalizationinhumanswithdemyelinatingdiseases.ItwashypothesizedthatCSF-1Rwouldbelocalizedonmicrogliaandsomeneurons.Usingimmunohistochemistry,itwasfoundthatCSF-1Risexpressednotonlyonmicroglia,butalsoonneuronsanddistressedaxons.CSF-1Risalsoco-localizedwiththemitochondrialpyruvatecarrierproteininasubpopulationofneuronsinMScortex.ThisevidenceimpliesthatneuronsinareasofdamageupregulateCSF-1Rasanactofself-preservation.Therefore,CSF-1RmayhaveaneuroprotectivefunctionanddevelopmentofCSF-1Rinhibitorstotreatneurologicaldiseasesshouldbeapproachedwithcaution.182 (SESSIOND)ISOLATIONANDCHARACTERIZATIONOF"WILD"MICROBESFORBREWING

KileyRidgway&JessicaZolotarevskyBiologyDept.,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825

ThecraftbrewingindustryintheUnitedStateshasenjoyedexplosivegrowthoverthepastdecadeandasacomponentofthisexpansioninterestintheproductionof"wild"orspontaneouslyfermentedalcoholicbeersandaleshasincreaseddramatically.Wereporthereisolationofanumberofspeciesofyeastfromvariousenvironmentalsourcesandevaluationoftheirpotentialuseinthecraftbrewingindustry.Isolatedstrainshavebeencharacterizedbymetabolicprofiling,large-subunitribosomalRNAgenesequencingandsensoryanalysis.Basedonourresults,wehavedevelopedastandardizedmethodologytopredicttheusefulnessofisolatedyeastbasedontheircarbohydrateutilization,attenuation,andsensoryprofile.Todate,twoofthestrainsisolatedandcharacterizedusingthemethodologydescribedherehavebeenusedincommercialproductionbyalocalbrewery.

183 (SESSIOND)IDENTIFYINGTHESCORPIONGUTMICROBIOME

ChristopherShimwell&BarbaraMurdochDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226

Everyyearabout23,000peoplediefromharmfulantibioticresistantbacteria.Antibioticresistanceisaglobalcrisisthatneedstobeintensivelyresearchedbyscientists.Unlikehumans,someorganismshowever,havebeenresistanttotheconstantlyevolvingbacteriathatcontributetoantibioticresistance.Scorpions,amemberofthearthropodfamily,havebeenaroundforover400millionyearswithlittlephysicalchange.Thisisasignthatscorpionshaveadvantageoustraitsthatkeepthemsafefromharmfulbacteria.Onepossibleexplanationforthescorpion'ssuccessfullongevitycouldbethecollectionofbacteriafoundinsideofthem-theirmicrobiome.Therehasbeenlittleresearchonthescorpionmicrobiomeandourprojectishopingtofillthisvoid.Wehaveculturedbacteriafromscorpionguts.DNAfrombacterialisolateswassubjectedtoPCR,toamplifythe16SrRNAgene.Thesequenceanalysisoftheseribosomalgenesisthebasisfortheidentificationofindividualbacteria.Wehavesequenced50bacterialsamples.Interestingly,severalidentifiedbacteriaareassociatedwithfood-borneillnessinhumans.Ourresultsshedlightonthediversityofbacteriafoundwithinscorpionsandmayleadtonewsourcesofantibioticstohelpcombatantibioticresistance.184 (SESSIOND)ANALYZINGTHESWITCH:OXYGENICANDANOXYGENICPHOTOSYNTHESISINCYANOBACTERIA

KaleighBlock&JoyO'BrienDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109

MicrobialmatsfoundatthebottomofsinkholesinLakeHuronarecomprisedmainlyofcyanobacteriacapableofanoxygenicphotosynthesisviasulfide.Inanoxygenicphotosynthesis,sulfideisoxidizedandelementalsulfurisreleasedintotheenvironment.Tobetterunderstandtherangeofenvironmentalconditionsinwhichthisswitchcanoccur,wearestudyingstrainsofPseudanabaenaandOscillatoriawhichhavemembersknowntocarryoutthisswitchbetweenoxygenicandanoxygenicphotosynthesis.WeobtainedpureculturesofPseudanabaenasp.CCAP1464andOscillatorialimneticaandaremeasuringgrowthratesinoxygenicconditions.Thisdatawillbeabaselineforourfuturein-situexperimentsineuxinicenvironments.Pseudanabaenasp.andO.limneticahavealsobeenscreenedforsulfide:quinoneoxidoreductase(sqr)usingPCR.Thesqrgeneisrequiredfortheoxidationofsulfideandtheoxygenic/anoxygenicphotosynthesisswitch.WehaveconfirmedthepresenceofaTypeIsqrgeneinPseudanabaenasp.whichmeansitshouldbecapableofanoxygenicphotosynthesisinthepresenceofsulfide.WearestillconductingPCRonO.limneticawithexpectationsthatitcarriesthesamesqrgene.Bystudyingtheswitch,wewillbeabletoexaminetheimplicationsofanoxygenicphotosynthesiswithintheenvironment.

185 (SESSIOND)RATEOFPLASMIDLOSSWHENSELECTIVEPRESSUREISREMOVED:USEITORLOSEIT

JackKlem&MarkGalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

Plasmidsareextrachromosomalelementsthatarenormallyfoundinmostbacteria.Oneplasmid,p-Glo(TM),isusedinE.coliformanyexperiments,especiallyaspartoftheAdvancedPlacementBiologycurriculum.Thisplasmidcontainsthegreenfluorescentproteingeneundercontrolofthelactosepromoter,thebetalactamasegenewhoseproductprovidesbeta-lactamantibioticresistance,anoriginofreplication,aswellasamultiplecloningsite.Theplasmidisretainedinthecellduetoselectivepressureoftheantibiotic.However,verylittleexperimentationhasbeendoneontherateofthelossofplasmidsinbacteria.Plasmidlosswillbeexploredwhenunderdifferentselectivepressures,namelytheadditionalcostofexpressionofGFPproteinonabilitytocompeteforresources.186 (SESSIOND)ISOLATIONOFBACTERIOPHAGEINSTAPHYLOCOCCI

JanelleA.Fancher,MariaC.Kajdasz,ShaniaP.J.M.vanNuland&MarkA.GalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109

PathogenicStaphylococcusstrainsthatareantibioticresistantcancauseinfectionsthataredifficulttotreat.TheuseofbacteriophageintreatmentofStaphylococcusaureusinfectionhasbeenproposedasapossiblealternativetoantibiotics.Isolationandidentificationofnewbacteriophageisanexcitingareaofresearchthatmayyieldnoveltreatmentsforinfectionsthathavebeenchallengingtoeliminatebytraditionalmeans.OnepreviouslyunexploredsourceofStaphandtheircorrespondingphagearestrainsassociatedwithwildanimals.Inthisstudy,Staphwereisolatedfromwhitetaildeer,Odocoileusvirginianus.TheresultingbacteriawereanalyzedforthepresenceoflyticphagethatwereactiveagainstRN4220,apermissivestrainofS.aureus.SixteenindependentbacteriophagesweredetectedandtheirrangeofactivityonotherStaphylococcusspecieswasdetermined.187 (SESSIOND)DEVELOPMENTANDLOSSOFANTIBIOTICRESISTANCEINBACTERIAMAINTAINEDINPLANARIA

BrendenGriffith,ScottWilmot,TimothyDibble,StevenHelming,RyanDonnelly&MichaelDavis

Dept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritainCT,06050

Planariapossessunusuallyrobustregenerativecapability,andmanyinvestigatorsstudythisprocessintheseorganisms.Ourlab,though,isdevelopingaplanaria-basedmodelsystemtostudyinteractionsbetweenananimalanditsnormalmicrobiota.Wehaveemployedvariousantibiotics,aloneorincombination,tosignificantlydepletebacterialpopulationsinplanaria(Dugesiatigrina).Theanimalsaregenerallyhealthy,andcanbe

maintainedinabacteria-depletedstateforsometime.Wecanreintroducemicrobiotafromdonoranimals,andincludedefinedbacterialspeciesofinterest.Ourfirstuseofthismodelsystemistostudythedevelopmentandpersistenceofantibioticresistanceinthesebacteria-depletedanimals.Wehavecolonizedplanariawithoneofseveraldifferentspeciesofbacteria:Staphylococcusepidermidis,Staphylococcusaureus,Pseudomonasaeruginosa,andacurrentlyuntypedstrain,amemberofthenaturalmicrobiotaoftheplanaria.Isogenicpairsofantibioticresistantandantibioticsensitiveversionsofthesestrainswillbeintroducedintotheanimals,andantibioticsatvaryingconcentrationswillbeadded.Thedynamicsofantibioticresistancedevelopmentwillbeassessed.188 (SESSIOND)HOST-RANGECOMPARISONSAMONGBACTERIA(PROPIONIBACTERIUMACNES)ANDTARGET-SPECIFICBACTERIOPHAGEISOLATEDFROMSKIN

AdamSchirduan,AmyFerrante,KarolinaSkutulas&MichaelDavisDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritainCT,

06050Anumberoftherapiesforacneexist,mostofwhichtargetPropionibacteriumacnes,theopportunisticbacterialpathogenthatcausesseriousacnelesions.Antibiotics(eg,clindamycin)andantiseptics(eg,benzoylperoxide)areusedwithvaryingsuccess.Ourlabisdevelopinganoveltherapyfortheskindiseaseacnebasedontheabilityofbacteriophage(bacteria-specificviruses)totargetandkillPacnesbacteria.Wehaveamassedalargecollection(hundreds)ofPacnesisolates,andasmallerbutstillsignificantcollection(dozens)ofPacnesspecificbacteriophageisolates,andhaveexpandedanefforttocharacterizethehostrangeofthebacteriophageinourcollection.WehavedevelopedmethodstoincreasetherecoveryofPacnesspecificbacteriophage,andhypothesizethatthiswillletusexpandthenumberandvarietyofbacteriophageisolatesinourcollection.Inaddition,hostrangestudieswithourexistingbacteriophagehasidentifiedtwoisolatesthatappearabletoinfectandkilleachof50+independentPacnesbacterialisolatestested.Thisbreadthofhostrangeisunusual,asbacteriophagearegenerallyabletoinfectonlylimitedsubtypes(subspecies)ofbacteriawithinasinglespecies.Suchbroadhostrangemaysimplifyandspeedthedevelopmentofbacteriophagetherapyforacne.189 (SESSIOND)MONITORANDCONTROLOFBENCHTOPDIGESTERS

SarahKaneDept.ofEngineering-Physics-Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918

ThisprojectaimstounderstandthedetailsofthecomplexprocessthatoperatesintheGSAPMicroflushtoilet'sfilter-digester.Oncethisprojectiscomplete,stepswillbetakentoimprovethemicroflushtoiletsystem.Thatprocessincludesmacro-organismenhancedaerobicdigestiongovernedbyanumberofparametersincludingtemperature,pH,oxygen,moistureandtheC/Nratioofthedepositedwaste,amongotherfactors.Theprojectrequires24-7monitoringandcontrolofmultipleparametersandvariables;thedigestionprocessincludesamacro-organismenhancedaerobicdigestionoftheefficacywhichisinfluencedbytemperature,pH,oxygen,moistureandtheC/Nratioofthedepositedwaste

andotherfactors.Thereareseveralmacro-organismswithhabitatrequirementsthatmatchtheaverageconditionsofthedigesterbedcurrentlyinthefield,buttheonewefocusonise-fetida,acommon(red-wriggler)earthworm.Themassandpathogenreductionwithvermicompostinghasbeenshowntobefarsuperiortothatoftraditionalpitlatrines.Iamcurrentlyperformingalong-termcontrolledstudylookingatthedetailedefficacyoftheprocessfocusingontheaforementionedparameters.Sofar,Ihavebeenabletodeterminethatthereisadirectcorrelationbetweenchangeinmassandoxygen.Icurrentlyhaveonecontroldesktopdigesterbeingmonitored24/7.Iamconstructingtwomoredigestersthatwillbefilledwiththesamesoil;however,oneofthenewdigesterswillbepopulatedwithe-fetidawhiletheotherwillnotbepopulatedwiththemacro-organisms.Iwillcomparehowthechangeinmassisaffectedbyhavingonlymicro-organismsinonedigesterandhavingonlye-fetidapopulatetheotherdigester.190 (SESSIOND)BACTERIALANDCOLIPHAGEDIVERSITYINTHESPARKILLCREEK

KimberlyAcevedo&ChristinaJosephScienceDept.,DominicanCollege,Orangeburg,NY,10962

InNewYorkStatealone,792waterbodiesareonthe"Impaired/TMDL"list,whichidentifiesbodiesofwaterthatmightrequireremediation.TheSparkillCreek,placedonthelistfirstin2010,emptiesintotheHudsonRiver.Itfacesissueswithstormwaterrunoff,causingelevatedlevelsofpathogensinthecreekanddecreasedoxygenavailability.Accordingtopublisheddata,thelevelsoftheindicatorbacteriaare24timeshigherthanEPAstandards.TheSparkillCreekwasexaminedformicrobialandcoliphageloadsanddiversityasrelatedtoweatherevents.ColiformandE.colilevelsweremeasuredusingPetrifilm®,withasignificantincreasefoundwitharainfalleventforbothsamplinglocations.Thecoliphagenumberswerealsosignificantlyhigherwitharainevent.Familytypingofthesecoliphagewasattemptedon36isolates.Ofthese,5%werefoundtobeMicroviridae,26%JK,16%Lambda,and58%T4.DNAfromG(-)bacteriawassubjectedto16SrDNAsequencing.OfnotewasthepresenceofStenotrophomonasretroflexusindryweather,significantlydecreasedafterarainevent,andincreasedprevalenceofEnterobacterandEscherichiathreemilesfromthemouthofthecreek.Futurestudiesincludetrackingofthesebacteriabothintimeandalongthewaterway.191 (SESSIOND)EFFECTSOFREDOAKFOLIARPHENOLICSONGYPSYMOTHLARVALGROWTHANDSURVIVAL

MIDNErinKusuda&MIDNLianneMarquezChemistryDept.,UnitedStatesNavalAcademy,Annapolis,MD,21402

Populationoutbreaksofgypsymoth(Lymantriadispar)larvaearecontrolledbyavirusthatkillsthelarvae,phenoliccompoundsinthefoliageconsumedbythem,andpredators.Inanefforttoidentifyandunderstandtheeffectsofthephenoliccompoundsfoundinfoliagetypicaltothegypsymothcaterpillars'naturaldiet,freeze-driedredoak(Quercusrubra)foliagewasextractedandtheextractchromatographedwithaseriesofsolvents.

Thefractionsofisolatedphenolicswereseparatelydissolvedinwateratseveralconcentrationsandinfusedinto1cmplugsofgypsymothartificialdiet.Neonatelarvaewerefedthephenolic-infuseddietforthreeweeks,afterwhichtheywerefrozenandweighed.Unlikepriorexperiments,larvaethatconsumedthecontrol(non-infused)dietweresignificantlysmaller(mean=47.0mgFW),thanlarvaethatconsumeddietcontainingphenolics(e.g.mean=71.9mgFWforlarvaethatconsumedthe30%acetonefraction:p<0.01).Theseresultsarethereciprocalofthepriorthreeyearsofexperimentation,andworkcontinuestodeterminethecause.Ifgypsymothlarvaevaryamongyearsintheirresponsetofoliarphenolics,itmayhelpexplainsomeofthevariationinthetimingandseverityofoutbreaks.

INDEXBYNAMELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Institution Acevedo Kimberly 190 D DominicanCollegeAcquaviva John 2 A1 WagnerCollegeAhmaripour Mona 96 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityAhmed Fardin 168 D IthacaCollegeAlauddin Mohammad 5 A2 WagnerCollegeAlexander Jacqueline 80 B IthacaCollegeAlisch Joseph 176 D ProvidenceCollegeAlmeida Eleanor 4 A1 IthacaCollegeAlmuhanna Raid 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityAmin Youssef 143 D IthacaCollegeAmirov Tamar 28 A7 WagnerCollegeAmmirati Luke 107 C3 ManhattanCollegeAmuro Andrew 153 D SacredHeartUniversityAndresen ColbyAnderson 127 D ProvidenceCollegeAndrist Kasey 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityArévalo Dr. 133 D ProvidenceCollegeArmas SabrinaDe 141 D IthacaCollegeAtkinson Lauren 89 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityAttebery Michael 18 A5 IthacaCollegeAustriaco Nicanor 176 D ProvidenceCollegeAvery Derek 115 C5 WagnerCollege Baik Danielle 107 C3 ManhattanCollegeBalskus Carly 134 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityBarends Jared 172 D IthacaCollegeBaris Devon 11,47 A3,B IthacaCollegeBarreto Matthew 119 C6 WagnerCollegeBartholomew KirkA. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityBeecher Amanda 59 B SacredHeartUniversityBerger Erika 105 C2 PaceUniversityBernhardt David 139 D PaceUniversityBerrios Serena 140 D IthacaCollegeBertoldo Anna 163 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBertoli Mia 117 C6 ManhattanCollegeBhalla Suparna 180 D MountSaintMaryCollegeBhat Vandita 76 B IthacaCollegeBlackwin Jahlyssa 94 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBlock Kaleigh 184 D NiagaraUniversityBodnar Justin 46 B WilkesUniversityBolevic Lejla 5 A2 WagnerCollegeBouchard Elizabeth 61 B SacredHeartUniversityBoyles Michael 67 B SacredHeartUniversityBradford Beatrix 154 D MaristCollegeBradley Lia 141 D IthacaCollegeBray AliciaM. 35 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBredikin Alexander 99 C1 IthacaCollegeBrighter GrantM. 54 B IthacaCollegeBrown Abigail 103 C2 IthacaCollegeBrown Corinne 84 B WilkesUniversityBrown David 11 A3 IthacaCollegeBrown Shannalee 140 D IthacaCollegeBrown Tia 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBrown Vincent 166 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversity

Bucior Danielle 114 C5 IthacaCollegeBudhathoki Roshani 17 A5 EasternConnecticutStateUniversityBudlong Marisa 95 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBurian Alexis 172 D IthacaCollegeByrd Mia 106 C3 NiagaraUniversityByrne SeanP. 85 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversity Cabana PatrickR. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityCameron SophiaA. 123 C7 IthacaCollegeCampbell ZacharyT. 76 B IthacaCollegeCannata DavidR. 83 B SacredHeartUniversityCaplen Georgia 23 A6 IthacaCollegeCarden Christina 53 B IthacaCollegeCargill Sarah 169 D IthacaCollegeCarhuayo Brenda 174 D ManhattanCollegeCarrillo Emily 33 B ProvidenceCollegeCaster Jenna 148 D IthacaCollegeCedrone Jackson 155 D IthacaCollegeCerreta Christina 59 B SacredHeartUniversityChase Dan 157,179 D,D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityChepustanova Sofya 46 B WilkesUniversityChime Ngawang 77 B IthacaCollegeChlebowski Madison 75 B IthacaCollegeChristie Emilie 181 D JohnCarrollUniversityChu Simon 46 B WilkesUniversityCios Anna 6 A2 WagnerCollegeCohen Alyssa 148 D IthacaCollegeCollins Jessica 47,102 B,C2 IthacaCollegeConzuegra Deana 105 C2 PaceUniversityCortes-Rodriguez

Nandadevi 170 D IthacaCollege

Cramer Ethan 30 B IthacaCollegeCrobar Kaitlyn 65 B IthacaCollegeCusmano Danielle 160 D SacredHeartUniversity Davis Cory 29 B IthacaCollegeDavis Michael 94,95,96,

187,188B,B,B,D,D

CentralConnecticutStateUniversity

Dayton Jacob 108 C3 EasternConnecticutStateUniversityDeacon Megan 113 C4 EasternConnecticutStateUniversityDelgadillo Yuberki 36 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityDiaz Isaac 150 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityDibble Timothy 187 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityDomin Christian 41 B NiagaraUniversityDominguez Geselle 12 A3 IthacaCollegeDonnelly Ryan 40,187 B,D CentralConnecticutStateUniversity Eagan David 176 D ProvidenceCollegeEchelberger EricJ. 168 D IthacaCollegeElla Miranda 26 A7 IthacaCollegeEllis JamieP. 66 B IthacaCollegeEragene Sidney 110,162 C4,D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityEtienne Dusan 161 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityEuller KarlOtto 124 D IthacaCollegeEvans Brian 158 D ManhattanCollege Falconer Rebecca 173 D IthacaCollegeFancher JanelleA. 186 D NiagaraUniversity

Fatica Olivia 135 D SacredHeartUniversityFeitner Karina 103 C2 IthacaCollegeFeliccia Abrey 11 A3 IthacaCollegeFeola Jeffrey 178 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityFerraj Ardian 86 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityFerrante Amy 188 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityFerrone Salvatore 100 C1 IthacaCollegeFiccardi Jack 148 D IthacaCollegeFisher-Thompson

Donna 49,50 B,B NiagaraUniversity

Fitzgerald Julia 48 B IthacaCollegeFitzwater TamaraL. 54 B IthacaCollegeFonseca Dallas 76 B IthacaCollegeForster RyanMcHale 87 B MountSaintMaryCollegeFrancis Noelle 139 D PaceUniversityFrederick Jordan 153 D SacredHeartUniversityFuentes Brieanna 20 A5 EasternConnecticutStateUniversity Gabbert Amber 95 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityGafar Zamzama 8 A2 UniversityofSaintJosephGalbraith Emily 11 A3 IthacaCollegeGallego Christopher 171 D IthacaCollegeGallo Mark 15,16,93,

106,112,185,186

A4,A4,B,C3,C4,D,D

NiagaraUniversity

Garcia-Ferres EvaA. 55 B IthacaCollegeGarner Reid 159 D IthacaCollegeGarry Amanda 51 B NiagaraUniversityGarside MaryA. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityGary Lacie 142 D IthacaCollegeGeorge NatalieA. 66 B IthacaCollegeGiblin Stephanie 45 B SacredHeartUniversityGittens Iireyel 32 B WagnerCollegeGlazier Virginia 91 B NiagaraUniversityGlowacki Zachary 51 B NiagaraUniversityGontarek Gabrielle 177 D SacredHeartUniversityGonzalez Alfredo 176 D ProvidenceCollegeGonzalez Jorge 25 A7 ManhattanCollegeGoodman Lily 180 D MountSaintMaryCollegeGreene Robert 41 B NiagaraUniversityGriffith Brenden 187 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityGrimason Haley 43,137 B,D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityGrosso AdrianaDel 57 B IthacaCollegeGroth Amy 73 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityGwara Elizabeth 96 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversity Haaf Michael 30,124 B,D IthacaCollegeHaag Eric 80 B IthacaCollegeHagerty Eliot 104 C2 IthacaCollegeHalkin Sylvia 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHallisey Victoria 19 A5 ProvidenceCollegeHammond Kyle 38 B IthacaCollegeHancock Sophie 102 C2 IthacaCollegeHardwick Jean 3 A1 IthacaCollegeHart Melissa 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHelming Steven 187 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHernandez Michelle 115 C5 WagnerCollegeHilinski Hunter 9 A3 WilkesUniversity

Hoefen Cara 37 B IthacaCollegeHoopengardner Barry 178 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHoover Rene 93 B NiagaraUniversityHopkins Denver 96 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHoward Maya 140 D IthacaCollegeHsu Jesse 7,124 A2,D IthacaCollegeHubbell Dawn 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHudock Nicholas 84 B WilkesUniversityHughes Hunter 84 B WilkesUniversityHughes Lauren 103 C2 IthacaCollegeHunting Janet 29 B IthacaCollegeHusami Nadine 16 A4 NiagaraUniversityHutton Katie 3 A1 IthacaCollegeHyde Lillian 130 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversity Ireifej Raquel 81 B ManhattanCollege Jergensen Tanner 160 D SacredHeartUniversityJohnson Cole 122 C7 ManhattanCollegeJoseph Christina 190 D DominicanCollege Kadlec Lisa 84 B WilkesUniversityKajdasz MariaC. 186 D NiagaraUniversityKalhorn Jack 13 A4 ProvidenceCollegeKalinina Anastasiya 146 D JohnCarrollUniversityKanda Leann 4,37 A1,B IthacaCollegeKane James 165 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityKane Sarah 189 D ProvidenceCollegeKapolka Anthony 46 B WilkesUniversityKapper M.A. 85 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityKebalka Meghan 60 B ProvidenceCollegeKeene Julia 62 B IthacaCollegeKerr Nia 48 B IthacaCollegeKidney Matt 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityKlem Jack 185 D NiagaraUniversityKolluru Saroja 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityKressbach Hannah 161 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityKusuda MIDNErin 191 D UnitedStatesNavalAcademy Lachovizer Liya 142 D IthacaCollegeLangdon Joanna 148 D IthacaCollegeLee Jihye 80 B IthacaCollegeLeighton Jack 21 A6 WagnerCollegeLepore Brandon 86 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityLevitz Charlie 149 D IthacaCollegeLew Cassandra 83 B SacredHeartUniversityLewis JackC. 54 B IthacaCollegeLipton Kevin 42 B WagnerCollegeLo Te-Wen 76,80,168 B,B,D IthacaCollegeLoCastro Marissa 27 A7 ManhattanCollegeLoveland CheyenneM. 49 B NiagaraUniversity Magazin Mia 67 B SacredHeartUniversityMagyar Emily 92 B NiagaraUniversityMalcomson Melanie 53 B IthacaCollegeMarcano ClaudiaS

Ramirez24 A6 ManhattanCollege

Marnocha Cassandra 22 A6 NiagaraUniversity

Marquez MIDNLianne 191 D UnitedStatesNavalAcademyMartello Catherine 95 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMatthews Brianna 63 B IthacaCollegeMayer Oscar 63 B IthacaCollegeMazo Maria 82 B ManhattanCollegeMcCarthy Emma 149 D IthacaCollegeMcDonough Liam 176 D ProvidenceCollegeMcEnerney Shannon 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMcEwen ErinN. 35 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMcGillicuddy Cailey 147 D IthacaCollegeMcGuire BrianM. 50 B NiagaraUniversityMcLain Melissa 157 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMcMullen Carley 93 B NiagaraUniversityMecca Stephen 98 C1 ProvidenceCollegeMedina Arianna 97 B DominicanCollegeMelcher Peter 26,57 A7,B IthacaCollegeMello Nicholas 13 A4 ProvidenceCollegeMendrysa Zoe 90 B IthacaCollegeMesropyan Alexandria 45 B SacredHeartUniversityMichienzi Matthew 64 B NiagaraUniversityMilitello Elaine 64 B NiagaraUniversityMiller AndrewP. 9 A3 WilkesUniversityMineo Mara 28 A7 WagnerCollegeMiner Brooks 169 D IthacaCollegeMinett Tom 155 D IthacaCollegeMione Thomas 150 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMoreno-King Isabella 143 D IthacaCollegeMullin James 13,176 A4,D ProvidenceCollegeMulrooney James 86 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMurdoch Barbara 129,183 D,D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityMurphy Eva 83 B SacredHeartUniversity Nolan Mikayla 147 D IthacaCollegeNorko FrancescaG. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityNuland ShaniaP.J.M.van 186 D NiagaraUniversity O'Brien Joy 184 D NiagaraUniversityO'Hara Greta 53 B IthacaCollegeObinelo Adaeze 69 B ManhattanCollegeOrtega Humberto 120 C6 ManhattanCollege Page Jeffrey 80 B IthacaCollegePalestis Brian 42 B WagnerCollegePallis Samuel 58 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityPalmieri Domenick 31 B WagnerCollegePandorf Zachary 115 C5 WagnerCollegePare Savannah 70 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityParker Haley 22 A6 NiagaraUniversityParker Mark 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityPatel Priya 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityPena Ismael 116 C5 ManhattanCollegePerez Carlos 33 B ProvidenceCollegePhuong Vinh 28 A7 WagnerCollegePiasecki-Masters

Colette 118 C6 IthacaCollege

Pierce MadelynJane 52 B JohnCarrollUniversityPierson Russell 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityPignatelli Samantha 83 B SacredHeartUniversity

Pildner Amy 47 B IthacaCollegePitti-Daly Sophia 57 B IthacaCollegePowell AlexsisM. 43,137 B,D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityPrelvukaj Gent 126 D WagnerCollegePringle Tyresha 140 D IthacaCollegePurcell Britteny 39 B NiagaraUniversity Radecki Alexander 68 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityRadell Milen 145 D NiagaraUniversityRaffa Amanda 13 A4 ProvidenceCollegeRahman Nishat 131 D IthacaCollegeRandall Jason 156 D MaristCollegeRappi Jonathan 73 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityReidy Ellen 1 A1 WagnerCollegeReilly Liam 98 C1 ProvidenceCollegeRichardson Kyle 143 D IthacaCollegeRidgway Kiley 182 D SacredHeartUniversityRidler Abigail 74 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityRondeau Jenna 61 B SacredHeartUniversityRosado Alize 51 B NiagaraUniversityRosenberg Dawn 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityRoy NicoleM. 160 D SacredHeartUniversityRuan Victor 119 C6 WagnerCollegeRumrill Ben 129 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversity Sackman Cait 138 D ManhattanCollegeSaleem Ramis 71 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversitySalter AbigailE. 15 A4 NiagaraUniversitySalvatore Victoria 88 B SacredHeartUniversitySamuel-Constanzo

Juan 162 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversity

Sanders Taylor 91 B NiagaraUniversitySarmiento Clarissa 96 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySavje Kelsey 31 B WagnerCollegeSchall Morgan 103 C2 IthacaCollegeSchanbacher Cara 53,103 B,C2 IthacaCollegeSchirduan Adam 188 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySeeds Michelle 164 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySenechal Christianne 167 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityService Shanique 112 C4 NiagaraUniversityShahin Yazmeen 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversitySherman Kendra 88 B SacredHeartUniversityShi Bright 14 A4 ManhattanCollegeShimwell Christopher 183 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversitySiclari JamesJ. 177 D SacredHeartUniversitySigman Daniel 164 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySilva Ralf 148 D IthacaCollegeSiniscalco Emily 76 B IthacaCollegeSkinner Piper 125 D WagnerCollegeSkutulas Karolina 188 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySlater Melody 72 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversitySluter MadisonN. 54 B IthacaCollegeSoucy Joseph 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySpencer-Dupret Lia 152 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityStefinko Mariya 168 D IthacaCollegeSteinbeck Caitlin 133 D ProvidenceCollegeStern MichaelJ. 168 D IthacaCollegeStewart JachiusJ. 110,162 C4,D CentralConnecticutStateUniversity

Stoj ChristopherS. 64 B NiagaraUniversityStopper GeffreyF. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityStrakosha Alexander 13 A4 ProvidenceCollegeStranzl Cassidy 44 B ManhattanCollegeStravoravdis Stefanos 72 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversitySundberg Oskar 32 B WagnerCollegeSusi Samantha 21 A6 WagnerCollegeSwift Alison 136 D JohnCarrollUniversitySzewczyk Bryan 86,94 B,B CentralConnecticutStateUniversity Taibi Lauren 10 A3 WagnerCollegeTang Sylvia 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityTariq Rafay 15 A4 NiagaraUniversityTarren Anna 109 C3 IthacaCollegeTaylor John 145 D NiagaraUniversityTerleph Thomas 45 B SacredHeartUniversityThoren Vincent 163 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityTihagam RachisanDjiake 15 A4 NiagaraUniversityToal Kevin 148 D IthacaCollegeTolley Alexis 163 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityTorelli AndrewT. 65 B IthacaCollegeTran Kevin 79 B IthacaCollegeTreverton BrigidN. 49 B NiagaraUniversityTribuna Madison 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityTrudeau Max 135 D SacredHeartUniversityTuong Alexander 128 D IthacaCollege Valero Monica 121 C7 WagnerCollegeVasel Ashley 56 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityVengen Sarah 12 A3 IthacaCollegeViosine Cindy 168 D IthacaCollegeVogel Sara 50,144 B,D NiagaraUniversity Walter Zachary 84 B WilkesUniversityWashington Ayeisha 95 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityWebb JasonE. 168 D IthacaCollegeWeiss Emma 102 C2 IthacaCollegeWestacott Peter 104 C2 IthacaCollegeWhisman-Woodward

Avery 142 D IthacaCollege

Wilkins BryanJ. 69 B ManhattanCollegeWilliams Jelani 78 B IthacaCollegeWilliams Myranda 111 C4 UniversityofSaintJosephWilmot Scott 187 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityWine Abby 57 B IthacaCollegeWitherup Susan 26,57 A7,B IthacaCollege Yowan Taylor 132 D IthacaCollegeYraita Sally 170 D IthacaCollege Zhanay Jennifer 175 D ManhattanCollegeZolotarevsky Jessica 182 D SacredHeartUniversity

INDEXBYINSTITUTIONCENTRALCONNECTICUTSTATEUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Ahmaripour Mona 96 B Andrist Kasey 179 D Bertoldo Anna 163 D Blackwin Jahlyssa 94 B Bray AliciaM. 35 B Brown Tia 151 D Budlong Marisa 95 B Byrne SeanP. 85 B Chase Dan 157,179 D,D Davis Michael 94,95,96,187,

188B,B,B,D,D

Diaz Isaac 150 D Dibble Timothy 187 D Donnelly Ryan 40,187 B,D Eragene Sidney 110,162 C4,D Etienne Dusan 161 D Feola Jeffrey 178 D Ferraj Ardian 86 B Ferrante Amy 188 D Gabbert Amber 95 B Griffith Brenden 187 D Gwara Elizabeth 96 B Halkin Sylvia 151 D Hart Melissa 151 D Helming Steven 187 D Hoopengardner Barry 178 D Hopkins Denver 96 B Hubbell Dawn 151 D Kapper M.A. 85 B Kolluru Saroja 179 D Kressbach Hannah 161 D Lepore Brandon 86 B Martello Catherine 95 B McEnerney Shannon 179 D McEwen ErinN. 35 B McLain Melissa 157 D Mione Thomas 150 D Mulrooney James 86 B Pare Savannah 70 B Patel Priya 179 D Radecki Alexander 68 B Rosenberg Dawn 179 D Samuel-Constanzo Juan 162 D Sarmiento Clarissa 96 B Schirduan Adam 188 D Seeds Michelle 164 D Sigman Daniel 164 D Skutulas Karolina 188 D Soucy Joseph 151 D Stewart JachiusJ. 110,162 C4,D Szewczyk Bryan 86,94 B,B Tang Sylvia 179 D

Thoren Vincent 163 D Tolley Alexis 163 D Vasel Ashley 56 B Washington Ayeisha 95 B Wilmot Scott 187 D DOMINICANCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Acevedo Kimberly 190 D Joseph Christina 190 D Medina Arianna 97 B EASTERNCONNECTICUTSTATEUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Atkinson Lauren 89 B Balskus Carly 134 D Brown Vincent 166 D Budhathoki Roshani 17 A5 Dayton Jacob 108 C3 Deacon Megan 113 C4 Delgadillo Yuberki 36 B Fuentes Brieanna 20 A5 Grimason Haley 43,137 B,D Groth Amy 73 B Hyde Lillian 130 D Kane James 165 D Murdoch Barbara 129,183 D,D Pallis Samuel 58 B Powell AlexsisM. 43,137 B,D Rappi Jonathan 73 B Ridler Abigail 74 B Rumrill Ben 129 D Saleem Ramis 71 B Senechal Christianne 167 D Shimwell Christopher 183 D Slater Melody 72 B Spencer-Dupret Lia 152 D Stravoravdis Stefanos 72 B ITHACACOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Ahmed Fardin 168 D Alexander Jacqueline 80 B Almeida Eleanor 4 A1 Amin Youssef 143 D Armas SabrinaDe 141 D Attebery Michael 18 A5 Barends Jared 172 D Baris Devon 11,47 A3,B Berrios Serena 140 D Bhat Vandita 76 B Bradley Lia 141 D Bredikin Alexander 99 C1

Brighter GrantM. 54 B Brown Abigail 103 C2 Brown David 11 A3 Brown Shannalee 140 D Bucior Danielle 114 C5 Burian Alexis 172 D Cameron SophiaA. 123 C7 Campbell ZacharyT. 76 B Caplen Georgia 23 A6 Carden Christina 53 B Cargill Sarah 169 D Caster Jenna 148 D Cedrone Jackson 155 D Chime Ngawang 77 B Chlebowski Madison 75 B Cohen Alyssa 148 D Collins Jessica 47,102 B,C2 Cortes-Rodriguez Nandadevi 170 D Cramer Ethan 30 B Crobar Kaitlyn 65 B Davis Cory 29 B Dominguez Geselle 12 A3 Echelberger EricJ. 168 D Ella Miranda 26 A7 Ellis JamieP. 66 B Euller KarlOtto 124 D Falconer Rebecca 173 D Feitner Karina 103 C2 Feliccia Abrey 11 A3 Ferrone Salvatore 100 C1 Ficcardi Jack 148 D Fitzgerald Julia 48 B Fitzwater TamaraL. 54 B Fonseca Dallas 76 B Galbraith Emily 11 A3 Gallego Christopher 171 D Garcia-Ferres EvaA. 55 B Garner Reid 159 D Gary Lacie 142 D George NatalieA. 66 B Grosso AdrianaDel 57 B Haaf Michael 30,124 B,D Haag Eric 80 B Hagerty Eliot 104 C2 Hammond Kyle 38 B Hancock Sophie 102 C2 Hardwick Jean 3 A1 Hoefen Cara 37 B Howard Maya 140 D Hsu Jesse 7,124 A2,D Hughes Lauren 103 C2 Hunting Janet 29 B Hutton Katie 3 A1 Kanda Leann 4,37 A1,B Keene Julia 62 B Kerr Nia 48 B Lachovizer Liya 142 D Langdon Joanna 148 D

Lee Jihye 80 B Levitz Charlie 149 D Lewis JackC. 54 B Lo Te-Wen 76,80,168 B,B,D Malcomson Melanie 53 B Matthews Brianna 63 B Mayer Oscar 63 B McCarthy Emma 149 D McGillicuddy Cailey 147 D Melcher Peter 26,57 A7,B Mendrysa Zoe 90 B Miner Brooks 169 D Minett Tom 155 D Moreno-King Isabella 143 D Nolan Mikayla 147 D O'Hara Greta 53 B Page Jeffrey 80 B Piasecki-Masters Colette 118 C6 Pildner Amy 47 B Pitti-Daly Sophia 57 B Pringle Tyresha 140 D Rahman Nishat 131 D Richardson Kyle 143 D Schall Morgan 103 C2 Schanbacher Cara 53,103 B,C2 Silva Ralf 148 D Siniscalco Emily 76 B Sluter MadisonN. 54 B Stefinko Mariya 168 D Stern MichaelJ. 168 D Tarren Anna 109 C3 Toal Kevin 148 D Torelli AndrewT. 65 B Tran Kevin 79 B Tuong Alexander 128 D Vengen Sarah 12 A3 Viosine Cindy 168 D Webb JasonE. 168 D Weiss Emma 102 C2 Westacott Peter 104 C2 Whisman-Woodward

Avery 142 D

Williams Jelani 78 B Wine Abby 57 B Witherup Susan 26,57 A7,B Yowan Taylor 132 D Yraita Sally 170 D JOHNCARROLLUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Christie Emilie 181 D Kalinina Anastasiya 146 D Pierce MadelynJane 52 B Swift Alison 136 D

MANHATTANCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Ammirati Luke 107 C3 Baik Danielle 107 C3 Bertoli Mia 117 C6 Carhuayo Brenda 174 D Evans Brian 158 D Gonzalez Jorge 25 A7 Ireifej Raquel 81 B Johnson Cole 122 C7 LoCastro Marissa 27 A7 Marcano ClaudiaSRamirez 24 A6 Mazo Maria 82 B Obinelo Adaeze 69 B Ortega Humberto 120 C6 Pena Ismael 116 C5 Sackman Cait 138 D Shi Bright 14 A4 Stranzl Cassidy 44 B Wilkins BryanJ. 69 B Zhanay Jennifer 175 D MARISTCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Bradford Beatrix 154 D Randall Jason 156 D MOUNTSAINTMARYCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Bhalla Suparna 180 D Forster RyanMcHale 87 B Goodman Lily 180 D NIAGARAUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Block Kaleigh 184 D Byrd Mia 106 C3 Domin Christian 41 B Fancher JanelleA. 186 D Fisher-Thompson Donna 49,50 B,B Gallo Mark 15,16,93,106,

112,185,186A4,A4,B,C3,C4,D,D

Garry Amanda 51 B Glazier Virginia 91 B Glowacki Zachary 51 B Greene Robert 41 B Hoover Rene 93 B Husami Nadine 16 A4 Kajdasz MariaC. 186 D Klem Jack 185 D

Loveland CheyenneM. 49 B Magyar Emily 92 B Marnocha Cassandra 22 A6 McGuire BrianM. 50 B McMullen Carley 93 B Michienzi Matthew 64 B Militello Elaine 64 B Nuland ShaniaP.J.M.van 186 D O'Brien Joy 184 D Parker Haley 22 A6 Purcell Britteny 39 B Radell Milen 145 D Rosado Alize 51 B Salter AbigailE. 15 A4 Sanders Taylor 91 B Service Shanique 112 C4 Stoj ChristopherS. 64 B Tariq Rafay 15 A4 Taylor John 145 D Tihagam RachisanDjiake 15 A4 Treverton BrigidN. 49 B Vogel Sara 50,144 B,D PACEUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Berger Erika 105 C2 Bernhardt David 139 D Conzuegra Deana 105 C2 Francis Noelle 139 D PROVIDENCECOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Alisch Joseph 176 D Andresen ColbyAnderson 127 D Arévalo Dr. 133 D Austriaco Nicanor 176 D Carrillo Emily 33 B Eagan David 176 D Gonzalez Alfredo 176 D Hallisey Victoria 19 A5 Kalhorn Jack 13 A4 Kane Sarah 189 D Kebalka Meghan 60 B McDonough Liam 176 D Mecca Stephen 98 C1 Mello Nicholas 13 A4 Mullin James 13,176 A4,D Perez Carlos 33 B Raffa Amanda 13 A4 Reilly Liam 98 C1 Steinbeck Caitlin 133 D Strakosha Alexander 13 A4

ROGERWILLIAMSUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Almuhanna Raid 34 B Kidney Matt 34 B Parker Mark 34 B Pierson Russell 34 B Shahin Yazmeen 34 B Tribuna Madison 34 B SACREDHEARTUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Amuro Andrew 153 D Bartholomew KirkA. 177 D Beecher Amanda 59 B Bouchard Elizabeth 61 B Boyles Michael 67 B Cabana PatrickR. 177 D Cannata DavidR. 83 B Cerreta Christina 59 B Cusmano Danielle 160 D Fatica Olivia 135 D Frederick Jordan 153 D Garside MaryA. 177 D Giblin Stephanie 45 B Gontarek Gabrielle 177 D Jergensen Tanner 160 D Lew Cassandra 83 B Magazin Mia 67 B Mesropyan Alexandria 45 B Murphy Eva 83 B Norko FrancescaG. 177 D Pignatelli Samantha 83 B Ridgway Kiley 182 D Rondeau Jenna 61 B Roy NicoleM. 160 D Salvatore Victoria 88 B Sherman Kendra 88 B Siclari JamesJ. 177 D Stopper GeffreyF. 177 D Terleph Thomas 45 B Trudeau Max 135 D Zolotarevsky Jessica 182 D UNITEDSTATESNAVALACADEMYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Kusuda MIDNErin 191 D Marquez MIDNLianne 191 D UNIVERSITYOFSAINTJOSEPHLastName FirstName AbstractID Session

Gafar Zamzama 8 A2 Williams Myranda 111 C4 WAGNERCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Acquaviva John 2 A1 Alauddin Mohammad 5 A2 Amirov Tamar 28 A7 Avery Derek 115 C5 Barreto Matthew 119 C6 Bolevic Lejla 5 A2 Cios Anna 6 A2 Gittens Iireyel 32 B Hernandez Michelle 115 C5 Leighton Jack 21 A6 Lipton Kevin 42 B Mineo Mara 28 A7 Palestis Brian 42 B Palmieri Domenick 31 B Pandorf Zachary 115 C5 Phuong Vinh 28 A7 Prelvukaj Gent 126 D Reidy Ellen 1 A1 Ruan Victor 119 C6 Savje Kelsey 31 B Skinner Piper 125 D Sundberg Oskar 32 B Susi Samantha 21 A6 Taibi Lauren 10 A3 Valero Monica 121 C7 WILKESUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Bodnar Justin 46 B Brown Corinne 84 B Chepustanova Sofya 46 B Chu Simon 46 B Hilinski Hunter 9 A3 Hudock Nicholas 84 B Hughes Hunter 84 B Kadlec Lisa 84 B Kapolka Anthony 46 B Miller AndrewP. 9 A3 Walter Zachary 84 B

EVENINGRECEPTION,BANQUET,ANDAWARDSDirectionstoHotelIthacaTheeveningfestivitieswillbeheldatHotelIthacaindowntownIthaca.DrivingdirectionsfromIthacaCollegeMainEntrance:Turnright(downhill)onto96B.TurnleftonClintonStreet.TurnrightonCayugaStreet.HotelIthacaisontheleft;aparkinggarageisonyourright.